Star.
London, England, 1813-06-30 00:00:00

AMERICAN TRADE.

Mr. Alderman ATKINS, in rising to bring for-
ward his motion on this subject, said, be had flattered
himself, that, previous to this time, his Majesty's Mi-
nisters would have done something on this measure.
He supposed, however, they had delayed doing so to
afford an opportunity to the House to declare its sense
on the subject. The object of his motion now would
be to prevent the importation of American cotton
during the continuance of the war. To induce the
House to adopt such a measure, he was persuaded it
would only be necessary for him to advert to the Pe-
tition, which had been presented to the House on the
subject. He had himself, on a former night, pre-
sented a Petition, signed by upwards of 250 most re-
spectable merchants, importers of cotton, stating,
that notwithstanding the war, large quantities of
American cotton were imported into this country, di.
rect from the United States, and notwithstanding our
having at present a sufficient supply on our hands,
received from the Brazils and from our own colonies.
It would, perhaps, be. said, that the blockade of the
American ports would prevent the future import of
American cotton. He was, however, prepared to
prove, that large quantities had found its way into
this country, notwithstanding that blockade ; and he
now called on the House to adopt such a measure as
should in future prevent the enemy deriving resources
from thus disposing of their staple commodity, and
to encourage our own colonies and allies, by taking
the cotton which we wanted for our consumption
from them ; it would be, he contended, particularly
desirable to encourage the growth of cotton in India,
which, lie was convinced, if properly fostered, would
furnish a supply fully adequate to our wants. The
House would, perhaps, be surprised when he stated
to them, that there were at present in the Company's
warehouses upwards of 26,0(.0,0001b5. of cotton un-
sold, and that upwards of 20,000,0001b5. had been
sold besides to manufactueers. He then adverted to
several other Petitions, and particularly to one from
the Cotton-spinners of Paisley, in which the Petitio-
ners
prayed the House to prevent the importation of
American cotton during the war, on the grounds of
the impolicy of receiving from them the raw mate-
rial, whilst they refused admission to our manufac-
tured goods. Since, if they refused to take manufac-
tured goods, they must be paid in specie, and we were
thus supplying them with the sinews of war; whilst,
on the contrary, the Brazils took our manufactured
goods in return for the raw material taken from
them. All these reasons, the Honourable Alderman
observed would, he hoped, induce the House to
adopt the measure which he would conclude with
recommending. It might be said, by excluding
•he American cotton, we should risk having a suf-
ficient supply for our necessities—in his opinion, there '
was no room for such apprehensions. The con-
, sumption in our manufactures wasabout 75,000,0001b5.
annually, or about 1,500,0001b5. per week. Now we
had at present on hand upwards of 86,000,0001b5. we
could, in six months, receive a supply of 40,000,0001b5.
from the Brazils, and in the same period, our own co-
lonies would produce us2o,ooo,ooolbs. to which might
be added casual supplies ; and we might thus look
forward to a supply, as at present on nand, for two
years. The Hon. Alderman then proceeded to argue
that the cotton of the Brazils, and of our own Colo-
nies was nearly, if not quite, equal in quality, to the
American cotton, and read several letters from Lan.
cashire manufacturers and others in support of that
opinion. The Hon. Alderman concluded by moving,
" 'that tho House should go into a Committee on so much of
the Act of the 434 of the King as related to the Importation of
Cotton Wan."

