The Sun.
London, England, 1855-02-21 00:00:00

the blockade, and he apprehened that they would have a per
feet right to do so. He did not put it on the footing of inter
firing generally with the rights of neutrals, but ho merell
suggested that it might be adopted in this particular case, for
this particular object, and in consequence of this particular
necessity. There was one measure which they undoubtedly
had a right to adopt, and that. was to prohibit the importa-
tion of Russian productions in to this country. (An Hon.
Member—Meve, move.) They had a right, without offence
to any Other nation, to prohibit the importation of Russian
produce into this country. The objections that mig it be cum to
to that were twofold. In the first place it might be .said that
the prohibition would not be effectual, and in the next place
that they might injure themselves. They might prohibit the
importation of certein specified t uticles of Russian produce, for
instance tallow, hemp, and lies eed, without certificates, an '5l
the way to do it would be not to allow any such articles to be 4
imported unless they were actor upanied by a certificate from
their consul abroad, at the port from which they came, that
they were not the produce of Russia. That statement should
be given on oath, and there should be an oath to the same
effect from the importing merchant. The house must bear
in mind the peculiar character of tt te Russian trade. It was
carried on by comparatively few hon ses, of great respectability
and with a large amount of capital. Without a large amour
of capital it was impossible to engage with any effect in that
Russian trade, because it was carrit d on by large advances
[ and he had every reason to believe,. and he was in fact satis-
fied,' that if the importation of Russian produce was rendered
unlawful, the Russian merchants, as ' body, would refuse to
have anything to do with it. The English merchants in St.
Petersburg had met and agreed to a resolution, which was
forwarded to Sir H. Seymour, that if the trade were pro-
hibited they would not have anything to do with it, and there
was a similar resolution come to in London. The consequence
was; that the rouble fell from 38d. to 32d., but subsequently,
when it was found that the trade would be allowed, the rouble.
wrohdooniif eviotuwldereseczacilaih.eilldtntootbiOenu-nlwaowufludl renounce
otihe:
similar to those obtained froi u Russia could be go
rose again to par. He vea•s happy to say that those merchants'
R—°usnsieanoft
't
from other
parts of the world, There mig lit be some smuggling, and sour
might engage in a contraband ,tzeade contrary to the rule, buts
the great merchants who renoeweed the trade could keep,
agents at each of the ports to look after those contrabandistl
and he was inclined to think the result would be that the
stream of Russian produce which flowed into this country
would, if not altogether stopped, be tee a great extent dammed
up. (Hear.) But it was further said the: prohibition would be
evaded in various ways. It was said that factories would be
established on the Continent for manufaoturing Russian pro-
duce and sending it here in a manufactue'ed state. German
tallow, it was said also, would be substituted for Russian; cut
the whole quantity of German tallow was verse small, and mule'
not be of great importance, and to organise a new trade
against Russian tallow in Germany, and to brieig the Germaut
tallow into port, would require au ritogether new system. So •
with respect to the manufactories. A manufactory could not
be built in a day ; it require + time, and machinery, and capi-
tal ; and it was not likely that the Germans would invest
any considerable sums in those manufactories, when any
month might make their outlay unavailing by bringing either
a general peace or a general war. If the war was likely to
last twenty years, such speculations might be entered into ;
but not so now. By the time those manufactures were esta-
blished, also, arrangements might be made for bringing that
species of produce from other parts of the world, an arrange-
ment that would render nugatory the investment of German
capital. It was farther said that we should injure ourselves
by the course he recommended. He freely admitted it. Did
any man expect we were to enter into this war without in-
eurrin2; serious injury ? Were we to carry on our commerce,
and to go about our affairs as usual, passing our Reform BD Is,
and busyiag ourselves with matters of internal legislation, die-
voting only a little extra capital, if we had it, to " crum, ele
up " Russia. If we were not prepared for the sacrifices of I :he
war, we should never have gone into it, and had better hoer
conclude a peace upon any terms we could get. Should it be t
said of this country that we had not hesitated to sacrifice the )
lives of our best and bravest to the cause of national honotn
and the liberties of Europe, and tha t we could contemplate .
with calmness the horrors of the field and of the hospital; bill
there was one thing we could not face without being driver i
into the agonies of horror and despair, and that was—a eso
in the price of tallow. Was it to be said that we were p; :e.
pared to take every measure to prosecute the war with vigc Au-
except a measure which should make us pay something m, ere
than usual for our hemp and tallow I We should, in sucl 1 a
case, well deserve the appellation of a nation of shopkeepe irs,
and we should stay at home and not interest ourselves at all
in continental affairs (" hear," from Mr. Bright!) He ob-
served he was cheered by the hon. member for Manchester.
