during the continuance of the war, on any debts then owing to them. In one of the ftates all demands of intereft were declared unlawful till after the first of May, 1786. As late as the month of July, 1787, it was laid down by the chief juftice of Pennsylvania, in his direction to a jury, that the laws of particular states were fufficient to set aside the ufage which had hitherto prevailed between British and American traders, as far as related to the payment of interest that had accrued during the continuance of the war and when one of the jurors afked him, whether the late treaty of peace ought not to have fome influence on the question, the chief justice answered, that the treaty of peace only fecured the mutual recovery of debts, when the amount was ascertained; but that the amount of the debt was to be afcertained by the law of the land: the jury in this cafe accordingly deducted interest for fix years and a half. Juries have in other cafes deducted eight years intereft and a half. It is but justice, however, to the late congress to observe, that at the fame time that they published an account of the ratification of the late treaty of peace, they came to a refolution to recommend to the feveral ftates to conform to every part of the fifth article before mentioned; and by a letter written by the said congress in April 1787, addreffed to the governors of the feveral ftates, they acknowledged with regret that in fome of the ftates too little attention had been paid to the public faith pledged by the late treaty of peace. They obferved, that not only the obvious dictates of religion, morality, and national honour, but also the first principles of good policy demand a punctual compliance with engagements conftitutionally made; that the legiflatures of individual ftates have no right to accept some articles of a treaty and reject others, or to decide in what fenfe the citizens and courts of justice of such state shall understand or interpret any partiçular ftipulation;-that if any doubt fhould arife concerning the meaning of any fuch article, the fovereigns only, who are parties to the treaty, have a power, by mutual consent, to interpret and explain it ;-that a contrary conduct would ferve only to introduce confusion at home, and to raife new disputes with those nations with whom treaties have been formed, which might probably terminate in open hoftilities; they then refolved in fubftance as follows: ift, That treaties, conftitutionally made, are a part of the law of the land, and are not only independent of the will and power of particular legiflatures, but also binding and obligatory upon them. 2dly, That all acts, or parts of acts, which are now existing in any of the states, repugnant to the treaty of peace, ought to be forthwith repealed; as well to prevent their continuing to be executed in violation of that treaty, as to avoid the difagreeable neceffity there might otherwife be, of raifing and difcuffing questions touching their validity and obligation. 3dly, That it be recommended to the several states to repeal all acts repugnant to the treaty of peace between the United States and his Britannic Majesty, and to declare that the courts of law and equity, in all cafes and questions arifing from or touching the said treaty, shall decide and adjudge according to the true intent and meaning of the fame. None of the foregoing recommendations, made by the late congress, were ever fully complied with by any of the individual states to whom they were addreffed. The affembly of Virginia passed an act which had the appearance of conforming to the last of these recommendations, but annexed conditions which rendered their compliance of no effect. The committee will now proceed to fhow the effects which the independence of the United States, as well as the laws and proceedings before stated, have hitherto produced on the commerce and navigation of your Majesty's dominions. In order to show the effects fo produced on the commerce and navigation of your Majesty's dominions, the Lords of the committee will infert in this place the best account they have been able to procure of the state of the commerce carried on with the countries now belonging to the United States of America, and with your Majefty's remaining colonies in America, and with your Majesty's islands in the West Indies ; and also of the number and tonnage of the veffels employed therein, for fix years preceding the last war, and for fix years fince. The trade carried on with the countries now belonging to the United States was, before the war, and is still, so connected with the trade carried on to the remaining British colonies in America and the British islands in the Weft Indies, that it is impoffible to form a true judgment of the past and prefent extent of the first of these trades, and the changes that have happened in it, without taking a comprehensive view of all these trades, as they are connected with, and influence each other. The committee will ftate; First, the value of the exports from Great Britain to these several countries; and Secondly, the value of the imports into Great Britain from these several countries. Comparison of the exports from Great Britain to the countries belonging to the United States of America, before and fince the war. Value of the British manufactures yearly exported to the countries belonging to the United States upon an average of fix years before the War, ending with 1774 2,216,97€ Ditto, of fix years fince the war, ending with 1789 2,119,837 Annual decrease fince the war £97,133 Value of the other articles yearly exported to thefe States from Great Britain, upon an ave rage of fix years before the war, ending with 1774 515,066 Ditto, of fix years fince the war, ending in 1789 213,806 Annual decrease fince the war £301,260 Total annual decreafe fince the war of British manufactures and other articles exported from Great Britain to the countries belonging to the United States £398,393 Comparison of the exports from Great Britain to the remaining British colonies in North America, before and fince the war. Value of British manufactures yearly exported to the remaining British colonies in North America, on an average of fix years before the war, ending with 1774 310,916 Ditto, on an average of fix years fince the war, ending with 1789 603,928 Annual increase fince the war £293,012 Value of the other articles yearly exported from an average of fix years before the war, ending Ditto, on an average of fix years fince the war, ending with 1789 68,495 225,160 Annual increase fince the war Total annual increase, fince the war, of British manufactures and other articles exported from Great Britain to the remaining British colonies in North America £156,665 £449,677 Comparison of the exports from Great Britain to the British islands in the West Indies, before and fince the war. Value of British manufactures yearly exported to the British islands in the Weft Indies, on an Value of other articles yearly exported from K 167,240 |