Star.
London, England, 1831-09-19 00:00:00

The first act was passed on the '2Bth of July,
1828 ; and so stringent were the regulations framed
for the protection of the principle conceded to the
West Indians, that it remained nearly inoperative
for two years. The whole quantity •of foreign
sugar used in the course of the remaining five
months of that year, was 1,743 cwt; and
that by three Loudon houses. In the whole of
1829 the quantity used was 9,875 cwt. and that
by nine London houses. In the first half year of
1830 the quantity was 3,421 cwt. by six London
houses. In the second half year of 1830 the
quantity was 38,698 cwt. by 13 London houses,
and ahouse at Liverpool. In the first half year of
1831 the quantity was 92,235 cwt. or about 6,500
hogsheads. But from this ought to I e deducted
about 30,000 cwt. entered only a few days before
the expiring of the act, as a measure of precaution
common with all parties, when there is before
them a probability that a privilege is about to
cease, or be placed in jeopardy. The largest of
these quantities ie still so small, as to be unworthy
of serious notice ; but great stress was laid upon
the mere fact of increase, without reflecting that
the earlier quantities may be considered as nothing,
and the later quantities as very little.
Upon the revival of the jubject in a controversial
shape by the West Indians on a recent occasion,
they proceeded, at firet,consistently with the under-
standing upon which the measure was introduced.
Early in July last they laid before the Chancellor
of the Exchequer and the Board of Trade, state-
ments purporting to show, that full exportation
was not enforced ; and this point of the question
underwent immediate and full investigation. The
result was, that all their facts were disproved, and
all tbeir reasonings and inferences refuted. It may
be unnecessary to go into this part of the question,
and the more so, because no stress was laid upon
it in the debate last week ; but the fresh ground
upon which the West Indians found their objec-
tion to the measure is, that it interferes with their
export trade, to a monopoly of which, equally with
that of the home consumption, they now lay claim. I
They also say, that allowing foreign sugar to be
refined here, in its way to the continental con-
sumer, instead of being refined on the continent,
will operate as an encouragement to the slave trade.
Mr. Buxton supported the measure, upon the
ground that it had a tendency to destroy the profits,
and of course to discourage that abominable traffic,
by which some countries, and France among the
number, are, in breach of their own laws, still dis-
gracing themselves.
The argument r f the West Indian• is this.—
They say, that unless the English refiners, by su-
perior facilities and skill, can underwork the con-
tinental refiners, so as to be able to give a better
price to the planters of Cuba and Brazil, they
cannot obtain a pre-emption of the sugars of Those
countries; and that it fellows, that a better price
for the sugar will lead to an extension of the cul-
tivation, and a consequent demand for fresh slaves.
Mr. Buxton, taking the same ground, builds upon
them the very opposite consequences. His posi-1
tion is, if the British refiner can underwerk the
con. inental refiner, he can, with far m•rte certaia-
ty, underwoi k the Brazil and Cuba refiners; and
by the be ter comparative price which he can
therefore give for sugar in the raw, ra her than in
the part's* refined, state, he will render it more
advantageous to the planters in those places to
ship Muscavado sugar than clayed sugar. Mr.
Buxton stated, that upon a plant •tion where the
sugar is clayed, one-third of the negrees are em-
ployed in that process. lf, therefore, cl tying
ceases to be profitable, there will be a redunclance
of glut of negroes, than which nothing can be a
greater discouragement to the importation of a
fur tber number.

There exists no reason why we would place ar-
bitrary limits to the manufacturing industry of our
sugar refiners, any more than we should restrict a
manufacture of which cotton or flax is the mate-
rial ; and there is something impolitic in the con-
duct of the West Indians towards an ther British
interest, which, t}.ough of smaller extent Ilan their
own, is still a great interest of the country. The
sugar refiners have been a suffering body for ninny
years, solely because they have been cramped in
their business for want of a raw material. The mea-
sure proposed for supplying them with raw material.
even if its bia•were against the planterscan be soonlv
in a very trifling degree ; but the bias is favourabl.,
to the price•of raw sugar as compared with refined
s gar, and it is the efore favourable to the British
Wtst Indies, independent of Mr. Buxton's argu-
ment ; for at present the British refiners work to
a disadvantage in point of specific charge in the
cost of refinement, because they cannot dernd
upon supplies to keep them at full work ihroa4h
the whole your ; and the excess of cost must ulti-
mately fall upon the producers of these materitls
to which they:are thus confined.
Thu West Indians say, _that the.Fsegiiali r flaw.
is already in the best market of Europe for ra
sugar; bt:t is that a reason why it should not be