The Sun.
London, England, 1830-02-24 00:00:00

lESSAGE FROM TELE COMMONS.

Mr. 001:DON, attended by several other Members,
brought up the Pauper Lunatic Asylum Bill, which, upon
the motion of the Earl of Shaftesbury, was read a first
time.

the way of comfort to take a dram—(Much laughter)---
and to that many undoubtedly had been driven by the pre-
vailing distress of the country.—(Continued laughter.)
Col. DAVIES considered the amusements of the two
classes of society very different indeed. Bull baiting and
cock-fighting were not only for the amusement of the
poorer classes, but for the purpose of assembling to-
gether a mass of the most notorious pickpockets,
as well as the greatest vagabonds that infest society ;
if Newmarket and fox-hunting were to be attended by
the same characters, he would he the first that would rise
up with a view to put them down. He was far from ad-
vocating any thing calculated to oppress the poor, but it
some Hon. Gent. would take the trouble of visiting the garret
of the artizan, and there seeing his wife and children in
a state of almost absolute starvation, while he was in a
public-house getting a.m unit, he thought such Members
night leo be so very anxious for a low duty upon shim its
He by no means wished to have such a duty imposed as
would in toto exclude dram-drinking ; but certainly spirits
ought to hear a moderate duty.
Mr. BROWNLOW considered that time reduction of the
duty on Irish spirits to one half of what it had been had
doubled the revenue of the Exchequer, and if the Right
Hon. Gentleman acted wisely upon this subject he would
continue to keep up only a moderate duty on spirits.
Mr. BRIGHT was also favourable to a reduction of
the duty. He considered that the reduction of
the Malt Duty eveuld do a peat deal, but he was
perfectly setiefied that tile reduction of the hop duty would
do infinitely more,
After some further conversation the petition was ordered
to be laid on the table.
THE COLONIES.
Sir GEORGE 'MURRAY brought up Copies of Cer-
tain Correspondence with the Lieutenant-Governors of
Upper and Lower Canada.
Lord CHAIN-DOS rose to present a petition from certain
West India Planters, praying fur a Reduction of the Duties
upon Sugar and Ruin. lie was happy to he the organ of
laying the petition before the Holm. When the House
considered the extremely low prices of sugar and ruin,
they would feel that the West India merchants had an
extreme vase of distress for the consideration of the House.
The duty was 275., and 21s. was the gross price received
by the planter ; of which it was calculated that 12e. a cwt.
was the cost of producing the article. The planter had
likewise to contend with the sugars introduced from the
Mauritius ; and, when these latter had been first allowed
to be imported, it hail been calculated that the annual im-
portation would never exceed ten thousand hogsheads,
whereas 25.000 hogsheads were now annually introduced.
The West India planter, moreover, had to contend with
those who raised colonial produce by slave labour; and be
thought it scandalous, after what England lad paid and
done, that France, Spain, and the Brazils should be
allowed to carry on the slave trade to the scourge of hu-
manity, and to the injury of the Britieh Colonies. The
attention of Government ought to be more seriously given
to the state of the Colonies, for whatever theories might
he afloat respecting the nature of Colonies, he should ever
hold them to be constituents of the best interest, and of
the fituie and glory of the country. If Ministers did not
do something for the Colonies, he could predict very
great evils to the country.
Mr. KEITH DOUGLAS said, that upon a great por-
tion of West India produce no profits were gained, for, on
the contrary, a great loss was sustained, and families for-
merly in affluence were now in the greats et distress. The
shipping and property, and other ciimmercial interests,
now amounted to about seven millions annually. Was it,
then, to be believed that all the shipping and property
migl,t be swept away without inconvenience or injury to
the general interests of the country? Of these interests,
some were of a very peculiar nature; and they, he con-
tended, were affected by that colonial distress which arose
from excessive taxation, the foreign slave trade, and the
introduction of Mauritius sugar. In 1807 the slave trade
had been put an end to in our colonies, under the impres-
sion that, by its abolition, we should be paying a debt of
humanity, in allowing slaves to rise in the scale of society
to the rank of freemen. And all measures had been taken
