The Sun.
London, England, 1848-06-30 00:00:00

Mr. URQUHART, having withdrawn his amend-
ment, proceeded to say that he could not assent to the
Government proposition. He was no friend to the ge-
neral principle of protection, but he thought the condi-
tion of the West Indies presented an exceptional case.
—(Flear, hear.) Ho called upon the House, by assent-
ing to the amendment of the Hon. Baronet to save our
West India colonies from the destruction so imminently
threatening them.
The Marquis of GRANBY denied that the distress
of the West India planters arose from the recent com-
mercial depression. If so, how was it that- the same
cause had not operated upon the importations to this
u
course
c o nty rp
ooifnßterda zoi and
al
thy
Cubathei g
Right
isguhtair ? I
Hon.
on .
Baronetf by
pursuingthe w age thes
of the labourer were to be reduced, would the planters
be enabled to take advantage of that reduction ? Ile
at once said no ; the only mode of benefiting the plan-
tars was by giving them protection, and encouraging
immigration of labourers. His Right Hon. Friend the
Member fur Ripon had asked the other night how the
West Indies could contend with the slave-grown sugars
produced at 15s. 9d. under the 10s. protective duty pro-
posed by the West Indian party ? If they could not
contend with these sugars at such a duty, how much
less could the West India planters compete at the diffe-
rential duty proposed by the Goverament of 7s. They
certainly could not do so. Were they to consider the
great question before them on party motives ? He
protested against entering upon such a course, and before
he sat down he must entreat the House to remember
that in 1834, when the interests of the colonies and of
humanity were antagonistic and opposed to each other
the Legislature did not hesitate to indemnify the planter,
and now when the interest of the colonies and of huma-
nity were identical, it was still more incumbent on them
to have a regard to those two considerations, and not to
expose the West Indies to certain ruin by bringing into
competition with them the cheaper produce of slave-
holding colonies.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that the subject before the
House was one well worthy of its most serious consi-
deration. After hearing all the arguments that had
been urged during the debate, he had come to the same
conclusion that had already been stated in the course of
the discussion—namely, that the motion of the Hon.
Baronet had only embarrassed the question without
affording the House the means of coming to a correct
conclusion as to the real subjects at issue. If the Hon.
Baronet had moved an amendment on the proposition of
the Government to the effect that no adequate relief
could be afforded to the West Indians save by the adop-
tioa of the recommendations of the West India Commit-
tee, he (Lord J. Russell) was ready to admit that the
House would then be on the road towards coming to some
conclusion on the question before them. But the Hon.
Baronet's amendment merely went the length of con-
demning the propositions made by her Majesty's Govern-
ment. If he had even allowed it to be supposed that
the present was a party movement for the purpose of
unseating the Government, he (Lord J. Russell) could
have understood the proceeding. But it had been clearly
shown that whilst there were many who were disposed
to vote for his amendment, they comprised no inconsi-
derable number of Hon. Members who altogether disap-
apnrodvtehdeoreffothree, vailetwh
osnegnhterhteaimneigdhbtyantheeeeeHdoinn.
dßesatrroonyeint
g
the Government, he would not make any progress to-
wards giving relief to the West Indians. If the Hon .
Baronet's amendment was affirmed, he would find the
Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for Oxford Univer-
sity and the Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for
Cambridge University both alike ready to oppose his
tl
hOes
Hon..
H p
Gor oactsneect
lteei Eno
In dduwtoy, and
counlsdent
informtto declare o
hani
mdtone
it
naet toth ebe
of
rt
ehmo
do
usecrteßi
otinhg an
Right
the 14s. duty to 10s. would be dangerous to the revenue.
