The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-05-11 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY

Mr. O'CONNELL gave notice that he would move in the
committee on the sugar duties that no reduction of duty
should take place on slave-grown sugar.
Sir R. INGLis hoped (in answer to a question from Mr.
O'Connell) to be able, on the 18th instant, to call the atten-
tion of the house to the subject of church extension.
Mr. E. Gladstone, Mr. A. Chapman, Mr. Lockhart, Mr.
Creswell, Captain Mathew, Dr. Lushington, Lord Stanley,
Mr. Crawford, Mr. Aglionhy, and Lord Viscount Powers-
court, severally presented petitions against the Chancellor of
the Exchequer's proposed reduction of the restrictive duties
on foreign sugar, as being calculated to operate as a premium
on the employment of slave-labour in raising that produce,
from the Island of St. Vincent ; from the Society of Ship-
owners in London ? from Glasgow ; from merchants and
others of Liverpool ? from 1,000 planters and others, mem-
bers of the Colonial Society of London ; from the Committee
of the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society ; from
several Westflndia merchants and planters resident in Glas-
gow ; from merchants of the City of London interested in
the Mauritius ; from Wigan ; and from Bath.

Mr. Thornely, Mr. La-bouehere, Mr. George Wood, Mr.
Clay and Mr. Brotherton presented petitions in favour of
the ministerial propositions for the alteration of the duties,
from Wolverhampton • from the American Chamber of Com-
merce in Liverpool ; from Kendal; from all the firms en-
gaged in the sugar refining trade of London ; and from
Ashton-under-Lyne. _

Sir R. Pzzu read, from an abstract prepared by himself,
the substance of a petition which he presented against these
duties from upwards of 600 merchants, planters, and others
interested in the West India trade. The petitioners were of
the highest respectability, and set forth the various grounds
of their objections to, and alarm at, the proposition in
question.
Lord J. RUSSELL announced the intention of the govern-
ment with respect to the corn-laws. He would propose that
a fixed duty should be imposed on the importation of foreign
corn ; of Bs. on wheation rye 55., on barley 4s. 6d., and on
oats 3s. 4d. . . .

