Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1845-03-25
VOLUME 4I---NO 1903.
EUROPEAN CORREsPoNDENCE-No: ~
TO the Editors of tic enquirer.
FRASKroRT-oS-Tu NAME
oh


Dear Sfs: In the letters which wrote 10 YOU
from Manchester and elsewhere in England now
more than Two years since, ! stated that the en-
tire duty or cotton wool in he United Kingdom
would certainly I've removed at an early PERIOD
This prediction is now about 10 he realized In
Sir Robert Pecls Financial Statement" MADE
oil The 18th instant, he remarked
Il now come 10 that article, which Of all others,
is The most important 10 The manufacturing and
commercial Interests of this country. cone
" now 10 cotton wool-(hear, hear)-apd The duty
upon il. The present duty on cotton wool is, 50
" far as The revenue is concerned, ;j-l6ths OF
penny the poun, weight; but as iba, duty is APP
" plicaDie To the whole amount OF cotton wool I'M
ported, ana as about one-iilh oi,he total amount
: OF such cotton wool is unavailable, for The pur-
poses OF manufacture, and is necessarily waste.
the duiy, OF course, presses with increased seve-
MY upon iha! portion OF the whole amount.
which Is capable OF being used for manufac-
lures. il Is estimated, and ] believe The esli-
mate 10 ea reasonable one, that we ought TO add
one-sixieenh more 10 the lve.sixeenlhs. in or
: der 10 calculate The full amount of duty paid
upon the whole Of The cotton wool that is actual
~ manufactured in this country. Six-Six-
iecnls, or lhree-cighihs OF penny per H.
weight, would, therefore, he The total amount Of
duty paid on cotton wool. Now, when the
rFice OF cotton wool is four pence per pound, on
" The average, three. eighihs OF a penny per pound
Is duty OF nine per cent on the value of the
raw material. If The price OF cotton wool he as
Il has been ol late, not more than 3 pence Per
! pound, lhree-eighlhs OF one penny per pound is
duty amounting 10 lot less than i2t per cent
=" on The value oil The raw material. This duy so
eviec falls with peculiar severity Gu the cuarsest
description OF co.tun-(h c0f, hcG, upon the
fine muslins You can hardly estimate the amount
OF duty, il is so SMALL the coarserlhe fabric and
The more il is in common wear the higher is
the amount OF duty. 1t is in rcspec, to the ma.
nuiaciure OF he coalser fabrics that The manu-
iacturers OF this country are exposed 10 the most
formidable competition in South America and
China, and even in orr own colonie>-(har,
hcar) Or course IN lcspcc, OF the mannlacn-
" red cotton OF the United States, We labor alrea-
dy under great disadvantage from the ready &C
cess which the people OF that country possess in
the raw material, and they are formidable COM
peiiors OF ours in all the coarser descriptions OF
cotton goods. | know il will lie said the,
" This Trade is how in ilourshing condition, but
we must not disregard the formidable compet-
" lon 10 which it is exposed, (afay, hcar); we
"musl consider how materially this cotton manu-
" tacture has contributed 10 the strength OF the
country, (loald etecrs)-how materially it aided
in enabling us 10 80 through successfully that
great conflict in which We were some thirty
years ago engaged, CHEERS what thousands
and tens OF thousands l persons there are who
I" are indebted 10 it for their occupation and sub
>i>tencc. Seeing and considering these things
''-seens the amount OF duty imposed upon TIE
/" coarscr Misunderstanding the extent Of COMPETE
. tion 10 which They are expo,ei-@etns The M
i po,tdHcc ~ has manufacture 10 Tie rOnimcr6iaI
greatness II ta,s o1'nbh nc arc prtp0red 10 0d-
/" rise he adoiiti0mof duty on Coilon Uool-(ionI
| /" and i0ag .c0aAnRcd chceripg) The estimated
loss 10 the revenue By the abolition OF the duty on
/ cotton wool-taking as a guide the amount re-
I ceivcd last ycar-will not be less than f6SO-
! 600" Il member asked how soon it was in
tended that this change should take effect SIR
| Robert Peel replied, Iamediately.
