in order to counteract the evil effects of fuch measures, it was abfolutely neceffary to be informed, how far the Acts, and other Proceedings of the late Congrefs, or of the Legislatures of the separate States, have hitherto operated to the disadvantage of British Commerce and Navigation.-It is true that the Merchants and Shipowners of London, Bristol, Liverpool and Glasgow, in the Reports before mentioned, all agree in afferting, that the Commerce and Shipping-intereft of Great-Britain have, in the direct intercourse between Great Britain and the United States, fuffered in a certain degree, by the diftinctions made to their disadvantage, in favour of the Commerce and Shipping of the United States, and of other foreign nations.-These distinctions may perhaps have contributed to diminish the advantages, which might otherwife have been derived from this trade: But it is evident, from the foregoing comprehenfive view of the various Branches of Commerce and Navigation, to which these accounts refer, that the Exports from Great Britain to all the countries before mentioned, (which is the most valuable part of this Commerce,) have increased since the War, on an average, £ 166,085 per annum; and that the Imports into Great Britain from the faid countries have decreased fince the War, on an average, only £75,454 per annum; and that the Number of Ships belonging to the Merchants refident in the present British dominions, employed in all these different Branches of Commerce, has increased since the War, on an average, annually 256; and that the Quantity of their Tonnage has increased 111,638 Tons; and in like manner, that the Number of Ships, belonging to the fubjects of the United States, fo employed, has decreased 850 Ships, and the Quantity of their Tonnage has decreased 38,836 Tons.-If indeed we suppose that the Tonnage of the Veffels, employed in these Branches of Commerce, was estimated before before the War at one-third lefs than it really was, as before stated, the Increase of the Tonnage of the Veffels, belonging to Merchants refident in the prefent British dominions, will in fuch cafe be only 59,384 Tons; and the Decrease of the Tonnage of Veffels belonging to Merchants, that are fubjects of the United States, will in fuch cafe amount to 60,634 Tons.-It is proper to add, that the inhabitants of the countries, which now form the United States, had before the War some share in the circuitous Commerce of Great Britain, by trading from one foreign Port to another, and returning occafionally to a British Port: They have fince the War loft the Benefit arising from the Freight employed in that circuitous Trade, whatever the amount of it may have been; and the whole of it now belongs to the Inhabitants of the present British dominions :-It appears alfo, from what has been before ftated, that the Inhabitants of the Countries now belonging to the United States, built in the year 1772, 182 top-fail veffels; and that, in the year 1789, the number of fuch veffels, building in the Ports of the United States, was only 31-It appears laftly, that the Tonnage of the Veffels, which belong to the fubjects of all the nations of Europe, befides Great Britain, now employed in the Trade with the United States, in the whole amounts to but little more than one-fourth of the Tonnage of the Ships, fo employed, belonging to the fubjects of the present British dominions *. The * Subsequent to the Time when this Report was compleated, and prefented to His Majesty, the Government of the United States have published a Paper, which contains an Account of the Tonnage of the Veffels entering the feveral Ports of the United States, from the 1ft October 1789, to the 30th September 1790. The Account is as follows: An The Lords of the Committee will proceed, in the next place, to give an Account of the new Form of Government lately established in the United An Account of the Tonnage of Veffels entered into the United States of America, from the 1st October 1789, to the 30th September 1790, distinguishing each State according to the Magnitude of its Tonnage; and distinguishing the American from Foreign Veffels. In the Returns from Charles Town, one Quarter is wanting, and not included. 394 311/1/12 37,419 Total 766,091 Note. This Table contains an Account of the Tonnage of Veffels entering the feveral Ports of the United States, in a period subsequent to any of those years, on which the Averages ftated in the Report, were formed. It contains an Account of all the Tonnage belonging to the Subjects of the United States of America, employed in every Part of their Foreign Trade, their Coasting Trade, and their Fisheries, which entered their Ports during that Period, but does not diftinguish what Part of it was employed in their Foreign Trade with the British Dominions. On the other hand, the Account given United States, as far as it relates to the Commerce of the faid States, and of the Principles on which it is formed; and of such of the measures given in the Report, is