great advantage from being connected with | cally, that I think I shall best consult the this country, and from having the benefit fair discussion of the question by forbearof all the skill and the accumulated capital ing to enter into any debate upon it until of this country; and this Empire has an I shall have had an opportunity of exaimmense advantage also in the loyalty, the mining the Resolutions, and rendering strength, and the assistance of the colo-myself able to comprehend the details nists. But these colonists must not here- of a system which must necessarily be after exist on the limited and restricted rather complicated. I shall now confine system of former days; that must be ac-myself to asking the noble Lord a quesknowledged to be erroneous, and other tion with respect to one part of his sysprinciples must prevail. I believe that tem upon which I did not fully understand both the mother country and the colonists him. The noble Lord stated with respect will flourish all the more for the abolition to the colonial trade, that it was his obof useless restrictions, and that after some ject by Act of Parliament to empower period of murmuring, perhaps some passing the several colonial Legislatures to repeal cloud of discontent, we shall acknowledge such portions of the discriminating duties both in this country and in the magnificent at present existing in those Colonies as repossessions belonging to us, that we have garded the produce of foreign countries been heretofore mistaken in following the and the produce of Great Britain, as the former policy of restriction, and that the Colonies might think it for their advantage affection felt reciprocally will be all the to repeal. Now I did not understand the stronger when neither party is subject to noble Lord, whether it were his intention any restrictions imposed by the other; still further to give extension to the colowhen the colonists are neither obliged to nial trade by permitting an intercourse in submit to restrictions for some supposed the produce of those Colonies with foreign benefit to the mother country, and when countries, and for re-importation to those the mother country is not deprived of the Colonies of the produce of foreign counbenefit of some of the choicest productions tries in the ships of foreign countries, or of the globe for the sake of the colonial in- whether the trade would be confined to the terest, favoured by her imperial laws. The ships of this country? I think this is an colonial empire of this country is an em- important point, and I should be glad for pire of which every British statesman is the noble Lord to have an opportunity of most justly proud, and to which the people explaining it. of this country attach the highest value. I trust that when this better system has been adopted, we shall see the Colonies increase and flourish; that we shall be proud of them as our creation; that we shall continue to see them in the enjoyment of that liberty which we have given them; and that both they and the mother country may flourish in union for ever. I shall now conclude by proposing a Resolution for the continuance of the present duties on sugar, and by laying on the Table the Resolutions the nature of which I have explained to the Committee. I trust that these Resolutions will be hereafter adopted, and, if they should be, I think the present Ministry, however short may be its existence, will not have administered the affairs of the country without effecting some na tional advantage. The noble Lord moved the following Resolution:

"Resolved-That towards raising the Supply granted to Her Majesty, the several Duties now payable on Sugar, be further continued."

MR. GOULBURN: Sir, the proposition of the noble Lord is one of such extreme importance, both commercially and politi

LORD J. RUSSELL: What I propose to do is, to empower Her Majesty (not the Governors of the Colonies) to give Her assent in this country to any Bill passed by the Colonies which would take away those discriminating duties on foreign produce. I do not propose, in any respect, to alter the navigation laws which now exist; I only propose to give that power to Her Majesty in case the Colonies should alter those duties.

LORD G. BENTINCK: I fear, Sir, that in the able and perspicuous statement of my noble Friend two communications alone will be agreeable to the hon. Friends around me-the one that it is the intention of my noble Friend, when he settles the Sugar Duties, to put an end to the vicious system that has lasted for many years, of renewing those duties for one year only; the other, that it is the intention of my noble Friend to facilitate the means of the West Indies in obtaining labourers from other countries. With respect to the Resolution now before the House for the temporary enactment of a measure for the levying of the Sugar Duties, my noble Friend

In answer to MR. MOFFATT,

The CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER stated, that he apprehended the first question of the hon. Gentleman was, whether it were proposed to maintain the present differential duty upon clayed sugar and

a sufficient supply of sugar from the Colo- | consider the plan of the Government of nies for home consumption until they had a utility either to themselves or to the mofair opportunity of sending the produce they ther country. could raise, if they had a sufficiency of labour at their disposal. With respect to the Colony with which he was connectedviz., Berbice, if they took away protection, while there existed the present inability to obtain free labour, he must say they could not enter into competition with other sugar-sugar equal to clayed? He did not know producing countries; and he could assure the House that that Colony of Berbice was at present in a complete state of disorganization. There were proprietors in that Colony at the present moment in an absolute state of starvation, not because they had not a most fertile soil-not because they were not anxious to pay for labour, if they could get it; but simply because they could not obtain a single hand to work upon their estates. Under those circumstances, his noble Friend should give the subject great consideration before he proceeded further. Such a state of things could not last long, but must speedily end in the ruin of the Colony, if not remedied. Then, if an absentee proprietor forwarded the most humble peti-ceive any information that could be laid tion to the Governor of the Colony, he did not meet with the slightest consideration. With the permission of the House, he would read a letter which he had received, in reply to a petition that he had sent to the Governor, and which in its tone resembled more an emanation from the Celestial Empire than anything else. It was as follows:

whether hon. Gentlemen remembered that about two years ago, when that duty had been reduced, he had stated that he had no objection to the duty on principle, but that he believed it would be impracticable in operation; and certainly the result of a return which he had moved for at the end of last year, stating the quantity of sugar admitted as white and clayed sugar duties, did show that the duty was nugatory in effect. At the same time it was a question attended with a good deal of difficulty, which had not been diminished but rather increased by the introduction of Havannah sugar. He had, therefore, retained that duty in the Resolutions before the House; but the Government were perfectly ready to re

