The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-13 00:00:00

VENING EDITION

brought it forward to the House. He (Mr. Labouchere)
would now come to the year 1625. when another tt 11 more
important step was taken ueder the auspices of Mr. Huse
ki,son, who introduced many measures of colonial reform
in that House, and whb pawed the Act which with a few
excerione was the law that now regulaeed the celenial
trade f this country. Mr. Huskisson relaxed the nsvitra-
tion laws, and establiiired boneine warehouses io the colo-
niea—a measure of the greatest advantage hall to the Co-
lonies and the mother country. In the third place he took
off theta prohibitory duties which Mr. Rotinson :eft un-
touched, and he established regulations for the eroteefon
of duties that still exit. The Right Hon. Gentleman
here proceeded to read extract.; from the speech de'ivered
in the House by Mr. Huskisson, on the occasion referred
to, in which be clearly stated the views and principles on
which he introduced those measures of reform in the e ilo-
nia{ trade. Before he (Mr. Labouchere) proceeded to
state the p.iaciples on which the measure he had the ho-
nour to introduce was founded, he could not help ternark-
leg that every one of those measures of relaxa'ton in the
colonial trade—every one of those advances towards a more
indulgent and liberal course of policy towards the colonies,
encountered the most violent opposition from those iate-
rested in those colonic?, and who fancied they would be
injertel by those measures being adopted. The first mea-
sure of allowing Ireland to trade with the co-
lut•ies met with the most decided and vio-
lent opposition;--- When Mr. Huskisson introduced
his ltle-SSUre tbe..e were t eetions from Menet:es-
tsr, Bristol, Liverpool, and other ports., against it.
Mr. Robinson's me isure encountered a similar storm
of opposition, and 3et every step that hid been taken in
this courted of ref.non had been marke 1 with the mist de-
deed success. It was no doubt necessary to proceed in
those eases with great precaution and care ; however,
when those measuresited proved not only sati,feetory but
beneficial ale', they sliould be carrel ota still further. lie
bad stated that them duties had made gone no material al-
teration since 18.15, and that he felt it his duty to propose
sotto aleera.ions in the system. Most important revolutious
had taken place in trade since that period ; and it be,.nme
the House and the Government to reflect whcher the
time was not came when it was their duty to censurer that
these dufes and regulati)ns should be revised. lie had
cited before that Mr. Huskisson had proposed to cp n a
direct train with. the colonies with foreign countries., who
should give what he considered an equitable return as re-
garded trading with C.eir colonies. With respect to that
power which teen reserved to the Crown the Gov.rn-
ment had exercised it in some cases, but as r --
Larded France, from the system pursued by that
countrr, ie reference to to r colonies, they could only
extend it to her under very great limitations. He con-
eciv d it tp be their duty to carry the pliociple.; of Mr.
Huskisson into effect a 3 far as they possibly could. He
cow cane to consider whet was the system ;Oriel) Mr.
Iluekisran hal established. The first thing that struck
kint waP, the high scale at which these coloni iI duties ee, e
fixed, a id he was sure the Howe would feel that when the
duties were so high as to be prohibitory it mattered very
little Anther they kept up a prohibition on duties which
anuouteed to i•. When he read the speech of Mr. flux-
kisson and iefl.,cted or. the large and c suiprebensive vlewa
of trade which that lion. Gentleman entertained, and
compared the n with the very inadequate manner in wl ieh
shag visas were c,r,ied out, he could not help thinking
that Mr. Huskisson was at that time rattier concealing the
difficulties he would experience in ea-rying out thcee views
than that he entertained any doubts of the.r car c,thess.
