Benns: British West India Carrying-Trade 115 
patches for the British minister were received in New York 
“and immediately forwarded to Washington by express”.^^ 
These in turn were “forwarded to Halifax via St. Johns, New 
Brunswick, with the greatest celerity It was conjectured 
that these dispatches related to the closing of the port of Hali- 
fax to American vessels, and that they would operate to pre- 
vent this.^®^ However this may be, the Council of Nova 
Scotia, convened by the lieutenant-governor on January 23, 
advised that American vessels be permitted to enter subject 
to the duties as previously imposed.^®^ A Halifax paper of 
January 28 contained an official notice to this effect.^®^ Finally 
the Surveyor-General of British Customs, sent out from Lon- 
don to regulate all the British custom houses in North Amer- 
ica, settled the question by informing the collector of Halifax 
that an improper construction had been given to the late colo- 
nial trade act. He recommended the collector not to enforce 
the act according to this construction until he should receive 
further advices from England. The United States Gov- 
ernment appeared justified in its belief that an exception was 
to be made in its case until the question should be settled be- 
tween the two governments, but still it delayed taking any 
vigorous steps to adjust the situation thru diplomacy, and op- 
posed any action to the same end thru legislation. 
The British colonial trade question was forced upon the 
attention of Congress, however, by a memorial of the mer- 
chants, ship-owners, and manufacturers of Baltimore, This 
memorial submitted to Congress 
the propriety of abolishing the discriminating duties of 94 cents per 
ton on British colonial vessels, and of ten per cent additional, on the 
duties of their cargoes, and of admitting British vessels from whatever 
ports, on the same terms as the vessels of the most favored nation.^®® 
In other words the memorialists wished the United States by 
legislative act to meet the conditions laid down by the British 
colonial trade act. 
The Senate Committee on Commerce, to which the memo- 
rial was referred, made a long report on March 31, 1826. They 
Phenix Gazette, Jan. 16, 1826. 
Quoted from Neiv York Merchantile Advertiser in Richmomd Enquirer, Jan. 12, 
1826. 
101 Ibid. 
102 Daily National Intelligencer, Feb. 18, 1826. 
Netvport Mercury, Feb. 18, 1826, 
Phenix Gazette, Feb. 6, 1826. 
103 Register of Debates, II, Pt. 1, Appendix, 142, 143. 
