If the foreigner has not secured his goods, he must give the Russians their price, rather than let the vessel go back dead freighted, there being no other resource. None, in general, have been the cause of raising the prices, or suffered more from it than the Americans; for, not having secured, in winter, their quantities by previous purchase or contract; when they arrive, which in general is the first open water, they immediately purchase, for the sake of dispatch, at any price, before supplies have got down, taking what has remained over the winter. The Americans have paid dear for this method of doing their business, nevertheless their trade has increased, which will be seen by a table under the head of Petersburg. The prices in the early part of the season have been influenced by this practice, and have continued high afterwards, to the advantage of the Russians; who perhaps having got their goods down at an earlier period than usual, or before their stipulated time of delivery, in their contract, will sell goods for ready money to the Americans, and defer fulfilling the contract with others to the last day, in hopes of replacing the goods advantageously, and in the mean time profitably trafficking with the money; for no people are more keen or clever than the Russians, when they have interest in view. As the Russian trade has undergone a very great change from what it was even a few years ago, and the command of it now got into the hands of the Russians, it will become less profitable to the foreign individuals engaged in it, and to this nation at large in particular, for so tenaciously are advantages held by the government, for the native merchants, that no others can sell the same articles on the spot; in short, they cannot traffic with produce. If a foreign merchant buys, according to the laws, he must ship it off, he cannot resell it: this restriction is in favour of the native merchants, and the system which, has been adopted by government in establishing the bank mentioned, has been the means to enable them to raise the prices to a rate beyond what the respective articles may be produced and manufactured in other countries, which may occasion various evils to the Russians themselves in the end. The ships however being arrived, the Russians know they must be loaded at any price, however unfavourable the exchange may be, which is frequently another disadvantage; and these causes, of late years, have occasioned the Russian trade to be a losing one to foreign individuals and to all other nations, and a most lucrative one to itself. It has been observed by some foreign writers that Russia might become a considerable maritime power, and be the carrier of her own produce; but if we consider the limited coast of Russia, without external colonies or fisheries, and her natural situation, blocked up from five to seven months in the year, it is contrary to the nature of things: even the small coasting trade she has, is partly carried on by foreign vessels, and what little they have of their own, from the limited coast, can never support a great naval power, nor form expert sailors. The state of the coasting trade of the whole Empire, in 1802, was At one view, will be seen the trade of all the sea-ports of Russia, and likewise the respective nations, which have frequented them, by the following table made up to the period expressed for the year 1803. This will best explain the whole trade of the empire, and its relative commercial intercourse with all other states and nations. In order to give the reader, at one view, a state of the whole trade of the Empire of Russia, we have connected the whole together; the articles of import and export are classed under their respective heads, for the White Sea, Baltic Sea, Euxine or Black Sea, the land trade on the boundaries of European Russia, and that of Asia, as well as the transit trade for the year 1802. A List of Ships, and the Nations to which they belonged, arrived at the different Ports of the Russian Empire, in the Year 1803, so far as the same could then be made up by the Returns received. • It must be remarked, that those ships stated as arrived at the City of Petersburg are included in the number of those arrived at Cronstadt. It is said that 4073 vessels sailed from all the ports of the Russian empire in 1803, but which cannot be asserted as correct. In 1802, 3622 vessels sailed from all parts of the empire. This account is not given. VIEW OF THE TRADE OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE FOR THE YEAR 1802. The latest Period the Accounts made up can be got. The whole Importation by Sea and Land is 56530094 rubles, the Exportation 68277759 rubles.-The Exportation exceeds the Importation by 6747665 rubles. It is generally reckoned that the Imports should be 10 per cent. more, and the Exports 10 per cent. less, in which case Russia has a losing trade. TRANSIT TRADE. Exportation of European Goods to Asia. Importation of Asiatic Goods to Europe. Re-exportation of Asiatic Goods to Asia Total. In order still further to detail the whole trade of Russia, and to bring it into a narrower compass, as well as to shew the unprecedented rapid rise it has experienced in its commerce, and the pitch at which it has already arrived, the following state is given: Observations on the Trade betwixt Great Britain and Russia. The exports from Russia have already had ample details, it is therefore necessary we should make some remarks on our exports to that country, particularly of foreign manufactures and merchandize, distinct from British produce and manufactures, which in the export from Britain stand in rank as under: The remainder of the articles are of various descriptions, but of less importance. In making a comparison betwixt the staple manufactures of the two countries, woollens in England, and linens in Russia, the balance is considerable in favour of the latter. The value of goods exported from England to Russia, in 1786, was estimated as under: Velverets and other cotton stuffs exported from England to Russia about Calimancoes, and other goods from Norwich Shalloons, Flannels, and Baize, &c. The Value of cloth about £. 42,000 32,000 36,000 110,000 £. 190,000 |