Let them look at the duties imposed on v rieus articles in
our West Indian and North American celeniee. In the
bt place, fist, which was one of th'e most important arei-
cies in the West Indies, was absolutely prohibit:d. In
the rest place, flour and:previsions of all kinds were sub-
ject to a duty which he could nit but think v,ry immode-
rate--a duty of from twenty to forty per cent Ile did not
think that such a duty should be put on the food
of the people.—( Hear, hear, lo sr.) It should be
also °beer vcd, t, at tease colonies wee obliged to depend
for subsistence or load grown in other couutriee Oo
ioreign ruaeufact arcs he found there was, in many in-
stances, an ad valorem rate of thirty per cent. Bri *rah
silks were protect 'd in the West India 1 lands and Cer.a to
by such a duty. On f re.go cot in ti era was a du'y im-
posed of 20 per e.r•. and un v unenumerated
dim a duty of 15 per cent. lie thought there were various
.eirceneetaeces in the social and fi. atciel condition of t: e,e
col mins which deser,v d at the present moment tt e se-
rieus attention of the [louse. Many of the o'd taxes
were now no for g r productive there; while they bad
entailed on them many additional expense?. Ti ee had an
improed Justiciary in the c Monier, Houses of Correefon,
;and ecclesiastical Mal bailments. and many institutions
dalculeted to raise tie dirndition of ti.e negroes. All these
things entoled great expert! e on the c 'lonics. Ho wool
not weaey the Muse by going throe g r statemeeta v. i h
regard to many of thoso colonie=s bet to reel l queie the
expenses of Ja,aica alone. The eximases incurred in
Jamaica, under the law passed in 1839 and 1840,
was, for Emigration 8e 000/., for an Improved Ju-
dicial-System, 50,0001., for the Clergy 8.000/, for Curates
6,000 L, for the erection of a Penitentiary 30,000/ , and
for the erection of a House of Corieerion 10,0001. The
colonies being calied upon to bear these expenses, very
naturally complained, and stated that we were acting on a
principle with regard to them wl itth made it impossible
for them to raise the more.% He was satisfied that the
social and financial condition of the West Indies rendered
it I eaessary to revise the system under which they were
at present I.licee. On the other hand, in Lower Canada
It was pecu,iarle neeeseary at the present time that they
tshoold apply themselv s to tie'r con p'aiqts of the man-
ner in whets t ,air regula i n• acted upon them An Ad-
dress had lately been forwarded to his Nublc Fiiend the
S:oretaoir of State for the Colonies from Upper Canada,
asking to be allowed to d sal wi-h these questions theno
selves, not sut4ject to the lass imposed in this country, but
ssuggettiog that any law they passed should be suhjec: t
revision upon an Address from either House of Parlia-
man% In the spirit of trot Address Le agreed, arid he
thought they ought to chow the calm l.'s to legislate for
ntaern.e:ves, ev.th as tittle restriction a: possible. —(11, ar. )
Ilstere was also another point which he (Mb. Labouchere)
=tot say struck his mind most forcibly—lie meant the to-
tally opposite priee'ples under which we seemed to act
With regard to our -West India colonies and our Eastern
pussessions..—( ins of He tr.") Nothing could form
at gre:.t.o. contras', than the duties impose.' by Parliament,
roe by tboCrown, in our eastern and western colonial pos-
ssessiouv. Ile heel stated to the House already, how great
we; the discriminating duty imposed upon foreign goods
in the West Jetties area Cape of Good Hope. He would
'Lew remind the House that tie duties placed on foreign
goods in India, Cape of Good Hope, Australia, and
saer poi 'ions of our eastern &minims, were of the
almost onerous :icscri,rtion. He found that in the Cape
c Good Hope there was on foreign goods imported a duty
sef 10 per cent., and on British goods a duty of 3 per
cent., the discrioating duties, of course, being 7 per cc it.
