The Sun.
London, England, 1838-08-16 00:00:00

son, that it is so very late Ca Om Parliamentary SessfOns
and so few Members of Parliametare in town ! If it were
in the height of the fashionable Llndo.: grAeon his Lordship
would not hesitate to interfuse his Po.riiileaentary wisdom
into the Bill—or, in his own words, "to introduce into
the Bill some other and additional c! lies, fa order to
make clear what were the intentions of the Legislature
with regard to the affairs of Canada ;" but because - the
London crowds have departed, and Members have paired
off, and nobody almost is to be found in the Park or at
the Opera but the Queen and the Comt, the intentions of
the Legislature with respect to Canada ,Nust be left in the
dark, and perhaps utterly misunderstood. There is no re-
sisting this ex necessitate argument. To embark in
legislation late in the month of August—eN'en though
it were to save a province—is too much to ex-
pect from a " Liberal Ministry and a Reformed Par-
liament." This is Lord John Russell's case as he hit nself
puts it to the House of Commons. We are bound in ecn-
dour, however, to give our opinion, that his reasons for not:
attempting to introduce explanatory clauses into the Canada
Indemnity Bill are not quite so frivolous as he, in his weak
and silly mismanagement of affairs, thought proper to state.
It was no fear that there would not be a sufficient number
of Members in town to give weight to his explanatory
clauses, which induced him to withhold them ; but a fear
that there was a sufficient number of Members in town to
put him in a minority, if he had made the attempt. His
Lordship did not desire to repeat at the end of the Session
the same humiliatinß ceremony of eating humble pie, which
at the beginning of the Session he was obliged to go
through, upon this same Canadian question. It has been
from the beginning a very unlucky and ill-managed affair,
so far as Ministerial credit is concerned, and it seems likely
to continue so to the end. It would be a curious thing if,
after all, Lord Durham should manage to turn out the
Ministry without intending it.—Morning Post.
In the debate, which took place in the House et Lords,
on Tuesday night, on the subject of the commercial
relations of Great Britain with foreign countries, Lord
Brougham rioted in the common-place; of the free-trade
philosophy. To the Noble and Learned ex-Chancellor of
the Whigs, it seemed the easiest thing in the world, to
resto're prosperity to the trade of the country. A repeal
of the Corn Laws, and of the duties on Baltic timber,
would, he alleged, suffice to the attainment of that great
object.
" Let their Lordships look to the trade with the Baltic,
where timber was to be obtained for ship-building purposes in-
finitely better than that obtaina:ge from North America, but
which had a heavy duty imposed upon it.; and how was it to
be expected that a counter trade was to be carried on, unless
they mere enabled to send something horde in lieu of Bri-
tish manufactures? But what did they do ? Wire, they levied
duties for the protection of Canada timber, b-riiic,h was ex-
pressly a worse article, and thus stunted the east country
trade for the sake of Canada, and obtained a worse article,
not at a cheaper but a dearer rate."
In this passage, there are several errors in fact ; whilst the
spirit of the whole is utterly fallacious. In the first pace,
Canadian timber is not, for many ordinary purposes, inferior
to Baltic timber. For all ordinary uses, indeed, the timber
of Canada is, at least, equal to Baltic timber ;—for some
ordinary uses, perhaps, superior. In the second place, Ca-
nadian timber is not really dearer than Baltic—for, if the
trade in timber were thrown open, Baltic timber would,
very speedily rise to double its present price! True, the
timber of the Baltic, whilst it remains almost excluded
trim the English market, sells at a comparatively
cheap rate ! Let, however, the English market be
opened to it,—and the price would rise, in a
manner, absolutely astounding! Nay, not merely would
the demand in England for Baltic timber render
that timber exceedingly dear, but, as a matter of
course, Baltic timber would, then, be heavily taxed by
the Sovereigns of the countries, in which it is pro-
duced. Whilst, however, Baltic timber would change its
market value so rapidly, the timber of Canada would un-
dergo a similar change. For, if England did not protect
tii3 labour and capital of her North American Colonies,
E::gland, let it be borne in mind, must, of necessity, con-
snt to abandon those Colonies. But the Canadas, if
abandoned, could never constitute an independent country !
No. Tue United Sates would, in that event, absorb the
Canadas ; and one of the first movements of the Rulers of
the United States would be to tax the Canadian timber
destined for the British market. Under the prescnt sys-
tem, therefore, so fiar from paving higher prices for timber
than we should do und.a. a system of free trade, the very
leverte happens to be the fact ; and the partial exclusion
from our markets of Baltic timber renders both Baltic andl
Canadian timber much cheaper, than they otherwise would
be. On the effects of the Corn-laws, Lord Brougham
descanted thus glibly :
" He must now give ti ir Lordships another reason for the
declirle of trade—their Lordships were not only dealers in
timber, but in corn also. And while they gave this protection
to Canada timber, and upheld the Corn-laws, they not only
comuellerl people to live ni bad houses, but also to eat dear
bread. They complained that the Baltic trade had fallen off;
but such must be the case, because the only articles of trade

