The Sun.
London, England, 1832-04-05 00:00:00

Noble Chairmain had said, and he was conscious lie
not add weight to it. He would intreat those who had any
interest in the West India colonies, to consider one in
went, the general calamity that would ensue, if any pro-
perty of any description whatever which bad been coo.,
crated by the laws, should be invaded and broken
down.—(Hear, hear.) If colonial property were thu•
to he sacrificed, what property would be safe?—(Applau,e)
If one species of property were to be invaded, on account
of some peculiar shade or distinction, who could say
where su th invasion would stop.—(Hear.) He remem
bored a case in which a man had been extremely trouble.

some, and was desired to move off. The fellow replied, he
had as much right to be there as any body, for the land
was made for mankind, whether an individual was de-
signited the proprietor or not. If, upon the doctrine of
original rights, of abstract principles, West India property
consecrated by law was to be invaded, every man
might approach them with the same argument.
He bad had the advantage of the Noble Chair.
man, by a residence in the West Indies, and
be mixed in every thing relative to the general busi-
ness carried on in that country. He did not wish to make
any observations on what had fallen under his own notice,
as so many of those whom lie addressed resided there; but he
would state, that when be lived in Jamaica, no prudent
man would venture to become the proprietor of slaves
without consulting their feelings. If a gang of
negroes were to be purchased by a person with
whom they were unacquainted, they would send a depu-
tation to see the ground and houses which were to allotted
them, and if they declared a repugn ince to be purchased,
no prudent man would become their proprietor. Facts
like these ought to be known, for they could not he
stated except in pamphlets, in which the reader could
not understand them from want of local knowledge. The
people of this country ought to know what the real sys-
tem was. And unless a proprietor of an estate were
determined to risk every thing on an abstract principle,
the country might be brought to understand the impolicy
and inhumanity of their intended proceedings. He would
now beg leave to move the second resolution.
Mr. GEORGE PALMER felt extremely incompetent to
follow the Noble Lord who had just sat down. Little
remained for him to say but to second the re-olution which
had been put into his hand. There was, however, one
subject on which he might ask for the indulgence of a
few moments of the meeting, which was, with respect to
the large amount of the shipping engaged in the West In-
dia trade. As a ship-owner, and conversant with shipping
business from his earliest yeas s, he was probably able
to say as much upon the importance of that subject
as any other mm. He meant to draw the attention of
the meeting particularly to the comparative importance of
the West India shipping with that of the shipping of the
country to every other part. Upon this lie would refer to the
returns which bad been made lately to the House of
Lords—returns in themselves requiring a great deal of ex-
planation to render them at all intelligible to the
community at large. By those returns it appeared
that the whole amount of tonnage which had entered
the various ports in the United Kingdom in the course of
last year was 2,367,3.22 tons ; of which that from the
British West India ports was 24,979—in this way
appearing to be little more than a tenth pin of the
tonnage engaged in the foreign trade. This was
not accurate; because the two millions and a fraction
of a tonnage included the entry of every vessel from what-
ever port in the world she might have arrived. To the
East Indies a ship could scarcely snake one voyage within
the twelve months, whilst from ports in Belgium
she was able to make no ha than from six to eight in the
course of the year. In the latter case the vessel was en-
tered as many times as she made voyages notwithstanding

in this way 700 voyages to Belgium ought only to have
been entered in the return as 100 and not as 700—the
ship employing no more than six or seven seamen, where-
as, a ship voyaging to the \Vest Indies, of 700 tons, ought
to have been entered as of 700 tons, and occupying 50
seamen. Upon this principle he had dissected the whole
of the returns made to 13,,rliatosnt, and the result was, as
regarded the West India trade, that instead of there tieing
2,367,322 tons of British shipping employed in the foreign
trade, the whole did not exceed 1.324,780 tons, of which
the West India trade composed one-sixth pa: t, and which
undoubtedly was most important consideration. Whatever
political conotnists might say, no one attending this meeting
would deny that such a MIT rence in inewitig the re-
turns was of importance to this country. In the time of war it
was to the foreign trade the country bad to look for sea-
men. It was the foreign trade and lone voyages which
alone made perfect seamen. The meeting could not
but also recollect the extraordin iry attempt that was
made last year about this time by his Majesty's
Ministers to destroy, with respect to the timber duties, one
half of the shipping engaged in the North American trade.
This was according to their own statement, and he (Mr.

