The general restrictions on commerce, by which every maritime power sought to promote its own navigation, and that part of the European system, in particular, by which each aimed at a monopoly of the trade of its colonies,was, says Judge Marshall, felt with peculiar keenness when practised by Eng land. To the British regulations, on this subject, the people of America were, perhaps, the more sensible, because, having composed a part of that empire, they had grown up in the habit of a free admission into all its ports. In 1784, several of the states endeavoured to countervail the British regu lations, by imposing duties on British West India products, and on British ships trading there; and in the following year, the legislature of Massachu setts prohibited the exportation of American pro ducts .in British bottoms, under the penalty of a forfeiture of ship and cargo.
In some of the states, a discriminating duty of one shilling sterling a ton was levied on foreign shipping, in others a duty of three shillings. While Pennsylvania imposed a duty on imported goods, they were admitted free of duty in New Jersey. Congress made several efforts to obtain from the states power to levy a duty of five per cent on fo reign commodities, and make it general throughout the country; but from devotion to state rights, jeal ousy of trade, and a fear that unequal burdens would be imposed on the different members of the confe deracy, every proposition of this kind was rejected.
In 1785, an attempt was made to enter into a commercial treaty with Great Britain; but that go vernment declined even to enter into negotiation on the subject, giving as a reason, that congress had not power, under the articles of confederation, to cause such a treaty to be observed. Attempts which were made to negotiate commercial treaties with France, Spain, and Portugal were equally unsuc cessful. From tile navigation of the lower part of the Mississippi, the Americans were excluded by the Spaniards; and from the Mediterranean, they were shut out by the Barbary powers, whose hos tility they had no force to subdue, and whose friend ship they had no money to buy. Under these cir cumstances, to use the language of Dr. Seybert, 'lc it was manifest that general regulations were essen tial to the safety and welfare of the union: it was absolutely necessary that the power to regulate and control our intercourse with foreign nations, should be confided to congress alone; and it was that con viction which principally induced the people of the United States to call the convention to revise the articles of confederation." Though affairs, both at home and abroad, were very discouraging. the spirit of American enter prise was not damped. Immediately after the
a trade was opened with the British East Indies: and on the 22d of February 1784, the first ship sailed from New York for China. In 1789, there were fifteen American vessels at Canton, which was a greater number than any European nation had there, except the English. It was stated in con gress, on the 4th of May 1789, that there were forty seven American vessels on voyages beyond the Cape of Good Hope.
In 1788, the trade to the Northwest Coast of America commenced. The first ship that was em ployed in it sailed from Boston. This opened a trade for furs with the Indians, on a coast several hundred miles in extent: and afterwards every island in the South Seas, and the whole coast of South America, were explored, in search of seal skins for the Chinese market. These sealing voy ages were at first very profitable: but the business was soon overdone, and the seals, in a few years, became so scarce as not to be worth the pursuit.
The old branches of industry revived gradually. The cod fishery was one of the first completely re established. In 1789, we exported 371,319 quintals of fish, which was more than had been exported year ly, on an average of ten years preceding the revolu tionary war. This was, however, overdoing the busi ness, for the British had in the interim greatly ex tended their fisheries, and our market for fish was limited. The citizens engaged in this business met with heavy losses, which, in 1789, induced the people of Marblehead alone to take thirty-three of their vessels from the fisheries.
The first congress that met under the new consti tution passed an act imposing duties of five per cent on most manufactures of wool and flax, seven and a half per cent on manufactures of silk, cotton, and iron, ten per cent on articles composed wholly or chiefly of gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones, and equally moderate duties on most other import ed commodities. They also imposed a discriminat ing duty in favour of American tonnage, and made certain allowances on the exportation of salt fish, as a compensation for the duty paid by the fishermen on foreign salt. This tariff. taking the place of the diversified regulations of the states, imparted uni formity to the commerce of the Union with foreign nations. The principal advantages, however, which trade and industry derived from the adoption of the new constitution, were from those provisions in that instrument which prohibited any state " from emit ting bills of credit, making any thing but gold and silver a legal tender in the payment of debts, or passing any law violating the obligations of con tracts." These provisions re-established commer cial confidence.