Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1817-06-06
FOREIGN.
-~--rS'--~zE--N-.---,
BRITISH POLiTICS.
HOUSE OF COMMONS,
March l3.
DISTRESS OF THE COUNTRY.
Mr.. BROUGHAM'S SPEECH


(WR. BROUGHAM'S SPEECH
CONCLUDED.
And for what object had we sacriti ced
these great markets for our nanulac-
lures For the sake of the money spe-
culaii ons of this country, we had llaced
on foreign iron duty, equal to proiIi-
bition, whilst TO prop up the importaiions
from our North American Colonies, we
excluded the other great staple of the
Baltic trade. Instead Olleaving, as sound
policy would have dictated, the money
spectators of this country TO their own
fate, TO thrive, if they could, by their own
natural progress, we pampered them,
gave an unnatural stimulus, and in pur-
suit of a precarious gambling, and in fact,
most losing concern, abandoned an in
tercourse that increased your capital and
employed your population-(hear, heard
10 Norway this country had long been
IN the habit of exporting manufactures 10
the amount of between and 500, OOOl.
annually. That consumption has now
ceased. Norway having no other means
of payment TO make than the iron and
wood, which tie modern policy has alto
gether excluded. We have done the
looking 10 the supply that SOuih-Ame-
out from that great continent. 1t was
but "a few nights past, that some allusion
had been made to the act of last session,
that imposed protecting duties on the i'm
portation of foreign butter and cheese;
and, in order 10 shew the House what lit
tie faith was TO be placed in all those un-
sound calculations from all export and
the high rate of exchange, lie would mere
ly mentivn- the one fact-that the very
day last session that these protecting du
ties were enacted, as true as the puIseTe
sponded TO the beat ofthe heart, an in
crease off or3 per cent. took place in the
city in the rate of exchange, while The
imposition of these duties were admitted
to be the only cause. The same per-
verse system characterized our CONNER
cial Intercourse with France. Partly
from political feeling, and partly from
| commercial views, there were q class of
| men i'll this country who laid 1t down as
| a principle, from whence they deemed it
| almost irrellgIOus 10 depart, TO take no
| wine from France. Though it was our
nearest market, and ought to be our best
| customer, and though il grew the best
/ wines, indeed the wines considered by
some as the only driDkable, yet oil lmpor-
| talon thence w3sto he avoided, because,
| lOlSOUlH, FRANCE Was our DdINIdl cntilN,
| and Portugal our firm friend-(lear,
hear.) In the true spirit of this creed, the
right hon. the Chancellor of the Exche-
| quer laid an additional duty on claret last
session, not as he himself professed, for
the purposes of revenue, bat to discOu-
| rage importation as much as possible. II
may, in the contemplation of this class of
politicians, be proof Of comprehensive
policy IN this manufacturing country to
quarrel with its best customer; but TO
speak as a trader, on the suggestions of
common Sense, he could consider it not
in The liglR OF sound policy, but dictated
by prejudice, bordering on insanity IL
sclf-(hear, hear) The next cOnsiderati-
OH that offered itself was the policy pur
sued respecting the linen trade. The car
rying trade had no more beneficial sup
port than what was afforded by the trans
u of foreign linens, yet on this most pro
J duCtiy bl 2nch Of trade, we did not stOl