The noble lord then moved that the house should resolve
itself into a committee of Ways and Means, and entered into
a lengthened statement of the financial measures proposed by
the Government. He denied that the plan proposed by his
right hon. friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer had been
adopted at the spur of the moment. Even before the com-
mencement of the session of Parliament Ministers felt the
necessity of proposing some plan with a view to meet the fi-
nancial difficulties of the country. In accordance with the
resolution they had adopted, the house would recollect that
as far back as the llth of March he had announced that the
Cabinet were unanimous as to the necessity of revising our
commercial policy. As an additional proof that their mea-
sures were not hastily adopted, the noble lord stated that he
had received from the Governor-General of Canada replies
to the letters in which they had communicated to him the
changes they contemplated. The measures which had led to
our increased expenditure, in support of our foreign policy,
had been sanctioned by the house, and the house was there-
fore bound to 'supply any deficiency in the public revenue
occasioned thereby. They might, it was true, curtail their
naval and military force, so as to bring the expenditure of the
country within its income; but, in the present- posture of
affairs, he believed the house would think with him that such
a course was unadvisable. In preference, then, to resorting
to direct taxation, they had come to the conclusion that it
was better to supply the defalcation in the revenue by re-
sorting to a diminution of protecting duties, rather than to
laying additional burdens on the people. With respect to
the fixed duty which he intended to propose on corn, he was
of opinion that its effect would be, to keep the price of wheat
steadily at from 50s to 60s. With respect to the sugar duties,
the object was to give a substantial protection in the room of
an absolute prohibition. The bill for the abolition of the
slave trade had been most successful in its results, and the
condition of the negroes had been wonderfully improved.
There was no reason, therefore, for sacrificing our distressed
manufacturing population in order to benefit those with whom
the operatives of Bolton and Manchester would be happy to
change places. The noble lord referred to the increased
habits of temperance exhibited by the people, and said that
the high price of sugar was calculated to impede those habits.
It might be said that the price would be kept down by the
supply hereafter from India, but he was by no means dis-
posed to substitute an East for a West Indian monopoly.
The noble lord then contended that it would 'be futile to at-
tempt refusing admission to slave-grown produce. Brazilian
coffee was notoriously imported into this country by being
first shipped to the Cape of Good Hope. This was certainly
an evasion of the law, but the trade had now grown to be of
so much importance that it might be dangerous to put it
down. The West India planters imported slave-grown sugar
for their own use that they might send the whole of their own
to obtain high prices in this country. The motion of Lord
Sandon he characterised as a party movement, under the
semblance of feelings of humanity, and contended that the
whigs had been always the party foremost in the cause of
abolition of slavery. If the house should adopt the proposal
made by the Government, he thought they might look for-
ward with confidence for great commercial prosperity—other-
wise the house must incur the responsibility of their rejection.
Lord SANnoist disclaimed the idea of wholly preventing
the consumption of slave-grown sugar, but the real question
before them was, whether they would give direct engourage-
ment to the slave trade, and endanger the success of their
exertions for abolishing slavery all over the world. In other
words, whether, because of a trifling pecuniary pressure,
arising from circumstances not likely to occur again, they
should stultifiy all that had heretofore been accomplished to-
wards the abolition of slavery ? If the proposal of the go-
yernment were agreed to, it would be Cuba, and not Brazil,
which would reap the benefit ; and in Cuba there was no
hope of bringing
verygabout a mitigation of the evils of slavery.
Evenis opinion,
in a financial point of view, the result of the plan was,
in h
doubtful, and the benefit to the con-
sumer would be but trifling. He, therefore, thought
him-
self justified in calling on the house not to give up an experi-
ment which they earnestly hoped would lead to the finalabo-
lition of slavery. The noble lord concluded by moving, as
an amendment,. " That, considering the efforts and sacrifices
which parliament and the country have made for the aboli-

s trade and slavery, with the eansest hope that
and axampip might load to the mitigation and

final extinction of those evils in other countries, this house is
not prepared (especially with the present prospects of the
supply of sugar from British possessions) to adopt the mea-
sure proposed by her majesty's government for the reduc-
tion of the duty on foreign sugars." . •

.Mr. HOGG seconded the amendment, and contended that
ministers had misled the public by not stating their intention
with respect to the sugar duties when the duties on rum were
under discussion. The result of the proposed measure would
be to inundate the British market with slave-grown sugar,
with which East Indian sugar would not for a long period be
able to compete, and West Indian—never. He hoped the
house would come that night to such a decision as might pro-
bably prove fatal to her Majesty's ministers, but which would
at all events be hailed with acclamation by the country.

. .
Mr. HAWES opposed the amendment,andconTended that
applying the principles of free trade to sugar, and buying it
at the cheapest mai ket, was the best mode of putting down
slavery all over the world.

Mr. HANDLEYsupported the amendment

Mr. JAMES said he should support the government propo-
sition, although he was the proprietor of a pretty large estate
in Jamaica.

Dr. LUSHINGTON said he had always voted against the
corn laws and the timber duties, and should continue to do
so ; but he was determined.to oppose any measure calculated
to aid in the maintenance of slavery. Attached as much as
any matt to his party, he must still declare that, in his opi-
nion, the proposed measure would lower ministers before all
Europe, and degrade them in the estimation of the people of
England ; and all this was to be suffered because of their
bringing forward a measure for which there existed no neces-
sity. He believed that if the sense of the people could be
taken upon the subject, they would rather pay a high price
for sugar than purchase it chiefly by giving encouragement to
the importation of slave-grown sugar.
Mr. EWART then moved the adjournment of the debrte,
which was agreed to.-

The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the
house adjourned.

DISTURBANCES IN BULGARIA, MACEDONIA,
AND THE NORTHERN PROVINCES OF TURKEY.

(From the Augsburg Gazette.)

