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that upon the importation, into any part of the United Kingdom, of any goods, wares, or merchandize, being the growth, production or manufacture of any of the Territories of the United States of America, imported direct from the said Territories, in any Ship or Vessel built in the Countries belonging to the said States, or any of them, or taken by any of the Ships or Vessels of War belonging to the Government, or any of the Inhabitants of the said States, having Commissions or Letters of Marque and Reprisal from the Government of the said States, and condemned as lawful prize in any Court of Admiralty there, such Ship or Vessel being owned by the Subjects of the said States, or any of them, and whereof the Master and 3-4ths of the Mariners are also Subjects of the said States, no higher or other duties shall be charged or paid, than such as are charged and payable upon goods, wares, and merchandize of the like denomination or description, being the growth, production, or manufacture of any of the Territories of the United States of America, and being imported in British-built Ships or Vessels navigated and registered according to Law; any thing contained in an Act passed in the 49th year of the reign of His present Majesty, intituled "An Act for repealing the several Duties of Customs chargeable in Great Britain, and for granting other duties in lieu thereof," or any other Act to the contrary thereof notwithstanding.

II. And be it further enacted, that upon the exportation from the United Kingdom of any goods, wares, or merchandize, the growth, production, or manufacture of the said United Kingdom, or any of His Majesty's Territories in Europe, direct to any of the Territories of the United States of America, in any Ship or Vessel built in the said States, or condemned as Prize there, and being owned and navigated as hereinbefore mentioned, no higher or other duties shall be paid or payable than such as are charged or imposed upon such goods, wares, or merchandize, when exported in a British-built Ship or Vessel, navigated and registered according to Law.

III. And be it further enacted, that upon the exportation from the United Kingdom of any goods, wares, or merchandize, the growth, production, or manufacture of the said United Kingdom, or any of His Majesty's Territories in Europe, in any Ship or Vessel built in the said United States of America, or condemned as Prize there, and being owned and navigated as hereinbefore mentioned, the same bounty or allowance shall be paid as at the time of such exportation may be allowed, upon the exportation thereof, in any British-built Ship or Vessel, navigated and registered according to Law.

IV. And be it further enacted, that nothing in this Act contained shall extend, or be construed to extend, to repeal or in anywise alter the Duties of package, scavage, baillage, or portage, or any other Duties payable to the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, or to the Lord Mayor of the said City for the time

being, or to any other City or Town Corporate within Great Britain; or any other special privilege or exemption to which any Person or Persons, Bodies Politic or Corporate, is or are now entitled by Law, but the same shall be continued as heretofore.

V. And be it further enacted, that this Act may be altered, amended or repealed, by any Act or Acts to be passed in this Session of Parliament.

VI. And be it further enacted, that this Act shall continue in force so long as the Convention between His Majesty and the United States of America shall continue in force.

ACT of the British Parliament, to allow British Goods to be exported direct from Great Britain to the United States of America, upon the same Terms as when exported to any other Foreign Country.*

[57 Geo. III. Cap. 58.]

[30th June, 1817.]

WHEREAS, by a Convention of Commerce between Great Britain and the United States of America, signed at London on the 3rd day of July, 1815, in Article the IInd,† it is provided, amongst other matters, that no higher or other Duties or Charges be imposed in either of the 2 Countries, on the exportation of any articles to His Britannic Majesty's Territories in Europe, or to The United States respectively, than such as are payable on the exportation of the like articles to any other Foreign Country and whereas, by an Act passed in the 56th year of His present Majesty's reign, intituled "An Act to carry into effect a Convention of Commerce concluded between His Majesty and the United States of America," it is enacted that, upon the exportation from the United Kingdom of any goods, wares, or merchandize, the growth, production, or manufacture of the said United Kingdom, or any of His Majesty's Territories in Europe, direct to any of the Territories of the United States of America, in any Ship or Vessel built in the said States, or condemned as Prize there, and being owned by Subjects of the said States, and whereof the Master and 3-4ths of the Mariners are also Subjects of the said States, no higher or other Duties shall be paid or payable than such as are charged or imposed upon such goods, wares, or merchandize when exported in a British-built Ship or Vessel, navigated and registered according to Law and whereas it is expedient that the said United States of America should be placed, with respect to the Duties on goods, wares, and merchandize of the produce of Great Britain exported thither, on the same footing as

* Repealed by Act 59 Geo. 1II. Cap. 54. See Vol. 1818-19. Page 949. † See Commercial Treaties. Vol. II. Page 387.

when the same are exported to any other Foreign Country whatever : be it therefore enacted by the King's Most Excellency Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled, and by the authority of the same, that from and after the 3rd day of July, 1815, the same Duties shall be paid or payable on the exportation of all goods, wares, and merchandize of the growth, produce, or manufacture of Great Britain, exported direct from thence to any Port or Place within the Territories of the United States of America in British-built Ships, owned, registered, and navigated according to Law, or in Ships built in the United States of America, or condemned as Prize there, and being owned by Subjects of the said States, and whereof the Master and 3-4ths of the Mariners are also Subjects of the said States, as are or shall be payable on the like exportation to any other Foreign Country whatever.