ad valorem. Nov7,-tre asked .f menufaeturcts corn-
:daubed of this small protection ? Did it at all check
im-
giurtation into the colony ? And if not, for what object was
iii that we Leoosed these high discriminating duties in our
Vest Italian and North American colonies, duties that 1.1 ere
to grievous to thew, and so disadvantigeous to the mother
country? In the Cape of Good Hope the duty on foreign
.goods ,"as 10 per cent. ad valorem, and on goods 4
per tent., leaving a diserieninatirg duty of 6 per teat. In
Nee; Soot's Wales the ciruty on tureigeo goods was 5 per
mre. end none At all on B rt:sli goods ; and in Van Die-
mea's Land on fcre'gn goods i per cent., and on British
goods 31. It was curious to observe bow much more fc-
vourahle the Crown had been to the colonies, in this rc-
Jpect, than Parliament. Wherever the Crown Lad im-
ppc!sed defies on the coloniott, tl.ey had been moderato in a
great degree ; but wherever Parliament had done se, it
would be found that high duties had been impose!, with
Co vain object of protecting our own goods. He said,
therefore, that if the, found, where a light differential
duty was imposed, the trade of this country did
.not suffer—if this system was far the benefit of the
ecolonie-, and not for the disadialtage of the mother
reourotre, it ought to be adopted, and the same principles
applied to ohe Wezt India colonic; and British North
America, iestead .of continuieg those which excited so
much de:satisfaction.- It was too absurd to suppose that
~whea our usenet ooures were able to compete in a third
ss rke,, t'so manufecturee of other pat ti of the world,
they would suffer from competition in the colonies. And
be said further, that if any article of foreipi ma%ufaeLoe,
uots„,eeete.edirg this din once, was able to find its way
into she coiouies, it ought to find its way there, and rise
'culot ice ought to have the advantage of that aridl •.
Arid in his opinion no better course could Le taken to
cement the union and good fe.ling that subsisted between
the colonies and the mother country than to place the
colonies in an equitable situation with regard to art cles of
trade and manufactures.
Having stated the general pla-
oiples upon which the reltcr_atien_warishto:
,Iproceed, he would
state to the House the tariff itself .c. c proposed to
America and the West Indian
"With" in 13' itisil North ow in o ieration. Theme was
14ands in p!ace cf rise one
fo
forei,ni
production, such as
a large class of articles o
clocks, watcher, le oho',
jusicaaild inastrduumver.to'f,
wires, books, paper'', w I I '
was another
80 per teat. ,ad valorem; therec
class which paid a duty of 0 per cent. ad valorem,
.another consisting cf goods and merchandise cf dif-
format kinchr which pad a duty of 15 pee cent. ad valorem.a
There was also a considerable class of articles which paid
a duty of 71 per cent. ad valorem. By the now tary hr
proposed to substitute for the duties of 30, 20, and 15
pc
gent. a single duty of 10 per cent. ad valorem, leaving un-
touched ate proseat duties of 71 per cent. He wanted to
much as passib!e to untie the bands of the colonists, and
so leave them as much as possible to legislate for them
selves. He wanted to make the duties as mode-
st** and as simple as possible, to settle certain financrel
duties, and to leave the rest to themselves. This was what
42 proposed with regard to ad valorem duties. He now
came to a far more important class of duties—a class far
mare affecting the interests of the West Indies--the spe-
cific duties laid upon particular mticler. As he bad be-
fore incited the duties imposed at present upon beef, pork,
shingles, and foreign ar.ieles of that description amounted
from 20to 40 per cent, adraloreni; in many
to aduty riving
instances it pas 40 per cent. When they cousider that
some of these articles were the food of the colony ; that
others, supb as slaver, were absolutely necessary to eon-
...duct their only manufacture, that of aug r; they must see
brat these duties were perfectly immoderate and opi,res-
sive, especially if they considered that stees were now
beis.l taken f,,r placing these colonies on a footing with
Ate East Ind:ee As he had upon a former occasion urged
upon the llouse the propriety ( f doit g justice the East
Indies by doing away will'
duties which werikipjur:ous to
them, so now he felt bound. to urge upon the House the
propripty of putting W the est Indies upon k more liberal
%atsag with regard to the supply of provisions. He pro-
!posed, therefore, to fsiduce all these duties very much ; at
slits same time, he did not deal with them in the same way
he would have done if he had been imposing them for
*the lint time; he would ire such a case have proposed
!them much lower,but as theybad already been established,
the thought it was their duty
mow engaged. Re to be cautious of the interests
proposed then to reduc.i the duty upon
all those articles to from 12 to 15 per cent., ad valorem;
:he considered that quite high enough, as a pro-
sceting duty upon articles which were almost
inn ispensablo for food. The duty upon the barrel of
who at flower now was
_s'. ; he proposed to reduce it to

2g. —C Hear, hear.) On beef and pork the duty was now I
12s. per cwt. ; lie proposed to reduce it to 4s. Shio&s,
which now paid per 1,000, of 12 inched, 125., and above
12 inches, 145., he proposed to reduce both to 33. 6d.