BELGRADE, APRIL 22.—The accounts received from the
Turkish provinces bordering upon Servia are of a more and
more threatening nature ; not that the successes obtained by
the insurgents, have been of any importance—for, excepting
the taking of the inconsiderable little fort of Akpalanka,
which, moreover, is a matter of doubt, and beyond the very
decided movement in Lesskoveza, nothing of any importance
has transpired as yet—but it is the spirit, the state of feeling
that prevails among the Christians of all the northern pro-
vinces of Turkey, that gives cause for apprehension. For
some months past, a report has prevailed here of the ex-
istence of a regularly organized secret society in the north of
Turkey—a report which very many symptoms have gone to
confirm, This society is said to be a secret association of the
Christians, supposed to extend over old Servia, Bulgaria,
Northern Roumelia, Bosnia, and Alloania, to be firmly or-
ganized, and to have no other end and aim than the shaking ,
off of the Turkish yoke. Nor is it very easy to suppose that
the protestations of the insurgents as t 9 their loyal senti-
ments towards the Sultan, nor the assurances which they
have laid before the Prince of Servia to this effect, and ad-
dressed by means of a deputation to Abdul Medschid, will
be even much attended to in the end. Until N ery lately peo-
ple were very much inclined to believe that French agents
had a hand in the matter, and it was very positively asserted
that they acted upon old instructions given by M. Thiers,
the new French Ministry no longer following up the
hostile tendency of the former Cabinet towards the
Porte. This idea, however, has now been given up here,
and there are two different opinions that prevail upon the
present state of affairs. One party believes that the deposed
Prince Milosch, of Servia, has been seeking to re-assume in
the Danube countries the position he has lost, and to found
a new Christian kingdom in the north of Turkey, in which
Servia is to be comprised. Another party (who only look
upon Prince Milosch as an instrument made use of—a cat's
-paw") attributes the passing events to Russian policy, and
connect (somewhat too precipitately, 'tis true) the appear-
ance of Baron Von Lieven in this country with the breaking
out of the new revolution. It would be difficult as yet to
give any decided opinion upon the subject ; but this much is
certain—namely, that every town, and almost every village
of the part of the country alluded to, have been visited lat-
terly by foreign emissaries, and that the Christians have
everywhere entered into an association among themselves,
having appointed several chiefs of provinces, who have chiefs
of districts subordinate to them, who again, in their turn,
have chiefs of the different towns and villages under their
directions. Lesskoveza is now the central point of the in-
surrectionary movement. Mladen, so well known in the days
of " Black George," is only the instrument of a party ; a
Greek priest has been attached to his person, from whom he
receives his orders. Report goes to say that more than 50,000
muskets are at the service of the chiefs of the insurrection,
and that their distribution among the country people has al-
ready commenced. It is believed also by some that Prince
Milosch himself is not in connection with the insurgents, but
that a great number of his subjects are in secret intelligence
with them. The Servian government has ordered all the ef-
fective force at its disposal to the Bulgarian frontiers, there
to observe the events, and then to take its measures accord-
ingly. The cordon that existed there before has already been
raised to six times its original force.
A letter dated Semlin, of the 25th ult., states that the last
accounts from Bulgaria showed that country to be in a state
of anarchy. The mail from Constantinople, which was four
days overdue, had not arrived, and it was thought that the
Tartar who was the bearer of it had been robbed and mur-
dered by the insurgents for the money which he carried.
The Albanians who inhabit the plains of Bulgaria, adds the
writer, are to be dreaded on account of their brutality and
desire of plunder, and they have already begun to take part
in the movement of the Christians. The Turks have hopes
of crushing the insurrection, on account of the want of dis-
cipline amongst the Albanians. However this may be, it is
unquestionable that the Porte will have to contend with ene-
mies more obstinate and determined than those in Syria.
Every one is convineed that the insurgents have confede-
rates in Servia, and it is strongly suspected that either Prince
Michael, or his father, Prince Milosch, are favourable to
them.