Star.
London, England, 1816-04-26 00:00:00

FRIDAY, APRIL 26, 18.16.

proof of this assertion, the Right Honourable Gen-
tleman read a letter from Mr. Ferguson, the Chair-,
man of the Board of Linen Trade, in which, among
other observations, it was stated, that an order for a
large quantity of. linen in imitation of foreign linen
had been suspended, until the fate of the Honourable
Gentleman's motion should be known. Under all
these circumstances, considering the alarm which ex-
isted on the subject, considering that the linen manu-
facture was the staple manufacture of Deland, for
which Ireland had sacrificed the woollen manufacture,
and which Great Britain was bound to protect, he
trusted the House would refuse to accede to the mo-
tion of the Honourable Gentledian.
Mr. MARRYAT contended, that the !tight Ho.
nottrable Gentleman who had just sat- down, had
taken an erroneoueview of the question. It had been
one of the great objeers of Mr. Pitt's policy to make
this country the emporium of commerce. With this
view be had advised the formation of those wet docks
and warehouses, which were so well calculated' for
the furtherance of that object. There were two great
articles on which our foreign commerce depended—
foreign linens and French wines. He trusted not
only, that the Honourable Member for Glasgow
would succeed in his present motion, but that a gene-
ral investigation would take place, id order to revive
those regulations which having been made for a time
of war, were not applicable to a time of peace.—
During war, we enjoyed the monopoly of commerce,
and might do as we chose. But times were changed.
Peace gave to the other Powers of Europe the means
of competition, and unless we could enter into the
contest on equal terms, our commerce would-soon be
lost, and go into other channels. In fact the conti-
nuation of war duties in a time of peace, had already
almost cost us the two great articles of our foreign
commerce—foreign linens and French wines. As an
Underwriter, he had taken pains to observe the num-
ber and nature of the ships employed in the transit of
foreign commerce. For the first three months after
peace, the number of British ships in comparison with
the number of foreign ships so employed, was as four
to one ; in the next three months as two to one.—
In the succeeding three months the number of British
and foreign ships so employed, were nearly at par.
In the last three months be was sorry to say, that the
number of foreign ships compared with British, was
as t*o to one. That very morning, on a reference
to the list at Lloyd's, received from their! agent at
Havannab, he found that at that port, (to which
during the war we had a monopoly of the trade),
186 vessels had arrived in the mouths of January and
February, and that of those 186 vessels, not one
came from a British port! This was an answer to
what the Right Honourable Gentleman had said of
the alarm excited among the Irish linen manufac-
turers, by the present proposition. If no ship ar-
rived at the Havatinah Irons a British port, no Irish
4lstausvuutd arrive there. He had formerly freignred
vessels to Havannah ; and be had never senr foreign
linens thither, without their having been accompanied
by Irish linens. A correspondent of Iris had come
to this country last year, from the Havannah, with
,eO,OOO for the purchase of goods—a fourth of
which was to be laid out in foreign linens, and French
wines. Finding, however, that such heavy duties
were impoitd on the latter articles in Great Britain,
and that he could consequently obtain them at a
much cheaper rate in any port of the continent, he
went to the continent for that purpose, and there
finding,, that (owing to the wise system adopted by
our late enemies, and present rivals, of establishing
free ports for the reception, and re-exportation of fo-
reign manufactures without duty), he could ship
other articles as well as foreign linens, and French
wines, on more advantageous terms than in Great
Britain, instead of reserving £16,000 for the pur-
chase of goods in Great Britain, (most of which
would have been Irish linens), he laid out his whole
,e 20,000, in a foreign country. Yet this was the
Gstem of commercial policy, which the Right Hon.
entleman recommended the House to maintain.
All that Parliament were called upon to do was to
inquire. They were not desired to pass any law,
but they were desired not wilfully to shut their eyes
against all information on the subject. He was
afraid his Majesty's Government were not sufficiently
aware of the importance of the commerce which the
present system tended to destroy. If the existing
duty were taken off, although no immediate advan-
tage would be derived by the Exchequer, yet an in-
direct advantage of the greatest importance would
ensue from the animation which would be imparted
to our commerce, and which would circulate like the
life blood 'through all the veins of this great Empire.
Considering the magnitude of the, subject, and the
duty imposed on Parliament of giving tt their most
(serious attention, he trusted that the motion, of the
Honourable Gentleman, for the appointment of a
Committee, would be acceded to.
Lord CASTLEREAGH, while he admitted that
on•the general principle there was great temptation
to the adoption of the Honourable Gentleman's pro-
position, yet contended that it ought to be considered
with reference so particular circumstances. He was
persuaded that, %oder those circumstances, the re-
sult of the proposed inquiry would be to reject the
measure recommended by tie Honourable Gentle-
man, and pending that inquify much agitation and
unpleasant feeling would be created in a part of the
Empire, which it was most. desirable to soothe and
conciliate. As to the statements made by the Ho-
nourable Gentleman, who had just spoken, of the de-
cline of our foreign commerce, be conceived them to
be only the ordinary indications of a change from a
state of war to one of peace. For his own part, be
was glad to find that some foreign ships were found
where during war no foreign ship bad been able to
go, as it strewed that the commerce of Continental
Lurope was not altogether chilled and annihilated ;
and as he was convinced that this country would de-
rive more benefit from the extent to which her com-
mercial transactions would be carried in peace, than
itom the commercial monopoly which she bad pc,-