The Sun.
London, England, 1831-09-29 00:00:00

quantity of foreign sugar imported, he begged to remind
the House of Mr. Huskisson's remark respecting the small
quantity of Mauritius sugar that could he produced, and
to ask them to look at the quantity now imported.--
When once the door of permission was opened, it was
difficult to say to what extent the privilege might not be
carried. When the difficulties of the West India pro
prietors were considered, and when ruin looked them in
the face, was this a policy which ought to be pursued
towards an interest to relieve which an anxiety was pro-
fessed, particularly when that interest did not ask relief,
but only that its burdens should not be increased ?
(Hear, hear.) Was it wished to retain the colo-
nies ? If so, and if the distress of those colonies were
such as it notoriously was, it could not lie consistent with
the professed views and intentions of his Majesty's Mie
nisters to refuse an inquiry. He trusted no reliance
would be placed upon a statement which had been ad-
dressed to the Noble Lord—(Lord ALTIIORP signified as.
sent)—by some gentleman, end which he (Mr. Burge)
bad seen some Members reading, which contained the
grossest falsehoods ever penned. Whoever the gentleman
might be who wrote that address, be could not permit so
gross a libel on the character of the West India interest to
pass unnoticed, which bad no foundation in fact. The
Hon. Member here pointed out some misstatements in the
paper he referred to. He eulogiz-d the character of the
West India merchants and colonial body, many of whose
difficulties, he observed, had resulted from their liberal
conduct towards their labourers abroad. He would in-
stance the case of a West India merchant of the highest
respectability, long a Member of that House, who had re-
cently failed, (Mr. Manning we presume,) not through
any extravagance or wanton speculations, but through the
drain occasioned by the demands of the labourers on his
estates for clothing and subsistence. The Hon. Member
concluded by moving as an amendment " That a Select
Committee be appointed to inquire how far the permission
to refine foreign sugar in this country is opposed to the in-
terests of the West India colonies, and tends to encourage
the continuance of the slave trade."
Mr. P. THOMSON must acknowledge that the Hon.
Member had shewn considerable skill in his endeavours to
enlist on his side the sympathies of the gentlemen who in
that House advocated the cause of the negro, but his at-
tempts to impugn the Bill, whether as a measure of policy
or humanity, had been equally unsuccessful. The Hon.
Member had completely failed in establishing that the con-
sumption of foreign sugar would increase in this country,
and that the measure of Government was not at all calcu-
lated to favour the slave trade. In the whole range of his
speech he had been able to bring forward but one argu-
ment, and one solitary fact, neither of which would stand
the test of examination. The fact was, that the Bill was
einthing more than a renewal of the old Bill with the pro-
visions of which the Hon. Gentleman was evidently unac-
quainted. He did not appear to be aware that for every
hundred weight of foreign sugar imported into this country
an equal quantity of West Indian sugar would be exported,
and, bearing in mind this important point, it was cliff'
cult to perceive the injury to be inflicted on the colonial
interests. The truth wag, the principle of the Bill had
been sanctioned by the Legislature over and over,—in
the silk trade, the cotton trade, and other leading
branches of our manufactures. The sugar must be re-
fined somewhere, and the Bill would enable this country to
have the benefit of the process instead of Hamburg or Am-
sterdam, or any other place on the Continent where it
might be refined, and imported into England for con
eurnption. The Right Hon. Gentleman went into
numerous details, to prove that the West Indian interests
at present possessed all fair advantages of the market. He
believed that the introduction of foreign sugars for refining,
if carried to any extent, would be most beneficial to the
British ship-owners, for a very large amount of British
capital was invested in the production of sugar in the
Brads ; and it was to the advantage of the growers to
import it in British bottoms. He was satisfied that the
measure did not effect any injury to the British West-
Indian interests, and he only begged the House to bear in
mind that the Bill was to last but for one year. 2
Mr. GOULBURN thought the merits of the question
lay in a very narrow compass. Though he had examined
the subject with his best attention, he had not been able
to make up his opinion one way or the other, and saw
not bow any Hon. Member could arrive at a decision
upon such a complex question, without inquiry before a
Select Committee. That inquiry he earnestly urged upon
the House.
