The Sun.
London, England, 1807-08-28 00:00:00

tie ynn aegtiniate.ct.
willt Many ,sale 3 ot e.3tatea..
made Under • the*lntedisacis.tantaeouvrt turn 4
property has been very unsairable,oflift years; :brit .
I have known several estates lately forced to--sale to
lay,. their debts.
In estimating the-return which' yoti ctinsideronght
to 'be made by. properly ini:the,West Ifid e 4, cloyeni
not take into account, the-vrery precarious tenure by
which that property is held, and then-my casualties
to whieli it is subjea ?-:-Donttless I do"; acid
would not • personally; under all -the- casualties- to'
which West India estates are ,stabiedl, .exOtatif,7 an
estate, producing' four per cent. in this country,' for
an estate in' the West Indies supposed to produce
ten. . , . . . . .

Are you acquainted, with tlieiprogressive increase
price of those articles which are suppliedfromGreat
iiritain and Ireland for the use of the sugar plantations,
and if so, state to the Conitnittee the:reSult of your
experience on that subjea,?,---The increase is imp
tuediately within my observation, and, I will give
particular instances of it ; but when I explain, in the
firgt instance, th`ao liana of the fond; ail- of the
clothing, all
,the-utenttils for nianufaattre'and•imple—
. inents of cultivation,ore sent from this country, it,
will be -obionS to the comMittee, that the increase
extience to a West.- India estate has kept 'pace.
•with life increase of expellee in this country ; to
Whie4 must be added theincreaSed rate of charge at.
which they are conv9re.d. On the average of three
years, from 1792 to 1794, we paid for oats 28s. 2db
the average of the -three last.ycars is Jas..; furtlonr
in
theforalr period we paid 4d, in the lat-
.
ter
'about 'for hogsheads in the former perica
Ns. 4d.. andin the fatter' 2 Bd. puncheons• in
the forther•period ose Bd..- in the k3ttet 30s. 6.d. oil,
, cakes to teed the nudes, were in -the former period
101. per thousand, in the latter 171. 175. ; hoops in
the loriner perind'COst 38's: per thousand, in the hit-
ter peribd, they cost iaos., 5 the increased price of',
.cotdage has hem from 40s. per hundred weight, to
70s. ; copper in the fur Mer about :20 peneea
pound in a inatinfaCtilred state; in the latter period
24 pence ; the increased• price ion clothing has: been
Compat%,atively .statal on. irnti-lwork . the increase of
price itattout twenty to twenty-five per cent. ;. the
herrings 'doubled, . •
During the 1 distress tit the trade, have•not-the.
.3400; in respea .to.quantity,!. partictilarly such as
were necessary fur the use and% comfort of the no-
, •
:groes, been Sent .out as :usual ?'-,-From ahout seine'
period, six or seven- year4.agO;.theilate I cannot six,
conceive all the supplies elithe nature alluded to,
ti)11:!ve beet)considerahly increased in quaaity, and
have been always, under all circurnsme4 of
distress; sent out adetittate to the. wants of the 'estates;
bat I have reason to, believe„that in the present sea-
son a .very Materiel d.eficienex, of supplie:s• will be
font-Id,, as a great prOportion' the'slups have gone
dot ertipty. •
To what cause do you attribute the reduaion in
the amount of tho.
,supplies•seat. out during the 134 i,
eonceiye. it to. i/r.ise froth the scarcity, of!
money to thetrade, inducing mostihouses to confine
thei• shipments to those.thingS absolutely necessary
for the cultivation and tlsp of, the, estates, and wins-.
holding pdVentuNs for sale, which gcierallyeom,
.
pose a;comidera Ole proport ion, of ,t he outward-bound,
cargoes. „ •
- What. effea will. the deficiency of the; snpplies.
cseonutcecli4v tveefiugwailipetseivtztiobtete
a.ott's.et.lttboresdttiv.ecsi:ricyl
1' d 1
inconvenience only white
..''.ocrftirlesfrteleise4:ll! egergss,brialPi:S:i°htiolitl y
supposition,l v have pb.t.enzicilgtasset.3.l.v.tued7al:.:

Ufa "'•." •
• Upon the whole? does.it consist with your Mt-W.;
ledge that the distress' of the growers and importers
of sugar, and those dependent. upon sugar planta-
tions, has been .within the last five or six yearS.prO-
gressively accumulated;.and is at present excessive ?
---Doubtless it does consist with nta kdowledge that
the returns front Vest India property ha' been prci-
gressively 'less in the last,five or six years-; and a 3 itt
the present year the average net price per hundred.
weight is eight or none shillings less than on the
average
~I before_gave, which average Was. twelve
• shillings less t hap that of a period of fifteen years past,
I think the distress Which has arisen to the proprie-
tors frein a losi of twenty per hundred
weight must be obvioUs.
What are the's meaSnres, in 'your Opinion, calcu-
lated to relieve:the distress of t-ito•sugar plfmters
• Any measure whielt_wouhl increase the home con-
- sUinption would most effeareally prothlce relief; or
relief would probably result from any measure which
should render sugar. more
.searce and
.dear.on the.
Continent of Europe.
What measttrs'Llppiu rimpeive are best catculated
to'increase the honte consdmption ?---No pradiezbiti
• mode of mtiterird:inVoftance, and rapid died, sug-
gests to nie; e.,:..(,ept the introduaion of sugar
into 'the distilleries. • • _

Do you'conSider that this measure would render
the home consumption equal to the produce brought
into the'market ?--I do net:
What measure do' you conceive best calculated td
assist the export trade; ?—I conceiv3 the trade will
at once be relieved by any measure.; which .should
so far interfere with tbe intercourse; now carried on
between the foreign Colcinies and ihe Coniinent of
Europe, as should either materially lessen the, stip-
ply which the Continent now receives froth foreign
Colonies, 'or should impose such charges on the '
neutral trade as would enable the British Planter to
'meet the neutral importations in:foreign marketi on
equal terms of competition.
What particUl'ar 'meaSures'' have, you in vie,,v in
that answer ?—The blockade of Mdrtinique, G.-
daloupe, and the,Port of'the Havannah, in the ii st
instance, or such additional charges on the tbrei,,n.
trade, or bounty On the British exports, as shall.!,
render the expences on British and foreign produce'
equal delivered in the foreign market. _ _

Do any measures occur to you by which the
Planters could be relieved in the home market )4,-1
thiuk it most probable, that, at the present low
'price of sow, a reduation of duty might not affect
the price, and..the rather as, though the last crop
has sold very !Ow, it has ultimately been taken out of
the market on this supposition. Maturial relief
would be afforded to the Planter, if, instead of
taking a certain duty of 275, per cwt. whatever be,o.
the price of Sugar, the duty were taken by a rey
centage on the 'average Gazette price. The sciL
which had,Sormed on this subject proceeded on a