Oak staves and healng which now paid, red, per 1,000,
15F., and white, 12s. 6d., he proposed to reduce both to
7F.—( Her, hear.) He now came an article of the
utmost importance to the population of :he West Indies—
an article which was now pre liii;ited—he Inca t fish, the
; roduce of foreign countries. He proposed to do away
with that prohibition.—( Cheers.) He was no friend to
prohibition—( Hear, hear)—he wished the word was erased
from our S'atut?.-book altogether.—(Hear, hear.) He
was most happy that a step Lai been taken towards that
point, and he wished to see it pushed to its fullest extent.
—( Hear, hear.) As fish constituted the principal supply
of food for the Negro population, it was in the higheet de-
gree unjust to limit that supply to one single, and fre-
quently a very narrow market. He was prepared to ad-
mit that the most impel-tent interests were connected with
the fisheries of Gnat Britain and the dependencies, which
could not be disturbed ; and thst if prohibiting duties were
at all to be justified, that justification must be allowed for
the protection of the fisheries. Although he should pre-
pose to subst:tute a duty fell. the prohibition, he should put
that duty much higher than on any other article. He was
satisfied th t Vie duty he was about t i propose would be
pracAcaly equal to an ad valorem duty of 25 per cent.
He proposed a duty of 2s. 64. ; er cwt. upon fish, dry and
salted, now probitite,l, and upon picklA fish a duty of
ss. per barrel. In rE gard to wine, which was now sub-
jected to duties of an extremely capricious desetiplon, he
proposed a duty of 71 per cent., ad valorem, upon all
kinds, without distinction. In addition to those altare.-
tions, there were certain peculiar points, to which be
meant to take that opportunity of bringing the attention of
the Committee. The first wa', the subject of tea. Ac-
cordirg to the navigation laws, tea could not be i nported
into the North American colonies or the West Indies, ex-
cept from Great Britain, or from countries east of the
Cape of Good Hope. The object of that provision was
to gi,e encouragement to the British commercial nave, in
making long voyages. But ci,cumstances wer; stronger
tl.aa laws.—(Hear, hear ) From information received
from Lord Sydenham, ho learned that three fourths a the
tea consumed in Canada was smuggled from the United
States, with great loss to the rev nue of the province. Now
was the loss to the teseaue the worst consequence ? A
system of smuggling was rained along the frontier,
which demoralised the whole country, and produced the
set,/ worst results. It might be thought that there could
be no reason why Canada could not be supplied with tea
from England as well as New York. But there was a
circumstance of which the Government had bees iacormed
by Lord Sydenham, which overturned the calculations that
might naturally be made upon the subject. It appeared
that the tea used in Canada consi to almost etirely of the
which was scarcely at all con-
coarser kind of green to,,
sumed in this country; so that the London market was but
very little supplied with it, while it happere I on the eon!r,ry
that it was much used in America, which caused it to be

largely impertei into New York. It after‘i ards found its
way across the frontiers is sp.td of fiscal regulations. The
proposition be would make am that recommended by Lord
Sydenham, and which was to allow tea to be iutroluced
from North Arrerica by land at an additional duty of one-
teath over that coming by sea. He would substitute such
a duty for the present prohibitory one, and Lord Sydenhim
had assured them that smuggling would by that means be put
an end to, and the revenue would be tre blot'. The rext
artele he would a :yen to was rum ; and his proposition
would be to reduce ;he duty on East India rum to the same
duty now paid on rum from the West Indies. There were
many other subjects which he thought might he hest discaised
seriatim on a fAture occasion. He wiih,,d to adv,rt to the
case of the Channel Islands, w Yell were at priser.t ; e:mitted
t) export their productions into Great Britain, but not into

the British Islands. could not conee-Vc any good
r axon for thi; distincti in. It was an old remnant of our
col mil jealcuq, whi.:ll would have been long ago repealed
if it had not been forgotten. lie proposed, the:t fore, to
put the Channel Islands on the same footing with regard
to the coLnics that they were will regard to the mother
coun'rv, to permit them to export their own produce and
manufactures to the colonies in the same manner as they
at present did to Gua.... Britain. He should not detain the
House much lerg,r. The main principle by which he
ba I been Letaate I in proposing these alterations was, that
he believed they were calculated extensively to ben, fit the
colonier.—( Cheers.) He had always maintained that
England ought to possess the exclusive right of regulating
the trade of her colonies, but that tig'At ought to be exer-
cised with the greatest liberality, justice, and impariality.
