The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-04 00:00:00

(Hear, hear.) Results are the sole tests of legislative
measures in the long rue. Last year duties were re-
pealed or reduced to the extent of about a miiliou and
a half. It is true they did not affect the
revenue until Fart of the year had expired,
but still they canted at the least a reducCon
of a million ; yet, despite of this, the national
revenue has suffered no reduction—(Hear, hear)—it
has even Exceeded that of the last yesr, and the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer is in the happy position of
having a surplus at his command.—(Hear, hear, and
cheers.) Now, the question arises, why has not the
revenue proportionably decreased? I apprehend there
can be but one answer—the prosperous condition of the
people, and consequent increase of consumption, have
swelled the receipts.—(Hear.) I take one item as
strongly elucidating this position. The duty on sugar
was reduced one shilling per cwt. The consequent loss
to the revenue, taking the consumption of the preceding
year, should have been 311,4541., but it resulted in a loss
of 9,1801. only, a good practical reason for
reducing other items of large consumption where the
duty presses he avily, and one which I,doubt not will have
its due effect in future fiscal arrangements.— (Hear,
hear.) Iu a few days the returns of the Board of Trade
will be issued. The returns of the first 11 months of
1850 will enable us to anticipate the results.—(Hear,
hear.) The exports for the first eleven months of
1848 were ... 44,407,9121.
1849 • • ... 54,089,8091.
1850 60,400,525/.
In what did this Increase consist? Principally iu
British manufactures, cottons, woollens, linens, silks,
and hardware.—(Cheers.) This increase has taken
place, too, under most unfavourable circumstances. The
great staple is cotton—at least the great employing ar-
ticle is cotton, but, in the cotton-producing states of
America, last year, there was a short crop, and a•ris ; of
price of full 75 per cent. over the price of the early part
of the preceding year was the consequence.—Hear,
hear.) For instance, Orleans cotton was in January,
1849 ... 41d. per lb.
1850 ... „

It is well known that a rise in the price of cotton rapidly
diminishes consumption.—(Hear, hear.) It did so con-
siderably in this instance, but owing to two circum-
stances the effect was much mitigated. Ist. When the
material is dear the best quality is always run upon by
manufacturers, as, for a smaller quantity in weight they
get the higher price; our skid in the application of ma-
chinery, and the high character of the machinery itself,
has enabled us in finer fabrics to surpass all competition
—(Hear, hear)—and the consequence was, that with all
our disadvantages we partially shut up the American
mills and gave our people full employment.—(Hear.)
2nd. Full employment secured good wages—(Hear,
hear)—and good wages and cheap food enabled
the industrial classes to dress well.—(Cheers.)
The foreign market and home consumption kept the
mills going, and I find 50,000 more hands were em-
ployed in the factories in 1850 than in 1847—the gross
Lumbers being in 1847, 544,876; 1850, 596,028.—
(Hear, hear.) It may be said that the high price of
fabrics helped to swell the amount of exports, but, in
point of tact, quantity was in excess in reference to
cloth; while in yarn there was not only a decrease in
quantity but in value, the increased value being prin-
cipally in labour.—(Hear.) I have the statistics to refer
to, but will not weary the House by doing so. Now, if
our manufacturers have accomplished a result so grati-
fying under unfavourable circumstances, what might we
not have expected had the cotton crop been
a full one, and had the price of the raw
material continued low ? Instead of 50,000 hands, we
should have employed three times that number,—(Hear,
hear.) The low price of cotton brought us through
the year 1847—the high price of cotton acted adversely
in 1830—and here I must pause for a moment and ask,
how important is it that we should be energetic in our
endeavours to get the railway communications of conti-
nental India executed ?—(Cheers.) We are depending
on one quarter of the world only for the means of em-
ploying our operatives in the cotton factories, when we
should be blessing our fellow-subjects by the
activities of commerce, and have a fresh market to de-
pend upon, and that, too, the home. I desire also
to advert to the gratifying fact that the increase of fac-
tory hands, to which I have referred has not been ob-
tained at the sacrifice of infantile energy.—(Hear, hear.)
There has been a decrease since 1834 of 20 per cent. in
the children employed, and an increase of 81 per cent.
in the adults.—(Hear.) I think it cannot be denied that
the poor of every class are better fed and clothed than
they have ever been. If I refer to the poor-law record,
I find that the number of able-bodied paupers have
largely decreased during the year, and the amount of
general relief has been largely lessened. True, some of
the agricultural districts are exceptions and on which I
shall be called on presently to speak. If I refer to our
criminal records, I find the facts to be equally gratify-
ing. In the city of Manchester the returns of persons
apprehended for crimes in the three last years are, in
1848, 6,587; 1849, 6,277; 1850, 4,687. The West Riding
of Yorkshire, in its criminal prosecutions, shows a
similar result. I now come to another result of the po-
licy of the present and the last Ministry. Two years
since London was crowded with deputations ardent in
deprecating any interference with the navigation-laws.
Fortunately for themselves and the country, their en-
treaties did not avail. They returned to their localities
to rejoice in the increase of the shipping trade rather than
to mourn its gradual extinction.—(Elear.) It is very true
the entrance and clearing of foreign shipping has in-
creased, but it is equally true that British ships have
also increased. I will admit all details of numbers of
ships and tonnage which I have before me for the first
eleven months of 1848, 1849, and 1850. I give you the
gross increase of tonnage the first eleven months of 1849
and 1850:

INCREASE OF TONNAGE.

