Till 1806 the ports of the islands were opened by proclamation from the governors, but, since that period, it has been done by an order of the king in council. Negotiation ish West Indies in the years above named, with the amount in value, of each article, as given in the custom house returns, viz. "The amount of duties accruing to the United States per annum, on the import of the above enumerated articles, taking the average quantity imported in the two years, was as follows: Rum, at an average of 43 cents, Molasses, at 5 cents per gal. Coffee, at 5 cents per lb. Cocoa, at 2 cents, $536,181 112,730 100,002 9,870 133,664 61,188 $953,635 "The amount in value of the principal articles imported from the British North American Colonies, was as follows: "The principal articles of export to the British West India and American Colonies were the following, of which we give the custom house value, viz. in the year ending September 30, 1824: Lumber of all kinds, W. Indies. N. A. Col. $110,055 and commercial intercourse, continued for thirty years, form, therefore, the foundation, upon which the United States contend that the rules of the ancient colonial system no longer apply in strictness to the British West Indies. "The amount exported to those colonies of the same articles in "The amount of exports of lumber, to the British West Indies, in the two years above named was much greater than to any other coun The reader will observe, this trade has amounted to about one-fifth of our whole annual exports; a large amount in itself, but the materials that compose, and the manner in which it is conducted, give it, perhaps, its greatest value. The cargoes are assorted, consist altogether of domestic productions, prepared in many cases solely for the West India markets, and, in that way, actually creating employment ;—the vessels are small and manned, for the most part, with native born seamen, inhabitants of the districts, where the lumber and other articles, that compose the cargoes, are procured. The men brought up in this navigation, have no superiors as seamen ;-the West India traders and fishing vessels being properly the schools as well as nurseries of our sailors. greatest value of the trade consists, therefore, in training this race of men for the sea, and giving employment to numbers of persons on shore in obtaining and collecting the cargoes, into which scarcely any capital enters, but the labour of the individuals. The The commercial convention, concluded in 1815 with England, is properly the commencement of the difficulties, we have had with that country respecting the West Indies. By the operation (probably not foreseen by the United States) of that instrument, Great Britain obtained a commercial advantage, at which she has been aiming since at least, the try. The amount of flour exported to the British West Indies in 1825, was greater than to any other country except Brazil, and in the preceding year greater than to any other country except Brazil and Spanish South America, which in the returns of that year was all included under one head.. "The only articles prohibited to be imported into the British North American colonies, from this country, under the late act of Parliament for regulating the trade of the British possessions in America and the West Indies, are gunpowder, arms, ammunition, utensils of war, dried and salted fish, salted beef, pork and bacon, whale oil, blubber and fins, copyright books, counterfeit coin, and the produce of places within the East India Company's charter. The articles prohibited to be imported into the British West India and South American colonies, are those above named, together with coffee, cocoa, nuts, sugar, molasses and rum of foreign production." year 1784,* and of which she for a short time had the benefit in 1791. It is this;-that convention regulated the trade between the United States and the British dominions in Europe, and was silent in regard to the West Indies ;—the British vessel had, therefore, the advantage of coming with a cargo -of manufactures to a port in the United States, discharge, take a cargo of naval stores for the West Indies, there discharge, and thence take a cargo of sugar, &c. for Europe;or go first to the West Indies,-thence bring sugar, &c. to the United States, and thence carry cotton, rice, &c. to Europe. The American vessel was confined to a direct voyage. This became a great evil, and inflicted a deep wound on our navigation. "By the operation of this convention, and the ordinary navigation laws of Great Britain, the United States were, in effect, excluded from all participation of the British West India trade, and British vessels became the sole carriers of the production of the American soil to colonies, to whose prosperity, if not existence, these productions were indispensable. 66 ernment. "A condition, so unequal, demanded the interposition of our govSuccessive, but fruitless appeals were made to the interest of Great Britain, and the most favourable terms, which could be obtained, so late as March 1817, were a proposition to extend to the United States the Free Port Act, allowing the importation of certain enumerated articles, into certain enumerated ports in vessels of one deck; to authorize a restricted admission of our vessels into Bermudas and Turks Island, and to connect with these an article, regulating the intercourse between the United States and the British territories, adjoining them. After mature deliberation this proposition was declined by our government.† * In 1784, the committee of council remark, "the owners of British vessels, concerned in the West India trade, have long laboured under great disadvantage from the difficulty of procuring outward freight for their vessels, but that by going first to North America," &c. "The third section of the act of 1822 provided, that it should be lawful to import into any of the colonial ports enumerated in a schedule, annexed to the act, from any foreign country on the continent of North or South America, or from any foreign islands in the West 6 "Negotiation, having failed in procuring any favourable relaxation of the colonial system of Great Britain, Congress deemed it Indies, whether such country or island, as aforesaid, shall be under the dominion of any foreign European Sovereign or State, or otherwise, the articles enumerated in the schedule, annexed to the act, either in British built vessels or ships, or in ships or vessels, owned by the inhabitants of any country, or place belonging to, or under the dominion of the Sovereign, or State, of which the said articles were the growth, produce, or manufacture, such ships or vessels being navigated with a master and three-fourths of the mariners, at least, belonging to such country or place; provided that no articles, enumerated in the said schedule, be imported in any foreign ship or vessel, unless shipped or brought directly from the country, of which they are the growth, produce, or manufacture.' It, thus, permitted vessels, belonging to the United States, and to the governments of South America, to import into the British islands, in the West Indies, certain articles enumerated. There is a difference between the acts of 1822 and 1825; in the former those articles only are enumerated, which are admitted, in the latter those only are enumerated, which are not admitted, and the latter act may be held to authorize the admission of all articles, not enumerated. The act provides, also, for the exportation of articles from the West Indies directly to the countries of North and South America. It enacted that it should be lawful "to export in any British built ship or vessel, or in any foreign built ship or vessel, from any of the ports, enumerated in the schedule, annexed to the act, any article of the growth, produce, or manufacture of any of his Majesty's dominions, or any article, legally imported into those ports; provided that the articles, when exported in any such foreign ship, or vessel, should be exported direct to the State or country in America or the West Indies, to which such ship or vessel might belong, and before the shipment thereof, security by bond be given to his Majesty for the due landing the said articles at the port or ports, for which entered.' "In the year 1825, that government again turned its attention to the colonial trade, and the negotiation not having been broken off, on the 27th of June passed, what is commonly called, the Colonial Ware House Act. This act extended the ware house system, previously adopted in England, to certain free ports in the colonies. It furnishes evidence of the profound views and extensive foresight of those, who conduct the British councils. The leading object of that act was the extension of British navigation and commerce. Not satisfied with making Great Britain the mart of all the Eastern continent, this act aims at extending the same privileges and advantages to certain of her |