They were sent to that House to represent their own cot .
stituents, but they had also higher and more important
functions. The immense Colonials Empire of this ecun ry
could rever be maintained un!ess the authority of Legis-
lating for the cornmetce of those colonies ware excreied
by the mother country not in a spirit of jeelous.minded
exclusiveness, but in a spi tic f lib, rality equally bene-
ficial to all parties. He could not forget that under the
system of rigid exclusivereis, wher grew Colonial Em-
pires had fallen to pieces. A get at colonial ercpiie was a
glorious thing, but it was also a most precat ions thing, and
could only be held together by actieg in a spirit of impartia'ity,
justice, and kindness. They should show the colonies
that in legislating for them there was no favouritism, and
that they consideted that the greatness, prosperity, and
happiness of the mother country depended upon thc great-
nets, prosperity, and happiness of the colonies.—( Cheers.)
It was on th S 2 grounds that he wished to place the mea-
sure he was about to propose to the House—(Cheers)—and
he was satisfici that no British in.orests would be n.a.e.
rially injured by the measure.—(Ch.e s.) He would al.
lade to one point—fm pruvi.i iu t That was a trade
which deeply aff,eted the south of I,clsnd, and he hail al-
ready r,cenicd several mern,rials on the subject from that
part of the country. Now he wish.d to call the attention
of the House to the immense alteration which had taken
place in the circumstances affecting that trade since those
duties had been first impoEe 1. Not long ago the south of
Ireland ant the cheapest place in the world for provisions.
They had no means of disposirg of their stock.. The
communication with this c 'un try was uncertain, and
unless the grazier salted Li lag provisions far ex
portation, he
_had no means whatev,r of dispos-

ing of them. Let them look at the immense alteraPion
which had taken plate is consequence of the introduction
of steam navigation.—( Hear, hear.) The agriculturists
of Ireland were now able to send tl eir provi3ions to the
markets of South IVale,•, of Bristol, and even London—

the result bad been most advantag:2ous both f r Ireland and
England; but what had been the effect produced on the
south of Ireland ? why, instead of being a cheip place,
it had become comparatively a dear one ; within the last

four years pork bad risea from 20s. and 255. a cwt. to 30s.
and 359., and beef had risen in the same proportion, so that
by now forcing the West Indians to obtain their provisions
from the south of Ireland exclusively, we were in fact
lev!ing upoa them a heavy tax cf a most objectimab!c
chnracter.—(Cheers.) Again, some of the prop°, ed al-
terations would affect the colonies of Nava:Scotia and New
Brunswick. He should be sorry to do anythi g
that would injure colonies that had deserved so
well of the country by their uniform 1 iyalty—it
would he painful t, him to I.e obliged to adopt any mea-
sures aff. eting the interest of those deserving coloni_.s,
but when t' e subject c vine to be discusse 1, he thought ho
cool i show that no such effect would be produced. With
regard to n avy classes of lumber, so far from the United
States having any advantage, he believed that they them-
selves were obliged to go to the New Bruns% i:k and
Nova &e.t.a markets. Tiuc, there was anothcr
class in which the United States had the advantag.', but
with regard to tint clad, the West Indies were now
obliged t' obtain its suppl'es from the United States, if
not eirectly, in a circuitous manner, which imposed adci-
tional expense of transit. He helieved, upon the best con-
siderati he cou'd give to the subject, that the sca'e of
duties, and the I:lterations he now proposed, while they
would greatly bete it the West Indies, and relieve the
North American Colonies from a great burthen,
would not eifoct great or permanent injury to any class
either in the colonies or in the mother country. Believing
he felt it to be his duty to bring them before the
House, and he hoped they would receive from the House
impartial conskefation. He had stated ths objets he h.d
in view, and he had also ttited the principle upon wl
the tables had been framed. A pzraon in his situ,-
tion h,.d great difficulty in obtainieg i firmation
on subjec..3 of this description, and he had been
ob!iged to obtain it in the best manner he cool l ; it was
therefore possYe that in some instances be rni;ht hive
fallen into error, and if such w3s the case he should not
have the slight ‘st scruple to correct it. He need not, in
conclusion, say that it was not his intention to ask the
House to express any opinion on the resolutions at ID e;ent,
he only wished to lay them on the table, giving the House
I time to consider them.

