POSTSCRIPT.

SATURDAY NIGHT.

The House of Commons, last night, resolved itself into a Committee of Ways and Means, to consider the duties on sugar; and the CHAN- CELLOR of the EXCHEQUER made a statement why Government could not consent to the admission of foreign sugar at a lower duty. The main reasons are—that to do so would injure the revenue without benefit to the consumer ; and would be seriously injurious as well as unjust towards our Colonial possessions, besides giving an impulse to the foreign slave-trade. In future, there is little probability that the Continental markets will be open to slave-grown sugar as they were formerly, on account of the protective duties which have been imposed on rival pro- duce. At the same time, there is springing up in the Slave-countries, and in Cuba particularly, a public opinion adverse to slavery ; and the holders of lands in those countries deprecate the slave-trade, because it helps to bring into cultivation new tracts of land to compete with theirs. The yearly number of slave-ships which enter the ports of Cuba has decreased one-third. Now no market would be so desirable for the producers of slave-grown sugar as the British market ; and shall we throw away an instrument which we possess for promoting the sup- pression of slavery by giving an impulse to the trade in the sugar which it is used to produce ? As to the supply from our Colonies, last year the quantity consumed, the largest yet known, was 200,000 tons ; and his information satisfied him that the supply this year would reach 230,000 or 240,000 tons : the present not exorbitant price, therefore, will not be enhanced. Mr. Goulburn moved a resolution, that the pre- sent Sugar-duties should be continued for one year. Mr. ROEBUCK moved an amendment He observed, that the con- sumption of sugar last year was 4,000,000 hundredweight, costing 7,000,0001. or 8,009,000/. ; and the duty levied was 4,000,0001. It is in fact one of the necessaries of life, and its consumption is especially to be encouraged, because it tends to habits of sobriety. In 1841, the average price of Colonial sugar was 49s. the hundredweight ; of Bra- zilian and Cuban sugar, 21s.; taking the difference, however, at only 20s., the people paid for their sugar 4,000,0001. more than they ought to have paid. Say the loss was only half of that sum, why should the poor of this country be taxed 2,000,000/. to put into the pockets of the West India proprietors ? Mr. Roebuck quoted the authority of Sir Fowell Buxton for asserting that our efforts to suppress the slave-trade fail altogether ; and with respect to slavery, he urged the utter impolicy of our attempting to interfere with the internal social relations of other countries. If it were really desired to exert English influence on that score, it would be much more effectual if we were united in the bands of commerce and habitual intercourse with Slave-countries, instead of setting up separate interests. He moved as an amendment, that the duty on Foreign sugars be equalized with that on Colonial sugars, namely, 24a,

A short debate followed - in which the amendment was opposed by Mr. GODSON, and by Mr. GAnirroals—who reserved his speech, how- ever, for Mr. Labouchere's motion ; and it was supported by Mr. COBDEN. On a division, it was negatived, by 59 to 18.

Mr. LABOUCHERE then moved to reduce the duty on Foreign sugar

from 63s. to 30s., and on Colonial sugar from 24s. to 20s. He admitted the injustice of suddenly and entirely withdrawing a protection under which great interests have grown up ; but he would substitute protection for prohibition. The relaxations in the Tariff were considerable, but lamentably insufficient to relieve the wants of the people; and next to corn, he knew of no article which enters so largely into the expenditure of the people for subsistence as sugar ; and there would be this peculiar advantage, that whereas reducing the duty on corn would not at once cause a great reduction in the price of bread, with sugar it would be the very reverse. He was not so sanguine as Mr. Goulburn respecting the promised supply : the imports of this year up to May 5th were 12,000 tons less than those of the same period last year. Nor, on the other hand, did he anticipate that so great an impulse would be given to the slave- trade. Brazil is angry at finding that her diplomatists have betrayed her into exacting only 15 per cent import-duty on British produce, while we exclude her produce : it would be most advisable to anticipate the approaching expiration of the treaty with that country, by placing our commercial relations on a sounder footing ; and he thought that this

Government would be more powerful for obtaining further commercial advantages, and for advancing the cause of humanity, after Brazil had tasted the benefits of a sounder and a fairer commercial treaty between the two countries.

