ページの画像
PDF
ePub

from this trade. A temporary suspension of intercourse took place, until the 3rd Geo. IV. cap. 44, was passed, permitting American vessels to trade directly with our British West India Colonies. The law was not met with corresponding liberality by the American congress. The succeeding year they imposed an alien duty upon British ships trading from our colonies, until the productions of the United States, should be admitted into the West Indies upon the same terms as the like productions of the mother country or Canada *gar

The British government resisted this principle, and authority being conferred on the king in coun cil by act of parliament, either to interdict the intercourse, or to levy countervailing duties in the colonial ports of Great Britain, if our trade was not placed by the United States on the footing of the most favoured nation, the latter expedient was chosen, and an order of temporary duration was issued, which imposed duties on American products to the 1st of December, 1826.

In the mean time, the 6th Geo. IV. cap. 114, was passed, establishing the warehousing and bonding system in the West Indies for foreign commodities, and admitting a free intercourse between our colonies and other countries of Europe, in the ships of those countries, allowing the latter to import all articles the growth, produce, or ma

[ocr errors]

* Vide Correspondence of Mr. Canning with Mr. Galatin, Sept. 11, 1826.

[ocr errors]

nufacture of the country to which the ship belongs, and to export from such colonies all articles whatever of their growth, produce, or manufacture, either to the country from which such ship came, or to any other part of the world, the United Kingdom and its dependencies excepted.

Certain duties were imposed, which will presently be specified.

The subsequent year the Customs' Act, 7 and 8 Geo. IV. cap. 56, was passed, introducing additional regulations relative to our possessions abroad. By this act, foreign sugar, coffee, molasses, rum, are permitted to be imported into any of the free warehousing ports in our colonies, for the purpose of being warehoused for exportation only,

Salted beef and salted pork, which, by the first act had been prohibited, are permitted to be, imported from foreign countries on paying a duty of 12s. per cwt.

The concluding sections of this act declare," that the privileges granted to foreign ships shall be limited to the ships of those countries, which, hav ing colonial possessions, shall grant the like pri vileges of trading with those possessions to British ships, or which, not having colonial possessions, shall place the commerce and navigation of this country, and of its possessions abroad, upon the footing of the most favoured nation."

Twelve months were given to foreign nations to fulfil the conditions prescribed by the act; and

sect. 42 provides, that the king shall first declare by order in council that those conditions have been actually fulfilled, before foreign nations are entitled to the privileges.

The United States of America not acceding to the conditions, the reasons for which are detailed in a correspondence between Mr. Galatin and Mr. Canning, the intercourse between that country and our West India colonies stands prohibited.

[ocr errors]

The correspondence was closed in a decided manner on the part of the British government, Mr. Canning declaring that, "after having been compelled to apply to any country the interdict prescribed by the act, the British government cannot hold itself bound to remove that interdict, as a matter of course, whenever it may happen to suit the convenience of the foreign government to reconsider the measures by which the application of that interdict was occasioned."

It may now be useful to contrast the duties and restrictions which existed under the old colonial system, with those established by the recent Colonial Intercourse Bill.

The old colonial system is supposed to include the period from the passing of the 28th Geo. III, cap. 6, when the trade to America from our colonies was regulated by express statute, up to the first innovation contained in the 3rd Geo. IV.

[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

1 80

Lumber of any sort... Do.. Per 1000 feet

[merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

The following articles, both by the old and the new acts, are prohibited to be imported from foreign countries.

Gunpowder,

Arms,

17

[ocr errors][ocr errors][merged small]

Ammunitions, or utensils of Kingdom, or from some other

war.

Tea.

(

Fish, dried or salted, train oil, blubber, fins, or skins, the produce of creatures living in the sea.

British possession. qague the

[ocr errors]

Except from the United Kingdom, or from some other British possession in America, unless by the East India Company, or with their license.

Prohibited to be imported; except from the United Kingdom, or from some other Bri tish possession, or unless taken by British ships fitted out from the United Kingdom, or from some British possession, and brought in from the fishery, and except herrings from the Isle of Man, taken and cured by the inhabitants thereof.

« 前へ次へ »