The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-03-11 00:00:00

TO THE CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER

Dear Sir,—l am now very old, and retired from busi-
ness ; therefore, as concerns the commercial interests of
the country, I am comparatively a looker-on, yet I cannot
help feeling it still as a duty, when subjects involving
great national interests are under consideration, such as I
have been long accustomed to consider and attend to in
the course of my mercantile life, involving many im-
portant subjects, to endeavour to point out such conse-
quences as my experience induces me to believe may be
expected to follow from the changes now contemplated, if
carried into effect.

I have always been accustomed to consider our sugar
colonies and possessions as important sources from which
a considerable portion of the strength and wealth of the
country has been derived, held to be well-deserving and
entitled to protection and encouragement ; to you who
know them well, it is unnecessary I should say more than
endeavour to draw your attention at the present moment
to the facts connected with the changes now under the
consideration of Parliament ; these changes, though not
proposed to be made permanent in the present session, yet

being meant to be preliminary for that object, appear on
that account, if possible, to call for the more serious

When the reduction was niade last session in the duties
on foreign sugar for the object of admitting them'to com-
petition here, I humbly remonstrated through the public
press, and pointed out the injurious consequences to be
expected to follow to the interests of British planters
from tile admission of foreign clayed sugars on the same
terms with muscovados; fortunately circumstances have

hitherto preven►ed, by natural causes, the serious com-
mencement of these measures, though now near at hand.
I was well aware of their superior qualities, and the ad-
vantages they possess over muscovados, the sugars of our
West India colonies being at present wholly of the last
description, whilst those of the foreign free-labour pos-
sessions are nearly all clayed or made of a similar quality
by other processes.
You are aware that these foreign sugars are, in point of
fact, partially refined, that thereby many of them are
much improved in colour, and all greatly so in strength
of grain and dryness, so at when finally refined here, they
yield from 15 to 25 per cent. more than rnuscovados do.
These processes require a great increase of labour, which
the foreign planters possess most abundantly on extremely
low terms, whilst the British planters have been without,
since emancipation took place, whilst every effort has
been made and no expense they could afford spared, on
their part, to obtain it, but hitherto in vain ; they there-
fore have and continue to suffer both from the want of
people and the consequent high rate of wages they are
unavoidably compelled to pay, which I do not believe I
do overrate when I state them still to be three times in
amount those paid in the free-labour islands of Java and

These facts place it not only beyond the means or power
of the British planter to raise the quality end condition
of the sugar by claying them or otherwise, but from the
deficiency in labour, particularly in British Guiana,
Jamaica, and Trinidad, they are sometimes unable to cut
and carry their canes to their mills when ripe, when, by
the delay, the quality is much deteriorated. In conse-
quence, these sugars in most of our colonies are inferfor

in strength, colour, and dryness to what they were pre-
vious to emancipation, and I rep: t tc. say, I believe un-
avoidably so. _ _ — _ _

The differential duty of 10s., now reduced to 92. 4d.,
proposed for their protection, might be sufficient for that
Purpose, notwithstanding these disadvantages, (as every
possible means of economy are, I bevy, now practised,)
were it applied bond fide to similar q ,alities, but when
they are to be so to such as are superior, and that contain
from 15 to 25 per cent. more saccharine matter to be con-
verted into refined sugar, against which muscovados yield
only a similar quantity of treacle, with a small quantity
of soft inferior sugar called "bastards," both of very
small comparative value, fully one-half of the protection
intended to.be given will be lost, the gain by the refined
being worth 4d. per pound, that by treacle and bastards
not above 2d., being a gain to the foreigner of 2d., which
on an average produce of 181 b. is equal to Gs. per cwt.,
reducing the protection to 3s. 4d. in place of 9s. 4d..
That advance in the price of such sugars the refiners here
will readily pay, when by these means the British planter
being so placed must be pressed down by a hopeless com-
petition, which will, if persevered in, cause him, in my
opinion, eventually to sink under.
In order to obviate or diminish those disadvantages,
you propose to lay an additional duty of 4s. Bd. per cwt,
on all foreign white clayed 'sugars, or such as are of simi-
lar quality and value ; and it is to show the great in-
adequacy of this m, asare to its object that I thus take the
liberty of addressing you.
By the means of abundant and cheap labour the foreign
free-labour planters possess the power of improving the
colour and quality of their sugars, both or either, to such
a degree as they may desire—for consumption in refining
here the strength of the grain and dryness is more im-
portant than the colour. I therefore venture to assert
that they, being aware of this fact, will prepare their
sugars for this mark, t of a colour classing lower than
white, yet of strength of grain and dryness that will con-
tain so great an increase proportion of saccharine matter
as to be of nearly the same intrinsic value to the refiner.
yet such as not being white must be admitted for con-
sumption at the lower differential duty of 9s. 4d. per cwt.,
and thus defeat the object you have in view, of affording
a given protection to the sugars of both our East and
West India .possessions.
To meet this -
it may now be practicable to do so, I humbly venture to
suggest that -in place of one duty on foreign white clayeds,
which in worling will be found next to nominal, there
should be two—viz., one on white, as now proposed, of
either 4s. Sd. or 45., and a second on all other clayed su-
gars, or of similar qualities. but being such as were not
white, of 2s. 4d. or 25., which would include those that
would possess mote or less of the advantages I have
stated, and to that extent only afford protection to Bri-,
tish sugars.
As regards British clayed sugars, or such as are similar
softer
from
m and
theiro improvingp f
a lower
oo in
eesrs quality
w process of
strength
manufacture
; tli o
in quality, to maintain your principle comparatively, con-
sistently with this change of measures, two classes would
also be required. The fine and white sugars of Bengal
beinge
r infe-
rior, nfe
na I'o r,a b
rgraduallyesuot f
weak-
ness, to foreign clayed, but, from their superior colour
and dryness, they bring comparatively high
prices, being
used for mixing before they are sold to the consumer,
with the lower brown but stronger qualities of West India
erY grain, a e s
oPer superior
colour,

