Star.
London, England, 1831-03-16 00:00:00

TIMBER DUTIES.

3lr. Alderman THOMPSON presentesl a petidou from the ship-
..vners, merchants, and others, of the City of London, against the pro•
posed alteration in the timber duties. Tim honourable alderman said,
the petition was agreed to unanimously, at one of the largest and most
respectable meetings he bed ever attended since his connection with the
City, now a puiod of twenty-live years. It was also totally divested
all party or political feeling, wide) many members of that house
etaild hear testimony to. After dwelling at considerable length on the
importance of the trade between this country end China, the worthy al-
derman said that in consequence of an arrangement entered into during
the time of Mt. Perccval, and afterwards sanctioned by a committee of
the house in .ate year 180, it was expressly understood that no altera-
tion in the Baltic and Canadian timber duties was to take place ; con-
sequently a great capital had been embarked, not less, certainly, than
me million and a half. (Hear.) The shipping employed amounted to
109,000 tons, and 22,300 seamen were engaged. These facts were suf.
:hien to show the great Mil:mance of the trade, and that no measure
tight to be adopted without the most mature deliberation. A great
encouragement had also been held out to emigration. and within the
Its( tew years not less than 250,000 had left the country. In the last
year alone 30,000 had left the United Kingdom for Canada. He
would therefore ask if the timber trade was to be ruined, how were
these individuals to be supportedt—(Hear.) On many other grounds
die question was one of great importance. Canada had always acted
as a barrier to the United *nes, and the country ought to be careful
how it acted towards that likantant colony. By the proposed altera-
tion a great capital, and a vast number of seamen, must be thrown out
el employment, and the ships could not be engaged hi other business,
they were not tit for it. The Hon. Member then went into s state-
ment of the difference in the price and quality of Baltic and Canadian
timber, and after reading some extracts from the petition, concluded
by stating that he saw no grounds for the proposed change, and re-
peated that the house ought not to make great alteration with any
part of the commerce of the country without the greatest and most
mature deliberation.

Lord Al; CHOMP said, that if he did lot then enter into a dis-
cu►sion on the subject, it was not from a want of proper feeling to-
wards the Colonies.—(Hear.) On Friday next he should bring the
subject forward, and should then be prepared to state bli grounds for
so dojos. He therefore thought it was expedient for the House not
then to provoke an srgunicur. At all events he should not think him-
telf justified in going into a detail on the presentation of a petition,
but should reserve himself until Friday, when the subject would be
regularly before the House.

Mr. SA DLER fully concurred in the prayer of the petition, and was
f oFinion that the subject was one of the greatest importance to the
L rapire at large. He exceedingly regretted that his Majesty's ministers
JW not, previous to making great, and (in his opinion) ruinous changes.
eoadeseend to ask the advice of those best informed on the subject.
Sir M. W. H 11) LEY would not enter into an argument on the pe.
tition, but he wished to state, that he had been entrusted with a similar
one. He conscientiously believed with the petitioners, that the pro-
f tl alterations, if carried into effect, would totally annihilate the trade
sith Canada. He had several other petitions to present from great
towns, stating that the measure would bring the greatest distress upon
the shipping interest.
Mr. ATT WOOD said he was most decidedly opposed to the altera-
tion of the duties, and complained of the delay in bringing the plan
forward. It was, he said, a gross breach of faith on the part of the
government towards those merchants who had embarked their capital
in the Canadian trade, and in his opinion calculated to carry revolt into
the colonies. The policy of protecting the colonies was the great
question to be considered.
.Ir. SYKES thought regard ought to be paid to those who had
embarked their property in the trade.
Mr. Alderman 11'AITHlIAh thought the proposition of the noble
:ord bad not been called for, and most unjust.
The lion. Charles Douglas, Mr. Schonswar, Mr. Hart Davis, and
Mr. Shaw, supported the petition, and hoped the proposed plan would
be well considered by Ministers.
Mr. Ewart, Mr. Warburton, Mr. Robinson, Mr. W. Whitmore,
Lord George Lennox, Mt. Goulburn, and Lord Loughborough, spoke
on the importance of the subject, but deprecated a discussion until the
subject came regularly before the House.
Lord NV. POW LETT supported the petition,
Sir F. BURDETT admitted that the petitioners would be sub-
jected to inconvenience, and that it was the duty of Government,
as they formed an important body, to let them down as easy as pos-
sible. But die present system was one of those monopolies which,
like the Methuen treaty, were formerly looked upon as wise, but,
bad been shown by able men of a later period, to be productive to
the country of the greatest disadvantage. If the trade were lost by the
new measure, it would only prove that the trade was an unnatural one.
The question was this, which is the most beneficial, to take an inferior
kind of timber at a dear rate to encourage the trade of the colonies, or
good timber at a cheap rate from a foreign country ? (Hear.)
Mr. K. DOUGLAS said the observations of the Honourable
Baronet and his friends tended to the destruction of all our Colonial
connexions.

Mr. S. WORTLEY agreed in the principle of the Government
measure • the question was as to its extent. The injury resulting to
the branches interested was much exaggerated; still, considering that
Canada was to be affected by another measure lately under discuuion,
lie considered the equalization inopportune at the present moment.
tlr. HL'NT said the Chancellor of the Exchequer had been
obliged to resort to the timber-equalization duty, as a source of sup-
ply to the revenue In the place of the coal duties repealed. He (Mr.
hunt) was glad the burden was transferred from the poor to those
inure able to bear it.
The petition was then brought up, read, and ordered to be printed.
Alderman THOMPSON presented three similar petitions ; two
from shipowners and others of Glasgow; and one from shipowners and
others of Liverpool.—Ordered to be printed.
Mr. GREEN moved for leave to bring in a bill to authotise
changes of the lands, and other possessions of certain ecclesiastical cor-
porations.—Leave given.

The Roman Catholic Charities (Ireland) bill was read a third timell
Lord HOWICK presented two petitions fur reform from Stockport
and Alnwick.

The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the house
adjourned at a quarter past twelve o'clock.

PRICK OF S•I ty Ks
S per Ct. C-Ins. 766 I 6 i
Cons. for Ace. 766 6 6 6 6
3 per Cent. Red. shut
36 pet Ct. 18IP, shut
36 per Ct. Red. shut
36 per Cent. New, 853 6

T -TWO O'CLOCK.
per Ct. 1826,
Long Ann. Jan. 1860,
Old Annuities Nzw.
£lOOO Rich. Bills 17 18 If;
8590 Ditto 17 18 16
£lOO and £2OO Do. 19 17

FOREIGN STOCKS.
:Austrian, 84. Brazilian, 57 ; for the Account, 57. Chilian, 203.
Danish, for Acct, 58. Mexican, for Acct, 271 ; Ditto, 1825, fur
Acct, 35J. Neapolitan, 62. Russian, 893; for Acct, 893 3 ; ditto
—. Spanish, 16+; for Acct, 16; ditto 510, 161. Spanish,
1823, French 5 per et, 84f 25c. Three per et, 54f 25c. Ex.
change, 25f 10c.