Barnard, E. G. Castlereagh, Viscount Barnett, C. J. Bateson, Sir F. Beaumont, T. W. Belfast, Earl of Cavendish, Hon. C. C. Collier, J. Fellowes, H. Fitzgibbon, Hon. R. Fleming, Hon. A. C. Foley, J. H. Foley, Hon. T. H. Forester, Hon. G. Fremantle, Sir T. Hawkins, J. H. Hay, Colonel A. L. Hayes, Sir E. Heathcote, G. J. Heathcote, J. Herbert, Hon. S. Heron, Sir R. Herries, Right Hon. J. C. Hobhouse, Sir J. C. Hoskins, K. Hotham, Lord Houldsworth, T. Howard, P. II. Howard, R. Howard, F. G. Howick, Viscount Hoy, B. Hudson, T. Ingestre, Viscount Hyett, W. H. Ingham, R. Inglis, Sir R. H. Cobbett, W. Dobbin, L. Don, O'Conor Ellis, W. Nagle, Sir R. Roche, D. Roebuck, J. A. Faithful, G. Fancourt, Major Fielden, J. Parrott, Jasper Fiztsimon, C. Richards, J. Fitzsimon, N. Rippon, C. French, F. Roche, W. Fryer, R. Galwey, J. M. Roe, J. Gaskell, D. Sheil, R. L. Paired off. TELLERS. Torrens, Colonel R. in the county of Wexford; they prayed, Bulwer, E. L. ABOLITION OF SLAVERY-PETITIONS.] Lord Suffield said, that he had several Petitions to present, on the subject of Slavery in the West-India colonies, but in the then thin state of the House (half a dozen peers at most were present), he should not feel justified in presenting the whole of them. He would, under the circumstances, therefore, limit himself to the presentation of two only, and the observations which he should offer on them would be very few. The first was from Weybridge, the second from a parish individuals conuected with the West-India body. Under these circumstances, he thought that those persons, who, out of consideration to the Government, had hitherto been induced to forbear bestirring themselves actively in furtherance of the object in view, could no longer suspend their exertions; nor did he believe that the public would be disposed to bear the disappointment of the expectations which had been raised with any degree of patience. He wished to state distinctly, his conviction, and he believed the evidence would corroborate it, that a very strong feeling did exist throughout the kingdom on the subject of negro slavery. The forbearance which had hither dersfield, Barldon, Pudsey, Radcliffe, and Pilkington; from Bleachers in Renfrew, Lanark and Dumbartonshire; by Lord ROBERT MANNERS, from Sheeps head; by Mr. W. DUNCOMBE, from Earls-Herton, Halifax, and Thornton,-in favour of the Factories Bill. -By Lord ASHLEY, from St. Luke's, and various other Places; by Mr. PAUL THOMPSON, from several Places in the County of York and by Colonel DAVIES, from Worcester, for the Better Observance of the Sabbath,-By Mr. CHARLES WOOD, from Halifax; and by Mr. PAUL THOMPSON, from Great Driffield,-for the Repeal of the Assessed Taxes.-By Lord DALMENY, from Bushy; and by Mr. CHARLES WOOD, from Halifax,-for the Abolition of Slavery.-By Mr. MORGAN O'CONNELL, from Parishes in Meath; and by Mr. VIGORS, from Raphoe and several other Places in Ireland, against the Suppression of Disturbances (Ireland) Bill. TRADE WITH THE BRAZILS.] Lord Sandon said, he had to present a petition on a subject of much importance to the commercial interests of the country, from the merchants of Liverpool. The petition came from a society calling itself the Brazilian Association, and they prayed for a remittance of the excessive duties on In to been displayed he trusted would not be mistaken for apathy and indifference to the highly important subject of the emancipation of slaves. There was, he could confidently assure their Lordships, no such. apathy or indifference in the public mind, and the delay in the settlement of the question was, he repeated, solely owing to the opposition made by the West-India body. He had heard it stated, with some degree of bitterness, that the Anti-slavery Society was the enemy of this body. The charge was most incorrect and unjustifiable. The society was far from considering the West-India body with vindictive feelings. Before he sat down, he would, however, offer this latter association one word of advice, which it would be well for them to attend to. Generosity, it was well known, was as strong a characteristic of the British public as the love of justice; but he would humbly suggest to the West-India the sugars imported into this country from body, and he did not speak without some Brazil for the purpose of refining. reason, the policy of displaying a greater accordance with the objections which had spirit of conciliation. The eager desire of the been made on the subject of presenting public for the enactment of a measure of conciliation was perfectly well known, and petitions, he should not detain the House he was sure, that if that desire were attempt-not permit himself to present the petition with any prefatory remarks, but he could ed to be checked, it would increase till it without making the House fully acquaintbecame as irresistible as the call for ed with its contents. He must, therefore, Reform was last year. They were, at read its contents to the House. The present, disposed to act liberally with the petitioners stated West-India body; he, therefore, warned that body against delay, as he was quite persuaded it would result in rendering the demands upon them much more extensive, and would cause those demands to be urged with more determination than ever. He counselled them to agree at once to the terms offered by Government, while those terms might yet be yielded to with propriety. The noble Lord, in conclusion, observed, that two days might not elapse before he might consider it his duty to call the attention of the House to the subject in a more specific way. Petitions laid on the Table. That they carry on a very extensive commerce with Brazil, in the produce and manufactures of the United Kingdom, and are suffering great inconvenience and loss from the difficulty of obtaining a medium of return for their merchandise, and a back-loading for their shipping, arising through the operation of the present state of the law, which, by the imposition of excessive duties on the importation for consumption or manufacture, of the chief products of Brazil-namely, sugar, coffee, cocoa, and rum, prohibits their importation, except to a very limited extent, in transitu, and admits only for consumption the articles of cotton, tobacco, and hides. That the trade with Brazil has now become one of the most important branches of our foreign commerce, and deserves the especial protection and encouragement of the State; our exports of British manufactures produce to that