The Sun.
London, England, 1841-04-06 00:00:00

per cent., foreign goods would find their way into that
colony, and great facilities wculd be given to the trade
between that island and the continent of South America ;
and that cargoes of British and foreign goods would be
made up there to the great advantage of the trade in Bri-
li h manufacture?. It was also hoped that, in cense-
quence of the high duties levied in the isla a ' of St
Thomas, a large portion of the trade now enjoyed by that
colony, would be transferred to our islands under a mere
liberal system. Upon these representations being male
to him, end not being able to see that the sl'ghtest
injury would he infl c'ed upon any British interest
whatever, he had no hesitation in complying with the stag-
ge a to as de t him to redu:e the duty from 10 per coot. to
7 per cent. In the first instance he had thought the
qneztion who tier it shouli be 10 per cent. or 7 per cent.
could only affect the t ansit trade, and it was chiefly with
a view to that trade that he had proposed the reduction.
Mr. GOUL BURN regretted that the subject had been
brought forward when it could not possibly have a full
discussion. He would shortly sta'e to the House his
views on one of the most importaa t parts cf the resolu-
tion. The resolutiens proposed effected not merely the
ieterests of the colonists, bat of the whole mercantile
community of this country. As applied to the colonies
alone, no one could deny that the measure would be ad-
vantageous; but they were bound to consider its ultimate
consequeaces rather than the immediste advantage which
wouli fl rat to the colonies which it was intended to he fit.
The form in which the Han. Gent'eman had proposed 11;s
motion, was not one which was calculated tngive that felt'.
nfermati ,n which it. was expesii •nt on such a subject to
lay le fore the public. The Hcn. Gentleman hsd told
them that he proposed to make certain reductions, but he
had not stated to w h :t a tidies that reduction would apply.
Ile (Mr. Goulburn) would state to the House, that
amongst those articles, about one hundred in num-
wh'ch were admitted into the colonies at
a duty of thirty par cent., were leather, linen,
and silk. He mentioned these to show the extent to which
the measure would affect commercial interests. Cet-on,
glass;, soap, refined stager, and other articles were admitted
at a duty of 20 per cent. ; hardware and a nu:nber of other
articles at 15. per cent. To all these it was proposed to
apply a uniform duty of 7 per cent. The present system
of duties was of no later date than 1833, when they were
concurred .in by ,Mr. Poulett Thomson, then President
ef she Board of Trade. The House should have some-
thing more than a mere general statement before it con-
seated to so extensive an alteration. It was no trivial
question, but one of vast importance. In the West Indies
clone the amount of duty according to the last returns was
two millions and a halt, in North An-e•-ica three millions
and a half. The duties as hitherto levied had
been fund to answer all the purposes of the colony.
There was another point which required explanation, he-
fire an opinion could be pronounced upon it. When
these duties were imposed is, the West Indies, duties of a
similar nature were impesed upon the produce of foreign
countries into Great Britain. A duty was imposed upon
leather, Hem), and cotton of 30 per cent, when im-
ported into the colonies, and of from 30 to 40 per cent.
when introduced into this country, and so of other arti-
cles in proportion. If, then, the Right Hon. Gentleman
proposed this measure as an experiment towards carrying
into effect a similar reduction of duties here, let the House
take into consideration the effect that it would have not
only upon domestic industry with regard to manufactures,
but with respect to the shipping also, by which these ma-
nuf ctures were transferred. For unless we could show
to foreign countries that they could carry on their com-
merce better in English ships, they would carry it on with
th it own shipping ; and, therefore, in-addition to the loss
of manufactures, we must make up our minds to sustain a
diminution in the number of those employed in the mer-
cantile marine of this country. He hid addressed these
observations to that which was the first resolution on the
table, but it would be more convenient to treat the other
resolutions generally.
Mr. LABOUCHERE said he thought it would be
more convenient to discuss the resolutions separately.
Mr. G OUL BOURN resumed. Ha thought they were
so intimately connected, that they could not well be dis-
cussed apart. The first resolution most materially affected
the industry and shipping of the country, and unless ex-
plained, might lead to serious changes, and they certainly
required more information on the subject than they pos-
scssed.at present. The second resolution affected another
almost as important subject as the trade between the
mother country and the c lonie7, namely, the trade be-
tween our North American possessions and the West
Indies. The Honourable Gentleman carried into this
trade the same principles which he was about to apply to
the trade with foreign countries. He materially reduced
the duty on for ign commodities when brought into com•
petition vtith North American commodities in the West
Indies. Now, he (Mr. Goulburn) must say there never W 33
a moment less fit fur the discussion of such a question than
that. There were subjects which excited very sensitive
feelings in parties interested, and, considering the situation
in which Upper Canada was placed, he considered that it
would have been more prudent on gencial grounds to
avoid any measure at the present moment that could give
them an idea that their interests were likely to be injured
by the British Parliament, and more especially if it should
be supposed that the measure taken with respect to the
trade with the West India Colonies, was to be applied to
their trade with Great Britain hereafter, and to affect the
great staple commodities its which the province dealt. He
should have thought it sound policy to avoid every thing
calculated to excite angry feelings, but we had taken
a moment to legislate on cur Colonial inter-
course when Canada had, in fact, no represen-
tative Assembly, and we had not the means of
knoising their sentiments and feelings, with respect to a
measure in which they were so deeply interested. He did
