on the ship and cargo, were levied for the benefit of certain public officers. There was, in many of the islands a fee for the governor, another for his secretary, a fee to the naval officer, to the officers of the revenue, and to several others. If a ship proceeded from one port to another, as is frequently the case, owing to the state of the markets, these fees were levied at every port. Some of the officers to whom those fees were paid (particularly the naval officers), would, it was conceived, be no longer necessary, especially when the commerce of the colonies was so nearly assimilated to that of the mother country, and the officers of the Customs would be quite sufficient to attend to the enforcement of the navigation laws. It was, therefore, intended to abolish the fees to the naval officers altogether, making compensation to those who held their appointments for life, and allowing a superannuation to such as had been appointed only during pleasure. To all the officers in the Customs who were to be continued, it was proposed to give salaries, as in this country, to be paid out of the duties which they would have to collect and upon the same fund, it would be just to assign the temporary compensations to the other officers, as the discontinuance of their fees would be a relief to the colony in which they were levied. Two further alterations of a local and specific nature were proposed: the one relating to the Mauritius, and the other to Canada. The duty on Mauritius sugar, on its importation into this country, was ten shillings per cwt. more than the duty on British plantation sugar. Last session, resolutions were proposed for equalizing those duties; but i was then

objected, that the commerce of the Mauritius was not under the same restrictions as existed in the West Indies, and that the inhabitants of that colony preferred freedom of trade to equality of duty. Upon this objection the resolutions were abandoned; but now that the trade would be equally free to all, there could be no valid reason why the Mauritius sugar should not be admitted at the same rate as that of the West Indies.

The measure relating to Canada, was to admit at all times, the corn of that country into our consumption, upon the payment of a fixed and moderate duty. When it was considered that corn was the staple of that colony, could there be a greater act of injustice, than to declare to a part of our own empire, as much entitled to protection as any other part of it, that against that staple the markets of this country were closed. How were the Canadians to pay for the supplies which they draw from this country?-Was it fitting, that, wher they make their remittances in this staple, they should do so, without being able to know whether it can be received here?-Whether it is to remain in warehouses, unavailable and unproductive, and at a ruinous expense, for five or six years, depending for its admission into our market upon the fraction of a halfpenny, according to the average price in our markets for a few preceding weeks—that average influenced by the conflicting tricks and artifices of the home-grower and the home-dealer; the result of which cannot be known in Canada for many months afterwards? It was, therefore, but justice to allow the free import of Canadian wheat, at all times, upon the payment of a duty of five shillings a quarter.

In addition to the protection of this duty, the British grower would have that of the freight from Quebec to England, which was not less than from twelve to fifteen shillings more. As in the course of the last twenty years, an average quantity of only from 50,000 to 60,000 quarters of corn had been annually imported from Canada, it was not likely that, under any circumstances, the quantity of that corn imported could exceed 100,000 quarters. To bring this to England would employ from 20,000 to 30,000 tons of British shipping; and there was therefore no reason to be afraid of an inundation of corn from that quarter.

The resolutions embodying Mr. Huskisson's views were adopted without a dissenting voice: and were afterwards, with one trifling exception, carried into effect. That exception was, that the bill for establishing the free intercourse in the article of corn (subject to the duty of 5s.) between Canada and this country, was limited in its operation to the space of two years. By the act passed in conformity to the resolutions, certain free ports were named by the Crown, with which exclusively the trade of foreign nations was to be conducted. Each of our colonies was to have one of these ; and there were besides five warehousing ports appointed-viz., Kingston in Jamaica, Halifax, Quebec, St. John's in New Brunswick, and Bridge-town in Barbadoes.

On the following Friday, March 25, Mr. Huskisson brought forward the other parts of his scheme for promoting commerce by the diminution of duties imposed with a view to protection and not to revenue, and for affording relief to the shipping and navigation in

terests. He began with the cotton manufacture. There we excelled all our rivals; and such was the extent of the trade, that the official value of cottons exported during the last year amounted to 30,000,000l. Could it then be believed that the duty on one sort of cottons was 75 per cent, on another 654, and at the very lowest 50 ad valorem? Leaving the small duty on the raw material, he proposed to reduce the duties on manufactured cottons, the produce of India, and of all other places, to 10 per cent ad valorem, which would be quite sufficient to protect the home-manufacturer.

