The Sun.
London, England, 1821-02-10 00:00:00

GERMAN PAPERS.

VIENNA. jAN. .5..)(37
•The .4ustritin Obsenr;'r
has
again a long article:Under the- Irea4:of.-the
. ,
Kingdom of the two,Sicilies,dated Naples; lan:.
• . . •
16. the Spirit of which may be se allie the follow
lug passages : - '
,The bravadoes of the public Journals.; and cif •
the,DernagOgues in the Tribune,.(thouih both are
greatly lowered within this week), Can-no longer
deceive one who makes use of his eyes; itiS rkar
that all is here rapidly proceeding. to a speay-
dissolution. •
Even before the invitation of the. Sovereigns
.to the King, there was only one dpinion On the
impossibility of maintaining.the ptesent order of
'things, among all who had any means of kidging
of the T-situation and the wants of the country,
whatever their views in other respects inight
be.
" When the Parliament of the loth -of Dec,
was to decide upon -the Royal Message,.fiet" 20
Men, perliaps not 10, Would have .t'oted fOr..rei•
twining the Spanish Constitution, had they not
been terrified by the threatS of the Carbonati, and
of a small number of desperate Demagogiies.
One must have been witness to the scene, to form
an adequate idea of the confusion, the embarrass-
ment, the shame, of all these men, whose forther
Cowardice supported a measure Which they them-
selves considered as injurious and even Insensate.
44 Since that day the state of affairs has be-
come more desperate. Men of talent, whose
number was never considerable, have 'been all re-
moved from public business, or have volunta-
rily withdrawn. The Civil Intl Military AdMi-
nistration (if we may speak of Adniinistration in
this state of perfect anarchy) is in the bands of
the most incompetent men, who know not how
to help themselves from day to day ; and do not
enjoy the smallest confidence among their adhe-
rents. Gen. Pepe, and some desperate It epul;li-
cans, who surround and direct him, are masters
of the Country,-and their power is founded an
terror alone. The Sittings of the Parliament,WhiCh
feel its impotence and nothingness, are intended
merely to.hold up to the people the shadow
of Government which, in fact, no where exists ;
and to supply the Journals, from time to time,
with some patriotic assevertions„ which the speak
ers utter Mechanically, and the andb.nce hear
with indifference. **w*** Despondency has
reached its height since the publication of the
Letter of the ,King of France urging the 1014
of Naples to accede to the invitation of the So.
vereigns, for before this a general I
.11P ve
lay° been entertained, that kk ranee
the ()titer powers, Wit rattier oppose

em.

" A great deal is spoken, written. decreed,
and proclaimed, about measures of defence, but in
fact little or nothing is done, A few days 'ago it
was' affirmed that 1 2,0:)0 men should be assebn-
bled at several points of Abruzzo ; hut, besides
the garrisons of Pescara, Civitella; and some small
fortresses, there are not perinips 2000 men col-
lected any where. Great dependenc::.is placed
on the Militia and Volunteers ; hut there ;:re
neither arms nor money to put them in motioni
and the patriotic zeal is much too lukeWarni to
I.lpply these wants. Gen. Pepe had reckoned.nn
30,000 men in Abuzzo;' but when he ;u-rived there
he did hot find 3000. The Abruzzis:dechk;cd.
they did not mind to expose .theiT•lives-for. the
Spanish Constitution. Even. were there means
to raise an army, it would be impossible,
der present circumstances, to restore order 'And
discipline. . The 'best Generals, Carraseosa;
laJigieri, &c. have retired ; most of the -gtiod
.Of-
ficers have followed their example ; and 'Pepe is
not the man to create-an army out of discontfint-
ed, ill-paid, and disorganized troops. .-MistruSst
and suspicion prevail among the Officers and Sol-
diers, and even between the Olikers. nOtlier
knowing what side- the Alier would 'take
in case of actual hostilities; and—accountS-nf
troops mutinying against their Oilicers.are.il illy
received. It may be imagined what -impresSioa
all this .makes' on Sicily, and how ardentik.the
people beg to be delivered from so disgrateTul
a yoke.

