Upon  another  practical  question,  the  secretary  of  the  treasury  dif-
fered from  the  secretary  of  state.  Hamilton  opposed,  Jefferson
favored,  a  system  of  retaliating  the  restrictions  imposed  by  Great
Britain  upon  American  commerce.  With  regard  to  commercial
intercourse  with  foreign  nations,  the  only  system  Jefferson  ever
heartily  approved  was  this  :  "  Perfect  and  universal  free-trade,  as  one
of  the  natural  rights  of  man  and  as  the  only  sound  policy.  We  may
style  that  his  first  choice.  His  second  was  this :  Free-trade  with
any  nation  which  will  reciprocate.  But,  as  no  nation  was  yet  pre-
pared for  so  advanced  a  measure,  he  was  in  favor  of  reciprocating
privileges  conceded  by  a  foreign  power,  and  retaliating  restrictions.
'*  Free  trade  and  navigation,"  he  thought^  "  are  not  to  be  given  in


Hi  ZJFS   OF    THOMAS    JBPFSBSOXr.
exchange  for  restrictions  and  vexations,  nor  are  they  likely  to  pro-
duce a  relaxation  of  them."

Great  Britain  imposed  such  restrictions  upon  American  commerce
as  seem,  at  present,  too  preposterous  for  belief.  From  her  West
India  Islands  American  vessels  were  utterly  excluded ;  and  only  such
American  products  were  admitted  as  could  not  be  dispensed  with,  — *
grain,  horses,  live  animals  used  for  food,  timber,  tar,  and  turpentine.
But  neither  an  American  vessel  nor  American  products  of  any  kind
whatever  were  admitted  into  one  British  possession  which  could  do
without  them;  not  into  Newfoundland,  Canada,  or  India.  From
Qreat  Britain  itself,  whale-oil,  salt  fish,  salt  provisions,  were  ex-
cluded, au*l  grain  only  admitted  when  the  people  must  have  it  or
go  liuLgry.  Jefferson  proposed  to  meet  all  this  by  "  counter  prohi-
bitions, duties,  and  regulations,"  and  at  the  same  time  go  to  the
uttermost  in  responding  to  the  more  liberal  policy  of  France.
