1802. } (293 ) 
REPORT OF THE STATE OF COMMERCE, 
RITISH Commerce, after the firft hock occafioned by that temporary change in the politie 
cal relations of the countries of Europe, appeared to derive new profperity {rom a war that was, 
in other re{peéts, a fource ofthe moft dreadful mifchiefs. The reftoration of peace, inftead of ef- 
fecting inftantaneoufly any great increafe and improvement of our trade, feemed to produce a mo~ 
mentary paufe and derangement of almoft all commercial bufinefs': and many {pecious’ reafong 
were popularly alledged to fhew, that, by the afcendancy of France on the Continent, and by its 
jealouty of the fuccefs of our traffic, the commercial profperity of the Britifh Empire muft imme- 
diately and fatally decline, By the following authentic ftatements, however, we are enabled te 
prove, that thofe reafons were quite fallacious, and the fears which fuggefted them, vain. 
.  ~ For the firft half of the year 1801, the grofs amount 
of our exports was to the value of —_ 11,012,201. fterlings 
For-the firft half of 1802, the exports have been of oh 
the value of _— — a 17,174,231], fterling» 
The grofs value of the imports intothe Port of Lon- 
don, for the half-year ending on the 5th of July 
laft, was —- —- — 4,427,7761. fterling. 
The produce of the excife for the months of July and Auguft laft, was at the average rate of 
370,0001. fterling weekly, or fourteen millions a-year. 
A Society of SHitp-ownezRrs has been lately eftablifhed in London. The object of the affo- 
ciation is, to co-operate lawfully in thofe things in which all the proprietors of our merchant-fhips 
have one common intereft. The fhip-owners of Shields, Sunderland, Leith, Kirkaldy, &c. have, 
for this end, joined thofeof London. They have affumed the denomination of the ‘* Society o 
Ship-owweners of Great Britain,.’’ They will be particularly vigilant to enforce the Navigation-act, 
and to prevent foreigners from becoming interlopers in our carrying trade. The Truftees of the 
Society are Meffirs. John Hill, Thomas Gillefpy, and Ifaac Robinfon, Mr. Nathaniel Atchefon 
is the Secretary. ; 
‘* From the late enumeration of the inhabitants of Great Britain and Ireland, it appears, that, in 
England and Walesalone, not fewer than 1,843,354 perfons competent for labour are employed 
in trade and manufaCtures. 
* The public income of Great Britain, which may ferve as a barometer to indicate the degree of 
the profperity of our trade, was, including the Loans and other extraordinary refources for the 
year ending January 5, 1802, not lefs than 63,026,507]. 6s, 113d. fterling. Of this fumnot lefs 
than 28,10§,3921. 16s. 91d. arofe out of the permanent taxes. 
The Eaft India Company’s thips lately arrived from China, have brought home 30,400 pieces’ 
of nankeen ; as alfo 8,182,799 |b. of tea, of which 6,678,672 lb. are Congou. 
The French Goyernment has appointed a Commercial Agent to refide in Glafgow. As the 
great defire of the French is, at pretent, to rival our cotton-manufactures, their defign in fending 
an agent to Glafgow may be chiefly to find the means of gaining a knowledge of the moft ingeni- 
ous practice of bleaching, {pinning, weaving, &c. which are in ufe in the manufadtures of that 
lace. 
The great commercial town of Liverpool has, in the courfe of the laft month, fuffered loffes by 
fire to the value of little lefs than 300,000]. fterling. Of this fum, to the amount ‘of 95,000l. 
1s to be paid by different Infuring Companies. The reft is loft tothe immediate proprietors of rhe 
houfes and goods which were confumed. Many other fires, in the latter part of September, have 
deitroyed much yaluable property belonging to our manufacturers aod merchants. It fhould feem 
that proprietors, having the comfortable fecurity of infurance, are, even without a€tual malice or 
felony of intention, much too negligent of the fit precautions for averting danger by fire; while, on 
the other hand, the Infurers, content if their profits annually exceed by a reafonable degree the 
fum of their expences and loffes, ufe but very inadequate means to watch againft conflagrations, or 
to extinguifh them when they have actually burft out. But, it ought to be lerioufly confidered, 
that whatever is loft by fire, is deftroyed out of the general capital of the nation: and it fhould be 
made a great object of common concern to find means for rendering fuch fires lefs frequent and 
lefs terribly deftruétive. 
The City of London exhibits a new inftance of its commercial profperity, in the preparations, 
of which notice has been given in the Gazette, toremove Bethlem-hofpital ;—to demolifh Lon-~ 
don-bridge, and erect inftead of it another, more convenient for the river-navigation ;—to enlarge 
Smithfield-market ;—farther to improve the Port of Lendon ;—and to eftablifhta free market fur 
coals in the wards of Billingfgate and the Tower. 
‘The great fair of Beaucaire, lately celebrated in the fouth of France, was the fcene of much lefs 
bufinefs than hod been tranfacted lait year at the fame fair. Two hundred and ten véffels came 
_ ap the Khone with goods for fale at this fair when it was lately held. Of thefe veffels r13 were 
Brench, ¢7 Spanith, 38 Genoefe, and 2 Neapolitan. Fine broad-cloths were fold to advantage in 
the beginning of the fair. Silks were fold at very low pricesy-and not in confiderable quantity. — 
Mujflins were eagerly bought at high prices. Spices and Dyer’s woods were high. Coffee and 
fugar were very low, Soaps obtained a brifk fale. Goods trom Spain, were, in general, low. 
The Exuieition of {pecimens of the manufactures of France at Paris, which annually takes 
place during the five complimentary days of the French year, which are the days intervening in 
our kalendar between the 17th and the 24th of September, has not, for the prefent year, produced 
any thing to thew that the maaulaGures of France are at allin a fhate to Wage any alarming com~ 
Re ary Se ae nr ite petiuon 
~~ ee 