Mr. FINLAY was decidedly against the object

for which the Hon. Alderman was contending. He
thought it would be a most unwise, impolitic, and
ruinous measure, to exclude a large supply of raw ma-
terials coming to this countri, unless we could also
exclude it from the Continental markets also ; other-
wise, to exclude the raw material to a large extant
from this market, would have the effect of producing)
a scarcity here, and raising the price to an unnatural
height, whilst its influx into the Continental markets
'wotal render the price unnaturally low, and 'hug en-
able them to undersell us in the market in their manu-
factured goods. He concluded with expressing his
wish that the House would not precipitately adopt a
Resolution, which might produce the most serious in-
jury to our manufactures.
Mr. ELLIS thought the Colonies had a right to
complain of the partial relaxation of that system of
vigour which necessarily prevailed between this coun-
try and America ; and that sufficient encouragement
had not been given to our Colonies. The question of
difference now at issue seemed to resolve itself merely
into a question of price; and he was convinced that
no consideration ot this kind ought to induce us to
alter the principles of sound policy which it was our
duty to act upon. We were already blockading the
ports of America • but, without auxiliary measures,
that blockade would not be sufficient to complete the,
system of a rigorous hostility against that country,
without which we could not expect to bring the war
to a favourable conclusion. He should therefore sup-
port the motion of the Hon. Alderman.
Mr. MARRYATT did not conceive that there
ever could be a scarcity of cotton, which was a plant
of indigenous growth in every country within the
tropics, and which could be produced in one year
from the seeds. It was proper therefore to encourage
the growth of cotton in our own colonies, by prevent
ing the importation of cotton from the country of our
enemies. If we bought cotton from our colonies .:nd
allies, we imported it in our own ships. and paid for
it with our own manufactures ; but by importing
cotton from America, we paid for the same in specie,
and we gave encouragement to foreign navigation.
We had too long borne with the improper conduct
of America;—it was at length time to bring that
country to her senses by a system of rigour which
we had hitherto neglected; It was the object of
America, in subserviency to Fiance, to destroy our
commercial prosperity ;—and we should, therefore,
shew that so important a branch of manufacture as
this 'should not depend on America..—He, therefore,
most cordially supported the motion.
Mr. FINLAY, in explanation, said, he never
meant to recommend any thing that should place us
in a state of dependence on America.
Mr. PHILLIPS said, if we refused to import
American cottons, we should give the manufacturers
on the Continent an advantage over us, in point of
cheapness of the raw material, which would be highly
injurious to our manufactures. He was convinced,
that the East Indies could produce cottons equal to
`those of America ; but various impediments had been
thrown in the way of such products in India, and a
sufficient supply could not be produced from thence.
There might be a stock of cotton in die country for
a year's consumption; but there was not a stock suf-
ficient for all the future wants of the manufacturers :
it would, therefore, be doing great injustice to the ma-
nufacturers, to agree with the motion of the Hon.
Alderman ; because they never could carry on their
business, unless either the prices of the raw material
were lowered or the wages of their labourers reduced.
VANSIrrART declared, that the arguments
advanced on both sides were unsatisfactory to him.
The low prices of cotton were not owing so much to
the quantity imported, as to the inability of the manu-
facturers to purchase them. It was contradictory to
facts, to say that the Continental manufacturers would
have aseadvantage over us; because the fact was, that
our manufactures were constantly boug7.t up in every
part of the Continent to which the y could be sent.-
-From every consideration hr gave this subject, he
thought it wi uhl not be adt isable to interfere in the
present existing system ; and such a measure as this
could have no other effect than th.:t of raising the
price of American Cotton, but would nest prevent the
importation ; for it would then be imported in British
ships from some depot where it would be lett; but
this circuitous importation woulo, raise the price,
without producing an adequate benefit. Another
objection he bad to this measure was, that the dura-
tion of it would not depend on any Act of our own
Parliament, but on the American Legislature ; be-
sides the price of the article might be raised here so
as to give an advantage to the Continental manufac-
ture. At this late period ot the Session, he thought
it would not be wise to come to a decision on so im-
portant a question, which might stand over for ano-
ther year; and, thei eli,re, he must oppose the motion,
and move the Order of the Day.
Mr. PHILLIPS explained.
Mr. CANNING thought the time was arrived
when there ought to be some decision on this question,
so as to put an end to the agitation of the country
upon it. As a general position, it was clearly ad-
vantageous for a manufacturer to go and get mate-
rials as cheap as he could ; but every question of this
kind must be decided on the simple principles of the
case itself. Gentlemen who opposed this motion were
favourable to the blockade of America. And why
were they so ? because they well knew it was ineffec-
tual to prevent the exportation of produce from Ame-
rica. It did not appear to him that the motion of the
Hon. Alderman was open to the objections of his
Right Hon. Friend. The effect of the Act of the 43d
of the King was only to prevent importation in foreign
ships, but the object of this motion was to prevent
importation altogether, which the blockade could not
do. If cotton was to find its way to the Continent,
then let the blockade be more rigorously enforced ;
and at the same time let this measure come in aid of
the blockade, which was ineffectual in its object of
distressing the commerce of America. He should,
therefore, give his vote for the Honourable Alder-
man's motion,
Mr. ROBINSON opposed the motion.
Mr. STEPHEN observed, that the blockade must
have the effect of prohibiting the importation of any
cargo that ;night escape from an American port.
This was the law of the case. He fully agreed with
the Honourable Gentleman (the Member for Sand-
wich), that the cultivation of cotton was of great im-
portance to our West Indian colonies. It was also
of the greatest importance in the eye of humanity,
because the labour and mortality of slaves was not
Dew 89 gent 111 ibp cuttivation Qf mon as in dial'

of stlfrar plantations. 6e a quest% or polity, also,
with regard to America, the cultivation of colonial
cotton was of great importance, because the cotton of
America was cultivated in those Southern States,
whose inhabitants were most partial to France and
hostile towards us. This was, the time, it ever, that
America should be made to feel the effects of her
hostility ; and that could not be done without making
a severe pressure on American commerce ; and if we
ever expected to bring that country to a proper sense
of her injustice, it must be done by distressing her in
every possible way. For these reasons he was clearly
of opinion that it was of the highest importance to
prevent the importation of American cotton.
Lord CASTLEREAGH said, this was a subject
in which very important interests were involved, and
he must resist the motion of the Hon. Alderman, no
the ground of the lateness of the Session, when ther•
could not be sufficient time to attend to all the;e in-
terests ; when many individuals, who were deeply in.
terested in the question, had gone into the country.
The cotton manufacturers were the greatest body of
manufacturers in the country, and'it.v.ould be unfair
to them to take any step of this kind in their absence.
He was not hostile to the principle of the motion ;
but, for the reasons he now stated, he must o pm it.
11r. BARHAM supported the original motion, be.
cause it was our duty to protect our own resources,
in preference to those of an inveterate enemy.
Sir \V. CURTIS contended, that our owe colonies
could supply all the cotton which we want, and
therefore he was astonished at hearing any proposi-
tion made to give our inveterate enemy an advantage
over our own plotters. He would therefore vote ter
the motien of his Hon. Colleague.
Mr. BENSON shortly supported the motion.
Mr. Alderman ATKINS replied. If this Ac:.
should stand on the Journals, they would son tet.
this coun:ry inundated with American co• t ()tong! t
by rteutr a bottoms, to the great injtay of 11;lutli
shipping.
The -Howe then divided-,For the original mourn,
65-.-Agains, it, 6l—Majority for going into the Com-
mittce, 4.—The Committee wal sit on Thursday neat.