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

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yet, conside•i;ig its vast importance nct only to the colo-
nies themselves, but to the commerce of the United Kiug-

dom, he confidently claimed the indulgence of the House.
He would not detain the House by entering at any greet
length into the f)rmer proceedings of Parliament with re-
ference to this subject. By our ancient colonial system, it
was sought to contime the trade of our colonies exclusively
to the mother country. That system was applied even to

Ireland, which was considered a dependency of Great
Britain, and prohibited from having any direct trade of her
own to any of the British colonies, and that ancient system
was maintained in all its rigour until 1780. At the close
of the American ear, it became necessary for us to look at
the rising spirit of discontent which then existed in Ire-
land, and which was notoriously extremely fomented b', the
illiberal and unjust policy which this cnuory pursued to-
wards her. Then it was that the first relaxation i❑ the

system took place; and Ireland, though she was
not it first on the same footirg as England and
Scotland, was yet allowed to export her own pro-
duce to the colonies, and to rccoive in return the co-
lonial produce into Ireland. The next great change
that took place was in ti c year 1822, when the present
Lord Ripon, then Mr. Robinson, who filled the uili;e of
President of the Board of Trade, introduced some im-
portant measures with respect to our colonial trade. By
those measures many of the prohibitory duties imposed
upon all articles not of British growth and manufacture
underwent altera•ion. As many of the duties existing at
that time still remained, he was anxious to show what
were the views which Mr. Robinson the❑ entertained, and
what was his intention in proposing the scale of duties
which now existed. Mr. Robinson, after alluding to the
probable effects of the proposed measure, said, that that
protection could in no other way be afforded them in that
instance than by imposing a moderate duty on the importa-
tion into the West Indies of such articles as were equally
the production of both countries. The duty should be so
moderately calculated as not to deprive the people of
the United States of a supply, or increase the price to
the consumer. Those were the principles on which
Mr. Robinson declared his measure IN as founded when he
brought it forward to the House. He (Mr. Labouchcre)
would now come to the year 1825, when another sell more
important step was taken under the auspices of Mr. Hus-
ki-son, who introduced many measures of colonial reform
in that House, and who pasted the Act which with a low
exceptilns was the law that now regulated the colonial
trade of this country. Mr. Huskisson relaxed the naviga-
tion laws, and established bonding warehouses in the colo-
nies—a measure of the greatest advantage both to the co.
lonies and the mother country. In the third place he took
off these prohibitory duties which Mr. Robinson left un-
touched, and he established regulations for the protection
of duties that still exist. The Right Hon. Gentleman
here proceeded to read extracts from the speech delivered '
in the House by Mr. Huskisson, on the occasion referred
to, in which he clearly stated the views and principles on
which he introduced those measures of reform in the colo-
nial trade. Before he (Mr. Labouchere) proceeded to
state the pi inciples on which the measure he had the ho-
nour to introduce was founded, he could not help remark-
ing that every one of those measures of relaxation 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 inte-
rested in those colonies, aid who fancied they would be
injured by those measures being adopted. The first mea-
sure of allowing Ireland to trade with the co-
lonies met with the most decided and vio-

lent opposition. When Mr. Huskisson introduced
his measure there were petitions from Manches
ter, 131 istol, Liverpocl, and other ports, against it.
Mr. Robinson's measure encountered a similar storm
of opposition, and yet every step that had been taken in
this course of reform had been marked with the most de-
cided success. It was no doubt necessary to proceed in
those cases with great precaution and care ; however,
when those measures had proved not only satisfactory but
beneficial also, they should be carried out still further. He
had stated that those duties had undergone no material al-
teration since 1825, and that he felt it his duty to propose
some alterations in the system. Most important revolutions
had taken place in trade since that period ; and it became
the House and the Government to reflect whether the
time was not come when it was their duty to consider that
these duties and regulations should be revised. He had
stated before that Mr. Huskisson had proposed to open a
direct trade with the colonies with foreign countries, who
should give what he considered an equitable return as re-
garded trading with their colonies. With respect to that
power which had been reserved to the Crown the Govern-
ment had exercised it in some cases, but as re-
garded France, from the system pursued by that
country, in reference to her colonies, they could only
extend it to her under very great limitations. He con-
ceived
it to be their duty to carry the principles of Mr.
Huskisson into effect as far as they possibly could. He
now came to consider what was the system which Mr.
Huskisson had established. The first thing that struck
'flim was the high scale at which these colonial duties were
fixed, and he was sure the House would feel that when the
duties were so high as to be prokihitory it mattered very
little whether they kept up a prohibition on duties which
amounted to i'. When he read the speech of Mr. Hus-
kisson and reflected on the large and c mprehenive views

of trade which that Hon. Gentleman entertained, and

compared them with the very inadequate manner in which
these views were carried out, he could not help thinking
that Mr. Huskisson was at that time rather concealing the

