on in their dominions by the fubjects of your Majefty.-The committee will next endeavour to fhew the effects which the independence of the United States, as well as the measures before mentioned, have hitherto produced on the commerce and navigation of your Majefty's dominions.

CONDUCT OF GREAT BRITAIN.

Your Majefty, by your orders in council, has been pleased to make the following regulations :

First-That any goods, the importation of which into this kingdom is not prohibited by law, being the growth or production of any of the territories of the United States of America, may be imported directly from thence into any of the ports of this kingdom, not only in British fhips, owned by your Majesty's fubjects, and navigated according to law, but alfo in ships built in the countries belonging to the United States of America, and owned by the fubjects of the faid States, and whereof the mafter and three-fourths of the mariners, at least, are fubjects of the United States.

OBSERVATION.

The permiffion thus given for importing the before mentioned articles into Great Britain from the countries in America belonging to the United States, in any other ships than those which are built in your Majesty's dominions, owned by your Majefty's fubjects, and navigated according to law, is directly contrary to the provifions in an ancient statute of this kingdom; which had never, till on this occafion, been difpensed with, in favour of any foreign nation, or the colony fuch nation in America: for by the 12th Cha. 2. ch. 18. fect. 3. "No goods or commodities whatsoever of the "growth, production, or manufacture of any part of America,

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"are to be imported into any of your Majefty's European do"minions in any other fhip or veffel, than fuch as do truly "belong to your Majesty's fubjects, and are navigated ac"cording to law in the manner therein described, under the penalty of forfeiting all fuch goods, and the fhip or veffel "in which they are brought."-By the foregoing regulation, made in favour of the commerce of the United States, your Majefty has put the faid commerce, as far as relates to the Thips in which any merchandize of the growth or production of the said States may be imported, upon the fame footing on which the commerce of every independent European nation, carried on with this country, is now allowed to stand.

Secondly Your Majesty, by the faid orders in council, has been pleased to permit, that any goods, being unmanufactured (except fish-oil, blubber, whale-fins, and spermaceti,) and also any pig-iron, bar-iron, pitch, tar, turpentine, refin, pot-afh, pearl-afh, indigo, masts, yards, and bowfprits, being the growth or production of any of the territories of the United States of America, may be imported directly from thence into any of the ports of this kingdom, upon payment of the fame duties, as the like forts of goods are or may be fubject to, if imported from any British island or plantation in America ;and that fish-oil, blubber, whale-fins, and fpermaceti, and alfo all other goods, not herein before enumerated or defcribed, being the growth, production, or manufacture of any of the territories of the faid States, may be imported from thence into the ports of this kingdom, upon payment of fuch duties of customs and excife, as are payable on the like goods upon their importation into this kingdom from countries not under the dominion of your Majefty, according to the tables marked A, D, and F, annexed to the Confolidation Act; and in cafes where different duties are therein imposed upon the like goods imported from different foreign countries, then upon payment of the loweft of fuch duties.

OBSERVATION.

Your Majefty by this regulation has thought fit to grant to the commerce of the United States, with refpect to certain articles above enumerated and described (being those in which the commerce of the said States is principally carried on), the fame preference as is granted to the commerce of the iflands and plantations in America, remaining under your Majesty's dominion: And, in many of these articles, the commerce of the faid States derives great benefit from the preference, thus given, to the detriment of the commerce of other foreign nations, as will be feen by the following table:

It is proper to add, that all woods, the produce of the countries belonging to the United States, except mafts, yards, and bowfprits, may be imported from thence duty free; whereas the like woods imported from other foreign countries are subject to various high duties, which produce a revenue more than 250,000l. per annum to Great Britain.

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And, with respect to all other articles, either of produce or manufacture, not fo enumerated or described in the faid order, your Majesty has been pleased to put the commerce of the United States upon the footing of the most favoured nation, except fuch nations only with which your Majesty

has made treaties of commerce, founded on the principles of reciprocity and mutual advantage.

Thirdly-Your Majefty, by the faid orders in council, has allowed the goods and merchandize, being the growth, production, or manufacture of the territories of the United States, though imported in fhips belonging to the subjects of the faid States, to be exempted from the aliens-duty.

OBSERVATION.

The goods imported in fhips belonging to all other foreign nations are fubject to the aliens-duty; and the government of this country has received frequent complaints from other foreign nations of the distinction thus made, to their prejudice, in favour of the commerce of the United States.

Fourthly-Your Majefty, by the faid orders in council, did think fit to permit to be imported into the colonies or islands belonging to your Majesty in America or the West Indies, in Britifh fhips only, navigated according to law, all fuch articles of the growth, production, or manufacture of any of the territories of the faid United States (except falted provifions, and the produce of their fifheries), as might by law before the declaration of independence have been imported from the countries belonging to the faid States into any of the said colonies or iflands; but your Majefty, at the fame time, thought fit to prohibit any commercial intercourse between the countries belonging to the United States of America, and the colonies or iflands belonging to your Majesty in America or the West Indies, in fhips belonging to the fubjects of the faid United States.

OBSERVATION.

This last regulation, first established by order in council, has fince been adopted and confirmed by act of parliament;

and, though the people of the United States complain of this regulation more than of any other, it is not new, but is founded on the ancient law of this country, "which forbids any goods "to be imported into, or exported from, any of the colonies belonging to your Majefty in Afia, Africa, or America, except in ships belonging to your Majefty's fubjects, and navigated according to law:"-It is founded alfo on a principle of public law approved and adopted by all European nations, who have ever claimed a right of restraining the trade and navigation of their colonies, in fuch manner as, in their judgment, will be most conducive to their respective interefts. It might be proved, if it were neceffary, that the policy of Great Britain, in this respect, is much more liberal than that of France or Spain.

CONDUCT OF THE UNITED STATES.

The committee will proceed, in the next place, to lay before your Majesty a fhort abftract of the laws affecting the commerce of your Majefty's fubjects, paffed by the several legislatures of the faid States, between the year 1783, and the first feffion of the prefent congrefs.

The merchants and ship-owners, concerned in the trade to America, have repeatedly laid before your Majesty's minifters an account of the loffes to which their property and commerce have been expofed by laws of this defcription.

PROHIBITIONS.

By laws, made in the provinces of New Hampshire, Massachusett's Bay, and Rhode Island, veffels owned, in whole or in part, by the subjects of Great Britain, were prohibited from taking on board in those provinces any goods or merchandize of the growth or manufacture of thofe States, or of any other of the United States; and fuch veffels, fo loaded, were, together with their cargoes, made subject to seizure and