The Express.
London, England, 1848-02-04 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 4, 1848.

produce had bees during the last year tabiessed t
to as extraordinary fall In
price, as luge or larger than I
the fall in seer, and that that fall was owing, to the i
digressing state of easanserce which prevailed dating the I
astuen. (Hear, hear.) He sand that, comparing the be-
issoiag of the month of Jesuitry. 11147, with the same I
period in 1848. the pries of sugar fell from 34e. U. par
cwt. to 235, 511., being a fall of about 30 per cent. Bat I
indigo, which was not opposed to any cecopetition from slave I
grown produce, fell 25 per ant. during the tame period. 1
kioe fell 24 per cent, sego 51 per cent., sad the better
description of tea 84 per cent. If these falls took place 1
from the commercial distress, wee it not fair to attribute I .
some portion of the fall in sugar to the same cause. I I
(Hear, hear.) Again, comparing the price of sugar last I
year, with the price at former periods, he funnel that
during the existence of slavery, the price reached as
low • point as during subsequent peeled,. The avenge
pr.ce during lest year was 2es. 5d., and in 1829 it was
28s. 7d., while ia the three consecutive van immediately
preceding emancipation the prices did not range so high. In
1830, it was 245. I Id. ; in 114 1, 235. Bd. ' • and in 1833, 271.8 d.
In saying this be did not maintain that the act of last year
had not something to do with the fall in price, he merely
contended that ell was not to he attributed to the opt ration
of that act. Another point : if gentlemen looked at the pro-
gress of entries of foreign sugar for home consumption, they
would find that at the period of greatest entry the prices
did not fall below, but generally ranged above the average,
In January, Ihl7, when the price of sugar was
34e. Id., the importation of colonial sugar sues
22,000 tons, and that of foreign 6,900 tons. Priors
rose for the next two months; hut in September, when the
price had fallen to 265. 104., the importation of colonial rose
to 28,000 tone, while that of foreign was only 3,100 tons.
This showed that the reduction in price was not wholly
referable to the importation of foreign sugar. (lieu, bear.)
is November and December tee 'importation of foreign
sugar had fallen to 1.700 and 1,900 torts, and the importation
of colonial was 19,000 and 20,000 tons respectively. He was
not standing there to prove that large importations did not
bring down prices, but he asserted that in the months he
had quoted large importations of foreign sugar were coinci-
dent with the highest range of prices. (firer.) The noble
lord had alluded to the general depression o. trade, but he had
omitted to mention a main cause of that depression, 'tamely,
the high price of cotton. Ile had also mentioned the nee
of the Mauritius, but he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer)
thought that Mr. Hawn was quite justified iii asserting the
then prosperity of that colony, and he begged to remind the
noble lord that is subsequent depression was caused by two
failures in this country not at all connected with the sugar
trade. (lieu, hear.) Was it not equally notorious that
West Indian distress had been in • great measure caused by
the failure of the West India Bank, which, by almost de-
stroying the circulation of the island, had seriously embar-
rassed the planters? The noble lord did out contend for the
exclusion of slave grown sugar.
Lord G. BENTINCK.— What he had said was, that he
did not press for the distinction of slave-grown and free•
labour sugar, because after the declarations of his nob'e
friend opposite, and thou of the noble lord the Secretary for
Foreign Affairs, he did not think it would be consistent with
the Queen's honour, were she to allow such distinction to be
made without dispensing with the services of the present mi-
nisters, and he was not prepared to run the risk of such a
misfortune. (A laugh.) Ile had at the same time said that
be was on priaciple prepared to exclude slave-grown sugar,
and, if necessary, foreign free-labour sugar along with it.
The CHANCELLOR. of the EXCH EQUEIt begged the
noble lord's pardon. After to kindly • declaration respecting
the present government, he would not quarrel with his
words. (Laughter.) He would now allude to the period
when the question of compensation to the West India
planters was before under consideration. They were then in
possession of a large body of slaves, and manufactured sugar
much cheaper than at present. The noble lord complained
of the amount of compensation then given ; but on this point
he would quote the authority of another noble lord, now in
the other house of parliament—an authority which he did
not think the noble lord opposite would he inchaed to dis-
pute. Lord Stanley had quoted a number of documents laid
before the Board of Trade by the West Indians themselves,
in which it was stated that the amount of profit derived from
the cultivation of sugar was about 1,200,0001 annually, and
on other produce about 300,0001., making the whole Oct
annual profit shout 1,500,0001. Then Lord Stanley stated
that at the usual rate at which estates wore sold—viz.,ten years
purchase, ti•teen millions would he full and ample compen-
sation. The noble lord added, that this country had given
the planters five millions more. Therefore, he (the Chan.
