Studies in American History 
47 
ages or circuits of the vessels does not give a fair idea of the 
comparative extent of the commerce. The Pennsylvania 
Packet reports the entrances into the United States from the 
Netherlands and from Great Britain as follows: 
TABLE XV 
1783 
1784 
1785 
1786 
1787 
1788 
1789 
From Great Britain 
40 
83 
117 
279 
269 
307 
312 
From Netherlands 
17 
6 
19 
29 
29 
39 
57 
But this does not indicate the ratio of the amount of trade 
between the United States and Great Britain to that between 
the United States and the Netherlands. For, in the first place, 
half the entrances from Great Britain were not British or 
American ships, and not carrying British goods. At least 
one-third of these non-British and non-American ships were 
Dutch. When this correction is made, the result appears: 
TABLE XVI 
1783 
1784 
1785 
1786 
1787 
1788 
1789 
Vessels bringing goods from Great Britain. . 
20 
42 
52 
139 
134 
153 
156 
Vessels bringing goods from the Netherlands 
17.6 
6.14 
19 
29 
29 
39 
57 
19 
46 
44 
51 
52 
23 
20 
38 
75 
73 
90 
109 
The significance of all the foregoing evidence may be 
summed up in a few words. The amount of commerce and 
shipping between the United States and the United Nether- 
lands immediately following the American Revolution was 
much larger than has usually been supposed. The old tradi- 
tion that British shippers and merchants immediately re- 
gained almost complete control of the American market is dis- 
proved. The American trade with the Dutch was not only 
relatively large but an important element in the economic re- 
construction of the United States during the critical period 
following the Revolution. 
