The Sun.
London, England, 1836-04-25 00:00:00

TRADE WITH TURKEY.

We promised the other day to advert to the very elo-
quent, able, and argumentative speech of Mr. P. Stewart,
relative to the nature of our position with Russia—the ne-
cessity of sending a consular agent to the free and indepen-
dent Republic of Cracow—and the utility of cultivating, to
a greater extent than he alleged has hitherto been done,
strict commercial relations with Turkey and Persia. The
spirit of Mr. Stewart's speech was admirable in every re-
spect, and although erroneous on many important points,
was well calculated not only to strengthen the hands of
the Government, but to arrest any further meditated en-
croachments, on the part of Russia, either upon the
indirectly
upon rights and privileges of her neighbours, or
upon the advantages which this country might derive from
a free and unrestricted communication with them. If Great
Britain be not now awakened to the designs of Russia—
if it have not now (after the disclosures of Mr.
Stewart's Speech), become sensible to the growing dif-
ficulties and perils, menacing our general interests—
as refers to that Power—then, we say, the case
is hopeless indeed ; and let Russia perpetrate what
schemes of aggrandisement she, may, fling what of insult
so ever in our teeth, yet so sunk—so utterly lost in our
degradation must we be, that nothing will ever suffice to
restore us to a sense of honour and independence. That
this, however, is far from being the,fact we have every rea-
son for supposing. Not only is the honour of this country
opposed to the proceedings of Russia, but, without exag-
geration, we may say the individual interests of the com-
munity ; and the Englishman who at this time of day, in
this state of our political, but more especially commercial
relations, would lend himself, not only as the vindicator, but
the mere apologist of the Autocrat, is an enemy not only
to his country but to himself. Mr. P. Stewart's statements,
as illustrative of this opinion, are so varied, so powerful,
and so perfectly incontrovertible, that the best step we
could take would be to follow them, if we had room, with
as much precision as possible, without deviating; either to
the right or to the left ;but, unfortunately, space fails us, on
the one hand, and, on the other we have so repeatedly given ut-
terance to our opinions on the subject, that it would be
little short of a nuisance again to inflict them on our
readers. We subscribe to Mr. Stewart's political recom-
mendations to the fullest extent—his commercial state-
ments are altogether another affair, as well as his inculpa-
tions of the conduct pursued by the present Govrrnment.
Mr. Stewart appears to have been singularly careless,
not only in ascertaining the accuracy, but also the applica-
tion of his facts. He extolled the magnitude and growing
importance of our trade with Turkey, on the one hand, and
depreciated, on the other, that which is carried on between
Russia and this country—insinuating also, at the same time,
that the Government had not done its duty by the country
in furnishing facilities for a more enlarged state of the
one, and throwing impediments in the way of the other.
Now the fact is, that no statements could be more un-
founded, and we say it with all possible respect, no charges
more false. The Government has done every thing that any
Government could possibly have done to further the,com-
mercial interests of this•couctry with Turkey ; and that it
has not done more has been mainly owing to the opposition
toits schemes of improvement on the part of Mr. P. Stewart
and other gentlemen of his way of thinking, who have inva-
riably opposed them. The Right Honourable the President
of the Board of Trade has reduced within the last
year or two the import duties upon fruit, upon madder,
upon velonia, upon oils, and upon lamb-skins, to a merely
nominal rate thereby exhibiting an unequivocal proof
that this country was determined to reciprocate, in the
fullest sense of the word, with the liberal import tariff es-
tablished throughout the dominions of the Sultan, and that
ourimports from Turkey have not been proportioned to
the extent of our exports to it, is not the fault. of his Ma-
jesty's Ministers, but of the system of commercial policy
pursued by Turkey a system which encourages the
import o f all commodities, but encourages the export
of anything grown within its dominions, is a matter of fact
which requires no proof. The material articles of her pro-
duce, namely corn, oil, hemp, timber, flax, copper, wax,
and linseed, are all prohibited, while with regard to opium
and silk, there is a distinct and unequivocal monopoly.
Under such circumstances, what can any Government do,
except that which the present Government has done ?
namely, to reduce the duties on the imports from the pro-
hibiting country, and thereby tempt its subjects to recipro-
cate with us in the export as well as in the import trade?
So far also as the direct efforts of the Govern-
ment, are concerned, there is no ground for any charge
against it. The aointment of a Consular Agent for
Cracow, was determined upon
many days before Mr.
Stewart's motion ; 'and it should be further borne in recol-
lection, that since the accession of the present Government
to power, Consular Agents have been appointed and dis-
patched to Trebizond, and other places of commercial en-
' terprize, without any hint either on the part of Mr. Stewart,
or of any other Member of the Reformed Parliament.
Appreciating as we do, in every respect, t
it
he very excel-
lent and well-timed speech of Mr. Stewart, is painful. to
us to give these damnatory proofs of its commercial inac-
curacy, u
and to add further, that in speaking of the ex-
ports ra cbetween this country and Turkey, he entirely over-

