Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1852-08-28

i Letters can be sent from Antwerp to Rotterdam t.
Cologne Paris and London in less than twelve hours
| communications will become still more rapid.
Belgium has Post Office arrangements with every
foreign State its Post Office department perfectly or
gained The seal Of letters is inyolable this nviolab
lily is guaranteed by the constitution There is no CEN
sorship of the Press and these facilities will soon be in
creased by the conclusion Of postal treaty which is IN
negotiation between the United States and Belgium
Belgium as we have just said is the central point OF
meeting of the European mails bound to transatlantic
countries BY of the grand line terminating at
Settn she distributes the letters among the countries
situated on the Baltic The Indian mail goes by the way
Of Trieste and Belgium instead Of passing as it formerly
did, through Marseies The decision OF the British Go
vernment in this matter made in 1916. Pursuant to
this decision, the English mail crosses Germany every
three weeks by way of Bavaria and Wirtemburgh, and
Belgium twice on the road from London to Trieste
Belgium has been chosen in preference TO any other
port the North Sea- not only because the line which
passes through this country is the shortest but because
the Belgian ports communicate daily, and several
times day, with Dover and London by steamboats, Ii
is evidently necessary that reaching the the mails
in question should find the means of crossing immediate
y The delays experienced at Paris where they were
frequently detained twenty four hours is of the
of the contemplated abandonment Of the line from
Marsees TO Calais
Commerce betceen Belgium and The United States.
The calculations showing the result Of this
are extracted from the General Tables Of The Commerce Of
Belgium nth Foreign Countries, work written and print
from those contained in the general accounts made
der the direction of the Treasury Department of the Uni
ted States
This varanceis easily accounted for In Belgium it is
indispensable for the execution of the laws
certain the real origin of the goods which imported
there and the most minute Investigations entered into
Tor that purpose by the cusomhouse officers There is
not in the United States the necessity of knowing
the real destination of the goods which exported
thence to foreign Countries and frequently it inn
possible to know it, because vessels which sail from the
ITuta rfnftap H.1 thair
ders proceed to another port with their cargoes Thus
cargoes OF cotton tobacco rice whale OIL &C. have been
shipped from American ports for Cores and their value
has been carried in the Tables of the Treasury Depart
ment to the account of England whereas Cowes not
their ultimate destination they have gone from thence
to Antwerp where they have been placed to the
OF the United States The same remark will apply to
vera other ports where vessels have been bound in the
first instance, but from whence they have been to
Belgium This explains how great portion of the COM
mercia transactions of the United States with Belgium
has in the American tables, been included in those with
the nelghborng States When the Belgian tables indicate
an increase of imports from America may be certain
that the American tables will exhibit corresponding in
crease of exports from America to the countries to which
those intermediate ports belong.
There is doubt that some years ago the Of
the United States with Belgium indirect than d
rect but since system laws which favora
Bile to direct arrivals and the treaty Of the 9th November
1872 (Which extends to the United States flag in Belgium
the privileges to which the the
same laws commerce became direct than indirect
The vessels of the United States will supply the deficiency
OF Belgian vessels and will almost monopoize the bust
ness of supplying Belgium with American goods pro
ducts of the United States goods coming from their
markets. because Belgian navigation has very small
agency in the commercial transactions between the
countries.
These observations having been made let proceed to
IN examination of the calculat TONS
During the year 1919 the United States held the fifth
AJAX in the scale Of mporatons into Belgium The value
i the goods sent there by them 49, 1874 900
rancs 81, 30, 900
The value of the goods sent by Belgium to the United
states during the year l9,Sl90p0 francs or
50, 964 900.
The balance in favor of the United States has therefore
been about So, 263 900
The mporations in Belgian vessels have only amounted
% 3T francs, 40 100 dollars those in foreign
vessels have amounted to 49, 923 600 francs 6S4 100
dollars The advantages which thus offered 10 the
United States under the treaty of the 10th Of November
IRE apparent.
The I227o0O dollars to which the American importa-
tons into Belgium amount divided in the following