The Sun.
London, England, 1819-06-14 00:00:00

'1'111l3L:11 DUTIE3.

It appears by the St:liedule of Rates or Duties
o' Customs, submitted to Parliament on Tuesday
fast, that there is an intention to enforce the pay-
ment of the Duties which were nontinqlly imposed
by the 54th of the King, on Timber from the
Ring's Colonies—such timber having, by parti-
cular Acts of Parliament, been !inherit) exempted

itorn attics, and which exemr)tioo was not to

expire before 11,trch 1920. The impolivy of im-
posing a Doty on won't from these Colonies,
141)11 the injurious eff,:ct it most have upon the

Shipping Interest of this Country, have alway.
been felt by the Legislature ; and we particularly
refer, for an illustration, to the opinions of for-
mer Le:!ialators, as expressed in the Acts of Par-
li:4ment of their times, and who, upon practical

rell!itig to commerce, arti, it tn.►a ,be
admit te,i, nor ft,;.et:lle(l by the men of trte pres'ent

„my.

By th 31 and 4 hof Aug,bounties were

given on the intportatiutl of mastg, &c. from the
Colonies. for a limited period, and subsequent
A,ts continued then, till the 2411 of June, 1781.
The language of the preamble to the Statute of
Queen Axxe is retwarkable, mod strongly ex-
press.-s the sentiments and policy of the Statesmen
of those any,, on this question, and we (rote it,
as particularly applicable to the "subject at this

eirne :--

"Where-as the ItAF3I Nary anti the navigation of Eng-
land, wherein, under God, the wealth, safety, and strength
of this kingdom is so much concerned, depends on the due
aupply of stores neeetsary for the same, which being
now brought in mostly from
.forei,(n parts in _foreign
.14ippini;.- at exorbitant and arbitrary rates, to the great
w:ejtidice and diseouragement of the trade and navigation
of this kingdom, may be provided in a snore certain arid
beneficial manner from her Majesty's own dominions.
And whereat her Majesty's colonies and plantations in
America were at first settled, and are still maintained
Lod protected, at a great expense of the treasure of this king-
dom, with a design to render them as useful as may be to Eng-
land, and the labour and industry of the people there, profit-
able to themselves: and in regard the said colonies and plan-
tations, by the vast tracts of land therein lying near the sea,
and upon navigable rivers,maycommodinuslyafford great quan-
tities of all sorts of naval stores, if (lac encoarogement be given
for carrying on so great and advantageons an undeitakingi
which will likewise tend not only to the further employment
and increase of English Shipping and Seamen, but also to the
eolareing in a great measure the trade and vent of the wool-
len and other manufactures and commodities of this king-
dom, and of other her Majesty's dominions, in exchange fbr
such naval stores, which are now purchased from foreign
countries with money or ; and for enabling her Ma-
esty's subjects in the said colonies and plantations to make
due and sufficieet returns in the course of their trade."

The Legislature, not satisfied with the enroll-
regernent given to the Timber Trade of the King's
Colonies, and finding it was not sufficient to in-
duce the Colonists to etigege extensively io
passed the Sib Geo. I. c. 12, by which wood, the
growth of those provinces, might be imported
front thence into this Country direct, in British
:ships, FREE OF DUTY. The Act recites, that great
quatitiiies of wood and timber bad usually been
imported into this Kingdom from FOREIGN coun-
tries, at excessive rates, especially in times of
war, and that foreigners had thereby foond op.
portunities to export the coined moneys of the
realm, to the great detriment of the public weal.
Tice same policy was suc2essively pursued by the
Legislature in varioes intervening Acts, the last of
'which expired in 1814 ; and timber, fit for naval
purooSCS, 1111roTted into this Country from those
Colonies, is still exempted, by statute, from duty,
tool was to have continued so till March, 1820 ;
but that there is now an intention to impose
a (boy on Timber Irons British Auo,rica, at no
distant period, is trio evident from the Resolu-
tions agreed to by the Iloese of Commons on
Tuesday last. It is said, that the duty is not to
take place immediately, and not until after March,
1820, the period limited by Ike statute granting
the present exempti,o ; hot we wish to know upon
what sound principle this duty can at any time be
imposed, and whether as a sower of revenue or a'
a boon to tot eigners ? To the English Ship-owner,
any duty, however ,omail, will inevitably be most
injurious. To the Colonists, the "t'iad Trade is
altogether secondary, except as it enables them to
obtain front the Mother Country, at a low freight,
those articles of manufactures anti merchandise,
which they Most otherwise obtain from the United
States. That the effect of any duty on timber from
the King's Colonies will be extensively ruinous
to the Shipping loterest, is evident from the cir-
cionstance of t!le freights to the B:lric and to
alto, and other distant parrs of the Con, ment,
being now so much less than the freights to
Canada, t kilt wood may he imported from thence
at such low prices as to ruin the importers of
wood from British North America. At this mo-
ment, through the expect at ion of a duty being levied
stn timber from the Colonies, the ports of Norway,
3.;eeden, and Prussia, are groaning under the im-
mense quantities of wood collected there,and ready
in be throrvu into Great Britainiatid Ireland; indeed
the River Thames at the present moment affords a
fair specimen of what can be done by the Northern
States from the shortness of tile voyages to this
country. We, however, trust that all the blan-
dishments of the Northern Courts will not in-
fluence the Legislature of this Cooniry, hot that
they will continue to admit, free of duty, all sorts
of wood and limber front the King's Colonies.

