From James Madison to Tench Coxe, [ca. 13 January] 1794
To Tench Coxe
[ca. 13 January 1794]
… 1. Of the grain & flour of late years exported to G. B. what proportion was probably consumed there. 2. Is rice or tobo. sent from Portugal or Spain at all to the French or Dutch markets, where no discrimination exists in favor of the American? 3. How far is the British discrimn. in favor of our woods really operative? 4. In estimating reexports which make a part of any manufactured article, indigo & not I[ndigo] R[oot] ashes1 for example—How much of these articles are so re-exported? The best guide that occurs is the ratio of exported manufactures to the totality produced—Anderson states the latter about 50 mils. What is the amt. of the former? …
Printed extract (Robert F. Batchelder Catalogue No. 26 [n.d.], item 357). Listed as “1 page, 4to.” Conjectural date assigned on the assumption that JM sent these queries to Coxe while preparing his responses to William Loughton Smith’s speech of 13 Jan. JM’s speeches of 14 and 30 Jan. treat some of the topics covered in his queries to Coxe.
1. These interpolations appear in the Batchelder catalogue and are probably misreadings for “pot and pearl ashes.” See the discussion of Britain’s reexportation of indigo and pot and pearl ashes in JM’s speech of 30 Jan. 1794.