. •
`tpCople, .tit who are-pot,gpa-
lified to- form a right judgment-of great evevfs,
say, the foreign l'o'wers had lielterfentain ttitn-
quit ; the. Ni he 4! is-- ripe' for destructiOn'Witieoui:
them, it. is .hero that the present edifice
Jinist...shOrtly fall into ruins, v,liether the foreign
PoWersinterpose or not, but it is•by-no Means in-
different licn anti under ,vhich tirctunsfance,s it
falls. If INiaples is I to ltsflf, nothing is More
certain than that, in some form or • other, the
whole power"will fall into.tlfe• Iflntis• of a small
number of the •most fariOns
-chose their instruments not from the great 4:•ody
•of the Carbonari, but froyi the sOvct body et.thn
sect the kingdop' would, therefore,. lie fur a,
time under the. dominion of .tvtroop• banditti.
With such pyospects • 011111 • fiat Ere-f-er
(liow; r and humiratin, ~'.tip r'eS.torati.oi;of
ht., • . • L
order by foreign interference might apFeq,F to
him)
,the.smaller evil to one incalculably greati,r."
•

'A letter from New.Sonth d'af,ed Sept. 1,
s(2O, says The folloWing ships are :;now
lying her—the Neptune, ilndloW, • Mangl. s,
Earl St.:Vincent, WoOdlark,and•tire DronieJar).
The Claudine, sailed in. July
for -Batavia and P.nglat;4l. .Th 2 Dromedary is to
sail in -November for El!,,innd: GoVernor MAc.
QUARRY:: is expected to _return to England 4-cry
soon. The Colony is rn.a most flourishing slate ;
every thing tram-pit, and all kinds .of-,Furvpean
goods cheaper than in England, theinarkets being
very full."

TARLIAIVENT,

ROUSE OF LORDS; FEB. 9.

. •
The Howe sat on Appeals till- o'clock. COllll-
- were heard in the case of " Sinclair v. Man-
son"—Judgment postAned.. Counsel-were also
hoard on the Appeal case of a Norhury v. Mead"
(from the Court.of Exchequer), and the further
consideration postponed till Wednesday next.—
Adjourned till Monday. _

•-i,IIOUSE ,OF- COMMONS.
. ,ITLA.CK KS' 11R IDC:E.

•
`,..17he SPEAKER being informed that the Sheriffs
o:theqty.of,London.were at the doors of- the
House„ ordered them to he admitted. He then
Sheriff Waithman, and as.led hiin
"iirlihkhe had .got there ?" •
;Air. Sheriff WATTIIMANr.ptied, " A Petition.
fora the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Commons
Of.the City of London, in Common Council as,
sel'nblod, which we are ordered to present to this
llononrahle House."
M. SevAttt Yon. may withdraw." The
Petition- was then. brought up and read. It
prayed for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the
BlackfriarS Bridge Acts-.
COLONIAL TIMBER TRADE.

