The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-19 00:00:00

EA7EN.ING E.

ON.
__.

to say that we an guilty of faction because we use the see,
argument Ind dra' v the same distinction ?--(Cheers.)
e_
said the pi (Nile of E nglanil required that the . greet
should be fa irly tried . "If, then, at thisinoment,7yeu said," ;el
the colonist s are sti uggling with such difficulties as
nthave, gee
described, rou are about to do what ?to epehe floodgett
of foreign supply, and inundate the British market
sugar, e produce .of slave labour, the peopleswill be inOtjii
nant." Tee price of sugar in July last-wa5...565. 1011., ,
now 375. 10d. (C heers. ) You have since then given sail
creased facility to the introduction of East ladia sugar, a"„
you have equalized the duty on rum. You vow find it esP:i
client' to try a different course. Be it so. ,Take that cotlf.,,
I shot. Id have given you full credit for your motives, but nil;
you tat e that course do not think it necessary tp charge Y.
opponent,' with fact on because they take the course a s,
you' have abandoned.- —(Cheers. ) Sir, that is all the °bier:,
tion I wish to ma'i,e with respect to the question of sugar;
I could have been contented to have here terminated lii
servations, if 1 had not been constantly- remindedthat
great commen tial and financial crisis—that the question of sum
is intimately e:onnected with otter measures—that tie
tee
vcrnment solic it investigation of their general play, and that
have no right to confine ourselses to the simple discus:v
,°e
the,question. Sir, I say that the principles of free tr, ;car,
in no way concerned with this question of sugar.--i
hear.) It stands in so peculiar, special, and unparallele a
aition that it is apart from all the principles of free trade,_
all other questions, and on its own sacred ground I gi'co.)
vote against the introduction of slave-grown sugar.—( ring
I do not deny that there is in this country great manaratlete
diseeess and lam sure that to whatever party we may "r
we all hear' with the utmost pain and grief those details °,
ea
diviaual suffering which are brought under our notice ; in,
protest against them as legitimate argiimerits by which t°
~on
fluence the judgment of the House. No man can hear`"the
with greater pain and affliction than I do. I heartily wish
the'
some measure could be devised for their relief ; but, at the,
co
time, I am bound to say that at all times, and under Owe
cumatances,we have had similar details of this t4raraee
and that never can hope, in the complicated trivg
of society in which we live—with the extensive enanufaet°sso
concerns in which we are engaged, to see the time when
_do
appeals may not be made, and when it may not be attemenivee
influence our reason an 1 judgment by harrowing el, °lir, ,e•
ings with these melancholy details. Although 1 admit thim,
vere pressure of this manufacturing distress, I must at th" vd.
time say that I do not view with the same alarm and clesPeetho
envy as other Hon. Gentlemen the commercial position "'hoe
country. Ido not see the grounds for the alarm they
ants
expressed. I have referred with some anxiety to the aced
laid before the House, of commerce and. manufactures, this
belief is, that it is but a temporary pressure. I. fore'd
tomato
opinion on the documents printed by the House, and o
ing the amount of the export and import trade of the coon
00.
during the last three years-1838, 18.39, and 1840. Th tat
cial value of our exports in 1838 was 92,000,0001. his i', the
97,000,000/. ; and in 1840, 102,000,0001. • If you judge 'isle
official value I am aware that with respect- to quantity no ';,51
factory reference can be drawn, so I turn to :the ao°001,;
of declared value, which, in 1838, was 49,6,30'
In 1839 52,700,000 e, and in 184051,000,0001., being a
,Itee
cation for the last year in the declared value of pre' ne
of 1,700,0001. In the cotton manufacture thereswas °°nes
crease. In the linen manufacture there ,was .130 incr, ,04
The decrease was in earthenware, .in hardware'
in woollen and silk manufactures. On the declaredsrd,
of 1839 and 1840 the defalcation in earthenware, :toe
ware, and in woollen and silk manufactures was 1,0
I find that the United States take the chief part of our 'elf of
factures. They take two-fifths of our handware, onr-liateee
our silk-manufactures, and one-third of our woollen IliaT the
tures. When I consider the embarrassed situation erpite
United States, ou account of the state of credit arid earraso
in that country—when I see the increased demand for "lithe
articles of British produce, I entertain a hope that whegoel
temporary difficulties of the United States shall have esfac'
.away, there will be a corresponding increase in our 114°-„t to
tures. We must not be in a desponding mood with relein-eiel
the demand for our articles of manufacture in, .the (rots
States.—( Hear, hear, hear.). The value of expo' states,
Great Britain and Ireland to the . United 'OO
-amounted in dollars in the year 1835 to 612,000,000, hide
to 788,000,000, it then suddenly fell to 44,000,000, it t dr
