The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-13 00:00:00

TER StTN, LONDON, THURSDAY 'EVENING, MAY 13, 1847.

rowed until the whole of the previous capital
shall be actually realised according to the provisions
of the existine Act. That such previous capital, whet ,r
'ecl in R' 2. • ' 3 ",
„„.y
proposed extension, purchase, or amalgamation of r.
il-
ways and canals, and that no new capital shall be rai,ed
under such new Bill until the whole of the previously
sanctioned capital shall have been realised.
Mr. ENT WISLE begged that the Hon. Member would
live the railway companies a little more time. They
could not understand the entire object of the motion.
Mr. HUME—It is very simple, it will not take five
minutes to understand, and I cannot consent to a further
postponement.
Mr. MACKINNON said that he would, on next
Thursday, move that no railway company, whose Bill
had been passed this session, and who, as yet, had made
no call, should not be empowered to do so until the first
day of January, 1850.—(Laughter.)
ANDOVER INQUIRY.
Mr. FERRAND gave notice that he would put a
question to-morrow to the Right Hon. Baronet the
Home Secretary, whether certain letters to the Pour-
law Commissioners had been printed by the Govern-
ment and circulated in the country, and, if so, was that
expense to be borne by the public ? And if it was to be
at the expense of the country, he desired to know what
the amount was. _

CAPTAIN WARNER'S INVENTION.
Mr. AGLIONBY wished to ask the Hon. and Gallant
Member for Liverpool the question of which he had
given notice, with reference to Captain Warner's inven-
tion. He wished to know if it was the Hon. and Gallant
Officr's inntention to follow up the returns, which he had
asked for, by any motion upon them?
Sir H. DOUGLAS said that it had been found upon
examination that this new destructive power proposed
by Captain Warner was entirely- an illusion, and, there-
fore, it was utterly unworthy of the further attention of
the House.

