protection as any other part of it, that against that staple the markets of this country were closed. How are the Canadians to pay for the supplies which they draw from this country?-Is it fitting, that, when 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 warehouse, 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 half-penny, 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? When this subject is considered by the British agriculturist, it is impossible, that he can view the indulgence which I propose with jealousy or apprehension. That indulgence is, 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 will have that of the freight from Quebec to England, which is not less than from twelve to fifteen shillings more. The greatest quantity of wheat which Canada can now supply, may, I understand, be estimated at not more than 50,000 quarters, but even if the importation were double that quantity, and were it to increase more rapidly than I consider probable, such an addition is not likely to keep pace with the growing demand of our population; and whether so or not, I should still maintain, that the principle of the measure is one to which no fair or impartial man can possibly refuse his assent. It only remains for me, thanking the committee for their attention, to move the following resolutions :

1st." That it is expedient to amend several acts of the 3rd and 4th years of his present majesty, for regulating the trade between his majesty's possessions in America, and other places in America and the West Indies; and between his majesty's possessions in America and the West Indies, and other parts of the world; and also an act of the 4th year of his present majesty, for regulating the warehousing of goods.'

2nd." That the duties imposed by two acts of the 3rd year of his present majesty, for regulating the trade between

his majesty's possessions in America and other places in America and the West Indies; and between his majesty's pos sessions in America and the West Indies, and other parts of the world, or by an act of the 4th year of his present majesty to amend the last-mentioned act, shall cease and determine; and that the duties hereinafter mentioned shall be paid in lieu thereof."

Mr. Charles Ellis said, that, in consequence of his connexion with those colonies to which the line of policy stated by his right hon. friend was intended to be adapted, he had listened to his address with no common degree of interest. With respect to the intended alteration in the duty on sugar imported from the Mauritius, he certainly had heard that intimation with some degree of surprise. Considering what had passed when that measure was brought before the House last year, and the manner in which it was abandoned, he certainly did not expect that it would have been introduced on this occasion; but, as many opportunities would occur for discussing those different measures, he would not trouble the committee with any further observations on this subject, except to request, that his right hon. friend would have the goodness, before he brought in his bill, to lay before the House the petition of the inhabitants of the Mauritius against placing them on the footing of a West-India colony. As to the general plan of his right hon. friend, he must say, that the restrictions which he sought to put down, had long pressed on the interests of the West-India colonies, perhaps more than that of any other of the colonies of great Britain. When those restrictions were first proposed, the effect of them was very different. At that time they did not press very hard on the colonies; who were then in full possession of the home market. Many alterations had, however, been since made; and as our colonial possessions had been much extended, it was impossible to continue the system of keeping the trade of those colonies entirely to ourselves. It, therefore, became necessary to alter the colonial code. Those bills to which his right hon. friend had alluded, and on which he meant to legislate, were in consequence introduced; the one allowing a direct trade in British ships from the colonies to Europe, and the other for facilitating the intercourse between the colonies and America. He had expected

gracious on this occasion; he would not make any objections to the alteration proposed by his right hon. friend, which was unobjectionable in principle, and which, he was sure, was intended to do good. He would much rather look at the other side of the picture. With respect to the West-India islands, their geographical situation adapted them peculiarly for a convenient entrepôt for all our manufactures. Vessels often proceeded to those islands from England almost in ballast; which, under the new system, needed no longer to be the case. Commerce, it was well known, would attract around it every species of industry; and this beneficial alteration in the colonial code might be the means of creating a white population, and of extending cultivation to many other articles besides those now produced in the West-Indies. The tranquillity and prosperity of the colonies would thus be secured; and he certainly felt, that in no other way could they so successfully accelerate the change in the slave population which that House had delegated to the government the task of carrying into effect, as by giving a fresh impulse and energy to commerce and cultivation in the colonies. His right hon. friend's paternal affection for this measure could not inspire him with greater anxiety for its success, than was felt by him (Mr. Ellis); and he hoped the name of his right hon. friend would hereafter be connected with a new and favourable era in the history of those colonies.

