The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-05-22 00:00:00

deemed it most advantageous, and that after emancipation all
(without distinction of colour) would be possessed of equal
natural rights; and would be best competent to judge of that
which was most likely to promote their own happiness.
If these principles, which were solemnly invoked for the
destruction of our colonial system; are now to be discarded
when appealed to in aid of the difficult task of reconstructing
a new one, what hope of success can remain in the breast of
a colonist ? what confidence can he place in the promises or
legislation of the mother country, or in the stability of the
opinion of the nation ? Instead of the courage and cheerful
hope which the accomplishment of his present most difficult
task requires, he will be filled with distrust and despondency,
and renounce it in despair. The effect will be disastrous.
Upon the broad principle of justice and freedom we com-
menced the mighty movement of emancipation, which has
saddled the nation with a large accession of debt, and risked
the prosperity of some of our most valuable colonies, and it
is upon the same broad principles we must continue with
vigour owl persererance to act, if we intend the great expe-
riment of free labour in the tropics to be crowned with suc-
cess.

The object of emancipation was not to injure the planter,
but to protect the Negro ; not to encourage the slave trade
amongst other nations, but to relieve Great Britain from the
stigma of slave labour ; not to increase the revenues of the
Brazils, Cuba, or the slave states of America, by the sacrifice
of our own colonies, but to elevate our national character.
Without emigration on a most extensive scale, Jamaica
never will flourish. It is therefore the duty of the English
nation to urge emigratiOn, and it must be brought to the no-
tice of parliament : all must be done during the present ses-
sion. It is in their power to increase our population from
the East Indies, America, and Africa. Look to the East
Indies; 56,000 persons died there in 1838 from famine! yet
the English government will not allow them to locate in our
colonies, where they would, by moderate labour, enjoy every
comfort, and become a well-fed and happy people.
Government must also he reminded of the fact, that the
Jamaica planter is burthened with threepence an acre land
tax, and a halfpenny an acre for quit rent of land, on thou-
sands of acres, which he never has had the means of culti-
vating, and for the greater portion of which he never will
have; these fiscal imposts are equal to 5 per cent. per annum
on ss. 10d., which is more than an acre of land is sold for in
the United States, being only ss. 4d. per acre ; and though
land in Jamaica is much more valuable than in the States,
this statement sufficiently evinces the disparaging position of
the Jamaica planter, and suggests the question, how he is to
pay these taxes, it' he be compelled to desert his estates and
the island ? when there would be none but the negroes to ap-
ply to for payment of taxes, for which benefit, and owinf, to
whose fostered indolence, their former masters will have been
goaded into an abandonment of properties once the busy
haunts of industry. Hence it must be evident, that the ex-
chequer ought to abate the charge upon such land as yields
no return. Ought the parish tax and other subsidies for the
poor and lazy, to be exacted from owners of estates, whilst
the negroes are, by a certain party, advised to stand out for
unreasonable wages, and remain in idleness, when abundance
of employment offers at such rates as can be afforded. No
parochial relief, under such circumstances, should be given,
it would be to confirm them in their obstinacy and laziness,
and beget overwhelming vagrancy and pauperism.
On an impartial and unbiassed consideration of the above
facts, which bear with peeuliar and greater hardship on the
colonists of Jamaica than on any other of the British colo-
nies, owing to the physical and local difficulties with which
the planters of Jamaica have to contend, and from which the
other colonies are moire free. Such as the irksome and ex-
pensive cultivation of its hilly cane fields, its great extent of
unsettled or unappropriated land, affording refuge for squat-
ters (i. e. negroes who give themselves up to sloth, and are
inclined to return to the wild and uncivilized condition in
which their ancestors were found, and thus not only cease to
render either any service .to themselves, or to any civilized
community, but also to cause the annihilation of the im-
mense capital invested in lands, houses, buildings, works and
machinery, together with the valuable and undeveloped local
resources of Jamaica, and the comparatively great disad-
vantage, under which it has always been placed, of having
a less number of labourers in proportion to its cultivable
land, than most other of the British West India colonies.
Whence it must be obvious that the British planter, is
cogently entitled to an immediate and ample reduction of
duty, a repeal of unjust restrictions, an abatement of land
taxes, and a drawback on exportation, as some of the reme-
dies by which in connection with an efficient plan of autho-
rised emigration, he is hopeful, if not long deferred, to be
enabled to maintain his ground, and without which, it is to
be feared there is little chance for most of them, (especially
those of Jamaica,) to continue to cultivate their estates at
such high rate of wages as the late apprentices are demand-
ing.

though the British planter were patiently to endure these
wrongs, and to submit thereto, whilst all his funds became
exhausted in the effort to bear up against these multiplied
hardships, is Mr. yothercountry less culpable in withhold-
ing from him timely and commensurate redress!

