EXPORTATION, the act of sending goods out of one country into another. In modern times it has been the principal object of commercial policy, in almost every country, to encourage exportation, except with respect to a few particular articles ; the export of manufactured goods has been promoted, with a view of encouraging the internal industry of the country, and the export of foreign pro duce, as a means of drawing wealth from other countries by the profits of the car rying trade. The excess of the value of goods exported, beyond that of the im ports has usually been considered as a criterion of the profits which a country derives from foreign trade ; but this is a very fallacious mode of determining a point of great importance ; advantageous foreign trade might long t xist, even if the imports constantly exceeded the value of the exports. The laws in force relat ing to exportation, consist principally of prohibitory or restrictive regulations, re specting bullion, corn, wool, machinery, and tools used in various branches of manufactures, the exportation of which, it is thought, might diminish the neces sary supply of provisions for the consump tion of the country, or enable foreigners to rival valuable branches of its manu factures. Time acts relative to the expor
tation of wool prohibit the exportation, not only of the article itself, but also of live sheep, rams, or lambs, from Great Britain, Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey, Alder ney, Sark, or Man, on penalty of the for feiture thereof; and of the ships convey ing the same ; also 31. for every sheep, &c. and the offender to suffer three months solitary imprisonment ; for a se cond offence 51. per sheep, &c. and six months imprisonment ; except wether sheep for ships' use only, put on board by licence of the port officer of the cus toms. A limited quantity of wool is, how ever, permitted to be exported from the port of Southampton to Guernsey, Alderney, and Sark, The duties on ex portation, payable in Great Britain and Ireland, which were formerly the prin cipal branch of the revenue derived t'rom foreign trade, are now of small amount, in comparison with the duties payable on goods brought into the country. See