Mr. MARRYAT then rose and said,—" Mr. SPEAKER, I
bekl in my hand a Petition from the Merchants, Ship-Owners,
coal Magistrates of illiramichi, in the-ProVince of .New Bruns-
wick, setting forth the vital importance of the Timber Trade
to the-Inhabitants of the British Provinces in North America,
and. praying that this Hon:se will not'sufferit to be placed on a
foating less favourable to them than it is -at present. It may
• be proper teenrentiare, that such is the importance of Miramichi,
that-Of 1520 Bait' Vessels employed in the Timber Trade
ith our North American Coloniesnatheyear 18111,no less than
.297 loaded in that port alone.—Statements from the Inhabit-
, „atm of the 'Colonies themselves, haw far their prosperity is like-
- ly to be affected by any Legislative measures of the Mother
edoontry, bearing upon their productions and commerce, • are
• bight, important, as they serve-to correct misapprehensions-and
errors, into.which at-this distance, we ate apt to fall, foriwant
of authentic information respecting interests so remote. The
teeth of this remark war never more strongly exemplified than
the present instance, for never was there a greater discord-
Race than between the facts stated in this Petition, and.the Re-
ec rt of a Coinmittee 'of the Rouse-of Lords made in the last.
Sesgioo of Parliament. • The variance between them is so great,
that justice to these Petition-rs, and to the other Inhabitants.
of the British Provinces in North. America, calls _upon me to
point out, as I go along, the noisstotements with which that
ii.eport abounds: and this I ion at full liberty to do, it having
been communicated to us by message from the Lords, and re-
printed ly order of this House. The Petitioners state, that the
Timber Trade gives the greatestpessible encouragement to' the
• 4gricadture of the-British Colonies in North America. The
• _Report on the contrary, States, that it. cannot be considered
as directly affecting the interests of the Canadian Landholder,.
as the value of the Timber sold at Quebec does not exceed,
'by much, the expel-le and labour of procuring it for ship-
. remit, and the' Landholder 'himself gets little or nothing for
the Timber.' This . passage is net consistent with the evi-
dence given before the Committee, by Mr. -1-lenry Usborne,
Mr. John Hamilton, or Mr.-John Bainbridge, all of whom
state, that though the Timber is of little value as it stands in
. the Forest, it becomes valuable from the' laboor beStowed on it;
and both the latter add, that persons connected with agriculture
employ,thernselves in cutting Timber,. and getting it down to
the shipping-places, during the winter, when all 'operations in
agriculture, from the nature of the climaten'are sosoended.,—
: The evidence of Mr. H. Usborne, and Mr. John Allamilten
• applies particularly to Canada, that of Mr. John Bainbridge
to Nova-Scotia and New Brunswick. The Petitioners not only
- • confirm their testimony, from which it results that the Farmer
- has the benefit Of preparing, the Timber, and removing it to the
shipping place, as.well as its value while standing, which is al-
. together kept cut of sight in the Report, but assert, in farther
proof of the encouragement given to agriculture by the Tim-
hie Tr; le That Farmers, who a few years ago, raised only
enough from their lands far the support of themselves
• ern their &trines, and had no incitement to raise more,
Cbotieusie there were then no purchasers for what they could
sure,) have -shire the commencement of the Timber .Trade,
entirely on account of the brisk del-hand' for all sons-Of farm-
leg produce required for the use of the timber,eutters,- and
d ethers connected: with the trade, and many. industrious and
deserving c-migrants have been enabled to settle in the wile
Rerness lands of this country, solely by means of the mer-
'chants advancing to their the supplies necessary for_ their sup-
- poet,. uetil their lands were brougnt to 'a state of cultivation to
d yield them a subsistence. The su-pplies so advanced weret
4 payable in timber,- which is generally prepared for marke
. hdrring our long winters, when neither farnaingelor fishing can
carried on.'—Jill these statements are in direct contradie-
tinn to the assertion in the Report of the Lord's Committee,
diet the Timber Trade carnot be considered as directly
fecting the interest of theCanalian latid'iolder.!—The truth is,
that all the landholders in the British Provinces in North Arne-
, rice, with -very fon exceptions, instead of living on their rents,
ea-in this country, Live by their personal labour employed on
theidowo lends, and exchange that-part of the produce of their_
lands which they do not require for their own consumption, for
article's of Briti-b growth or manufactuoe,- and the extent of
ibis exchange is fixed by the-amount .of their exportations
Iluelandholder in these Provinces has a direct interest in every
stick of timber, barred of ashes, bushel of grain, or piece of
paltry 'shipped to Great- Britain or her denendencies. Either
- the article is his own, on its way. to a marleet, cr he has raised
• the food, or furnished some portion of his labour, for the wood-
. totter, the liuntr, the raftsman, the merchant, end the whole'
class of persons who are employed in conveying the produce of
. the Colony to.tilfre shipping-place, and bringing back or distrh.
buting the returns.. Al'_ these persons are the home consumers
of the Colonial Landholder ; and the value of his land, the
value of the- labour ofhis forefathers, and of his own labour, de-
pends report the number Of these Consumers, without whom all
' the. ,nroduce of his land
_which hecould not himself consume,
would. be of no value. —The Petitioners further state, that large
sitms have been expended in forming Establishments for carry-
ing or the -Timber Trade, though the Report of the Lords
('orninittee is silent as to any such Establishments having been
- fume:tin any of the British Provinces, excepting Canada. They
observeshat individuals have so investel their capital rettu-
' rally conceiving that the interests of the British Colonies
would mien. he sacrificed to advance those of fonigo nations :
•' that in the event of such a stop-to the trade as the i nposition
- of the proposed duty would oc easion,. those costly Establish-
' meets must go to decay, anti all importation of lliitish goods
4 must cease, for the Merchant here depends e -elusively upon
'tae exportation-of Timber to Great britain to make his re-.
centances."—They add, that White or Yell6w Pine, (of
'which description the great bulk of the wood of this country
consists,) was shipped, and is now shipping at ids. to 18
per ton ;. which latter is the very lowest rate at
which it can be prepared for market. Even at CICH3 low rates,
4 the impottotion into the blether Country this stetson yielded
perhaps • in no instance any ptofit, beyond the employment of
. ' end in several cases within the knowledge of your
'..oetitieners, was attenthhi, with loss to the Importer. It is
• c thereferholerlOos, that nit duty, however small, can be borne,
• and that the high duty proposed would amount tea complete
`prohibition of Colonial Tiinherd—ln the latter part of this
stotannent. the Petitioners are borne out by the Lord's Corn,
ntittee, who ',hive printed in their Appendix an account which
• they say they arc assured may be relied upon, of the prices of
Timber from catch port, distinguishing the duty, freight,
charges,. nett proceeds, and cost; according to the nett
proceeds of a ikid. of Cariatih. Yellow Pine, without any duty,
are only as. dela:ea that it is obvious that the smallest duty must
absorb this miserable pittance, and consrquently operetta as a
total abolition of the trade.—The Petitioners assert, that the
• costly establishments for carrying on the Timber Trade were
. made, in the persuasion that the interests of the British Colo-
; nies would never he sacrificed to advance three of. foreign na-
' tinny.' The Report of the Lords' Committee states,' that
- - encounagemcnt• to the importation of Wood- from the Britiali
Colonies by the imposition of henty deers on Tireb.r from
' Foreign States, is comparatively of recent d.itr, a'd tees rot
appear to have formed part of the Commercial nr Celenial
policy.of the Country previous to the late ward. It is the bit-
slam of as Legislative Committee te inquire after truth, and
this Cooanaittee; bad they made- diligent. inquiry, would have
discovered in various Briteshfitattitha that the uniform policy of.
Great Britain in regarstuathe trade of her Colonies has been to
retake restriction and protection go hand in hand; and ;hat en.
nom-agetnent to this . very trade was given by bounties, more
teautaicentury ago. In proof of these assertions, I have only
to refer to the acts of the. 3d and 4th of Anne, Chap. lOn and
t•e 11th' of Geo. L Chap.)2. The principle laid down in the
Pzvannitles of these Arel iS the same as is new acted upolt. The
only-theitge is in the. mode of carrying it into effect; and the
prelhased objects of the Legi stature is declared in tb to a preernl los
to be, the inalting areat Britain hadOpendent of Foreign na-