DUTY ON FOREIGN WINES.
Dr. BOWRING rose to bring forward the motion of
which he had given notice; that it was expedient that
this House should immediately resolve itself into
a Committee for the purpose of reducing the
duty on foreign wines. This country had already
made great alterations in the Import duties of
this country, and he considered that they should
extend their liberal policy still further. The
best method of carrying out the principles of free trade,
was by admitting the products of foreign countries on
such terms as they should like the products of this
country to be admiited abroad. It was a remakable
fact that several hundred years ago the im-
portation of wine into this country was greater
than it was now. In the fourteenth century
no less than 200 vessels loaded with wine brought car-
goes from the Bordeaux district into England. Now,
if they reduced the duty and increased the supply, he
could this apprehend, that the price would be enhanced
or the supply be reduced. It was a remarkable fact
as bearing on this point, that notwithstanding the large
exportation of tea from China, the eupply had
not fallen off, neither was the price increased.
Wine is the fruit of every temperate clime, and in
Europe, great as is its production, that produqtion may
be increased to an almost unlimited extent, and placed
within the limits of the working classes. He believed
that no limit could be placed to 'its importation. All
wines in France paid ss. 6d. a gallon, or about
Is. id. a bottle of duty. A change took place
took place in the year 1831, when the duty on wine
was lowered from 7s. 3d. to ss. 6d., while Spanish and
Portuguese wines were raised from 4s. 10d. to ss. 6d.
per gallon. The consumption, singular to say, was less
now than it had been twenty years ago. In 1803 and
1804 the revenue received was 2,500,0001. for wine
alone, the consumption being about 6,000,000 or
7,000,000 of gallons. In 1845 the consumption was
6,786,000 gallons, and the duty received was 1,900,0001.
In France, where wine was so cheap as to be within the
limits of ail classes, the wines which were above the cum-
mon qualities paid a duty of 3,000,0001. sterling. Wines
afforded a curious history. They found that of the
wines consumed in this country within the last two cen-
turies, the consumption was, from 1728 to 1744, one-
twelfth of the whole consumption; from 1744 to 1785.
the duties levied on French wines exceeded
cent. per cent. the duty levied on the wines of
other countries, and the importation did not ap-
proach within one twentieth of the whole demand.
Since 1766 the duties levied on French wines had not been
one seventeenth of the whole which had been collected.
Now he could not but feel great interest in our con-
nexion with France, and he was happy to be in-
strumental in any legislation which promoted, either
politically or commercially, our connexion with the
country, and which might promote the consumption ( f
Freud; wines. Much had been done by the southern
provinces of France, and he might instance the exertions
of the Chamber of Commerce of Bordeaux, who htad in
their memorial pressed upon the Government the neces-
sity for taking some measures to promote free trade.
It appeared from the statement of the French excise, by
whom he had been favoured with due information, that
upwards of 800,000,000 gallons of wine were annually
produced in France, of which not more than one-
thirtieth part found its way to foreign countries ; and of
the gross quantity thus produced, the greater quantity
was sold in France, at sevenpence per gallon, or rather
more than three halfpence per quart ; and he did think
that there were strong reasons for allowing some altera-
tion of the duties on the introduction of French wities.
A considerable quantity of wine was produced in the
Austrian dominions, as they found from the statements
of Dr. Springall, who said that 2,300,000,000
gallons of wine were produced is that coun-
try. In Hungary there were 300,000,000 gallons
of wines produced, and in Westphalia 700 gallons per
annum. No doubt if they took the wines of these coun-
tries the inhabitants would take their manufactures in
returm. Important statistics connected with the
trade had been laid before the House. Wine
might be obtained at 3/. per hogshead, which might be
retailed at an equally low price. There was no country
in Europe which had not the means of affording this
country with a great supply of wine. Though they could
not taste the ancient Scian and Talernican wines, still they
land where these were produced existed, and they had
still an opportunity of tasting the vintage of that land
which was so much prized. There were excellent wines
to be obtained in Tenedos, in Cyprus, and in the islands
of the Archipelago, provided the absurd regulations of
hostile tariffs were he oken through. He did know any
mode by which friendly relations between those
countries could be strengthened, than by viewing
the commodities which those countries could produce.
In 1801 the consumption in this country was half a. gal-
' lon per head; in the present year it was not more than
one-fourth of that amount. In :France the consumption
was stated by some persons to be 19 gallons, by others
25 gallons per head. In a siate of vassalage, the slaves of
Rome were reported to consume 68 gallons per annum.
If England consume only one-fifth of the quantity of
wine used in France, namely, five gallons per head, the
sum which would be raised for reveinie at Is. per gallon
of duty, would amount to 7,000,000/. And looking
to other countries, the diminished consumption of
this country is made the more striking. In the Nether-
lands the consumption was twenty-four times greater
per head. In the Hanseatic towns it was five
times greater. In Denmark, with a population of
two millions, there was as much wine imported
ras into Great Britain, with twenty-eight mil-
lions. The facts to which he had drawn attention
with regard to wine were borne out also by a reference
to the consumption of other articles in this country.
With reegard to tea, it was a most remarkable thing that
in 1821, when the price was ss. Bd. per lb., the con-
sumption per head was only one pound, and from
1831 to 1841, when the prices fell to 4s. 2d.
and 4s. etd. per pound, the consumption was
increased to 1113. 40z.; and in 1846, when by a combina-
tion of circumstances the price fell to 3s. 9d. per lb., the
consumption increased to lib. 10oz. Now, what
was the effect of the reduction of duties on the revenue?
In 1821, with a duty of 2s. 10d., the revenue
on this article amounted to 3,738,0001.; in 1841,
when the duty was reduced to 2s. 2d. per lb., the
revenue amounted to 3,978,0001., and in 1846 to
5,100,000/. The results of this reduction of the
duty was as strikingly apparent on the com-
forts of the people. In 1811 the total consumption
was 23,000,0001b5, in 1821 when the price was reduced
to ss. 2d., it was 27,000,0001b5., and when it was re-
duced to 4s. 3d., the consumption was 31,000,0001h5.
In 1841, when the duty was 4s. ld., the consumption
was 36,000,000 lbs. ; in 1843, at 3s. 4d., it was
39,000,000 lbs. ; and the latest test which they had, viz.,
the year 1846, it was 47,500,000 lbs. He could not
but think that matters like those must make an im-
pression on the House and the country. What, again,
had been the case with brandy. That had been one of
those experiments ; they had reduced the duty
from 225. 10d. to 15s. per gallon. In 1841, when
the high duty was in operation, the consumption was
1,164,000 gallons, and the revenue receipt was
1,329,000/. ; in 1844, the consumption was 1,023,000
gallons, and the revenue 1,167,000/. ; in 1845, it was
1,000,000 gallons, and the revenue 1,200,000/. It did
not require a certain number of years for the revenue
to rise to the same condition it was in before the duty
was reduced. The same year was sufficient to reinstate
the revenue in the same condition; in 1846, the quantity
of brandy imported was 1,500,000 gallons, and the re-
venue now was as much as it had been when the duty
was at 225. 10d. This gave them great encouragement
to pursue the same course. The article of coffee
bore out the same result. In the year 1841, the consump-
tion was 28,000,0001b5., and in 1846 it was 36,700,0001 b.
and the reduction of duty had been at the rate of 50 per
cent., or nearly. The duties were one time 6d. and 9d.
a pound. but now it was 4d. and 6d. What, then, bad
been the effect of that reduction ? In 1841 the revenue
was 887,000/. ; and now, with so great a reduction, it was
757,0064, a much greater amount than was returned in
the year, 1843, when the duties were 4d. and Bd. To take
the result still later, as the months of the present year
showed the amount. For the first three months of the year
1846 the sum was 186,000/. ; and for the corresponding
months of the year 1847, 213,0001. So in the matter of
brandy. For the first three months of this year the
quantity entered was 362,000 gallons; in 1846 it was
only 214,000 gallons ; but in 1847 the consumption
during these three months had been 271,000 gallons.
Wine ought to be an article of universal consumption in
this country, but the duty imposed on the article was so
excessive that it was practically excluded from consump-
tion in England. He wanted it to be accessible to the
poor man. He wanted to enable him to purchase a
bottle of wine at the same price he would give
for a bottle of beer. It appeared to him that he had
made out his case. He thought he had proved to de-
monstration that if Government would only make the
experiment upon a large and liberal scale the articles of
wine might be in universal demand for home consump-
tion. He believed it would improve the public health. It
would augment popular engagements,increase the revenue,
extend trade, and altogether give general satisfaction
on these grounds without troubling the House further,
he took the liberty of moving that the House would im-