1849 over 1848. 1850 over 1849
British 226 „ 207 ... 162 „ 843
Foreign

I have taken the returns of vessels cleared outwards,
because that is an evidence of work done—the returns of
vessels entering may be affected in a variety of ways,
apart from the evidence of work done within the period
specified. I must alto very briefly call the attention of
Hon. Members to the fact, that the repeal of the naviga-
tion-laws has not yet :affected either the value of ship-
ping or the demand. The ship-building of the Clyde,
the Tyne, the Mersey, and the Thames, is fully equal is
its activity to any preceding period, and within the last
few days an eminent shipbuilder informed me the
orders for ships and steamers on his books exceeded
400,0001. If I refer to the circulars of firms engaged in
the sale of ships I find the same activity of trade indi-
cated.—(Hear, hear.) One of the largest firms in Eng-
land so engaged, and whose place of business is Liver-
pool, thus writes:—" It gives us pleasure to state that
the amount of tonnage sold in 1850 in Liverpool exceeds
that sold in 1849, being 81,028 tons against 78,212;
showing an increase of 1850 over 1849 equal to 36 per
cent.—(Cheers.) Now, as to the price of shipping, the
same circular states—a" Now British ships have fully
maintained our last quotations. Indeed we have felt
the want of a larger supply of good vessels."—(Cries
of " Hear, ") And as to the ships built in
the Mersey hapeorr.t, their circular shows an excess
of tonnage in 1850 over 1849 of 4,609 tons. I have
made careful inquiries as to prices ruling at New York
on all the items affecting the price at which ships can be
built there. I have failed to find any reason for alarm.
—(Hear, hear.) Their prices of labour exceed ours
by more than 50 per cent, while the average of the cost
of materials used is quite equal to their cost with us.
A great revolution is new taking place in the shipping
trade, and which revolution was in progress when the
navigation-laws were repealed. That measure helped to
anticipate the result—a result, I believe, which the re-
tention of protection would have rendered utterly dis-
astrous to us. The old mode of shipbuilding, it is ad-
mitted on all hands, will no longer do. Capacity without
speed is the reverse of recouireendation in a ship. What the
American shipbuilderseffected, the Scotch have surpassed,
and the result of the trial between the Scotch built ships
and steamers and the United States, shows us we have
nothing to apprehend, but much to gain, if British
skill an enterprise be but relieved from all impediments.
The merchants and traders of Liverpool are generally
considered to be well and practically acquainted with all
the circumstances which regulate commerce. I have
several of their annual circulars before me, and I am
struck with the unanimity of their testimony. One of
the most eminent says—. The present year opens under
circumstances of great encouragement. Money is abun-
dant—food of every kind cheap—general trade is active
and remunerative, finding ample employ merit for the
industry of the country."—(Hear, hear.) With all that is
so encouraging at home, there are evident symptoms of
the gradual prevalence in foreign countries of sounder
principles of international commerce : they are learning
the lesson that it is better to buy economically, than to
manufacture expensively—they are learning that the
merchants of England are the best customers in every
market—that their manufacturers are surpassed by none
in skill and ingenuity.— (Hear, hear.) To illustrate the
perfect certainty that such must be, in the course of events,
the policy of every state, let us take France and her iron
trade. Her protective iron duties are now so high, and
are of such a ccmparative amount, that she pays every
five years the full value of purchase of every iron work in
the kingdom on her home consumption only. Is it not self-
evident that it would be far more the policy of her people to
receive our iron, and for us in treaty to take her light
wines on lower duties, and yield to our own Exchequer
larger revenue than from our present limited consump-
tion, resulting from the almost prohibitive duties of the
present tariff ?—(llear, hear.) But her Majesty expresses
at the same time the sympathy she feels for the owners
and occupiers of land in the difficulties which now affect
them, and a hope that the prosperity of the manufac-
turing and commercial interests will soon be productive
of beneficial effect to the agricultural body.—(Cheers.)
And here, I trust, I may fairly ask the question, if such
is the state of the commercial, manufacturing, and
shipping interests, can it be supposed that the agricul-
tural is the only interest not destined to share
in the general prosperity ?—(Hear, hear, and
cheers.) Is land exempt f'rom the great law of progression?
It is impossible for wheat to fall from 7s. to ss. per
bushel.without causing great anxiety to owners and oc-
cupiers of land, but no one can doubt that commerce has
its ever-grove ing connexion with the soil by the substantial
ties of property— (Hear, hear)—and that the interests
of all are identified ; and the fact of distress existing
culls fur every practical sympathy to be shown—(Cheers)
—and that by the removing of every unjust burden
which the friends of agriculture can show to press un-
fairly on its interests, and rejoicing in the fact of
the alteration of the law, I cannot hesitate to
express my wish that more time had been allowed
to adjust the interests which had, under the old
and vicious system, Leen placed in a false
position. It is easy to say that this adjustment is en-
tirely an affair of landlord and tenant. It is so, but
when we reflect that no good tenant could farm without
imparting value to the land which it takes years to ab-
stract, a re-valuation at present prices is simply giving
to the landlord a rental arising from value imparted by
the expenditure of capital by the tenant. I believe it to