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Indiana University Studies 
on their cargoes; secondly, that British ships were restricted 
to the importation of articles of the West Indies if from the 
West Indies, and to articles of North America if from the ports 
of the latter.^ As a basis for his complaints he maintained 
first, that the act of Parliament imposed no such discriminat- 
ing charges; secondly, that altho the latter act did provide 
that articles should be brought directly from the country of 
which they were the growth, produce, or manufacture, it es- 
tablished “no distinction whatever between one part of the 
United States and another’'. 
A vessel, for example, belonging to Boston, and clearing out for the 
colonies from that harbor, would be permitted ... to import the 
tobacco of Virginia and the cotton of Louisiana no less than any other 
of the enumerated articles which happen to be the produce or manu- 
facture of that immediate neighborhood. The American regulation, on 
the contrary, will not allow a British vessel, clearing out from Halifax, 
for instance, or from St. John’s, though otherwise duly qualified, to im- 
port into the United States the produce or manufacture of the West 
Indies, nor will it admit of Canadian and other North American produce 
being imported in a British vessel when coming from a port of the West 
Indies . . . 
These restrictions. Canning maintained, were not the counter- 
part of any similar ones in the British act, and he reminded 
Adams that the King in Council had the power to withdraw 
the privileges offered by this act from countries not giving 
the like privileges in return to British vessels.^ 
The American reply to Canning’s note was drafted by 
Adams, but, before being despatched, was subjected to the con- 
sideration of the President and his Cabinet, who approved it 
with one or two modifications.^® In reply to Canning’s first 
complaint, Adams alleged a want of authority in the Execu- 
tive to remove the tonnage and discriminating duties. These 
duties were prescribed by former acts of Congress having 
nothing to do with the system of restriction which the United 
States had seen fit to impose on the trade between the British 
colonies in America and itself. The American act of 1822 
gave the President no power to remove these charges; they 
could be revoked only by the authority of Congress which had 
enacted them. Regardless of this fact, however, the disad- 
vantages under which American vessels must submit to enter 
** Am. State Papers, For. Rel., VI, 214. Memoirs of John Quincy Adams, VI, 82. 
^Am. State Papers, For. Rel., VI, 215. 
Memoirs of John Quincy Adams, VI, 96-98. 