much benefit from those measures, but in that he had been disappointed. British merchants did not avail themselves of the permission to trade direct between the colonies and Europe; and the West-India planters found it impossible to overcome the difficulties of their situation, and to divert an old established system of commerce into new channels. He believed that not a single ship load of colonial produce was sent to continental Europe. The reciprocity measure, with respect to America, was also inoperative. He hoped, however, in consequence of the opening of the trade now projected, that foreign powers would take their commodities to the West Indies, and exchange them there for the produce of the colonies. If this were once the case, he was sure it would rouse the energy of British merchants, who would not allow foreign merchants to keep the whole of the colonial trade with Europe to themselves. Neither did he think that the merchants of the United States would exclude themselves from those ports, when they saw foreigners carrying on a beneficial trade. When the colonies were freed from those heavy charges to which his right hon. friend had alluded, they would, he conceived, find a vent for that surplus produce, the accumulation of which had overwhelmed them. The plan, however, though good in principle, was limited. It was of necessity bounded by the principle of reciprocity. That principle, of course, confined it to those countries that would be disposed to adopt an equally liberal policy. Some of the states of Europe might, therefore, be excluded. They might be unwilling to alter their present colonial system. A very good commercial treaty had been negociated, for instance, with Denmark: but, at the foot of it was placed an intimation, that it did not extend to the colonial trade of that country. His right hon. friend's scheme was also connected with certain protecting duties. What the effect of them would be he could not say; but that must depend on their correct application to particular articles. After the experience this country had had of the effect produced by protecting duties, with reference to the produce of Canada, and in checking the intercourse with the United States of America, he trusted his right hon. friend would not be over sanguine in the success of the present measure. He should be sorry to say any thing un

Mr. Baring said, he could not suffer so important a subject to pass, without expressing his gratification at almost every thing that had been stated by the right hon. gentleman. He thought the measure proposed would be productive of great good, as well to the colonies as to the mother country. There was always this advantage in broad and liberal views of commerce-that they intended to serve all the parties concerned. There were portions of the statement of the right hon. gentleman which could not be exactly understood, until gentlemen saw the resolutions, and the bills that would be founded on them. What he did see, and what he highly approved of was, the general spirit of liberality that pervaded the whole system. He conceived that, from its adop tion, the colonies would derive great benefit. It was at length found, that no nation could gain by keeping down and impoverishing her colonies. It was by making them

creet to take so important a measure without a communication with the districts for which it was to legislate. It was, however, desirable, and in consequence of the proposed arrangement, it became more so than ever, that some regulations should be made, as to the share of revenue which was to be received by each of those districts; or they should be united. He was sure this would not escape the attention of the right hon. gentleman. He rejoiced in the opportunity he had of expressing the satisfaction he experienced from the detail of the right hon. gentleman's plans; which he had no doubt would be as beneficial to the country, as they were in themselves enlightened and liberal.

Sir F. Burdett rose, for the purpose of expressing the gratification he felt at the new and liberal view which was taken by his majesty's ministers upon subjects which involved the most important interests of the country. He hoped that they would not suffer any timidity to deter them from carrying the principles which they had avowed into full execution. He was satisfied there was no reason for any such apprehension; and he did not doubt that the government would find that, upon this subject, the general opinion of the country was with them. He did not clearly comprehend all the details of the right hon. gentleman's alterations; but, as far as he did do so, he fully concurred with them; and it was matter of great gratification to him, to find that they were conceived in a spirit of pure and enlightened policy. He trusted, that the principles would be acted upon to the greatest practicable extent in the colonies, and that they would be allowed the full enjoyment of all the advantages which could be derived from their own labour, and ingenuity, and enterprise; not fettered by restrictions which curtailed those advantages, but left at full liberty to pursue their own works in their own colonies, and to send their produce to this country as they might think fit. Every body knew the disadvantages which the West-India proprietors laboured under, in being compelled to send their sugars to the British market in a raw state. Upon no sound principle of commercial policy could such restrictions be maintained; and he hoped that in future all the benefits to which they were fairly entitled would be ensured to the colonists. With respect to the importation of corn from Lower Canada, that meaVOL. XII.

