The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-29 00:00:00

THE AMERICAN TARIFF.

The Moniteur publishes an article in which the
writer contends that " the productions of France are
treated in the new American tariff with greater favour
than those of other countries, thanks to the modifica-
tions introduced into the Bill by the Senate. In the
original project the silks of all countries were to be
subject to a duty of' from 40 to 45 per cent. ad valo-
rem. In the tariff now in force the duty ad valorem
is replaced by a specific duty of $23- per pound
weight, a change highly favourable to French silks,
on account of their being lighter and of greater value
than the other silks imported into the United States.
French winces were at first to be made liable to a duty
of 20c. per gallon ; by the new tariff they will only
pay 6c. and 7ic., that is, less than was stipulated in
the Convention of 1832. Cotton goods of French
manufacture are likewise t enjoy an indirect advan-
tage. The nominal duty laid on that article is 30 per
cent., but it amounts in reality, in certain cases, to
100 per cent., whilst it invariably remains fixed at the
first rate for the fine Indiennes,
.which constitute the
most considerable portion of the export of French
cotton goods to the Amerkan Union."
The Presse says--" The new American tariff,
which was thought to be indefinitely adjourned in
consequence of divisions in the legislative body, ap-
pears to have caused a grave perturbation in our prin-
cipal commercial towns. The Bordeaux papers,
amongst others, have already noticed the disastrous
effects which this recurrence to the prohibitive regime
has produced. An American vessel, the Sea, was
taking her cargo on board in the harbour, and on re-
ceipt of the new tariff the merchant had his goods
landed again, preferring to pay the penalty of half
the freight he was subject to by his articles of agree-
ment. The Sea will quit Bordeaux in ballast, and
will be followed by the other vessels in the harbour,
10,000 or 12,000 tons of merchandise which were to
be taken to the United States will, therefore, remain
in store ; and similar facts are taking place at present
in our other commercial towns; and most probably in
all other countries which are affected by the enact-
ments of the American Bill. A double evil
will result from this. In the first place, the
countries of Europe, which were accustomed to send
their natural or fabricated products to the United
States, will be affected by a crisis more or less in-
tense ; and, next, the United States themselves will
undergo the reaction of the evil which they will have
caused. If in a few points only the conduct of the
Bordeaux merchants be imitated, the quantity of im-
ports to America.will diminish considerably, and the
customs' duties, calculated after a more elevated tariff,
but on a much smaller quantity of goods, will remain,
most probably, below the figure which they have hi-
therto reached. The measure adopted to supply the
deficit of the American Treasury will, therefore, be
inefficacious, and their financial situation, in place of
improving, will become worse. Thus, by a just re-
turn, the abuse of the fiscal and prohibitive system al-
ways falls back on those who try to seek safety in it."
The Debats has, the following :—" The new tariff
adopted by the American Congress, after so many ter-
giversations, and to which President Tyler has given
the sanction which he had previously refused, will
affelot,The commercial relations of the United States
~iwtti :all Europe. It certainly will limit interchanges.
`Ms not only fiscal, the only character it ought to
have assumed to be consistent with the federal com-
pact—it is also protective. With regard to iron, and
cottQ linen and thread, it is so in a high degree.
The. duties upon ' ccttonnades are nominally 30 per
:Ont.; but, according to the manner in which they
are to be assessed, they will, for common or medium
cottonnades, be in fact still greater. On our beauti-
ful Indiennes they will not be leas than 30 per cent.
The duties on woollen cloths are also considerable,
and will be prejudicial to the English manufactures.
These duties were partly occasioned by a desire to fa-
vour the manufacturers of cottonnades, cloths, and
iron goods,in the .north; The spinners and weavers
of New England having coalesced with the iron-
masters of Pennsylvania, this object was pertina-
ciously pursued, and is now attained. The interests
of France, however, have, in the new tariff, been
more considered than those of England. Instead
of the feeling of hostility against us that some persons
have believed to exist in the Union, there remains
at bottom the old attachment which took root on
the establishment of the independence of America.
Admitting for a moment that relief to the federal
finances was all that was required to restore order,
stability, and prosperity to the States, let us ask, can
it be expected that under the new tariff the public re-
ceipts will bring into the Treasury at Washington a
sum of from 30,000,000 to 32,000,000 dollars, of which
it is in want? According to the American journals,
the best judges on the other side of the Atlantic do
not anticipate any such result. Such members of the
Congress as are imbued with democratic prejudices
have not dared to come to the only resolution which
can be efficacious, that of laying a heavy duty on the
three articles which are of most general consumption
in America—we mean tea, coffee, and sugar. The
first two articles are now, as previous to the tariff, en-
tirely exempt from duty, and the third only subject
to such a charge as is necessary to protect the sugar-
manufactories of Louisiana. Nothing can be more
easy than to draw from these articles customs' duties
to the amount of from 50,000,000 f. to 75,000,000 f.
The people of America are sufficiently rich to bear
such a tax without injury to their fortunes. They,
however, have not as much wisdom as wealth. They
cannot overcome their political passions as easily as
they overcome natural obstacles. May Heaven grant
that the cruel warnings of adversity may not be neces-
sary to bring America back to her senses."
The Ministerial evening journal, the Messager, in
an article on the new American tariff, after alluding
to the duties on. French articles, says On the
whole, if we consider the necessity that existed for
the Federal Government to augment the Customs'
duties (almost the only source of revenue), in order
to meet the public exigencies, we have no reason to
be dissatisfied with the charges upon our products.
The active solicitude of the King's Govern nment, ably
seconded by the judicious negotiations of the French
Minister at Washington, has ordained results which
insure for them in the markets of the United States
an advantageous and permanent sale."