Whereas by an act of the Congress of the United States passed on the
6th day of May last it was provided that on satisfactory evidence being
given to the President of the United States that the ports in the
islands or colonies in the West Indies under the dominion of Great
Britain have been opened to the vessels of the United States the
President should be, and thereby was, authorized to issue his
proclamation declaring that the ports of the United States should
thereafter be open to the vessels of Great Britain employed in the trade
and intercourse between the United States and such islands or colonies,
subject to such reciprocal rules and restrictions as the President of
the United States might by such proclamation make and publish, anything
in the laws entitled "An act concerning navigation" or an act entitled
"An act supplementary to an act concerning navigation" to the contrary
notwithstanding; and
Whereas satisfactory evidence has been given to the President of the
United States that the ports hereinafter named in the islands or
colonies in the West Indies under the dominion of Great Britain have
been opened to the vessels of the United States; that is to say, the
ports of Kingston, Savannah le Mar, Montego Bay, Santa Lucia, Antonio,
St. Ann, Falmouth, Maria, Morant Bay, in Jamaica; St. George, Grenada;
Roseau, Dominica; St. Johns, Antigua; San Josef, Trinidad; Scarborough,
Tobago; Road Harbour, Tortola; Nassau, New Providence; Pittstown,
Crooked Island; Kingston, St. Vincent; Port St. George and Port
Hamilton, Bermuda; any port where there is a custom-house, Bahamas;
Bridgetown, Barbadoes; St. Johns, St. Andrews, New Brunswick; Halifax,
Nova Scotia; Quebec, Canada; St. Johns, Newfoundland; Georgetown,
Demerara; New Amsterdam, Berbice; Castries, St. Lucia; Besseterre, St.
Kitts; Charlestown, Nevis; and Plymouth, Montserrat:
Now, therefore, I, James Monroe, President of the United States of
America, do hereby declare and proclaim that the ports of the United
States shall hereafter, and until the end of the next session of the
Congress of the United States, be open to the vessels of Great Britain
employed in the trade and intercourse between the United States and the
islands and colonies hereinbefore named, anything in the laws entitled
"An act concerning navigation" or an act entitled "An act supplementary
to an act concerning navigation" to the contrary notwithstanding, under
the following reciprocal rules and restrictions, namely:
To vessels of Great Britain, bona fide British built, owned and the
master and three-fourths of the mariners of which at least shall belong
to Great Britain, or any United States built ship or vessel which has
been sold to and become the property of British subjects, such ship or
vessel being also navigated with a master and three-fourths of the
mariners at least belonging to Great Britain: _And provided always_,
That no articles shall be imported into the United States in any such
British ship or vessel other than articles of the growth, produce, or
manufacture of the British islands and colonies in the West Indies when
imported in British vessels coming from any such island or colony, and
articles of the growth, produce, or manufacture of the British colonies
in North America or of the island of Newfoundland in vessels coming from
the port of St. Johns, in that island, or from any of the aforesaid
ports of the British colonies in North America.
Given under my hand, at the city of Washington, this 24th day of August,
A.D. 1822, and in the forty-seventh year of the Independence of the
United States.