A MESSAGE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES TRANSMITTING A REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE OF SUCH LAWS, DECREES AND ORDINANCES RESPECTING COMMERCE IN THE COUNTRIES WITH WHICH THE UNITED STATES HAVE COMMERCIAL INTERCOURSE.
PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES,
PHILADELPHIA: PRINTED BY CHILDS AND SWAINE, M, DCC, XCIV.
I NOW transmit you a REPORT by the SECRETARY of STATE, of such Laws, Decrees and Ordinances, or their substance, respecting Commerce in the Countries, with which the United States have commercial intercourse, as he has received, and had not stated in his Report, of the sixteenth instant.
The SECRETARY of STATE, to whom the PRESIDENT of the UNITED STATES referred the Resolution of the HOUSE of REPRESENTATIVES, of December 24, 1793, desiring the Substance of all such LAWS, DECREES, or ORDINANCES, respecting COMMERCE in any of the Countries with which the UNITED STATES have Commercial Intercourse, as have been received by the SECRETARY of STATE, and not already stated to the House, in his Report of the 16th instant, REPORTS:
THAT he has had an official communication of a decree rendered by the National Assembly of France, on the 26th day of March last, of which the following is a translation.
DECREE,
Exempting from all duties the subsistences and other objects of supply in the colonies, relatively to the United States, pronounced in the sitting of the 26th March, 1793, 2d year of the French republic.
The National Convention, willing to prevent, by precise dispositions, the difficulties that might arise relatively to the execution of its decree of the 19th February last, concerning the United States of America;— to grant new favours to this ally-nation, and to treat it in its commercial relations with the colonies of France, in the same manner as the vessels of the republic— decree as follows:
Art. 1. From the day of the publication of the present decree, in the French American colonies, the vessels of the United States, of the burthen of 60 tons at the least, laden only with meals and subsistances, as [Page 6] well as the objects of supply, announced in Art. 2d of the arret of 30th August, 1784, as also lard, butter, salted salmon, and candles, shall be admitted in the ports of the said colonies, exempt from all duties: The same exemption shall extend to the French vessels laden with The same articles, and coming from a foreign port.
Art. 2. The captains of vessels of the United Stages, who, having brought into the French American colonies the objects comprised in the above article, wish to return to the territory of the said states, may lade in the said colonies, independent of sirrups, rum, taffias, and French merchandizes, a quantity of coffee equivalent to the 1/50 of the tonnage of every vessel, as also a quantity of sugar equal to the 1/10, on conforming to the following articles.
Art. 3. Every captain of an American vessel, who wishes to make returns to the United States of coffee and sugar of the French colonies, shall make it appear that his vessel entered therein with at least ⅔ of her cargo according to Art. 1st. For this purpose he shall be obliged to transmit, within 24 hours after his arrival, to the custom-house of the place he may land at, a certificate of the marine agents, establishing the guage of his vessel, and the effective tonnage of her cargo.
The heads of the said custom-houses shall assure themselves that the exportation of the sugars and coffee does not exceed the proportion fixed by the 2d Art. of the present decree.
Art. 4. The captains of vessels of the United States of America shall not pay on going from the islands, as well as those of the republic, but a duty of 5 livres per quintal of indigo, 10 livres per thousand weight of cotton, 5 livres per thousand weight of coffee, 5 livres per thousand weight of brown and clayed sugars, and 50 sols per thousand weight of raw sugar. Every other merchandize shall be exempt from duty on going out of the colonies.
[Page 7]Art. 5. The sugars and coffee which shall be laden, shall pay at the custom-houses which are established in the colonies, or that shall be established, in addition to the duties above fixed, those imposed by the law of 19th March, 1791, on the sugars and coffee imported from the said colonies to France, and conformably to the same law.
Art. 6. The captains of vessels of the United States, who wish to lade merchandizes, of the said colonies, for the ports of France, shall furnish the custom-house at the place of departure with the bonds required of the masters of French vessels by the 2d Art. of the law of 10th July, 1791, to secure the unlading of these merchandizes in the ports of the Republic.