Lerd ALT amp bad no objection to inquiry, so as it
did not interfere with the progress of the present Bill. It
should be recollected that Ministers had, on a former
occasion, assented to a proposition of the Noble Member.
for Buckinghamshire for a Committee of Inquiry, but that
the West India interest refused to take advantage of the
opportunity. The Bill was a temporary measure, to be
in force but one year; so that its being passed now would
not preclude a full inquiry on a future occasion, though itn
t
was plain that such an ioquiry at the present mome
would delay the Bill too long for tiny useful practical pur-
pose this Session.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. GORDON contended that if the Bill were allowed
to continue in force on.' other year, the result would be
ruinous to the West India interest, and, perhaps, fatal to
the connexion of the West India Colonies with the mother
country.—(Hear.)
Mr. MABERLY, as a friend to the West India in.
terest, would suggest to the Hon. and Learned Gentleman
(Mr. Burge) the expediency of withdrawing his motion
for the present, and, if he so thought fit, of bringing it
forward on a future occasion in the mode pointed out by
the Noble Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Mr. J. WOOD conceived that the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman had entirely failed in tracing the existing dis-
tressed condition of the West India interest to the opera-
tion of the present Bill.
Mr. HUME argued that relief ought to be extended to
the West Indian Colonies, but contended at the same time
that as Government had determined to grant a Committee
of Inquiry, the West Indian interest ought to allow this
Bill to pass for one year.
Mr. JOHN WEYLAND supported the proposition of
Government.
Mr. ROBINSON was almost inaudible amidst the calla
of the House for " Question." He was understood, how-
ever, to support the motion of Mr. Burge.
The House then divided, when there appeared--
For theinotioti
Against it
• Majority for Ministers
On our entering the gallery we found Mr BURQE on
his legs, declaring that be would, in every subsequent
stage, oppose the progress of this Bill as far as the forms
• of the House would allow.
Mr. B. GORDON hoped that after the small majority
which Ministers had obtained, they would not persist in
forcing this Bill upon the House.
A desultory conversation then took place between Sir
Burdett, Mr. Goulburn, Mr. C. Ferguson, and Mir K.
Douglas ; after which Lord Althorp declared his intention
of persisting in this Bill.
The SPEAKER then put the question that this report
be now received.
• The gallery was cleared for a division, but no division
took place. The report was then received, and a Bill was
ordered to be brought in pursuant to the above resolutions.
The other Orders of the Day were then read, and the
(louse adjourned at Half-past Two o'clock.

The death of the Bishop of WORCESTER,
together with the present state of the Episcopal Bench,
has, it is said, effected a considerable change of centitnent
among some of our Right Reverends as to the Reform NIL
The occupants of two of the richest Sees in England, the
Bishops of ELY and DUKHLii, have been for some time
confined from illness. Dr. BATuur, of Norwich, is be-
tween SO and 90 ; and the Bishop of SALIca4URY and the
Archbishop of YORK- are both aged men—the latter be-
tween 70 and f3O. Prudenee, therefore, dictates that the
Bench and the Minister should by no means, at this mo.
merit, be on any other than the most trim* terms.
Dublin Tiniee.
JOHN HODGSON, Esq. M. P. has written to
the freemen of Newcastle resident in North and South
Shields, to inform them that by an alteration of a clause
in the Reform Bill they will retain the privilege of votir.g
for Members of parliament for this town. The clause
originally stood " within seven miles of the place of elec-
tion," and has been altered to " within seven miles of the
city or borough," the distance being c,oinputed from the
boundary of the city or borough respectively. Lord
JOHN Russsm. stated that the die:ance was to he com-
puted from the nearest way that
person could trave
foot without being guilty of & tresp,
Tyne Mercury.
SIR WALTER SCCTT.—This distincmished
left Abbotsford on Saturday,
person, we understand, to
fulfil his purpose of spending the tinter at Naples.He
r
embarks for Malta on board the
Barham, of :32 guns,
Captain Ricca'.
His MAJESTY, in the kindest and hand-
somest manner, we are given to believe, tendered this
mode of conveyance to the worthy Baronet. Sir WALTER,
the course of
successful a career. We can speak with some authority
on this last point, having seen a proof of one of the last of
the introductions with the author's corrections,w-Caleda•
,4;a7, lterrwry,