during part of 1825. Was there a fits to the master, and adequate wages proportionate falling off in the manue to the workman, British silks would facture of raw cotton, or wool, or iron? be undersold by the continental ones No such thing

imported in the legal manner. In Because the Silk Trade has not been light French goods, and the better in a few months utterly annihilated, kinds of India goods, our manufacMr Huskisson argues, that all the pre- turers are undersold by the foreigner, dictions touching the effects of his after he has paid the duty. change have been falsified. He rates It is argued by some that few conthe ruin and distress under which the tinental silks are imported, because Trade so long laboured, as nothing; the quantity cleared at the customand endeavours to delude the country house is not large. The truth is, our into the belief that his change in no importers are not “liberal” enough to degree produced them.

pay a duty of 35 or 45 per cent, when When foreign silks were admitted, they can have the goods for paying a powerful feeling against the change what is equal to one of only 15. Mr of law pervaded the whole community; Huskisson and his “hirelings” mainand the mass of our lovely country- tained, that the admission of foreign women determined to buy British silks silks at a duty would destroy smug. only, without any reference to the quae gling; we maintained that it would lity of the foreign ones. The smaller increase it, and experiment has not demercers who could not import, spread cided against us. While the prohibithe opinion far and wide that foreign tion was in force, most kinds of French silks were inferior to British ones. silks, if not all, and India Bandanas, The country generally was in great could be easily distinguished, therefore distress. The price of British silks they could not be openly exposed for was at the glut figure ; it was one sale; but now after a dealer gets them third,-nay, nearly one half lower into his shop, he is free from all risk than it had been in reasonably prosper, whatever. An importer has only to ous times. All this conspired power. buy his goods in France and bring fully to check the import of foreign them to the coast; people will there silks. Still, in the first six months, such solicit him for the honour of smugsilks were imported to the value of gling them for him, on their own remore than L.322,000. If to this value sponsibility, at a premium of 15 per we add one third as duty, foreign silks, cent; and to gain his confidence, they to the value of nearly half a million will prove to him that they are ementered the market in the legal way ployed by the first London houses. in the first six months. In addition Smuggling is now carried on to a greatto this, smuggling, from the increased er extent than ever, and the country is facilities given to it, was carried on to full of smuggled silks. a very great extent.

Mr Huskisson asserts, that “ more And now, what is the present con- real improvement has been made in dition of the Silk Trade ? For the last the silk manufacture of this country two years, the manufacturers and within the last twelvemonth, than had throwsters have been carrying on a lo- been made for half a century before." sing business, and they are doing so at We marvel greatly that any man could this moment. There may be excep- be found to make such an assertion. tions, although we have not heard of With regard to quality, every one of any; but generally they are at this our fair countrywomen knows, that moment losing heavily by their trade; far more improvement was made in they are selling at prices which will British silks in the few years that prenot protect them from loss, saying no- ceded the opening of the trade, than thing of profit. At the spring sale of has been made since ; and with regard the East India Company, the greater to price, the cheapness arises mainly proportion of the silk was bought by from the loss of the manufacturer, the the country manufacturers, who are bad wages of the workmen, and the now offering the goods manufactured low price of the raw article. Improvefrom it, in London, at prices which ments have, we believe, been made in will only return them what they gave machinery and in dyeing, but these for the raw article. Were prices to be alone have had no material effect on raised so far as to afford adequate proe either price or quality.

If the assertion were correct, and if that silk handkerchiefs are now acthe improvement had been produced tually weaving in England for the solely by the change of law, we should purpose of being sent out to the Instill protest, as we have formerly pro- dian market.” tested, against the tyrannical and dia- This is evidently calculated and in. bolical principle, that compulsion may tended to produce the belief in the be employed for producing improve country, that our manufacturers can ment--that our manufacturers may be compete with, and even undersell the told by their rulers, You shall im- Indian ones in Bandanas generallyprove or be ruined. But the improve in the descriptions generally used in ment, be it what it may, cannot be truth, in all descriptions. wholly ascribed to the admission of Well, what is the fact here? India foreign silks ; without this, our silk Bandanas pay a duty, which, on the manufacture could and would have lowest qualities, amounts to 55 per improved. Every one knows that the cent, and yet our manufacturers cangreatest improvements were made in not compete with the middling and best our manufactured articles, when fo- qualities. India Bandanas are selling reign competitors were prohibited from in the London shops for considerably entering the market.