The proposed remission of the duty in Prus.
site on Biitish salt, and 'of takin.,z a few more
coarse woollens, on condition that the timber from
British America shall he taxed, is so flimsy as
rue diplumatique, that it cannot be supposed
to influence the distinguished individuals of the
present Government. It should, however, 12e re-
collected, that if the trade to the Colonies is
t;epressed and falls off, the. inhabitants will have
no means left to pay either fur British Salt, or

otter rnAnnfactnreF, and that the StirrriNG
HousEs it, Great Britain must Close their ac-
counts and give up all connection with the
Colonies.
_This assertion we make upon in-
formation on which we can.rely,'a• d we believe
that tie London Houses will not hesitate to con-
firm it, if they are referred to on the present
occasion. It should also be recollected there are
about 1200 and 1300 ships annually employed in
bringing Timber from these Colonies, syliich are
in general not c•ilcid4red, froni various circum-
stances, for any other purpose; and therefore if by
the possure of taxation, they are compelled to
quit this trade, the seamen engaged in them must
seek for employment in other countries.
The value of this trade to the Mother Country
is great. It appears by a Itetu!ti to the Home of
Cnninions on the 12111 of February, 1816, that
he EXPORTS to lit iti%h North America, exclusive
of Newfoundland, were—
Tn 190.0
T. ISI4

The Rooms since that period have imit been printed ; but
we have a ,t rung desire to lino,- whit is the value of our an-
oci.l exports in ANY ship., to Norway, Sweden. and Pruss44 ;
for a. to the Wood Trade from Russia, it is of no monwnt,
fro:n the small quantity brought from thence.
icor:rt anee of the Ticiawr Trade from Canada and the
skter eleperniencies is further shown by the at144.11.111t of the
tonnage employed in it to and from the Mother ConWrv—
exclusive of :he tonnage from those Provinews to the West
Iffihes arid other places.

In (09 were employed, 151 ships, 28,`•?63 tom, 1620 men.
In 1815
And during the last year, wt understal d, that the ship on the
direct intercourse from this country to these colonies ex-
ceeded 1200.