P.) mentioned it for the prpose of showing t•iat it way of
the greatest possible importance to retain the West India
trade. Besides the importation from the West Indies,

there was an exportation amounting to about 5 000,000
annually ; and with the whole of duties the aggregate to
the county w.is about 7,000,0001. sterling. Perhaps gen-
tlemen might say that take away 7,000,0001. and there
was but 7,000,0001. lost ; but viewing this in another
way, and considering how the 7,000,000 L changed hands,
it might not be worth less than in the result 100,000 0001.
to the country. He had great pleasure in seconding the

resolution.
The resolution was then put from the chair and carried
unanimously.
Mr. RontNsorr, in rising to propose the next resolution,
could not forbear uttering fan axpression of gratification at
what lie heard respecting the comparative value and im-
portance of the shipping trade with the West Indies, and
that of all other parts of the globe. And as to the danger
and absolute ruin that migh result to the colonists them-
selves, as well as to the another country by any dismem-
berment of these colonies, or by any depreciation in the
value of colonial trade it struch him with astonish-
ment. But be said again that he was highly
gratified at seeing such a meeting collected together at
so short a notice, and he hoped and believed
that the impression that would he made throughout the
country by the result of that meeting, and upon his Majes-
ty's Government, of whom lie would speak with the high-
est respect. would have the effect of dissipating much of
that delusion, as to the colonies, which had so long pre-
vailed in this country, and produce a conviction that their
interests, and those of the mother country, were so
idesitifi,d thar it was impossible to separate them, or to

affect the one without materially injuring the other.—
(Heor, hear.) When he observed that there were nine
otter resolutions to follow his, he would compress the ob-
servations he should snake within as limited a space as
possible. This he regretted the less, as the proposi-
tion which he had been called upon to support
was so self evident that it neither needed the aid of illus.
tration or argument. The proposition was—" That in
addition to the direct intercourse of Great Britain with
her West IndialCailonies, an extensive cross trade is main-
tained between those colonies and the British posessions in
North Hmerica, which afford employment to upwards of
100,000 ton British shipping and by furnishing a market for
the fisb, corn, salted provisions, and lumber of British
America contributes essentially to the prosperity of that
other vast branch of colonial dominion, on which, jointly
with the West India trade, Great Britain depends for
the employment of at least one-third of her whole
mercantile marine, and consequently for her station
amongst the nations of the world." Now he found
that on looking to the Parliamentary returns, alluded
to by the Honourable Gentleman who spooks lost,
that the "shipping trade connected with the North
America❑ possessions and the West India colonies
embraced a tonnage of 730,000. This was, independently
of colonial trade between those colonies, and of coasting
trade, which they also enjoyed, all which, though not al-
luded to in Parliamentary Returns, yet contributed
in no small degree to that maritime ascendancy
and power which he was sure no person
in that room would desire to see impaired in
the slightest degree. The exports to North America
amounted to two millions, three hundred and ten thou-
s Ind, and to the West Indies, four million, four hundred,
and forty-seven thousand. The exports of manufactured
goods was greater in tact to the North American colonies
alone, than to Russia, Sweeden Denmark, Norway, and France
If t ere was any gentleman present iner.ly cennected with
manufactures, and not immediately with the coionies, be
would say to him that it was impossible that any of the
great colonial interests could be materially affected
without bringing with it a corresponding degree
of distresss on all the manufacturers, and when the
country was considered in respect to labour, was it not
a sell-evident proposition, that those colonies which ai-
-1 forded the bent and surest market in war and in peace,
not svlrjectto fluctuation by the accidents of tsar, or the
policy ef foreign Governments, was necessary to the preser-
vation of the prompt-6i.) of the mother country, whose in-
terest were so much connected and identified with those of
the colonies. The imports from North America amounted
to one milli n one hundred and six thousand ; and from
the We-t I, die- mime millions anti ninety-live thousand.
Independent of tie argument addres.ed to the meeting
as forming a great port of the shipping trade Of
the country, the entire colonial shipping trad- was
much greater than could possibly be conceived. Toe
shipping was estimated at upwards of a hundred thousand
rills, but be heli,v,l it did not fall far short of 737,000.
He would say one word as to the value of the colioni.l