The Sun.
London, England, 1840-04-04 00:00:00

that a decreased demand at home had led to the exports. It
was exceedingly difficult to ascertain what was the home_ con-

sumption. It'was almost impossible to ascertain it. It was
matter of mere speculation, but there were other indications of

. , .
the state of the country to which it was possible for them to re-
vert. He looked to the revenue of 1838, and compared it wi'l
that of 1639. The customs of 1838 were 22,236,000/.,
while, in 1839, they ware 23,081,000/. In the foreign
trade there had been an increase in the 'vessels em-

ployed in 1839, as compared with those employed in 1838.
In 1836 the number of vessels employed inward was 19,639 ;
in 1839, 22,140. The number employed outward was, 1836,
17,204 ; in 1839, 18,423. He did not exactly see why there
should be a great incrtase in the coasting trade of the country,
if there was a decline in its consumption. If the exports were
a reason of the declining internal consumption, why should
there have been an increase in the coasting trade, but there was
an increase of the coasting trade in 1839, as compared with
1838 ? Well, there must be a great increase of the capacity to
answer, or there would be a falling off of the Excise duties ;
how could an increase in these be reconciled with a greatly
diminished consumption and inability to purchase articles
of luxury ? (Hear, hear, hear.) But there had been a
gradual increase, though a small one, in the Excise duties,
in 1837-8-9. Now, if a diminution in the consumption of
those manufactured articles were a test of consumption, ought
there not also to be a diminution of those articles which were

of general consumption? Yet there was a lesser reduction in
these than in those articles of absolute necessity. If there was
a greatly diminished capacity of consumption, why was there
a.l increase in the quantity of coffee ? The articles of general
consumption entered for 1838 were—coffee, 25,818,000 lbs. ;
in 1839, 26,832,000 lbs. Tea, an increase of from 32,000,000
lbs. to 35,000,000 lbs., in 1839, as compared with 1838.
There appeared at first sight a diminution of the quantity of
sugar. If we took the amount of drawbacks on refined suga r
exported in 1838 as compared with 1839, we should find, if
there was any diminution in the home consumption of sugar, it
was extremely small. He had received, from a house greatly
connected with the trade, an estimate of the comparative con-
sumption in 1838 and 1839, and that showed that on the
horns consumption there was a small increase, and therefore
he could not admit the assertion that the foreign trade

