The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-09 00:00:00

—that it was a branch of manufactures which had existed in this
country for more than 200 }Tars, but that since 1614 the Saxons
had established a manufactory of cotton hosiery, anti that they had
carried it to as high a pitch as our own, and in fact to a much higher,
for their exportation of cotton hosiery to the United States was as
great as our experts of the same article to the whole world.—(Hear.)
Then, as respected hardware and cutlery, it was stated to his Lord-
ship, and offered to be provedl that in Wolverhampton, where the
pelvic had the raw material under their feet, the Germans had
successfully competed with them in almost every article; that l'sts
could be shown, comprising about 1,200 articles, almost every one
of which the Germans could supply in the natural
markets at from ten per cent. to fifteen per cent.
less than the people of Wolverhampton could furnish them—
(Hear, hear)—and the inferiority of price in theforeign articles was
most to be observed where manual labour formed a considerable
portion of the manufacture.—(Hear, bear, hear.) It was also
stated to his Lordship that last year an act had been found

necessary with respect to the bonding of foreign cutlery—that
foreign cutlery had been made in imitation of British—sent, with
British marks to London, and other British ports, and there bonded
for exportation. That when, for instance, an order was sent for
some of Roger's cutlery (Mr. Roger being a celebrated Sheffield
cutler), one house would send the order to Mr. Roger; another
would go to the Custom-house, and there buy " Roger's cutlery,"
made in Germany, at 10 or 15 per cent. less than Mr. Rogers himself
could furnish it.—(Hear.) It of course excited no small surprise
that one house could get Rogers' cutlery at a price so much less than
another. The cause was inquired into, the trick was found out,
and Mr. Hawkes, the Member forDudicy, last Session had'lntroduced
a Bill to do away with the bonding of foreign cutlery. Was not
that a strong case?—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") The depute
tion stated to his Lordship, that, although the exports from the
country in many articles (cotton, for instance) were increas-
ing ; that the increase had taken place on manufactured goods, only
to those countries whose produce we received in return ; and that
our exports to some of the most populous and wealthy countries in
the world, were limited by the circumstance of our_ refus.
ing to take the only articles that they could give us in exchange.—
corn and timber. They informed his Lordship that although our
exports had increased, our population was increasing in a greater
ratio, and that, compared with other countries, our increase in manu-
factures had not been in proportion to those of Belgium, Saxony,
or Switzerland—that the repeal of the Corn-laws was not with them
a question of the price of food, but simply that they might be allowed
to go to the same markets for food that their competitors did—that
it was impossible we could long stand competition on other terms,
for the price at which foreigners could afford their articles must be
the price at which we could sell ours—that for the last few years we
had been carrying on an unprofitable trade, and that his Lord-
ship must see thatl,an unprofitable trade could not be long carried on—
that since the Delegates had arrived in London, they had heard
of four or five large establishments in Manchester working short
turns, and that unless there should be &speedy improvement in trade
that would become more common. The deputation directed his
Lordship's attention to the resolution which which was unanimously
passed by the General Committee on the sth

" That this meeting, whilst it demands of the Legislature as an
act of justice, the total and immediate repeal of all laws, imposing
duties upon or restricting the importation of corn, and other articles
of subsistence; is prepared to resign all claims to protection on
home manufactures, and to carry out to their fullest extent, both as
effects agriculture and manufacture, the true and peaceful principles
of free trade, by removing all existing obstacles to the unrestricted
interchange of industry and capital between all nations."

- -
They wished to impress upon his Lordship, that while they did not
wish to be deprived of going to the cheapest market, they had no
wish to prevent others from so doing. His Lordship listened to
the statements of the 'Deputation with great attention, and made
many inquiries. Of course they could not expect his Lordship
to give any opinion on the question, but he assured the Depu-
tation that he would take the subject into serious consi-
deration, and consult with his colleagues on the matter.
The Deputation were highly gratified with the attention which
they had received, and with his Lordship's attention. It would be
interesting to the meeting to hear from Mr. Stansfeld the im-
portant statements which he had made to his Lordship.—(Hear.)
Mr. HAMUR StANSFELD, of Burley, at the request of the tneeting,
read the following paper :
" The woollen manufacture of England had already suffered ma-

terially, and is threatened with still more serious injury, from the
competition of Continental rivals. In proof of which the following
facts were offered :

