Star.
London, England, 1812-04-09 00:00:00

SCARCITY IN IRELAND.

In a Committee of the whole House, to consider of
the exportation of Irish spirits, Mr. W. POLE said,
he should have to propose a Resolution f r suspend-
ing the Exportation of Irish Spirits. This measure
arose out of the present scarcity of grain. ner.! was,
he conceived, four several ways in which a remeJy
might be applied to this evil ; first, the suspension of
the importati.on ef grain from lt eland into tins coon-
try ; that was a measure which there was no person
who would not feel reluctant to adopt ; the seem d
was one wLicii would be adopted with equal regret,
namely, to prevent any supplies being sent from Ire-
land to our army in the Peninsula ; tl.e third was,
the suspension of tl e distilleries ; this was a measure
which, in h& opinion, was equally objectionable with
the other two, on account of the effect it would have
on the Irish revenue ; the fourth and last was, the
measure in question, which, though it would press
heavy on a certain class of peri•on,, yet he hoped,
when the benefit the public would derive was con-
sidered, they would have patriotism emough to hear
it. He should, therefore, propose th it the exportation
should now cease till the last day in December, giv!ng
power to the Lord Lieutenant to continue the prohi-
bition till 40 days after the meeting of the next Ses-
sion of Parliament. The Right Hon. Gentleman
concluded by rr.oving a Resolution to that effect.
_ _

Mr. STEWART thought the Reso,u.ion would
have all the effect expected from it.
Mr.. CURWEN considered the measure would
tend to give a partial relief, and wished Ministers
would endeavour to adopt some measure which might
prove permanently beneficial. in his opinion,
could only be done by encouraging our own corn-
growers, by raising the price at which importation of
corn was allowed.

Mr. SHAW opposed the measure as ineffectual.
Sir J. NEWPORT thought the measure could
not prove equal to relieving the pressure which was
felt in many parts of Ireland.
Mr. PARNELL was of opinion the • quantity of
spirits exported was too trifling to make any altera-
tion in the quantity distilled.
Mr. W. POLE was surprised to hear the Honour-
able Gentleman (Mr. Parnell) should he so
ill- n-
formed on the subject. He would, perhaps, be sur-
prised to hear, that the quantity of spirits exported in
the last month amounted to between one fourth and
one•tifth of the whole quantity distilled. Government
were not so s4n2,uine at to suppose that it was certain
this measure would operate as a cure the evil;
but, ii it should not, they might then have recourse to
any et!ivr:nvasure in aid of this.

;Alter a few words from Mr. GRATTAN and Colonel
BASTARD, the Resolution was agreed to, and the Re-
port ordered to be received to-morrow.

in a Ci;mniittee of Ways and Means, Mr. W.
POLE said he should have to propose a Resolution
hich would have for its object to increase the duty
on spirits in Ireland 2s. 6d. per gallon—that would
to double it. One of the objects of this measure
would be to raise the 'price of spirits, and thus prevent
the great consumption amongst the lower orders. A
second object in lessening the consumption, would be
to assist tne measure, which be had just submitted to
the House. One of the objections against tills mea-
sure would pr 'bably be, that it would increase illicit
distillation. But he was persuaded the regulations
adopted last Sessica had proved so efficacious, that
.hey would, in a short time, have the effect of almost
entirely putting down this species of fraud. He con-
cluded, by moving a Resolution, imposing an addi-
tion of 2s. 6d. per gallon on spirits distilled in Ireland.
After 4 few observations from Sir Joan Newport,
Mr. Grattan, and Mr. Parnell, the Resolution was
agreed to.

Mr. POLE then proposed a Resolution for re-
pealing all the duties at present existing on tobacco
n Ireland, and imposing, in their stead. one general
luty, to be paid previi.us to the article coming out
t the Custom-hotice stores, which was agreed tci.
Several Resolutions, relative to the duties on snuff,
Stc. were put and agreed to. The Report was c!cdere4
to be received totinorrow.—.Adjourned,

THE EVENING STAR.

