The Sun.
London, England, 1820-07-19 00:00:00

TIMBER DUTIES.

MINUTES of EVIDENCE relative to the TIMBER TRADE,
taken before the SELECT COMMITTEE of the HOUSE
of LORDS, appointed to inquire into the Mea►►s of extend-
ing and securing the FOREIGN TRADE of the COUN-
TRY, and td. Report to the House.
(Continued from our Paper of Monday last.)
•

The following is the conclusion of the Evidence
of EDWARD SOLLY, Esq. :
Is not much of the TiMber bronght over in Colliers, who
go for it io ballast ?—The greater number of ships that go to
the Baltic for Timber are colliers, who go out in ballast ; souse
few tale coals, but very few.

Have you ever passed any time in Sweden ?—I was a twelve-
month in Sweden, in the year 1812.
Do you know of any thing in the present state of Sweden
which would mate it more difficult for us to expect that it
would now receive our Manufactures and Colonial produce
than at any other time ?—I conceive it is the state of their
paper currency. They have a super-abundance of paper cur-
rency, us they have acted upon the notion, that it was suffici-
ent to give a security to that currency ; it is issued upon pro-
perty mortgaged; any person having property of any kind can
get paper currency advanced to hint upon the security of that
property.
Do you mean that that facility of paper currency has caused
them to overtrade for some time past, or is that the feeling of
the Swedish Government at present?—'('he super-abundance
of this paper currency has been the cause of its low price, and
he exchange being what is called against Sweden ; the Swedish
Government however have thought that the Exchange being
against the country arose front a super-abundance of impUr-
tation,and they have endeavoured to check the consumption
of such articles as were imported.
As to the produce of every country as well as that of Great
Britain ?—Yes.
Do you mean to say therefore, that it is the policy of the
present Swedish:Government to discourage all importations ?
—lt is.
With respect to the American Timber, do yen know that
the importation of Canadian Timber is encouraged very much
by the state Oahe duties ?—I know that it is ; and not only
that, but the importation of United States Timber through
the medium of Canada ; fur the Governments of Canada did,
by au Order in Council of the year 1815 and 1816, permit the
importation of Lumber and Timber front the United States
duty-free, aira not merely Timber, but other articles; so that
the exportation front the United States into. Canada, in one
year, was above three million of dollars, nut for the consump-
tion of the Canadians, but by the means of Canada, to avoid
the double duty which was laid on such produce if imported
direct fron► the United States.
Is not our duty, therefore, so far a bounty upon the impor-
tation of United States' Timber in preference to that of the
Baltic States?—Certainly.
Does it operate so at this moment ?—lt dues.
Do not yon understand that the Canadian Timber is much
inferior in quality to that of the Baltic ?—I have always un-
derstood so ; but I an► of opinion your Lordships will receive
this information best front the Surveyor of Ills Majesty's
Navy.
Is it not then your opini.n, so far as you are acquainted
with the subject, that the consumer pays a higher price on
account of the duty fur an inferior art►cle ?—Undoubtedly.
Can Timber sif the same size be imported front the Baltic
as from America ?—Yes.
By what measure are the fang Prussian and Russian deals
sold ?—They are generally sold by the piece, of a certain
measure.
Is time not a measure called the Petersbur"b standard
hundred ?—Yes.
Are they frequently sold by that measure ?—Deals under
twenty feet are so.
Are the shorter deals sold by that measure ?—All deals
under twenty feet.
That is a cubic measure, is it nut ?—lt amounts to the
same ; it is a fixed measure.
You have stated that a considerable quantity of Timber has
been imported into this country from the United States of
America through Canada; does not that importation afford
to the people of the United States of .Ainerica, considerable
facilities in paying their debts for British Manufactures

The sameas tie unpna from Pent is affords _to L-rtisnf
ost-
means of paying the debts they owe us, for the +,
Slanufactuild
,they take from us.
From what part of the United States is that Thither OP;
posed to color, which is Said 10 be importe4 through Canad 3.
—I cannot exactly state.
Does it come from the countries bordering on the Lakes?"

