prize. The next year it was determined to remove this restriction if these powers would repeal their hostile decrees. Napoleon after playing a game of deception acceded in 1811. The course of Britain was unchanged, and the patience and patriotism of the American people enduring outrage no longer, cried to arms. In the fierce and bloody conflict which followed, the national honor was forever vindicated.*

During this year, or for example, in the years 1813 and 1814 together, our imports were less in amount than in any two years since 1790, and the export was only one-third as great in 1814 as in 1790. The country engaged, however, extensively in domestic manufactures.

From that period to this, the world has been in profound peace and engaged in the extension of arts, industry, enterprise and civilization. The great and benignant influences of such a state of things have been universally felt and we may indeed cherish the hope that between great Christian communities the battle-axe has been ground down into the plough-share and that nothing will soon be allowed to disturb the sacred amity and brotherhood of nations. "Peace has her victories as high," indeed infinitely higher than those of "war."

Soon after the treaty of peace, the British navigation laws were relaxed in our favor, and the orders in council of 1791 were upon this liberal basis. These gave way to the treaty of 1794, which provided for reciprocal privileges of trade. In 1815, by treaty the tonnage duties between the United States and the European possessions of Britain were equalized.

For the seven years ending in 1790, the declared value of British imports from America, which is much less than the real value averaged about four and a half millions of dollars, and the exports about eleven millions. In the seven years ending 1801, the American exports had on an average increased nearly four-fold and American imports two and one-half fold. The American exports in 1801 were seven-fold that of 1781, and the imports only about five-fold that of 1786.†

In 1821, our imports from Britain and Ireland were twenty-five millions, in 1831, forty-four million dollars, and in the year ending June 30, 1847, sixty-seven million five hundred and ninety-seven thousand six hundred and eight dollars. Our exports have in the same period, increased from twenty millions, to thirty-two millions, and in 1847, eighty-six million one hundred and sixty-six thousand, seven hundred and thirty-five dollars. It is true that in the last year there were peculiar causes to influence the extent of our trade with these countries, viz. the famine there, and the low tariff of 1846.

By a comparison of the table of our trade with Britain at the beginning of the century and at the present time, we will find that in the first period it amounted to one-third of the whole American trade, and in the last period, one-half. Nothing can show more conclusively than this the importance of preserving peace and amity between the two na

* The British orders were actually revoked five days before the declaration of

war.

+ Pitking.

tions. As they increase in wealth and power, the value of their mutual intercourse must go on continually augmenting.

Another striking view presents itself here. In 1700 the average value of the United States commerce to Great Britain, was one-twelfth of the aggregate value of the whole of the commerce of that empire; in 1786, one-ninth; in 1822, one-eighth; and in the year 1849, one-fourth.

With the British East Indies we opened intercourse about the year 1783, and by order of Lord Cornwallis, the Governor, our vessels were admitted on favorable terms in 1788. In 1806 thirteen American vessels arrived from Canton, and as early as 1789 (Seybert) it was stated in the House of Representatives, that forty-seven vessels were on voyages to countries beyond the Cape of Good Hope. Mr. Seybert, in speaking of this commerce in 1819, says, we have made much greater progress in this trade than the several nations of Europe had before us. In 1747 the British had only eight ships, and the Dutch but six, employed in the China trade. In 1789 there were at Canton, in China, three Portuguese, five Dutch, one French, one Danish, fifteen United States, twentyone East India Company ships, and forty belonging to British subjects residing in India. In 1785 the first importations were made into the United States from China.

Our intercourse with the British East Indies was regulated by the treaty of 1794 and that of 1815. It was much greater in the begining of the century than it has been since the imports in 1807 were five million, the average from 1821 to 1833 did not exceed two million; in 1846-7 they were one and a half million. These imports prior to the tariff of 1816 were, for the most part, low-priced cotton goods. They are now, some embroidered woollens, cotton baggings, cork, flaxseed, fruits, spices, camphor, saltpetre, segars, indigo, cordage, twine, hemp, silk. Our exports have been largest in specie. In other articles they have seldom exceeded the one-third or one-fourth of imports. In 1846-7 they did not reach one hundred thousand dollars. The British East Indies include Calcutta, Madras, Bombay, etc.

