The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-27 00:00:00

and even 755. This was the °fleet of this.event on the
slave-trade ; and was he ►peaking without authority in
this matter ? Undoubtedly not. Ile would,refer Hon.
Gentlemen to the returns on the books of the House.
By those returns it appeared that the vacuum which
the proceedings in St. Domingo had created had been
supplied by imrortations into our Own islands,
and they enjoyed . the. benefits of those pro-
ceed:ngs. The planters in the West India islands
had been blamed for entering so extensively into this
trade; but he (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) was
n't one of those who imputed that blame. It appeared
by the returns, that after the discontinuance of the cul-
tivation of sugar in St Domingo, the number of ships
chartered in Liverpool for the West Indies was not 88 in
one year, and 92 ships in ano:her year ; but the number
had risen to 122 in one ) car, and 150 in another. From
those returns it also appeared, that the number of slaves
who hail been entrapped and deported was rot ac-
tually, as it had b en, 9,000, 10,000, and risirg to
12,000 slates in one yi a• ; but the number had risen to
30,000 in one year, 32,000 i❑ another, and vs high us
36,000 in another. Such had teen the effect whe❑ the
increase of sugar in our own islands had given an im-
p- tus to the slave trade. Anti what had been done in
our own islands, the motion of the Noble Lord would
effect in Brazil. The same inn ems w► uld be given to
the introduction of slaves into Brazil. 'I he slave trade
would be revived in full force, hut it would 1w revived

with tenfohl horrors, for it would he ,:onduoted without

any ot' the se humane regulations «hi h had twen intro-
duced itlto our own ves.e's. He (the ChancePor of the

Exchequer) must also be pnreoecd if he pr( smiled to
doubt the assertion of the Yoble 'Lord.that the success

of his motion Would produce any permanent benefit to
the consumer; for he did not, believe in a certain

calculation into which the /sl,ble Lord went te

show what would be the high price of sugar aft. r
the new rates of duty had come into cffict. The Noble
Lord 01jecu d to a protective duty, and yet he was de-
sirous of osing sore duty. and could not vote for
the amendment of the Hon. Member for Manchester.
According to the Noble Lord's calculation, the sugar
of Java and Manilla could not be brought into the
market under 485., when the price of West Indian sugar
was 425. If this were the ease, there would certainly
be a protection of Gs. on West Iniian sugar. Now, he
believed the Noble L-rd to' be-wror gin this cdculation,
for he believed sugar, uhether 'fr,,m our own possessions
or from abroad, would be subject to the same rule as
every other to, rcantale arid'. When two articles came
into competiti,n, under similar circumstances as colonial
and foreign sugar, the natural result was, that one would
be a little raised and the other a little depressed. He
. .

did think the Noble Lord had been wrong in his figurs.

Now, Java sugar was quoted the other day at 225.; the
best at 21s 61; and he btlieved that ordinary Java
sugar might be bought at 235.; the average quality
might generally be bought nt 205. Now, to take the
average of these prices at 23s 4d., and to impose the
du'y upon it, the long price would be about 425. The
avtrage of West India sugar was 295. 7d. ; add
to that 14s. for the duty, and West India
sugar would only be about 3d. dearer than Java sugar.
He had taken the average upon the %hole, and of course
to the higher class of Java. sugar they would have
to add 16s. 4d. This would make a difference in the
results ; but upon the whole he thought the ealculati ns
he had made might be relied on. The Noble Lord next
entered upon the subject which had more connexion
with the state of the colonies than the immediate ques-
tion before the House. The Noble Lord had entered
into a description of the happy state of those who were
formerly slaves .in the West Indies, but who were now
enjoying the blessings of freedom, with occasional re-
laxations from labour, and receiving wages quite ade-
quate to their respective merits. The Noble Lord had
said that a loan had been effected in the island Gf Ja-
maica to ensure emigration ; and, to provide for the in-
terest of this loan, a tax had been imposed upon the
labouring population. Now in this the Noble Lord was
entirely wrong. No loan whatever had been effected,
and of course they could not impose a tax on the working
man to enable them to pay the interest. W►th
respect to Demerara and Trinidad, in those places
he Government had sanctioned no duty whatever