by Lord Castlereagh to induce foreign countries to give up
this traffic, but in vain ; for the French appealed bent
upon carrying it on, though so deeply degrading to such
a nation as France. 'I bus it happened, that notwith-
standing all our exertions and eapence, seven hundred
thousand slaves had, since the peace of 1815, been brought
from the coast of Africa to foreign colonies, for the pur-
pose of extending cultivation there; while our colonies
were deprived of all such advantages. Again, in 1823, the
introduction of Mauritius sugar wag permitted, the conse-
quence of which had been that depreciation in the price of
West Indian sugar, stated by the Noble Marquis (Chanties. )
How, then, were the West India planters situated ?
There was a duty of 275. the cwt., while the price had
fallen from 50e. and 60s. to 225. the cwt. He begged
the House to remark, too, that the colonies had gone along
with the Administration of this country in all the arrange-
ments respecting the United States ; but that, notwith-
standing, our Government had regulated their views of
colonial policy upon a principle altogether opposed to their
professions. What, then, was the situation of the Nest
India planter ? lie had, at the utmost, after paying the
freight, insurance, landing, and sale charges, only 12s. per
cwt., and the cost of production, while he paid 27e. duty.
He was induced to hope that the House would see that
the duties now exacted were not be continued. Another
point which he wished to press upon the consideration of
the House was the necessity of sonic reduction in our
colonial establishments, which did not require to be kept
upon the same footing as in the time of war.
Mr. HART DAVIS concurred with the Noble Mar-
quis in all the statements he had made respecting the dis.
tressed state of the Colonies, and in all the opinions he had
professed.
Mr. BRIGHT observed that these excessive duties on
the West India productions were burthens laid on as war
taxes, and ought long since to have been removed. Be-
sides, he believed that nothing could be more effectual in
promoting reformation and improvement in the West
India Islands, than a revision of those duties; for it must
be perfectly evident that so long as people felt themselves
oppressed, so long would they entertain but little anxiety
to carry on improvement. In the name of humanity,
therefore, he called on the House of Commons to look
with a favourable eye upon this application.—(Hear.)—
There was another point to which he wished to advert.
The planters complained riot alone of the excessive duty
upon sugar, but also of that upon the spirits produced in
these islands, which the fiscal regulations prohibited from
these markets they had a right to enjoy. In conclusion,
he trusted time planters would be looked at with a view to
conciliation.
The SPEAKER was then proceeding to put the ques-
tion that the petition be brought up, when
Sir. BERNALL said that he thought the Right Hon.
the Chancellor of the Exchequer was called upon to say
something ; be thought, indeed, he (the Chancellor of the
Exchequer) was called upon to state whether the West
India hotly had a right to entertain hopes of redress
founded upon any solid basis. He Neal not incl of those
who were disposed either to deny or disregard the distress
existing in this country. He acknowledged and deplored
it, but he maintained that there were no people so
depressed as the inhabitants of the West India
Islands. None whose comfort, well being, and very
livelihood, were more immediately in danger. Since
1792, the price of sugar had never been so low
as it was at that moment. The price was then twenty.
three shillings per cwt., while the duty still remained
at 275. per cwt. Besides, a great deal of sugar introduced
into this market was of a very inferior quality; and here,
as the duty was not an ad valorem duty, it pressed with
such extreme severity, as actually to amount to about 150
per cent. In time of war the West Indian Planters had
not complained of the increase of 12s. in the duty—nor
had they any right to complain, considering it, as they
did, only as au augmentation which would exist during
the war. They accordingly looked upon the whole ar-
rangement as a Solemn. league and covenant, which bound
them on the one part to contribute to the wants of time
Government during the continuance of the war, and
which bound time Administration on the other part to re-
lieve them of the additional burthen wherever the resto-
ration of peace might bless the mother country..--(Hear,
hear.) But in vain did they rely upon time good feith of
time Administration. Peace was restored to Europe, but