" Ist. Until a few years ago, the English wool buyers at the great

German wool.fairs predominated so much in number, and in the
extent of their purchases, over the buyers of other countries, as to
rule the prices; but within the last few years the German and Bel.
gian buyers have exceeded them in their purchases, and the English
buyers arc now regarded as of small comparative importance.
" 2d. The exceedingly rapid growth of the woollen manufacture
in Prussia, and the other countries of the German Continental
league, is shown by the fact, that five or six 3 ears since,
the quantity of German woollen cloths exhibited for sale at the
Leipsic Easter Fair was only 50,000 ends (an end being half a
piece), whereas last year the quantity exhibited was 350,000 ends,—
being an increase of 600 per cent.
3d. That, independent of the duty laid on English cloths in Ger-
many, Prussian cloths are sold much cheaper than English. A
large wholesale buyer from London states that a Prussian cloth at
16s. per yard is equal in quality to an English cloth at 225.
per yard. This difference in favour of Prussia has now
been discovered by the Americans. English fine woollens are al_
already excluded from Germany, and from several neutral markets ;
and as soon as the Prussians can sufficiently extend their manufac-
ture, which they are doing with astonishing rapidity, they will beat
the English in all neutral markets, and probably even in the home
market of England itself, notwithstanding the import duty on foreign
woollens in this country.
4th. That the increase in the Continental manufacture of wool is
shown by the fact, that foreigners purchase a very increasing quantity
of the wools of England and Ireland, of which formerly the home
manufacture had the exclusive use. The export of British wool in 1838
was of the declared value of 432,0001., whereas the average of the

four years preceding was only 274,0001. This, therefore:shows an
increase of 57 per cent. in the exportation from Great Britain of the
raw material of the woollen manufacture. The quantities of wool
and woollen yarn, forming the raw materials of tnanufactures, ex-
ported from the United Kingdom, gave an annual average for the
years 1825, 1826, and 1827 of 178,035; and for the years 1835,
1836 and 1837 an annual average of 3,744,295. These facts

not only prove an increase in the manufacture abroad, bul
the competition for the article raises the price to the home manu.

facturer. It is believed that the French will shortly take nearly all
the Irish wools The rapidly increasing export of worsted yarn for
the use of the foreign manufacturer, also proves the increase of the
manufacture on the Continent.

sth. The policy of foreign Governments in imposing merely a

nominal duty on the import of yarns tends to raise the price of the
raw material to the British manufacturers, and consequently to make
their competition with foreigners in the finished goods more diffi-
cult. The new Austrian Tariff will still further increase this effect.

6th. The decline of the British woollen manufacture is proved
by the expo' ts of last year, compared with the average of the four
preceding years. Export of British woollens in Is3B-6,157,0001.
Average of four years, from 1834 to 1837-6,542,0001. Decrease
—385,0001.
Mr. STANSFRILD observed that these were the evils arising in the
natural order of things from apse Corn-laws whichthe Legislaure
had once thought fit to impose on the nation.
Mr. STURGE said that it would net be right to repeat the con-
versation which had taken place between the members of the Depu.
Cation and Lord Melbourne, but he must bear testimony to the
urbanity with which his Lordship had received the Deputation, and
also to the great attention which his Lordship had paid to the corn_
municat:ons which they had inside to him, particularly to
those facts which bore upon the agricultural branch of the
subject, and which tended to show the unnecessary alarm which
existed among the agricultural interests on this subject. He had
risen thus early, because he was about to leave town this evening,
and before his departure he wished to bring forward a resolution,
which was rendered necessary, in consequence of what fell from
Earl Fitzwilliam last night in the House of Lords. He would read
the passage to which he alluded, from the report which had appeared
of the Noble Earl's speech in the Morning Chronicle. The passage
was as follows :—" Ile believed that when the opinions of the manu-
facturing classes were examine Lordships and he trused that the House
would examine into them, their would find that they would
be satisfied with much less than they were enabled to claim, and
perhaps then they sought claime pebtions wich would be
Presented to that /blouse. Therefoin there i those petitions went to the
full length of calling on their Lordships to abrogate all Corn-laws,
and to put an end to every regulation upon the impartation of fo-
reign corn, lie apprehended that they would not be able upon
these petitions to form a just estimate of what were the real
views of the more reasoning part of the petitioners."—(Hear, hear.)
Now he (Mr. Sturge) was delegated from a district of the country
in which no lower ground will be taken than a total repeal of the
Corn-laws ; and if this were refused, it would be better
to go home and give up the question altogether. He was
also cons ineed that it was for the interests of the agricultural body
that the question should be settled at once and for ever, inasmuch
as their property would suffer a much greater extent of depreciation
from the continual agitation of this subject than they could
possibly suffer in consequence of an immediate and total
repeal of the Corn-laws. lie was convinced, from a careful and at-