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

oppressive ; and lastly, the improvement of the
revenue.
It w'ey be, that part of the money which we
should in this case pay for Foreign Timber would
be paid in British Manufactures ; the extent of
that benefit is, however uncertain, and its con-
tinuance precarious. The Foreign Merchant after
he has sold us his Timber, will buy his Manufac-
tures wherever he can get them the cheapest ;
nd if France, olland, or Germany, can furnish
them cheaper than we can, he will be no customer
of ours. The Continent now imports its Colonial
produce direct from the East and West Indies ;
and consequently, for those articles which formed
the chief part of their imports from this Country
they are no longer our cnstomers *.
- - •

Now in the case of Timber from the American
Colonies, the whole is paid for in British produc-
tions ; for we do not permit them to buy of any
hudy else.
- - •

As to the Freight, it is clear that one third part
of the quantity of shipping at present employed
in the American Trade, could carry on the same
extent of Foreign Wood Trade; and that of that
one-third, English Ship Owners could not expect
to share more than in the proportion of one-third
esee note in first column) So that 8-9ths of the
freight Would be lost to this country.
As to Revenue e. a direct sum !you'd be brought
into the Estchequer undoubtedly, by the increased
import of Foreign Wood ; but it the American
Wood Trade is- now emploYing shipping or the
value.of upwards of three millioas sterling;—
if the. sum paid yearly for freight of this article
alone, considerably exceeds one million sterling,
all circulated throughout this -country, in the
equipment of the ships, (every article employed in
which pays duty), the employment -of seamen,
&c. how fallacious the argument which would
make it appear, that a trade like this can be di-
minished without -injuring the reveorte, in a de-
gree infinitely greater than any advantage to be
derived from the direct tax on Foreign Wood.
. As to propitiating the kindness (*the Northern
Powers by this concession; highly desirable as
it is to cultivate the friendship of other nations
by every practicable means, can we forget that
the exclusive system acted upon by those same
Powers, not very many years since, first. taught
us the value of the resources which till then lay
Bidden in oor Colonies ? is he not an unnatural
parent who for the
,claims of friends or acquain-
tances deserts his- own children? and is not this
the character of the conduct we are urged to
adopt ?- It our Colonies have proved to us, in
the boor of need, valuable and productive depen-
dencies, and enabled- use..to•set at defiance those
efforts which sought to sap our naval strengthei
by depriving us of our naval supplies;--if they
have since provided employment for our commer-
cial marine, at a time when. no other resource
could have been found;--and in addition to this,
have afforded a receptacle for a wholesome and
seasonable emigration ;—shall .we put their
efainis in 'competition with those of any Foreign
Powers in the Universe ?
Anti above all, shall we endanger our naval In-
terest, that great arm of our strength, for any
such object ? For if our commercial navy he
not maintained during peace, where shall our na-
tional marine find seamen in time of war ? What
is to become of the greatest proportion of the
17,000 seamen who would, by this measure, be
thrown out of employment ?
• The. Foreign Timber Merchants who had for
a long period been accustomed to furnish the
whole supply of Wood to Great Britain, complain
because they havelost a part of this Trade ;
but be it remembered, they still retain a very con-
siderable share of it ; and the followingsfatement
will spew that they rojoy advantages quite ceptal
to the duty which is
.represented as so grievous.
Baltic 'Timber as before stated, always brings
in the market, from 21. to 21. 10s. per load more
than American Timber ; and it may always be im-
ported at a less freight by 11. 10s. per load, (and
from Norway much lower) ; being a permanent
advantage of 31. 158. per load in favour of Baltic
over American Timber; which is considerably
more than the whole • amount of duty upon it.
Upon what principle then can' it be urged, that
Baltic Timber is oppressed by the existing system ?
With.equal consistency might it be proposed to
our Government to lay a Tax upon.Scoteh Fir,
which has of late years come into very general
use. Suppose thaothe Scotch Forests , had been
found to have producedas good
.and as. large Tim-
ber aw Canada, and in sufficient quantities to. sup-
ply half our consumption of that article, what
„would have been thought of an application Co
liarliament, either to lay a duty on the Scotch Tim-
ber, or to take off part of tire duty on the Fo-
reign, in order that the, latter might be better able
to maintain itself against the Scotch ? And can
any reason be strewn why we should tax our
Colonial Timber, which would not equally apply
to our Scotch Timber If the complaint were, that
we were giving a preference to one foreign country
over another, the argument' would he intelligible;
but it is, that we give a preference to our own.
Timber! Now, admhting that we did so, would
not every principle of good and wise government
justify the propriety of our conduct ?
The present is not the moment for experiments
on large and wide spreading interests which
find .quite sufficient to contend with,, amid the .ge-
'feral difficulties of Trade, without having their
condition in any respect made worse..
We said to the Colonies in the moment of our
own danger, " Exert yourselves ;—draw forth
your resources ;—give us the supplies we need ;
—make, us independent of roreign Powers for
those supplies, anti rely on our constant protec-
tion." The call was answered; industi y and
enterprize pervaded the whole country ; they

* Real .Value of ,Exports to the .North of Europe (in-
chiding France), and to British Ninth America, in the fol-
lowing years, taken from an account printed by ord4r of the
House of Commons, Ivth June,'l I-2.

British produce and Manufactures exported.

To the North of Europe. To British America..

LA
6,361,085
6,971,484
1 6,468,614"
4;595,7=27

9.062,1434
5;707,537
7,70‘4090-
I,oS,tirsd

17,068,049
24,394,910