The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 05
History
The Diplomatic Correspondence of the American Revolution, Vol. 05
United States -- Foreign relations -- 1775-1783; United States -- History -- Revolution, 1775-1783 -- Sources
But what is there to hinder Great Britain from importing pitch, tar,
and turpentine from America, after her independence? She may be
obliged to give a somewhat higher price, because France, Spain,
Holland, and all other nations will import them too. But will this
higher price induce America to give up her independence? Will the
prospect which is opened to the other maritime powers of drawing these
supplies from America, in exchange for their productions, make them
less zealous to support American independence? Will the increase of
the demand upon the northern powers for these articles, in consequence
of the destruction of the British monopoly in America, make these
powers less inclined to American independency? The British monopoly
and British bounties, it was in fact, which reduced the price of these
articles in the northern markets. The ceasing of that monopoly and
those bounties, will rather raise the price in the Baltic, because
those States in America in which pitch and tar chiefly grow, have so
many articles of more profitable cultivation, that without bounties it
is not probable that trade will flourish to a degree, to reduce the
prices in the north of Europe. Should a war take place between us and
the northern powers, where are we to procure our naval stores?
inquires the pamphleteer.
I answer, make peace with America, and procure them from her. But if
you go to war with America and the Northern Powers at once, you will
get them nowhere. This writer appears to have had no suspicion of the
real intentions of the Northern Powers, when he wrote his book. What
he will say now after the confederation of all of them against Great
Britain, for I can call it no otherwise, I am at a loss to
conjecture.
"Timber of every kind, iron, saltpetre, tar, pitch, turpentine, and
hemp, are raised and manufactured in America. Fields, of a hundred
thousand acres, of hemp, are to be seen spontaneously growing between
the Ohio and the Mississippi, and of a quality little inferior to the
European."
Are not these articles as precious to France, Spain, and Holland as to
England? Will not these powers be proportionably active to procure a
share of them, or a liberty to trade in them, as England will be to
defend her monopoly of them? And will not America be as alert to
obtain the freedom of selling them to the best advantage in a variety
of markets as other nations will for that of purchasing them?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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