Commercial Intercourse Between The United States and the Bri- tish Colonies.

The following is a copy of an important document, received this morning at the North and South American Coffeehouse, dated Washington, 23d January viz. --" A bill to regulate the Commercial Intercourse between the United States and the Colonies of Great Britain."

Be it enacted, by the Senate the House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, that from and after the 30th day of September next, the Ports of the United States shall be, and remain, closed against any and every vessel coming or arriving from any port or place in the British colonies or possessions hereinafter mentioned, viz:--the British Possessions in the West Indies and on the Continent of South America, the Bahama Islands, the Islands called Buicos, the Bermuda or Summer Islands, the British possessions on the coast of Africa, the colony of the Cape of Good Hope, and the islands, settlements, and territories, belonging thereto, and dependent thereupon, the islands of Mauritius and Ceylon, and the several islands and territories belonging thereto, and dependent on each respectively--the British Settlements in New Holland, and the several islands and territories belonging thereto, and dependent thereon--Lower Canada, the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, the islands of Newfoundland, St John's, Cape Breton, and the dependencies of them, or any other colony or possession under the dominion of Great Britain, in the West Indies, or on the Continent of America--and any vessel which shall have cleared from any port or place in the Colonies above described, and afterwards taking in a cargo at any port or place in any of the colonies or possessons aforesaid, or which having cleared from any port or place in the colonies or possessions aforesaid, with a cargo, shall afterwards, in the same voyage, have touched at, or again cleared, from any port or place, shall, nevertheless, be deemed to come from a port or place in the colonies or possessions aforesaid, within the meaning of this act ; and every vessel so excluded, as aforesaid, from the ports of the United States, that shall enter, or attempt to enter, the same, in violation of this Act, shall, with her tackle, apparel, and furniture, together with her carg on board, be forefeited to the United States.

Sec. 2d. And be it further enacted, that, from and after the 30th day of September next, the owner, consignee, or agent, of every vessel owned wholly, or in part, by a subject or subjects of his Britannic Majesty, which shall have been duly entered in any port of the United States, and on board of which shall have been there laden, for exportation, any article or articles of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the United States, other than provisions and sea stores necessary for the voyage, shall, before such vessel be cleared outward at the Custom-house, give bond in a sum double the value of such articles with one or more sureties, to the satisfaction of the Collector, that the article or articles so laden on board such vessels, for exportation, shall be landed in some port or place, other than any port or place in the above-mentioned colonies or possessions ; and any such vessel that shall sail, or attempt to sail, from any port of the United States, without having given bond as aforesaid, shall, with her tackle, apparel, and furniture, together with the article or articles aforesaid, laden on board the same, as aforesaid, be forefeited to the United States ; provided always  that nothing in this act contained shall be so constructed as to violate any provision of the Conventions, to regulate the commerce the territories of the United States, and of his Brittanic Majesty, which were concluded respectively, on the third of July, 1815, and on the twentieth day of October, 1818.

Sec. 3. And be it farther enacted, that the form of the bond aforesaid shall be prescribed by the Secretary of the Department of the Treasury, and the same shall and may be discharged, and otherwise, by producing, within one year after the date thereof, a like certificate to that required by, and under, the regulations contained in the eighty-first section of the act, to regulate the collection of duties on imports, passed the 2d day or March 1799,--that the articles of the growth, produce, and manufacture, of the United States, laden, as aforesaid, were unladen and landed, comfortably to the provisions of this act ; or, in the case of loss by sea, by capture, or other unavaoidable accident, by the production of such other proofs as the nature of the case will admit, according to the provisions of the eighty-first section of the act aforesaid.

Sec. 4. And be it farther enacted that all penalties and forfeitures incurred by force of this act shall be sued for, recovered, distributed and accounted for, and may be mitigated or remitted in the manner and according to the provisions of the revenue laws of the United States.

Sec. 5. Provided nevertheless, and be it farther enacted, that this act shall not take effect, nor go into operation, if, before the said 13th day of September next, the President of the United States shall receive satisfactory evidence that the said Colonies and possessions aforesaid, are open to the admission of vessels of the United States coming from the said United States; that neither such vessels nor their cargoes are subjected to any other or higher duties or charges than British vessels, and their cargoes arriving from the United States in the said Colonies and possessions, are subjected to; that the vessels of the United States may import into said Colonies and possessions from the United States any article or articles which a British vessel could by law import from the United States into the said Colonies or possessions; and that the vessels of the United States may export to any country whatever, other than to the dominions or possesions of Great Britain, any article or articles from the said Colonies or possessions, which vessels of Great Britain may export therefrom ; and if the President of the United States shall receive such satisafactory evidence as aforesaid, on or before the said 13th day of September next, he is hereby authorised to issue his proclamation, declaring, that the said colonies or possessions, are opened to the admission of the vessels of the United States, on the conditions aforesaid, and thereupon, from the date of the said proclamation, the ports of the United States shall be open to vessels of the United States, and British vessels coming from the said colonies and provinces, and also to the vessels of other nations, coming therefrom, which, by Treaty, or according to the Navigation Act of the United States, may be entitled to bring merchandize from said colonies and possessions into the United States ; and British vessels arriving in the United States therefrom, shall be subject, neither on their tonnage, nor on their cargoes, to any other or higher duties or charges of any kind than vessels of the United States. From the date of the said proclamation of the President the act passed on the 1st day of March 1823, entitled, " An act to regulate the Commercial Intercourse between the United States and certain British ports;" the act passed on the 15th day of May 1820, entitled, " An act supplementary to any act, entitled, An act concerning Navigation," passed on the 18th of April 1818 shall be, and are hereby declared, severally to be repeated[?] ; and provided farther, that if, on or bebefore the said 13th day of September next, the President of the United States shall receive satisfactory evidence, that the Colonies and possessions aforesaid, are opened to the admission of vessels of the United States, coming from the said United States, that neither such vessels nor their cargoes are subjected to any other or higher duties or charges than are levied or exacted on British vessels and their cargoes arriving from the United States in the said colonies or possessions, and that the vessles of the United States may import into the said colonies and possessions from the United States, any article or articles which a British vessel could by law import from the United States to issue his proclamation, declaring that the ports of the United States are open to vesels of the United States, and to British vessels coming directly form the said colonies and possessions, and also to vessels of other nations coming therefrom, which by treaty, or according to the Navigation act of the United States may be entitled to bring merchandize from the said colonies and possessions into the United States, and that British vessels arriving in the ports of the United States from the Colonies or possessions aforesaid, shall not, after the date of the proclamation last mentioned, be subjected, either on their tonnage or their cargoes, to any other or higher duties or charges of any kind than are levied on vessels of the United States and their cargoes of similar merchandize imported from the same colonies and possessions ; and from and after the date of such proclamation, the first and second reactions of this act shall be suspended.

This Bill was wtice read, and commited to the committee of the whole on the State of the Union.


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