The Lon. member's views were quite consistent. He : mid
we should not go to war without being prepaeed to make
sacrifices ; and he (Mr. Collier) quite agreed wit/2 the hon.
gentleman. Either make peace at once, or be prepared to
exert your power in every direction and by every means, ;not
fearing a tax on tallow or candles, but carrying on the A ler
at every sacrifice. But, after all, we should moot be driven to
any great stress by any loss of Russian produce we shoe. Id
incur. It was not as if famine prices were likely to ensue—a s
if we were to be driven to any extremities. We had muds
stock in hand. (Ironical cheers and laughter.) He was sure
be had nothing to do with it—(cheers)—and when that i Mock
was exhausted, there were other markets whence we eoubl
obtain it. lie had the authority on this subject of the Eco-
nomist newspaper, which, in an article dated April I—(laugh-
ter)- anticipating that the trade with Russia would. be totally
stopped, went into a great many details as to the means of
procuring more than adequate supplies from other' parts of
the world. It pointed out that oily substances could be p re.
cured from vegetable as well as from animal matter, rand
it concluded by saying " that art and industry would kr tow
how to obtain from the whole of the rest of the world gave ter
abundance than hitherto of useful articles—more than steetit en-
ary or retrograding Russia' could possibly supply." He had
also noticed the circular of an eminent mercantile house w. ho
said that they had received supplies of hemp from India stef
a quality well qualified to replace and supplant that e. f
Russia ; but when it was discovered that the supply from
Russia would be regular through Prussia, there was no in-i
ducement to them to keep up those supplies. If it were*
certain, they said, that the Russian trade would be stopped
for only one year, it would give such a stimulus to the growers
in the colonies as to make as certain or having at all times
supplies of hemp capable of competing with the Russian
article even at the lowest price. Further, it was known
that hemp could be procured in any quantity from Italy,
flax could be grown to any extent in Ireland ; tallow
might be obtained in great quantities from Australia ;
stearine and 3ther oily matters from the coast of Africa ;
in fact, there was' nothing that could not be easily
got elsewhere than in Russia, and that principally
from our own colonies. The courses he'ventured to recom-
mend as calculated to enforce our claims on Russia were,
either to exercise the right of searching all vessels from
Russian ports, or prohibiting the importation of Russian
goods into this country. We should not by ,such prohibition
give the rest of the world a gaoat advantage over us, for
we were almost the only customers of Russia. Russia could
not obtain elsewhere the advances she obt3ine d from this
country ; and where you stopped the advances fro m this coun-
try you stopped the power of Russia. If they were utterly
unable to enforce a blockade, let the blockade be given up;
but if the blockade was to be continued, let them- resort to
some means for making it effectual. If an announ *cement of
the kind were made by the Government that night,. showing
that they were in earnest in desiring to stop this,em atiraband
trade, he believed the effect would be serious and im mediate
effect upon the finances of Russia. The rouble would' Imme-
diately fall. It fell the other dayt upon a general belief . that
a recent Order in Council prohibited trade, whereas it • only
prohibited contraband trade. The fall of the rouble wc, geld
immediately involve the country in financial embarrassment.
Another effect of such an announcement would be, that En g-
lish capital amounting to millions, now in London awaitireg
its destination—Russia, where it would be employed in nes t
year's campaign—would remain in England, to contribute, on
the contrary, to the vigour of our next campaign. He N vas
free to say that so long as the Government were disposed to
carry on the war thoroughly and in earnest, and to apply to
it all the resources of the country, they would form a strong
Government, and wodld meet with the hearty, unanimoi is,
and enthusiastic support of the country ; but if thoy woi dd
go on proposing half measures, showing themselves uneq ash
to the occasion, and requiring to be goaded on to their di sty-
by the press and tpublic opinion, the sooner, they fell the
better. He trusted they would that night give some as ear-
mice on the subject, and their explanations would be such as
would be satisfactory to the house and to the country.