less than the British ones. The truth Mr Huskisson observes—" I say, is this. Some of the couutry manufacthat at this moment, those (the Bri- turers worked up the spun silk-the tish) manufacturers are not only feare waste-into Bandanas of the most less of the rivalry of France in foreign coarse and wretched description, which markets, but, in some articles, are able we believe they sold for somewhat less to undersell the French manufacturer, than two shillings each. It was ineven in his own market."

tended to send some of them to India Now, what is the fair legitimate on speculation, but the intention was meaning of this, according to the com- abandoned—the order was recalled, mon construction of language ; and and no British Bandanas are weaving, what is the opinion which it is calcu- or have been wove for the Indian marlated and intended by its author to ket. These are the " articles” in which produce in the country? Simply this, our manufacturers“ are able to underthat our manufacturers can compete sell the French manufacturer even in with the French ones in foreign mar- his own market.” Our manufacturers kets, not only in this or that petty ar- cannot charge less than thirty-two ticle, but in all the important produc shillings for such Bandanas as can be tions of the trade-in silk goods ge bought at the East India House for nerally

eighteen shillings. Well, what is the fact? In all the Bad as the condition of the Silk Trade important productions of the trade, is, it will soon be worse. The restricour manufacturers cannot compete at tion of importing only into the port of all with the French ones in foreign London will soon expire, and then the markets—they export none-they are silks of the continent may be brought undersold by the French ones in their into any port. The throwster cannot home market, after the latter bave now compete with the foreigner, and paid from 15 to 40 per cent in premium the duty on foreign thrown silk will or duty-notwithstanding that they soon undergo a material reduction. are selling at a loss, the country is The additional wages which the workfilled with French silks. In some of men lately gained will soon be taken the important productions of the trade, from them; the masters made the adthey cannot compete with the French vance solely to get their goods home, in quality, putting price out of the that they might not lose the season for question." What they smuggle into selling them. In some of the manuFrance consists of an article which has factories, the hands have already been not been made there, and of the hand put on short time; the workmen now kerchiefs we are about to describe. are in a very miserable condition, and

Mr Huskisson then says" So lit- they have nothing before them but a tle do they dread the competition of repetition of their late want of employBandana bandkerchiefs, against which ment and distress. no rate of duty, however high, we If it be asked, why the silk inanu. were assured, could afford protection, facturers continue in business, when

they cannot do it without loss, the ane place, state their leading complaints. swer is, many of them continue in it These weresolely because they cannot dispose of 1. That the Shipowners were in the their manufactories.

deepest distress. Much less silk is at present manu. 2. That their distress had been factured in this country than was ma- mainly produced by the Reciprocity nufactured in it before the change of Treaties, and partly by the new Cololaw. If the trade continue a losing nial System. one for two or three years longer, its

3. That the Reciprocity Treaties gave almost total destruction must of ne- the foreigner a great advantage over cessity be the consequence.

them, and left them wholly without And now, what will our readers that protection which had been given think of Mr Huskisson's statement to the members of every other interespecting the Silk Trade? They will rest. That these treaties had multithink with us, that a more barefaced plied foreign ships in the European and shameful attempt to delude the countries with which they had been country was never made even by any concluded, and had reduced freights newspaper scribbler.

in the trade with those countries to

such an extent, that the British ShipIn entering on the case of the Shipe owner could no longer compete in this owners, Mr Huskisson attacks those trade with the foreign one. That the of Scarborough and Greenock, for pe- glut and reduction of freights in the titioning Parliament, on the ground trade with those European countries that more British and less Foreign had necessarily produced a glut and Shipping entered these ports in 1826 reduction of freights in the carrying than in the preceding year. Their pe- trade generally. titions, as he admits, complained of The distress of the Shipowners is the influx of foreign ships, not into admitted by Mr Huskisson ; it is disthese particular ports, but into the puted by no one. British ports generally. Now, the ad. To have met their allegations touchvantages granted to the foreigners ing the causes in a satisfactory manhave had the same effect upon the ner, the right honourable gentleman ships belonging to the Shipowners of ought evidently to have proved, in the Scarborough and Greenock which they first place, that the Reciprocity Treaties have had upon the ships belonging to do not give the foreigner any advanother Shipowners. Have ships re- tage over them, or deny them that tained their value at Scarborough, protection which is given to all other while they have lost nearly half of it interests. Does he do this ? No; he at London? Have freights been plen- passes the matter in silence; he says tiful and high at Greenock, while not a syllable respecting it. they have been scarce and

