I. Queries concerning Government, Labor, Commerce, &c., [ca. 1 June 1784]
I. Queries concerning Government, Labor, Commerce, &c.
[ca. 1 June 1784]
- I. Government.
- 1. The amount of the Civil list?
- 2. Are the offices of government sought after?1
- 3. Is the government respected?1
- 4. The amount of the State debt.
- 5. Is the interest paid, and principal secured?
- 6. At what rate do the evidences of the debt sell?
- 7. The amount of the taxes annually.
- 8. The duties or imposts on trade and their amount.
- 9. The proportion of slaves to free inhabitants.
- 10. Does the spirit of emigration prevail, and whither?
- 11. Do new settlers come in, and from whence?
- II. Price of Labour.
- 1. Labourers in the earth, their wages.
- 2. Smiths.
- 3. Carpenters.
- 4. Masons.
- 5. Weavers.
- 6. In rope walks.
- 7. Ship carpenters.
- 8. What mechanics most wanted?
- III. Ship building.
- 1. What quantity of shipping annually built (in tons)
- 2. At what price by the ton are they built?
- 3. From whence the timber and iron?
- 4. From whence the Cordage?
- 5. From whence the sailduck.
- IV. Navigation.
- 1. What are the wages of the masters of ships?
- 2. Wages of the mariners.
- 3. Expence of victualling.
- 4. The number of hands emploied in vessels of different
sizes to W. In[dies.] - 5. Do. to Europe.
- 6. Size of vessels emploied in W. Indian trade, and European.
- 7. The balance of the carrying trade, is it for or against
the state, and by or for whom [paid?] - 8. The quantity (tonnage) of shipping belonging to citizens of the state.
- V. Fisheries.
- 1. What fisheries are exercised?
- 2. How many vessels employed in them?
- 3. How many hands employed in them.
- 4. What are the fishing grounds?
- 5. What are the markets for fish, the oil &c.
- 6. What are the profits.
- 7. What sized vessels are mostly employed.
- 8. How many hands to each.
- 9. The quantity of fish, of oil, of bones taken.
- 10. How and from whence are the ships victualled.
- 11. The circuit of a voiage and time it employs.
- VI. Exports.
- 1. The articles and quantities of which they consist.
- 2. The price at home, and at the market abroad.
- 3. The markets to which sent, and in what proportion to
each.
- VII. Imports.
- 1. The amount, where bought, and worth here.
- 2. What articles are made at home to any considerable
degree?1
- VIII. Freight
- 1. What is freight to or from the W. Indies
- 2. to or from Europe.
- 3. Is it higher or lower than before the war.
- 4. How is it paid.
- IX. Manufactures.
- 1. What do you manufacture for yourselves considerably.
- 2. Do you manufacture any and what articles for others.
- X. Debt to Great Britain.
- 1. It’s amount.
- 2. Within what time can it be paid without distress.
- 3. Will the legislature interpose if the creditor gives no
indulgence in time. - 4. What will be the consequence of no indulgence by the
creditor and no interference by the legislature.
- XI. What has the legislature done as to the persons and property,
objects of the treaty of peace. - XII. Depreciation table.
MS (DLC); entirely in TJ’s hand.
1. This query was originally framed by Hogendorp, but was employed by TJ only in New York and Connecticut; none of the replies for Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire contains an answer to it.