Mr. MITCHELL regretted that his honourable friend In .d
changed the form of his original motion, which was on e
directly expressing the opinion of the house that the tree le
with Russia should be further restricted. He would himse If
have brought the subject forward, had he not been deterre .d
by the sneers he had heard on the bench below, and insinu: 1-
tons to the effect that he advocated the measure because I e
held stock in London. Within the last tem days, a deputatice u
representing the Russian trade —gentlem en whose whole trade s
was with Russia, whose commei ea ceased entirely when the
trade with Russia ceased, who held stock, and who, there-.
fire, had the highest interest that the war should be brought
to an end -had an interview with the Earl of Clarendon, and
but one opinion was expressed by them. That opinion was?
entertained by every one who knew the trade with Russia,
and who understood the 'sewer of the lever we had to bring
the war to a termination ; and that opinion was, that more
powerful than our armies would be the stoppage of the trade
with Russia. Tho only lever that could effectually act upon
the Emperor of Russia was the Russian nobility and the power
they exercised over him. They were the possessors of the
military power, and a stoppage of trade would at once reduce
them to poverty, for they lived up to their incomes, and had
already been severely mulcted in every way for the. support
of the war. But hitherto our efforts had been useless. It
was indisputable that, notwithstanding the enormous Rus-
sian issues of paper money since the declaration of war, not-
withstanding that the export of gold had been prohibMed, the
exchange had been generally at par, and was very 1 ittle be-
low par now. That could be accounted for only by th e influx
of gold in return for Russian produce. Take the cast )of the
Black Sea. Before an effectual blockade of the Bla ek Sea
was established, a million of quarters of linseed had• been
shipped thence at 635. per quarter, and the whole clf that
money had gone to purposes either neutral or entirely htostile
to our own. The right hon. baronet had stated distiaaetly
that a blockade would be established, and nobody in this
country thought of taking any steps for procuring linseed
from the Black Sea ; but the Greeks were on the spot, sued
they soon found the real state of matters, and they had sys tee
matically gone on with the trade. What had been the result
to the enemy ? The direct statements made by the Admiralty
caused orders to be sent to India to the extent of from
10,000 to 200,000 quarters, which were sold at a ruinoue
loss ; and, of course, all further purchases were at once
stopped. (Hear.) But whilst this was going on, from the
month of May last there had been a most rigid blockade of
the mouths of the Danube. But no Russian corn came
from the Danube--the greatest quantity that had ever been
shipped thence was 50,000 quarters; but, prior to the month
of May, the Emperor of Russia had entirely prohibited the
export of corn from any of his ports. Thus, while the Go-
vernment were allowing a million of quarters of linseed to be
shipped under the nose of their admiral, they were shutting
up 2,000,000 quarters of Turkish corn, which were lying in
the Danubian ports. (Hear, and cheers.) The Governmentmight have been ignorant of those facts, but why were they
.ignorant of them ? (Cheers.) The late Government were
blame. They should have got full information fromhave those
quarters whence it was to be got, and
they should then
instituted either a real blockade or none at all. So great im-
portance was attached to trade in Russia treat whenever the
set to repair them. A
roads got into disorder soldiers were _ fortnight,
ie last which
statement bad been drawn up within t 1 .
showing the actual quan-
tity believed to be perfectly correct, .
from Russia for shipment at Prussian
ports, of goods despatched
establishment russian
ports, even prior to the of the blockade at
That statement showed the quantity or tallow so de-
Riga.
been 3J 500 tons, the average spatched to have •
delivered free on board at Memel was 601., making together
1,830,0001. The quantity of hemp and flax was 70,756 tons,
at se/., making 3,537,8001. Bristles, linsetd, and other
goods were stated at 1,000,0001. The Archangel trade was
also estimated at 1,060,000/., and upon that trade he might
remark this, that a most rigid blockade of the While Sea was
established after everything had been exported from it.
(Cheers and laughter.) The Black Sea trade was estimated
at a million and a half, and the total made 8,867,8001. Tho
average value of the total Russian exports he found to be
10,000,000'., independent of corn. Then he found the result
to be, that they had about two-thirds of the usual quantity
of Russian produce shipped free on board at 1a cost of
9,000,0001. Now, the cost of the whole quantity, of which
only two-thirds had been shippod this Tear, was gonoralV