cellor of the Exchequer) did not think that the planters had
any great claim, or that the consumer should be put under
heavy sacrifices for his advantage. (Hear, hear.) It was
quite true that the apprenticeship ceased before the time con-
templated, and that some parties were injured by its sudden
termination ; hut it should he recollected that, in one or two
islands, the planters abolished it thrinadve s. Indeed, he
believed it was generally considered to he anything but be.
reeicial. (No, no.) Ile must also state that the claim
founded on slavery did not apply to many of the Meet of
hardship quoted by the noble turd. It was considered, and
urged at the time of abolition, that the Mauritius had no
claim for compensation. They had then 40,000 free la-
bourers, and since then 20,000 more had immigrated. They
could not say either that the East Indies had any right to
compensation. Therefore he would ask were they, for the
sake of the West Indies, from which we got only half our
supply, to impose • tax which would amount to 101. pi r ton
on the consumer, and this, too, to compensate a party for a
loss which they had not sustained 1 (Hear, hear.) Ile
thought that nobody would contend that 101. per ton should
be paid on 15,1P0 tons to the Mauritius for the abolition of
slavery in the West Indies, which d d not affect
them. (Hear, hear.) If they had to deal with
the West Indies alone the demand of the noble lord
might be consistent, hut the ground was cut from under
them when they considered the various sources of supply.
In 1841 a proposition was made by a government not =-
friendly to the colonial interest for the admission ol free-
laheur sugar. lie (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) had
stated at the time that the distinction could not he main-
tained, because we should be indirectly encouraging slavery
by withdrawing the fete-labour sugar from its usual
markets, thus opening fresh vents far the slave-grown ar-
ticle. The right hon. member fur Oxford admitted that it
would have a tendency that way. A great supply was then
expected from Java ; but the result was, that whereas in 1840
the import was 6,000 tons in 18.17 it had fallen to 5,500 tons,
showing a decrease of 500 tons in the last seven years, in
spite of the encouragement which our admission had given
to its cultivation. But independently of that we were
bound to admit sieve-grown sugar fur manufacture. Last
year he found there was an importation of 3,000 tons from
countries where slavery prevails d, such as the Danish vile-
niee, which we were i.ound to admit under most favoured
, native treaties. What wax the ground on which the salmis-
; peon of free-labour sugar was permitted by the late govern-
; meet? It was stated that we had an inadequate supply of
sugar from our own colonies, and we were pro-
mised an extra '20.000 tons. That year the actual import
, was only 4,000 tons, and after three years it only reached
: 11,000 tons, in addition to 3,000 tons from foreign slave
1 colonies.. But in 1844 the Secretary for Foreign Affairs gave
his opinion that, if we admitted foreign free, we should
admit slave-grown sugar, and that the only country whose
produce we could exclude was Brazil. (Hear, hear.) What
, was, then, our pesition ? Professing to admit free-labour
I sugar only, to discourage slavery, we found that we were
f bound to admit slave-grown sugar from every part of the
globe except Brazil. (Hear, hear.) The supply of free-
, labour sugar promised at the time was 100,000 tons ; he
had ventured to fix it at 75,000 tons, and the result was a
supply of 73 000 tons. If, then, the question of slavery were
left out, the question they had to decide was simply protection
or no protection, and what they had to consider was, whether
they should continue that system. He believed that all pro.