wards rose to 65,000,000, and the next there wag's grea ess,
crease, as might naturally be expected. Although theretini
such a defalcation, yet experience in ountrade with the nto
States warrants a hope that the demand in -that country d tie
again revive. Now just look to the state of our trade a°, re
vigation; I cannot reconcile-that state with the assertiolio the
specting failure in- our manufactures and prosperity. .„
the
year 1838 the tonnage on new built vessels registerert ;1-04°
United Kingdom was 157,000, in the year 1839 296,00°'
333,000; in 18,38 the total .number 'of ships- entered '° rette
was 4,000,000 ;in 1139, 4,432,000 ;in 1840, 4,657'40' the
shipping outwards amounted, in 1838, to 4,099,000 ; .n e,
tf
year 1839, 4,492,000 ; in 1840,, 4,781,000. Now, eertg'-er,
there were that severe and universal distress which Faso
tioned, he could hardly reconcile that increase in trail of
navigation, as determined, not by the number of vessels, ', to
tie° tonnage, with any statement to that effect. Lookinr
the condition of the United States—looking to the 'later!, 0
terrtention in trade from our relations with China—l Per ge,
the interruption of our commercial intercourse with
,',,•?,-rese
looking at the position of France and other countries or ',air
convulseel with the fears of war, whereby commercial trap tlO
tions muss,'
_be necessarily interrupted—if a deficieneY 'r' ken
declared value of British exports during the last year ha: t ite
place, I do not infer from that circumstance I"ancriti
ought to give tip all hope in the manufacturing' Inn
of this country. I am not prepared to admit that
country be prospe.rous, there should not be a relaxation lons
due restrictions ou -commerce. lam riot prepared to saYlli•
et us remain stationa,ei, if we improve the commercial inn'''c
u
tion of our country ; but let us apply ourselves to the feral
derarion of the means. by which we may increase the Prg"ri-air'
of the country.' The Boit. Member for Wolverharnptonoe
eel
Villiers) insisted that I otre;ht to make a declaration
sentiments' with respect totr9tt e
he principles of free st• i
s
Hon. Genileman said that hie principles and the princes
such of his friends as concur with him, are those that, ir;t to
reference to any other consideration, your true Imlicir
be to bny in the cheapest market.. If these are the print
of the lion. Gentleman, and if they' are to be invariably
without deference to circumstance's ortimes,- I can e" ,- Y.
that in the application of these prinepleal do. not concu'oe
-don't press themavith reference to a vouetry where, therein
no reformed institutions, hut, as my Noble Friend, said" -,„tic
country of such complicated relations, of such extensive eoilit:de
as this, with such various moral and rocial- ohlr,o,gi"s'oestl4
pendent of mere commercial advantages, to say Ma: Yfar
rigidly and uniformly apply those principles,
my opinion, only involving this country in inextricablecet'lo
Bullies. I apprehend her Majesty's Government, howestiro be
Hen. Gentlemen may laud the course they are takingae doe:
obliged to-dissent from the principles of free trade, MS
_',"incipiro
by the Hon. Gentleman. If the Hon. Gentleman's t
OUI
really be to buy in the cheapest market, what does I eof
the proposition of the Government to impose a duller/ea
'
upon wheat ?—( Hear, hear.) Why not permit a P,ieert
free aad unrestricted importation of wheat, sugare_.::dentas
and everything else, if the principles of the Hon. the
be fully carried out ? The, Government claims for thernse, nre
same privileges which I claim ',for myself, namely. -1 tlo"
thing to do with these abstract princip _
let without. knew' be
circumstances under which, and the time when they there
applied. Notwithstanding the Noble Lord.had said thatco,,iol
was no man from whom Mr. Huskisson reeeired•M°" that 1,
support than he did from me, I will not hesitate, to say'and
the time I did support the proposition of Mr. 11 usklsseeLat to
the result has confirmed my opinion. I think I ,creelel alirt;Pool
the Noble Lord for a confirmation of this, that one etether, t
assigned by Mr. Huskisson for joining in the Goes ielr
the Duke of Wellington, was his having received eon-'l'a„ try
port. from me. The only obstruction thrown in his'n ter!,
by the Hon. Member for 'Coventry, and that was on till'
girt
010
question to which you referred. Every argument that rre
be collected was, with the assistance of the silk inanufag nele
of Coventry, put forward by that Hon. Gentleman, in rf'
to have Coventry exempted from the application of the Pet:ie hi
pies of free trade. The only opposition in the motion Wiles
Mr. Huskisson was by a motion proposed by a We'd her
Gentleman who is now the columen decusque rerun one'
Majesty's present Government, and he was suPP- the
in that opposition by a faithful adherent fe.,sohr'
same party, who was then the Member for .reijitego'
and who has since been promoted to the office of jail
The colleague of the Noble Lord was not content withaegointe,
the principles of free trade, but he accused us, who'arly- , se°,
