Fowle's New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser

For the NEW HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE.

Mr. PRINTER,

MUCH is expected from the present session of the General Court; it is rather unfortunate that there is but one seaport in this State, in consequence of which the mercantile part must be very unequally represented, but from the collected wisdom and candor of the whole, every thing impartial is hoped for--nothing can be more pitiful and contracted, than that individual members should only govern themselves by the single interest of their separate towns, these narrow ideas have obstructed commercial regulations more than any thing

fair schemes which look very good on paper, will be found to be mere quackery in practice; heavy duties of any kind in our present situation will prove very injurious to our trade, it will instantly throw the most of the trade of those dutied articles into the other States. it will in the next place open a large field for smuggling and contraband trade, every body knows that no laws nor exertion of officers can prevent this practice when the object is worth pursuing--perhaps a group of petty waiters who would cost double what they saved might be some little check--Small duties, to say the best of them are smaller clogs to trade, and these are more punctually collected than heavy ones--but it needs no great deal of argument to prove that these little duties. and even the present impost of two and half per cent. are both impolitic and anti-commercial. This tax is almost wholly paid by the importer, without ever being reimbursed by the consumer--I appeal to the merchant, whether he has not been obliged for this last year or two, to sell his goods for about prime cost, in order to procure money in hand or to pay this impost--but admitting that, in a few instances, the consumer pays a part or whole of this tax, for what reason should the importer be called on to advance this money for him? And to pay in two months or four for what he may not dispose of in as many years--Another objection to the present impost is the partial manner of the collection, one part of the State pays near double to what those pay who are in the vicinity of the other State ; the peculiar situation of our seaport in the corner of the State renders this difficulty insurmountable ; let the act be framed in any shape whatever, there never will a farthing be collected, and as this evil is without a remedy, it is a forcible objection to any impost act whatever--To these considerations may be added the inability of the importer to pay any duty ; every body knows the great losses sustained by the trading part of this State during the war ; the neighbouring seaports engrossed almost the whole of our trade, and it has not yet reverted to its old channel, every encouragement should be given to the merchant to enable him to divert the trade into its old course, which he can only do by selling his goods on better terms to the purchaser than he can find them else where--instead therefore of taking from him a fortieth part of his. interest every time it comes into the State, which may be three times a year, it would be better to give him a bounty of some sort--if it should be found necessary to substitute some other tax in the place of this impost, it may be either by excise, in which case the consumer will more directly pay it, or by a tax on mortgages, deeds, notes, &c.