before them, as to whether it might be necessary to retain or dispense with that duty. They would take further time to consider as to what they would determine finally to adopt. The next question referred to the duty on refined sugar. There could be no doubt as to the maintenance of that duty; and he proposed to go further, and add words which he did not believe "Government-house, Demerara. would extend the practice of the Resolu"Sir-I am desired by Governor Light to say, tion, but would make the intention of it that he has received your letter of the 15th of more clear. The words he would add were May, respecting the management of your plantations, in your devocation of authority from your "other refined sugars, or sugars by any late agent, and your appointment of Mr. Read in other process rendered equal thereto. his place, together with other particulars connect- That distinction would be still essential ed with the management of your property in that with respect to Havannah sugars. With Colony. His Excellency is quite at a loss to conceive why you should have thought it necessary so regard to the third question, the duty unceremoniously to bring these private affairs would vary from year to year, taking musunder his notice, especially as he has not the ho-covado sugar as the basis. Every other duty nour of any personal acquaintance with you. If would be fixed by a rule-of-three sum acyou have been induced to do so under a supposicording to that basis, and the duty for the first would be 28s. refined sugar, upon 24s. upon clayed; 21s. upon muscovado ; and 7s. 10d. upon molasses. With respect to sugar-candy, he did not think there would be much objection to putting it on the same footing as double-refined sugar. The Resolutions containing all the duties would be introduced, as his noble Friend had given notice, on Friday next.

tion that his Excellency's position, as Governor of

Guiana, imposes upon him the superintendence of landed estates, you are under a misapprehen

sion."

The hon. Gentleman having commented on the inconvenience arising from the colonists being subjected to Dutch law, concluded by observing that he could not support the proposition of the Government unless they gave the subject of the supply of free labour greater consideration; and that it was impossible for the colonists otherwise to

year

MR. P. M. STEWART was happy to find that the interests of the Colonies were

not to be disturbed every year, but were | in breweries; but he had not been able to now to be fixed by a final settlement. obtain any explanation of how the matter There were two points, however, touched really stood. The Chancellor of the Exupon by his noble Friend which might chequer must have had his attention dithrow great obstacles in the way of the rected to this subject; and he thought the final settlement of the question, and to right hon. Gentleman would find great difwhich he wished to direct attention. They ficulty in obtaining any satisfactory solu were to have free-trade principles intro- tion of the question, whether sugar could duced with regard to sugar; but rum, the or could not be so used. The brewers staple produce of the Colonies, was, it ap- declared that it required no statute for the peared, to remain under the old system, admission of sugar and molasses into their and to be treated rather as a foreign than breweries; but he knew, with respect to as a colonial spirit. His noble Friend had distilleries, that an alteration of the law said that upon reference to the Excise, he was required before they could be adfound the difficulties that existed and were mitted; and he thought it would be wise acknowledged on the subject, were such in the Government not to allow the present as to be almost irremovable; but he (Mr. opportunity for a satisfactory arrangement Stewart) begged leave to remark that to slip. Till they saw the Resolutions in there was no case upon record of a refer- print, they could not fairly enter upon the ence to the Excise of this country, for the discussion, and he would therefore abstain purpose of simplifying and regulating the from saying anything more now. duties of that office, ever having been successful; and, therefore, he called his noble Friend's attention to the matter, in order to examine the question more thoroughly than he could have done in the short time that had elapsed since he had taken office, in the hope that he would come to a different conclusion. His noble Friend had said that the discriminating duty might be reduced to ls. But why not extend the same principle to Ireland and Scotland as well as to England? The other point to which he wished to direct his noble Friend's attention was the exclusion of our colonial produce from the breweries and distilleries of this country, which resulted from maintaining a remnant of the old system of Corn Laws. This was, he thought, a most important point for consideration in the settlement of this question; and he hoped his noble Friend and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, instead of leaving it to be dealt with by the Excise, would give it their own careful attention. Let them apply one principle to the colonial interests, and set this question at

rest.

MR. BERNAL thought it a great pity, if the Resolutions were to stand for discussion on Friday, that hon. Members should enter into a debate at this particular moment, when they must, like his hon. Friend, broach a subject in so limited a way that they could not do it justice. He must say, however, with respect to the use of sugar in breweries, that he never could obtain any satisfactory elucidation of the law with respect to it. He was told that there was no restriction upon the use of sugar

MR. BARKLY expressed his regret that the noble Lord had not felt himself in a position, whilst he proposed the admission of slave-grown sugar, to make that admission a little more palatable to those who had been well nigh ruined by the attempts to suppress slavery. When the noble Lord was about to apply the principle of free trade to the West Indian Colonies, he ought to have been better prepared with a reason for excluding the people of this country from using the products of the West Indies for any purposes; and with respect to the keeping up the differential duties of from 50 to 300 per cent on rum, he must ask if the noble Lord would give the Papers on which he had founded his opinions?

MR. EWART thought it was of the utmost importance to have an early and a permanent settlement of this question; it was most desirable for the commercial as well as the colonial interests; but he differed from the hon. Member for Weymouth, for he thought this the proper time to express a general opinion upon the proposal of the Government, though not upon the details. He should have been glad if the time for the final settlement had been limited to three years, and he should have deemed it still better if there had been no interval; for when they had determined to settle any question, a settlement finally and without delay was the best policy: and the noble Lord thought it would have been best with corn, and so it would have been with sugar. Agan, as far as the general principles of free trade went, he did not see why molasses should not be