The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-04-02 00:00:00

♦GRICULTCRAL REPORT.

Mr. GOOCH brought up the Report of the Agricul-
tural Committee, and moved that it be read. The Clerk
was proceeding to read it, When
The Marquess of LONDONDERRY suggested, that
as arrangements bad been made for pan:log the Report
as soon as possible, it might be better not to bare it read
at present. On the mere hearing of it, there might be •
difficulty for the mind to embrace all the important sub-
jects touched upon= and if erroneous impressions were
received, it might be a work of difficulty afterwards to
remove them. He understood the Report could be
printed and be ready for delivery foi 4S hours.
Mr. ELLICE concurred in the opinion of the Noble
Mario-ss.
Mr. CA LCRAFT said, he had not the least objection
to the course suggested, but lie wished to ask the Hon.
Claim:l of the Committee, whether he hall, been in-
, strutted to move any measure founded on the Report.
Mr. GOOCH said he had not. Ile should, however,
reserve what he had to offer on the subject for • future
occasion,

The Marquess of LONDONDERRY said, it was his
intention to propose Monday, the tad instant, for con-
sidering the Report, with a view to some tveasare to be
founded upon it.
Alter a short conversation respecting the priority of a
notice, waich stood also for the Ind,
The Marque-a of LOX DI Y.N DERRY said, he was quite
there could be but one feeling in the House as to,
the' prainount Importance of the subject; and that
without reference to any particular or party views, there,

COLOXIAL TIADI.
On the motion of Mr. P. ROBINSON, the House
resolved itself into a Committee on the Colonial Acts.
Mr. ROBINSON then rose and said, that in moving
for a Committee of the whole House, be did not mean
that any 11Iember, by agreeing to his motion, should be
pledged to the support of the measures which be meant
to propose to them. Although he did not intend any
more at present than to move for leave to bring in a
Bill, or rather two Bills, to regulate the trade with one
foreign Colonies, yet he thought it was his duty to 'ex-
plain to the Committee the grounds on which he meant ,
to introduce any alteration in the established system of
Colonial intercourse. lie was afraid he should trespass
farther than he could wish oo the indulgence of the
Committee, but still as the question involved the satire
of our commercial intercourse with our foreign Colo-
Dies, he was of opinion that Hon. Members should un-
derstand the laws which at present regalatied that in-
tercourse, because by the proper naderstauding of the
existing laws, they would be the better prepared to
enact new ones. The measure which he had in contene/
plation would not go to effect any material change, and
he believed he would be able to satisfy the Committee
that the alteration which be was about to propose in-
volved a far less change than Gentlemen were led to ap-
prehend. By the taws as they at present existed,
the regulations of trade as far as they respected our
American Colonic* have been in a great measure evaded
or totally abandoned, and they never operated at all in
respect, to oar extensive dominions in the last Indies.
With respect to the whole of our extensive continental
possessions in the East Indies, the island of Ceylon, the
Cape of Good Hope, Sec. with which so much commerce
was carried on by this country, to them the principle of
the Navigation Laws never applied. If again they
would look to our West India Colonies, and consider
how their commerce bad been practically carried on,
they would fled that the rigid principle of the Naviga-
tion Acts was never acted upon. Every one of those
Colonies was at that moment at free liberty to trade
with other Colonies in other ships as well as in British
vessels.—Ube Right Hon. Gentleman then explained
the application of the former Acts, particularly the Act
of IntKi, and the Act establishing free ports.}—Another
branch of commerce with our Colonies related to the
trade with the United States. All countries were at li-
berty to trade with our Colonies, and our Colonies, in
return, to trade with them, and the ictions were
imposed on the intercourse between the mother country
and the Colonies. During the existence of the former
and the late wars, vessels of the United States were per-
mitted to trade with the Colonies. An Act bad been
passed which made the Island of Bermuda a eentrepos
for the trade between our West India Colonies and the
United States. That was the great market for all the
commerce between the United States and our Colonies.
St. John's was also made a free port. He had brought
these point; under the consideration of the Committee,
it order to show that the principle of the Navigation
Laws had never been carried into effect. If the rigid
principle of these Acts had been enforced, the inter-
course which he showed to have existed, could not be
allowed. There was nothing to prevent an American
oe any other ship to bring her cargo of corn, rice, icc.
to Bermuda—there was nothing in the Navigation Laws
which prevented that. Any foreign ship aught bring