With respect to the woollen trade, there was a duty of 50 per cent on all woollens imported into this country; this he proposed to reduce to 15 per cent. In order to shew that ill-advised legislation had not tended to encourage this branch of industry, he mentioned, that, in the year ending 1765, the value of the woollen goods exported was 5,159,000l., while, in the year ending 1825, it was 6,926,000l.-being an increase of only 1,767,000l. during sixty years; and the import of wool in the former year was 1,926,000l., while in the latter year it was 3,858,000l. In cotton again, the cotton wool imported in 1765 had been 3,359,000 lbs. weight, while in that ending 1825 it had been 150,000,000 lbs. The value of cotton goods exported in the former year had been only 200,000l., while in the latter year it had amounted to 30,795,000, being an increase of 30,595,000l. in the sixty years.

The ad valorem duty on manufactured linen was in no case lower than 40 per cent, and in some cases as high as 180. But 30 per cent had been found to be a sufficient

protecting duty for silk, and therefore he thought that 25 per cent would be quite sufficient for linen. Foreign paper and books were nearly prohibited by the present high duties, instead of which he proposed a duty upon all books bound and unbound imported into this country, of double the excise duty upon paper, or 6d. per lb.

On foreign glass, a duty of 80 per cent above the excise duty was imposed, which pressed with peculiar severity on persons importing wine in bottles. He would propose to reduce it to 20l. per cent, and upon bottles to 3s. per dozen, which would be double the excise duty on bottles manufactured in this country. Although our manufacture of earthenware was cheaper than that of our neighbours, we had a protecting duty of 75 per cent on the foreign article, which he proposed to reduce to 5 per cent, and on gilt or ornamented porcelain, 30 per cent. There were various other articles, such as turnery and gloves, particularly the latter, on which the duty was so high that hundreds of persons were employed in smuggling them into this country. He thought it much better to have a duty of 30 per cent than an entire prohibition; and a consequent evasion of the law. A considerable reduction would be made in the duty on turnery and other light articles, but it would still be kept sufficiently high to protect our own trade.

He next proceeded to the duties on metallic substances. The duty on foreign iron was to be reduced from 6l. 10s. to 17. 10s. per ton. It was at present impossible for our manufacturers to execute many foreign orders which had been sent to them, owing to the high price of metallic substances.

"But is it fit," said Mr. Huskisson, "that in an article like iron, of universal use in all our manufactures, in all the arts and conveniences of life, in agriculture, in houses, in ships, we should now be suffering from a scarcity of that metal? That we should submit to have every article, in which it is used, greatly increased in price, as well as deteriorated, perhaps, in quality, on account of the enormous duty imposed upon foreign iron, not for the purpose of revenue, but for that of protection-a duty which amounts nearly to a monopoly in favour of the British iron masters? Has not the price of British iron, of late, been almost doubled? Have not all the iron masters demands for iron beyond what they can supply? Is there no risk or danger to our hardware manufactures at Birmingham and Sheffield, from this state of things? Can they execute the orders which they receive from abroad, if iron continues at its present price, or is to rise still higher? How many thousand workmen will be thrown out of employ, if this branch of trade be lost to this country? Is there no reason to apprehend its being transferred to Germany, the Netherlands, and other parts of the continent? I have been assured, upon authority not likely to mislead me, that very extensive orders, which have lately been received at Birmingham from the United States, and other parts, have been refused, because the great rise in the price of iron does not admit of the articles being made within the limits specified in those orders. And what is the consequence? They are transferred to the continent; and the share of this country in their execution, is confined to making the models and drawings, which

are prepared here, for the guidance of the foreign artificers. It is, therefore, of the greatest importance, that the duties on foreign iron should be reduced, in reference, not only to the interests of the consumer in this country, but also to the well-being of those numerous classes who are employed in all the manufactures of this metal for foreign countries. The necessity of this reduction becomes the more urgent, from the fact, that, at this time, the whole produce of the British mines is not adequate to supply the present demand. But, quite independently of this evil, it would be of great advantage to the manufactures of this country to be able to procure foreign iron, particularly that of Sweden, on easy terms. Swedish iron is known to be superior to our own; its admixture with British iron would improve the quality of our manufactures; they would be held in higher estimation, and not only be able to command a more decided preference in foreign markets, but become more valuable for all the purposes to which iron is applied in our domestic consumption.-Take, for instance, the important article of iron cables now so generally used by our shipping; it will not be denied that, by a due proportion of Swedish iron in their composition, their strength and tenacity would be improved. Here, then, an important advantage to our naval interests, connected too with the safety of every ship using iron cables, is directly counteracted by the present high duties on foreign iron. The result of its more free admission will be, not only to check those extreme fluctuations, which, of late years, we have witnessed in the price of iron-at one time so low as to be ruinous to the pro

