The value of cotton shipped to Great-Britain, in 1816, was more than seventeen millions of dollars.

The importations from Great-Britain and Ireland consist principally of the various manufactures of wool, cotton, silk, and flax, manufactures of brass and copper, glass and earthern ware, haberdashery, manufactures of iron and steel, lead, and manufactures of lead, hats, salt, tin and pewter, coal, beer, ale and porter.

Much the greatest proportion of the above articles, on their importation, are subject to duties, on their value. By ascertaining therefore the amount of goods imported from Great-Britain and Ireland, paying these duties, the value of imports from that kingdom may be pretty accurately estimated. The following is the amount of goods of this description, imported for a number of years subsequent to 1804, viz.

Importations, in consequence of the repeal of the Orders in Council.

In 1807, the amount of goods, paying duties ad valorem, was nearly thirty-nine millions of dollars; when we add the goods imported, in the same year, duty free, and those subject to specific duties, the whole amount, imported from Great-Britain, in 1807, would not, it is believed, fall much short of fifty millions of dollars.

On the return of peace between the two countries, in 1815, the importation of British goods was great beyond example. From the 1st of January, to the 31st of December, 1815, the amount of goods paying duties ad valorem, imported from Great-Britain, and her dominions, was $71,400,599. Nearly the whole of this sum was made up from goods coming directly from Great-Britain, consisting principally of woollens and cotton. The value of articles paying specific duties, from Great-Britain and dependencies, during the same period, (calculating their value at the place of importation,) was $11,470,586 80, making the whole amount no less than $82,871,185 80, from Great-Britain and the countries in her possession. See Table No. IV. A more full account of the trade and intercourse between the two countries, since the peace, and under the late commercial convention, will be given in Chapter VII.

The British accounts of exports to, and imports from the United States, will serve, also, to shew the amount of the trade between the two countries. Tables No. V. and VI. contain the British official accounts of exports and imports, (exclusive of Scotland,) for the years 1806, 1807, and 1808, ending on the 10th of October in each year, furnished the House of Commons, by the inspector general of imports and exports, containing their real, as well as official value.

By these accounts, the real value of British produce and manufactures, and of foreign merchandize, exported to the United States, in those years, was as follows, viz.

And the real value of the imports from the United States, into Great-Britain, was

In 1806.

£3,508,480

1807.
£5,201,909

1808.
£2,804,707

To enable us to see, what proportion of all the exports of British produce and manufacture was shipped to the United States, during those years, we add table No. VII. shewing the real as well as official value of all the exports from Great-Britain, (exclusive of Scotland,) to all parts of the world, for each of those years. This shews the real value of British produce and manufacture, exported to all parts of the world, on an average of the years 1806 and 1807, to have been £39,205,036, sterling,

or about $176,000,000.

And the real value of the same produce and manufacture, exported to the United States, on an average of the same two years, was

£11,417,834 or about

$50,500,000, making between one quarter and one third of all the exports of British produce and manufacture, during these two years. Much the greatest part of our imports from Great-Britain consist of woollen and cotton goods. As these, with many others, on their im portation into the United States, are subject to duties ad valorem, neither their quantity or value is separately ascertained by our custom-house books. By the English accounts contained in table No. VI. the real value of cotton goods exported to the United States from Great-Britain, (exclusive of Scotland,) on an average of the same two years, was

and of woollen goods,

Making,

£4,393,449

4,591,437

£8,984,886 sterling,

or about $39,500,000, as valued in England, being more than nineteen millions of cotton goods, and about twenty millions of wollens, in each of these years.

We would here remark, that the imports and exports of the United States, for the years 1806 and 1807, were greater than in any for

mer year; and that, probably, about one third of the goods imported from Great-Britain, especially those imported in 1806, were again exported to the West-Indies, to South-America, and elsewhere. The value of the exports of woollens from Great-Britain has been nearly stationary for many years, while the exports of cotton goods has increased beyond example. The United States have taken a large proportion of English woollens. Table No. VIII. contains an amount of the value of the woollen manufactures exported from Great-Britain from 1790 to 1799, agreeable to the estimate of the inspector general, together with the countries to which the same were exported.* From this, it will be seen, that during that period, from one quarter to one third, and in some years nearly one half, of all the woollens was exported to the United States, greatly exceeding the amount exported to any other country.†

The value of our imports from Great-Britain has always exceeded that of our exports, even in those years, when we have cousumed the whole of the imports. This difference, however, is less than appears from our custom-house books, as the value of our exports is ascertained from the prices of the articles, at the place of exportation. Most

* Macpherson's Annals of Commerce.

†The manufacture of wool, as well as cotton, advanced very rapidly in the United States, while the restrictive system was in force, and during the late war. The return of peace, however, and the great importations of British woollens, has depressed the woollen, as well as the cotton manufac tures. By the new tariff of duties established in 1816, additional duties were imposed on imported woollens, with a view to support and encourage the American woollen manufactures.

That merino sheep will endure our climate, experience has now fully prov ed. And if Great-Britain, with her limited extent of territory, can maintain thirty millions of sheep, how much more easily can the United States, with their extended territory, and increasing improvements, maintain not only thirty millions, but double that number. By representations and statements made to congress, in the winter of 1816, by the woollen manufacturers, it was estimated that the capital invested in buildings, machinery, &c. and in the various establishments for the manufacture of wool in the United States, amounted to $12,000,000. In a climate like ours, sound policy dictates that the raising of sheep, as well as the manufacture of wool, should be aided and encouraged in every way.

of the articles exported are bulky, and have been carried, until lately, principally in our own ships.* The expense of transportation, therefore, as well as a reasonable profit to the shipper, which cannot be less than about twenty per cent. must be added to the estimated value of our exports. The balance is paid by our trade with the West-Indies, and other parts of the world.

II. TRADE WITH THE BRITISH EAST-INDIES.

The trade of the United States with the British East-Indies commenced not long after the peace of 1783. In 1788, or 1789, Earl Cornwallis, then governour and commander in India, gave orders that American vessels should be treated at the company's settlements, in all respects, as the most favoured foreigners; and the ship Chesapeake, one of the first vessels that displayed the American colours in the Ganges, was favoured, by the supreme council of Bengal, with an exemption from the government customs which all foreign vessels were bound to pay.t

This trade was regulated by our treaty with Great-Britain of the 19th of November, 1794. The thirteenth article, relating to this subject, was as follows, viz.

ARTICLE XIII.

"His Majesty consents, that the vessels belonging to the citizens of the United States of America, shall be admitted and hospitably received in all the sea-ports and harbours of the British territories in the East-Indies. And that the citizens of the said United States may freely carry on a trade between the said territories and the said United States, in all articles of which the importation or exportation respectively, to or from the said territories, shall not be entirely pro

The number of American ships cleared from Liverpool, in 1807, was four hundred and eighty-nine, and their tonnage one hundred twenty-three thousand five hundred and forty-five.

+Macpherson's Annals of Commerce.