How then would the question stand in the event of the
amendment being carried ? The Government would
thereby have a negative put upon their propositions,
and the Hon. Baronet's proposal would meet with a
similar reception, and the Right Honourable Gentle-
man the Member for Oxford University would be
ready to bring forward his views, which it might be ad•
van tageous to discuss, but which could not then be entered
upon. The only result which the Hon. Baronet would
arrive at would be that the propositions of the Govern-
ment being rejected, and none others having been
adopted in their stead, the West Indians would find
themselves, after so many nights' discussion, landed at
the scale of duties which would come into operation on
the sth of July. Was that the Hoe. Baronet's mode of
coming to their assistance and relief? Having said this
much with respect to the probable results of the affirma-
tion of the amendment, he should take that opportunity
course
eioiewnhith
respect
of making a further statement respecting the views en-
tertained by the Government on the subject under con-
sideration. The great changes which had taken place
in the West Indian colonies—first, in the emancipation
of the slaves; subsequently, in the admission of foreign
free labour, and then of slave labour sugars into the
home market—had made an immense change in the
condition of the planters and proprietors of those
islands. Those changes—more especially the first—
called for corresponding legislative measures on the
part of the Government. Those measures bad been
projected and brought forward, but they met with every
species of obstruction and delay, by which means they
were prevented from proving so beneficial as they
ought to have been to the West Indian Colonists. He
would first allude to the Vagrancy Act, and the means
proposed for regulating the employment of labourers
in those islands. Having been for soma time Chief Se-
cretary for the Colonies he was enabled to state from his
own knowledge that the difficulties which had been put
in the way of passing those laws chiefly referred to the
fears that an infringement of the Emancipation Act was
contemplated. There was at that time a very strict and
zealous supervision exercised over the colonial legisla-
ture by the anti-slavery party in this country, and this
supervision was carried to a very high pitch of jealousy
and watchfulness. But that feeling was a very natural
, one, resulting, as it did, from the long and arduous
struggle that had been made between the party seeking
to perpetuate slavery and the emancipation party. But
be that as it might, the contest certainly had the effect
of preventing the free course of legislation, and the
speedy passing of the vagrancy and employment Act;
and the constant reports sent home by the stipendiary
magistrates respecting the treatment of the labourers in
the West Indian islands created and maintained a
great degree of irritation. He only referred to those
order robdt
by
rho
et
hto
c other laws,
consideredlsahwosw, r
regulating
uh
complete
t in theg th
no Emancipationnsltoastse
iot f
free-
domw sAtocpticcsionuilad which the negro population were to exist.
aecomp
Anotheraanat accompanied
ea
same more
time
twith
t he question
precedingcame
otnoe b.e con-
sidered
Thecoonudtituiopno,nowthiennig,totothceomlapregtee
ioonufrpaedroduction, notwithstanding the
i ei sn capitalpw cei rcetp
awaWdmivtlasuntCntatlugnboedafs which the latter island possessed over the
British West Indian planters. But the great want ex-
t. hsat
wotteml
Ahoee
obrxsskri
tetai
sehdnnegdtodyoe f
perienced by the latter was that of continuous labour.
Great objections had been raised to the importation of
any labourers from Africa, as that, it was feared, would
endanger the liberty of the negroes. He had tried to
promote immigration into the West Indies from Sierra
Leone of liberated or free Africans, but few went.
European immigration
mt hutelthat
utaetttoio,lui
others
to failed. The Coolie immigration also failed. The want
bbiftto
nhueoefcnl
that
hrtreieegl continuousyttrffshnseceleaetyrthtshijr,
eopiawagrnninssddtl
ißoann stock
oiut)ankgot,
beneficial,
under
heodoot
ttsaeufhtssrriiteHhamhaobahmotansohtnat
mlaueid.