prom these circumstances, and the orceslity that
now exists of livening up an extensive Maritime
Connexion with Micisn Nr oth America, we cannot
telra!ii from deprecating the illipo,itionot any tax
na its produce. The few voyages which are made
in this Trade in to year ; the great number of
vest Is and men require:: to carry it on—all com-
bine in the present state of the popuia!ion of
this Country to demand, that this important and
beneficial liat-rtsti intercourse, shonid he kept up,
nursed and encceir4ert. -The contemplated duty
ought not to be salt object with the Government,
for the depression it will create will indirectly be-
get a 10:s at revel tie they do not contemplate—
trom the fall off in the employment of cite ship-
ping engaged in it.
It was reported on Saturday on 'Change, that
these duties ate not to take place this year, nor per-
haps iii the text ; but surely, the Government do
not mean to temporize with the Colonists or the
Ship-owners. Either let it be known at
olive, whether they intend to tax Colonial wood
or not, and it they do, let them declare when the
duties are to commence. We have foreborne to
lunch on many material features of this interest-
ing subject. Among them, the immense sums
which have been expended in the Colonies, in
the erection of saw-milk, &c. for preparing
deals and planks for this country, all of which
was done on a positive conviction that the
deals and wood from the Provinces never wodld
he subjected to any import duties, beyond,
probably, a nominal duty of a few pence,
merely to beget an acentint, to show the annual
value and extent of this trade, as it affects the na-
vigation of the kingdom;.. They also expected a
a more extensive encouragement from the Navy
Board than they have yet received ; but ou this
part of the subject we reserve ourselves for an-
other day.
The duties specified in the Resolutions of the
House of Commons, as intended to be imposed on
wood from the King's Colonies, are as follows :
Anchor Stock.
Paths, the t',to 0 IG

fiatlens and Batten Elvis of all sorts
Beech Plank of die suits above eight inches, the 120 0 8 4
Beech Plank of ai; sorts under eight inches 0 16 3
Clapinelr(!s, t.:,e 120
Odk inpe boat ds of all sorts exceeding 5 inches, the

I'2o
All other sorts of hoards, the 120
P,o7Ktvood, the ton
Dva!s an .1 Deal Etats of itll Sorts, the 120
Ebony, the ton - 0 15
Firewood, the fathom
iland•pil.es under seven feel, the 120
!liindspikes above seven feet, the IV) 0 4 6
knees ii iuer ei,ht the 120 ..
Oak liners abut v eight inches, theload
Liliwood, the fat loon
Lignumvilit, the ton 0 1 2
•

~.
Nlasts, Ox incnes and under eight, each.... 0 3 2
Masts, tight inches and unLier twelve, each
Masts, twelve inches and upw:trds, each
Oalt plank, all sorts, tile 120.
Oars, the 121 0 19 6
Olivewood, the ton
itoundwood, the 120 .... 0 3 2
Spars, the 120 ... 0 16 3

Simcliled wood, the ton
Staves, cxcuedon; 50 inches, the 120 .. 9 4 6

Sweet woud, the ton
Fir tia.ber, eight 'itches square or upwards, the load 0 2 6
Oak timber. the load ... 0 5 6
All other sorts, the load 0 2 6
Lifers, the 110... 0 16 9

Waimieot logs, eight inches square or upwards,

the load

0 5 6

Wood orongonfactured, not before described, for

every 1001. in value

In a cursory review of these Resolutions, the
preceding 'appear to be the articles immediately
affecting the Colonies. The duties on Timber
frion Norway used in the English Mines are again
intended to be drawn back in favour of those va-
'liable establishments ; but should there not be a
drawback on other wood used in then►? Norway
has no claim whatever to our attention. Her
wood is brought here, in her own ships, and the
voyages are so short, they do not expend any
thing in this country, but take back the value of
their cargoes entirely in specie. The Norway
trade is very injurious to Scotland, and prevents
the exportation of wood from thence to London
and the other ports. We have been induced to
submit these observations to our Readers, from
the warm interest we take in every measure likely
to affect the Shipping andiColonial interests of
the country. We hope these duties will not be
enforced, and that a total exemption will be con-
tinued to the Colonists in future—and that the
COMMITTEE OH this Bill, which stands for a se-
cond reading this afternoon, will be fixed for a
distant day, to
.afford the Merchants and Ship-
(owners at Glasgow, Newcastle, Hull, &c. an
opportunity of expressing their sentiments on this
important subject. The proposed exemp!ions and
bounties to Newfoundland should be extended
to the OTHER Colonies,' who have equal if t►ot
stronger claims to consideration 'end 'protection
than the former.

INIPERIXL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, JUNE 12.

THE LOAN- BILL.

The CHAP.:CP.I,I,Okt of the Excnratitta. said, he
should not then detain the House by niy Observa-
tions upon this Bill, as its merits might hereafter
be discussed with much more propriety in a future
stage, and in a Committee. He should therefore
move the second reading of the Bill, and also
that it be Committed for Monday night.—Motion
agreed to.