The Sun.
London, England, 1820-06-26 00:00:00

TIMBER DUTIESi

The following PETITION was. in the course of
the last ‘veek ',resew ed by Mr. MARRYATT. ALP
‘A
similar Petition from the name Parties yeas pre-
sented to the House at Lords by the Earl of
.;t1 FFIELD

To the Honourable the Commons of the United Kingdom of
Great Britain and Ireland, in Parliament assembled.

The Humble PETITION of the undersigned Mr.ncniNis and
others engaged in Trade with the British Colonies in North
America, and in the Fisheries of Newfoundland, Nova

Scotia, and New Brunswick, resident in London,

gheweth, 'Ma your Petitioners have observed that there
has been lately presented to your Honourahle•House, a Peti-
tion from• certain Merchants of this City, in which they sub-
mit their conviction of the itnpoiicY and injustice of the re-
strictive system applied to Foreign Commerce;. and express
their objections to " every restrictive regulation of Trade,
" not essential to the revenue ;—against all duties merely
" protective from Foreign competition;—and against the
" excess of such duties as are • partly for the purpose of re-
" venue, and partly for that of protection ;"—and therefore
praying for their repeal.

That although the said Petitioners pray for the removal• of
such restrictions generally, yet it is evident to your Peti-
tioners that one of their principal objects is to produce:a
change in the practice by which the intercourse with the
British Colonies in North America is at present regtllated)
for the ptirpose of diverting a/portion of the tratlti of those
Colonies to Foreign Countries in the North of Europe.

That your Petitioners are extens►vely engaged in trade with
the said Colonies, and in the fisheries of Newfoundland, New
Brunswick, and Nova Scotia; and sou's o! theta bare erected
in the said Colonies, at a vast. expenee, mills and buildings
of various descriptions, and steam engines fur sawing timber,
deals,&c.; and therefore your Petitioners cannot hot feel alarm
at the attempts of the.sail Petitioners, to obtain the removal
of those protective duties and ,restrictilns which have been
provided by the Legislature. and upon which the prosperity
of the said Colonies so greatly depend.
That your Petitioners hope that, upon the present occa-

Mon, it Will be permitted then► to remind your Honourable
House, that the general principle of Colonial Legislation has

always been one of Protection and Restriction ; protective by
Means of duties as to articles the production of Foreign
Commies similar to those produced in the Coloniee.; restric-
tive, by placing the latter at the disposition of, and requir-
ing that they shall take the whole of their supplies front the
Mother Country, and employ only British ships.
That the chief article of export from the said Colonies is
Timber, either in masts an ,l logs,_ or converted into deals,
planks, stares, &c.. the supply of which it appears to he the
desire of the said Petitioners to reduce and discourage, either

by lowering the present duties payable upon those Articles the
production of Foreign Countries, or by imposing a duty upon
those the production of the Colonies.
That in whatever degree such result would be produced;
! your Petitioners would be injured, and the trade and pi-9s-
( perity of the Colonies and British illipping.he
That yourl'etitionetrachnowledge with gratitude the pro:
tectiun which was afforded to the said Colonies, and their
properties embarked therein, during an 'eventful period of.
warfare ;:but at the same time beg to express their humble
hop'e, that this Country has every reason to be satisfied with
the return whiih has been made in the loyalty of the Colonists,
and in their successful exertions to furnish supplies of Tim-
ber for general purposes, hut especially j.or the use of the
duck-yards, to which they were urged by His Majesty's Go-
vernmeni, when the system of exclusion adopted by the
enemy had deprived us of such supplies front the north of
Europe.

That at the period alluded to, assurances were given that
the said Colonies, as well
.as your Petitioners, might rely upon
the permanent protectiiin'of the Mother Country: and they
beg on the piesent occasion to express their humble but con-
fident reliance, that they shall not now be deserted, or their
interests sacrificed ; which could not fail to be, the case, if
any alteration should be made ill the existing duties, that
would place the Timber of the said Colonies upon a less

favourable footing than at present.
That your Petitioners trust that your Honourable House
will be of opinion, that in soliciting protection for the said
Colonies, they ask nothing inconsistent with sound policy and
the true interests of the Mother Country, as will be evident
upon an attention to the following considerations :-
Ist. That the said Colonies form a most essential append-
age to the United Kingdom, in the supplies of fish and lurn
her which they afford to the Colonies in the West Indies.
• 2d. That they receive employ, and maintain an immense
number of British subjects, the surplus population of the
United Kingdom, whose occupation consists principally in
cutting the timber, cultivating the soil, and 4sbing on the
coast.

3d. That the said Colonies receive from the Mother Coun-
try the whole of the Manufactnres and articles of necessity
for clothing, and for the general use of the Colonies and
Fisheries which they require, amounting to upwards of two
millions sterling annually, and which are all carried in thi-
tish ships.

4th. That the entire productions of the Colonies and
Fisheries are also transported in British ships alone, whether
to the West Indies or the United Kingdom.; and furnish the
only means of pa)ment for the 'goods ;tint necessaries re-
quired for their own consumption, and the use of the
Fis4rics.
5tT. That the importation of Timber from the British pos-
sessions abroad has ever been deemed of much importance
to the encouragement of British Shipping and N.ivization ;
iwonerich, that fir the early part of the. last century,
bounties were paid upon such importations, in like mariner,
as with a similar. view, bounties are now paid upon vessels
engaged in the Greenland and Southern Whale Fisheries.

6th. That (Foreign Ships being wholly excluded from the
Trade) there were cleared or.t from Great Britain for the said
Colonies last year, no Fess than 1325 ships, of the burden of
330,537 tons, and navigated by
.17,684 inaliners. .
That your Petitioners having thus brought nnder the view
of your Hon. lisnise, those points which they trust yon will
deem deserving of the most mature consideration in deciding
upon this important question, most humbly beg to observe,
thrt while they admit the principle, that " freedom from re-
" straint is calculated to give the utmost extension to Foreign
" Trade, and the hest direction to the capital and in-
" dnstry of a country," your Petitioners cannot but doubt
how tar that-principle is applicable (in the extended sense
prayed for) to ii.country situated like Great Britain ; an Island
(in the neighbourhood of many warlike and maritime nations)
possessing numerous Colonies,with an industrious population,
furnishing a demand for her manufactures, and er»ployment
to her shipping and seamen : and-yotir petitioners are quite
satisfied that any material diversion of the trade to foreign
countries in Europe, would not he attended with such an
additional demand for manufactures as to compensate for the
extensive and permanent injury which would result to so
many British interests.

Your petitioners, upon these considerations, most humbly
solicit that your Honourable. house will not consent to any
alteration in that existing duties upon timber, that may have
the effect of giving advantages to foreigners greater than
those which they already possess; the continuance of he,.pre-
sent duties bewg alike necessary to the state of your peti-
tioners and that of the British Colonies, as well as to British
shipping., and all the iMportant and national interests depen-
dent tlireem.
And ;our retitioners will Frct'