only of fo much of the Tonnage of the United States, as was employed during those years in the various Branches of Commerce with fuch Parts of the British Dominions, with which they are allowed now to trade, in Ships belonging to the faid States. This Table contains alfo, an Account of the Tonnage of British Veffels employed during that Period, in the Trade with the United States, and makes the Quantity thereof apparently much greater than that stated in the Report, as employed therein, during the preceding years, on which the Averages were formed.But it should be obferved, that in the period to which the Table refers, many Events happened, which would neceffarily increase the Quantity of Tonnage employed in the various Branches of Commerce carried on with the United States. The great Demand for Corn in almost every Country of Europe, during the latter part of the year 1789, and till the harvest of 1790, was the Cause that many more Ships were freighted during that period, for the purpose of bringing Corn from America, than ever had been before. It is well known, that many Ships failed from Great Britain upon Speculation for this Purpose only; and that the Demand for Corn in Europe more than doubled the usual Price of Wheat in America; and that the Price of Freight from America was confiderably raised on that Account. For these Reasons, the Quantity of American Tonnage as well as the Quantity of Foreign Tonnage, and particularly British, that entered the Ports of New York, Penfylvania, Virginia, and Maryland, (which are the principal Corn Countries of the United States,) was much greater in this Period than in the years to which the Report refers.-It happened also, that in this year, the Revolution in France induced the feveral French Colonies in the Weft Indies to open their Ports for American Ships in a much greater degree than they were opened before. This Circumstance must neceffarily have increafed the American Shipping employed in the Intercourse between the Countries belonging to the United States and the French Islands in the Weft Indies. It is proper alfo to obferve, that the Quantity of American as well as of British and other Foreign Tonnage, as ftated in this Table, appears to be greater than it actually was, for this Reafon, that the Table which profeffes to contain an Account of the Tonnage of Veffels entering the Ports of the United States includes their repeated Voyages, so that the Quantity of these different Defcriptions of Tonnage really exifting, must be much less than it appears to be in the Table. It is proper further to obferve, that many British Ships may have entered the Ports of the United States without having directly cleared out for the said Ports from measures, hitherto adopted by the faid Government, as can have any influence on the Commerce and Navigation of the British do minions. A Con from any British Port, or without returning directly from the faid Ports to a British Port; and in such case, they would not appear in the Accounts furnished by the Offices of Government from which the Averages ftated in the Report were taken. It is a known Fact, and is stated as fuch in the Report, that many British Ships are employed in carrying on a direct Commercial Intercourfe between the Countries belonging to the United States and Foreign European Nations, and return only occafionally to a British Port. The foregoing Obfervations are fufficient to account for many of the Differences that will be found between the Accounts of Tonnage given in the said Table, and the Average Accounts of Tonnage ftated by the Lords of the Committee of Privy Council in their Report, which were taken either from Accounts furnished by the Public Offices of this Kingdom, or from Information they had previously received from America. The great Superiority, which British Navigation enjoys in the Commerce with the United States, is no lefs evident from the Accounts ftated in the foregoing Table, than from the Averages stated in the Report of the Committee. The Quantity of the Tonnage of British Veffels which entered the Ports of the United States in the Period to which this Table refers, appears thereby to be more than Three Sevenths of the Tonnage of all the Veffels belonging to the United States, whether employed in their Over-Sea Trade, their Coafting Trade, or their Fisheries: It appears to be even more than Three Fifths of all the American Tonnage employed in their OverSea Trade, which is the only Branch of the Trade with the United States in which British Ships are allowed to have a Share, and to enter into Competition with the Ships of the faid States.-The Tonnage of the Veffels belonging to all other European Nations entering the Ports of the United States, as ftated in the Table, during the Period to which it refers, is in Quantity but little more than that stated in the Report of the Committee; and it would probably not exceed the said Quantity, if we had Data fufficient to enable us to make the proper Deductions; but |