not undervalue the information and knowledge of the
Noble Lord who presided over the colony, but he thought
it would have been of the greatest importance to have
known, from the representative body in that colony, that
the measure about to be adopted was one which, if it did
not give general satisfaction, would not be violently ob-
jected to. For these reasons, therefore, be thought this
was an unfortunate moment for bringing forward these re-
solutions. He could not but entertain a fear that this
measure would he injurious to the trade which the North
American colonies et pre ent carried on with the West In-
dies. Under the present system, the lumber trade of the
West Indies wilt North America and the British pos-
ses:Nes was as equally divided as possible, and be
thought this resolution could only affect it inju-
riously. The third and fourth resolutions referred to
Canada alone, and really the third resolution was one, the
policy of which he did not understand. If the object of
'he resolution was to remove the prohibitory duties at pre-
sent imposed on the introduction of tea by law into Ca-
nada, in such a manner as to render smuggling useless,
from the wisdom of that policy he did not dissent ; but
did the Hon. Gentleman's resolution mend the matter in
the least? He imposed a duty so large that so fey from
mending the situation he aggravated it. The duty which
he proposed to he maintained was a prohibition. The sys-
tem on which he ought to have proceeded was that adopted
by Mr. t, namely to lower the duty imported from Eng-
land, so as to make it not an object of gain to the smuggler.
The Hon. Gentleman must show a strong case of the
impessitelity cf levying the duty in other colonies before
he introduced the present principle. With regard to the
4th resolution respecting rum, there was no occasion, for
any observation. Ile had little other observation to make
ext ept that he wished the same degree of liberty had bsea
shown in ti e first resolution as ie the last. With respect
e trace in Canada, no man could object to give them
every advantage possessed by the mother country to pre-
vent their being made the channel of an illicit trade. He
wish ed now only briefly to sum up what he thought im-
ps ream for their consideration. First, whether or not this
was not only the precursor cf.furthet and mere important
concessions. Secondly, Whether the House was prepared
for such a reduction on the pith -rto large protective duties,
and was of opinion that they could be safely abandoned to
the extent to which it was proposed to abandon
there, without k icing rise to the exclusion of that
great part •'' of our numerous manufactures which
:Ley now consumed. He thought when the House
found the Government so uncertain as to hesitate at the
last moment between sums so large as 10 per cent. and 7
per cent. t' ey should themselves hesitate before they ac-
ceded to the Government proposition. Aneths r subject
r their considerm inn was the moral effect these reeirtues
o.del have upon, the population of the North American
Colonies, especially in Canada, under the circumstances in
which that country was now placed. When, however, the
Bill was before the House they should have before them
the returns fir which he had moved, end be, as he hoped,
better qualifi d to come to a tight conclusion upon the sub-
ject. Hell-, he Ps. )
LABOUCHERE said he had listened to the
sp-eeh of the Right Hon. Geetleman with great satLf e-
tmn, because he was sathfied_ that if a Gentleman of his
ability and long experience hod any more valid objections
to advance to these resolutions than those which mot every
attempt to liberalize the commercial system of thiscountry,he
would have stated themupon the present occasion. He could
not therefore help thinking that in listening to the speech of
the Right Hon. Gentleman he had he: rd all that was to be
advanced tgainst the resolutions which he had the honour
to rre ye. The Right Hon. Gentleman had said that he
(M-. Lshoucherc) ea.s bound to show that no evil would
accrue from these resolutions. He had endeavoured to
acepi-e every infermati an en these point?, and let any
I%,luer;x.biuldstrelnd
these con-
Hoe. Gentleman come forward and show in what msnner
thsy would injurious,
but
td
ith cwwasout.mldpudsotilbat bfeosrt
htiomreto.
meetrnove apprehensions racPlsPenteshiounr.ss's°onsys;gue end
it
as those Viet Lai
been ads erted to. He thought atGmenutsltemhaauvebsatdrucekludtlesde
House how much the Right Han. b
btleietcbrugummusetntesosulesicinhcsinegem;ebiato(h3iiara.
)oubead.ernee)vt,or
ttroaldststhienmouforrcewmhruaterrecaiasoinsyistewma
s ttihearGt(ewhereas we were sa-
tisfied with light protections in our Eastern empire, on the
other hand we rcte'eel this obsolete and injurious system in
our West Indian anti' North American colonies —(Hear.)
The onus probandi lay upon those who asserted that there
should he one prevision for the East, and another for the
West ladies. They ought to recollect, that now they
were acting upon a more just pi incVe, treating all alike,
there was no excuse for making those differences between
the East a'td West Indies. He confessed that is arguing

the questian cf the admission of East India rum into this
country, it was put strongly to bim by the Hon. Alembpr
for Sussex that it was unjust to give those equalities,
while they kept up the high prohibitory dutie,. The
Right Hon. Gentleman had admitted that the measure he

(Mr. Lahouchere) had brought forward was most import-
nut to the West 'mils intProst. There could be no doubt
that that v.a3 the fact; and, as a proof of that, he bad
only to state that he had received a memorial from all the
We,t India agenti-, with the exception of Tobago, ex-
pressing the high gratification they felt et the coure that
had bean pursued by the Governn:cat. Was t',4, 113
would nothing ?.---Viaa it nothing to conciliate these
important interests ?—( (fear, hear.) Ho thought this
was not only a commercial, but a great political question ;
and there need be no apprehension of injuring their
own commercial inlerests by the adoption of these reso.
iiitions.—( Hear, hear.) The resolutions had been printed
for some time, and be had net heard a single complaint
against theta. The manufacturers of the country, ho was
happy to say, had begun now to see that they were not
protecting their manufactures by high prohibitory duties.