The Sun.
London, England, 1833-08-02 00:00:00

taken into consideration on licdaesday next.
Lord ASHLEY presented several petitions from Brad-
ford, and other places, in favour of the better obser-
vance of the Lord's Day ; also petitions from Mr.
Oastler, and the inhabitants of Shaftesbury, Reading, and
l'arringdon, in favour of the Factories Bill. Also a
petition from the manufacturing operatives of Halifax in
the county of York, complaining of the misrepresentations
of the f tctory commissions.
Mr. O'CONNELL presented a petition from certain
individuals in Dublin, praying fur the immediate and un-

restricted emancipation.of thenegroes.
Mr. SPRING RICE presented papers from the Trea-
sury.
DUTIES ON EAST INDIA PRODUCE.

Mr. EWART said that he rose to move a resolution to
which he did not think there could be any objection

offered. It was prospective, and to the effect that it
was expedient to admit sugar and coffee from our
Eastern possessions, the produce of free labour,
on equal terms with the produce of the West India islands.
He thought that question came before the House at a
time which gave them a right to demand acquiescence in
it, and thought that even those originally interested in
opposing it, ought no longer to do so. We did not
lay discriminating duties on all Eastern produce, for
we admitted corn and flour from Calcutta on the same
terms as we did from Canada. He did not see why sugar
and coffee and all other colonial articles produced by the
East and West Indies in common should not be admitted
on the same terms as the corn from them. Instead of

that, the duty on West India sugar was 249. per
cwt., whilst that on East India sugar was 323. per
cwt. The duty on coffee from the West Indies was 6d.
per lb., while the duty on coffee from the East Indies was
fifty per cent. higher, 9d. per lb. The duty on West
India rum was as. per gallon, whilst that on E►et India
rum was lbs. per gallon. The result, as might have been
expected, was an immense difference in the consumption
of the articles from the said countries. By returns lately-
laid upon the table by the Secretary of the Treasury. it
appeared that we imported annually, from the West
Indies and the Mauritius 4,000,000 cwt. of sugar, whilst
that from the East Indies, exclusive of Singapore, was
88,000 cwt.—little compared with the vast extent of the
countries from which it came. It also appeared from
Parliamentary returns, that the quantity of coffee annually
imported from the West Indies was twenty four and a
half millions lbs., whilst the quantity from India was not
half t o much. He asked the House, whether, looking:to the
immense extent of bur Eastern, and the small extent
of our Western possessions, this was the result which
ought to have been arrived at. It was not just to the
East Indians, it was not just to our manufacturers, to
pursue a system so destructive of commerce. At pre-
sent we sent out some manufactures to the East Indies,
but not any thing near the amount we should do if we
allowed her to send us her produce in return.—(Hear,
hear.) If they looked to the Mauritius they would find that
the exports from that island had, since 1825, when
the restrictictive system was abolished with regard
to it, increased f►ve-fold.—(Hear, hear.) If that had
been the case in so small an island, what might they not
expect from the establishment of a proper system with
regard to our immense possessions in the East ?—(Hear.)
If the House looked at the effect of the reduction of duty
on coffee, how enormously had the consumption increased
of coffee since the duty was lowered in 1824 ? He would ask,
whether this increase would not have been even far greater
had it not bten for the monopoly i❑ favour of the West
India produce ? The supply by that monopoly had been
greatly limited, and the community had been deprived of
much of the advantage they would otherwise have had, had
the importation been left unrestricted. No consumption of
this country had gone to the extreme limit of the supply.

If Hon. Gentlemen would turn their attention to the
United States, where freedom of trade was now allowed in
this article, there had been a far greater increase in the
consumption than bad taken place in this country. In
the United States they had been reducing the duty for
the last three or
,four years, and the consumption had
increased there to such an extent as that, should this
country find it necessary to increase the facilities of im-
portation into this country, there would be much more
difficulty in having a full supply now than there would
have been it the duty had been removed some years since.
It was an undeniable fact that the coffee of the Brazils
and of St. Domingo could be got at one third
lower than the Jamaica coffee ; why, therefore, should
this country refuse to give facilities to such an introduc-
tion ? He would say, give facilities to the introduction
of coffee from those parts, and, above all, of coffee
from the East Indies. If it were said that the East Indies

could not supply us with sugar and coffee ; then, he would
ask, what reason was there to dread a competition
with the West Indies?—(Cries of " Hear, Hear.")
If there ever was a time at which more than another
there war a stronger claim for the consideration of the
subject, it was the present, wherein so fair an opportunity
existed of employing British capital and activity.
(Hear.) He would turn to the evidence which had been
elicited in 1831, to show the capabilities of India
in the production of sugar, coffee, cotton, indigo, and to-
bacco. The Hon. Member then read extracts from the
evidence given by Dr. Wallis, Mr. Gilbourne, Mr.
Sullivan, Dr. Warwick, and others, to prove the
peculiar capabilities for these productions, and in
particular of sugar and coffee. With this evidence before
the House, he would say, that if the oppportunity now
offered were suppressed, it might be expected the subject
would be suppressed for ever. If he were asked what
paramount claim there was for throwing open the trade
to India, in this respect, he would answer, had not Eng-
land a fair right to expect it? Could he not claim it on
behalf of the consumers, the manufactureis, and the
commercialists of this country ?—(Hea:.) Was it not
well known that there might be larger expectations of
manufactured goods from this country, if return cargoes
could be obtained for the shipping? It was too well
known that many English vessels were obliged to return
with cargoes to continental ports, because there was not
sufficient produce in India with which to load them. And
yet the East was the country in which sugar had been first
raised, and in China was first practised the art of sugar
refining. It ought also to be borne in mind that the
manufactories of India had been ruined by competition with
the gigantic machinery of this country, and her looms bad
been almost entirely supplanted ; it was only just, there-
fore, to encourage what might be deemed to be the natural
productions of India, as a sort of reparation for the depri-
vation of her manufacturing employment, whilst the manu-
factures of this country would be further encouraged by the
creation of produce for return cargoes. Looking, then,
at Os subject, either as regarded India or this country,
there was every ground for a speedy change in the system.
fhe united voice of the people of this country called for this
freedom of commercial intercourse with the East, and he
did not think it could much longer be withheld, especially
as far as regarded coffee, sugar, and other articles of home
consumption. He would leave the matter to the justice
and feeling of the House; it was a question of justice to
both countries, and of expediency and sound policy as
regarded the East India possessions. The Hon. Gentleman
concluded by reading his resolution.
Mr. J. OSWALD seconded the motion.
Lord ALTHORp did not think that this was one of
those questions which it was expedient or proper for the
House at present to decide, when they could not precisely
foresee the effects which the contemplated plans in rel.tion
to the West Indies, which were about to be brought into ope-
ration would have. It was a different matter when the ques-
tion on former occasions had been brought under the consi-
deration of the House. At that time the produce of the
West India colonies very much exceeded the consumption
of this country, and although the West India planters bad
always objected to the introduction ofsugar from the eastern
pissessions, he had never thought, that as the produce of
the former greatly exceeded the home consumption, any
inconvenience would arise from it. Their price de-
pended on the price on the continent.—( Hear, hear.)
The question, however, now was very different.
It was to be expected that the plans in respect of the West
India colonies now about to come into operation, would
occasion a diminution in the production of sugar, and,
therefore, he did not wish the House, while the effects of those