serious an

d alarr

g difficulty, as far as

muscovados.
I feel satisfied that if such a classification were to be
adopted your Custom-house officers would be at no loss
to identify the sugar of each class, from the marked fea-
tures that attend the manufacture of each.
I understand there is good reason to expect that the
supply of West India sugar, from the hitherto very fa-
vourable seasons they have had, will increase over that of
1844 about 20,000 tons, that of the Mauritius is expected
to yield 10,000, and the continent of India 10,000 more,
in all about 40,000. The supply of the last year has ex-
ceeded the consumption, as the stock on band is now
larger than it was at this time last year; therefore, sup-
nos;ng the additional supply of_ foreign should not exceed

20,000 tons, to that extent, without in early and very in-
creased consumption, expected by many to be produced
by the purposed reduction in price, a large surplus will
remain over, when the excess pressed on the market must
reduce the price of British to the lowest point at which
the foreign planter can possibly afford to sell his sugars;
it, therefore, follows, the greater the encouragement giaen
to him, the lower that price will be, he, at the same time,
having every other market open to him, as
whilst the British grower is without any other
Pardon the unavoidable length of this communication,
and give me credit for the motives that influence me it
making it; being, with the most sincere respect,
My dear Sir, faithful

present

JOHN GLADSTONI

Carlton-gardens, Thursday tnorni

'arch 6

PRICE OF TEA IN 1680.--The
persons of quality, that a small par(
tea is by accident fallen into the hands of a private per-
son to be sold; but that none may be disappointed, the
lowest price is 30s. a pound, and not any to be sold un-
der a pound weight, for which they arc desired to bring a
convenient box. Enquire at !Mr. Thomas Eagle' " -
King's Head, in St. James's-warke
Dec. 16, 1680

give notice to

London Gazelle

PROGRESS OF MANUF ICTURCS•—In 1784 the total,
official value of the exports of British produce and manu-
factures from Great Britain was £11,255,057 ; in 1843,
the official value was £117,574,563, and the declared
value £51,932,996. Increase an the latter, 361 per cent.
From 1776 to 1780, the average annual import of cotton
wool into Great Britain was 6,766,6131 b. ; in 1843 the
quantity entered for consumption in the United Kingdom
was 585,909,1811b5.. Increase, 8549 per cent. The offi-
cial value of cotton goods exported from Great Britain
was £355,060, in 1780 ; in 1843, the official value was
£82,165,291, and the declared value £23,443,039. In-
crease, 23,045 per cent. on the official, and 6,503 per
cent. on the declared value. The import of foreign
sheep's wool was 2,478,3321b5. in 1781 : in 1843, the
quantity of foreign and colonial wool entered for con-
sumption, in the United Kingdom was 48,656,8201b5.
The export of woollen manufactures, however, bore no
proportion to this. From 1781 to 1787, the official de-
tails of the woollen exports from Creat Britain averaged
£3,544,160 a-year ; in 1843, the official value was
£8,,847,648, and the declared value £7,532,781. The
linen maunfacture of Great Britain was estimated, in
.17e2, as being of the total yearly value of £2,640,000; in
1843, Mr. M'Culloch estimates it. including Ireland, as
of the value of £10,000,000 or £12,000,000. We do not
specify the silk manufacture, because that is less depen-
denton, and indebted to the factory system, than any of
the'other trades. The increase of population in the dis-
tricts where manufactures chiefly prevail, and where all
the improvements abridging human labour have been in
full operation, is among the most remarkable of the facts
which we have to adduce. Lancashire contained 296.400
inhabitants in 1750, and 1,667,054 in 1841. increase,
461 per cent. in ninety-one pears, The West Riding of
Yorkshire contained 565,282 inhabitants in 1801, and
1,154,104 in 1841. Increase, 105 per cent. in iorty years.
Lanarkshire contained 146,699 inhabitants in 1801, and
26,972 i❑ 1811. Increase, 191 per cent. in forty years.
Th.., parish of Manchester contained 41,032 inhabitants in
1774, and 353,390 in 1841. Increase, 762 per cent. its
sixty-seven years. Glasgow contained 28,300 inhabitants
inhabitants in 1763, and 274,533 in 1811. Increase
sctill3re,
6er,
00a16s
crease,
ninln:Bl6lla7bpit:eilotra, i
ci,tensndi seventy-eight:nsionlBl f:())llrt,yi
years.del
sa
4r1515 .2, t-)4 Leeds
per
cent. in sixty-one years. The population of England and
)86 in 1770, and 10,071,757 in 41.
~-, 8.814 171, or 122 p"r cent. in sever
, years, of which by very far the largest propor•ti

ales was 7,227

I acres

!ontaine

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