The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-18 00:00:00

journ until two o'clock en Wednesday,
Mr. S. FITZGERALD called the attention of the house
to the question of some late commercial treaties, and espe-
cially to the commercial treaty pending between this coun-
try and the kingdom of Italy. No one could deny the
importance which had been attached of late years to com-
mercial treaties with other countries. Not long ago the
noble lord at Southampton had expressed his sense of the
value of a commercial treaty between this country and
Austria. He believed that the noble lord the Secretary for
Foreign Affairs, when in that house, had expressed an
opinion that the alterations made in the Spanish tariff were
favourable to this country. It was their duty, then, to con-
alder the principle hitherto adopted by the Government in
their negotiation of commercial treaties. He thought that
the Government had proceeded on a radically wrong prin-
ciple. They had allowed, in every case, the French Go-
vernment to take the initiative, and had only bestirred
themselves to secure a treaty similar to that obtained by
France. That was unfortunate, because a tariff which
might be favourable for France might be quite the reverse
for this country. The treaty with Belgium was a proof of
this. At the present moment France was negotiating a
treaty of commerce with Austria. Now Austria was de-
sirous of reforming her tariff, and the opportunity ought
not to be lost as to the treaty between this country and
the kingdom of Italy. In the course of last year a
distinguished member of the Italian Government, Signor
Mariani, the Minister of Commerce, came to this country to
negotiate a treaty of commerce between Italy and England.
That gentleman was never put in communication with the
Minister of the Board of Trade. Some time afterwards the
Board of Trade obtained the fullest information from the
chambers of commerce throughout the country on the sub-

ject. The manufacturers of Lancashire and Yorkshire were
buoyed up with the hope that there would be a perfect
commercial treaty between Italy and this country; but they
soon ascertained that the tariff was almost identical with
that which had been adopted in the treaty with France.
They were told that a treaty was to be made with Italy, in
which were to be embodied the same conditions as were
stipulated between that country and France. But they had
never seen the French treaty, and were utterly ignorant
what the conditions of that treaty were. It seemed to him
that this was only another example of the objection which
he and his friends had taken to the course which appeared
to be adopted by the Government, to allow the French to
proceed in those matters, and instead of acting indepen-
dently, to be content with accepting the same terms which
had been obtained by the French, and to attempt to render
them applicable to the requirements of English traders.
That had been.met by saying that the reason they were in
the position of having no concessions to offer was, because
we had given up every advantage already. That was the
answer given to a deputation which had waited on the noble
lord the Secretary for Foreign Affairs. It was an answer
which came with a very bad grace from those who had given
up all the advantages referred to; and the want of which

was the alleged reason why we could not obtain these trea-
ties. But he did not admit that it was a well-founded an-
swer. They had heard much about the moral influence of
England, which they were told had, in political matters, ope-
rated more effectively than arms. And he believed if repre-
sentations were made in a friendly spirit, and if there was
always a desire on the part of those who represented this coun-
try to cultivate the most friendly relations with other Powers
and not to write despatches in that epigrammatic style,
which very oftenconveyed an offensive significance, though
in words which were in themselves innocent—that moral in-
fluence which did so much good in political matters would
also secure great advantages in those commercial matters
upon which the hearts of the commercial classes in this
country were so fairly set. There was no more important
function could be performed—no more important service
which could be rendered to the country, than by making
nse of that ability which had always marked our diplomatic

service in negotiating these treaties ; and the Foreign Office
would thus be better engaged than in writing those de-
spatches which had lately so much irritated official persons
abroad. In a recent correspondence between the noble earl
(Earl Russell) and the Prince who conducted the foreign
affairs of Russia, it seemed as if the noble correspondents
vied with each other which could convey in the most hidden
terms, the most pointed sarcasms against the policy of the

other. He must also remind them that Brazil was one of
those countries with which we might, by a judicious policy,
have secured the most advantageous relations, though he
did not say that a commercial treaty was necessary in that
case. He hoped they would receive an assurance that Go-
vernment were alive, as he believed they were, to the im-
portance of negotiating these treaties, and that they would
not for the future confine themselves to treading in the
footsteps of France.
Mr. FORSTER regretted the position in which _ the

country stood with regard to the treaty with Italy, which
position they had not been able to discover until now. In
the early part of last year a circular had been sent out to
the different chambers of commerce in the north, to which
replies had been received stating how the present Italian
tariff was working for English interests, and how it might
be improved. No further communication had, however,
passed with regard to the pending treaty with Italy. They
had heard through the papers that Signor M ariani, the
Italian Commercial Minister, had come to England
to give and obtain information on the subject of how
trade between Italy and England might be increased.
The chambers of commerce had been most anxious to
give him that information, but, on account of the want
of organisation and agreement between the Foreign-office
and the Board of Trade, they had been unable to do so.
That being the case, it was not surprising that the manu-
facturing constituencies were thunderstruck at learning
that a commercial treaty was on the point of being signed
between this country and Italy. If there was a treaty, the
Government had during the past year been conducting their
negotiations with the Italian Government, without obtain-
ing information from those who were best able to give it, or
they had been satisfied with getting for this country the
treaty which France had got for herself. He trusted they
would hear that negotiations between Italy and this coun-
try had not been following the uncertain footsteps of French
negotiation, but that we had been proceeding pari-passu,
though the Government had not taken the means of obtain-
ing information which it would have been advisable to
adopt. As protectors of British interests, it did not become
hex Majesty's Government to hand over to the Government
of France the direction of that movement of free trade which
this country had originated.
31r.LAYARD was rather surprised to hear the complaints
which had fallen from his hon. friend opposite, but pre-
sumed that his enthusiastic zeal for the cause of free trade
was due to his being such a recent convert. (A laugh.) He
believed he should be able to remove the grounds of the
hon.. gentleman's objections. But first he wished to correct
an; error into which the hon. member for Bradford had fallen