tective duties were an unjust tax on the community. (Hear,
hear.) Another point to consider was whether they would
impose a tax of 101. per too on sugar, avowedly to enhance
its price by that amount. (Hear, hear.) Why, the con-
sumption of lost year was, in round numbi is, 300,000 tons,
on which the proposed increase of tax would amount to no
less a nose than 3,000,0001. sterling. (Hear, hear.) This
' was no exaggeration. Mr. Porter stated in 1840 that pro- I
tection cost us five millions; and in a pamphlet it was stated
that in the five years preceding 1843 the country had been
taxed for protection to the amount of sixteen million', I
(Hear, hear.) That was no light burden on the consumer, '
and before they imposed it they should seriously inquire on
what grounds it was asked. He was sorry to nay that the
finances were not in the most flourishing condition, but on
sugar and molasses the duty had increased because they had
' dealt with them on sound principles, a polishing discriminating
and protectise duties. (Hear, hear.) In 184.5, the duty
was 3,500,0001.; and in 1846, it was 4,050,0001. Last year
the duty on sugar and molasses was 4,590,0001. (Hear,
hear.) They were, as in the case of the corn laws, required
to tax the consumer fur the sake of the producer, and that
was a principle which her Majesty's government could not
admit. Their principle was that duties should be levied for
revenue alone, and not for the purpl-e of enhancing the
' price to the consumer. (Hear, hear.) leaides, the planters
had not been suddenly dealt with in abolishing
protection : it had been and was gradually vie
nishing until its final termini', ion ire 1851. (Hear.)
It had been fully admitted, during the debates of 1846, by
all parties, except the advocates of protection, that the abo-
lition of protection was merely a question of time. This was
distinctly stated by Sir It. Peel and the member for Leices- '
ter at that time. Therefore, with regard to the re.imposition
of protection on the bill of 1846, he thought it proper here
distinctly to state, that the government did not contemplate
any alteration. (Hear, hear.) la the papers laid upon the
table it was stated that the restrictions to which the West
India planters were subjected since the period of emancipa-
tion amounted, according to their own estimate, to ss. 61d. per
ewt. on the produce. Those restrictions, as therein described,
were first the necessity of obtaining their supplies of lumber
and provisions from the North American colonies. This
restriction had keen since entirely removed. The next was
the differential duty imposed on the export of goods.
This, also, had been repealed, or it was in the p=er
of the colonial legidatures themselves to repeal
it. The third was that which was consequent on the opera-
tion of our navigation laws. As his noble friend (Lord (7.
Bentinck) had stated, the colonies had asked for the removal
of this restriction; and he (the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer) was happy to be able to announce that it was the
intention of her Majesty's government, at an early period,
to submit to parliament a measure to remove the restrictions
which thou laws imposed. (Hear, hear.) The next disad-
vantage to which it was stated these colonies were subjected
was, that their produce, auger, was not admitted into the
breweries and distilleries of this country. This disadvantage
had been removed by the act of lot session—an act which
had not been altogether inoperative, for he found that
during the last year no less than 73,000 cwt.. of sugar had
been used in the breweries, 20,600 ewes. in the distilleries. It
was true that the fall in the price of malt last autumn had
since made it more advantageous to distil from malt, and the
sugar used for that purpose had consequently fallen off; bat
it was nevertheless an important fact, as showing the opera-

tee *Me set in question, that nearly 94,000 ewes. had been 1
briniest into use daring the year for the purposes of brewing
east distilling. Another raftriction complained of was the I
high discriminating duty on ram in Ireland and Seetbind. I
This, tore had been altered la 1849 and 1847, when the dis- I
crimblatieg duty was reduced from Is. Oil. to 9d. a gallon.
That this change had been Weeded with advantage was
proved by the increased oonsesaptien. In 1845 the quantity
consumed was 2,469,000 gallons, in 1846 it was 2,683,000,
and In 1847, under the reduced, duty, it had risen to
3.329,900, netwithataading which he was happy to find that
the aisteliag trade in those two countries had been in no •
degreeiarereei. While upon this subject he might state that
his uptake win the same now aa it had been last year, viz., ;
that the distillers of this country were entitled to some slit-
! ferential duty, hat that sixpence a gallon was sufficient ; and
I if his noble friend (Lord G. Sentence) would assure trim of
his aid, he would bring forward a measure to reduce it to '
that sum. (Hear, hear.) The next complaint was the want
of labour. iota those colonic* where that want was great-
est a large amount of labour had been introduced last year.