Certainly, part f it does.
And upon the/
rivers that fall into the St. Lawrence Some of it conies along the coast. r
Does the larger quantity come along the coast, or o'oo
countries on the Lakes :—I. have not. had the means of ascei

taining. f thg
Are you of opinion, that the importation of Timber °-,„0
United States through Canada, has taken place chiefly
the encotiragement afforded by the increased duties imPoseo
uptiti Timber front the North, or that it always took placr_o
the same proportion ?—I am of opinion that it took 04,
since the WO duties upon Foreign Timber; and that it ",,(
been increased he the permission granted in the Orders"
'Council, which fstat cd before, of the-years 1813 and 181-646
You have stated that the Canada Timber is infqrior t?" 0
Baltic Timber; can you say whether there is any differel;
as to the age of the Timber at the time of ?--I al3l`,
aware of that; Timber is felled- at diffet. tit periods "
growth in all ountries.
What sale cCould the Sohjects of the United States fin°r "1
their Thither in the Countries bordering on the Lakes, lilt
the St. La, 'Titer, if they were not able to export iet"
Country afrough Canada ?—ft would certainly check
tbJit
means of exporting; they would be confined to the West
Colonies of other Ppwers, and to the Countries of the i‘"
terranean and Portugal. f
What is the average price at present in this Country "
itt
limit of Timber, which you have represented as sellioK
Memel for twenty-five shillings?—At prescut it Varit fr°,',,
51. It k. to Gl., according to the quality; but if I may be ro
mitted to mention, that. from the depressed' state of 01%, eII
p•trt Trade of Prussia, the Polish Nlerehants,' who .hare"-t.
it) the custom of bringing the produce of Poland to the 1".„1;
of Pru)sia, both Timber and Corn, have been at the
brdd
of ruin, and a great number of them became bankrupt'
year, and a greater untidier would have become so, bail:o
the Prussian Government stepped in to assist theta with a
of money. - -
qi

Do' you mean to state that Timber Is•now import
loss f—At a-loss lu the Polish Merchant; litit to the. Brit
Merchant so much as to the Polish Merchant; there vOli co,
variations in the Trade, by which.at times money is On, to
and at times money is lost, as in every other; 1 state thal,
account for its being. supposed that money is lust at this Pt
sent moment. • d
.rice

Whet% you stated twenty five shillings to be the pt• ap
'limber. at Mcmcl, did you 'refer to prime 'l4mber, or
average ?—1 mean what is called good middling ro,
At the prt,ent market prices in England, is the lull°
',ion of Timber from the Baltic a gaining or a losing trade'
It is not a %cry prohtahle one. •
the.- I -ts of the U

ou. the subject nit. ,ates be able
to other Countries the same species of Timber that tho;ico
ported to this Country through Canada ?—Not every sPe:t
li
and not in the same form ; that is, that the tree rrlig`lol,
converted into other dimensions suited to the other inl""1.0
Do you mean that they would be able to export Timbev?
its heaviest form, with the same facility as through Call3ltrf
I should think not; but 'limber is imported to this Coolo
more in its unmanufactured state, more in the tree; Wbe.,104
to other Countries it
,is, exported more in a tuaoufact.td
state, fit for immediate use, as it is the policy of this COlithe
to encourage the article in its raw state, that we may 113"
benefit of. manufacturing it ourselves here. -
fof
What sale would the Subjects of the United States 6"
elf
their Timber growing on the herders of the Lakes, and !is it
the St. Lawrence, it they were not permitted to transtw.ro
through the medium of the waters flowing through thelsr%,itt
Colonies ?—1 airs not aware what facilities.they would bay -ftsr
transporting it to Rivers that flow 'down to their own es&
I have not in my mind sufficiently the nature of the Co°,"„)
Is not the clearing, the cultivation, and the Colonizatnci
the Countries belonging to the United States near the '-'-,s•er
and the St. Lawrence, very much facilitated by their 1),%11'
of transporting their Timber through Canada. to this
try ?—I should conceive it was, as far as that was the o,,Vict
Have you ever been its the North part of the United 'ltt
yourself ?—I never have. • • .
You cannot say whether the Timber is floated across ot
Lake Champlain and doWn the River St. Lawrence ?—^lcall.
speak to that. .•
Dues the best Prussian Timber grow upon, the Ricers ~/
flow into the Baltic, or those that flow into the Black ,4-43.;'
It grows upon the Rivers that flow into the Baltic, Or'
laxly the River Bug and Vistula.' pre
.You,.liare stated that Timber and some other algid°tato
rn:mrtedduty-free from North Ameries into Canaria;
Oat those articles are ?—rrom the information I hare,
is one of the artic:es; and.as observed, the impor tati,° jot
Grain from Canada is at .present, permitted duty free; 140 •
struck nie, as a subject of importance, whether Grain reliit
dues go• from the • United States• to Canada -duty-flee 'lt nix
present moment, and can from thence bo• imported- tt'
Country; it is a Question I cannot answer myself. soh
Is there any other al tide ?—The 'information I have, •

to e%Prt

St

The Witness is directed to withdraw.
(To be Continued.)

