A. D. 1784. ^f 



ing for provifions at Bourbon and the Ifle of France in the Indian ocean, 

 they now indulged them with the hberty of difpofing of their cargoes of 

 American produce at thofe iflands, and loading with the commodities of 

 the iflands, or thofe of the Eafl-lndies and China in return. 



The arrival of a floop loaded with Eaft-India goods at New York this 

 fummer diffufed great joy among the inhabitants of that city, who 

 thought the importation of fuch articles, without the mediation of Eu- 

 ropean merchants, a fplcndid commercial acquifition. The command- 

 er fpoke highly of the civility of the Dutch at the Cape of Good hope, 

 but complained that he had been very uncivilly treated at S'. Helena *. 



The rejoicing of the people of New York upon the arrival of an Eafl:- 

 India cargo was not the only proof given by the inhabitants of the Unit- 

 ed ftates of their eagernefs to afiume the charafter of a great commercial 

 nation, and to go largely into diftant foreign trade, contrary to the 

 judgement of fome of the wifefl: of their fellow-citizen sf. The legiflature 

 of Connecticut about this time made a law, conferring feveral privileges 

 upon every perfon, who fhould annually import goods from Europe, 

 Afia, or Africa, of the value of not lefs than ;^3,ooo ; without paying 

 any attention to exportation, which in the politico-commercial arrange- 

 ments of all other nations is conftantly the favourite objed:. And the 

 congrefs about the fame time recommended to the legiflatures of the 

 different flates a general refolution to- prohibit for fifteen years the im- 

 portation and exportation of every fpecies of merchandize in ary vefllls 

 belonging to foreign powers, not conneded with the American ftates by 

 treaties of commerce. Though this prohibition was principally leveled 

 againft Great Britain, yet the French and Spaniards, as we havejufh 

 feen, were not more indulgent to the commerce of America with their 

 Wefl-India fettlements. 



The fpirit of innovation, lately fprung up in Ireland, had already been ■ 

 produdive of concellions to that country, infinitely greater than had 

 been expeded or hoped for. It is the nature of fuch popular ferments 

 to run beyond the original objed. Such was the effed of them in Ame- 

 rica ; and fuch it now appeared in Ireland J. The freedom of com- 

 merce had not hitherto been productive of fo many, or fo great, advan- 

 tages as had, perhaps too fanguinely, been expedted. Several of the Irifh 

 merchants, in their eagernefs to enjoy the new-acquired advantages of 



* Though I do not find when the firft Ameii- Virginia, pp. 273-293, eJ. 1787, or an cxtraiEl in 



can voyage to India took place, there mull have this volume, p. 26. 



been at lead one earlier than this, as Mr. Coxe fays, J The propofals for rtfoiming the parliamentary 



that the Philadelphians ' commenced the Ameri- reprefeniation and for releafing the Roman-cathol- 



can trade with India and China.' \_View of the ics from the reftraints laid upon them by the cau- 



United ftates, p. 483.] tion, or jealoufy, of a preceding age, however 



t For the fentiments of Mr. JefTerfon, now important, do not come within the plan of thit 



(1801) prcfident of the congreff, fee his AVtv en woik. 



Vol. IV. H 



