762 
of water with which vessels can enter 
therein decply laden ? 
13. What are the principal com- 
mercial houses ? 
If the heads of these houses are 
foreigners, you are to point out of 
what country they are ; and, in all 
cases, you are to state with what 
countries they are principally con- 
neéted, and what is their chief line 
of commerce. 
14, What is the usual course of 
exchange? 
15. Whether there is a_ public 
bank, and what is its organization? 
16. Whether there are any in- 
surance companies, public or pri- 
vate, and what are their customs 
and rules, and the prices of insur- 
ance, for Kuropean and long voy- 
ages ? 
17. In case there exists any other 
public establishment which relates 
to commerce, you are to give every 
possible detail concerning it, espe- 
cially in whatever regards manufac- 
tures and fisheries. 
18. You are to point out the re- 
lative conformity of weights and 
measures.with those of France, an- 
cient and modern, as soon as you 
shall have obtained practical and 
exact information on those points. 
19. You are to add to all this the 
most extensive information, as well 
general as particular, which you 
may be able to obtain from autho- 
rity, especially with regard to com- 
merce, and particularly respecting 
false accounts of purchases and sales 
of different merchandizes, in order 
to ascertain the expences, rights, and 
local customs in cases of purchases 
and sales. 
20. Whether there are any fairs 
in your distriét; what species of 
traflic is carried on there, and to 
what amount. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1803. 
From the Hamburgh Corresponden- 
ten of March 30, 1803. 
The following article is inserted by 
desire. 
Paris, March 15. 
For some months a war of news~ 
papers, and of the press, has been 
kept up between France and Eng- 
land. This seemed merely the dy- 
ing embers of an extinguished con- 
flagration ; the last consolation of a 
desperate party; the food of some 
low passions, and a few hungry 
scribblers. The French government 
was far from attaching importance 
to such matters. Notwithstanding 
some difficulties in the complete ex- 
ecution of the treaty of Amiens, they 
still believed they might rely on the 
good faith of the British govern- 
ment, and direéted their attention 
solely to the re-establishment of the 
colonies. Relying upon the sacred-~ 
ness of treaties, they securely dis- 
persed the remains of the French 
naval force, which had been given a 
prey to the English fleet. In this si- 
tuation suddenly appeared a solemn 
message from the cabinet of St. 
James’s, and informed all Europe 
that France was making considerable 
preparations in the ports of Holland 
and France ; an address was voted ~ 
by parliament, promising to the king 
of England such extraordinary 
means of defence, as the security of 
the British empire, and the honour 
of the three crowns, might re- 
quire. 
From the sudden appearance of 
this message, people doubted whe- 
ther it was the effect of treachery, 
of lunacy, or of weakness. Let any 
one cast his eyes over the ports of 
France and Holland, where he will 
find only detached naval prepara- 
ti@@s 