His 'sable friend had spoken of the large number of slaves
formerly employed in the Mauritius. He (the Chancellor
of the Exchequer) believed, however, that the estimate made
of the number of staves in that colony at the period of eman-
cipation was 28,000. Since the Emancipation Act
the number of labourers had been almost dou-
bled, 23,000 had been added, and the total number
was now 60,000. In Jamaica the number of free labourers
imported was not large,—about 11,500, he believed. In
British Guiana the number of slaves had been estimated at
90,000; the number of free labourers imported since emanci-
pation had been 40,000. In Trinidad the number of slaves
had been 24,000; the number of free labourer % imported,
20,969. Thus in Guiana there had been an increase of one-
half of the whole number of labourers, and in 'erindbui the
increase had been sepal to the whole number of &leen in
the island at the period of emancipation. Therefore, though
he was not prepared to deny that there might be a deficiency
of labourers, he believed that that deficiency had been much
exaggerated ; and he would advise the colonies rather to
turn their attention to improvements in their wide of culti-
vation and manufacture than to depend altogether upon the
immigration of labourers. He now came to another ques-
tion—the admission of molasses for the purposes of brewing
in this country. He was sorry to sky that this was a demand
to which he could not secede. As his noble friend had
stated, this was altogether a question of revenue, and it was
as a question of revenuethat he treated it. The house would
be aware that the duty was paid upon malt before it went
into the brewery • with sugar it was the same, and there was
consequently no foss ; but he found, on investigation, that if
molasseswere allowed to be substituted, the loss to the re-
venue would be equal to Bs. 61. on every quarter of malt
which would be thus thrown out of use in this way. With
regard to distillation, the duty was paid when the spirit was
produced. Last year he had stated that if further experience
should justify him in doing so, hethould be happy to extend
any further indulgence to the West India body in his
power, and he was now happy to say, that after the ex-
perience of the working of the act of last year, the excise
did not object to the admission of molasses for the purposes
of distillation. (Hear, hear, hear.) Therefore he pro-
posed shortly to introduce a bill to permit the use of
molasses into distilleries, under similar regulations to those
on which sugar was now admitted. It had also been urged
that cane juice might, without any injury to the revenue,
be admitted for the same purposes. That was a proposition
to which he had never objected, provided that the revenue
could be guaranteed against lees, sad since he war called on
last year to fix the rate of duty at which cane juice should
be admitted, he had caused an analysis to be made, an as
to ascertain the quantity of sugar contained in the juice,
the result of which was, that Ils. 4d. per cwt. was
found to be the lowest duty which in justice to the revenue
could be imposed. He had been told that this would
amount to prohibition, and he had been asked to name a
lower duty. It was true that it was difficult to obtain quan-
tities of the article sufficient to make experiments upon for
the purpose of arriving at a satisfactory result, hut from the
produce of the small quantity which had been furnished to
the excise, this was the lowest rate of duty he should be jus-
tified in naming ; but if a larger supply of cane juice was
supplied, he should have no objection to fix a lower amount,
provided the result of the analysis he would rause to be
made would enable him to do so. It must, however, be
understood that he could not admit cane juice at a duty
lower in proportion than that which was. paid on sugar and
MatoNes. With regard to the other question the
supply of labour—at present the supply of labour
to the colonies was derived partly from free im-
migration, and partly from re-captured slaves. The
free immigrants were partly coolies and partly negroes
from the coast of Africa. His own impression was, that the
immigration ef the coolies hod not answered (hear, hear) ;
hut he believed a certain and valuable supply of labourers
might always be had from the African coact. It was quite
true that many of the Kroomen had turned out valuable
labourers, had accumulated large owns of money, and had
by their representations on returning to their emu country,
induced others to emigrate ; avid others had declined to re-
turn when offered a free passage, preferring to remain in
order to accumulate more money. The means of carrying
on this immigration was provided by loans raised in the coln-
nee'. Ile was not prepared to say that that was a profitable
system as far as them colonies were concerned ; but whsn
his noble friend (Lord Grey) entered office as Colonial
Secretary he found the eyeem established, and that
it had been acted upon by his two immediate
predecessors; he did not, therefore, feel justife d in disturbing
it, though he might not have been disposed to sanction it
had it been proposed for adoption for the first time. Nei-
ther Guiana nor Trinidad hay, however, been able last
year to borrow the money authorised by their respective
legislatures to be raised for defraying the expense of the
immigration now in progress. Under these circumstances,
he thought it was only fair and right that this country
should step in and assist them. He should, therefore, feel it
to be his duty to propose to the house, during the present
session, an advance of a sum not exceeding 200,0001. for
the purpose of promoting emigration to our West India
colonies. (Hear). It had been suggested that it would be
an act of humanity to take the negroes by force, and trans-
port them to the West Indies to be there employed
as labourers—this was a coarse to which he must
decidedly object. (Hear, hear). He must insist in
whatever arrangement might be made that the negroes
should go of their own free will—that they should not be I
forced. (Hear.) Then, with regard to the liberated Afri-
cans who were set free under the adjudication of the mixed
commissions at the liavannale Rio, and St- Helena—these
were universally carried to the West Indies, but the expense
of sending them there way now defrayed by the colonies to
which they were sent. The government thought it right
that, for a time at least, the expense should be mainly (not
altogether, for obsious reasons) borne by this country.
