The Sun.
London, England, 1820-05-25 00:00:00

Geo. M. c. 86, (by which Timber from the British
North American Colonies is exempted from duty'
till the 25th March. 1820), it is not at present
the intention of his Me sty's Government to sub-
mit to Parliament any alteration of the law as it
now stands with respect to rite importation of
Timher,whether, from our own Colonies, or from

foreign States.
I am to add that, wider these eircomstances,
the Lords of the Committee do not think it ne-
cessary to give any of the rkiembers of the Ship
Owntr's Society the trouble of attending their
LorOthips, as proposed by your letter of the 20th
Dectrnber last, on this sohject.

(Signed)

THOMAS LACK.

J. W. Buckle, Esq.

From this period down to the present, the Ship
Owners have entertained the confident expectation,
that some:lting more than a mere tem;mrary con-
viction had resulted from that " consideration
of the circumstances of the c.se," which their
Lordships had kindly given in conseq.:ence of the
Committee's representation; anti 'hat the impolicy
of in iking any alteration its the present scale of
Wood ll i lea, favourable to the import of Foreign
Wood, would not r;eqn:re so soon again to he
urged on the attention of his 'Majesty's Govern-
ment. Very recent .occurtences, however, have
shewn that this expectation has been unfounded.
As all the arguments made use of in the Chair-
man's Letter of May, 1817, remain in their full
force, it will he chiefly necessary to strew that in-
tervening events ha e but added to their strength
and consistency.
By reference to that Letter it will he seen, that
the number of ships emoloyed in the trade
with the Notth American ColonieS in time
I preceding season (1816) was 783 composing
181,383 tons, and navigated by 8788. men. The
following is a statement of the niiinber of ships
cleared out from (great Britain for the North
American Colonies in the three subsequent years,

Ships. Tons. Men.
1009, 194,99,6 10,370.
13-27, 258,501 15008.
340,:")37 17,634.,
(See Note.)

In 1817,
1814,
1819,

Every consideratiOn therefore, which, in re-
ference- to the importance of this Trade, had
weight in .1817, is now increased in a t wo-fold
degree ; and to them may he added a claim of no
unintetesting character, either as respects the in-
terests of humanity or of good government :
that of numerous individuals, who, being under
the nrcessity.of emigi atiug from Great Britain,
have prefeered to confine themselves to the Co.
lorries, and to the Government of their native
country Within the three last years no less
than 30,000 British subjects emigrating frosts this
country have availed themselves of the encourage-
went which the British American Colonies- have
afforded them ;• the fotu're welfare of whom may
be said to he wholly dependent on the result of
the preSeot discussion.
As this.question is, of all others, susceptible of
the strictest exitnination, it may not be incon-
venient to present the following abstract cif those
considerations which seem to be connected
with it.
And first let it be asked, is the Timber capable
of hearing a-Doty upon it or can it practically
maintain a comoeftion with the Baltic Timber,
if the Duties -on that be reduced,—which is the
sante thing as laying a duty on American Tim-
'
ber ?
Quebec Timber is now sellipg. at about 31. 10s.
per load, of which 21. lOs. per load is paid for
freight ; there remains consequently (atter de-
ducting for Rafting and Dockage, &c. 35.) only
l 78. per load for the first cost ; and it cannot be
purchased for that sum at Quebec. The freight,
it is well known, cannot be reduced.
While yellow Timber,. (of which description
ilte great bulk of the importation from North
.America consists), is selling at 31. 10s. per load.;
Memel Timber fetches 61. per load ; no period can
be quoted in which there has not been a difference
between the two. sot ts in the prices they respec-
tively bring, of 21. to 21. 10s. per load in favour
of Memel Timber ;—there can consequently be
no better criterion of the prices at which they can
maintain themselves in the market in relation to
each other ; now, if 10s. per load be taken off the
duty on Baltic Timber, the [nice necessarily falls
to 51. 10s. and the cousnmption must ;hen run
wholly on that Timber, or the Canada importer
must lower his price to 31. ; either consequence
is ruinous to him. If he loses•the demand, his
trade is destroyed.- If lie sells his Timber for 31.
be has only 7s. per load left for its cost in Canada,
where it will seldom stand him in less than 225.6 d.
to 255. per load.—lf instead of reducing the duty
on Baltic Timber, 103. be laid on that from Ca•
nada, the consequence will be the same the
importer from America will not get a farthing
more. for his Timber in the market.—lf he de-
mands IN.- per load more front the buyer, to en-
able him to pay the duty, he loses his customers,
because they can supply themselves with Baltic
Timber at a price relatively 10s. per load less.

This position, it is prcsume'd, will not be dis-
puted ; the avowed object of the advocates of the
Measure being, to displace-American Wood by the
imporiatiOn of foreign Wood.
In whatever degree this effect may be produced,
in the same proportion British, shipping will be
thrown out of employment ;—British manufac-
tures will remain un.bought ;—the interests of the
Colonies will be sacrificed ;—The English emi-
grants settled there will be deprived of their em-
ployment, (which is chiefly dependent on the
Wood trade) ;—and the properiy which has been
expended in erecting saw Mills, steam boats for
navigation, new roads for the transport of floods,
and other establishmen:s throughout the Colonies
for the prosecution of the Wood trade, will be
wholly lost.

What are the advantages to be derived in return
for all this ? Two or Once only have been urged
---..namely, the encouraging the Northern Powers
to-take more of our manufactures ; the cultivating
a more kind and friendly feeling with those Powers
by removing part of a duty which they consider

(Note) In the year 1819, the•number of Ships cleared out
fur the British West india Colonies was 801, of the hurthen
of e 26,218 tons, navigated by 12,519 mess ; so that the North
American Colonies employ about one half more tonnage and
svaroen, than the whole of the West India trade.