The American Gazette, Or, the Constitutional Journal, 1776-07-09

trade been injurious only to the Northern Provinces which have no provisions to export, and need con confiderablo - fiderablo confiderablo from, the Southern, and whose staple has heretofore been the fifhery, of which they are now deprived, the evil, Though great, especially to the Magaebu Magaebufats-Bay, - fats-Bay, Magaebufats-Bay, which has born the bur burden - den burden and heat of the day, yet would be partial and so the more tolera tolerable; - ble; tolerable; but it stabs to the vitals of the cause for which we are all contend contending. - ing. contending. Let us take a brief view of only ,a very few of the mifehiefs it produces. - lt impoverishes the country ; - it inhances the price of provisions, (1) for the army, which can be of no advantage to the com community, - munity, community, as the fame money must be refunded, but is a great difadvan difadvan'tage, - 'tage, difadvan'tage, as it destroys the ballance there used to be between the farmer and those in other Employments, (2) for the Sea-ports who being generally out of employ, must soon be reduc reduced - ed reduced to poverty by the extraordina extraordinary - ry extraordinary price of the necessaries of life, and the load of taxes which they are obliged to pay equally with the Farmer,, while they have little or no means of procuring even bread for themselves and their families. Hence many are moving into the country in order, to procure a fub fubfiftance - fiftance fubfiftance by farming, and so the Sea Seaports - ports Seaports are likely soon to.be delert delerted - ed delerted and left an easy prey to British Prates. - -! . his trade feeds our ene enemies - mies enemies and enables them to prose prosecute - cute prosecute the war against us, which they could not have done to this time had we.not fed them. - lt robs us of the most uleful ofour men which of all others are most wanted to man our vessels of war. What numbers of these have been taken, and are now compelled, by more than savage cruelty, to fight against us, to butcher , their parents, wives, children, brethren, sisters, and friends, and burn their own hou houses! - ses! houses! All of whom (were it not for this deftrudive trade) might have been employed on board our ves vessels - sels vessels of war.

The greatest public calamity we now feel, is the war with Great- Britain ; therefore, whatever ena enables - bles enables her to prosecute. the war, is a cause of continuing the evil.,, But is not the opening a trade to all parts, except Great-Britain and her dependencies, the very thing which enables her still to invadebur coun country - try country ; or at least, is that without which Ilie could not have profecut profecutcd - cd profecutcd the war to this day r It is morallfycertain, that had an embargo b#n'laid on all kinds of provisions, and none been allow allowed - ed allowed to be exported, except to the United Provinces, and even this to be allowed only when and where there would be no great danger of their falling into the enemy's hands,' they must long 'ere now have^been reduced to the greatest Freights, and forced back to their own Coun Country - try Country for bread, which they could not have been supplied with, even there, without flarving their own inhabitants. Besides, the proper property - ty property we have loft by the captures of our vessels is vastly greater than ail the advantage we have by the trade; so that the community have been great losers, though feme indivi individuals - duals individuals have been gainers. Had this

When General How and the fleet left Boflon, it 4 was with great diffi difficulty - culty difficulty they could procure Teamen enough to fail the fleet, and de destroyed - stroyed destroyed several vessels for want of men to navigate them, though fur furnifhed - nifhed furnifhed with many of our captive captivefailors - failors captivefailors to assist them. .Had these been wanting to them, probably many more of their vessels would either have^ fallen into our hands or been destroyed. - Besides, while this trade is allowed our seamen will be drawn on board merchant-veG fels, and our vessels of war left empty. A Merchant, who hasheep a great gainer by the trade, lately fold me, that he thought the trade a public injury, but as it was; coufc tenanted by our Superiors the Ccn^ grefs, he did not chufe to set up his judgment against their's to the de detriment - triment detriment of his own interest. Yet he wished the trade might be pro prohibited., - hibited., prohibited.,

To the Printer of the Ame American - rican American Gazette, &c. Mr. Rogers, Your inserting the following, may be of Service to the Public. Tbe greatest Blunder in Ame American - rican American Politics. IT is common to buy wit at too dear a rate. Happy is the man; happy the administration who can always forefee the evil so, as to avoid it. But this is not always to be expected even from the wisest and best of men. Humanum est er errare; - rare; errare; human wisdom and fore forefight - fight forefight is and must be imperfect, and therefore errors must take place in the wisest human councils : Yet when the cause of any evil is disco discovered, - vered, discovered, more than ordinary wisdom and prudence is not necessary to ex excite - cite excite endeavors for its removal.

1. That our paper currency will lose its credit if trade be prohibited. This I own, if true, is of essen essential - tial essential weight and must , turn ttie scale. But a free trade, though in time, of peace, cannot secure the credit of a paper currency : For the currency in all four of the New- England Provinces, loft its credit while there was no obftrudion to the trade. There is a more effec effectual - tual effectual method of securing its credit ; let the money be called in frequent frequently, - ly, frequently, and the call for it to pay taxes will secure its credit effectually % And it will be easier for the Far Farmer - mer Farmer especially, to pay five pounds,) now produce is quick, than it will; be to pay one when the war fhaß be over, andp'rovifions low and dulL