The planter cannot think so meanly of his fellow-subjects
in England (frail mortals as himself,) as to suppose they
conceive there is any thing in the climate, or productions of
the West Indies, that the English nation should wish their
ruin, or that the Wrest India planter should be an exile or
outcast. Public writers and speakers, in the mother coun-
try, have it in their povfer to defend their fellow-subjects
abroad, and it is very clear, that for the sake of consistency
alone, if on no other account, the true patriot, after having
visited with punishment any malpractice (legalised or other-
wise,) must discontinue his inflictions. Indeed, the tolera-
tion and encouragement of FREE COLONIES of England,
is so obviously identical with the amelioration of negro suf-
fering in foreign slave colonies, that no truly humane man
would object to affording it to the fullest extent.
This is no whiq or tory question, and it shall pot be our
fault if it ever be made one. Let the nation now manifest
the same zeal iu the effort to do justice to the planter, as it
did to emancipate the negro ;—both classes must he equally
regarded, if our colonies be to prosper they are reciprocally
dependant on each other.

The British free labour planter calls upon the negros'
friends for a renewal of their exertions, and upon all who
take an interest in our colonial and maratime commerce, to
join in a cause so just and honourable, and one deserving the
best exertions and energies of the English nation.
The British planter vested great capital in the colonies, on
the good faith of the nation, which is as much bound to pro-
tect the agriculturist in its colonies, from the want ofla-
bourers to keep up the cultivation, and from the competition
of foreign and slave-grown produce, as it is to protect the
property of the English agriculturist from competition with
Russia and other countries. England ought to attend as
judiciously to the colonising of her colonies, as to her own
domestic policy. Great Britain has the power within her-
self of redressing these grievances, she has millions of indi-
viduals, whose circumstances would be infinitely bettered by
emigrating to Jamaica and the other West India Islands.
We hope she will look well to this. We beseech the British
public, for it is to them, and not to Mr. Mothercountry, that
we are to look. We say then to the English nation, let the
cries of barbarity, let the human gore spilt in savage wars on
Africa's deserts rouse you, let the horrors of Indian infanti-
cide, the pestilence, starvation, and miseries of the teeming
millions of India, animate you to call upon the government,
to do what every principle of national interest and glory
should prompt it to do : which is, to open up a free system of
emigration to those of its colonies as are suffering for want
of labourers, from those countries, viz., America, India,
Africa, and o,ther places whose inhabitants would thereby so
much better their circumstances and advance British in-
terest.—On behalf of the Jamaica Planters,
BY A FELLOW. COLONIST.

May, 1840,

THE NEW TAXES.—A hearty laugh has been raised in
the city at the expense of the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
who, finding such a difficulty in levying 5 per cent. on the
duties on spirits, was obliged to give up such a plan in despair,
and resort to a fixed duty of 4d. per gallon. The difficulty
here lies in comprehending what there is in the peculiar na-
ture of a duty on spirits that it should make a case by itself
and not come within the general rule. The Chancellor of
the Exchequer's reason for adopting this course, that he has
done it to avoid increasing the differential duties between
different parts is considered so far from satisfactory, that he
is thought, while trying to avoid one sort of inequality, to
have produced another, and to levy an equal duty on articles
of unequal 'value, as for instance on rums and brandies.
Again, the difference made between wine and spirits has
caused great surprise. The capitalist who operates in sherries
is to pay his 5 per cent.; but if he prefer brandies, he will
pay less than The accounting for such discrepancies by
a professed abhorrence to rigid justice is regarded as ludicrous
in the extreme.— Times, Tuesday.
IMPORT OF Woor..—A return to an order of the House of
Commons gives as the total amount of sheep and lambs' wool
imported in 1839 into the United Kingdom 57,395,944 lbs.,
of which 57,379,923 lbs. are foreign, and the remaining
16,021 lbs. the produce of the Isle of Man. The total quan-
tity of foreign wool retained for home consumption was
52,959,221 lbs., and the quantity re-exported 695,049 lbs.
Of the foreign countries, by far the greatest quantity of wool
was imported from Germany, being 23,837,805 lbs. The se-
cond and third as to quantity were Russia and New South
Wales, from the former of which 7,966,954 lbs., and from the
latter 6,621,291 lbs. were imported. The quantity of British
sheep and lan.tbs' wool exported during the same year was
4,603,799 lbs., and the quantity of yarn (including that of
wool mixed with other materials) was 3,320,441 lbs. Of the
wool, the largest quantity, being 3,625,896, was sent to Bel-
gium. Of the yarn, the largest quantity, being 1,770,536,
was sent to Germany. The total value of British woollen
manufactures exported in 1839 was £6,271,645. The value
of the manufactures sent to the United States was consi-
derably the highest, being £2,142,352. The value of those
sent to Germany, the East Indies, and China, and the North
American colonies, was also high, being respectively £816,604,
£530,687, and £511,190.