from that quarter were timber at:d grain, and they were the
cause of the ruin of this trade who compelled the people to
cat dear bread and to live in bad houses; and they could not
expect the countries bordering on the Baltic to take British
manufactures, unless England would takeltic timber in
return. Now, what was the consequence of this ? Why,
within a short period of time the quartern loaf had risen from
lid. to I Id. in England, while the quartern loaf ae Amsterdam
and Antwerp was cheaper by tvi less an amount Owl 52 per ,
cent: He thought it would not be a very comfortable thing
for the people of this country to know that the Corar-laws
had the effect of making bread 52 per cent. dearer than it was
at Antwerp and Amsterdam, the tax paid by the consumers of
bread in this country, amounting to no less a sum than from
17 to 18 millions annually, in consequence of this depravel
system. In foreign countries labour was cheaper, because
bread was cheaper, and they were actually buening the candle
outer
could only trade in',
at both ends, because Eogland refused to take the articles
these
to co tri
and enabled other coun-
tries means of cheap labour, and consequently to
sell cheap wares. Thus, in both ways, the effect was to contract
the trade of the country. He must say he re:Trotted to bear the
Noble Viscount, on a former discussion, state ,that he would
not entertain the subject of an alteration in the Corn-laws;
and he hoped his Noble Friend would be induced to, reconsider
that determination."
It can scarcely be necessary for us again to refute those
worn-out fallacies in favour of " cheap bread," and in re-
probatiAt of every system which professes to afford the
slightest protection to domestic and colonial industry ! But,
although we might not deem it worth while to correct' for
the hundredth time, the errors into which Lord Brougham
is betrayed by his free trade philosophy, still we cannot
deny ourselves the pleasure of quoting the admirath'e coin-' •
mentary supplied by the Duke of Wellington on the kiluur
drrs of the Whig Ex-Chancellor ! •
" The timber trade was a great question ; it was not grit of
colusial pt,licy only, but was a great navigation question,
ire which this country was nationaly interested, but in
which also the interests of the trade of the country were most
materially invoked. It was not a mere question of traffic in
such or such a n,a. ket, but was a great question of navigation, and
of colonial policy. Then, with expect to theCarn-laws. Why, this
was not, su, e!y, a question of commerce, but a great question
of na,ional policy, and he confessed he had heard with great
pleasure the (feel iration of the Noble Viscount the other even-
ing that he would not entertain the question of a repeal of the
Corn-la': s. But there were two points which the Noble and
Learned Lord had omitted to refer to in the discussion of this
question—the first was the influence which the system of the
Corn-laws had in Ireland; and, secondly, but not the least
important po'nt, was the security and independence of this
country Jr its food. JVo point was so certain as this, if
_England came to be dependent upon the countries bordering on
the Baltic for its jbod that the Emperor 6.J. Russia and the
King of Prussia, as they had done before, woutV levy a tax on
that
,food, on its beity embarked for transmission to this
country."

The commercial policy of Lord Brougham, and 'of the .
school of pernicious pedants to which his Lordship belongs,
is that sort of policy, the unfailing result of which, in all
ages, has been, the transformation of great States into
feeble ones. Most truly, did Napoleon ob erve, that if the
political economists were permitted to direct public affairs,
they would contrive, in an incredibly short period of time, to
crumble an empire of granite into powdor ! It is interesting
to find the rivAl of Napoleon bearing practical testimony to
the truth of Napoleon's remark, by the quiet rebuke which
he administered to the babbling su4estions
.of Lord
Brougham on the subject of the Corn-laws, and the timber
duties !--illorning Herald.

As two boys wete engaged the other day, at Tre-
goney, in catching finches with a ca'ling bird, in a cage, a hawk made a
dash at it, when he became eatani;l2d among the twig; which had been
prepared with bird-lime for smaller prey, and the young fowlers speedily
secured him.—Cornwall Gazette.

The works on the and Dresden Railway
arc rapidly approaching towards completion ; and every additional step
made in opening further portions of the road to the trains for pasten.
gers and goods, increases the enthusiasm of the population in favour of
the railway system. At the Leipsic end. the opening was to be made
un Aulust 31st, as far as Wurzen, 31 Saxon, or 21 English miles; and
and on July 19th, the Dresden end was opened for 2 Saxon, or 12 Eng.
lish miles, leaving about 40 miles yet to open.—Railway Magazine for
Saturday.

Down to the 31st of July there had been in the
county of Somerset 343 notices of meetings for tit,: commutation of
title;; 120 agreements had been received by the Commissioners, of
which 95 bad been confirmed; and 31 apportionments' had been re.
ceived, of which 13 had been confirmed.—Dorsci County Chronicle.
A new combination of metals, as a substitute for
the watchpieces in which the pivots turn, and which are liable to become
damaged by the action of the oil, has been submitted to the Academy of
is
ul, cottoni
but
the
Libvuesri Liverpool.
es
Ig o.
donef the
I n
Sciences. It consists of platina, silver, and copper, and oil has no effect
oil t!.
STATE OF TRADE.—There has been a fair inquiry
both for goods and yarn during the last few days ; but the buyers, who
were compelled
;a:e of t.tec subsequent
ta .
tth tyo
hgai
have
ahsisoult.bgslbi
et advanceeunelit d
very successful,
f week nconsequence
vcr
co
ul lasticce n at
e
increased firmness of the Cotton Market at that time, have endeavouredatthotitsthaakete pricesteandi of last week has been on a rather limited scale.—Manchester
Guardian.