The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-08-24 00:00:00

special occasion when the kn-c

conveyed through those

to that• immense region-, if they had the
:ributing the word of God. This may be the

au may
upo
ledgeuanndniay be cons
vation. Ivor' of Go(

hich millions and hundreds of
1 from heathenism to the know-
jell will make them wise unto sal-
Low founding in different parts of
. In New Zealand, and other
•e laying the foundation of new

worlC

.In, we ar

racier and moral tendency

into great king-
wnicb may spring
--4 z, may be,—'and no doubt will be,
in which we
basis of moral and religious instruction institution,
there be
udPetermined by the
now establish thern. If, at the first
Ito pains taken to instil into their minds the
principlesnd valuable
tr.ue religion, in place of becoming great a
all around
of
luugdoms, the inhabitants may become pests to .
the
if, in laying
the 'l' corrupting all within their reach; but
sow the
tutolidation of their future empire, we shall laim for
'! ot real religion hereafter this land may c
ted
itself the proud and high distinction of having proPagathe
kno?ep,e and word of God, and of having laid
s.
'' not only of g eat, but moral kingc.l°7log
u'rounds there is sufficient for belies'

society:

that -1-'eu upon the.art of the
s 1- -ul,e societs ful justified in
upon' (Air liberalityi I cannot

along wit}

';e3 Wee I-

'e upon ti

last year

amount of revert

carried to that extent by prices

ating to the it
Iy to be contir

lot like

yet i

no doubt so im-
_
)ortant an element in the income of the country, that
order present circumstances it cannot be lightly dealt

Upon this point the house itself only can determine
.t the same time, although your committee will not pre

any p;
;ting

ulate nicely the probable results
ar frdm

reduction, they

_ reasons which indue them to think that
though the loss might possibly for a time be considerable

ie first place, tea is an article the taste for which is
widely spread and growing among all classes, although
the consumption has evidently been checked, in compari-
tides of coffee and cocoa, by the
Le shape of reduction in duty, and
consequently in price to the consumer, of which they have
been the object. Indeed, while they have been reduced
respectively, since 1821, from ls. to 4d. per lb., and from
ls. to 2d. per lb., the duty on tea has been enhanced ; but
although the effect of this different treatment of articles
so similar in their nature may be seen in the different
rates of increase which took place since 1821, the con-
sumption of coffee having increased by 500 per cent., and
that of cocoa by above 1,000 per cent., while the increase
in that of tea in the same period has been only 130 per
cent ; yet even that proportion, amounting to a positive
increase of 24,000,0001b5., due only to lower prices,
ariising from a more open trede, fully bears out the gene-

want of that favour in th

That the consumption of tea has not yet received its
full development, is further clear, if we consider the large
proportion of tea consumed in other populations of similar
tastes with those of the British islands. In these the
consumption is no more than 1 lb. 10oz. per head, where-
asJanerdsAeyasatnrad eyliGauaevrenrsyc,aa,lslibda.
itobzl. ;laa
larger
it appears that in the Isle of Man it is 2 lb. 10. ; in
Newfoundlandrinproportion.
It will be said, however, ‘y
that
any reduction in duty
would only have the
effect, by throwinr, 1 large t,, r demand
on the markets in China, of increasing the price to the
English merchant ; and
iat, c
such reduction would rather goontosetreerai, the benefit of
grower or
merchant than to the English consumer. 'Wise
would doubtedly be the case to a considerable
extent
tullie-
market of supply were limited, or difficult to be extended;
but your committee are bound to state that they have no
apprehension that this will be found to be the case with
regard to tea. Although it is a point on which, from the
limited acquaintance we possess with the interior of China,
it is impossible to produce distinct information, yet we
know that the demand for tea from China has been pro-
gressively and rapidly rising for many years, with no other
result than that of diminished prices; and that there is a
population which is assumed to be above 300,000,000, and
at all hours of the day consuming tea, which onlyrequires
some change of preparation to be fit for exportation ; thus
implying an amount of supply, on which any demand that
may be made for foreign export can be after a very short
time but slightly felt. We know also that the market has ,

never been drained of tea in any one year, but that there
has always been a surplus left to meet any extraordinary
demand. We have every reason to believe that the culti-
vation of the plant may be indefinitely extended.
We have, moreover, the general experience in all arti-
cles, the supply of which is not limited by physical or
other causes (such as cotton, &c.), that an increased de-
mand, by stimulating the industry or the enterprise of
the parties interested, has the no very distant effect of
producing a larger supply at a lower price; instead of per-
manently raising it.
If, on the other hand, it should be said, that to convert
that into a profitable which has hitherto been an unprofit-
able trade, it is necessary that some part of the reduction.
_ _

price ; the answer is, that the mere interest on the duty
if reduced from 2s. 212 d. to ls. would of itself be nearly
enough to make the whole difference between a losing and
living trade, and the, whole benefit of the reduction
the consumer.

would

Under these circumstances
ioubt that the full benefit of
if not irnmediat
lone interva

very si

'reduction of price would

R to the consumer,

1 of time, by increased con-
h might at first

rem emi

,nsequer

ion WI

seem lit

'cyv to the cor

mtial to iheexti;

hink themselves

jest period which
desirable in itself
cini habits of the

Iry loss to the revenue,
China,
it has