The Sun.
London, England, 1857-08-18 00:00:00

OUR TRADE WIT I

The possible disturbance of our Indian trade is a
serious question, but the vague alarm it awakens would
be mitigated by a little calm calculation. The danger,
according to the first impression of its magnitude,
is that a market for seven or eight millions ster-
ling of our exports may be entirely stopped, and
that specie instead of goods will be demanded of
us. Atter the drain we have experienced fur three or
four years past this would indeed be an embarrassing
prospect, But it ex;sts only in imagination. Even
taking the altogether improbable supposition that
the produce henceforth to be shipped from India
will suffer no diminution, and that the natives, in their
terror, will accept in payment for it nothing but silver
that they can hoard, the dimensions of the evil would be
much smaller than most persons suppose. On the Fever,
millions of goods which we send to Calzotta we cau
harciiy assume there is a profit of more than 1,050,001,,
or 15 per cent. The balance may be regarded as the value
of the raw produceand of the labour consumed in its manu-
facture and transportation. If we no longer require this
raw produce we of course instantly lessen our purchases
of it, and the loss from the stoppage of the trade
is proportionably thrown upon foreign countries.
If India will not buy cotton cloths, America, which
produms the staple, will suffer from that fact niucl,
more even than England ; while, as regards the les-
sened employment of our operaiives, nu permanent
inconvenience would be threatened, as ever since the
Australian discoveries, the supply of labour has been
short of our requirements. A moierate reduction of
wages would be I,lluwed. by a rather dim:eished
consumption of imported luxuries, which would tend
to avert drains of specie in other directions, but
would certainly lead to nothing like general dis-
tress. As to the produce of Indis, in whatever quan-
tities it might continue to °dine, we should
take it only at prices at which we could make a profit
from it. Looking at the matter, therefore, in its worst
aspects, there is nothing to excite uneasiness. Doubt-
less individual firms would suffer, as is always the case
in any revolution in business, but the effects experienced
by the nation would be slight. There is no ground to
assume that our- aggregate trade, except perhaps dur-
ing the first few months of the crisis, will be at all
disturbed as regards amount. According to every
probability the exports of India will be quite as ext,r-
sively interfered with. as her imports, and consequently
the balance to be paid to that country in specie will t.e
much as before, ss bile in proportion as she sends us
short supplies other countries will be stimulated to
produce. then', act' these countries in their increased
pralpertty wi'l require augmented consignments from us
in return. It is this power of turning from market to
market and of adapting themselves to all changes that
constitutes the irrepressible grandeur of a free cJintner-
cial community. The wants of the world are alvva3s
increasing, although the activity of particu:ar
districts may wane, and a people who have 00
exclusive relations, but who are ready to deal on
terms of equality with all mankind, can never sustain
much damage from any hing but a universal
i convul,ion.
However much it might mortify our sel'-esteem f we
were swept out of India to-morrow, there is reason,
from past experience, to believe that the Board of Trade
returns for future years would continue to • xcite no less
surprise than heretofore. It is the people of India and
not of Great Britain that have to look wilt dread on the
miseries to be experienced from the.check to civillsation
and industrial advancement that must be consequent on
the disasters of 1857.—Times City Article.

EMIGRATION TO TEE CAPE. —The Cork papers state
that on Monday Ms. Cbaunt, an agent of the Colotiial
Land and Emigration Commissioners, attended at the
workhouse for the purpose of si•lecting 50 wensen to be
Aeut, under the grant recently made, to the Cape of Good
Elope. The Home Government has made arrangements
with the Colonial authorities that they shall receive pro.
tection until provided for, either by marriage or in ser-
vice.