The Sun.
London, England, 1821-06-13 00:00:00

FOR THE SUN.

TO THE 3JOST NOBLE THE MARQUESS OF
LANSDOWNE,

CIIAIRMAN OF THE LORDS COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN

TRADE, &C. &C. &C.

MY Lonio--Greatly as • every sound Political Economist
must be at varianee with your Lordship's Foreiens Commercial
:Policy under our present circumstances, still, if I rightly under- •
stand yoor Committee's proposed measures, it's to be that the East
India Charter is not in future to controul English individuals
in their trade to and from China, &e. &c. &e. more than Fo-
reigners. If it 'be so then, all roust concur in thanking your
Lordship, and other Members. of: the Lords Committee on Fo-
reign Thole for the rn,easurea by which you propose to extend
Abe priviltes of British individuals, or more properly speaking,
destroying the unnatural bar which prevents their enjoying
equal priaileges with.,FOreigners in their trading to and from
olndia,•China, and the adjacent seas and countries; for however
much we ought to guard against foreign competition duty free,
yet among ourselves (subjected to such regulations as will make
-every British subject pay his fair share to the State, to the ex-
tent of oar own empire, and to such further extent as to where
foreigners .do not interfere). our own commerce should be as
free as air. But should the EaSt India Company be so unwise,
to impolitic, and, with respect to thephblic, so unjust as to per-
. eiet longer in acting the part of the dog. in the manger (as the story
go;ls) and thereby endeavour to prevent. British subjects from
•enjOyine that freedom of trade to and from India, China, and
the adjacent • seas and countries which they make no use of
themselves, anti fbreignere only now-possess, I most respect-
fully recommend that your Lordship, and your Colleagues,
-do bring - a Bill into Parliament for repealing so much-of the
• -Cost India Company's Charter as operates as an'iinpediment
ta the aceomplishinent of the above-named,. desirable objects,
,_n condition that the East India Company ghail be compensated
• ter any loss which they may thereby sustain, when I wallbring
. forward a that:wand bc-sides to prove that the company
will not lose a single farthing, while.the public will gain some
millions per annum by the repeal in 'question. It is high time
that England should open het eyes to her true interest, and. no
longer suffer the natural annmerce add wealth eller people to
be transferred to foreign rivals fur nor future destruction,
out benefiting a single British subject. We must no longer, by
• the impolitic acts of our Legislature, deprive our people of their
natural industry, to benefit foreign rivals without receiving an
equivalent: they deserve better at our hands, yet Ihave that
opinion of the integrity of my countrymen in Parlianient, that.
had they known the fatal effects of those measures on their
country; not ten memb.rs in Parliament would have given
their. sanction to our present East India Charter, bor to- our
. Commercial Treaties with the United Stater of America, or to
the alteration of the duties on foreign timber : this proves how
neceSsary it is 'that our Legislature .should be cofnposed of
prectical men, possessing sound understandings, •and of true
patriotism, a thorough knowledge of .political- economy, and
not ehosen rather for sophistical talents than for profound
knowledge. I also submit, for your Lordship's consideration,
hew far it could be more deairable that a duty of about forty
shillings per-ton (more or less), should be paid on our India-
built shipping, when- they obtain an English general Register;
-as a protecting duty to the English ship builder, than the pre-
sent contracoed policy of preventing English ships from -doing
the Coasting Trade in India, and the India built ships from
doing the general trade in Europe and our Colonies. I also
submit to your Lordship's consideration how far all restraint on
emigration to India should.be done away, ' 'considering how be-
neficial to the State is the emigration of the excess of our po-
pulation to countries like India and New South Wales, where
they will strengthen the Britisli Empire in cultivating and
supplying us with hemp, flax, cotton, and tobacco . (in lieu
-of those foreign. rivals who now supply us) anti consume
the produce of our • industry. I believe no -man,- however
his character may be, but what may, under our pre-
sent system, easily get permission to go .to India, •if he
leis but interest with some member of- the. -I.last India
Company, and if he has not, a foreign vessel will' soon waft
- him to the shores of British India ; I therefOre conclude, that
the present narrow policy of preventing 'Englishmen from
going to and settling in India, precludes many from going thi-
ther of. equally good characters, and others of no worse than
those who settle there with the Company's Permission. The
restraint is prejudicial to the Empire at large, andlo our com-
mercial and manufacturing interest in particular. Indeed, for
myself, when I think on the unwise lawS which prevent an
English ship, or an Englishman, from trading to his own
-country, and with his friends. and neighbours,. without a licence
from a portion of our own country Men, while foreign vessels,
without such restraint, visit, .and trade with us and our neigh-
bours in and from those quarters, I , feel mySelf disgraced in
-being what I once gloried to be, "an Englishman." But an
Act, my Lord, to protect every kind of property innlieliritish
-Empire, according to its respective value to the state, will not
only 'do what I have above recommended, but will, in addition,
give to our native and colonial agriculture, our manoracturing,.
stripping, and colonial interests, due.proteetionsand cause every
• interest io find its own level, as the laying soch properpratect-
ing duties on.foreinn articles of the same description which we
-can produce ourselves, will in their production give. profitable
employment to every ihdustriOus man in the Empire, anti render
unnecessary the impolicy and wieketineSs of longer .sustaining
slavery at the price of liberty and humanity, in order to raise
sugar and cotton. It will also repeal the .law which now lays
ten shillings per cwt. protecting duty on East India sugar
. (which is produced by free people) in favour of 'West India
sugar (that is produced, by slaves), which-iv my opinion lessens
the Character of the British nation. At the same time East
India sugar - would come cheaper to the consumer, give, in
, its carriage,
,profitable employment to double the number of
British sailors, ship-builders,- and other ship tradesmen and
Manufacturers, to the same number of tons of West India
.
-sugar, consequently double the revenue, political power, and
•
national wealth to the State.
And 1 hope your Lordship, and your colleagues in common,
and all the Members of the Legislature; will see the policy, and '
indwed the necessity of preventing the children, born of slave
parent.:, after his present Majesty's coming to the Throne, from
becoming slaves, but provide for them in a similar way. to what
I have pointed out in-my " Conversations on Political Eto:
norny;" and I beg leave further to 'observe; that if proper en-
couragement to emigration to.lndia and New South Wales were
:given, as well as to the cultivation of the sugar-cane and cotton
plant in those countries, by protecting duties, they would soon
,reader those articles cheaper than slaves could cultivate the
former in the West Indies-or the latter in the United States of
_America. This would . tend to destroy, in the most sordid
breaks,- the ihotive for enslaving the human species ten times
morenlion the measures of-the great philanthropic Mr.. Wilber-
force, although his acts had the very essence of human merit,
acahen the employment of free.people will be more • beneficial
to -their employers" than that •of• alaves; And • I assure your
Lordship, those who opposed the Colonial Timber Trade (when
-it- was attacked by, and:conter.ding with, foreign rival interests)
-on the ground of cheapness; to the British Consumer, will ac-
kaowl edge that the Easandia and British Shipping Interests have
double swims on the afore Said opposers for their assistance in
•pro.mtiting the equalization of tee duties on East and West
'lndia sugar. I .therefore hope they will, in their support of the
aforesaid , aneOsurea, show their -consistency, particularly so
when the ,cause of humanity, and the destruction of slivery, add
;their claims to the former motives. • •

