LETTER CXLVI.--TO MR. PINCKNEY, May 7, 1793
TO MR. PINCKNEY.
Philadelphia, May 7, 1793.
Dear Sir,
Since my letter of April the 16th, yours have been received of March the
12th, 12th, 13th, 13th, and 19th. Before the receipt of these, one of
which covered the form of your passports, it had been determined here,
that passports should be issued in our own ports only, as well to
secure us against those collusions which would be fraudulent towards
our friends, and would, introduce a competition injurious to our own
vessels, as to induce these to remain in our own service, and thereby
give to the productions of our own soil the protection of its own flag
in its passage to foreign markets. As our citizens are free to purchase
and use foreign-built vessels, and these, like all their other lawful
property, are entitled to the protection of their government, passports
will be issued to them as freely as to home-built vessels. This is
strictly within our treaties, the letter of which, as well as their
spirit, authorizes passports to all vessels belonging to citizens of
the United States. Our laws, indeed, indulge home-built vessels with the
payment of a lower tonnage, and to evidence their right to this, permit
them alone to take out registers from our own offices, but they do
not exclude foreign-built vessels owned by our citizens from any other
right.
Pages:
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395