The Express.
London, England, 1848-01-31 00:00:00

Some fair enough hits at the inadequacy of the emigra•ion
contemplated by government follow. An argument is than
raised to show that the committee bays a right to agitate for
the repeal of the existing Sugar Duties Act. The argument
is not very conclusive, but the right is beyond dispute.
The committee have been secured of asserting claims that are In-
consistent with the solemn decision of parliament. But they deny
that the existing sugar law can be regarded as a deliberate act of the
parliament—much lees of the country. It wee proposed at the dose
of •the seselon, when all parties were exhausted by the virulent
debates on the ears laws—and when five hundred metatera of the
Howe of Commons and a greet majority of the Bowe of Lords
wens absent. Every one felt that whatever bee &Weedy'. new
ministers proposed at that peculiar juncture must he adopted. No-
thing could prove the influence of this meting more clearly than the
speech of Sir Robert Feel, in which he strongly dimpprored of the
immure, and yet confined the necessity of voting for it, merely to
maintain them in office. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, nod other
members of the government, m proposing and supporting it,
ell mourned very confidently that the of the experiment to
Ise. made would prove summed. Sir Charles Wood expressly
called the measure en experiment, for in quoting a petition trout
the Anti—Slavery Society of Liverpool, in which they referred
to their expectation of that mimeos a the most effectual means
of suppressing the elate trade and slavery, he declared that he
looked forward meet sanguinely to the saccessfal result of this experi-
ment, about to be tried in the Went Indies." He further entered into
an elaborate statement to foreshow the effect of the mt. He first
alleged that, In order to caws a large consumption of sugar, it was
necessary to to arrange the duties that the average gross price should
he 435, which would leave the Casette average net mice of British
plantation sugar 31. ; and he then said, " I believe that the effect
of the duty we have fixed upon will be to bring down the price tom
much and no more so will bring sugar into general consumption." •
;similar statement was repeated in the House of Lords by the Earl of
Clarendon. In the einirse of his speech his lordship also expressed his
confidence that the measure would he beneficial to the West India
colonies, and that it would not afford any encouragement W the dare
trade. On this last point he was particularly earnest, and even in-
sisted that it would tend to euppreee that traffic.
Can there be any donut as to the total failure 'of all these expecta-
tions The decline in the peter of sugar, instead of Ss., as Contvra-
plated by the ministers, had ben las. The net Gn.tette t versge for
British plantation slaw, which they predicted would be 31s, vaies
from 21e. to 210. The slave trade, which had previously been severely
checked by the discouragement of slave-grown sugar, has revived and
indented, and is as vigorous, as erer. The "experiment" has, more-
over, proved disastrous to the colonies. There ran, therefore, be no
inconsistency in revising a law which has so signally failed to accom-
plish the protessed purposes of those who proporsd it--at .11 events it
is a very fit subject fur the consideration of a new parliament.

• •
The only hint contained in the report of what the com-
mittee are actually driving at is contained in the folluaing
brief paragraph :
Ii fa now evident that, If the policy which was adopted by parlia-
ment, at the hutance oldie Hobert Peel, in 1448—t0 exclude shire
sugar, and to admit the produce of all foreign free countries, at a dif-
ference cf Ins.— had been faithfully pursued, the suppheeof frees•-laboar
sugar would have been most ample at very moderate prices. From
the British preseamons alone the quantity imported during the rear
appear. to hare been about 280,000 tuns, and the contribution from
India, as well an nom other eastern emantnes, would hare been
greater but fur the check given to their predate by the Sugar Duties
Act o[lBl6.