The Sun.
London, England, 1864-01-21 00:00:00

at war with some country, blockade its ports, and
we might prevent vessels from sailing forth from its

harbours ; but if that nation with whom Nc. e were

at war is to be at liberty to go to some stant re-
gion—some country friendly to oursclves—and

there be furnished with these armed privateers to

cruise about the ocean; I should like to know what

possible protection the great navy of England and
the great expenditure upon which it rests would be
able to give the commerce of this country—(hear,
hear, and cheers)—and, therefore, the Government
have seen, not only in an international point of
view, the great evil of neutrals furnishing ships-of-
war to belligerents as a principle, as being contrary
to the general good understanding amongst coun-
tries. Feeling this, and also the still more paramount

consideration that it is vital to the interests of Eng•
land that this fitting-out of vessels in countries not

themselves engaged in the warfare; should be pre.

vented, they have taken a course which the laws of

this country have required from them. They have
endeavoured to the best of their ability to put the
laws of this country in force against those who are
engaged in 2upplying the so-called Confederate

States of America with these vessels, to cruise
against the commerce of the United States, a nation

with whom at this present moment we are on terms

of friendly alliance, (Cheers.) I do not know
whether any gentleman here has taken the trouble

to read the legal arguments upon this question, but

really I confess for one that I am unable to under-

stand much of what has been said upon the subject:

I am told you may sail a fleet of ships through the
Foreign Enlistment Act. It may be so, but I will
undertake to say that I will sail another fleet of

ships through the construction which any one of the
Is.wyers has hitherto put upon that act. (Laughter.)

Common sense tells me that the Confederate Go-

vernment are the parties who have, directly or in-
directly, caused these ships to be built in this coun•
try, and that in so doing they entered upon a deli-

berate course of violating and evading the laws o:

England. (Hear, hear, and lord cheers.) lam no
lawyer, but that is my construction—(hear, hear)—

and I do not think you can sail a fleet of ships

through that. (Cheers and laughter.) I have
touched upon this question of shipping not so much
for the purpose of calling your attention to the fact,
with which I daresay you are familiar, of the great

increase of our shipping, but to point out that it is
a subject that well deserves the grave consideration
of every commercial community, (Hear, hear.)
With regard to the exportations of the country, it
is a remarkable fact that the exports during the
eleven months of the year which have just ex-
pired—(we have not the tables complete for the
whole eleven months)—show, in point of value,

the largest export on record in this kingdom ;

but I am sure it must occur to every gentleman

present there is a little delusion here. There may

have been an increased value without an increased

quantity, and therefore without a corresponding
employment of the operative classes. (Hear.) I

believe that to be true to some extent, but not en-
tirely true; for there is a considerable increase in
the actual quantities of some azticies exported from
this country—the total value of the exports for the

eleven months amounting to 132 millions ; the
largest amount, I believe, on record, for a period of
eleven months, in the history of the country. In
1862 it was £113,000,000 for eleven months. In

1861, £115,000,000, and so forth ; showing that

there has been a very considerable recent increase;
and it is remarkable that although our imports of
raw cotton have been so small, and therefore the
amount of the cotton manufactured correspondingly
diminished, yet the proportion of the value of the
total exports of cotton to the whole was 32 per cent.
in 1863, and only 38 in 1860, before the cotton
trade was so seriously impaired ; but: there has bee❑

an increasing quantity in some goods, no doubt, par-
ticularly arising from the fact of the substitution of
linen and woollen for cotton. I find that linen
yarns exported have in quantity 21 per cent. and 20
per cent. for the eleven months; of iron and steel,
15 per cent.; of woollen and worsted yarn, 17 per
cent. I merely mention this to show you that,
although it is true in the main, no doubt that the
total declared value of all exports becomes so large
from the greatly-increased price of some -r, artizular
goods; yet in some trades there is not only an in-
crease in value in the exports, but also an increase
in the quantity; and I am glad to find a growing
increase in the trade with those countries in
which we might expect improvement. I take
Italy, where it is to be hoped more free
institutions and a more liberal system of
government will give greater scope to com-
merce; and I find an increase in the nine months
of last year compered with the nine months of
1860, of from £3,106,000 to £4,411,000. (Hear,
hear.) We find, in consequence, mainly of the
treaty with France—l will never mention that
treaty without asserting positively that this country
is mainly and almost entirely indebted for it to the
exertions of my hon. friend Mr. Cobden. (Loud
cheers.) It was not ancient and orthodox diplo-
macy that succeeded in breaking the ice in France,
and for the first time we induced the French Go-
vernment to turn a favourable view upon the policy
of free trade. (Hear.) Well, we have got from 1860
to 1863. During the nine months—(unfortunately
I have not the 12 months' return)—there has been
an increase from £3,656,000 of exports to £6,573,000.
With Egypt we have a considerable increase. With
the United States we Lad gone up since 1861, when
the exports had fallen down to £6,802,000 in the
nine months. During the nine months of 1863 the
exports had risen to the amount of £104,92,000,
showing the tendency there is for a great extension
of trade with the United States. Now we have got
something still to look forward to; for you must
bear in mind that we have not got the benefit of the
French treaty. On the let of October, 1864, there
will take place important reductions of import duties
in the French and Belgian tariffs. In Franco there
will be a considerable reduction upon iron and other
metals, woollen, jute, tissues, chemicals, earthen-
ware, and paper. In Belgium there will be a re-
duction upon similar articles, and cotton, linen, and
woollen yarns ; therefore whatever increase in trade
we have hitherto had, in consequence of these exe
cellent commercial arrangements which have been
made by this Government with France and Bel-
gium, we shall, we hope, derive increased benefits
when the future reduction of duties takes effect.
Before I have done with commerical questions, I
must beg leave to make one or two respectful
observations with reference to the proceedings of a
body of men which have lately taken place in
Manchester, I mean the proceedings of the paper-
makers. I have the greatest possible respect for that
important trade ; l think the men connected with
it are an et ample of everything that is most respec-
table in the manufacturing classes of England ; and
I should be exceedingly sorry to sec any policy per-
sisted in which—unless the claims of justice seem
paramount for taking an opposite course—would
have the effect of depressing the paper manufac-
turers to a state of difficulty. One of the main ob-
jects of the repeal of the paper duty—l thought the
question had been finally settled—was to give scope
and freedom to the Press. It was not the only
object, because there were commercial objects of
high importance ; but it was felt that an artificial
enhancement of the price of paper was an obstacle
in the way of the extension of the cheap Press of
this country, and it was felt at the same time that
with such institutions as we have in England—in-
stitutions which we hope to improve—nothing is so
vital for the mental, moral, and intellectual welfare
of the people as the diffusion of knowledge—politi•
cal and all other knowledge—by a cheap and a good
Press. (Applause.) That Press is beginning to
develop itself ; it is not what it will be. With the
progress of education ingustthfiuslclootluvhnot+hry
pelg,:in.
and
Ida gn ef
or
rPmraetsiso,
ng
thatrowi
must
will have
with you
the taste for reading
general spread
of instruction ; but so far as
coucerued, I thought, for one, that tVi/nemevsithie" are
have revived that questioe ; but it see
papermakers met io conference in Manchestealirrtthhidee
other day, and they passed resolutions to the effect
that they were suffering in the trade, and that the
Legislature was bound to give them relief. I think,
with all respect for these gentlemen, that the day
is passed for theimposition of any protecting
duties to raise the price of any production of
native industry. (Applause.) All classes have
been subjected to competition, the fermer,