The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-19 00:00:00

TRADE WITH SPAIN.

None but the most obstinate partisans of the exclusive
system of trade can question the absurdity of further with-
holding the reforms and reductions so loudly callsd for,
by every honest merchant, in the tariff of import dute,
on British goods and articles, because we are the par ies
most mate ially injured, inasmuch as whi'e the smugglers
introduce the same from the Portuguese, Genoa, 14' ghops,
and Gibraltar markets, our public treasury dces not derive
the advantage of the duties thereon ; duties which all
would prefer paying to running the risk of smuggling,
if they were fixed on a proper and reasonable scale. The
clandestine annual introduction into Spain cf British manu-
factures through Portugal, Genoa, acd Leghorn, Gibralta7
not being included, is valued at about 3,000,000/. ster,.
ling, and there are those who deem that it is considerably
more, yet those coming through Portugal are subject to
the payment of heavy duties there, independent s f the
Lisbon and Porto merchants' commission and charges, on
sale, carriage, &c., to the Spanish fron icr, be.i.les the
smugglers' fees. The following are the scales of duties in
Portugal in 18:11:5,0ppr andeeerrr
cce
cent......,,,
cent
ttt
...t
................................................ :
Cotton goods 15 per cent. in MO_ ..27 per cent. now
Cloth
Butter
eefirrOcepee ennrtt:cent. now
Earthen or
crockerywar e 8
Some cottm articles arc charged upwards of 200 per
cent., but th•y are cf a peculiar nature, and subject, conse-
quently, to pecul ar rates. Let us lay on a duty of from
30 to 40 per cent , according to qualities, on cotton goods,
and so on in proportion on ell others, and we shall find
thst our Custom-house receipts increase in proportion ns
the smugglers' trade diminishes, because it will no longer
be worth their wsile. This measure woul i have a two-
fold effect, that of increasing the consumption of those
article,, because of the reduction in their phi es, as
well as that of yieldisg to our public Tteasury an ad-
ditional income of from one million to onesand-a.
half million sterling ! I should lice to know whether
it can be fa;r to deprive the country cf t-is vast ad-
ditional r.v.osue, besides comp 1 ing its inhabitants to
pay such high prices fir British goods, merely be wise
40,000 Catalan workmen must be supportel i s their cx.
etative trade ? I maintain that their trade is likely to cor-
tinue, or r ven be increa-ed, by the improve.sients arising
from a spirit of competition, if but a protecting dety be
laid on,

It is supposed that no less than 100 000 Spanish sub-
jects arc supported by the contraband trade, a gold por-
tion of which is carried on in Catalan ships, that are ad-
mirably construc'e I for the purpose. Would it not be
better to uffurd them an honest way of earning a liveli-
hood ? Why do not our 14 ttesmen co: wince thernsolve;
that most of the Portugue.e Government's revenue is hised
on our ignorant exclusiveness principle ? Why do they
tilt look at home, to the example set them by the !Angel
cf Cuba, the great prospeti y of which da•cs from 1826,
when the local authorities opened it: [mai to all ships and
tv.,:ry merchandise on payn..ent of import duties of 14 1,e7
coot., 21 per neat., and 27 per vole., accor.dirg to the
value and qual ty of the goods ? But these peoll • arc
either de facto blind, or wilting to room so ; and I am
greatly mistaken if the majolii of the Chamber of D pu-
ties be not favourable to the continuance of the exclusive
s) step.