Star.
London, England, 1820-05-17 00:00:00

FREE TRADE.

Mr. FINLAY trusted, that in presenting a Petition
from the Chamber of Commerce of the City of Glas-
gow, praying for a free trade, the House would allow
him to make a few observations on the subject. The
Petitioners conceived that the present state cf trade
was greatly affected by the existing restrictions, and
that their existence ought not to be made dependent
on any relaxation of those subsisting in other States.
The restrictions of which they complained had neither
been established by the present Administration, nor
by their immediate predecessors; but he must ob-
serve, at the same time, that when opportunities had
offered themselves to throw the trade open, they had
not been embraced. In the recent arrangements
which had taken place between Government and the
East India Company, our trade in the East had been
placed on a footing full of restrictions, whilst the
American merchant; being under no such restrictions
beyond the Cape of Good Hope, possessed very con-
siderable advantages over the British trader. It
would, in fact, have been impossible for the United
States themselves to have established regulations
better calculated to increase their trade, and to re-
press ours, than those which now existed in this
country. This he would ijeustrate in a few words.—
Suppose that an American and an English merchant,
both resident in London, should receive at the same
time intelligence of some change in India likely to
create a .great demand for some particular article.
In such cases, secrecy and dispatch were the two
chief ingredients of success. The American would
instantly embark the goods which be thought most
likely to lind a market, in a vessel of 150 or 200
tons, which would be sufficient for the undertaking,
and in less than a month the whole operation would
be effected. What would be the case with the Eng-
lish merchant? He would first have to consult
Counsel, to know what he had a right to do. He
must then apply to the East India Company for a
license for the ship, and, as they never gave any for
supercargoes, he must address himself to the Board
of Controul. He must then wait a whole month,
and being at last informed that he can have a license,
might begin to load his ship by the time that the
American set sail. In two months he might be in a.
situation to undertake the voyage, but even then he
could not do it with a vessel proportioned to the
enterprize: he must employ one of 350 tons, and
would be thus at double the expense incurred by the
American, besides his difficulies and loss of time.—
He would put it to the House, whether this was not
a great hardship ?—whether it WAS not a draw-
back upon our commerce which called for redress?
He did not mean to propose, that the privileges of
the India Company should be infringed upon. On i
former occasion, he had opposed the granting ofcer-
tain privileges to that Company, but these privileges
having been granted, he should be the last man to
propose a violation of them. It was not enough to
say, that the Company did hot avail themselves of
these privileges, and, therefore, they should he de-
prived of them. What he wanted, was to draw the
attention of Parliament to'the subject; it the con•
sent of the Company be obtained, if it could be ob-
tained, to the removal of those restrictions, but in
the meantime, there were many points on which the I
trade of the country could be opened with infinite
advantage to its commercial ptosperity. There was, I

