The Sun.
London, England, 1827-02-09 00:00:00

produce froth British Itidia,"put upon a fair fobting, as ie.-
gards import duties; with the produce of our other colonies !
It may. be objected, our Government is not in a situa-
tion to reduce the revenue ; but, on a little reflection, it
will be evident, that ha an increased export of the manu-
factures of this country to the East Indies, would enable
the people of Englund to consume an increased quantity of
the produce to,be received in return, the Revenue would
be benefited by the change ;—besides, we are now paying
a bounty of 3/. per ton in the drawback allowed on refined
sugar exported. To take off this bounty would be some
saving to the Treasury, and a large-saving to the people.
It is not only a clear loss to the nation of 31. per ton upon
the sugar exported, but mark, it alSo raises the price of all
sugar consumed in this country, 3/. per ton, and is a tax on
the nation paid to the sugar growers, of more than Six
HUNDRED THOUSAND POUNDS PER ANNUM.
It must in fairness be stated, that the East Indies have
some advantage from this bounty in common with the
West Indies, though comparatively only to a very small
amount, as the sugars imported from the East Indies bear
a small proportion to those from the West. Until last Ses-
sion the bounty was 61. per ton, 3/. per ton was then
taken off. This is a wise measure on the part of Govern-
ment, and we rejoice in it, there being no good reason why
the people of this country should pay a bounty on the pro-
duce of either the East or the West Indies. At the same
time, it must be observed, that as no equalisation took
place in the duties, this measure places the East Inlia
Trade in a worse situation relatively than before, inasmuch
as that, while by the operation of the bounty, all sugar in
the British market was sold 61. per ton aboVe its natural
price, some of the finer qualities-of East India could be
imported in return for our manufactures, and were brought
into competition with the West India monopoly, even pay-
ing the extra duty of 101. per ton. Now receiving only
101. per ton, (an advantage, as before observed, to which
neither the East nor the West Indies are entitled), and
remaining subject to the extra duty of 101. per ton, the
measure is calculated still more to limit importation from
the East Indies.

The plea of the West Indians for the continuance of this
bounty, and of those protecting duties, so injinious to our
commerce, and expensive to this country, used to be,—
" You have the monopoly of our trade and navigation."
Even the colonial Assemblies have repeatedly admitted,
that when the restrictions on their trade should be taken
off, they would no longer have a claim to any exclusive
privilege in our markets. THESE RESTRICTIONS ARE TAKEN
OFF. The carrying trade of our colonies is thrown open
—they may send their produce where they please; and,
excepting a few prohibited articles, such as gunpowder,
arms, books, &c. may receive their supply of manufactured
goods from whom they please. But, will it be believed ?
a prohibitory duty has just now been laid on East India
rum.
These sacrifices, enormously great as they are, is not
the whole of the burden imposed upon this country, to
enable the planter of the West Indies to continue the ex-
pensive, the ruinous system of slave cultivation, (which,
without such support, he would long ago have been forced
to abandon, and to have adopted a better,) we will men-
tion another item. The expence of our slave colonies
during the year 1824, a year of profound peace, for naval
and military defence, and other contingencies, amounted to
upwards of one million six hundred thousand pounds, and
this is an expence which is going on from year to year;
while on the contrary INDIA MAINTAINS HERSELF—her de-
fence and government cost us nothing.—The expence of
every establishment connected with her, at home or abroad,
is defrayed from her own resources.
But it is said, the West Indies are a source of wealth
to the Mother Country—that they give extensive
em-
ployment to her manufacturers. On the contrary, as mat-
ters are now managed they are a dead weight, a source of
enormous expence without any adequate return. It is
calculated, that on account of the West Indies we have
added ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY MILLIONS to Our National
Debt. But to say nothing of this, whether it be more or
less; to say nothing of the MILLIONS which this nation
has annually to pay for interest upon this mighty sum; to
say nothing of the incalculable loss which this country sus-
tains, from our trade being cramped and limited by pro-
tecting duties to favour the West Indies; to say nothing
of the sum levied upon the consumers, the people of Eng-
land, Ireland Scotland, in an enhancement of the price of
their sugars, &c. by the operation of these duties, which
prevent the produce of the East Indies being brought into
fair competition with the West; and which sum, what-
ever the amount, goes not into the Treasury, but direct
into the pocket of the West India Planter; to say nothing
gf all these, we have besides, as stated above, before we
derive any profit from the trade of the West Indies, for
defence and other contingencies, and in their part of the
bounty, an absolute outlay of more than Two MILLIONS
per annum ; a sum in itself much greater than the wnoLi;
AMOUNT of our manufactures consumed in our West India
Colonies.