I wish to be understood- as not desiring to deprive the East
India Corn: pony of any privilen by which that Company de-
benes-4; any_
-tf`ike: froth Them the pkitVefbf
thm which foreigners now do,
in,. to, and from India, China, . and the adjacent seas and coun-
tries ; nor do I wish to injure the W.oe Ind;- eoaont, 14,
when property is protected. as aforesaid, one-fourth of our su-
.gar plantations will be returned to cotton plantations. This,
and the exclusion of foreign cotton from the market by pro-
tecting duties, an increased consumption of sugar which the
above measures will create,. will cause the cultivation of cotton
to be more beneficial than that of sugar, and cause the supply
to be only equal to the demand ; and as to the giving freedom
'to the-slave children which may, and will be born, subsequently
to the accession of his present Majesty to the throne, they, with
thieir parents, will very soon accomplish their freedom by a na-
tural consequence, if we do not adopt some such measures as I
have recommended ; I therefore, on the whole, consider, that
-the West India proprietors, the cause of humanity, the cause
of rational liberty and the cause of the Empire, will be served
by the Measures 1' have proposed.
As to the West India interest being injured by the present
.rtntrictions on its trade, if it were opened in a way similar to
tho East India, trade, but subjected to a condition that all im-
ports and exports should be made in British vessels, and fo-
reign sugar allowed to be imported,-and consumed in the United
Kingdom,such a state of things would be much better for the
Mother ountry, and much worse for the West India interest,'
as a population of slaves is no strength to a state.
The superior healthiness of the East India voyage augments
the number of our seamen, whereas the West India voyage
• opens a grave to those fine fellows ; and this consideration should
-weigh in favour of the East India Trade.
The distress of a particular interest is not always a question
for the consideration of the Legislature, whose duty it is to
adopt the great fundamental principle, or rule of ascertaining
the value of an interest to the State, and then protect it from
foreign .compatiticn.singly., or generally, accordingly; and sub-
ject to this common condition, let commerce be as free as air,
.taking for the basis of its calculation the quantum of profitable
employment such interestmay pFovide for our people, thenational
wealth, political power, tithes, and revenue, it may in the ag-
f r?gate directly, or indirectly, give to the State, as well as what
may save from, or pay to thePoors' rates; and if an interest,