them, of being cold and bloody metaphysicians.—(Cheerot&
laughter.) We, according to the language of Burke,'asll:nliir
by the Right Hon. Gentleman, were actuated by all thee eel'
nity of the' devil, and with a sovereign contempt,for't",,r,
fare of maniind.—( Cheers and laughter. ) Such Wasnot
guage of the Noble Lord's colleague, and he said th;! oar
merely against the motion respecting silk, but' to discredit
the
whole commercial principles, and cur perseverance 'rifled'
course which we had framed. That was the occasion °an onthe Noble Lord referred with so much exultation. g-s the
which, he said, we gave a cold and lukewarm support
tat-bsto
measures of Mr. fluskisson, who, the Noble-Lord wee, Whig
us believe, was borne on in his course by the tide ei
support.—( Cheers and laughter from the Opposition.) „ert
the Noble Lord claimed excluive -credit• for the !Orwell"
those principles, and said that if he went out of office ,be.S
pack up his principles of free trade, and carry there with
ho
—( Great laughter from the Tory bendier)--'_. th, 3„eiscsi'
would carry them away, foreseeing that we, who had ", Of;
been opposed to them, would try to rob him of his Pro}
hut that such was his magnanimous generosity beforehaet, the
he would stand by his priiiiiphis, and not withhold fro!' !,`,,etor
necessary supply of Liberal rinciphsa.—(Shouts of pre
';',,tie
from the Tories. ) How does the a oble Lord 'claim tier'' clod
sive dominion over the principles of Mr. Husk;ss°°, ' —tee prr
11 . )
cheers. ) - Where did we ever hear of that tinier
tannosii loos,
sent moment ?—( Vehement cheering from the —ra „„eiiive
Was there ever a public man that pronounced A it'"ie,; pro'
-condemnation of the principles of free trader thaw ra thorns
Minister?—( Renewed Tory cheers. ) ,When Lord fro'
said that it was absolute insanity to .deprive r )00
tection—(Cheers)—and who used • language that might
been mine—(Cheers)--that in the present. complicated, pt
tions of the country it \vasimpossible to apply the
free trade Hear, hear)--yet .no man rose in thin, 114sioi
to protest against this dea!aration.—(Loud cheers:)
the budget of last year.. on the principles of ,free f(a,ct
was five per cent.' upon the Customs and Excise ace.otalig,re)
the principles of free 'trade ?—( Tory cheers and latiabi-,00
Will Gentlemen say that five per cent. duty additional
tobacco last year, which was already taxed 1,200 per eentSeer'
according to the .principles of free trade ?—( Renewed. e“
inn. ) In truth Government do not mean to apply the .T -yOO
ciples of free trade, and you should not talk of them es ', ere
were the exclusive professors of them for a long series of 3cti,e)r
I assented to these general principles of free trade \Olen,
were prevented in a very different manner, when they n'er,-ei of
berly and cautiously pre:iented, with the power and irreg.-die
effecting what we proposed—( 'Vehement cheering, fro ely°
Tories)—when the public mind ,was prepared for then', °co'
opposition was weak and its success was prevented by rireeter:
which tious and deliberate manner in our nrea-a!
were brought forward.—( Vehement cheers from the'r(ie)fr.
We acted in this mariner when we were in union flit''
Husk isson.— ( Hear, heir. ) I have no doubt you will :n(o°s.
quire from me what 1 propose relative to the Corn-13.;0i0
(Hear, hear ) I will nut sh, ink tram expressing nIY °P eel
on the subject. lam aware that lean consistently with InYoceo
give my opinion, and I will give it --(Cheers.) if b„g`,,ttle
reason to change my course,
men opposite have done ; 1 maintain the opinions and undo{
opinion on this subject.—(
to the course which I have already avowed, perfe'c't I would do so, as Hon. ‘-'`,ll.,eie
terred by the menaces which appear to threaten declarer'°. the,
formidable combination whirls stands against the suftrrielast
the present Corn-laws—notwiths,anding the deelarattolo4ti'
they mint either be repealed, or a fixed dirty must be redie
rjheers ) Noe's- ithstandiraf
1,5 et
tuted for the sliding, scale —notwithstanding the' P, P, en°
tion and declaration, I do not hesitate to avow my a"11.:,.0(4,
to the opinions which I.expressed last year, and nirreTses-ringe,'
of a graduated scale to any fixed duty.—( Great e"`Soistiei
I said last year, and I repeat now what I' slid on the.,isee.
of' the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton—l said-that Id nog
with .anxiety the state of iranufactures—l said then
think that a prosperous state of manufactnring industre' eta;`'
country was most intimately connected. with a prosperr: ro '
of agriculture. I could then and I say now that'tato.,the''
Petily of manufactures is .a greater support to-attriew%thrrs:
any system of Cure-tan's could be, ,
.1 pre",
But I said tat that I decidedly prefer the principle slid
Scalers, 'the
daated and sliding scale to a fixed duty.—(Cheers")-• it er
not bind myself-to a rigid adherence-to the exacesee.or,e.
-
isted, but I reserve to myself the fad. over of .consid
details. All that I declared was, that I preferred the Prs„infotrf
as compared with that of a fixed duty. I hold the same