ducer, at another so high, as to be greatly distressing to all the other interests of the country-but also by the improvements to which it will lead, to extend the use and consumption of manufactured iron (the bulk of which will always be our own) both at home and abroad. This increased demand, joined to a more steady price, will, ere long, more than compensate to the British iron masters the temporary inconvenience, if any, which some of them apprehend from the extent to which it is proposed to carry the reduction of this duty."

The next metal upon which he proposed a reduction, was copper. The duty, which in 1790 did not exceed 10l., had been raised to 541. a ton. The quantity of copper produced by the English mines amounts to about 10,000 tons annually, of which something less than one-half suffices for the home consumption. This being the proportion, would not the owners of copper mines see, that if, by the high price at which the manufacturer buys copper, he should lose his hold upon the foreign market, they must be injured by the effects of their own monopoly? The annual supply required would then be diminished to less than 5,000 tons; and they would, therefore, run the risk of losing more by the continuance of the present high duties, than by the repeal of them. These prohibitory duties had prevented copper, not only in an unmanufactured, but in an imperfectly smelted state, from coming into this country. This metal exists in great abundance, not only in several parts of Europe, but also in some of the new States of America. would have been sent here, as it used to be, in an imperfect state, in payment for British manufac

It

tures. Here it would have undergone the process of purifying, of rolling, or of being otherwise prepared for consumption, by the means of our superior machinery, had it not been kept away by impolitic restrictions. They operated as a bounty upon the transfer of our capital to other countries, and as a premium to encourage the inhabitants of those countries to do for themselves, that which, greatly to our own advantage, we should otherwise have continued to do for them. He therefore proposed to reduce the duty on copper from 54% to 271. a ton; without pledging himself, not to recommend, at a future period, even a further reduction, if it should appear that the present limit was not sufficient to enable our manufacturers to preserve their foreign market, and that, at a lower rate of duty, no great or sudden check would be given to the British mines.

Zinc, commonly known in trade under the name of spelter, enters in the proportion of about one-third, into the composition of brass. The selling price of spelter, on the continent, was about 20l. a ton, here about 451., and the duty was 281. Now, with a duty upon copper of 541. a ton, and upon spelter of 281. what chance could we have of maintaining a footing in the foreign market for any description of brass wares? None -and accordingly the briskest demand in that branch of trade was in the preparation of moulds and patterns for the foreign manufacturer. Upon spelter, the duty ought to be reduced full one half, and probably still lower; for he was convinced that the mines of this country would not successfully compete with those of Silesia, in which principally spelter is produced.

Upon tin, he proposed to reduce the duty more than one half-from 5l. 9s. 3d. to 2l. 10s. the cwt.

The duty on lead was 201. per cent ad valorem; this was to be lowered to 15l.

The duties on the other enumerated articles in the Book of Rates, were to be reduced upon the same principle. Although every thing which could, by any accident, be considered as an object of jealousy to any of our manufactures, was enumerated by name in the Book of Rates, there were other things not directly connected with trade or merchandize, but with art, science, and literature, and deriving their value solely from such connexion, which, whenever they were brought into this country, cost the person who imports them 50l. per cent on their estimated value, under a sweeping clause, at the end of that book, which provided, that upon all goods, wares, and merchandize, being, either in part or wholly, manufactured, and not enumerated, a duty of 50l. per cent should be payable, and a duty of 201. per cent upon all non-enumerated goods, not being either in part or wholly manufactured. A gentleman imported a mummy from Egypt. The officers of the Customs were not a little puzzled by this non-enumerated article. These remains of mortality, muscles and sinews, pickled and preserved three thousand years ago, could not be deemed a raw material; and therefore, upon deliberation, it was determined to tax them as a manufactured article. The importer, anxious that his mummy should not be seized, stated its value at 4007. The declaration cost him 2001., being at the rate of 50l. per cent on the manufactured merchandize which he was about to import.