Table 57 shows the tonnage of the United States from 1789 to 1829, and also the proportion of fo reign tonnage employed in the trade of the country in different years. From 1739 to 1792, the only ac count of tonnage kept at the treasury, was that on which the duties were collected, and which included the repeated voyages made by the same vessels in the course of the year. Since 1792, all vessels em ployed in the foreign trade have been registered, and those employed in the coasting trade and the coast fisheries have been enrolled, excepting vessels under twenty tons, which are licensed. Annual accounts of the vessels registered, enrolled, and licensed, are transmitted to the treasury department; but as the collectors frequently neglect to make due allow ances for vessels worn out, lost at sea, or sold to foreigners, the returns in but few years give the exact amount of tonnage. In 1810, when the amount of tonnage returned was 1,424,783, Mr. Pitkin sup posed the true amount to be 1,250,000. Through neglect of this kind, our tonnage appeared, from the returns, to be annually increasing from 1818 to 1829; but in the last mentioned year the records were examined, and it was found necessary to de duct upwards of 500,000 tons, on account of vessels lost at sea, condemned as unseaworthy, or sold to foreigners, in previous years, but of which no re turn had been made by the collectors of the customs.
From 1803 to 1812, the tonnage of newly built '-egistered vessels amounted annually to 74,639 •ons; that of enrolled to 28.172: total, 102,811. In 1829, the tonnage of newly built registered vessels was 28,876. In the same year, there were lost at sea, condemned as unseaworthy, or sold to foreign ers, registered vessels of the burden of 35,037 tons, making a decrease in that year of 6,161 tons in re gistered vessels. The tonnage of enrolled and li
censed vessels built in 1829, was 48,221 tons. The tonnage of vessels of these classes lost at sea or con demned as unseaworthy, in that year, was 8,203 tons, showing an increase of 40,018 tons, in vessels employed in the coasting trade and fisheries.
In 1810, our registered tonnage was about in the proportion of one ton to every 9 inhabitants of the United States. In 1829, it was in the proportion of one ton to every 19.2 inhabitants. When we con sider the change that has taken place in the affairs of the world, and the many restrictions that have Keen imposed on American commerce, both at home abroad, we cannot be surprised at the difference of these proportions.
The exports of the United States are classed, at he treasury department, as products of the sea, of the forest, of agriculture, and of manufactures. The value of the products of the sea, annually exported, has, of late years, amounted to little more than a million and a half of dollars; those of the forest to upwards of four millions: those of agriculture, be • ween forty and fifty millions: of manufactures, to two or three millions, and, within a few years, to four or five millions. Table 58 contains a specifi cation of the different articles included in each of these classes, and of their value at the place of ex port, for the year ending September 30, 1830.
Of agricultural products, the principal article of export is cotton. The value of this commodity ex ported in 1825, was S36,346,649; but this was ow ing to a rise of price abroad, produced by specula tiork In 1818, 'he value of cotton c xpored was