' N

see to be blamed —the Coverniftent or the People ?
We say that both are highly blameable in this matter.
Argei, all feel, all deplore the condition to which
oar manufacturers, merchants, and colonists are re-
dlicec!--all vent their indignation against, and pour
forth their curses upon our Enemy, as the great pro-
curer of these evils ; but no proper effort is made to
counteract the mischief. If exertion of any kind is
called for, how d.ies it shew itself ? In turning over
the leavus of Statutes now nugatory, or hunting for
precedents!--What? Hunt for precedents applicable
to a state of things altogether unprecedented ! Does
not such conduct savour not a little of insanity ?
Away with such folly. If the mountain will not go
to Mahomet, let Mahomet go to the mountain.
In a former paper we endeavoured to point out the
impolicy of allowing our cotton yarns to be exported
to the Continent, to be there manufactured into piece
goods, while our own weavers are out of employ-
ment. It is self-evident that if cur enemies could
not procure these yarns from us, they would be ob-
liged to take our calicoes and muslins ; for even the
power of Napoleon cannot compel the inhabitants of
the continent to go naked ; nor would he risk the ex-
periment. This is proved by his winking at the im-
portation of British cotton yarns. But our present
object is to point out the necessity of a radical
change in our
COLONIAL POLICY.
Is it not strange, possessing, as this country does,
almost exclusively, all the East and West India pro-
ductions which minister to the luxury, the interest,
or the convenience of the European nations, that our
own merchants and colonists should be undersold by
American traders, not only in every foreign market,
tut even in our own possessions ?
' Whenever the traders of any nation attain pre-
enninency in a foreign market, it is either owing to
some superiority of quality in their articles, or to a
seperiority of privilege, or to their ability in supply-
g the same kind cf articles at a cheaper rate than
other mi rchants. It is to the latter of these causes
tllat the exclusive pre-eminence which the Americans
have attuned in the Mediterranean, must be ascribed.
They load sugars and coffee in Cuba and St. Do-
mingo, end proceed directly into that sea. The ex-
fences cf the voyage are not greater than those on a
voyage from the West Indies to the United King-
dom. If the invoice price of their cargoes be the
same as the shipping value of out West India pro.
duce, they can afford to sell, in Malta, for example,
at the same price that our planters can afford to sell
in England. By our colonial system, our own ship-
owners, or colonial proprietors, cannot carry colonial
produce direct to Malta—though Americans may 1 It
must be first brought to the United Kingdom, there
landed, them warehoused, and there shipped again
for Malta; and the expense of the voyage from Eng-
land to that island, independent of the landing, ware-
housing, and shipping charges, is as great as that of
a voyage from Cuba, or from St. Domingo, to
Malta ; namely, the ordinary voyage of the Ameri-
cans with colonial produce. If this expense be
twenty-five per cent. it ii, therefore, clear that our
colonial system has the effect of giving twenty-
five per cent. of advantage to the Americans
over our met chants on all colonial produce that
is sold in Malte. For the Americans to reach
tl.e same destination, perform only one voyage ;
while we are, by law, obliged to perform two.—
If it be convenient to the great political concerns of
the Empire, that the colonies of the enemy should be
conquered, as our original plantations must suffer by
the effects of this policy, it is but jest that we should
endeavour to lessen their sufferings. It may be ex-
pedient to reduce the foreign possessions of the enemy
in order to procure certain equivalents when we shall
came to negoc'ate fur peace ; but it is not judicious
that we should entail upon those possessions, which
'ye do not mean to surrender, hardships, that will, in
the end, affect our own vital interests more than the
temporary injury wl.ich we inflict on the enemy. It
it be intended to retain the new acquisitions to the
u:most, and to r,g,tri them as integral parts of the
empire, then the obligation of considering the state
of the consumption of colonial produce, within the
Mediterranean, in addition to the different other plans
proposed tar the relict a the planters, is indispensiblc.
he creamy, aware of our btlligarcrit colonial system,
has, by most nnpreccdeated regulations, which have
;roved lamentably successini, endeavoured to lessen
the consumption of colonial produce on the Continent.
ru has direiaished the loss to hint of the colonies
we have taken, and reduced the value of pro-
to us, in there which we previously pos:arssed.
Wile the actual condition of the colonies collectively
tie same as at the commencement of the war, such
has been the diminution in the consumption of colo-
nial produce on the continent, that the general value
of plantation property is now materially impaired.
The 11%11464in. of Sicily is commonly reckoned
at a.milbon and a half. The quantity of sugar used'
in that island
con-
sumption of is,
'Pelily:ps, equal to the whole
Sc
and the quantity of coffee is,
undoubtedly, mud' greater. Would not the exclu-
sive
privilege of sueplying the Sicilians with colonial
produce be regariled as a boon by our planters ?
'
Mght not this privilege be obtained, under the pre-
sent circumstances of our cennectien with Sicily ? If
we Samson the fortresses, and continue the subsidy
of the Court, by. which the people are exempted from
a large Portion of the exp guns war, surely we

►could and ought to stipulate for some favour in re•
turn ; and the privilege of selling colonial produce
Ito the Sicilians might be a part of that favour. But,
in the existing state of our colonial system, the Court
of Palermo might object to concede this privilege,
I because it would, in fact, be obliging its subjects to
pay 25 per cent. more to the Biitish, fur the same
, kind of goods, which they •btain, at present, from
the Americans.

Were we to obtain from Sicily the exclusive privi-
lege of bringing colonial produce to her ports, and
yet continue those existing restrictions, which oblige
the planters to send their articles first to the United
Kingdom, we should, in fact, levy a tax of 25 per
cant. on the sugar and coffee consumed by the Sici-
\lians. We do not say this ought not to be done ;
but, were the point agitated in negotiation, Sicily has
Icertainly a very solid ground of objection. Were we

to grant our planters the fieedom of direct intercourse
with Malta, our own territory, and, it is to be hoped,
an adopted and unalienable integral part of our Em-
pire, the objection of the Sicilian government would
be obviated ; because, by the vicinity of that island
to Sicily, we could then afford to furnish the Sici-
lians with colonial produce, on terms, at least equal
to those of the Americans, even if we did not take
any steps to exclude the Americans from the Medi-
terranean.

By extending to thp colonies the right of direct in-
tercourse with Malta, we should secure a monopoly
of the supply of Turkey with coffee and sugar—of
the former, the Turks, in proportion to their num-
ber, consume more than any other people, and are
daily becoming greater consumers of the latter. A
late traveller (Mr. GALT, from whose work we have
drawn many of the preceding remarks) states, that
the coffee with which he was served in Turkey, had
either been brought from Malta or Smyrna. • The
colonial produce sold at Smyrna, had either come
from Malta, to which it had been brought by Ame-
ricans, or been imported by the Americans them-
selves. It is mly in the houses of the great, that the
Mocha coffee is to be met with ; and at present, not
often there, owing to the Wechabi, the reformers of
the Mahomedan faith, having interrupted the regular
supplies.