Art. 7. The vessels of the nations with whom the French Republic is not at war, may carry to the French American Colonies all the objects designated by the present decree. They may also bring into the ports of the Republic, only, all the productions of the said Colonies, on the conditions announced in the said decree as well as that of the 19th February.
That he has not received officially any copy of the decree said to have been rendered by the same Assembly on the 27th day of July last, subjecting the vessels of the United States laden with provisions, to be carried against their will into the ports of France, and those having enemy goods on board, to have such goods taken out as legal prize.
That an ordinance has been passed by the government of Spain on the 9th day of June last, the substance of which has been officially communicated to him in the following words, to wit,
Extract of an Ordinance for regulating provisionally the commerce of Louisiana and the Floridas — dated the 9th of June 1793.
[Page 8]The preamble states that the inhabitants of Louisiana being deprived of their Commerce with France (on account of the war) as allowed by the ordinance of January 1782: and his Majesty considering that they and the inhabitant of the Floridas cannot subsist without the means of disposing of their productions and of acquiring those necessary for their consumption—for that purpose and to increase the national commerce—the commerce of those provinces and their agriculture—has directed the following articles to be provisionally observed.
The inhabitants of the abovementioned provinces to be allowed to commerce freely both in Europe and America with all friendly nations who have treaties of commerce with Spain.—New Orleans, Pensacola and St. Augustine, to be ports for that purpose.—No exception as to the articles to be sent or to be received.—Every vessel however to be subjected to touch at Corcubion in Gallicia, or Alicant, and to take a permit there, without which the entry not to be allowed in the ports above mentioned.
The articles of this commerce carried on thus directly between those provinces and foreign nations to pay a duty of 15 per cent. importation, and 6 per cent. exportation, except negroes who may be imported free of duty—the productions and silver exported to purchase those negroes to pay the 6 per cent. exportation duty— the exportation of silver to be allowed for this purpose only.
The commerce between Spain and those provinces to remain free —Spaniards to be allowed to observe the same rules and to fit out from the same ports (in vessels wholly belonging to them without connexion with foreigners) for those provinces as for the other Spanish colonies.
To remove all obstacles to this commerce, all sorts of merchandize destined for Louisiana and the Floridas, (even those whose admission is prohibited for other places) may be entered in the ports of Spain, and in like [Page 9] mannner tobacco and all other prohibited articles may be imported into Spain from these provinces, to be re-exported to foreign countries.
To improve this commerce and encourage the agriculture of those provinces, the importation of foreign rice into the ports of Spain is prohibited, and a like preference shall be given to the other productions of these provinces, when they shall suffice for the consumption of Spain.
All articles exported from Spain to these provinces shall be free of duty on exportation, and such as being foreign, shall have paid duty on importation into Spain, shall have it restored to the exporters.
These foreign articles thus exported, to pay a duty of three per cent. on entry in those provinces, those which are not foreign to be free of duty.
The articles exported from those provinces to Spain to be free of duty, whether consumed in Spain or re-exported to foreign countries.
Those Spanish vessels which having gone from Spain to those provinces should desire to bring back productions from thence, directly to the foreign ports of Europe, may do it on paying a duty of exportation of 3 per cent.
All vessels both Spanish and foreign, sailing to those provinces to be prohibited from touching at any other port in his Majesty's American dominions.
No vessel to be fitted out from New-Orleans, Pensacola or St. Augustine for any of the Spanish islands or other dominions in America, except for some urgent cause, in which case only the respective Governor to give a permission, but without allowing any other articles to be embarked than the productions of those provinces.
All foreign vessels purchased by his Majesty's subjects, and destined for this commerce, to be exempted from those duties to which they are at present subjected, they proving that they are absolute and sole proprietors thereof.