100.., ..........ad1nen.........e....
ked the fact that what he deerno and took to be a
Dade with Turkey, was literally and truly, to a very great
Oldriff a trade with Persia. " The flue of the
,_
manu-
factured prOdtice of this country," said the t-Ti.".2n. MeT"7,'
‘‘ which had been exported in the year 1827, was s;_i;,!u4t.
try' Turkey: In 1828, it amounted to 185,8421., this
being tbd piar of the war ; in 1829 it had increased
to 568,684/. ; and, in 1894, it was 1,207,9411. This
nqs e sufficient proof of the great increase of our
traces with Turkey; which had been fatally placed under the
rule and &a,* of Russia. The chief imports through
Turkey were to AM hanks of the Caspian Sea ; and in
1827, the amount of these was `147,619 pounds of silk ;
and in 1834, 419,000 pounds. Whereas, the total amount
Of Cotton cloth manufactured in 1834, was 355,793,809
yards 404 25,621„490 of these went to Turkey."
Now in contradiction to this statement, we beg to re-
' mind Mr. Stewart of a fact which he might have easily
aseetiaCrig: Instead of our trade with Turkey extend-
ing, in rotttid nu'mlYers,- to 1,200,0001., no less an item than
800,000/. of that trade' goes to Trebizond, a mere place of
transit to Persia : in other vlords, the British trade with
Persia amounts ic 809,000 k, and that with Turkey to
only 00-third of the an..unt set dows by the Honourable
-Member. the tfadowith Persia is increasing to an
i
immense extent, and tg importance is duly appreciated
sed every pos-
,
by the existing Government, which has tZ.
sible means to improve and extend it :--that pf Turkey,
instead of being on the increase, as the lion. Member
stated, is decreasing, notwithstanding the means employa
by the Government, and to which we have already alluded,
for affording it every encouragement.
Upon another point Mr. Stewart is no less mistaken.
Notwithstanding all that he said respecting the interference
of Russia with the free passage of the Danube, we find,
upon inquiry, that only orie British vessel met with the
slightest obstruction, and that that obstruction was either
so trifling or so justifiable as not to be worthy of repre-
sentation either to the Secretary for Foreign Affairs, or to
the President of the Board of Trade. Had any just
grounds of offence been represented,—not an hour, we will
take upon ourselves to aver, would have elapsed, before
Lord Melbourne would have adopted the necessary mea-
sures for repelling the unjustifiable aggression !
In conclusion for the present, and
_Pr the present only
(for we mean to return to the subject), we beg to remind
Mr. Stewart that the only imports from the Danube con-
sist in timber in various shapes, and that he, in the Timber
Committee, was the principal opponent to the free intro-
duction of that article from that and many other quarters,
into this country.
Upon the comparative trade between this country and
Russia, Turkey and Persia, especially, we shall have further
observations to offer as soon as we can. find space for them
Morning Advertiser.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.

MANSION-HO USE.

The Lord Mayor received a letter from Mr. Handley,
the solicitor, whose clerk disappeared a short time ago,
taking with him 8,7001., the property of that gentleman,
stating that the whole of the money had been restored • by
the unfortunate person, who had in a moment of delusion
committed the offence. The letter stated the writer's en-
tire concurrence in the opinion of the Lord Mayor, when
the circumstances of the robbery were publicly mentioned,
that the delinquent was insane when he misappropriated the
money. The facts which had come out since the first move-
ment towards the recovery of the money corroborated the
suspicion. It had been ascertained that the clerk conti-
nued to travel about in omnibuses at the very time the
walls were placarded with bills offering a reward for his
apprehension and conviction, and that he never in the
slightest degree disguised himself. But the most striking
proof of all was, that he actually expected that by giving
up the property to the person whom he had deprived of it
he would entitle himself to the reward—Five Hundred
Pounds.