dons Mr her stipply. of Timber. and enabling h^r CClo:tics to cx-
te nd their importation of 13ritish Manufactures, which could only
be accomplished by a system of permanent, not temporary en-
courement.—The same want, of du.,g investigation appears in
the following passage of the RePort : "Ile. demand for 'Wood'
from the Countries in th-of "Europe- has beeriprOgre.
sively diminishing, so„ as to occasion interruption to the
4 trade of these Countries:particulatly With Norway, whose I
habitants,notwthstiritling the pretl Bolton they thave uni.-
formly shewn 'v nu onli•leawith-
' • out the mear.s of consuming them, but of paying for those
which they- have received, and for which nearly half a mil-
'' lion is stated to be owing.,so-that,the.export-oLmanuflui•treS
has boon reduced to an extent which cannot be estimated,
• merely by a ref:lance to the direct exports to those Countries,
as it appears that a considerable portion of the manufactures...
• consumed in them are introduced through thee-channel of the
4...Gerniaia. fairs:2-'l'lle .App,.eadix, to this Repo-rtemtainsan
count of the value of goods, export:d from Great Britain to all
the Northern Powers of Yurope fbr the last 20 years. A compari-
son of the Trade with them for the three firetof these years before
the present Thither Trade.to theliritish Colonies had commenced,
and the three last years, when it was in the greatest
giv'm the following results. Ire the Qfficial Retuins the
Exports of Norway are blended with those of Denmark, while
it was united- to that Power, so that I have no means of.show-
itg them separately :
. . .
1790, 1800, 1301. 1817, 'lBlO, 1819.
d s. tl.
'•"525,731 -0 8 Denmark-and Norway 816;791 4 0
132,146 16. 6 Sweden - 30,498 7 It)
1,580,702 4 4 Russia - - 6.1518,72910 1
854,413 .1 . 3 Prussia - . ' 1,512,475 610

