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for one hundred and eighteen years, that has carried the English national debt to this enormous sum of 603,924,000l. sterling, which was the amount of the debt, in March las, If it be asked, what has this mighty navy done to balance this expense? it may be answered, that, comparatively speaking, it has done nothing. It has obtained some victories at sea, where nothing was to be gained but blows and broken bones, and it has plundered the unarmed vessels of neutral nations; and this makes the short history of its services.

That the English government does not depend upon the navy to prevent Buonaparte making a descent upon England, is demonstrated by the expensive preparations that government puts itself to by land to repel it. And that the navy contributes nothing to the protection of commerce is proved by the fact, that all the ports on the continent of Europe are shut by land against the commerce of England. Of what use, then, is the navy that has incurred such an enormous debt, and which costs more than sixty-eight millions of dollars annually to keep it up, which is three times more than all the gold and silver that the mines of Peru and Mexico annually produce. Such a navy will always keep a nation poor. No wonder, then, that every seventh person in England is a pauper, which is the fact. The number of paupers now is 1,200,000.

Another evil to England attending this navy, besides the debt it has incurred, is that it drains the nation of specie. More than half the materials that go into the construction of a navy in England are procured from Russia and Sweden; and as the exports of English manufactures to those places are but small, the balance must be paid in specie. If Buonaparte succeed in all his plans, I hope he will put an end to navies for the good of the world.

Jan. 7 1807.

VOL. I.

59

COMMON SENSE.

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for one hundred and eighteen years, that has carried the English national debt to this enormous sum of 603,924,000l. sterling, which was the amount of the debt, in March las, If it be asked, what has this mighty navy done to balance this expense? it may be answered, that, comparatively speaking, it has done nothing. It has obtained some victories at sen, where nothing was to be gained but blows and broken bones, and it has plundered the unarmed vessels of neutral nations and this makes the short history of its services,

That the English government does not depend upon the navy to prevent Buonaparte making a descant upon Kogland, is demonstrated by the expensive preparations that government puts itself to by land to repel it. And that the navy komin butes nothing to the protection of commeren in privved by the fact, that all the ports on the continent of Varups are shut by land against the commerce of Vogland. Of what man, thich, te the navy that has incurred such an chitinima dald, and winch costs more than sixty-eight millions of dollars annually in keep it up, which is three times there than all the gold and mil ver that the mines of Peru and Mexico sumually produks Such a navy will always keep a nation poor. No wonder, then, that every seventh person in Vogland te a pauper, which is the fact. The number of paupers now in 1,300),/.

Another evil to England attending this navy, besides the debt it has incurred, is that it drains the nation of apesta More than half the materials that go into the construction of a navy in England are procured from Russia and Sweden; and as the exports of English manufactures to those places are but small, the *lance must be paid in specie. If Buonaparte mue dans, I hope he will put an end to naview for world.

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COMMON BENNE.

REMARKS

ON GOVERNOR LEWIS'S SPEECH TO THE LEGIS LATURE, AT ALBANY, NEW-YORK.

INVIDIOUS Comparisons show want of judgment. But when such comparisons are made on grounds that are not true, they become the more offensive.

You say in your speech to the Legislature, "In this general dispensation of benefits, our state has received an unrivalled portion. In the course of a few years she has outstripped her confederates in those important sources of national greatness, agriculture and commerce, and is not behind the foremost of them in the improvement of the useful and fine arts. The first of these assertions is supported by a comparison of the exports from New-York with those of the city of Philadelphia, during the short period of five or six years, which affords an unerring criterion, and establishes this important fact, that whilst each has experienced a rapid increase, the former, (New-York,) which at the commencement of the period was far behind, has previous to its termination overtaken and gone far ahead of the latter. To explain-in the year 1800, the exports from Philadelphia stood in the ratio to those of New-York of about seven to six. At the close of the year 1805, those of New-York were to those of Philadelphia as twelve to seven nearly. Whence, it is natural to inquire, proceeds those results? Which are the most remarkable, as Philadelphia has preserved her superiority in population, having considerably more than one hundred thousand inhabitants, while New-York has little more than seventy [thousand.] The question (continues the Governor) is one that merits the examination of an enlightened mind; and the solution of it, if I mistake not, [it is very well the Governor put this in] will be found in our spirited exertions in the improvement of roads and navigable streams

These have facilitated an intercourse between our sea-ports and interior country. Have taught the forests [the forests then are more learned than the forests of Pennsylvania] to bow [that is, to make a handsome bow, such as the Quaker trees of Pennsylvania cannot make] beneath the labours of the husbandmen. Have converted the wilderness [this is an age of strange conversions] into fruitful fields, and made the desert places rejoice and blossom like the rose," and sing, I suppose, like the nightingale. Poetical fiction is ridiculous in legislative concerns.

I now come to remark more seriously on the errors and ou the invidious comparisons contained in the Governor's speech. I shall remark on another part of his speech after I have done with this.

I take the statements as Governor Lewis has stated them, that is, that the exports of Philadelphia were greater than the exports of New-York, in the year 1800; and that, at this time, the exports of New-York are greater than those of Philadelphia. But the cause which the Governor assigns for this shows a great want of knowledge and consequently of judgment.

He ascribes it, so far as respects New-York, to improvements in roads and navigable streams-to making the forests how beneath the labours of the husbandmen-to converting the [unconverted] wilderness into fruitful fields, and making the desert places rejoice; and he speaks of those improvements as if Pennsylvania had stood still in the mean time, and made none; whereas the fact is not as the Governor states it. Pennsylvania has made more public roads and built more permanent bridges than any other state has done. And as to the improvement of farms, there are no farmers in the United States that excel the German farmers of Pennsylvania. We must then seek some other cause than that which, the Governor has assigned.

If Governor Lewis had made himself acquainted, in some degree, with mercantile affairs, which he ought to have done, before he undertook to speak of exports or imports, he would have found that the greater part of the exports of New-York are not the produce of the state of New-York, and, therefore, have a distinct origin from any thing that can arise from internal improvements of any kind. For example, the city of New

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