Total, 822,838 68430,298 84 29,889,660 7810,311,145 332,328,810 40 12,686,493 36 7,566,228 17 108,102,221 21 Stated from the annual accounts of receipts and expenditures of the United States. CHAPTER X. TONNAGE of the United States-Amount employed in foreign trade, and in the coasting trade, at different periods-Increase of American tonnage, from 1793 to 1810-Tonnage owned in each state, in 1810, and in the ports of Boston, New-York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Charleston-Vessels built, from 1804 to 1813-Comparative view of American tonnage, with that of other nations-Amount of foreign tonnage, in American foreign trade, at different periods, and the nations to which it belongedAmerican navy, in 1815. THE increase of the tonnage of the United States has been without example, in the history of the commercial world. This has been owing to the increased quantity of bulky articles of domestic produce exported, to the increase of their population, and to the extent of their carrying trade. The actual tonnage was not ascertained, at the Treasury Department, until the year 1793. Previous to that time, the only account of the tonnage kept at the Treasury was that, on which duties were collected, and which included the repeated voyages made by the same vessels in the course of the year. The following is the amount of tonnage on which duties were collected from 1789 to 1792 inclusive, with its employment, in the foreign trade, coasting trade, and fisheries : In consequence of acts of Congress passed in 1792 and 1793, no vessel can be employed, in foreign trade, unless duly registered by the Collector of the district, where such vessel belongs, and the owner obtains from the Collector a certificate of such registry; and no vessel can obtain a register, unless she was built in the United States, or has been taken and condemned as lawful prize, and is owned by an American citizen. No vessel can be employed in the coasting trade, unless duly enrolled or licensed by the Collectors of the districts. This register, enrollment, or license, specifies the tonnage of each vessel, and an account of each vessel so registered, enrolled, or licensed, is annually transmitted by the Collectors, to the Treasury Department. There are also other vessels employed in foreign trade, owned by citizens of the United States, but which, on account of being foreign built, or some other cause, are not entitled to a register, or to be considered as American vessels. These vessels have however papers called sea letters, and are therefore denominated sea letter vessels. In 1806, the tonnage of vessels having sea letters, and employed in foreign trade, was eighty-seven thousand tons. To give an American character to a vessel, it is not necessary that any part of the crew, except the captain, should be citizens of the United States. If the captain be an American citizen, all the rest of the crew may be foreigners. The following duties on tonnage are paid in the United States, by permanent acts. American registered vessels, pay 6 cents per ton upon entry, Fishing vessels, American vessels not registered (having sea letters) 50 cents per tón upon entry. American built vessels, owned by foreigners, 30 cents per ton, and 50 cents light money. Foreign built vessels, owned by Americans, 50 cents per ton. Vessels entirely foreign, 50 cents per ton and 50 cents light money. By an act passed July 1st, 1812, and which is to continue during the war, vessels belonging wholly, or in part, to the subjects of foreign powers, pay an additional duty of one dollar and fifty cents per ton. With respect to merchandize imported, American registered vessels pay American rates of duties, and merchandize imported in all other vessels, whether having sea letters, or being American built, are owned by foreigners, or foreign built, are owned by Americans, or are entirely foreign, pay foreign duties. By an act of the 27th of March, 1804, an American registered vessel loses its American character, "if owned by a person naturalized in the United States, and residing for more than one year in the country from which he originated, or for more than two years in any foreign country-unlesss such person be in the capacity of Consul, or other public agent." It is understood, that the late Commercial Treaty between the United States and Great-Britain places the tonnage duties of the vessels of both nations on the same footing in their respective ports. Whether this will eventually benefit American navigation, indeed, whether it will not be injurious to it, remains yet to be decided; and experience alone must determine. Were the British West-India ports open to American vessels, there would, perhaps, be less room to doubt on the subject. The American trade with the British WestIndies always has been, and will, probably, continue to be great; and can now only be carried on in British vessels, navigated according to British laws. Should this policy continue, there can be little doubt, that, in this trade, American capital, to a certain extent, will be employed in navigating British vessels, and in supporting British seamen. And it is, perhaps, yet doubtful, whether in the circuitous trade between Great-Britain and her West-India Islands, by the way of the United States, British vessels will not be able to carry, on freight, between the United States and Great-Britain, cheaper than American vessels. The amount of registered tonnage, employed in foreign trade, from 1793, to 1813, was as follows, viz.— 1793 Tons. 95ths. 367,734 23 438,862 71 |