dsrwdrake
Baronet
arelevbnxe t
enableil si et
hfe ad
hed
the
hf oot rh
hardlyupwardsceuo thought
ohnthi
satidst
its
fito to
aenrrcyu
nme number
highlye rtt
loef imported
3‘iena b z
.r la_
wouldlabourers
—a measure
s
ddbvea
appliedn ce o f 50t
00,00 other
t pour
rtphoes
epsu. r
Ifpo
hs reuse f
(Lordoa
ortn of
that
J. aemwt
npocirrrockoup.rl
proposed
hs
neTdohh
taae
advanced
the
whichi
evg apr
planters
nau et Russell)iepotdohnu
se,pmao
woinontnerdi
ar
draining,
etoh
plan
aa had
similar
iea
uns asked
ine
at ddor whethertthissuch
ou cthh paart
ocbpoyaou s
Wr
ip
owners
we
nleading
Groat
there
eagHythoßttuorsiieict
aotaionnn. thinkaadnGadef
fur
rtrt
iheeplamuatnbadt hoe b :Iv
prepared to advance money on loans to the West Indian
otwof
cttrhhe
making coloniesoesatech,eyeoof
1.
wocnoai
Memberreni wasscas_i s
ihn aeatnl
fhwmdoeoro
would
:tirtdhei
tramways mse t
havep
uolsnnsndii
University
Indies,
sbdtijsotecycfgc
objection
oevv.l
public c
hworks,ad al
isuod,
eidf there_...
h c
drainage which would be likely to increase the produce
the appropriation of the 500,0001. to such works._
(Hear, hear.) The Right Honourable Gentle-
mans.—
attributed the whole of the distress in the to the Act of 1846. It did not appear to hi t
that
m the
Act of 1846 was the principal, though it -
might be one,
cause of that distress. In stating the probable e,
effects of
that Bill at the time he introduced it, h 240,000 tons might be introduced from the° British
that
sessions, 20,000 tons, the produce of free labour,rtish Pos-
-20,000 of other foreign sugar, making altogether and
280,000
tons. He did not expect that the produce of
possessions would have been increased, but it their
Own
that their produce last year reached 280 0 happened
, 00 tons, and
this, together with 48,000 tons, the produce of other
increase . o er
countries, caused a very great depression of prices The
increase of their West Indian colonies alone *
by the returns moved for by the Hon. Me ~ as appeared
too:11)er for Leo-
minster, was from 2,000,000 cwt.,200,000,
2,500,000 cwt. 2,800 2,800,000 cwt., and last 2 year it was
3,202,775 cwt. That showed an enormous increase of
production, though he admitted to the
Right
Hon Gen-
tleman (Mr. Goulburn) that this increase *
attributed to the Act of 1846. But it was not to be
showed an im-
mense increase of production; and if that had been con-
comitant with the high prices which pr l time of monopoly, he believed it would have caused as
much distress as prevailed at the re ent time. The
Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for the University
of Oxford, did not concur in the Proposal ot a 10s. duty,
neither was he in favour of the plan I a 7s. duty as pro-
posed by the Government. He must therefore suppose
that the Right Hon. Gentleman was •
intermediate scale between 7s. and I°loffavo,Thaotf some
only make a difference of Is. 6d. or 2s. at the utmost,would
and ho owned that; it might be fairly taken into '
consi-
deration in Committee. Another Hon. Gentleman was
in favour of the 10s. duty, but for three years cause, if the 10s. duty were:to exist for a longer period
—for 10 years—it would raise the rate of labour. If
the Hon. Gentleman was right as to the effect such a
measure would have on the rate of labour, he (Lord J.
Russell) did not see why it should not have the same
effect, though the duty was to continue but for two or
three years. He believed that such a proposition
would give rise to fresh speculation and compe-
tition, and that at the end of the three years the
West Indians would come to them with the same com-
plaints that they did now. In the midst of the various
schemes proposed, that of the Government seemed to
him to combine every advantage. He did not think, in
the face of the distress of the West Indians, that it
would be right to allow the Act of 1846 to come into
further operation. What they proposed, therefore, was
to give immediate protection to the planters by increas-
tee,nascirtwc,sen nil
0 ea
nn
ts
shouldwl,oa
for