The Sun.
London, England, 1822-03-22 00:00:00

in this part of the world, for the purpose of pre-

vailing on America to permit a renewal of mer-
cantile communication. Now, before we con-
sent to a measure of this importance, which,

adopted under present circumstances, will pro-
bably never be rescinded ; before we make
the mortifying confession that the United States
can better dispense with our trade than we
with theirs, it is well worth while to inquire
whether the step proposed would really procure

our colonists a relief at all proportioned to the
sacrifice with which it must be purchased. Mr.
MARRYAT complains that the British American
provinces are so glutted with the rum which they
receive in exchange for their lumber and provi-
sions, that no more can be imported, and they conse-
quently cease to make the corresponding exports :
and besides, that their whole yearly consumption
does not exceed the supply yielded by two small
islands, one eighth of the whole Colanial produce,
whereas the United States,while the intercoursewas
open, consumed six times as much. We may observe,
in passing, that the British Provinces would no
doubt have been in a condition to afford the
West India planter a much more profitable mar-
ket, if the fluctuating yolicy of Great Britain
with regard to American Intercourse had not re-
tarded their improvement and perpetually
blighted the growth of their resources : and fur-
ther, that that market, such as it has been,
can no longer be relied upon, but must dwindle
into utter insignificance, if the Provinces, are now
to be thrown into the back-ground by a defini-
tive establishment of the proposed mercantile
relations between the British West Indies and
the United States. But this last connection, it
is urged, will be six times as profitable, and
moreover, the trade of our continental pro-
vinces may be protected by a duty upon such
American commodities as come into competition
with theirs. Whatever may have been the con-
sumption of West India produce by the United
States when the trade was last open, we believe
it is much too hastily taken for granted, on this
occasion, that the Americans would resume their
dealings to an equal extent, or to any such
amount, and on any such terms, as would sensibly
counterbalance that depression in the circum-
stances of our Planters which Mr. MARRYAT so
strongly described. And if this distress be so
urgent that 'we must perforce abandon our own
commercial system, and receive the law from
America with respect to the desired re-
newal of intercourse, how are we certain
that that country would approve of the
duties upon her commodities, by which it is pro-
posed to guard the interests of our own continen-
tal provinces, if those duties ware sufficiently
heavy to answer the purpose of protection ? And
if she should decline supplying our necessities
upon such terms, what resource is left to us ? Must
we totally sacrifice our own northern Colo-
nists, or must the West India Planter conti-
nue in his present difficulties ? According to
Mr. MARRYAT'S representations, the exigen-
cy leaves us no choice. The Commercial
plan, as at present unfolded, would be
rendered still less tempting to America, and
more ruinous to our own provinces, by the sup-
plemental scheme which Mr. MARRYAT suggest-
ed, of permitting our West India planters to send
their produce by direct conveyance to all the
coasts of Europe, bringing back in return, from
the northern ports, supplies of the same commo-
dities (lumber and staves in particular), which
it is proposed to import, subject to a protecting
duty, from the United States. We doubt very
much if, under these circumstances, America
would skew the expected eagerness to trade with

our planters upon such terms as they desire, buy-
ing rum at an ample price, and exchanging for it
the articles required, those articles being charged
with duties, and exposed to a competition pro-
fessedly encouraged in various quarters.
It is also to be remembered, that when this
step is taken, a great and principal source of dis-
tress in our Islands will remain in full activity,
or at least will continue unchecked for a consi-
derable time ; we mean the commercial rivalry of
foreign West India Colonies, in which the Slave-
trade is still unsuppressed. The abolition of this
traffic is a measure which we fear will be very
slowly carried into effect, and at any rate will not
go hand in hand with the opening of our colonial
ports. The activity of foreign► competition,
favoured by this iniquitous resource, will render
the proposed concession far less valuable in the
eyes of America, less profitable to our owa
planters, but at the same time little less preja'
dicial to British interests, and certainly not less
derogatory to our national honour.
We have not controverted any of the statement
offered by Mr. MARRYAT, but have taken all
the facts as lie offers them. Distressed comma'
nities, and the West India planters in particular,
are apt to give the highest possible colour to their