With the British West Indies, the American trade has undergone great fluctuations. It has long been a subject of dispute. Mr. Pitt threw open this trade in 1783, upon the most liberal basis, for the Americans, by a bill which he introduced into Parliament, and which was laid on the table. The orders in council soon after, almost effectually suppressed this growing trade. The cardinal motive was the monopoly to British vessels of the carrying trade between the United States and the Islands; and Lord Liverpool, in his celebrated report, in 1791, regarded it not even a subject for negotiation, that American ships in the British colonies should be treated as British ships, and congratulated his country that the orders in council had operated to the increase of British navigation compared with that of the United States, in a double ratio; but it has taken from the United States more than it has added to that of Great Britain.

In 1794, Mr. Clay negotiated a treaty with a clause favorable to our West India commerce, but it was rejected by our government on the ground that it contained another clause excluding the carriage of cotton, sugar, &c., in our ships to any part of the world. In 1802, the British proposed a mutual abolition of the discriminating and countervailing.

re

duties of the two countries, and a committee of congress ported favorably, but from the remonstrances of the merchant classes nothing was done. In 1815, the Commercial Convention between the two powers equalized the tonnage duties with the British European powers, but left those with the American colonies in the hands of the British government. That government soon excluded the Americans entirely from the West India trade, much embarrassing our navigation interest, and rendered greatly more prosperous that of Great Britain. The President of the United States referred to the subject in his Annual Message. By paying a light duty or removing all duty from certain articles of United States produce when imported from British colonies, and a very heavy duty when imported direct, and by removing duties upon importations in the colonies, the British government secured every possible advantage, since foreign ships were not admitted to bring or carry produce to the colonies.

The Americans, in retaliation, first laid a duty on British vessels from the West Indies, and then excluded them in 1818. The complaint of the West Indies, which followed, produced an Act of Parliament in 1822, opening certain of the ports to the vessels of such countries as allowed reciprocal advantages. Congress immediately opened a direct trade but refused to remove the discriminating tonnage duty without proof that American and British vessels were received there on equal footing. To this the British refused, imposing countervailing duties at once on our vessels.

In 1825, the British opened the trade of their colonies to all foreign nations, on the condition that the British commerce and navigation should be put on a footing with the most favored nations, by those nations that had no colonies. The United States were unwilling to grant such favor, and the ports were immediately closed against us, and our acts of exclusion were revived. In 1830, an Act was passed by Congress in regard to the West India and British colonial trade, which on the interpretation given to it by the American Minister and the Presi dent, was highly favorable to British navigation. By this agreement, American vessels could carry our produce to the islands on the same terms with the British and bring back return cargoes. They were not, however, allowed to carry foreign merchandise. The English, by an act of policy, admitted in their North American colonies American produce at merely nominal duties, and suffered them to be exported thence to the West Indies by British vessels at a much lower duty than they could be received there direct from the United States. The practical effect of this was to throw the whole trade into this channel, and vastly augment the British tonnage in comparison with our own. The act, however, gave us the island trade upon perhaps the very best terms we could have expected. The English, also, had the advantage of what is called the circuitous trade, viz.: to bring a cargo to the United States; to carry one to their own colonies, and to take in at the colonies a return cargo home. This was a clear advantage over us.

Between 1795 and 1804, our exports to British West Indies, varied from two to nearly ten millions, being an average of five and a half millions; the imports varied from three to seven millions, being an average of five millions. From 1821 to 1833, the tables give no very reliable

data, as the ports were sometimes opened and sometimes closed, and our trade necessarily took other channels. In none of these years did the import or export much exceed two million dollars.

At the adoption of the Constitution, our trade with France did not exceed seven million five hundred thousand dollars annually, including her colonies. Our imports were, coffee, sugar, rice, oils, fruits, brandies, liquors, cotton, laces, silk, linen, drugs, glass, hardware, etc.; our exports, fish, breadstuff, products of forests, tobacco, negroes, etc. In 1795, this trade went up to ten million dollars, but declined again very rapidly to the close of the century. In 1807 and 1808 our exports were very large, reaching from eleven to thirteen millions, which points up to 1833, they did not again pass and only once or twice equalled. Our imports from an average of one million dollars at the opening of the century averaged in 1831 to 1833 thirteen million dollars. With regard to the French islands, Mr. Pitkins thus compares their policy with that of Britain at the close of the last century. The policy of Britain was to monopolize the carriage of the articles, that of France to monopolize the articles themselves. Britain was willing the United States should have sugar and coffee if British ships carried them; France was willing the Americans might supply her plantations with what she could not supply them herself, but would not allow them to receive in return the valuable products of the islands which she monopolized to herself. Our trade increased notwithstanding. During the wars of Europe the ports were left entirely open, and France offered to secure their trade forever to the United States, on the condition their possession might be guaranteed to her. This was declined. Our trade became enormous, and we supplied the mother country through the islands. From 1795 to 1801, this trade averaged eighteen millions dollars, whilst from 1821 to 1833, it never exceeded two millions. In the first period, the imports were several times the exports, in the last the exports have generally been larger. The American trade with Hayti from 1821 to 1833, was larger than with all the French Islands.