He takes this occasion to note an act of the British Parliament of the 28, G. III. c. 6. which though passed [Page 10] before the epoch to which his report aforesaid related, had escaped his researches. The effect of it was to convert the Proclamations regulating our direct intercourse with their West-Indian islands into a standing law, and so far to remove the unfavourable distinction between us and foreign nations stated in the report, leaving it however in full force as to our circuitous intercourse with the same islands, and as to our general intercourse, direct and circuitous with Great-Britain and all her other dominions.
Décret qui exempte de tous droits les subsistances et auires objets d'approvisionement dans les Colonies relativement aux Etats Unis prononcé dans le séance du 26 Mai, 1793, l'an 2d de la Republique Française.
LA Convention Nationale, voulant prévenir par des dispositions précises, les difficultés qui pourroient s'élever relativement à l'exécution de son décret du 19 Fevrier dernier, concernant les Etats Unis d'Amérique; accorder de nouvelles faveurs à cette nation aliée et la traiter dans ses relations commerciales avec les colonies Françaises de la même maniere que les batiments de la République, décrete ce qui suit.
Art. 1. A compter du jour de la publication du present décret dans les colonies Françaises d'Amérique, les navires des Etats Unis du port de soixante tonneaux au moins, uniquement chargés de farines et de subsistances, ainsi que des objets d'approvisionement énoncés dans l'article 2d. de l'arrêt du 30th Août, 1784, comme encore de lard, beurre, saumon salé et chandelle seront admis dans les ports des dites colonies en exemption de tous droits. La même exemption aura lieu pour les batiments Français chargés des mêmes espéces venants de l'étranger.
[Page 11]Art. 2. Les capitaines des batiments des Etats Unis qui, ayant porté dans les colonies Françaises d'Amérique les objets compris dans, l'article ci-dessus voudront faire leur retour dans les territoire des dits etats, pourront charger dans les dites colonies, independamment des sirops, rhums, taffias, et des marchandises de France, une quantité de café équivalente au cinquantieme du tonnage de chaque navire ainsi qu'une quantité de sucre équivalante au dixieme du tonnage, en se conformant aux articles suivantes.
Art. 3. Tout capitaine de navire Américain qui voudra faire des retours dans les Etats Unis en café et sucre des colonies Françaises devra justifier que son navaire y est entré aux deux tiers au moins de sa charge, suivant l'Art. 1st.—A cet effet il sera tenu de remettre dans les 24 heures de son arrivée au bureau des Douanes du lieu du debarquement, un certificat des agens de la marine, qui constate la jauge de son batiment et le tonnage effectif de son chargement.
Les préposés des dites Douanes s'assureront que l'exportation des sucres et cafés n'excedent pas les proportions fixeés par l'article 2, du present décret.
Art. 4. Les capitaines des batiments des Etats Unis d'Amérique, ne payeront à la sortie des isles, ainsi que ceux de la Republique qu'un droit de cinq livres par quintal d'indigo, dix livres par millier de coton, cinq livres par millier de café, cinq livres par millier de sucre têt et terré, et cinquante sols par millier de sucre brut. Toutes autres marchandises seront exemptes des droits à la sortie des dites colonies.
Art. 5. Les sucres et cafés qui seront chargés, payeront dans les bureaux des Douanes qui sont dans les colonies, où seront établis ensus des droits ci-dessus fixés, ceux imposés par la loi du 19 Mars, 1791, sur les sucres et cafés importés des dites colonies en France et conformement à la même loi.
[Page 12]Art. 6. Les capitaines des batiments des Etats Unis qui voudront charger des marchandises dans les dites colonies pour les ports de France fou [...]niront au bureau des Douanes du lieu du départ les soumissions exigées des armateurs des batiments Français par l'article 2, de la loi du 10 Juillet, 1791, pour assûrer le déchargement de ces marchandises dans les ports de la Republique.
Art. 7. Les batiments des nations avec lesquelles la Republique Française n'est point en guerre, pourront porter dans les colonies Françaises d'Amérique tous les objets désignés par le present décret. Ils pourront aussi rapporter dans les ports de la Republique seulement toutes les denrées des dites colonies aux conditions enoncées dans le dit décret ainsi que dans celui du 19 Fevrier.