The Sun.
London, England, 1830-04-09 00:00:00

JEWS.

Mr. R. GRANT postponed the second reading
of the Jews' Relief Bill, from Monday, the 26th of
April, to the 3d of May.

ADJOURNMENT FOR THE RECESS.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
rose to move that the House should, at its rising,
adjourn to Monday, the 26th of April. The ad-
journment was somewhat longer than usual, but he
did not imagine that any objection would be made
to it, particularly when it was recollected that,
from the very commencement of the Session, their
labours had been very great, and almost without ces-
sation. In consequence, too, of a drawing room and
a levee being fixed for the week after next, but little
public business could possibly be done then in the
House, and under these circumstances, he did not
anticipate any objection to the motion, that " the
House at its rising do adjourn to Monday, the 2Gth
of April."—(Hear.)
The motion was put and agreed to.
Mr. F. BARING presented a petition from Ports-
mouth, praying for an alteration of the forgery laws.
Mr. DOUGLAS presented a petition from Pol-
lockshaw, in favour of a free trade to India. The
same Hon. Member moved for a return of the amount
of duties levied upon the produce of the British
North American colonies, imported into Great Bri-
tain, up to the end of the last year.
Mr. WARBURTON wished to take this op-
portunity to put a question to the Right Hon.
Gentle►ran opposite. He understood the parties
had been in the practice of shipping timber from the
Baltic to Halifax, or some other port in our North
American Colonies, and then bringing it to this
country, so as to evade the high duty upon the im-
portation of foreign timber. He was given to un-
derstand that three cargoes of timber had been
brought in that way in the course of the last year
from Halifax to Ireland. The clause under which
this was done, was contained in the 10th of the
King, by which it was enacted that timber might be
imported, duty free, from our colonial possessions in
North America to any part of the United Kingdom.
The importers of timber from the Baltic, with a
view to evade the high rate of duty, exported their
cargoes in the first instance to our possessions in
North America, and thence imported them here.
By that means they effected a saving to the follow-
ing amount :—The cost of timber in the Baltic was
205., the freight direct to this country was 18s., and
the duty was 555., making, with the other charges
here, the cost amount to 98s. Now, if the timber be
exported in the first instance from the Baltic to
Halifax, and thence to this country, the cost of the
timber was then as before, 205., the freight 505.,
and the duty 10s., which, with the other charges in
this country, made the last amount to 855., being 13s.
less than if the timber were imported direct from the
Baltic. He (Mr. Warburton) was aware that there
were several vessels about to sail for cargoes to the
Baltic, and thence to proceed to Halifax, with a view
to take advantage of this state of the law, and he
therefore wished to know whether the Right Hon.
Gentleman intended to make any provision to meet
the case, in the Bill which lie was about to introduce ?
Mr. HERRIES was glad that this question had
been asked, as it afforded him an opportunity to give
that explanation which was required by the parties
interested in this subject. There was certainly a
defect in the clause to which the Hon. Member had
adverted, for it had never been the intention of the
persons who drew up that clause to allow the im-
portation of timber from the Baltic by means of a
circuitous voyage of this description at a reduced
duty. It was intended, at the time, only to allow
the importation of timber, the produce of the United
States, and which had bee►► exchanged for some
article of British colonial produce at this reduced
duty—that was the object which the act to which
the Hon. Member had referred had in view. He
doubted much that, even by means of those circui-
tous voyages, the importation of timber from the
Baltic had been so conducted as legally to evade the
payment of the higher rate of duty. He conceived
that to comply with the law as it stood, they should
have landed their cargoes at Halifax, and reshipped
them again ; and if the officers there had done their
duty, such voyages would not have been undertaken,
as the increased expense would more than counter-
balance the saving which would be thus effected in
the duty. However, in order to prevent any further
evasion of the intentions of the Legislature, it was
his (Mr. Ilerries's) intention after the present re-
cess, to introduce a measure to remedy this defect in
the law as it at present stood.
After a few words from Mr. STEWART and Mr.
WARBURTON, the motion was agreed to.
Mr. HOME DRUMMOND presented a petition
from the Magistrates and Town Council of the
Royal burgh of Dunbar, praying that in the Bill for
the improvement of the Scotch judicature, pro‘ision
should be made for entitling the Sheriff to hold com-
missary courts.