The Sun.
London, England, 1818-02-12 00:00:00

PUBLIC RETRENCHMENT.

LUSHINGTON ,presented the Third Report
of the Commissioners appointed to inquire•what
retrenchments might be made in the salaries of
officers, and what offices could be abolished con-
nected with the Courts of Justice in Scotland.
Lord A. 1-JAMILTON observed, that the .Com 7
tnissioners, whose Report was now presented, had
been sitting for three years, and had how only
made three Reports. He wished to know what ef-
fective step had been taken by these Commissioners
towards abolishing offices or curtailing salaries ?
If, as he apprehended the fact to be, they had
taken no effective measure, the object of appoint-
itig the Commissioners was defeated, and the coun-
try might be saved the expence of supporting these
Commissioners.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXcurattEß said,
that he could give very little Antormation re-
specting the proceedings of the Commissioners.
AU that he knew was, that the subject was un-
der the anxious consideration of the Secretary of
State, aucUte was sure that any steps recommend-

ed-by the CominissiOners would be immed,atcly
adopted.'
The Repot t as then ordeted to be printed..
BANK TOKENS.
On.the motion for th'e 'Comuiittee of cup dy,
Mr. EAFIINUTON 'visited to know 'eh, any
measures were arranged tot' calling in !nu ~ank
To!: ens now in •eirctilat ion
' The' CHANCELLnit of the EXCHEQUER s.aid„ the
Hon. Gentleman mist' have ton of 'Ow he (the
Chancellor') tad stated to*the FL'ust: In 'reply to
some oliStJvationS of 'an H•m. tit•o: I, nr ;r; (\ll%
Curwen) a tew days ago. Two yea's must
yet elipie before tile time during which tl:e err-
(llot:on of Bank T.,kens was atithorised, and
therefore there was sufficient .'tiMe to make 'al--
r.ane..rments to obviate any inerinveniencein with-
dra ttat part of the currency from
tion, e had much pleasure in stating that art
arrangement had already been made in the l'ost-
Ofike, by which much facility wonli he afforded
in recalling the Tokens now-in circulation
Mr. CutiwsNi thought it would he 'very conve-
and attended with very little ex pence. it Go-
vet n'ineni would send a sufficient quantity of er
to the prineipil towns throughout the kingdom,
to be'exchanged for tokeiti':

'After a few words 'from Mr. MANNING, the
COnVers'ation dropped.

TREATY WITH SPAIN.
The House having res-olved into a Committee of
Supply,

LOl4 CASTLEREAGH said, that after the discus-
sion which the Treaty with Spain had already un-
dergone, in now rising to more for a grant to
carry thaCcreaty into effect, he did not think it
necessary to make any observation further than
that he would be-happy to answer atly questions
which might be put to- him on the subject. He
then moved," That a sum not less than 400,0001.
be granted to his Majesty for the pur;)ose of car-
rying into effect the Treaty with his Most Catho-
lic Majesty." •

Mr. LYTTLETON said, he did not rise to oppose
the:motion, or to say any thing to disturb the al-
most perfect unanimity of the House in its ap-
probation of this Treaty. What he wished to say
was, that lie had been instructed to take the ear-
liest opportunity.of asking the nature of our corn.
Inercial•relations with Spain. We were now about-
to grata a bonus to-Spaita, and the whole tenor of
this Treaty seemed to-firmly that a closer and more
cordial relation. subsisted between us and
.the
Court of Madrid than.lnere peace anti amity. Yet
from some facts which had come to his knowledge,
he was surprised to. find that British mereftants
had been treated by.the Spanish G,,vernrmlit with
much severity.. In the cotton trade, for instance,
it had been the policy of Spain to exclude all in-
tercourse with the merchants of this country ; but
this was so well known that there was no grimed
to complain of any peculiar hardship. on that
head. 'Articles of linen and woollen ma nu fact ore
were. also so heavily taxed, as to be almost en-
tirely excluded from the Spanish market. And in
the iron trade, if ht was rightly informed, the
alloy upon- its admission to the Spanidi market
was as high as 110 per cent. on the actual wake
of the article. This system of exclusion carried
to such a height sheaved a great want of cowmen,
cial friend-hip towards is on the part of Spain:
But. the main ground of complaint was still m• ro
aggravated. It was•that the utmost caprice was
manifested by the Government of that country in
issuing it:-regulAtions. prohibiting the admission
of certain articles of British produce. The .former
practice of the Spanish IGovernment was, to give
six moths notice of the prohibition of any article
of trade. Bat of late these prohibitioni bad been
so suddenly issued, snit so rigidly acted upon, that
ruinous hisses bad been occasioned to the British
merchants, by depriving them of a market. for
those goods which had actually arrived at Spanish
ports before any prohibition was issued. This
was so serious a commercial grievance, that he
trtived every endeavour would he made in the way
of negoCiation to put an end to it. He therefore
wished•to know .from the Noble Lord opposite,
whether any such endeavour had been made, and
what was the result ?