Leaking at the present condition of the West India colonies,
government were prepared to take on themselves almost the
whole of that charge—a small portion only would remain to
be pied by the colonies ax a security that they really required
the 1 ibour, The majority of the liberated negroes were
now set free at Sierra Leone—recently they had shown a
greater disposition than they formerly did to proceed
to the West Indies, and it was thought measures
might he taken to facilitate their immigration
with advantage to themselves, the West Indies, and Sierra
Leone. A committee of the house which sat some years ago
had, in its report, said that the effect of the constant intro-
duction of large bodies of these captured negroes into the
colony was to retard the progress of civilisation, and bring
back to • state of barbarism those who had adopted civilised
habits. lie Madden had also said if the system was conti-
nued the colony must be enlarged, or means devised for re-
moving the population. lie believed it would be advan-
tageous to remove those persons from a place where they
were relapsing into state of barbarism to the West India
colonies, where their labour was wanted, and where
after a time they would be free men, in a position
of independence and comfort. The expense of re-'
moving these persons the government were disposed
to recommend should be borne by this country. (Hear,
hear.) Another suggestion had been made, vie, that the
repayment of the hurricane loan should be still further post-
poned. The colonies had already had ten years in which to
repay that advance, and government was cFsposed to recom-
mend that the period should be extended five years further,
interest being paid in the mean time. When an application
was lately made on the part of Tobago for assistance, in con-
sequence of the earthquake, a grant was imniediately made
to relieve the immediate distresses of the sufferers, and mi-
nisters would be prepared to make a further loan so soon us
they should have received the necessary information as
to the amount required. These, then, were the measures
the government proposed—first, the admission of motet-es
for the purposes of distillation in this country—to admit cane
juice provided a rate of duty can be fixed by which the re-
venue should be guaranteed against loos—a loan for the pur-
p se of promoting free emigration—the removal to the West
India colonies of captured negroes almost wholly at the ex-
pense of this country—the sosteonement of the period of
paying the hurricane loan—and an, advance to the island of
Tobago. Ile hoped that the West India body would con-
sider that this would be sufficient -as far as this country could
promote that end—to restore those colonies to prosperity.
If he were asked if he considered this sufficient, he would
reply that it was not, unless accompanied by a total change '
in the process both of cultivation and manufacture. Without
the exercise of a much greater amount of energy in the pro-1
ems of agriculture, no measure could secure the permanent
prosperity of the West Indies. Although the wages of
fieldwork bad no doubt fallen in St. Kitts and Antigua from
10d. to 6d. a day, and was partly the cause of the present
distress, he believed that ultimately no inconvenience would
arise from it, as the negro would be thereby induced to work
for a longer period of time, and thus in the end realise as
much as when wages were high. In a despatch recently
received from the governor of Antigua he stated that the
working classes would suffer no serious inconvenience from
the reduced rate of wages, and would only be obliged to
work more regularly, instead of only three days a week, in
order to support their families in the same ease and comfort.
He was happy to find that the reduction in the price of
labour had been well met by the labourers themselves. They
had submitted to it cheerfully, hoping that in time their
wages would &fain be raised. It was proposed in Antigua
to reduce the import duties and impose a land tax, and he
believed the result would be to induce the negro to expend
more work upon sugar plantation. This was meet essentiaL
There was universal testimony to show that since the aboli-
tion of slavery there had not beea that amount of improve-
ment in the process of cultivating and manufacturing sugar
which had taken place in the agriculture and manufactures
of this and other countries. In what state would this
country now be if there had been no improvement
in these respects within the last twenty or thirty years ?
He alluded to manufactures as well as agriculture ; for the
West Indies considered that they were as much manufac-
turing as agricultural oountries. Mr. Price, speaking be-
fore the House of Assembly in Jamaica, said that almost
every promos of both was very generally neglected through-
out the Wand either for want of capital, want of attention,
or want of proper energy. lie found statements to the same
effect in tide ' Sugar Ylanten' Manual," a book published