Mr. GLADSTONE said, when it was complained, that the relaxa- tions in the Tariff bore so little on articles of subsistence, they should not lose sight of what it was in the power of Government to give ; and he thought that the best discretion had been exercised in relieving from taxation imported articles connected with the industry of the country. Mr. Gladstone entered into an elaborate calculation, by which be found that Mr. Labouchere's plan would entail a loss to the revenue of 600,0001., even supposing there were an increase in the consumption proportionate to the redaction of duty. The present price of sugar is 62s. 4d. : Mr. Labouchere's duty would give a price of 54s. 6d.; a dif- ference of 7s. 10d. the hundredweight. Had Mr. Labouchere included May in his account of this year's imports, he would have found that the deficiency would be only 6,500 tons, and that would be more than made up by vessels already on the voyage ; and if the Government estimate were as correct this year as it was last year, the total would not be less than 218,000 or 220,000 tons ; so that the price will be dimi- nished, while it is a fact that the quality of the sugar will be better. He did not agree with Mr. Labouchere that it would be expedient to surrender our quid pro quo before asking Cuba sind Brazil to make con- cessions. He quoted a recent work by Mr. Bandinel, which showed that the efforts of England to check the slave-trade have been so far successful, that the insurance on slave-ships has risen in Cuba to 40 per cent, while the yearly importation of slaves has decreased from 40,000 in 1835 to 14,470 in 1840.

Mr. HUME demanded fair treatment for the people of England ; Mr. P. M. STEWART fair treatment for the West Indian proprietors—by which he meant a differential duty of 15s., to protect them, after Negro Emancipation, from being forced into competition with Slave-sugar- countries.

Lord Joan RUSSELL ridiculed the pleas successively put forth for particular duties. Former Parliaments had granted relief on various articles of importance to the working-classes—salt, leather, coals, and candles ; but now they had great articles of subsistence under consi- deration— With respect to those great articles of consumption which the House had now to consider, and which formed the necessary articles of consumption among the labouring-classes, they had begun with bread, and they had found they could not make any great reduction. They had found that it was neces- sary to be independent of foreign nations—that, unfortunately, much as they wished to relieve the people in that first great article of food, they were not able to make a great and important alteration. They had then come to articles forming part of the weekly expenditure of the people, such as cheese and but- ter; but, unfortunately, they had found that the interest of the revenue was so much concerned that it was impossible to make any alteration. There was one article, indeed, in which they had been able to make an alteration— in the article of cattle and meat they bad been able to exchange high and pro- hibitory duties for those which were lower ; but with respect to cattle they had unfortunately heard the assurance that the people were not likely to derive present benefit in the reduced price of meat. Another article of great con- sumption was then before them, namely sugar; an article most important, considering the improved habits of the people—habits which the Legislature un- doubtedly ought to encourage. He was sorry to hear that upon this article the people must be contented with the.good wishes of the Legislature, and the proclamation that had been made of an anxious desire to reduce the price of subsistence.

Mr. Gladstone made light of the proposed reduction in the price of sugar, saying that it would only be 7s. lid., or about three farthings a pound ; but that was an important consideration in the weekly expendi- ture of a poor man. Lord John sneered at the humanity which admitted slave-grown coffee or copper, but not slave-grown sugar : it was not immoral to encourage the slave-trade with respect to coffee, but denun- ciations were thundered against it with respect to sugar ! He trusted that the people, in submitting to the Income-tax, would not find the promise that the Tariff would reduce the cost of subsistence illusory.

Mr. ROEBUCK rebuked Lord John Russell for talking as if the party in power alone retained the high price of food : the Opposition were not for free trade in corn, but merely advocated one of those mys- tifications so common on their side, an 8s. fixed duty. He himself had tried to equalize the duties on sugar : who opposed him?—Lord John supported a 10s. discriminating duty—a proposal very like the 8s. corn- dray; for if it were effectual as a protection, it would be effectual in shutting out competition. Mr. Roebuck launched into a vehement condemnation of sacrifices that had been made to the West Indies: what advantages are those colonies to us ? a set of barren islands, dearly bought with the pith and blood of this country. Jamaica at the bottom of the sea—ay, and all the Antilles after it—and where the loss to Great Britain ? What benefit did the weavers of Lancashire and York- shire derive from these boasted possessions? Mr. BERNAL had always been taught to believe that the welfare of the whole empire depended on the prosperity of its parts; and he asked Mr. Roebuck, if in his submarine attempts he was prepared to sink the East Indies with the West ?