Lord CANTLEREAGH.—The tint). Member very
properly tiktinguished the subject to which his
question referred from the ►notion before the Com-
mittee. In reply to the question of the Hon.
Gentleman, he muss say that belamented as much
as any one that the commercial principles which
regulated the conduct of the Spanish Govern-
went were of so confined and mistaken trnature,
principles which had now been quite exploded its
the politics of this country, and which he hoped
would not long maintain their ground in any
European. Cabinet. At the same time we ought.
to show some indulgence towards the Spanish
Government even on this score, considering that
we,otu•selves had not long since acted upon II:e
very same mistaken principles in many of our,
commercial regulations. The British Government
had endeavoured, as much as possible, to con-
vince Spain th.St the principles on which she
acted were utterly fallacious, and that the whole
duties in her tariff were fixed on mistaken notions.:
With the view of effecting a general improvement
in our commercial relations with that country,
two proposals were made by the 13ritish Cabinet.
But he was sorry to say that nothing decis:ve had
yet been done with respect to these proposals ;
nor could lie positively state that any measures
were in progress with the view of acceding tot hem.
With respect to the particular branches of trade
mentioned by the Hon. Gentlemat►, he was not
aware of any recent change made by the Spanish
Government in the duty on cotton, which had
been the cause of any special hardship to British
merchants. No man could regret more than 1
did that Spain had placed such restrictions on, the

k

Wa's not is re-
cent one, lit 'the tt-e:itv of 1792, the admission
of c..,tctitis to Spanish Maiket as
pro±sibirerl, and if since then it had beep at all
permit-fed, It was only by i 3 t 1 act of special indul-
snspending the operations of that Treaty
Yet, after all, Spain was nor the only country
That acted on the s'yttern Of restriction and prohi-
bitiot's fin conimetce. Even we oursekes wet-e,
still a good deal
.ernharra3aed by the restrictions
of cointirerehl regulations.—(Heari,
hear, with-Tesprei—to-the•systermof the
Govermitent,.it..hael produces! such.effectS
in many cases that the strongest remonstrances
had 11,11 funned iie cess,ary-so Wong. AhaLeveu
the Hiii.-Gentlemanwonld not have recommend-
,
ed !:ese io.tnAnytgasfis
_lliad been effectual, and redress had beeli given ;
in other instatirees the evil had bteti
60(.0 not remedied entirely,; and in several in-
, staticeS, lie was sorry to say, they bad been
hitherto quite ntisticcessfiil. 'Still it would not be
fair to entertain strongfeelings against
~Spain'On
account of this. Even between Great Britain and
!'eland there were cases of as great
,hardship en-
dared; and of as titiiett difficulty in 'coloring the
grievances occasioned by the commercial regola-
_ tioti• between the tiro ay het ween Great
Britain and Spain,. or at6t other foleign Power.
It was to be hasped, however, that as those Mis-
taken motions of. ciininierCibil regulations iiere
gradually abandoned by other nations, that the
lime.was near at hand when they would cease CO
be' harboured in Spain.—(Hear, hear !)
Mr LYTTLN;TON COPId nut refrain from expre-
. ing hia satisfaction at what had been now said by
. the Noble Lord, because it contained an exposi
lion of the_ most sound practical priociples of
commercial re-_:ulation.—(hear, hear !)—He was
perfectly aware that remoustrance was the-only
course which the Government could pursue
with respect to Spain.—Wilat be complained of
seas, the iutoferible grievance of issuing orders of
prohibition so suddenly, that British
suffered ruinous losses.
- Dlr, F. lionmson said, that with respect to
cottons, there had been a notice given by Spain,
in 1815. of her intention to return to her old pro•
bibitory system against them. Sir HenryWel-
.le,sly had remonstrated against this, not entirely
without success. He. was not aware of any re-
cent increase of the duties on iron. It certainly
. was a grievance that heavy duties should be sod-
-tienly imposed on the impartation of a particular
article of trade ; yet this was a grievance which
we ourselves had not untreqoently Occasioned, to
foreign merchantS. For it .even-now' was no un-
common thing (however mistaken the principle
untotitmately was) to pass an 'Act, -imposing
heavy ditties on the importation of a particular
• article, whin were to take effect and he levied
-immediately on the passing of the Act.
• Mr. LYTTLETON said, he was informed it had
been the practice of Spain to give 6 months' not ice
of any prohibitory ditties before they were actual-
ly and the complaint was, that this prtic-
.:tiee had been discontinued..
Dr. Putccistotte wished to know whether, tin-
. (ler the present Treaty with Spain, persons who,
having instituted proceedings in the Admiralty
Court here, had sentence of restitution of cap-
tured vessels pronounced in their behalf, were to
'be referred to the Spanish Government for the
'execution of that sentence ? He was iodated to
'ask the qui-stion, in consequence of its having been
said that 200,0001. out of the 400,0001. to be
granted for Spain, was in lieu of claims for yes-
ads captured, and afterwards restored.
Lord CASTLRREAOH replied, that persons who
had sentence pronounced in their favour would
have a strong equitable claim onahe Spanish Go-
%eminent. His understanding was, that persons
in that situation must look to the Spanish Go-
vernment for indemnity.
Lord ALTHoRPR made objections to the grant
of 400,0001. in the present situation of our
fivances.
Mt. ‘VtLacaFoece co:aended, that even as a
flatter of commercial calculation, the Treaty was
a wise one, and the sum would be amply repaid
by the commercial advantages which the Treaty
would produce.
Mr. CALCRAFT, alluding to the reply of Lord
Castlereagh respecting claimants for captured ves-
sels who had sentence pronounced in their favour,
thought it very hard to runt over those persous to
the Spanish Government.
Lord CASTLEREAOH Said, !bat those persons
would have a good remedy against the Spanish
'Government. The arrangement wa: made after
the precedent of the Treaty with Portugal, to
which no objection had been made ow that
groom'.
• Mr J. P. GRANT contended, that it was very
unfair and discreditable to send those persons it
whose favour sentence had been pronounced it
our Courts of Justice to have the sentence carrict
into execution.
Mr. W. SMITH approved of the Treaty gene.
rally ; and Sir R. HettoN objected to the grant
of 400,0001.
The motion was then agreed to, and the Re.
port of the Conopi;tee ordered to be received to
Morrow.