A:3,02,996 2 9 I?' 858-454 8 9 -
SO: Cast instead of the matinterruption to the trade of these
Countries, and the reduced export -of our - manufactures to
them,' as alledged in the Lords' Report, the ex'eort of. ourthanufctures has been nearly-trebled. Stich -is tile difference
Intvesen the Report and the Appendix ; between the statements
of the Committee and their OfficiarDocuments !—With respect
to British goods finding their way froth Great 'Britain to Nor-
way, the country more particularly..mentioried in the Report,
by way of the German fairs, no such fact is stated in the evi-
deoce given to the Commitee. That a few articles of great
value and little bulk may occasionally be smug fled, itr the man-
ner dese:riel by Mr. Solly, is . very probable. He says; that
goods are carried by way. of Hamburgh to Leipsic Fahewhere
they arc purchased by Russian and Polish
.I%ler&anta,
taken to the confines of Hungary, and . even to the
` Southern -Provinces of Russia ;' •but not a Word about
Norway. Mr.. Tooke says, that he should consider a great
number of British -Manufactures. Must have been introduced-
into Russia indirectly through Germany ; at the same tithe it
' is- possible the tiernians may transport articles• of their own
",Manufacture to Phisaia' substituting ours for their own pur-
poses.'
,He produces bills dra\rn upon his house, which have
been negociated through Noningsberg, Berlin, and Leipsie-,
mul were ultimately remitted to -British Manufacturers; hut
thi4 only proves that the inhabitants of these. lapes have cons- •
mercial transactions with each other, leaving the particular na-
tUre.of them open to conjecture; The:idea that any consider-
able portion of the British Manufactures consumed ii the Nor-
thern countries of -Europe; is introduhed through the chssinel
of the German Fairs, is extravagant in the highest degree. It
might as reasonably be imagined, that a: honaiderable part of
the productions of those countries- find their way here in the
same circuitous mode. A. Merchant who should set Out from
London to purchase Russian 'sheeting or linen at Leipsic or
Frankfort Fair, might expect to.have at statute of lunacy taken out
against him, eabeing incapable of managing his Own affairs ; and
tins part of the Report betrays so much want of commercial
knowledge, that it reminds me of an observation made upon ano-
ther-set of Lords (the Lords of Trade), in a former reign,' that
they were Lords among- Merchants,- and- Merchants. amongLords.' The increase of the Exports to our own Provinces in
North .America is not less gratifying than the proof that our et-
ports to the Northern Powers of Eumpe have b e'en angmented in-
stead of diminishing. In the years I7:1d,1800, and 11101, the ex-
port of British Manufactures to these Colonies was 3,017,5721. Gs.
2d. In the years. 1817,1818, and-1819, it till 5,10.7,9061. Be. 10d:
If we extend the view farther, and include onr -export of fo-
reign and colonial merchandise, the =hunt in the three form;r
years -was - 3,614,4411. 2s. lod. iii the. three latter years
6,391,6951. ss. Bd. m:eking an-int:ease in our annual "exports to
the British Colonies in North America of. more than 900.0001.
Another very important fact stated in this PetitiOn is, that
' the ruin of those immediately- connected- with the Timber
Trade would not be the only evil effect of the proposed alte-
'-ration in the Timber Duties ; but that the Fisheries -of the
British Provinces would be
_materially injured e
_for the salt
used it these-Fisheries is; almost without a single "exceptioin
b-ought out in vessels -chartered to carry timber home ; and
this return, freight enables them to bring the salt out at a rate
' which Our Petitioners think Would be trebled, at least, in the
event of the cessation of this trade.' This is a: most serious
consideration. The British Fisheries already. find it difficult to
nthiyzWcatrigehitilias aitbd-Inetterethiftlsktfelairdi
men, whose interests, it appears, are materially involved in the
maintenance of the Colonial Timber. Trade ;
.and who, if that
trade be injuclieiously.sacrificed, math-together with other classes
of the poptilatin ofthe British Provinces;as the Petitioners state,
be obliged to emigrate to that country; whose ambitious designs
all the energies of- those Provih ces may onhdayagaln b required.
to counteract.'—Let us now consider how our manufacturing
-interests would be affected-by the transfer of theaTinther; Trade
from the British Provinces to the Northern Powers of Europe.
The Petitioners state, that all importations of- British goods
must cease; for the Merchant here depends exclusively upon