for instance, the circuitous trade, and the t ade to

places not under the controul of the India Company,
or not traded to by them. It certainly wa; matter.
of choice with the India Company, whether or not
they would tolerate British merchants to participate
in those advantages enjoyed by the Americans, lint
it was tot too much to expect that they would give
the former the preference. 11 the ble Lord
..(Casa
tlereagh) were in his place, he would remind him of
what he 'promised rahen the Circuitous-Trade Bill
was before the House. The Noble Lord, on that
occasion, pledsed himself to an inquiry into it on the
return of peace. Ile should not trouble the House
much farther on the sehject, as he hoped that it
would, at no distant a eriod, he brought more pare.:
cularly under discussion, to the benefit of the many.;
factures and commerce of the contitry. There were
yet, however; a few points to which he wished to re-;
• fer. It was urged, that a free trade was very good.
in theory, hut that it could never be beeeficially res:
duced to practice. Ile felt convinced, that it could
be reduced to practice, at least to a greater extent.
and much more beneficially, than was contemplated
by those Gentlemen who opposed it. So convinced
was he of this, that he felt surprised it was not taken
up and enforced by his Majesty's Ministers, and car-
ried as far as it sea; found beneficially practicable._
An Honourable Member had on a former evening
pointed- out many cases where restrictions could
be removed ssithont trenching on the privileges
of the India Company, but by which the com-
merce of the country would be greatly improved.
It would be of the greatest advantage if shipping
were allowed to import freely all the produce
they thought proper from other countries....
This would not only benefit our trade, but would
also benefit the shipholder. The bonding system was
also alluded to on a former occasion. He would be
glad to know what disadvantage could arise from a
regulation of that system ? The true principle upon
which it was originally founded, was that of ena-
bling us to import for the purpose of exporting the
produce of this country to the country where it was
consumed. It was clearly our interest, that what
was imported into this country should be importel
at as small a charge as possible. He wished also to
throw out a suggestion as to the propriety of aban-
doning duties on the raw niatei ial. There were cer-
tainly certain articles upon which such a duty ope-
rated most injuriously. There were one or two other
points to which he wished to allude. It was of the
utmost importance that our Revenue Laws should be
placed on a steady and per manent footine. Extents
in Aid also was a subject which demanded inquiry.
It surely never was the intention cf the Legislature
that a private. individual should seize on another's
property, to the prejudice of other creditors, under
pretence of a debt to the Crowe ? This was a point
which demanded the attention of Government.—
There was another point which he conceived to be a
greater impediment to the wealth and commerce of
the country than any other, he meant the Usury
Laws. Those laws were a great restraint on the pro.
per employment of capital. He was aware tipt
many Gentlemen differed widely from him on this
subject. But he hoped that an inquiry N-ould take
place, and he was sure the house would see the ne-
cessity of altering the existing regulations. The
Bankrupt Laws also called for a revision ; it was im-
possible that commerce could flourish under the ex-
isting Bankruptcy Regulations. One word more on
the subject of a free trade. If it was deemed dan-
gerous at once to remove all restrictions, at least
they might be removed on a few articles. He was
sure, that if this were done, the competition which
it would cause would be of great advantage to the
country. There were some of our manufactures at
which he would speak with hesitation ; but with
respect to the cotton manufacture he felt no hesi-
tation in saying, that a removal of all restric-
tions would be attended with infinite advantage.—
He wished to see the cottons of all other countries
imported here ; from what he had seen abroad, he was
sure it would be attended with benefit. We had
something to learn, and as to any Continental mar-
kets outselling us to any extent, it was out of the
question. He thought A removal of restrictions, as
to cutlery and hardware, would also be of service to
both these trades; besides, it would set to other naa
tions an example of what was the only true system
of commercial intercourse between nations. The
Honourable Member, adverting to what was sari
by Mr. Baring on a former evening, observed, that
he differed with that Hoia curable Member on two
points; first, he did riot think that the other nations
of Europe, or even that America, could more easily
recover from its embarrassments than we could. It
was certainly true with respect to France, but not
with respect to Germany or America, though the
debt and taxation of the latter country were trifling
compared to curs. Neither did he look so despond-
ingly to our situation as that honourable Member
did. He was happy to see our commerce and ma-
nufactures reviving, and he hoped in a few months
to see them flourish. The Honourable Member (Mr.
Baring) had truly said, that peace and good order
were essential to prosperity. The People were by
degrees coming back from that delusion and infatiai-
tion into which their own folly had plunged theta,
and which, had they persevered in it, must have
worked their own destruction. He expected in a
short time to see the wages of the labourer such as to
afford him those comforts of which be had for a long
time been deprived. He would not trouble the Hons.:
further. He would leave in their hands the Petition;
it was one which demanded their serious considera-
tion, equally from the character of the Petitioners and
theimportance of the subject of v. hich it treated. Lt-
the great man (Adam SniThr), whose sentiments the
Petition contained, had but lived to see his doctrines
thus expounded, it must have afforded him incon-
ceivable pleasure.
The Petition was brought up and read. On the
question that it do lie on the table,
Mr. BARING said, that a Petition coming from
so great and respectable a body'as the Manufacture:s
of Glasgow, deserved the most favourable attentioit
from that House. Every efficient means ought tore
taken to promote their reasonable objects—every con-
sideration was duo to their reasonable claims. iVhen
he had, a few days ago, presented a similar Petition
to the House, from the merchants and Traders et
London,. he moved that it should lie on the table, in
order to see, in the meantime, what the other great
cornier chi towns would be disposed to do. Ile did
so, because he felt convinced that w'ae•ever might ka