empire, amounting annually to the value of upwards of three millions sterling, which manufactures and produce are admitted freely, and on the most favoured terms, for consumption in that country, and with which its people are almost exclusively clothed. That Brazil, not possessing any extent of shipping, these manufactures and produce are carried out to that country, almost exclusively in British vessels. That Brazil affords ample means of payment for this merchandise, in her many and rich pro- | your Honourable House, during the last Sesductions, and of freighting back to this king-sion of Parliament, they cannot but attribute a dom an immense tonnage of British shipping, great portion of their distress to the general but that none of these articles are admissible management of their affairs, and the embar on practicable terms, for use or consumption rassment of the planters. That it is not the in this country, except the before-mentioned desire of your petitioners to withdraw from articles of cotton, tobacco, and hides, which those colonies that protection which they may form but a very small portion of the value of claim as a part of the British empire, but your the whole. That, in consequence of these petitioners humbly submit, that such protection prohibitory laws, upwards of two millions ought not to exceed that afforded to the agriof British capital is forced into other channels, cultural and manufacturing interest of the giving employment and encouragement to mother country, which have no bounty on the foreign shipping and manufactures, paying to exportation of their products, neither a monoforeign European States freights, commissions, poly of the home trade; nor should so serious and charges, to the great loss of the British an injury be inflicted on other rising and imshipowner and merchant, as also to the general portant branches of foreign commerce, for the interest of British commerce, manufactures, supposed benefit of any particular, and much less and revenue. That it is within the knowledge important interests. That the West-India celoof your petitioners, that one important branch nies have, besides a monopoly of the home of the manufacture of this kingdom-namely, market, the choice of all the European and that of sugar refining, has, for some time past, North-American markets for the sale of their been only partially and unprofitably employed, productions, as also, for the purchase of their and incapable of competing with foreign supplies, taking from this country those artimanufacture, owing to the scarcity and high cles only which best suit their convenience. price of the raw material, even with the advan- That the whole population, including slaves, tage of the bounty of 8s. per cwt., which your of the British West-India colonies does not petitioners believe to be paid out of the greatly exceed a million of souls; that the revenue, on the exportation of refined colonial exportation of British manufactures for the use sugars from this country. That, in proof of and consumption of those colonies amounts the injurious effect and extent of this monopoly only to the annual value of from one million and high bounty to the revenue, to the com- and a half to two millions sterling, whilst our merce, and to the comforts of the people of exports to Brazil, as already stated, exceed this kingdom, your petitioners humbly repre- three millions, and to Manilla, Java, Sincasent, that, although the price of British plan- pore, and the Indian Archipelago, and other tation sugar has been, on an average of the countries, affording similar productions to past year, as shown by the Gazette, about Brazil, about two millions, with a population 28s. 6d. per cwt., the price of the refined and field for the consumption of our manusugar, called ordinary lumps, delivered free on factures of incalculable extent. That the whole board ship, and including several charges, amount of the products of these rich counbesides that of manufacture, was only 25s. to tries, admissible for the use and consumption 27s. per cwt.; the drawback on exportation of this kingdom, does not exceed the annual being 36s. 10d. per cwt., and that double value of one million sterling; the residue, of refined crushed sugars, having a drawback of about four millions, being thus forced, by the 43s. 3d. per cwt., have been and are selling, highly restrictive laws of this country, into also free on board, at 29s. to 30s. per cwt., foreign channels, and to the employment and thus giving to the foreign consumer this im- encouragement of foreign shipping and manuportant article, in the manufactured state, at facture. That the French government having from 1s. to 3s. per cwt. less than the cost of experienced the impolicy of this restrictive the raw material; the whole expense of manu-system, also long enforced in that country, facture and difference of price being paid by the Treasury for the benefit of the foreign consumer, and to the injury of the sale of Brazil sugar in foreign markets. That the effect of this bounty on the exportation of refined sugars and bastards is not only a direct annual loss to the Treasury of from 300,000l. to 400,000l.,but an indirect tax upon the people to the extent of from one to two millions sterling, since the price to the consumer in this country is enhanced in proportion to the bounty paid on exportation to the foreign consumer; and further, tends materially to lessen the consumption, and, thereby, also the revenue and the comforts of the people. That your petitioners sincerely lament the distress, said to exist in some of the West-India colonies; but, from the evidence laid before a Committee of have now laid before the Chambers a project of law, abolishing all bounties on the exportation of colonial sugar; and, with a view to the encouragement of the French refineries, and to render France the emporium of Europe for that article; it also proposes to admit for their use the growth of all foreign countries without distinction. That, if the restrictive laws of this kingdom are longer preserved, this object of the French government will be greatly aided by British capital. That it is the confident belief of your petitioners, that if the productions of Brazil and the Indian Archipelago were admitted to the use and consumption of this country, on terms affording reasonable protection to similar productions of the British colonies, additional' employment would be given to from fifty to one hundred thousand |