Mr. J. PALMER did net now mean to say anythirg
in opposition to the Right Honourable Gentleman, but he
thought that iinee 1825 plenty of opportuai•y had been
at:Ueda of proving the effcct of the rinelaure that was
then passed. The Right Hon. Gentleman had taken
credit to himself in every instance to which he had al-
luded, and among these with respect to shipping. Now
he must say, that since that measure passed the loss of
property in shipping at Newcastle had heen most disas-
trous. The Right Honourable Gentleman had stated the
scale of duties he proposed. Now, the fact was, that the
scale of duties that would protect one colony would not
protect anuther. The subject was of vital importance. to
the interests of this country, and ought to to fully and
fairly inquired into before any further steps were taken.
He hoped that the Hon. Gentleman would refer the sub-
ject to a Select Committee. If free trade would be in
every instenc,-, a blessing, for God's sake let them all vote
fur it; but, if not, let them continue th t protection
tlllsabtiehhishandigjulistt Hon.
b'eh every Enelishman had a right to expect.
Friend would m t follow' , been
EWART earnestly
given. IY
the de
e
Right Hon. Gentleman tread in the foot-
He could not but express his sincere gratification
at seeing the Rig
steps of a man like Mr. Huskisson. He regretted, how-
ever,
Hon
ever, that the Right • Gentleman had not extended
l on that article
a." extent. The reduction of t he dut
grt
the principle to t ibocco, which was now smuggled t 3 a
I not e po•sible
begun
this
would remove one great cause t f dernoral zatiorh. Flaying
•
even the propofei
long to eclay commercial reform is the tariff of our own
colony. He doubted whet e,
amount
to to 10 per cent. woull be sufficient. The duty oft
25 per cent. on fish appra-ed to him to
to a prohibi'ion. The only way of pie3onying tl.e
connection between the mother country and the colonies
was gradually to liberate them from oppressive burdens.
By gradual, but bold and constant alterations in the old
system they could preserve that amicable connection
which a restrictive system was calculated to destroy. Be-
lieving that this was the real colonial pol'ey of this country,
and that the colonies, like families, gradually demanded
emancipation, he hailed this measure as a great improve •
meat in our colonial system; and his belief Ives that it
would be followed by alterations of equal importance in
the commercial system of our own country.
Mr. A. WHITE would not have said a word upon the
present occasion bad it not been f r the remarks which
fell frern the Right Hon. Gentleman respecting the Re-
ciproc:ty Acts. He would assure them that those Acts
had greatly injared the shipping interest. Had it not
bean for a very great increase in LUg.trade—(Cheers)—
he repeated it, had it not been for increase, the ship-

ping interest would have been greatly distressed. Tile
B i could nct build their strips so cheaply, nor with our
prosent Corn-laws—(Chcfr)—could we keep them s 9
cheaply, therefore we could not compete with foreigners.
Af.er a fc.r., remalks from Mr. GOULBURN the de-
bate was adjourred.
CII AIR:AAN reportei progress, and asked leve t
sit pgain