The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-21 00:00:00

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ACM

LONDON, TUESDAY, JULY 21, 1846.

The Earl of SHAFTESBURY took his seat on the Wool.
sack at Five o'clock.

On the motion of Lord COLCHESTER, the third reading
of the Glasgow Termini Bill was adjourned till Thurs-
day next.

Earl Pow's, after presenting several petitions against
the consolidation of the sees of St. Asaph and Bangor,
moved the second reading of the St. Asaph and Bangor
Bill.

The Marquis of LANsnowNE opposed the motion.

After a discussion in which the Bishops of LONDON
and BANGOR, Earl YIN-lAN, Lord STANLEY, Earl GREY,
Lord ELDON, and the Bishop of OXFORD took part,
Earl Yowls replied.
Their Lordships then divided, when there appeared—
For the Bill, 38 ; against, 28 ; majority for the second
reading, 10.

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE then said it was not his
intention to give any further opposition to the measure,
Their Lordships then adjourned.

The House met at Four o'clock.
After the transaction of private business,
Mr. F. MAULS, in answer to Dr. BOWRING, explained
the circumstances attending the flogging and subsequent
death of Frederick White, late of the 7th hussars.
The House having resolved itself into a Committee of
Ways and Means,
Lord Josue RUSSELL rose to state the course which
the Government proposed to pursue as regards the
Sugar Duties. Had the Government been disposed to
consult their own ease, they would not have wanted
plausible reasons for postponing the consideration of the
question of the Sugar Duties. But the public, which
spent 12,000,000/. a-year in sugar, suffered much from
the increased price of that article; the revenue also suffered,
and it was most desirable for the interests of trade and
commerce to endeavour to come to some permanent
settlement of the question. The high price of sugar in
this country had long been the subject of complaint, in-
asmuch as it rendered the consumption of sugar impos-
sible to the poorer classes, and at the same time, in con-
sequence of the diminution of supply, diminished the
revenue. The price had risen, during some
parts of last year, to 7s. above the price calcu-
lated on by the late Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, while the revenue from the sugar duties
had been actually less, by 341,529/. than the amount
estimated by the Right Hon. Gentleman; and this en-
tirely owing to the deficient supply consequent upon the
supply not having been drawn from a sufficiently exten-
sive area. The Noble Lord then proceeded to state
the prospect of the supply of sugar for the coming year,
which he estimated at 230,000 tons. An increased sup-
ply was necessary, and whence were they to look for
this increased supply? The reduction of duties on free-
labour sugar alone would produce very little effect,
as the quantity of foreign free-labour sugar to be
obtained was of very little importance. Now, upon
the present consumption, an increase of price of
6s. only would be a tax upon the public of 1,600,0001.,
which would not go to the State. He would propose,
therefore, the admission of other foreign sugars,
to supply the deficiency ; but here they were
met by the objection that the admission
of foreign sugar would encourage slavery,
and that such consideration should overbalance all
financial and commercial views, and all considerations
of the welfare of the people. But that ar-
gument failed of completeness while they
admitted tobacco, cotton, and other productions of slave
labour ; and therefore they did not even pretend to carry
into effect the humane views which those opposed to
the consumption of slave labour produce entertained.
The members of the Anti-Slavery Committee, however,
were consistent, for they denounced the consumption o
slave• labour cotton as most immoral ; and yet if it were
proposed before we would admit American cotton
wool to call upon the United States to solve the tre-
mendous problem of slavery it would be considered
as absolute insanity. The same argument ap-
plied to copper ore, and various other articles,
The 'policy of excluding slave-labour sugar would be
therefore incomplete; but, more than that, they were
obliged to admit slave states, with which they had trea-
ties of reciprocity, to compete with free labour
states in the market. They had besides been obliged to
refuse to Spain the benefits of the commercial treaties
concluded with her, and that on principles not
very honourable to a great nation. He could
not help thinking that the principle contended for
by Spain was contained in the treaty of Utrecht. It
was certainly unfortunate that in their pursuit
of humanity they should be forced to evade
the obligations of treaties. But there was a
further defect in these attempts to exclude
slave-labour sugar. The merchants sent this sugar to
other markets, and thence obtained supplies which they
might dispose of in the English market ; and thus
obtain English manufactures for the supply of the slave
employer ; and thus they foiled to prevent the slave-
owner from getting a market for his produce. For these
reasons he held that the ground which had been
hitherto taken was not tenable, and ' that pro-
ceeding upon the principle which they had adopted with
regard to other commodities, they must admit the sugar
of the world to the markets of the United King.
dom. He must admit, however, that there
were reasons forbidding that immediate equalisation
The West India body most justly urged the great change
produced by the emancipation of their slaves, and the
losses they had sustained in consequence, and the inter-
ference of this country to prevent their obtaining a
supply of free labour, as reasons against this immediate
equalization ; and these reasons ►ere entitled to
great consideration. There were likewise finan-
cial reasons against any sudden and ab-
rupt change. Ile should, therefore, propose a
complete withdrawal of the present prohibitory
duty on slave-labour sugar, and then a very
slight alteration from year to year, until the duties
should be equalised. He would propose, at once, to
reduce the duty on all foreign Muscovado sugar to 21s.
per cwt., to be diminished from sth July 1847, to sth July
1848, to 20s. ; from sth July, 1849, to 18s. 6d.; from 1160,
to 17s. ; from 1851, to 155. 6d.; and that from the sth July,
1852, the duty on all sugars, foreign and colonial, should
be 14s. The reduction of a cloyed and refined sugar
would be in similar proportion, and would be diminished
likewise from year to year. The West Indians
complained of the interference of the Government in
preventing the immigration of Hill Coolies. Now he
proposed that the Coolies should have permission to emi-
grate on certain conditions. He also proposed to
diminish the differential duties on rum from ls. 6d. to
ls. The West Indians also asked that molasses
should be permitted to be used in breweries and
distilleries, but there were such practical difficulties in
the way of acceding to that request that he could not
comply with it. He also proposed to enable the colonists
to procure the provisions and timber in the cheapest market
and to do away with differential duties in favour of Bri-
tish produce imported into the colonies. The whole
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