the exportation of Timber to Great Britain to make his re-
' m'ttances2—This is the case in New Brupswick, and in Ca-
nada the Timber is estimated at half the exports of the Pro-.
vince. Foreign countries have resources which our Colonies
have not. • They can trade with all the World ; but Our Colonies
can trade with the Mather Country alone. If, therefore, we
discourage any branch of trade with Foreiga Countries, they
cam direct it into other channelS ; but if we put an end
to a trade with our Colonies, it is lost to them altogether,
and this accounts for our diminished import of Thnber •
from the Northern Powers not having occasioned any diminu-
tion in their imports of British Manufactures, while such di-
rnioution must be the inevitable effect of our discontinuing to
import Timber from our Colonies. The Report -et the Lords'
Committee states, " That any material diminution of-the
duty on Foreign -Timber, would almost 'immediately lead to'
'-an increaseddernand of that article for mostapurnoses of
building, and enable the countries which produce it, but more
especially Sweden and Norway, very greatly to increase their
consumption of British produce." But would the-will follow
the ability ; or would not the Bills drawn for these additional
cargoes, be nee;ociated as usual, at Koninsberg, Berlin, Lein-
sic, and other places, to pay for foreign manufactures ? At
least the disposal of them- would • be optional ; but the British
Colonist has no alternative ; he must draw all his supplies from
Great Britain only. Every thing about him and belonging =o-
him, is British ; lie is clad in. British Woollens, Linens, and
Leather ; the axe with which he fells his timber is British.—
He roasts his meat at a British grate, on a British spit, or boils
it in a British pot, eats it off British plates and dishes, with
British keives and forks; drinks out of British mugs or
glasses, and spreads hhi meal upon a British table-cloth. All
his surplus Means are spent in British manufactures and pro-
duce ; and this expenditure gives life and animation to British
indastry. The British Manufacturers employed to supply his
wants, arc consumers to the British Landholder, and give him
the same encouragement as the consumers employed' in the
Timber Trade give the Colonial Landholder. Thus the
Mother Country and the Colonies reciprocally -benefit each
other ; and the question is, whether we shall gives up our Colo-
Wats, who must dearwithoseforForeigners who may : in shwa,
whether we shall sacrifice a certainty for an uncertainty.--
The Petitioners enumerate the Ship Owners among the parties
benefited by the Timber Trade with the colonies: The Re-
port of the Lords' Committee vary coolly states,- tnat by the
proposed alteration of the Duties, which would . transfer it to
the Northern Powers of Europe, some portion of the Ship-
' ping now employed in transporting the Canadian Timber to
this Country, might probably be compelled to seek for other
employment ; and although there is • every reason to
expect . that the increased supply from the North of
Europe would be chiefly- imported in British vessel:4, the
average difference in the—length of the voyage might
C render a smeller amount ofshipping necessary to carry on this
partieular trade.' The extension of the Timber Trade with the
Northern Powers, contemplated by the Lords' Committee, is
principally with Nor Way and Sweden ; and the assumption
that this would be chiefly carried on in British ships, is con-
trary both to the evidence and to the official documents printed
in their Report, Mr. Cewie being asked, ' has •the Timber,
since you have been conversant with the trade, been principally
imported in vessels of British or Swedish built ? answers,
principally in vessels of Swedish built.'—Mr. Peily,
in answer to the same !question as to Norway, answers, ' gene-
rally spealeiag, in Norwegian • ships.' And, by the Official
Domini:l:th printed in their Appendix,- it appears that in
the yCak 1819, the Norwegian tonnage in this trade that
cleared from • Great Britain was 66,054 tons, and the British
tonnage only 11160 tons. If then the true rule of judging of
the future is by the past, about 6-6ths of the-tonnage-employed
in the additional •tr tele with Norway would be foreign, and
only 1-Bth British, instead of " the -increased- -supply being
chiefly imported:in British vessels," •as stated in• the -Re-
port of the Lords e Committee. The next assertion in
that Report "that tilt: .rate of freight- and other eircunr-
stances aft -ndant.on British ship...nog, enabled it to enter
into socceseui. competition, with that of- every other comitry on
is, unfOrtunately, refuted by the unclealiable facts

