any other articles used in the manufacture. Any protection beyond this he held to be not only unnecessary, but mischievous."

We have here a sound principle of protection, which ought, as we conceive, to be applied, eventually, to all foreign importations whatever; saving only the cases in which a duty upon a foreign manufacture may be the simplest and easiest mode of collecting a

revenue.

Mr. Huskisson next proceeded to Woollens.* After referring to the vexatious laws for regulating the manufacture and trade in woollens, which had been recently repealed, he stated the increase of sheep and lambs' wool imported, from 1,926,000lbs. in 1765 to 23,858,000lbs. in 1824, accompanied by an increase of woollen goods exported only, from £5,159,000 to £6,926,000. These facts, coupled with the undoubted increase in the quantity of wool grown in England, evinced a great augmentation in the domestic consumption. Then mentioning the immense increase which had occurred within the same time, in the import of cotton wool, and of raw silk, and in the export of cotton goods, he claimed these facts as an illustration of his position," that the means which led to increased consumption, and which are the foundation, as that consumption is the proof, of our prosperity, will be most effectually promoted by an unconstrained competition, not only between the capital and industry of different classes in the same country, but also by extending that competition as much as possible to all other countries." He proposed to reduce the duty on foreign woollens to 15 per cent. Mr. Huskisson's reason for fixing the duty at this rate was not so precisely assigned as in the case of the cotton duty, which it exceeds by one-third; he simply stated, that "it would answer every purpose of reasonable and fair protection."

Linens, again, without assigning any particular reason, he reduced from a scale varying between 40 and 180, to one duty of 25 per cent.

The duties on Paper, then prohibitory, he proposed to reduce, "so that they should not exceed double the amount of the excise duty payable upon that article manufactured in this country.'

Printed Books, then subject to a duty which admitted of smuggling, he proposed, for that reason, and because "the importation of foreign works which do not interfere with any copyright in England ought not to be discouraged," to reduce about one half.

Glass, then charged with 80, he reduced to 20 per cent. And earthenware, then admitted at 75, he reduced-plain goods to 15, and ornamented porcelain to 30 per cent. "quite as

*Parl. Deb. 1199

" much as could be demanded," "without throwing this branch "of import into the hands of the smuggler."

To gloves," now prohibited, but to be had in every shop,' Mr. Huskisson" applied the same observation and the same measure of duty," 30 per cent.

He confirmed what had been stated by Mr. Robinson as to iron, observing that the price of iron had almost doubled of late, and that great inconvenience was felt by the manufacturers of hardware, and in a great variety of manufactures, in shipbuilding, &c. The exportation was diminished, and orders were sent to the Continent, instead of England.

There would also be an advantage from the admission of Swedish Iron, which, when united with British Iron, produces more strength and tenacity, particularly, for instance, in ships' cables. He trusted that "the increased demand for iron, joined "to a more steady price, would, 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 copper duty, which in 1790 did not exceed £10, had been raised to £54, the ton. Our copper mines produced about 10,000 tons, of which about 5,000 were applied to home consumption.

If the price of our manufacture were to exceed that of foreign countries in anything like a proportion to the enormous duty, we must ultimately be driven from the foreign markets. "Do 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 high duties had prevented copper from coming here, not only in an unmanufactured, but in an imperfectly smelted state: it would here have undergone the process of purifying and rolling, and being otherwise prepared for consumption; but our duties have operated as a premium for doing this in other countries. He acknowledged however that much capital had been invested in copper mines, and "how difficult it was to do all that the public interest would require, without injury to those particular interests. This was in almost all cases the most arduous part of the task which a sense of public duty had imposed upon him."

He proposed to reduce the duty at present only to £27 per ton (one half of the existing duty) "without committing himself not to recommend at a future period, even a further reduction, if it should appear that the present limit is not sufficient to enable our manufacturers to preserve their foreign market, and that át a

lower rate of duty no great or sudden check would be given to the British mines.

Zinc, or spelter, was a semi-metal, which entered in the proportion of one-third into the composition of brass. The selling price of spelter on the Continent was £20 the ton; here, about £45, and the duty £28. With a duty on Copper of £54 and on spelter of £28, we could not compete with others in brass wares: our briskest demand at present was for patterns and moulds for the foreign manufacturer.

He would reduce the duty one-half, perhaps more on further inquiry-for he was convinced that we could not compete with Silesia, the principal country of production.

Tin was an article of which we had more the command, and one of less extensive consumption.

The duty was "excessive," and he would reduce it more than one-half; from £5. Ss. 9d. to £2. 10s. the cwt.

Lead, from 15 to 10 per cent. ad valorem, which would "be sufficient to admit of a foreign import and to check the present exorbitant price." On this too, he reserved a right of proposing a further reduction.

Various other reductions were made upon articles enumerated in the schedule. Unenumerated goods, if wholly, or in part, manufactured, he reduced from 50 to 20 per cent, and if unmanufactured, from 20 to 10.

