The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-22 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY MORNING-, FEBRUARY 22 1845.

SUGAR DUTIES.

On Tuesday, the 18th, an article from a morning
paper was copied into The Sun. The article, after
stating that there were good reasons for believing that
the reductions proposed by Sir R. Peel were only the
steps to a more comprehensive plan now under con-
templation, goes on to state, that a document, originally
designed for the peculiar direction of those in the Minis-
terial confidence, had by some means become public. The
document is, states the paragraph, an essay on " Commer-
cial and Financial Legislation, which, though in perfect
keeping(?) with the "Financial Statement," is a very bold
and ample development. With the assurance that there
was the most absolute agreement on those questions be-
tween Sir Robert Peel and the late President of the
Board of Trade, and without the least hint of any dis-
cordant voice in the Cabinet (again ?) we have, adds the
paper, no alternative but to read in this document the
ultimate intentions of the present Ministry as far as
they have been reduced to tangible form, and as far as
circumstances seem likely to admit of their execution. "We
have only space this day to give to our readers the two
first introductory papers. Their style is compendious and
suggestive, but there can be no mistake as to their
drift. The freest possible exchange of commodities, and
the imposition of taxes Only for revenue, are made the
basis of a scheme which we think it duo to the financial
acts of the Ministry to publish even in its present im-
perfect shape."
The foregoing eulogium on the financial statement of
Friday appears at rather an unhappy moment, consider-
ing how much the proposition of Sir R. Peel about the
sugar duties is at variance with the recommendation of
the before-mentioned essay to impose *axes only for revenue.
The remarks in The Sun of Wednesday evening clearly
demonstrate that the proposed duties on sugar are to be
imposed principally for the benefit of one class, regard-
less altogether of the revenue, for while they will ab-
stract from the consumers of sugar 2,625,0001. for the
enrichment of a few plant.trs, they will deprive the re-
venue of 1,300,0001., which deficiency the said con-
sumers will have to make good by submitting to the
yoke of an abominable income-tax. These results are
as much in keeping with the principle conveyed in the
essay on commercial and financial legislation as were
the results of the Ministerial efforts to exclude slave-
labour sugars from the British markets by an Act of
Parliament. The Minister and his party bring all the
energies of their mind to concoct an Act which shall
admit only free-labour sugar to home consumption,
when 10, and behold ! the very first transaction which
occurs, upon the Act coming into operation, is the ad-
mission of a cargo of slave-labour sugar, certificated, cer-
tainly, as the produce of Venezuela (a slave-holding
State), but suspected to be, by judges of sugar, who
saw the samples of it, to be the produce of
Porto Rico. One cargo having found its way safely to
British markets, will, doubtless, be followed by others,
as the enterprise paid the importers handsomely. The
scheme for excluding slave-labour sugar from Great
Britain is, consequently, illusory, and has the bad effect
of raising the prices of sugar to the British consumer,
without discouraging the cultivation of the cane by slaves.
It is to be hoped, therefore, that the House will support
Lord John Russell's amendment whenever it may come
under discussion, so that an Act calculated only to raise
prices to British consumers and enrich British sugar pro
ducers, may be placed, with all others of the same cha-
racter, in the tomb of the Capulets.