The Sun.
London, England, 1845-03-20 00:00:00

PENANG SUGAR.

Mr. RORSMAN, seeing tha Noble Lord opposite
(Lord Jocelyn) in his place, wished to ask him whether
any measures had bee.-1 adopted for placing Penang
sugar on the same footing as sugar the growth of the
East Indies ? The sugar growers of Penang
were subjected to very great hardships. Some
years since an Act had passed authorising the importa-
tion of sugar, the produce of the East Indies, at the
lowest rate W 7 duty. The planters of Penang had been
induced to invest a large amount of capital in the culti-
vation of sugar in consequence, imagining that their
sugar would be admitted at the same rate, but that pri-
vilege bad hitherto been confined to sugars the produce
of the territories of the East India Company. Repre-
sentations had been made to the Board of Controul on
the subject, and the heads of that department had pro-
mised to send out instructions to the Governor-General
of India on the subject. This was a year ago, but, as
yet, the merchants of Penang had received no communi-
cation on the subject. A deputation from the mer-
chants and planters of Penang had waited on the Board
of Trade, and on the Board of Controul, in reference to
the subject. They had been graciously received, and
had been dismissed with assurances that their case
should be taken into consideration. Now, he wished to
ask the Noble Lord if the case of the merchants of
Penang had been taken into the consideration of the
Board of Control, and if any instructions on the subject
had been transmitted to the Governor-General of India.

Lord JOCELYN said that on coming into office he
had found the draft of a dispatch to the Governor-Ge-
neral in Council, strongly recommending the claims of
the merchants and planters of Penang to the reconsidera-
tion of the Government of Bengal. The claims which
were set up were, as the Hon. Gentleman hag stated,
permission to introduce sugar the produce of those set-
tlements into that country, on the same advantage which
other territories of British India enjoyed. Within the
last few days a communication had been received, in
which it was stated that the Governor-General in
Council had taken into consideration the recommenda-
tion of the Home Government, and he had referred the
matter to the Governor of Penang, to prevent the intro-
duction of sugar of foreign growth. No further com-
munication had been received.

CUSTOMS' ACT.
The House then went into Committee on the Customs'
Act. Mr. Greene in the chair.

On the article of grease being read,
Mr. BRA MSTON said it was his intention to move
that the article of grease should be taken out of the list
of duties to be repealed, and that the duty should remain
as at present. lie would move that grease be omitted
from the tariff ; because, if it were let in duty-free, it
would injure the protection which the farmer at present
enjoyed for his butter.—(A laugh.)
Sir JOHN TYRRELL seconded the motion.
Sir GEORGE CLERK felt sure the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman did not understand the nature of the article

