Alexandria Daily Gazette, Commercial & Political

From the Commercial Advertiser.

MR. LEWIS,

There are among us many honest & well meaning, but deluded men, who are impressed with a belief that the people of Great-Britain derive their means of subsistence chiefly from this country. The following extract from a Report made to the House of Commons in May last, will, it is presumed, undeceive many, and convince them that all our efforts to starve the British nation are ineffectual, especially whilst her ancient and most inveterate enemy, and other powers with whom she is at present at war, continue to supply her with the staff of life.

"Imported into Great Britain during the last year, 11,096,150 bushels of wheat; 503,422 cwt. of flour; 4,268,904 bushels of oats; and 33,226 balls of oat meal. Of this quantity, the imports were—from France, 2,678,443 bushels of wheat; and 201,992 hundred weight of flour; from Holland; 1,512,128 bushels wheat; from Germany 1,161,488 do. from Poland and Prussia, 2,374,048 do; from Denmark and Norway, 887,480 ditto; and from America, 278,632 bushels of wheat, and 210,209 cwt. of flour."

Trade of Great Britain.

Our democrats are exulting in the success of Bonaparte's anti-commercial system, which they say has already almost ruined the commerce of Great Britain: Our energetic co-operation is only wanted to ruin, it entirely. Only stop the trade between the United States and Great-Britain, say they, and their commerce is at an end. Well, it may be so; tho' we have our doubts on the subject. But let us hear what these same men say about a war with Great-Britain, which we must most assuredly wage, if we intend to co-operate with our loving friend Bonaparte. The people, say they, are to grow rich, and the treasury is to be replenished by privateering. We shall be able to make depredations on the rich commerce of Great-Britain, which she is carrying on to all parts of the world. Her merchant-men cover the ocean, and it is impossible but that our swift sailing vessels should succeed in capturing many stragglers from their numerous convoys. Well, this may possibly be so, but one or other of these positions must be false. The British commerce must be destroyed or it must exist. If it is destroyed there will be no plunder for our honest privateersmen. And if it exists—if their ships trade to every part of the world—that is, if the commerce of the world is exclusively in their hands, their revenue will still exist, while ours will be annihilated; and we shall suffer while they prosper, notwithstanding what we could plunder from them by privateering.