that the value of British shipping: is (ler-6-dated in a greater
degreethan that of any other des-clip:Pon of property that can
be named. The. Lords' ..Couniiittee,:;h:Owever, indulge a
confident hope that the: -sta-te'2of„ seine other branches of
6-trade, in which they are:. about to'engage, will suggest the
means of giving additiOrnil eneourageMent to the shipping of
." this country.'—The Rollin praverb says,- `that they who-live
Upon hope may the of hunger ;' and 'it the Lords' Committee
continue their labours in the aiiine- allitit as they have lie Fun
them, the British shipowners have -infinitely moreto fearAnan
to hope from their exertions. I .shall now shcw the imporiamie
of this, question to the British Landholder. Let it be recollected
.-thattlie_Committeeun avhoszliepcct Lhave animadverted, was-
appointed in consequence of a Petition from certain Merchants
.of the City of London, against every restrictive regu-
. lation. of trade, not essential to the Revenue ; against all,
dutiei merely protective . from foreign - competition ; and
against the excess. 9f. such duties as arepartly for the prir,
' pose of -revenue, and partly fir that of .protecticth. • The Peri-
tioners'urge the adoption of this new system, on the ground of
buying every thing where- it can be bought cheapest ; and tell
us that on every occasion of such ,cnncession •or relaxation, as
'they recommend,. a great incidental object Would be gained by
the recognition of a sound principle, or standard, jo which
all subsequent arrangements might be referred ; and by
the salutary influence which a • promulgation of such just
views by the Legislature, and by the Nation . at large,
enidd not -fail to have on the policy of other States.—
The first recognition of this sound principle which we
are called upon to make, is in taking off the present restrictive
duties ou Timber, and transferring that Trade from our own Co-
lonies to Foreign -Myers: But can we stop here ? Principles
are immutable an their nature, and cannot be-taken up and laid
down at pleasure ' adopted in one instance, and abandoned in
'another. If we abolish all restrictions' On the importation of
Foreip Timber, how can'we refuse toabolish- those on the-im-
portation .of Foreign Corn ? The Gentlemen who have sup-
ported this Petition, declare that they have no intention aim-
terfering with the Corn Laws of present ; but have not' Fo-
reigners this intention ? Was not a threat held out at the late
Polish Diet, to prohibit the importation of all British Manu-
factures till we admitted the importation of Polish Corn; and.
if we admit the • principle of abolishing all restrictions upon
1-Foreign competition, as a standard to
.which all subsequent
ranganents are to be referred, we must act upon it in all
cases, and without . any exception, or we shall subject our-
selves to the charge of duplicity and injustice,, and eXcite
the animosity and perhaps the hostility.of Foreign Powcrs.—ln
this contest the British Landholder would also Have to Contend
against a great proportion- •of his fellow-subjects The _con-
sumers of the produce of the land ~tirould save between twenty
and thirty millions per annum, by importing it froth 'foreign
growers. Prices of all cornmoditie's,• which depend. upon the
price of food, would be reduced in proportion; the labourer would
be better fed and better clothed for less money ; the manufacturer
*mild be enabled to•underSell-the Foreign Manufacturer ; the
Ship Owner-would have as good a chance of bringing home
Foreign Comas Foreign Timber ; and in the language of the
-Report of the Lords' Committee,there can b little doubt bat
that such a measure would enable other Ciountlies_ greatly to
increase their consumptiOn of British produce.' ' But
what would be the situation of the Landholder ? Wheat
could not be worth" more than 40s. per quarter; his land,
Would not pay the expence of cultivation, and theicfore would
become of as little value as land in the wilds of North America.