66

66

Mr. Huskisson* stated the result as follows: " upon foreign "manufactured articles generally, where the duty is imposed to protect our own manufactures, and not for the purpose of collecting revenue, that duty will, in no instance, exceed 30 per cent. If the article be not manufactured much cheaper or "much better abroad than at home, such a duty is ample for "protection. If it be manufactured so much cheaper, or so "much better abroad, as to render 30 per cent. insufficient, my answer is, first,—that a greater protection is only a premium "to the smuggler; and, secondly,-that there is no wisdom in "attempting to bolster up a competition, which this degree of protection will not sustain. Let the state have the tax, which is now the reward of the smuggler, and let the consumer have "the better and cheaper article, without the painful consciousness "that he is consulting his own convenience at the expense of daily violating the laws of his country." He then stated the evils, and the facility, of smuggling, and asked, "Is this abo"minable system to be tolerated, not from any over-ruling "necessity of upholding the revenue, nay, possibly, to the injury

66

66

Parl. Deb. xii. 1207.

"of the Exchequer, but merely because, in a few secondary branches of manufacture, we do not possess the same natural "advantages, or the same degree of skill, as our neighbours?"*** "The time has been when it was found quite a sufficient reason "for imposing a prohibitory duty upon a foreign article, that it "was better than we could make at home; but I trust that when "such calls are made upon this House hereafter, our first answer "at least will be, let us first see what can be done by com"petition;-first try to imitate, and by and by, perhaps, you will "surpass, your foreign rival.” He instanced the silk trade as one in which this emulation had been created. "Prohibitions, "in fact, are a premium to mediocrity. They destroy the best "incentive to excellence, the best stimulus to invention and im"provement. They condemn the community to suffer, both in price and quality, all the evils of monopoly, except in as far as "a remedy can be found in the baneful acts of the smuggler. They have also another of the great evils of monopoly, that of exposing the consumer, as well as the dealer, to rapid and in"convenient fluctuations in price."

Mr. Huskisson stated his belief that no great quantity of foreign goods would come in. Some would come, and he would be glad of it. That their admission would not be hurtful to our general interests, might be proved from the experience of the commercial treaty with France in 1786. By that treaty, cottons, woollens, hardware, cutlery, turnery, &c. were admitted at lower duties than those now to be fixed; no check was given to any particular branch of our staple manufactures in consequence of the interchange of goods which took place. On the contrary, the introduction of the finer woollen cloths of France led to the improvement of our own, till no difference could be perceived. The same might possibly now occur as to the more richly coloured cottons of Alsace or Switzerland, the fancy muslins of India, the silk stuffs and porcelain of France.

Mr. Huskisson referred to some objections which would be stated to the occurrences of 1786, as a guide for the present time. We had since, it would be said, been engaged in an expensive war, and had to support a heavy burthen of taxation. But, in truth, other countries also had suffered from the war; their taxes had been increased and their capital diminished, while ours had increased. The comparative cheapness of labour in foreign countries was not alone sufficient to make the balance preponderate in their favour. Our machinery, with our enterprize and perseverance, might be relied upon for the maintenance of our station among trading communities.

Another objection was, the want of reciprocity of commercial

VOL. X. NO. XIX.

H

advantages; he quoted, with approbation, the sentiments of Kirkman Finlay :-" Our whole object being to benefit ourselves, our inquiry is naturally confined to the consideration of whether such a mode of acting be really advantageous, independent altogether of what may be done by the governments of other countries. Now, if the measure be really beneficial to us, why shall we withhold from ourselves an advantage, because other states are not yet advanced so far as we are in the knowledge of their own interests, or have not attained the power of carrying their own views into practice?"

He expressed his hope, that when foreign nations found us sincere and consistent in our principles, they would, for their own advantage, imitate us. "At the same time, as a stimulus to other nations to adopt principles of reciprocity, he should think it right to reserve a power of making an addition of one-fifth to the proposed duties upon the productions of those countries which may refuse, upon a tender by us of the like advantages, to place our commerce and navigation upon the footing of the most favoured nation."*

He then stated the reduction which it was proposed to make in the duties upon sundry raw materials, and in certain stamp duties and other charges affecting trade and navigation; concluding with a hope that the house would comply with the injunction from the throne" to remove as much, and as fast as possible, all unnecessary restrictions upon trade."

These measures, extensive as they were, occasioned very little discussion and no general opposition, and but little of particular criticism.

Alderman Thompson repeated his acquiescence, notwithstanding his considerable interest in the iron trade. Other members approved of the general principle, but objected to the withdrawal of protection from the particular branches of produce or manufacture in which they were respectively concerned. Sir Hussey Vivian, Mr. Tremayne, and Sir Richard Vyvyan, objected to the reduction of duty on foreign copper; they urged, in opposition to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, that the existing duty had been imposed for protection, not revenue; and they expressed their apprehension of the competition of South American copper. The copper business in Cornwall they represented as a losing concern. Sir Matthew Ridley put in a word for glass bottles,

This intention was carried into effect by the 5th section of Act 6 Geo. 4, cap. 111. It is to be observed, that it does not altogether bear out Mr. Robinson's notion of reciprocity. It is merely a provision that we are not to admit, at a lower duty, the goods of other states, which tax the same goods from England more highly than from other foreign countries.