The Sun.
London, England, 1865-02-01 00:00:00

Foreign Commercial Treaties.

The Right Hon. W. Hutt, the Vice-President of
the Board of Trade, took the chair at the annual
meeting of the Newcastle Chamber of Commerce on
Monday. In his opening address Mr. Hutt said,—
The Board of Trade is desirous to see Chambers of
Commerce not only established, but generally and
actively supported by the great firms and houses of
business in their respective localities ; because, by
this arrangement the Chambers of Commerce can
act most efficiently as organs of communication in
all commercial and industrial matters between the
communities they represent and the Executive Go-
vernment. It is very desirable at this moment that
Chambers of Commerce should be well :supported
by the country, for we are apparently on the eve of
some great and important changes in the commer..
cial policy of most of the States of Europe. France,
as you know very well, had the honour—and it is
an honour that belongs to that gifted and glorious
country—of . initiating on the Continent of Europe
the application of scientific principles to commercial
regulations. This important step is now manifestly
about to be followed by one still more grave and
equally important—l mean the thorough revision of
the navigation laws of France. Well, this is a
movement of great interest to you ; it is of great in-
terest not only on account of its own commerce, but
because France, in adopting this measure, will really
be setting an example to the other States of Europe,
which, whether they like it or not, they will of ne-
cessity be compelled to imitate. We know what was
the force of principle in regard to the ordinary
affairs of trade bythe present commercial treaty be-
tween France and this country. By the commercial
treaty the-other States of Europe have discovered
that unless they are prepared to purchase equal ad-
vantages in their commerce with France, and to
purchase these advantages by a considerable reduc-
tion in their own tariff, they must of necessity
abandon the markets of France to the more fa-
voured and enterprising manufacturers of this
country. Well, the consequence has been that,
although free trade was very little in favour
on the Continent of Europe, we find that all
the States on the eastern frontier of France
have been actively engaged in negotiating
commercial treaties with that country. Prussia
and the Zollverein were the first to enter the field.
I have no doubt in the other States, particularly in
Bavaria, some objection was made. The course
which Prussia proposed to recommend caused a
great many wry faces. But it was only a choice
between those two alternatives, and they wisely
chose what they considered to be the lesser evil of
the two. Following this movement on the part of
Prussia, Belgium, Italy, and Switzerland, it is true
this country can only claim the advantages conceded
to France in the commercial treaty, but when these

treaties come into force we shall have the full benefit
of all these advantages. This, I think, was inti.
mated by Mr. Ward when he came here in October.
I have reason to believe that these States, when they
come to revise their tariffs, will listen to reasonable
and moderate proposals for some future reductions.
This is not all. Some very intelligent and energetic
gentlemen, who know more of what is going on in
Vienna than I do, give us the assurance that even
the Austrian Government is disposed to remodel
their singularly absurd tariff. For the last five
years the Austrian Government has been holding
this language, and I shall be exceedingly pleased
to find that they are now about to adopt a
more liberal policy. No doubt, they feel the very
great disadvantages of their position, for they are
most disadvantageously placed with regard to other
States, both commercially and politically, by the
tariff they have long supported. Though they have
been talking a good deal about the matter, yet up
to the present time they have been acting very much
like Mr. Pecksniff's horse ; they have always been,
going to go, but never going. I hope, however,
that we have arrived at a new era in the history of
their tariff. In Turkey, also, they are entering on
a new era, and I believe the subject is also occupy-
ing the serious attention of the Russian Govern-
ment. You will see that many subjects of great
importance connected with the modification of the
different tariffs will come under the consideration
eimns,tiat
of Government, and we shall certainly apply to
those who are perfectly conversant with the effects
of the tariff for instruction on all technical points.
Ititonsis
sthhoenuidexbceeeadinctifelyaidideslizc:
theseth
oantion they can to the Executive
to their own interests, and
give aokfibleigtlaiabtout
sGou.pypelyrtnnihweirheantta.inftteonrrat

C ,sifisrAt. By the author of 4‘ John
Haliflaiß lAx,lSGTentileman," &c. "Everything that emanates
There is a healthy moral tone in her stories ; a
from the authoress of , John Halifax, Gentleman,' is worth
resimple,ading *natural style of writing ; a knowledge of human
nature, and a power of describing it in its best aspects—.
tha no means a common talent—and a capacity for
bringing before her readers everyday incidents, and im-
parting an interest, by making use of them in por-
prtli last
ng tt byo
the
traying character and giving life to the picture, a charac-
teristic which can never fail to attract readers. The whole
story of Christian's Mistake' is full of the lesson of com-
mon life suggested in a singularly pleasant manner."—
John Bull.
A BOROUGH FOR SALE.—A considerable portion
of the borough of Bridgnorth is to be sold by auc-
tion on the day after the meeting of Parliament. The
property consists of about 90 freehold houses, including
some of the most desirable residences in the town, with
nine hotels and public-houses, several shops, building pre-
mises, wharves, &c., with attractive building sites in the
best situations. "It presents," it is said, "considerable
attractions to an enterprising capitalist, not only for in-
vestment, but as tending towards securing a seat in Par-
liament." The population of Bridgnorth is about 7,900
and the number of electors about 700. It always returns
two Conservative members to the House of Commons.
Mr. Whitmore, the Tory whipper-in, is one of the present
represeutativeg.