The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-03 00:00:00

SUGAR DUTIES.

The House then went into Committee on the Sugar
Duties. A preliminary discussion arose as to whether a
motion of Mr. Bagshaw or that of Sir John Pakington
should have precedence, and it was ultimately decided
that Sir John Pakington should move his amendment first.
Sir J. PAKINGTON then rose to move the amend-
ment of which he had given notice, which was to the
effect that from the present time there should be a dif-
ferential duty of 10s. in favour of the produce of the
British colonies ; and he proposed to effect this, not by
raising the duty on foreign sugar, but by lowering it on
British. In making this motion, he thought he had
a right to complain of the statements that had been
made by the Noble Lord at the head of the Govern-
ment, who had stated that the course he (Sir J. Peking-
ton) was pursuing had caused embarrassment and delay.
—(Hear, hear.) He admitted that there had been
some embarrassment, but he thought the delay rested
with the Noble Lord himself.—(Hear, hear.)
The Noble Lord ought to have seen and known that it
would be impossible to discuss a subject like the pre-
sent without some considerable delay ; and as to the em-
barrassments, he believed them to have arisen from
the vacillation of the Government.—(Hear, hear.)
His plan would not increase the price to the consumer,
nor would it endanger the revenue, and he thought, as
it was essential to the welfare and prosperity of the
colonies, it ought to be readily adopted. But considera-
tions of revenue ought not to influence their minds upon
this subject, when it was borne in mind, that by in-
creasing the consumption of colonial sugar in this country
they were practically checking the horrors of the slave
trade, and he hoped the exaggerated accounts of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer as to the loss: the adoption
of this plan would inflict upon the revenue, would not
deter Hon. Members from giving it their support.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
adoption of the plan would involve a loss of 960,000/.
Sir J. PAKINGTON contended that the loss would
fall very tar short of that sum, but when they were
legislating fur purposes of humanity, they ought not to be
influenced by revenue considerations. He maintained
however, that the loss to the revenue which would result
from the adoption of the plan would be 182,000/., as com-
pared with the year 1847, instead of 960,000/., as esti-
mated by the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite. With
regard to what he proposed to do when his plan expired,
he must refuse to give any answer whatever. He can-
didly confessed that he was not prepared to do so.
No man could pretend to predict as to what the duties on
sugar ought to be in the year 1854. He could assure
the Government that if they persevered in their line of
policy, they would ultimately drive the estates in the
colonies out of cultivation, and so give the producer of
slave-grown sugar an almost exclusive monopoly of the
British market. It was on those grounds that he
proposed the motion; and, if it were the pleasure
of the House to reject it, would be some satis-
faction to him to have put on record the
just and reasonable demands of the colonies, and all
responsibility, therefore, would devolve upon the Govern-
ment who had introduced the measure. The Hon.
Baronet concluded by proposing the motion substituting
10s. for 13s. as the duty on Muscovado sugar.
Mr. DRUMMOND said some Member had treated
this subject as a free-trade question, others as a
slave-trade question, and others had treated it solely
with reference to the West Indian planters; but no
one yet had given the slightest clue by which
they could unravel that great complexity. The West
Indian interest had in the present debate, a great
advantage, because they bad received the aid
of the consummate abilities, great exertions of
the Noble Lord the Member for Lynn.—(Hear, hear.)
The House was in this perplexity upon this question
that the Members on each side of it were afraid to
carry out their own principles.—(Hear, hear.) The
people of this country had broken three distinct bargains
with the West Indian proprietors. The West
Indians had a right to bring their whole produce to this
country duty free, and they ought to be satisfied with
nothing less.

Mr. Y. SMITH denied that the people of this country
had broken their contracts Nyith the West Indians.
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

TATTERSALL'S—THIS EVENING.
Six o'CLocx.

JULY STAKES.
7 to 4 on Flying Dutchman
4 to 1 on Aquetos
4 to 1 agst any other
GOODWOOD STAKES.
12 to 1 agst Remembrance
12 to 1 agst Alpheia
13 to 1 agst Chanticleer
16 to 1 agst Reflection
LIVERPOOL CUP.
7 to 1 agst Cawroush
S to 1 agst Executor
15 to 1 agst Jovial
GOODWOOD CUP.
15 to 1 agat Miss Lydia
ST. LEGER.
Betting the same as last week.
DERBY.
18 to 1 agst Flying Dutchman
27 to 1 apt Honeycomb
30 to 1 agst Uriel
33 to 1 agst c out of Ailce Hawthorn's dam
40 to 1 agst Saucy Dick
50 to 1 agst Aquetos