"grease." It was a thing mixed with tar, and altoge-
ther unfit for human food.—(lronioal cheers from the
Opposition benches.) The importation would be a boon
to the farmer, for such grease was very much used
in the dressing of sheep, in order to preserve
them from the injurious influences of the weather. Every
precaution would be taken by the Custom-house officers
that no other grease should come in but that contem -
phtted by the tariff.—(" Hear, hear," from the Opposi-
tion.) He could not :tell what Hon. Members opposite
meant by their cheers, for which he thought there was
no good reason.
Mr. WARD said that the Right Hon. Baronet seemed
to have altogether mistaken the nature of the cheers of
his lion. Friends on that side of the House, and went on
to argue quite unconscious of their tendency. Nothing
could be more delightful than the explanation of the
Right Hon. Baronet. lie (Sir G. Clerk) assured the
House,with the greatest earnestness, that nothing which
could by any possibility be converted into the food of
the poor man would be admitted.—(Hear, hear.) As
one connected with land, he (Mr. Ward) begged to be
spared such advocacy as that of the Right Hon. Baronet.
When Hon. Members treated England as if they were
talking of a beleaguered town, he could well understand
them, and though he might condemn, he would perhaps
admire their boldness, but when they came to
these miserable dirty monopolies—(Hear, hear)-
-he felt thoroughly disgusted at such narrow-minded
opposition. The ancient feudal barons laid whole dis-
tricts under contribution. There was something noble
in that; but the conduct of those who would now repre-
sent the great agricultural interest, resembled that of
an " area sneak"—the most contemptible animal in mo-
dern civilisation,—(Hear, and cheers.)
Mr. BORTHWICK said the opposition of Hon.
Members on his side of the House to the remission of
duty on those articles would bring protection into con-
tempt, and he hoped those sweet little cherubs who sat
in the gallery above, would, like little birds, carry his
sentiments to the country.—(Great laughter.) Nothing
could be more unreasonable than such opposition, and
there was not a single farmer in the country who would
support the lion. Member in his motion.
Sir JOHN TYRRELL said the whole effect of the
proposed change in the tariff would be injurious to the
agricultural interest; but he did not wish to occupy
their attention with frivolous discussions, and would not
divide the House on this occasion. The Hon. Member
for Evesham had, however, fired off the speech which
he intended to discharge the other night—(Laughter)—
but this " explosion in his rear" did not in the least
disturb him.—(Great laughter.) The lion. mover of the
address had then congratulated the country on the fact,
that pig iron had risen to 16/. a ton, but now the Right
Hon. Baronet wished to lower the price of pig meat.—
(Laughter.) If pig iron had risen, pig meat was to be
reduced, and he confessed he did not think this a very
fair result. But there was now a much less consump-
tion for conservative articles generally.—(Laughter.)
He would not inflict a speech upon the House, as there
would be other opportunities of discussing this matter.
Mr. BRIGHT said, that while the Hon. Baronet had
spoken in a tone of lamentation, the Hon. Member for
Evesham (Mr. Borthwick) had come to the Govern.
ment's assistance, with an earnestness which he trusted
would be fully appreciated by them.—(Laughter.) He
confessed there was nothing which he thought so likely
to bring the agricultural interest into contempt as the
arguments that were advanced by its supporters.—
(Hear, hear.) In another place, to which he might not
perhaps be allowed to allude, one noble individual had
arrogated to himself the title of a coroneted fishmonger,
and in this House, among other Honourable Gentlemen,
they had one who came forward to represent the willow
interest.—(Laughter.) He thought that the agricultural
supporters greatly mistook their own interests in ob-
jecting to the importation of a little butter. There were
other persons having cupboards besides the Hon. Mem-
ber for Essex, and unlike him there were too many with
but little to put into them. Why should he interfere
with the cupboards of the poorer population, and restrict
the few comforts they might otherwise possess? They
might rely upon it that without an increased trade they
would soon have the miseries and the inconveniences of
an increased pauperism.—(Hear, hear.) The Right
lion. Baronet at the head of the Government bad
always been looked upon as the friend of the agricul-
turists. They had placed him in the proud position he
then occupied, and a little advice from him might
therefore be expected to do wonders with them.
If he would but take himself, and induce them also to
take a step in the right direction, he (Mr. Bright) then
thought that on all those questions they might come to a
satisfactory conclusion—to a result creditable to the
House and pleasing to the country. He trusted that the
lion. Member for Pontefract (Mr. M. Milnes) would
allow the question to go on without pressing his
amendment.
Mr. M. MILNES sail that it was not customary for
lion. Members on that (the Conservative) side of the
House to reprove Members on the other side, when they
brought forward questions referring to the manufactur-
ing interests, He did not see that he should be reproved
because ho had brought forward a matter on which he
supposed he knew something, and which interfered
with the labour of some thousands of persons in the
growing districts. The lion. Member's object seemed
to be to gain some small degree of popularity, by throw-
ing obloquy on Hon. Gentlemen, whose motives were as
pure as his own.
Mr. AGLIONBY thought that instead of expediting
the resolutions in this Bill, they were protracting the
settlement of the question by their personal allusions.
He trusted that Hon. Members who supported the agri-
cultural interest would concede the admission of grease,
at a reduced rate of duty, because sheep farmers, possess-
ing thousands of sheep in the falls of Westmorland and
in Scotland, would derive a vast benefit from such a re-
duction, for it was by no means uncommon to expend
some two, three, or it might be 400/. a year in the pur-
chase of grease for what they called " serving sheep."
After a few words from Mr. EwART and Mr. DARBY,
Mr. C. VILLIERS could not, in this case, join in the
recommendation of the lion. Member for Cockermouth
to the Hon. Member for Essex, for he certainly thought
that that Hon. Member had as good a right to object to
the doing away with the duty on grease as any other
Hon. Member. They had had, in that discussion, a
practical illustration of the working of the protective
duties.—(Hear, hear.) An lion. Member came forward
and said that they were protecting one country against
another.—(Laughter.) That meant, certainly, that they
were robbing the one country to assist the other—
(Laughter)—but each would willingly end the quarrel,
provided each might with impunity rob the general
public.—(Laughter.) The Hon. Member for Cocker-
mouth wished that grease should be imported at a lower
duty, because he wished it for sheep in Westmorland.
But the lion. Member for Essex did not wish to see
grease imported at a cheap duty, for he had it to sell—
(Continued laughter)—and thus it was that the man of
sheep recommended the man of grease not to divide the
House. He thought the whole system a robbery on the
community, but Hon. Members might, as they pleased,
take the sense or nonsense of the House upon the subject.
After a few words from Sir W. JAMES,
Mr. AGLIONBY had no objection to Hon. Members
being jocose, so long as they did not impugn the reputa
tion of individuals. He had a character to maintain with
the public, who might misunderstand what the Hon.
Member for Wolverhampton had said of him in a jocular
mode, and he, therefore, was anxious to correct the Hon.
Member in the interpretation of what he had said. The
Hon. Member for Wolverhampton had evidently miscon-
ceived everything he had said, or he could not have