The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-04 00:00:00

THE COMMERCIAL TREATY WITII

FRANCE.

The Commercial Treaty with France, almo:

forgotten amid the turmoil of Italian politics, once
more makes its appearance, and stands like a
factory chimney seen in the distance through the
smoke of a battle. The long negotiations are now
drawing to a close, and we are about to enter into
that trading millennium for which the Manchester
school is more enthusiastic than Manchester itself.
The Illoniteur publishes the first part of the new
Tariff. It applies entirely to metals the produce
of the United Kingdom. Napoleon, though desir-
ous, it is said, to carry out the principles of Free
Trade with all countries, contents himself for the
present with performing the conditions of the Treaty
and permitting the entrance of English goods. The
Tariff is certainly a great improvement on the old
one. It was in the department of metals that the
spirit of prohibition most completely reigned in
France. The Governments of the last 40 years
seem to have imagined that national greatness de-
pended in some manner on the number and skill
of the workers in iron. England was rich
through her coal and her metals. England wished
to supplant the manufactures of every other
country. It was necessary to prevent the French
foundries from beingruined, and a branch of trade
being taken away from France which was necessary
for tie defence of the country. So we have had
in two generations a system of Custom-house regu-
lations more worthy of Japan or Paraguay than of
the most enlightened Continental Power. Almost
every kind of manufactured article in iron, steel, or
brass was burdened with duties which placed it be-
yond the reach of the French consumer. Steel, even
in an unmanufactured state, paid until within the
last few years a duty which entirely prevented the
public.from being supplied with the best material
from abroad. What a French knife or a French pair
of scissors are we need not remind our readers. It
has often excited the wonder of the intelligent tra-
vellers that a people should go on year after year
using such implements when a neighbouring coun-
try was ready to supply them with the best in the
world, and it is still stranger that this should pro-
ceed not from ignorance, but from financial perver-
sity. In fact, cutlery is one of the articles that
has been totally prohibited in France. Like the
pirated edition of a copyright work, a packet of
knives might be seized at the outports and confis-
cated in spite of any offers on the part of those who
were desirous of having an implement that would
cut. Cutlery, however, now comes in at a moderate
duty ; iron ore enters free ; the duties on cast iron
and steel in bars is reduced by one-half; but per-
haps the most important change is the admission
at a moderate duty of objects manufacturel of cast
iron, which were formerly prohibited. In every
department of industry or household economy such
objects are of the first necessity, and the factory of
the millionaire as well as the cottage of the peasant
has hitherto paid its tax to the monopolists of the
French iron-foundries in the shape of exorbitant
prices for inferior goods. The tariff came into
operation on the Ist of the present month. In
1864 a still further reduction takes place, and
though even the French will be far from free
trade in iron there can be no doubt that the corn-
forts of the people will be very largely enhanced
and other branches of industry invigorated by the
cheapening of objects of such necessity.
These changes are certainly of the greatest
moment to France. The timidity of the French as
traders has been long proverbial. Though at all
times as much desirous of gain as any Englishman
or American, though patent and industrious,
though possessed of great manufacturing skill, of
exquisite taste, and a happy faculty of imitation,
yet until lately they have remained poor because
they lacked the one requisite of mercantile cou-
rage. Instead of launching out into the great
ocean of enterprise they crept timidly along the
coast, putting into port at every ruffle of the sur-
face. The coolness with which an Englishman
will stake his all on some bold venture which is to
bring him a large profit, :and will eat, drink, and
be merry in the meantime, is even now unknown to
our neighbours • but their more unreasonable fears
they are gradually' overcoming. If the present Em.
peror is to have the glory of inaugurating free
trade, it will beibecause the increase of business, the
efforts of an active school of political economists,
and the decay of ancient prejudices make it possible.
Louis Philippe could not have done it. Had his cha-
racter been as daring as that of his successor, had
ho exercised equal supremacy over his country-
men, he must have shrunk from outraging the feel-
ings of a nation who firmly believed a liberal tariff
to be the ruin of France and the exaltation of Eng-
land.
We must not, however, suppose that the battle is
already won, and that France is about to adopt in
their integrity those maxims of finance which have
already triumphed here. The treaty between the
two countries was a bargain, by which the French
have gained great advantages. Our ports have been
opened to their most important productions
tecohhef
rl
dowlrsBi
6no oft
and
gainers by just been
should
ei
etrphsapet
eebadtysa
as
bntt eyths e ft
hootrefr 'Cat
wthryeaonn-
Ft ssi
irrpraeihni
eEcn egx7,
tariff cwhu Pel
l
as
be
publishedis part of a bar-
gain in which we have given valuable considera-
tion. Though simplified and reduced, the duties
are still considerable ; and
that the increasing industry
t mo f muFrance
r erequires
r ae
nd
approph to free trade in iron, which is, after
coal, the great agent in modern production. To
obtain the coal and iron of England is becoming a
necessity for
our neighbours, and
long have even without
treaty they
would probably
before made
been
astute important modifications. But they have
astute to make us pay them for doing what it was
their own
interest to do. France has removed her
prohibitions and reduced her duties as far as is pea-
sible without raising a storm among the monopo-
lists ; but for this she has received in exchange con-
cessions which she will no doubt turn to good use.
When, the uncertainty papa
gloom and unc