,1;fr,,,1t,c1 cnpc.;,..ec ;ioovc
than that he entertained any doubts of the'r con cetness.
Let them look at the duties imposed on various articles in
our West Ineli2l-, and North American colonies. In the

first place, fish, which was one of the most important arti-
cles in the West Indies, was absolutely prohibited. In
the next place, flour and:provisions of all kinds were sub-
ject to a duty which he could not but think very immode-
rate—a duty of from twenty to forty per cent. He did not
think that such a duty should be put on the food
of the people.—( Hear, hear, hear.) It should be
also observed, that those colonies were obliged to depend
for subsistence or food grown in other countries. On
foreign manufactures he found there was, in many ir-
stances, an ad valorem rate of thirty per cent. British
silks were protected in the West India Islands and Canada
by such a duty. On foreign cotton there was a duty im-
posed of 20 per cent. and on various unenumerated arti-
cles a duty of 15 per cent. He thought there were various
circumstances in the social and financial condition of these
colonies which deserved at the present moment the se-
rious attention of the House. Many of the old taxes
were now no longer productive there; while they had
entailed on them many additional expenses. They had an
improved Justiciary in the colonies, Houses of Correction,
and ecclesiastical establishments, and many institutions
calculated to raise the condition of the negroes. All these
things entailed great expense on the colonies. He would
not weary the House by going through statements with
regard to many of those colonies, but ne would quote the
expenses of Jamaica alone. The expenses incurred in
Jamaica, under the law passed in 1839 and 1840,
was, for Emigration 84,0001., for an Improved Ju-
dicial-System, 50,000/., for the Clergy 8,000/, for Curates
6,0001., for the erection of a Penitentiary 30,0001, and
for the erection of a House of Correction 10,000/. The
colonies being called upon to bear these expenses, very
naturally complained, and stated that we were acting on a
principle with regard to them which made it impossible
for them to raise the money. He was satisfied that the
social and financial condition of the West Indies rendered
it necessary to revise the system under which they were
at present placed. On the other hand, in Lower Canada
it was peculiarly necessary at the present time that they
should apply themsely, s to the r complaints of the man-
ner in which tl-,eir regula ions acted upon them. An Ad-
dresi had lately been forwarded to his Noble Friend the
Secretary of State for the Colonies from Upper Canada,
asking to be allowed to deal with these questions them•
selves, not subject to the laws imposed in this country, but
suggesting that any law they passed should be subject to
revision upon an Address from either House of Parlia-
ment. In the spirit of that Address he agreed, and he
thought they ought to allow the colonies to legislate for
themselves, with as little restriction as possible.—(Hear.)
There was also another point which he (Mr. Labouchere)
must say struck his mind most forcibly—he meant the to-
tally opposite principles under which we seemed to act
with regard to our West India colonies and our Eastern
possessions.—(Cries of " Hear.") Nothing could form
a greater contrast, than the duties imposed by Parliament,
or by the Crown, in our eastern and western colonial pos-
sessions. He had stated to the House already, how great
was the discriminating duty imposed upon foreign goods
in the West Indies and Cape of Good Hope. He would
now remind the House that the duties placed on foreign
goods in India, Cape of Good Hope, Australia, and
other portions of our eastern dominions, were of the
most onerous description. He found that in the Cape
of Good Hope there was on foreign goods imported a duty
of 10 per cent., and on British goods a duty of 3 per
cent., the discrinating duties, of course, being 7 per cent.
ad valorem. Now, he asked if British manufacturers com-
plained of this small protection ? Did it at all check im-
portation into the colony ? And if not, for what object was
it that we imposed these high discriminating duties in our
West Indian and North American colonies, duties that sse'e
so grievous to them, acrd so disadvantageous to the mother
country ? In the Cape of Good Hope the duty. 011 foreign
goods was 10 per cent. ad valorem, and on British goods,'"
per cent., leaving a discriminating duty of 6 poi. cent; 'en
g r
New South Wales the duty on foreign oods
Van Die-
cent., and none at all on British goods:
men's Land on foreign goods 74 per centa.,nadn idn.on British
goods 31. It was curious to observe how much more fa-
vourat le the Crown had been to the colonies, in this.n-
re-
spect, than Parliament.
posed duties on the Wherevercolonies,
r u
the Crown had
had been moderate in a
hadliament
been bad done so, it
impored, with
great degree ; but wherever ,
would be found that high duties
the vain object of proteeting where a light our goods. He said,
therefore, that if they found, differential
duty was imposed, the trade ofdi
d
not countryid
suffer—if this system was for the benefit of ti.e
colonieF, and net for the disadvantage of the mother
country, it ought to be adopted, and the same principles
applied to the West India colonies and British North
America, instead of continuing those which excited so
much dissatisfaction. It was too aosurd to suppose that
when our manufactures were able to compete in a third
market, with the manufactures of other parts of the world,
they would suffer from competition in the colonies. And
be said further, that if any article of foreign manufacture,
notwithstanding this difference, was able to find its wa
into the colonies, it ought to find its way there,. and the
colonies ought to have the advantage of that article.
And in his opinion no better course could be taken to
cement the union and good feeling that subsisted between
the colonies and the mother country than to place the