123° 
individual happiness, and in national 
prosperity and glory, than she has- 
rendered herself termble by arms :— 
and I, a wretched exile from the land of 
my nativity, should have been spared ny 
wanderings, and the heart-rending exclas 
mation of, ¢ Oh, my country !” 
I pass on from this digression on Eng- 
lish commerce to that of America. As 
the people in Europe present the spec- 
tacle of preceding their old governments, 
in enlightened ideas, and in plans of 
amelioration, so in America the govern 
ment has held this precedence of the peo= 
ple since her revolution. It has been 
the opinion of the wisest men of the dif- 
ferent administrations, that America 
should have ploughed her land before 
she ploughed the ocean. They have 
thought, that agriculture was a pursuit 
more manifestly necessary, more conge- 
nial to her wants, more consonant to her 
republican institutions, and more fa- 
vourable to her political independence, 
her morality, prosperity, and happiness, 
than the pursuits of commerce. But 
America has been peopled with adven- 
turers from all quarters. of the globe, 
whose object has not been so much the 
enjoyment of liberty and @ moderate 
competence, as the amassing of wealth; 
and they have pursued coramerce as the 
most rapid means of acquiring it. The 
Northern States, and along line of coast 
to the southward, extending two er three 
hundred miles to the west, are completely 
commercial. The troubles of the Euro- 
“pean continent have given to Ainerica 
‘the carrying trade from the colonies ‘to 
ahe mother countries; in,addition to 
which, she has obtained the greatest por- 
tion of that in Europe, which was for- 
mierly shared by the English, the Dutch, 
and the Hanseatic Towns. From the 
same causes she has embarked very ex- 
tensively in the East India trade, by 
which she supplies ber own and the con- 
‘tinental market. Baltimore, which ten 
years ago had but one ship in that trade, 
has now seventeen large ships of from 
five to eight hundred tons burthen; and 
the other sea-ports have encreased their 
tonnage in a similar proportion. 
This trade, it is true, drains the coun- 
try of her precious metals; to supply 
which, she has substituted a large and 
extensive paper currency, issued by nu- 
merous banks, which are, however, le- 
gally incorporated by the diflerent state 
governments, and their capitals ascer- 
tained and published. Many of the sub- 
stantial planters, to’ the distance of two 
Abstract of @ recent Journal képt in Maryland, [March 1, 
or three hundred miles from the seas 
coast, have been induced to embark in 
mercantile speculations with the mere 
chants of the sea-ports. They vave dad 
nothing to do, but to deposit the titles 
deeds of their estates in the different 
banks, and have received paper currency, 
or cash, in proportion to their value, 
without incurring any legal expense of 
mortgage, deeds, &c. Many of the rich 
capitalists of Europe, finding their come 
mercial operations impeded by the war, 
have transferred their capitals to Ames 
rica, and have either formed new-esta- 
blishments, or joined old ones, in order to 
prosecute their object under the supposed 
protection of the neutral flag. Such are 
the powerful causes of the origin, the 
amazing and rapid encrease, and the 
prosperity of American commerce. Its 
effects may be traced in splendid estas 
blishments, numerous carriages, elegarwt 
eyuipages, magnificent buildings, and:in 
all the conveniences, luxuries, dissipas 
tions, debaucheries, and diseases, of hu- 
man life! od 
But one of the most deleteriousveffects 
upon the American character of such a 
prosperous commerce, derived from.the 
source of European calamity, is not only 
an heathenish indifference to war, but-a 
criminal desire for its continuance, so 
lung as America steers her bark in peace 
and safety. In short, the apathy.of the 
Dutch, with the villainy of the African 
merchant, may be recognised in. the 
American dealers. Two. instances; 
amongst numerous others of. this: uns 
blushing depravity, I will mention. -I 
call it umblushing, because. at the tine 
that all commerce in goods contraband 
of war, was interdicted by the American 
government, between America and the 
rebels of St. Domingo, at the interces- 
sion and on the remonstrance of the 
L’rench ambassador, I heard a merchant 
of Baltimore say publicly, that be wasin 
the habit of supplying the rebels with 
powder and ball, which he enclosed in 
casks, lined two or three inches thick 
with butter, and which were entered at 
the custom-house as butter, of course 
called so in the ship’s papers, and passed 
as such tothe place of their destination, 
Another instance was that of a number 
of Philadelphia merchants, celebrating 
the birth-day of Dessalines; and actually 
making a present of the crown which 
was to encircle the brow of that inhuman 
and savage monster, ' 
It might naturally enough be expected 
that France aud England would seek: to 
involve 