Instead. of living-upon his rent in ease and comfort, he would
be .reduced to the state of the Canadian Landholder, and
must • work as a labourer upon his own estate for the means
.ofinbsisteme. Stich is the condition to which these new Poli-
tical Economists would reduce the British Landolder. Let him
then adliere to, that system to which he owes his present opu-
lence,'lence, and
.finder Which he enjoys protection.from•foreign com-
I petition ;• a jrotectioii as neccssary to him, as to his fellow-
subiects in North America, and let him.beware of_ encourag-
ing those plausible but delusive theories, which would inVolve.
as well as the *her classes'of .the Community, in- one
common Tuin' only leaving him the cousolution of being the last
devoured,---I shall now move that this Petition be brought up.'"'
The Petition was then brought up, and ordered to he on the
table, and be printed.
Sir ISAAC COFFIN made a few obServations on the asser-
tion of. the Petitioners, that 'all the Timber . brought to this
:country in British ships, from America, was brought from the
JAritSsii Colonies. He would'pledge himself to spew that not.a
stick of this Timber was cut in the Colonies, but that all was
brought from the. United States.
Mr. J. GRANT vindicated Cue. report 'of the Lords'
COmMittee-alluded to in the Petition. it was one of the most
useful Reports that had been made for some time,
.and when
that branch of the subject came to be investigated by the Corn-
mittee:then sitting on the subject of Isoreign Trade; he-would
endeavour to she:,- the truth of the assertion. _ _

Mr. T. WILSON presented similar Petition from Mon-
treal. The Honourable ',Wernher made sonic observations in
Support of the Petition, which could not be distinctly heard in
th.J Vrall3ry..
Mr. ItIrXRDO bad heardmuch surprise the prat-.
'with
iflZniihig'4lt;;V: i!fnciTtginli?f,r,
certainly were directly the reverse of the principles laid down in.
the Report of the Couunittee of the House of Lords on the
icet, which was acknoivhslged to be a most comprehensive and
correct view of the Matter. He should reserve himself for a
fuller exposition of his opinions' till the sultect came more fully
before the House.
Mr. MA pRYAT slid that lie had only contended that ete
petitioners ought to he allowed to remain in the same state -that
they ware in at present. If the 'rates were at all lowered, the
petitioners must inevitably be ruined.
The petition was then brought ttp, read,- and ordered to be
printed. .