sure, he believed, would be almost universally approved of. The real principles of national policy were better understood than they had been at former periods; and those persons who were most interested in this subject had now found that their interest required no monopoly, nor any other advantages, excepting such as they would of necessity enjoy from the command of the home market, and their not being subject to the expense of freight and other charges, to which foreign corn was inevitably liable. He hoped that the same principle would be applied, not only to the corn of Canada, but of every other country, and that a free trade in corn would be established with all Europe. Unless this were done, he was convinced it was impossible that the trade of the country would be extended in the manner it ought to be. No country would trade with us in perfect freedom, unless we were ready to take from it, in return for what we had to give, that which it was able to offer us. It could be in no way advan tageous to the country, or to any class of men in it, that their interests should be bolstered up by exclusive privileges. He hoped to see, at no distant period, the extinction of all taxes which were levied upon trade, except such as fairly formed the source of the revenue- that there would be no prohibition against goods imported from abroad, and no restriction upon the exportation of every description of manufacture produced at home. This once accomplished, he had no doubt that the country would advance in prosperity, far beyond any point that it had hitherto attained, and beyond all that the most sanguine mind had yet conceived. other points of the right hon. gentleman's plan he should not at present further remark upon; but he warmly congratulated him upon the satisfactory nature of the alterations he had proposed; and he conjured him not to let any fears deter him from proceeding in the course he had begun. The public mind was now too much enlightened, and saw too clearly the general interests of the country, to permit any of those obstacles which prejudice or misapprehension might, in other times, have given rise to, to impede the completion of the right hon. gentleman's object.

The

Mr. Bright expressed himself friendly to the principles of free trade, but wished that their application should be made as general as might be practicable. The measures proposed to be adopted, with 4 C

regard to the West Indies, were such as were equally demanded by the interest of this country and by justice to the colony. If they had been earlier adopted, the consequences would have been, to prevent many of the evils which had long existed; and he had no hesitation in saying, that if the West-India colonies had been freed from the restrictions they had so long endured, the population would have been infinitely better off in every respect. The case of the Mauritius, to which he should not now allude, was one which stood upon its own merits. He did not quite understand what the right hon. gentleman meant to do, with respect to rum and sugar, and he should be glad, at some other opportunity, to have this explained.

Mr. Huskisson said, that it was his intention to include in the list of articles on which prohibitory duties were still to be kept up, sugar, rum, molasses, cocoa, and coffee, the production of any foreign country which might be carried into our colonies, and thence exported here. This measure was obviously necessary to prevent, for example, sugar produced from Havannah, enjoying the same advantages as those enjoyed by our colonies, while the foreign growers refused to grant us any reciprocal benefits. He did not apprehend that much corn would be imported from Canada; and there was still less fear, that any would be brought from the United States; because the latter were not in the habit of exporting their corn, but in the shape of flour. He had no doubt that the result of this measure would be such as the most jealous agriculturist need not fear.

Mr. Hume rose, for the purpose of asking whether, during the changes which the right hon. gentleman proposed, it was his intention to take some steps with respect to St. Domingo, so as to put our intercourse with that place on a different footing. We had at present no person there to take care of our commercial interests. He submitted, that, as the time had now come when that country had firmly established itself, and the most entire peace and tranquillity prevailed in it, we ought not to reject the overtures which had been made to us to trade with them. He hoped that the right hon. gentleman's attention would also be drawn to the heavy tax on timber from Canada, and that the timber trade would be relieved from a burthen which pressed so heavily upon it.

Sir Robert Farquhar observed, that he perfectly agreed with the hon. member for Bristol in thinking, that the Mauritius was a case that stood upon its own merits; and he felt convinced, from his experience and local knowledge, acquired during the many years he had administered that colony, that whenever that case should be brought forward, and discussed, it would be found to be the hardest and most cruel, that had ever been submitted to the House of Commons, and one that called for immediate relief. The measures proposed had been long due, as the only means of rescuing from utter ruin, a people who were equally exemplary under all their privations, restrictions, and disabilities, for their patience, their intelligence, and their obedience to the laws. In a political point of view, the importance of governing them with justice, kindness, and liberality, must be obvious to every person who regarded the position of the colony, and the population of which it was composed; and in a financial view, the colony, by being relieved from the present excessive duty on the importation into this country of their produce, would be enabled, not only to pay the expense of the civil government and establishments, but the military charge for its defence, and thus relieve this country from a burthen of at least 100,000l. a-year-levied, not for the benefit of the country, but for the exclusive protection of that very class to which they, from the exact similarity of circumstances of colonization, naturally and properly belonged, and ought to enjoy equal advantages with; that therefore he had full confidence in the wisdom of his majesty's government for immediately carrying into execution the measure proposed, being one equally founded on the principles of policy, expediency, justice, and good faith; and that the Mauritius would no longer be a solitary example of a British sugar colony, excluded, by enormous and almost prohibitory duties, from the importation of their sugar for home consumption.

Dr. Lushington said, he was perfectly ready to agree, that very great advantages were likely to result from the measures which had been proposed to the House, as well to the colonies as to the mother country. Now, however, that the restrictions which had been found to be injurious and unjust were to be taken off, and the Mauritius was to be placed on a footing with the West-India islands, he