of the country must be considered as a conclusive indicator of
declining prosperity at home, and increased inability to consume
articles of luxury. He knew perfectly well great stress was laid
on the argument that the great articles of consumption employed
in manufactures, cotton, indigo, &c., had declined in consump-
tion; but at the commencement of tis year, the Ist of January,
1339, as compared with the Ist of January, 1838, there had
been an increase in cotton during the present year taken out
of the home consumption. It would be said that increase arose
from laying in stocks for future supply. Why were these varia-
tions in the price of co' ton ? Because it was one of the articles
which depended on the seasons. The duty on cotton was
fixed, yet the returns showed a variation in the price to a
much larger extent than the variations in any other article.
He had heard with the utmost pain the statements
of distress in the manufacturing districts, with still greater
pain of the privations to which the working classes in some
par s were exposed • but he could not come to the melancholy
conclusion to which some had come, or see in these official do-
cuments certain indication of the decline of this great country;
arid on these grounds, having paid the greatest attention to the
subject, and being fully ready to re-consider any opinions he
might have entertained, and to abandon them if he found
them to be ill-founded, he might say he could not conceive
there had been or was any indication of decay or decline in this
country, and that the opinions he had expressed last year on the
general subject of the Corn-laws were the opinions which in the
present year he was perfectly ready to defend. It was in vain
to disguise it; the real question which they were discussing
was not whether they would adopt any modification in the state
of the scale of duties—the real question which the Hon. Gen-
tleman called upon them to discuss was whether or not they
should be totally repealed.—( Hear, hear.) At the same time
the Right Hon. Gentleman, who was entitled to his respect as
well from his general character as the official situation which he
held, had in the course of the debate declared as his intention, in
case the House should go into Committee, to submit some-
thing to their consideration, but declared it to be his indi-
vidual opinion. He (Sir R. P.) doubted whether the Right Hon.
Gentleman was, on the whole, favourable either to the total re-
peal, or the present sliding scale. The Right Hon. Gentle-
man's opinion was not so far formed that he would pledge
himself to retain it in Committee ; but in stating that he
thought the Right lion. Gentleman could not answer for any
other Members of the • Government.—(Hear.) And he had
also understood two other Members of the Government, who
had spoken, differed completely from the opinion expressed by
the Right Hon. Hon. Gentleman. He would shortly consider
the merits of the proposition of the Right Hon. Gentleman.
He should have preferred a fixed duty to a sliding scale, and on
being asked the amount, answered about 7s. or Bs. Then the
Right Hon. Gentleman being aware of the objection to a fixed
duty, said that when the price of corn became so high it might
be difficult to maintain a fixed duty in the case of
rising prices. To obviate that objection he would eropose
that when corn should arrive at 70s. (he did not wish it,)
that corn should be admitted free, and that was the only prop°,
sition submitted to their consideration by her Majesty's, Goe
vernment. Now let him .observe to the Right Hon, Gentle•
man that his proposition would hardly remove one objection
made to the present law. Would it tend to promote a final
settlement? Not in the opinion of the Right Hon. Gentleman,
because his whole speech went to show that the landed in-
terest was entitled to no protection. He even said that, so
far from the landed interest being .abject to any specisd duty,
there were some burdens from which it was exempts All the
arguments which applied to the protection of oorn for the pur-
pose of increasing the value of land, would apply to a fixed
duty. All the argumente about injustice, and un-Christian
principles--( Hear, hear)—and irreligious principles of " tax-
ing the staff of life," would apply to a fixed duty equally with
the present—they perhaps would be increased, for when we
came to look at the average amount of duty levied on foreign
corn, for a considerable number of years, since the Corn-law
came into operation, if foreign ,wheat was imported into this coun-
try for home consumption at no less a quantity than 9,297,000
qrs. the average amount of duty paid upon this immense nye,
portation did not exceed ss. sd. a quarter.—( Cheers. tie
was not saying that there might not be great objectic io the
shifting scale. Undoubtedly the suddenness of tho importation
might operate very detrimentally ; all lie was saying was, that
the average amount of duty levied upon the corn imported un-
der the operation of the shifting scale was only ss, tsd. per
quarter, and that, therefore, the ignorant man Nstlom could not
understand the nature of the objection to the kkAckieness of the
importation, but looked only to the arttow4 etduty, would feel
no satisfaction that a duty of ss, N. should be changed for a
duty of as. per quarter.—(cheers.) He did not mean to say
but that there was a great difference bet.wpon tt-,a c.. 0 prorost-
tions ; but the plan of the Right Hon. Gentleman would he
equally available to those who excited the passions of the people
against the imposition of any tax on the staff of life. It
would be equally effectual for their purposes, and the
Honourable Member for Salford must join in the cry,
because a fixed duty would be equally irreligious.-..( Hear,
hear.) He now came to that part of the Right Hon. Gentle-
man's plan which provided for the extirtotitm of the duty when
%.4
the price of corn should reach 70s. Cl.l.lArter. He would re-
mind the Right Hon. Gentle
RIR tt. 7 t his plan must necessa-
rily fail to give satisfactiq i9e those who thought that the
landed interest was ntittle4 to no protection, neither would his
plan get rid of any one of the objections to the present sys-
tem. He must retain the whole system of averages; he did
not propose a free trade in corn dependent solely on the will
of the importer, who, when he lodged his Bs. was at any time
