The Sun.
London, England, 1839-04-22 00:00:00

The Gazette of Friday night quotes the average price of
British Plantation Muscovado Sugar, exclusive of
duty, at

30& 41d.

The reports, made under the head of Markets in the daily News-
papers, of the quantity of West India Sugar sold by the importers
are generally erroneous, and calculated to deceive the huyers, by
leading them to believe that many more hhds. have been sold than
is really the case : thus we find grave assertions made that in the
week ending the 16th inst. 750 hhds. were sold, whereas in truth
the importers disposed of only 444 hhds. and 41 tierces in that
week, and upon this number the average price stated above is
cemputed.
The refiners wo king foreign, chiefly freelabour Sugars, are enabled
to vend their produce for exportation, as follows : Refined equal
in quality to double, 365. per cwt. ; fine pieces, 2113. per cwt. ; Bas.
tards, 18r. per cwt. ; if we add the amount of British duty, viz., 245.
to each of these, we have 605., 525., and 425., as the prices at which
the nation would be supplied with these kinds of Sugar, if the West
India monopoly did not prohibit the use of them; sugars, similar in
quality to those described above, manufactured from West India
Muscavado, are sold in London, the same market, at 785., 665., and
58s. the cwt.; the difference between these two sorts of prices is the
exact amount per cwt. of what the law protecting West India
Sugar plunders the home consumers for the benefit of the Colonists ;
it le therefore clear, that in the amount of money paid by the nation
at large for Sugar, the Chancellor of the Exchequer might as well
have a duty of 40s. per cwt. as 245., provided we had access to the
good and cheap Sugar; that is to say, that whether we pay
a tax of 40s. per cwt., or a tax of 245. and 16s. in addition to them
to somebody else is quite immaterial as far as concerns the money
payments, but the result of this division of the 40s. is by no manner
of means immaterial, for if the 16s. were applied to the exigencies
of the country, many taxes which now oppress industry might and
would be abolished. Besides the 161. per cwt. paid to the West
Indian for his sugar, over and above the price for which the same
thing may be bought in the same house in London, there is the
extravagant cost of maintaining the system in its pernicious origin.
We could point out a dozen absurdities, but our space limits us to
one, from which the character of the remainder may be safely in-
ferred. The British refiner who elects to work foreign sugar, gives
security to the Customs for the amount of the prohibitory duty im-
posed upon the sugar delivered to him for refining purposes. If at the
expiration of a given period named in his bond the refiner does not
return to the Customs the weight of sugar previously delivered to him,
the condition of the bond renders him liable to a heavy penalty; the
revenue, therefore, could not be wronged to the extent of the frac-
tional part of a farthing, but, on the contrary, would derive benefit
to the extent of the penalty should the refiner distribute some of the
Foreign Sugar to the home consumer. But the law, not satisfied
with ample security, ridiculously insists that Customs' Officers shall
be continually on the premises of the refiner to watch the pro-
cess. The nation is consequently put to an expense of many
hundreds a year for the purpose of ensuring that the refiner
does not injure himself by exchanging good and cheap foreign sugar
for dear and bad—British plantation ; the latter being the only
sugar to which he can by possibility have access. In other words,
a group of Customs' officers is appointed and paid to ascertain that
the refiner does not buy inferior sugar at 395. 4IA d. per cwt., in-
stead of superior at 245. per cwt. If this disbursement is not an ab-
surd waste of public money, it is difficult to say what is.
The westerly wind has brought in several West Indiamen hea-
vily laden ; it is said that the five or six ships arrived from Jamaica
haye last year's sugar on board. If that be the truth, then we have
these cargoes in addition to the present year's crop, which, as we
have before stated, will from this island be two months later in ar.
riving than usual—a delay attributable more to the bickering, be.
tween master and man upon the subject of wages than to the season.
We are therefore confirmed in our opinion by the prospect before
us, that there will be a considerable reduction in the price of sugar.
COFFEE.-2,000 bags of Braail Coffee, via the Cape of Good Hope
and liable to 84s. duty, were offered at auction yesterday, but as the
the buyers were disposed to have a share in the profits arising from
this transaction, and bid accordingly, the lots were brought in—this
disinclination to purchase is symptomatic of a decline in the prices
of all coffees, en opinion in which the buyers are justified by the
large arrivals expected by this route as well as by shipment direct
from our own colonies.

THE MARKETS.-(THIS DAY.)

CORN EXCHANGE.

The past week's arrivals of English Crain and Flour were
small, of Irish Oats and Foreign Wheat good, and the trade was
very dull. There was a much better supply of English Wheat
to-day than for several weeks past, and few sales could be made
even at a decline of 3s. to 4s. for English parcels, and 4s. to 53.
per quarter for Foreign. Barley dull and rather lower. Beans
Is. per quarter dearer. Oats, flailing and Grey Pease main-
tained their value The Flour trade extremely heavy, but last
quoted prices are still demanded.

rItICES ON In
Wheat, Red (old) --s —s.
White (old) —s. —s.
----- Red 183.E.')
-- Fine 6.2 s 15i.
Superfine 68s. 70s.
—White (1838) f4s.
Fine 66s. 70s.
Superfine 725. 755.
—Foreign free s“s. 78s.
Ryc 40s. 425.
Barley 30;. 38s.
....-- Grinding 30s. 355.
Malting 4os. 445.
Malt 565. fiss.
Fine New., Oils. 08s.
Pease, Grey, New 355. 38s.
Maple New 37;. L'B;
White 40s. 425.
Boilers 42;.445.
ARRIVALS OF GRAIN IN lA.
Wheat. B
2,562ars I $,

English

I ris h I -
Foreign