The wars of the French Revolution, as we have remarked before, were most favorable to our neutral commerce. We supplied the Spanish Islands during most of the time, and our trade with them at the beginning of the century averaged twenty millions of dollars. The average from that period to 1820 was about five and a half millions exports. From 1820 we began to keep our accounts with Cuba and the South American States separately. From 1820 to 1833 our trade with Cuba averaged twelve millions annually, the imports invariably exceeding the exports largely, and was next in importance to that of England and France. The chief exports have been provisions, domestic manufacture, furniture, etc., etc. With the other Spanish Islands our trade from 1821 to 1833, varied from one to two millions. With Mexico, from 1835 to 1833, the average trade was about ten millions; imports generally the most; with Central America average about one-half million; with Columbia, two million dollars; Buenos Ayres, two million dollars; Chili, two million dollars; Peru, less than one million. To old Spain, herself we have exported domestic produce, etc., etc., and our trade at the opening of the century averaged six mil

lions dollars, whereas, it has since varied from one to two millions. It was largest when the Peninsular wars raged.

With Portugal and dependencies, we have traded in wines, fruits, wheat, oil, staves, bedding, etc. From 1795 to 1801, our exports averaged five hundred thousand dollars, and imports near one million. From that period until 1820, except the years of war in Spain and Portugal, the average export was about one million. The imports and exports together have never since exceeded half a million. With the island of Madeira we have conducted about an equal trade; and with Brazil, since the government was removed there, and the other colonies, the trade from 1809 to 1820 averaged about one million dollars, since which it has gone up to from five to eight millions dollars.

From Russia we have chiefly imported hemp and duck. The average imports at the beginning of the century was one million, three hundred thousand dollars, but from 1821 to 1833, the average was near two million five hundred thousand dollars; our exports have seldom been one-half million, a very small part of which has been domestic produce. In 1810 and 1811, the export was between four and five millions dollars, a large part being destined for England. We send generally cotton, tobacco, rice, oak bark, coffee, sugar, dyewoods and spices. import iron, cordage, drillings, diapers, tickings, etc.

We also

Since 1823, our accounts with Norway and Sweden have been kept together. With Sweden our trade is chiefly in iron. From 1821 to 1833 the imports averaged about one million, whilst the exports have seldom exceeded one-third of that amount. From 1795 to 1801, we traded with Swedish West Indies to the amount of one million dollars annually. The trade became much more considerable afterwards, when the trade with other islands was carried on through these. Since 1821, this trade has declined at last to about one hundred thousand dollars per annum.

The account with Denmark and Norway was conjoined until 1823. This trade, from one million of dollars in 1800, rose to one and a half millions in 1805-7. During our non-intercourse with Britain and France in 1809-10, and whilst Hamburg was occupied with the French, quantities of cotton, tobacco, sugar and coffee went to these quarters, destined for other countries. From 1812 to 1833, this trade averaged only three or four hundred thousand, the imports being scarcely anything. With the Danish as with the Swedish West Indies, our trade did once reach three to five millions of dollars. From 1821 to 1833, the average has been not far from four millions of dollars. The trade with the British Islands was conducted through them.

With Hamburgh, Bremen, and the northern ports of Germany, we traded largely before their occupation by French troops. Hamburgh has been the great depot for Germany and the North of Europe. By the Elbe and Weser, and the canals, German manufactures are brought to Hamburgh. They are the cities of imports for Germany. In 1795 our trade with these cities was one and a half millions, in 1797-8 and '99 it averaged eighteen millions dollars; the exports generally doubling, and often many times exceeding the imports, and being for the most in foreign goods. Since 1821 the trade has averaged about four and a half millions dollars.