Page:History of merchant shipping and ancient commerce (Volume 3).djvu/142

 America, could, however, be brought in vessels of any flag to the Channel Islands, but, from these, they must be brought in a British ship; and there was also the further anomaly, as we have shown, of United States vessels being allowed to clear out with produce and manufactures of the United Kingdom to the East Indies.

Power was then, also, granted to the Queen in Council to allow any foreign nation to trade with British colonies; and this privilege was granted to a considerable number. To some it was accorded without restriction; to others, such as France and Spain, who were rivals, restricted powers were given; while the privilege, granted to the United States of trading with British colonies, was afterwards accorded to Columbia, Rio de la Plata (including the States since formed), Mexico, Hayti, Chili, France to a limited extent, and the Spanish Colonies; and, further, all countries within what were called the limits of the East India Company's Charter, that is, all foreign countries west of Cape Horn, and east of the Cape of Good Hope, had liberty to trade with the British possessions within the same limits. (Order in Council, 16 July, 1827.) French ships under this order were, however, only allowed to import into British colonies such goods, the produce of France, as were enumerated in the table annexed to the order (Orders, 1 June, 1826; 16 Dec., 1826), this order not including wine, the staple of France, a distinction deliberately adopted and confirmed. But, besides these perplexing anomalies, and others to which I shall presently call attention, the execution of the Navigation Law, as it was in 1847, was full of difficulties arising from the Registry