gmertca, , ?|emp, an& JUapoleon - Vote Hemp

America, Russia, Hemp, and NapoleonAmerican and Brazilian skippers could bring cargoes to Russiawithoutfirstreceiving specific orders for those cargoes forspecific merchants in Russia. Considering ho w slow and faultywere communications in 1810, this section of the ukase gaveAmerican and Brazilian merchants considerable advantage overmerchants of other nations. Considering how few ships came toRussia from Brazil at this time, w e ma y say that Americanshippers reaped that advantage nearly exclusively. 50Whe n Napoleonfirstread the new ukase, he was confusedand surprised. "Here is a great planet taking a wrong direction,"he said. "I do not understand its course at all." 51 Shortlyafter, he recovered sufficiently to croon implications of bloodyreprisal in a personal letter to Alexander: "For myself, I a malways the same; but I a m struck by the evidences of thesefacts, and by the thought that Your Majesty is wholly disposed,as soon as circumstances permit it, to mak e arrangement withEngland, which is the same thing as to kindle a war betweenthe two Empires." 52Alexander answered in what he hoped was a disarminglyfrank letter. The objects of the commercial ukase were two, hesaid. Thefirst was to give greater facility to American commerce,because it was the only channel remaining by whichRussia could export her accumulating iron, hemp , linens, etc.,which France and her allies either would not or could not cometo buy.The second object of the ukase, according to Alexander, wasto reduce to a minimum importations by land. By land camethe luxury goods, the goods from France. These velvets andwines were many, many times more valuable per unit of weightthan hem p or iron, and thus were very suitable for land trans­188