entitled to import his quartos' of corn. No, the system of ave-
rages must be retained; or how could it be ascertained if the
price of wheat had reached 70s. or not ? The objection of the
American merchant urged in the case alluded to the other
night, could not be got rid of, that a great quantity of corn of
au inferior quality was in the market, asd affecting the ave-
rages materially ; that objection would still remain.—(Cheers.)
The bad corn would still have to be taken into the account.—
But vs,klee corn was found to be rising in price to his. or 685.,
what precaution would they take alpinist all the tricks and de-
vices which it was stated were now had recourse to for the purpose
of affecting the averages.—( Cheers. ) When corn reached the
price of 695. 6d. a cleaner, the duty would be Bs., but if it rose
in price only an additional shilling it might be imported iluty
free,—( Cheers.) What, then, would be the temptation to those
who wished to secure a free importation to practise in every
possible manner upon the averagee?. They would withhold
their corn from the market gaol the price should reach 705.,
and then they would pour into the market the whole of the
quantity previously accumulate:'. The excess thus suddenly
poured in would bring down the market to ea undue state of
depression, but the importer would have the advantage of the
whole interval which must elapse before the next return of
averages. How far would the objection of the American mer-
chant be met, of the diavAity of cocopeting with the merchants
on the Baltic, on account of the great distance at which he was
situated tte• tniglst receive intelligence that the price of
wh,e4, \vita We. s on the faith of this he might make a large
itnpottatiou, on Its arrival in this country the price might have
&ellen to 695., and instead of importing his corn duty free it
would be liable to a (Roy oaf' Bs. pee gwarter.—( Hear, hear.)
He merely mentioneet thee(' c4Caeinstances for the purpose
of showin4 tk‘aLti the• imposition of the Right Honowrahle
Gentle%:9; Wei. Wale to many of the objections which were
now iiirged against the sliding scale. Ile thouglq that in years
4 peat abundance here, and an unexpectes,l Supply abroad, a
lived duty of Bs. would not prevent e. iereat excess of foreign
corn from being imported; white en the contrary, if corn was
at a high price, it would be difficult, if not impossible, tor any
Government to ItaeiMstin it, and if once remoxt,d, he greatly
doubted whether it would be even possihie to re-impose it.
ce.naidering these objections to his plaw, he was not anrprised
that that Right Hon. Gentlematt s'eould declare it was not his
intention to propose it in cwognittee, more espeeially when his
colleagues, who hid spoken on the subject, had declared that
they could trtkupport him.—(Cheers and laughter.) But if
he dad no, intention of making any proposition to the Commit-
tee, what was the object of going into Committee ?—(Cheers.)
It was distinctly stated that no member of her Majoates Go-
vereesio.at was prepared with any propositiosas---090ers.)
tersie Gentlemen had said that they hiapett to see his (Sir
Robert Peel's) plan of modification, Nom, he would not
say that he would not pleckp '3,;naself always to main-
tam the present late, asit.leOut modification or alteratieses
He thsught tligvi.wat nothing so absurd as for a public. eastri to
1v fx4 tiitt'ils4.' to the details of a measure of tlita nature—to
say t sat all the decals of this Bill were perkiMion, and that it
was and wonld be impossible. whatex:es eontingences might
arise, to amend or to modify tbermseeCheers)--hut he, had no
intention at the present of proposing any sn4 modifica-
tions • and even if !4,...1 bad entertained such au intention, he
slieksElke At,e prai.nt the worst possible t'sete for making any
seehliroposition. The propositiok\ ee the lion. Gesitleman
was a plain and intelligible me, was for a total and imme-
diate repeal of the Cort:,-.;au:s. lie contended that the landlords
were entitled tit, -4,4 protection. Now, nothing could be ino,e
preposteeao,s after such a declarations thau to enter into a dis-
eassion as to the details of any pliao, cif modification ; and if he hail
entertained any such idea, the experience of what had occiseeed
to the Hon. Aleinieer for Cambridge, would have been a von,
in to him. That Hon. Gentleman was the friml ekthe Hon.
Mover, and generally agreed with hem kis politics, and
from his position, was certainly entitle So speak with authority
on this subject. —(Cheers. 3/4-Ao intimated his intention, if
the House went intq Coatinittee, of proposing some nacelilica-
tion of the la\(. He was not in favour of a fixed ditty, and yet
that Gentleman complained, and with ileatice,• that the
only instance in which the Hon. MeMher tot Woleterhampten
deviated from the calm and philesallaiell niatmer in which he
had introduced this question% was when he came across his un-
fortunate prOp9AttiAtt, He complained of having been accused, in
langeage almost approaching to the character of violence, of
his being an insidious betrayer of the cause. So little hope
had he of hearing any plan calmly discussed, that MA
had he been prepared with one, he should not have Istunght it
forward, after seeing the injustice with whjeh the tlo-
nourable Gentleman had treated ktp. Aormatable Friend,
who had avowed his, inteut.on of mpesing some
alteratipA ist 'corn _law. Why he pesAtively disclaimed
Wel, end 'said Mott would prefer the open esonity of the Hon.
Member for Lincoln, to the ieeidioals proposition of the Hon.
Memher for Cambeidge. He would remind the House that if
they went intq Csieferrittee, the plain and only question they
wottkd helt to consider would be the total repeal, of the Coen,
laws, To, that proposal he could net essieed-esaod he ap-
eb
ae*.:4 Government WM44O--a% least
Right k,t.9Ps. tieqlfVP 01,t P4'4i:tieut of the Board of Trade,
whit tl?o,ugh,t tip Intt&il interest entitled
some protection,
e' qlc} slot 4Wnt
Ito any such -":"Tosition.—(Cheers. )
He
over the,
teem ask them weetner-
, Ale' Gentleman who presided
interests of the country, entertained
bpinion, for the concurrence in which he wee,
not prepared to answer for his colleagues, he woeldi askl
whet would be for
the public 01,040ge that
ztl> leis opipioraii he should coos. ono to go into Committee
in the vague and unsatisfactory hope that some proposal might