The Sun.
London, England, 1820-08-02 00:00:00

ifl LATE EARL OF/ LIVERPOOL.

CS It is atte.triptett td in'oix the complaints re-
" specting foreign Goirgrzerce with the case of
4‘'the Agrkulturist..4, 'wjth which they have
4 ~1110t1.1.1tig to de, ; unies.,y those who wish to pro-
"smote at ii.cto/utiort"of all our ancient principle!'
".ana estaiLlishroe-ilO mean to propose an abse-
" lately; Free rl',e:.de in .0011."—CLOtli SHEP-
TiEtv's Addreis at the Lewes Wool Fair-, on
4he

:We have often exhorted his MAJ.ESTY'S.Go,%
-vernment not to disregard. " the signs. of the
tinies,"the experience of every. day points out
the necessity ; but we are afraid, from Circurn-
titances to which we allude with great deference
t.ind. Caution, that .it is impossible to ayoid the
occurrence of many serious evils, unless a more
linited general system of administration is deterr
mined upon. for the government of the Country ;
for whilst differences of opinion .exist,- which
affect,- the Landed and other Great Interests of
the State, the -country- cannot prosper, from the
uncertainty which must.necessarily prevail as to
the rule of. public condtlct intended to be adopted
be-tween'ts and other Nations. If the present
restrictive system is to. be abandoned, it iy much
better openly to avow .so at once/ than to allow
either the Agriculturist, the Ship-.owner, or the
Manufacturer, to continue any longer in doubt.'
The temporizing- system, which has- for some
. i
tune pakt prevailed, s destructive of the best in.
lerests. of ,the Nation in every point of view ;
and the present disposition to generalize and to
adopt,- without consideration or reflection, the
theories of writers who had no practical know
ledge of the subjects on which they treated; in-
duces us„during the present recess, to endeavour
to draw the calm and dispassionate attention of
the Public to the consideration of the. schemes of
the Modern Disciples in political economy; We
shall therefore, in addition to. the Report of .the
;Lords' Committee on the Timber Duties, submit
to our Readers
_the Report of the Select Corn.
Inittee of the House of Commons, on the Peti-
tion for -" a -Free- Trade," and point out the
-necessity of. an adherence to the wholesome and
beneficial systeni of our ancestors, founded on
wisdom which has not erred, but which has
realized to, this Country wealth, power, and
strengtlr,.aecoitipanied by a degree of civilization,
and a. pre-eminence in literature, the' arts, and
• sciences, and the. possession of a degree of .civil
and, religious . freedom, 'unknown _in 'any other
part of the globe. Yet all these advantages and
:plessings are to be riSked,:to satisfy the theore-
tic notions of the, Modern Economists, and the
ot-ztinercial.speculations of individuals, who are
;either the MERE Ac;ENTS of Foreign Houses;Art.
ligho, from family connections or other circum-
, Atances,.are.partnersin. Mercantile Houses domi-
*lied abroad.
" It is not our intention, at present, to offer any
tibservations on the injurious effect which these
projected scheme; in favour of what is styled " a
Fr:co Trade " 'will produce ;---they must be evi-
. c.lent to every man; but they who have read the
-works of those "celebrated Statesmen, Sir WiL-
- 4..1AM TEMPLE and the late Earl of LIVERPOOL,
can at once estimate the danger which may be
expected 'front any change iti the present Navi-
-gation and Colonial System ; and, therefore, we
trust that the differences of sentiment on this
- .:-.!subje-ti; which were admitted in the debate on
,presenting the Petition of some London Mer-
cfrantS7 by-MT. ALEXANDER BARING to exist be-
tween 'Ministers will not lead to an abandon-
... •
tient of-the old and' better policy of the Country
tin this subject, and ion another great and deli-
Cate- question but that wit shall see again a
united, firm, and pOptilar Administration.
• The time has arrived, when temporary expe-
dients must be abandoned, when the 'pressure .of
'the moment inost,be met with that honest, con-
stitutional feeling, which will satisfy the people,
-,arid'enable the Government to extricate itself
'from its embarrassments, and place its establish-
tnents' on the best and surest. foundations. We
therefore' trust that his MAJistv's Ministers will
'• hesitate before they venture to recommend the
repeal of the wise and comprehensive laws which
were enacted.by our ancestors to.give vigour and
effect to the Maritinie POwer of the State ;----tO
encourage its Agriculture ;-=-L-to increase its Ship-
ping ;—and to promote its Manufactures.
These Law's, which are now unfortunately held
,fig cheap by some of ' our modern Legislators,
were, to use the nervous expression of Lord
BAcO.)i,—" deep, net vulgar? not made upon the
" spur of a particular 'pecision. for the present,
" but "out Of providence Of the future, to make
"'the estate of the people Still more and more
" happy,_. after the mariner of the :Legislators in
" ancient and heroical times." We have been
led* into these observations,' by the information
Which we have received- front various districts,
evincing the anxiety 'Which prevails, from the
apprehension generally entertained that it is the
lowation.of Government to recommend some ex-
tensive alterations in the present. Navigation Sys-
' tefit, and to adopt the ideas which have been thrown
out in' the course of the investigations in the Select
Cominittees of the Upper and Lower Houses
of" Parliament ; but from our knowledge of the
-•principles of Lord,Liveapoor., Lord BATHURST,
• 'and- other Members of the Cabinet, we flat_ ter
• oUrselves that there 'is not any real ground for
the :alarm ; though there may be some reason for
it, arising from the. manner in which the, subject
'has been treated by part of the Administration,
and the Communications made by many mem_
• bewz to their Constituents in the Maritime Coun-

ties.
For the present we shall conclude these re-
marks, and avail ourselves of the insertion of an
admirable letter, written . by the late Earl of
Lirrapoor,,..in March 1807, on this subject.. It
• Vas written ,at!‘that memorable, and intereltiu,
crisis wheti.s.lle, Talent, Administrationlig ren-
dered themselves unpopular, and were about to
retire from office. It is to be found in the first