m 
elusive, a representation from them to the legislature, drt 
the importance of having the standard quality of our flour 
raised, so as to place the New-York market on a footing 
equally respectable to any other state, will, without doubt, 
remove the evil complained of in this paper. 
Without infringing on the rights of another, each state 
has an indisputable control over its exports. How far our 
laws relating to inspection, generally, or in relation to a 
particular article, are well executed according to the ori¬ 
ginal design of those laws, may easily be known by com¬ 
paring the reputation of similar articles, from other states, 
in foreign markets, as well as from the credit of such im¬ 
ported commodities, in our own ports, with the credit of 
such articles manufactured at home. This mode of trial is 
fair and totally free from the charge of partiality. 
How it has happened that the flour of this market, very 
generally, should have been found of quite inferior quality 
to that of several other states, during a number of years 
past, is surely a subject of some moment to that respectable 
Society to whom I have taken the freedom of presenting 
this paper. This fact has become so notorious that it is 
absolutely incontrovertible. The “ prices current” of Eu¬ 
rope as well as those of the West-India islands, togeth¬ 
er with repeated publications in our daily papers, evidently 
prove that the flour of the New-York market has been sold 
at reduced prices, while that of Richmond, Philadelphia, 
and other southern places, would sell at the same ports at 
an advance, sometimes one and a half, and others, at two 
dollars per barrel. Independent of these publications, cap¬ 
tains of vessels and persons who have,witnessed the fact in 
the islands, have declared the same facts, with surprise and 
regret. Is it not at once both a reflection on the reputation 
as well as a most serious loss to our state, that its greatest 
staple should be so far undervalued, when circumstances 
would warrant a high character in this respect ? Can any 
solid and permanent advantages arise from such a state of 