Sir ROBERT PEEL interposed to pour oil on the troubled discussion, by suggesting that the House should come to the practical conclusion to vote for the Government proposition ; for it was evident that the adoption of the other rival propositions would cause no satisfaction whatever. Mr. Roebuck's enforcement of his principles at the expense of merging Jamaica in the sea did not need to be met by reasoning ; nor would it be rational to settle the value of our colonies by asking a distressed weaver what individual benefit he derived from them. Was not Government entitled to the confidence of the House oa the question ? The proposal was to continue the existing duties on sugar for another year. He hoped he should not be understood as precluding the House from the consideration of this question in another year. Lord John Russell had complained that nothing material had been done with respect to meat : Lord John had been ten years in office, and never proposed any alteration in the Tariff— When he heard that the apprehensions were so great that the price of cattle had fallen 25 per cent, he thought it was time to interfere. He adverted to this because the noble Lord had talked of his fearing to offend a powerful in- terest; and be wished to contrast the course which he had pursued with that of the late Government—a course in which he ran greater risk than any Mi- nister ever ran—((,heers)—for he saw that nearly a hundred of those Mem-

bers who had given him their confidence were on this particular point prepared to vote against him ; and he thought that in adhering to his resolution, he had given sufficient proof that he was prepared to incur the risk for the purpose of benefiting the people.

He admitted that the reduction of three farthings in the pound on sugar would not be a small matter ; but those questions were not to be looked at separately : if he were asked whether in the abstract he would reduce the duty on wool, he would say, yes ; and he would say the same on cotton-wool, glass, or sugar : but if they were to make all such de- sirable reductions, they would still have a large deficiency in spite of the Income-tax. He doubted whether our Colonies, where we had suppressed slavery, could compete with Slave-countries, and so doubted Mr. Deacon Hume- . I cannot conceive," said Mr. Hume, " that having thirty years ago abolished the slave-trade, and having now abolished slavery itself, that any question of free trade can arise between: Jamaica and Cuba : Cuba, with an abundance of fresh and rich soil, not only having the advantage of employing slaves—whatever it may be—but notoriously importing the enormous amount of 40,000 or 50,000 slaves every year ; having in fact the slave-trade and slavery; and as the laws of this country deprive the planter of Jamaica of that means of raising his produce, I consider the question as one taken oat of the category of free trade.',

The honour of the country would be compromised by admitting slave- grown sugar without seeking a concession from the growers. And the late Government had by no means followed Mr. Labouchere's proposed style of negotiation, granting concessions first and asking for equivalents afterwards : in Texas they made a slave trade treaty a preliminary to a commercial treaty ; in France they stipulated for reductions on manu- factures before making reductions on wine and brandies.

Lord Jour; Ruses's, doubted much whether, during any ten years Which had passed since the Revolution, any acts so important as those which had been adopted during the period of his administration had been carried out. He believed that if he, when in office, had brought for- ward the measure advanced by Sir Robert Peel, it would have been op- posed, and perhaps defeated ; but now he had the pleasure of enabling him to carry it.

On a division Mr. Labouchere's amendment was rejected, by 245 to 164; and the original motion was passed. The House then resumed, and adjourned shortly after, at a quarter to two o'clock.

Lord John Russell's bill for the better discovery of bribery at elec- tions is to be brought forward on Monday ; and then, said Sir ROBERT PEEL, the House will proceed with the Tariff. Mr. O'Connell also is to draw attention to the alleged corrupt compromise at Belfast.

The business in the House of Lords was not important. Lord BEAU- MONT presented a petition from the Colonial Society, for information on the subject of the Afghan war ; which Lord FITZGERALD would not grant, both in justice to the late Government and on account of the imperfect state of the information. He stated, however, that un- interrupted harmony prevailed between the Russian and British Go- vernments in respect to India and Persia.