II. And be it further enacted, that it shall and may be lawful for the Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, or any 3 or more of them, and they are hereby authorized and directed, in all cases where a greater duty has been charged and paid on the exportation of any goods, wares, or merchandize of the growth, produce, or manufacture of Great Britain, to The United States in mauner aforesaid, than has been paid on the exportation to any other Foreign Country, to cause the same to be repaid.

III. And be it further enacted, that this Act shall continue ir force so long as the Convention between His Majesty and the United States of America shall continue in force.

CORRESPONDENCE between Great Britain and Sicily, relative to the Changes to be effected in the Constitution of the Island of Sicily.—1816.

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of the Government of the 2 Sicilies.... Caserta ...... 8th December. 560 Sub-Enclosure (B)-Decree of the King, establishing the Office of Chancellor of the Kingdom of the 2 Sicilies

......

Caserta, ...... 8th December. 562

Sub-Enclosure (C)--Law of the King of
the 2 Sicilies, confirming the Privileges
of the Island of Sicily.

1816.

Page

Caserta,.... 12th December. 562

No. 1.-Viscount Castlereagh to William A'Court, Esq. (Extract.)

Foreign Office, 6th September, 1816. THE necessity which is felt by the King of Naples, and which has been equally recognized by the Parliament of Sicily, of effectuating certain changes in the Constitution of that Country,* has been submitted to The Prince Regent.

The Prince Regent's sincere regard for his Ally, the King of the 2 Sicilies, as well as the cordial interest which His Royal Highness can never cease to feel for the Sicilian Nation, renders him, on such an occasion, deeply solicitous that the approaching change may be wisely and auspiciously conducted, with a view to the permanent interests and happiness of all concerned: but you will acquaint the Marquis de Circello that, as far as regards the Prince Regent's own conduct, His Royal Highness must decline any interference in the internal affairs of a Foreign and Independent State, which his own honour, and the good faith of his Government, shall not strictly impose on him.

You may apprize the Neapolitan Minister, that The Prince Regent would consider such interference imposed on him as a duty, if, (which he persuades himself, after the assurances received from His Sicilian Majesty, can never happen,) those Individuals who acted with the British Authorities during the late difficult times in Sicily, should be exposed either to unkindness or persecution on account of such conduct.

His Royal Highness would feel himself equally compelled, however reluctantly, to interfere, if he had the mortification to observe any attempt made to reduce the Privileges of the Sicilian Nation, in such a degree as might expose the British Government to the reproach of having contributed to a change of system in Sicily, which had, in the end, impaired the freedom and happiness of its Inhabitants, as compared with what they formerly enjoyed.

With the above reserve, His Royal Highness must wholly exonerate himself from the responsibility of any interference whatever. He feels that he has neither the means nor the right to judge of the necessity of the change, the extent to which it should be carried, nor of the mode in which it should be effectuated.

You will not fail, in all your representations, to do justice to the principles upon which the British Government were alone induced, when charged with the defence and security of that part of His Sicilian Majesty's Dominions, to interfere in its internal concerns: the necessity

* See the Constitution of 1813 in a subsequent part of this Volume.

Nations to examine into the matter, before they passed the sentence of prohibition. We are solely to govern ourselves by the result of the long and tedious investigations which we have had, which is no other than a concurrence in the principle already agreed upon by the Nations most concerned in this traffic, viz.: that it is in direct opposition to humanity.

Whilst this principle was but imperfectly understood, whilst its different bearings were not distinctly known, and whilst prejudice, interest, and cupidity kept it, notwithstanding its brilliant light, concealed under a thick veil, so as to prevent its rays from penetrating it, we need not be surprized at a delay, during which mankind were neither clearsighted enough to be aware of the outrages committed against nature, in its lowest state of degradation, nor capable of hearing its cries, which ought to have moved the compassion of the rest of the species, in proportion to the multitudes of their suffering Fellow

creatures.

It is, therefore, not the length of time which has been consumed by other Nations in investigating the circumstances, previously to the abolition of a traffic which has degraded the dignity of man, that ought to regulate our conduct before we adopt the same measure. Those Nations had to contend with two powerful Enemies;-Opinion, that governs all, and Interest, that overcomes all. It was a generally received notion, and which had been long entertained, that benefits were about to be conferred upon the unhappy Beings, who, at that very moment, were to be exposed to the utmost outrages.

It is not surprizing that the Nations alluded to, who have had the glory of being our Predecessors in the abolition of an abuse that had prevailed for upwards of 2 Centuries, should have been tardy in accomplishing it. No one can doubt, that such operations require time, and mature consideration, and that, in general, remedies ought to be applied, in the beginning, with a cautious hand; because, even when their efficacy is indisputable, a concurrence of extraneous circumstances often opposes itself to the activity with which it would be desirable to proceed.

The case is different with regard to Spain. To her the question is presented, after having been discussed during the course of a long examination; the path which she has to pursue is unobstructed and open; and she finds no longer any traces of that prejudice, which formerly, usurping almost the name of public opinion, made Men act without remorse, inasmuch as they had not yet begun to inquire into the real character of the practice.

But, now that the state of things is totally changed, we ought to proceed in an entirely different manner. We should no longer waste our time in discussions, as these have been exhausted; we should not lay down and sanction the principle of abolition, because

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