Thus our great staple is at once, and volun-
tarily, 10 be relieved of the burden which il has
/ Teen bearing in England; amounting recently 10
no less sum than S3,i00,0O0 per annum This
will, am persuaded, be joyful tidings not only
10 the cotton planter but 10 the entire agricultural
interest in the United States. The stock of cot
ton in Great Britain, which is but little below
100000 bales. is 10 receive no benefit whatever
from this abolition ol duty; and therefore, prices
nusl slightly improve in our markets. Ihep
duceis Of The article in The present condition oiihe
world, cannot reasonably expect what were here
tniore regarded as high rates for their crops; hut
hey NAV expect living ard uniform ones. Let
them continue to cultivate their fields faithfully,
and they will assurcdly, in few years, drive
their feeble com1ciors-Brazil, India, Egypt,
&c.-entirely from the European markets. This
advice have repeatedly given them through The
columns Of the Eaqatr.f, and lime ha, tested its
soundncss.
The financial movement Of Sir Robert Peel
will fall with peculiar severity apon the manu-
featuring interest Of tie German Commercial
League" The manufacturers in The States Com
posing il, could not sustain themselves against The
competition Of England, while they had no duty
10 nav; and what is Ia become OF them under tho
/ removal of the weight of duty with which the
/ English manufacturer had 10 contend, amounting,
| as is shown, FROM 10 l2i per cent, cannot be
1 readily ioreseen Even while they were favored
by such advantages, they never were able 10
/ make their own twist, OF 10 enter INTO the hI,t
stage, successfully, OF manufacturing from The
z raw material In speaking OF the absurdity Of
the provisions OF the Wheaton Treaty, in my let
ter of 3l>t Of March last, sid, "'rhe Chief OBJ
jcct OF The Cermanic Association, al least az IA.
as EXPRESSED is to foster the manufacturing eslab-
Z !isLmen,s embraced within It's boundaries. !!
would then he suicidal policy ior il 10 tax ihe
4 ran p,af,Tiai which is 10 build them up and give
them permanent duration. II Is, therefore, an ab-
surd belief 10 suppose that the IottprftiH, either
now or in future will lay an impost on raw cot
ton The United States, on that score, have not
the slightest favor oask, &c, &c Yet, strange
as il NAV l0w appear il was heraldci over the
country in all directions that the American Dt
pIoant had achieved mighty triumph in getting
The Zoure,cin 10 conccde that mo duty should be
laid upon cotton" As am speaking OF The
German Customs Union, | will take occasion to
remark tina, the United States have but one con-
cession 10 ask Of il in its Tariff oil duties, ana
that is. 10 admit tobacco on the same terms "a
Hanover d0cs-say al 60 cents on the 100 lbs
In return for This. under a gcnl,0l revenue ac--
not d,G,rsntial Treaty. should be happy TO see
the duty on lis various manufactures modified 10
Is per cent. ad ralor,7a.
VIVA, will New England think? What will
the world think now OF B,H.M ph,LanRaropy ?
viii il not henceiorh be regarded in its true AMI
!; proper meaning, which signifies, BrltiSi interest?
No ono, however charitable in his feelings cah
! beSiow upon il any other definition. SLAVE grorn
COTTON, and SLAVE GRIMM SUGAR, have diane
lrically opposite meanings in John Bulls so
cabulary, because, forsoo,h, thousands and tens
/ of thousands Of persons" are indebted 10 the
former for occupation and subsistence" and
the Country for its commercial greatness" while
the later in,erieres with his West India plania-
tons, &c, &c The Abolilionisis and manu-
4 tacurcrs of the North must be incurably blind il
! their eyes are rot now opened. All Europe IS
shocked at the brazen eironery OF Great Britain,
\ in urging the abolition Of slavery as measure OF
philanthropy, after this new development Of her
! selfish policy.
The annexation vote has created no sensation
on this side OF The water The British Press is
unusually silent, both in relation to Iexas and
| Oregon. The "London Chronicle" which was
so fierce for war on these questions year
ago. in recent editorial dolorously remarks,
among other things:
Colonel Benton, on whose rivalry with Cal
boun and whose opposition to slavery people
counted, in order TO divide the Democrats, and
hog Al,
,rary. declared tor it, on the proviso, that Texas
is 10 be divided into slave States and non-slave
States Such has been the compromise proposed
by Missouri. And such is the nature OF the re-.
solution which passed By 100 70 9S." Speaking
OF Oregon, the same journal says: "The veteran
Quincy Adams declared, with his wonted impe-
,uosity, that the American claim was TOO manifest
to be longer postponed, and consequently he would