ruinously The fact, then, is unquestioned and low at Liverpool? No. The loss of unquestionable, that these treaties place value, want of employment, and losing the foreign ship on a level with the freights, have necessarily been uni- British one in respect of duties they versal. The Shipowners, therefore, place the British Shipowner in the siof these two ports had as much cause tuation which the farmer and silk mato petition as the Shipowners of any nufacturer would be in, should foreign other port; and they would have had corn and silks be admitted duty free. the same cause if not a single foreign They do this when the farmer, thesilk, Vessel had entered either. One gen- cotton, and woollen manufacturers, tleman of Scarborough is, we believe, &c. &c. are all protected by duties. part owner of between thirty and for Can, then, the British Shipowner ty vessels. These do not all sail from build and navigate his vessel at as Scarborough ; they sail from various cheap a rate as the foreigner? Mr ports, and their owner is practically Huskisson says not a word respecting a Shipowner of London and other it, but he puffs loudly Mr Thompson, ports, as well as of the one in which the member for Dover, who in his he dwells. The case is similar with speech asserted the affirmative. many of the Shipowners.

Mr Thompson, we understand, is a In examining what he says of the partner in a Baltic house in the city of Shipowners, we must, in the first london. He is a stripling, who lately

left school for the counting-house, one. From this it necessarily follows, and whom the Dover radicals sent to that, in the carrying trade with those Parliament at the last election, to en. Reciprocity countries, freights have lighten it with the marvellous disco- been so far reduced that they subject veries suggested by his ledger. Our the British Shipowner to loss, while readers will have seen, that at the the foreign one can afford to take them. Westminster “ Purity Dinner” he was If foreign wheat should be admitthe loving brother of Sir F. Burdett, ted duty free into Kent and Essex Sir R. Wilson, Mr Galloway, Mr alone, while it should be excluded Wooler, and the other “ Friends of from all the rest of the kingdom, how the People.” In a question, having would this operate ? Would it merely nothing to do with party politics, be- reduce the price of wheat in Kent and tween a distressed part of the people Essex, without affecting it in the other and the government, it was very na

counties? No. The wheat of Kent tural for this patriot--this friend of the and Essex thrown out of consumption people—this enemy of power—to be in them by the foreign wheat, would the outrageous assailant of the distress- be sent into the other counties, until it ed people in defence of men in power made the reduction of price universal. and their alleged abuse of it. Such The ruinous price and glut produced is the incariable conduct of the school in these two counties, would soon perof politicians to which he belongs. vade the whole kingdom.

Mr Thompson asserted roundly, that The Reciprocity Treaties have opethe British Shipowners could build rated in a precisely similar manner. and navigate vessels at as cheap a rate They first produced losing freights as the Shipowners of other countries. and glut in the carrying trade with These patriots——these liberals-pos- various of the countries with which sess prodigious powers of assertion. they had been concluded. The ineOf course, he tendered no proofs, and vitable consequence was, ships crowda it would be very idle in us to refute ed from this trade into the other dewhat has been again and again refuted partments of the carrying trade, until by the most unassailable proofs, and they rendered the losing freights and what has even been admitted by Mr glut universal. It mattered not that Huskisson. It is notorious, that the foreign ships were wholly excluded cost of materials, labour, provisions, from various branches of the carrying &c. for the building and navigating of trade : the advantages conceded to ships is less in other countries than in them in some, enabled them to affect this; and that in some of the Reci- the whole. If the Shipowners find procity countries, it is little more than that freights are lower in one trade half of what it is in this country. than in another, they send their ships

Amidst the odd exploits of Mr from the one to the other, until they Thompson, he boasted that he had produce an equalization. In the nadetected the Shipowners in an attempt iure of things, freights cannot be reto impose upon Parliament. The fact gularly ruinously low in the Baltic was this. By a misprint, for which trade, and profitable in the trade with the government was accountable, the Canada and other parts. number of 320 was substituted for 220. This was the ground taken by the This was the foundation of his boast. Shipowners. They did not aver that

The fact, therefore, is unimpeach- foreign ships had been admitted into, ed-Mr Huskisson admitted it on a and were monopolising, every branch former occasion, and he is now silent of the carrying trade; they maintained respecting it that the Shipowners of that such ships had obtained advanvarious of the Reciprocity countries tages in some of the branches, through can build and navigate ships at a far the Reciprocity Treaties, which rencheaper rate than the British Ship- dered it impossible for British ones

to compete with them in these branches It naturally arises from this, that that from this, such ships had multhe freight will yield a profit to these tiplied, and had rendered freights foreign Shipowners, which the Bri- ruinously low in these branches-and tish ones could not accept without that such multiplication, and reduce loss; precisely as that price of corn tion of freights, had rendered freights would leave a profit to the foreign ruinously low in every branch of the grower, wbich would ruin the British carrying trade. They maintained far