COLONISATION OF NEW ZEALAND.—The crowded state of
our columns on Saturday precluded our inserting more than
a very brief notice of the meeting held in the Assembly
Rooms, on the above subject. To-day we have given in our
first page a report of the principal speeches, which, we doubt
not, will be read with interest, particularly that of Lieut.
Macdonnell, the late British resident at. New Zealand, who
has resided in that country since 1830. Lieut. Macdonnell,
in an interview with Lord Glenelg, when urging the impor-
tance of taking immediate possession of New Zealand, ob-
served, that, " as we lost Java from ignorance, we might
lose New Zealand by procrastination ; " and impressed with
these views, he is the more earnest in his appeals to the Bri-
tish public. The knowledge he possesses of the subject, em-
boldens him to advert strongly to the natives' hatred of the
French, (the Marians) and the fearful consequences that must
ensue, should it be intimated to the chiefs that the French
intended to form a penal settlement in their country—a point
of very great moment, not only to the present settlers, but to
intending emigrants, and, indeed, to to the trade and com-
merce of this country. Dr. M`Leod has gone into the gene-
ral question of emir: ration with his usual perspicuity and
feeling. Mr. Johnston, in opening the proceedings, was not
less clear in the practical view which he gave of the present
position of the colony. Altogether, the conduct of the go-
vernment, it would appear, has been of a most unstatesman-
like character, such indeed, as we might naturally expect
from such a feeble and vacillating administration.—Glasgow
Courier.

IMPORTANT CORPORATIONS !!—From a return presented
to the House of Commons pursuant to the Municipal Act
for the year 18 ..we observe that the revenue of the borough
of Cardigan was £3 Os. Gd. and the expenditure of £3 Os. Gd., to
manage which estate 4 aldermen and 12 councillors are elected.
In Blandford the income was £65 Os. Bd. and the expendi-
ture £194 175., with 4 aldermen and 12 councillors. In
Caine the income was £96 13s. 9d. and the expenditure
£l2B 2s. 9d., with 4 aldermen and 12 councillors. In Cli-
theroe the income was £126 19s. Old. and the expenditure
£lO5 10s. Bd., with 4 aldermen and 12 councillors. In Da-
ventry the income was £ll3 ss. and the expenditure
£152 12s. 3d., with 4 aldermen and 12 councillors. In Dur-
ham the income, with the aid of rates, was £462 Us. 2d. and
the expenditure £409 18s. 9d., having 6 aldermen and 18
councillors. In Evesham, with the same aid, the income was
£424 12s. and the expenditure £374 Os. Id., with 6 aldermen
and 18 councillors. In Flint the income was £46 Bs. sd. and
the expenditure £BO Is. 9d., with 4 aldermen and 12 coun-
cillors. In Llandovery, income £7 45., expenditure £8 65.,
and 4 aldermen and 12 councillors. In Oswestry, income
£4ll 6s. Id., of which the sum of £368 15s. 6d. is derived
from borough rates, expenditure £3OO 12s 4d., with 6 alder-
men and 18 councillors. And many others we might name
where the receipts are equally insignificant, and the balance
due to the treasurer forms an appalling contrast—even in the
larger boroughs this contrast is more apparent than could be
wished. When we reflect that in all these places alike the
annual ceremony of a popular election is performed, and af-
terwards a solemn council convened to appoint a dignified
person to fill the civic chair, we cannot help smiling even at
the risk of incurring his worship's frown.