pressed upon the labouring community: Still the Noble
Lord had spoken of loans being raised there also, but it
would be gratifying for the House to know that such
was not the case.---(Hear, hear.) The taxes imposed on
those colonies were limited to a tax on the exportation of
sugar, and of course this bore upon the proprietor of the
produce, for whom the immigration was intended. The
Noble Lord had said the House should have considera
tion for the artizans and mechanics employed in the colo-
nies, as well as for the proprietor. The ateizans. whe-
ther in the West Indies or at home, Were, he admitted,
entitled to every indulgence., • and every remission of
taxation that could stfely he made. But what he con-
tended for was, that those classes were not willing to
purense exemptions from buidens by the sacrifice of
principles for which they had been ell their lives con
tending ; and he thought he could produce to the House
evidence to show that, if they would not consider imme-
diate hut permanent interests, the course recommended
by Hon. Members opposite, of overwhelming the
planters, would only give temporary relief, and would
not in the end answer the vies s for which it had been in-
troduced. With respect to the financial part of the sub
jcct, the Noble Lot d objected to the reduction of the duty
on sugar. as one I.f those articles N hilt should not—
Lord JOHN RUSSELL—What I said was, that the
reduction you if cted went partly to the planter and
partly 'tm the revenue, and would not much benefit the-
consumer.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER ad•
mitted that the burden arose from the protective duty,
but the Noble Lord had agreed with him that there
should be someprotection. He believed it was gene-
rally admitted upon both sides of the House that some
reduction in the article of sugar was desirable.—(Hear,
hear.) That was the sentiment which had been gene-
rally expressed, and if he had formerly resisted the re-
duction then proposed, it was only upon the ground
that as the supply of sugar on which we relied was ne-
cessarily drawn from a great distance, it could not arrive
contemporaneously with the reduction then effected. He
wished to make a preparation for the period when they
would be able to make the reduction in sugar, and
so as that reduction might not operate upon
a limited supply.—(Hear, hear.) When the in-
come-tax came under the consideration of Government
this year, he thought it necessary to review this part of
the subject, and whilst he would propose some protec-
tion, he would nevertheless afford a material reduction
to the consumer, and so contribtite to the general good.
They might either have retained the existing law, made
without classification, or la pied the proposition now
submitted to the llouse, making a division into two
classes, and imposing a lower duty on one class, than on
the other. And this scheme appeared to have this ad-
vantage, that it enabled them to lower the protective
duty on the cheaper class of sugar, and thus contribute
to the comfort of the lower orders of the community.—
(Hear, hear.) The reduction of duty, whether right or
wrong, under the present proposition, would admit of
the sale of the article to the consumer at lid. per lb.
cheaper than at present. They were prepared to sink
the amount of revenue, that the change might be felt
universally among the lower classes. The Noble Lord
talked of a gradual redaction. He would propose to
take off 3s. this year, and 3s. next year, and so on. Now
he confessed he did not expect to hear such
opinions from the Noble Lord. The Noble Lord ended
his resolution by rather a captivating announcement to
the country, that no portion of the income-tax would be
remitted at the end of there years. No vhe (the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer) did not believe that any man,
whatever his latent ingenuity or experience might be,
icoull possibly speak with certainty of the changes
which would take place either in politics, commerce, or
finance, at the end of three years. But this he would
say, that upon reference to former periods during which
taxation had been remitted, that the pressure which had
thus been taken from the springs of industry, had been
attended with the best effects, not only to the consumer
but the revenue itself. Events might occur which might
defeat the best considered arrangements ; but if they
looked to the past, he found that in three years, after a
judicious remission of taxes had taken place, the revenue
had not only recovered itself, hilt was paced in a better
position. He had looked for many years back,
and found that the resources of the country had
exhibited the same elasticity. In 1816 the
income of the country was 51,500,000/. .and in
that year taxation to the amount of 3,250,0001.
of positive taxation had been remitted. Now, upon ordi-
nary calculation, the revenue should have been reduced to
little better than 48,000,0001 But what was the fact ?
Three years after its repeal, in 1819 the revenue, instead
of being 48,000,0001., amounted to 52,000;0001.. ; thus
surpassing the revenue previous to the reduction of the
taxation. Take again the year 1822. 'Flee revenue in
that year was 55,000,0001. It was then thought expe-
dient to make a large reduction of taxation. A reduc-
tion of 2,400,00011 ml then be en raade.Now theeffectshould
be the reduction of the income to 53,000,0001. But in the
very next year the revenue exceeded the original
amount. In the year 1823 the revenue was 53,100,000/.,
in 1823, 1824, 1825, and 1826 taxation had been repealed
to the amount of 11,000,0001. The ordinary effect of
this reduction would be that the revenue a ould stand
at 42,000,0001. ; but in 1829 the revenue amounted
to 51,000,0001..—(Hear, hear.) The same thing followed
in 1830.- when a large reduction was made in
the malt duty, and in 1834, when the Right
Hon. Gentleman opposite proposed a reduction
of 1,000,000/. Thus the remission of taxation had in
all these cases been attended with advantage. What
occurred before might occur again; and. if so, there was a
fair prospect that the income-tax might be, if not alto-
gether remitted, at least the duty upon other articles
which came into gemeral consumption might be lowered
without any loss to the revenue. Was the House pre-
pared to abandon the object for which it had so long
contended ? Were they prepared to give up those prin-
ciples which they had so long 0, ririhed ? Were they to
cease exe. tieg themselves in making treaties with Spain
an.l Portugal for the suppression of this odious traffic ?
If they did so, they might Le sure to find some tem-
porary relief, but they would tarnish th.! high character
of Englishmen, who had, at lunch expense, and
with such zeal for s I long a period contended
for the ab.,lition of the slave-trade. lie believed
that if Honourable Gentlemen would consent to
abandon the slave to his fate, the horrors which those
creatures suffered in their passagewhen they came to the
kno w ledge of the people of this country would excite
the sympathi s of the Le.nevolent, and create such sensa-
tions and such a feeling that it would be impossible to
withstand.—(Hear, hear.) There was no doubt but a
great impetus would be given to slavery by sanctioning
the free importation ef all foreign sugar, for this was
the article on which slave labour was chic fly expended.
Upon the whole, therefore, he was strongly opposed to
the proposition of the Noble Lord as impolitic, and in-
expedient, and above all, because it was subversive of
those principles for which they had been so long con-
tending.—(Cheers.)
Lord J. RUSSELL explained—lie did not contem-
plate any such gradual reduction as that mentioned by
the Bight Hon. Gentleman. What In meant, was, a