Many of these violations of neutral rights would, according to the laws of nations, have justified se vere retaliatory measures on our part, but the go vernment of the United States, .averse to war, re sorted to a measure which, perhaps, inflicted more evil on its own citizens than on the offending belli gerents. On the 22d of December 1807, an embar go was laid on all the vessels in the United States. That act continued in force till the 1st of March, 1809. At the moment when our foreign commerce had arrived at the maximum, it was completely suspended. This transition was the more severe, because of its having been so suddenly adopted.
On the removal of the embargo, the trade in foreign commodities was recommenced ; but the amount re-exported in 1309, 10 and 11, was only little more than one-third of what was reexported in 1805, 6 and 7. The value of the domestic com modities exported in 1810 and 11, was nearly as great as the value of the like commodities exported in the two years previous to the embargo. In 1810 and 11, we found a very profitable market for our flour in Spain and Portugal. The wheat and flour we exported to these countries, in 1811, were va lued at not less than eight millions of dollars, at the place of exportation, and at twelve millions, at the places of sale.
The belligerents persisted in their system of spo liation. After the revocation of the Berlin and Mi lan decrees, the French captured 45 of our vessels. From 1807 till 1812, the British took 389 of our vessels, making a total or 917 captured by them in ten years.
In the opinion of the majority of the nation, war was necessary to redress these wrongs. War was, accordingly, declared against Great Britain, on the 18th of June 1812. One of its necessary effects was to subject our foreign commerce to great risks: yet we exported to Spain and Portugal 938.944 barrels of flour in 1812, and 973,500 barrels in 1813. The value of the wheat and flour exported to those coun tries, in 1813, was S11,213,447, at the places of exportation. In a foreign market, says Pitkin, their value could not be less than fifteen millions. In 1814, in consequence of the blockade of our coast, the whole export of the United States amounted only to S6,927,441, of which 56,782,272 was of domestic produce, which found its way through certain ports, which, for a time, were not subject to the blockade.
The ratifications of peace were exchanged in February 1815. The stock of foreign commodities having been nearly exhausted, great importations immediately ensued. The exportation of domestic commodities, though considerable, was much less in value. But in the following year there was a short harvest in England, and our exports of domestic produce in 1816, 1817 and 1818, exceeded those of any three previous years.
It was the opinion of many, that on the pacifica tion of Europe, our commerce must become incon siderable. Dr. Seybert, whose work was published in 1813, said, "we should refer to our experience, from 1783 to 1791, for the rules that seem best adapted to our future situation." These gloomy forebodings have not been verified. The following account of the exports of domestic produce, for pe riods of five years, from 1795 to 1829, shows a con siderable increase since the close of the war.
From 1795 to 1799, both inclusive, S32,822,965 " 1300 to 1804, 42,048,366 " 1805 to 1809, c4 34,631,348 " 1810 to 1814, G 30,618,194 1815 to 1819, 60;780,214 " 1820 to 1824, 48,606,904 " 1825 to 1829, 67,053,401 The period in which the exports were, apparent ly, of the most value, was from 1815 to 1819: but during part of this time specie payments were sus pended in the United States, and during the whole of the time in England.
If due allowance be made for the fall of prices which has taken place since the resumption of spe cie payments in Europe and America, it will be found that there has been a considerable increase of our exports in the aggregate, though not an increase in proportion to the increase of population. In 1790, the value of our exports was in the proportion of 54.84 for each inhabitant. In 1801, the domestic produce exported was in the proportion of S8.92 for each inhabitant; in 1810, the proportion was 56.25; in 1329. it was S4.65.
Table 56 gives the value cf the exports from 1790 to 1829, and of the imports from 1821 to 1829. The exports are valued according to the average price at the places of exportation. The imports are valued at the prices they bear at the places of pur chase abroad, with the addition of twenty per cent to those imported from beyond the Cape of Good Ilope. and of ten per cent to those imported from other places.