COURSE OF EXCEIANGE,

A mstei dam

Ditto, at Sight

Kottvrdam .. 12 7

Antwerp l2 9 OA
Hamburg') 37 0 It iis,.
Altona '
vVP'
Paris, 3 Day's sight - 25 80 .v:.ff,
Ditto
211 10 in,
Bourdeaux, ditto fi
Frank fort on the Main
.... 1551 r• ~x •, ..,00
Madrid . ' 84/' J.'"7,li
Cadiz
ltilboa
Barcelona ....
Seville
Gibraltar
Leghorn
Genoa 44 -Venice, Ital. Liv. 27 60
Nlalta 45 -Naples 384 • of,
Palermo
Lisbon
Oporto . .
Rib Janeiro
Dublin - ii Cori Si per Cent.
. BULLION.

et
Portugal Gold, in Coin 1.0 0 O ier
r
Foreign Gold, in Bars 3 17 10i
.Sett' Doubloons
New Dollars 0 4 101. i
Silver in Bars, Standard 0 5-0

BIRTHS.
usuirif,
On Thursday, 13th inst. at Barton Rectory, I,l7arytic- ',,j
, Ir
the Lady of t he. Per. J. Scholetield, of a
.sou.
On Tuesday last, at his house, 75, South
Lady of W. L. Hughes, Esq. M.P,; of a daughter. yr
On Monday, the 17111 inst., at li s house in Queen _
street, the Lady of W. Kerril Amherst, Esq., of a sons, p
On the 19th inst. at Cod:airily house, Fifesbire, t"
of Lieutenant-Colonel Moubray, of a daughter..
' ' 0
MARRIED. 4,
• • 1,0,,,,0
On the 18th inst., Mr. \t ilhans Price, of Alderman.' 41,1 r
Andley-streg,
Elizabeth, only daughter of M rs.-Powles, St. NicholoV6 i'e
c
Hereford. 'F. 4' tel'
At Glasgow, on the 3d inst. Thomas Paterson, —5,0-
master in his Majesty's 22d regiment of Foot, to 1%,11'14/ gOl.
~........„.....
eldest daughter of James Miller, Esq. merchant, 613"
td
DIED. •gocllff
On Monday, the 'l7l II itist at Taplow House, ....„11
a" - '
her 1•Ith year, Margaret, daughter of Pascoe Gr fr
8 i
M. P. , ber, sll
At Paris, on the 14th inst., in-the 90th year 0 pad
Mademoiselle Montausier. T, •- Lady at one tint e g 0
,n.-
direction of all the Theatres in Paris. • vir 111 A ,
Oil -Sunday, the i6th inst. ;It his house in P°s. jr
00
James Lewis, Esq. aged 69. • 9t• ,
At Balgonie Cottage, Fifeshire, on the Bth I°ooolo'
James Douglas, late of the 7th RovalNeteran Batt. Cat
Suddenly, near Armagh, suplarsed by apoplexy, 15100t00
quence of bathing, when in a state- of excessive Pete al'
• '
and debility, John Stowbrittge, Esq. formerly Pe° 'o'l
ifiAii(
the 59theh Foot. ea'
On t morning of Friday last, at Clav hall, no,reo
sor, Mrs. Lindsay, wile.of Captain James •Lindsay,
Guards, in the 23d year of her age. 0/
oftp
- • --- 490
LONDON: Printed by J. B. CARSTAIRS, of No• by'o 41'II
Ormond-street, Qucen-square; and published TO ofit
SCRIPPS, of No. 7, South Mutton-street, at 01
Otlice, No. 11.,. Strand ; where Advettisementif
Letters, &c. (posit -paid) roust be addressed.

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