§ The Earl of Clarendonrose, pursuant to notice, to inquire what course had been taken to obtain redress for certain merchants who complained, as he conceived justly, of the loss inflicted on them by a change made some time ago in the Tariff of the United Stales. Under the 26th section of the new Tariff, agreed to on the 26th of August, 1842, goods coming from England, which were shipped before the imposition of the new duties was known, were exposed to ruinous duties, to the extent of 90 or 100 per cent. on silk goods, and 120 per cent. on cotton goods. Goods that had come from the eastward of the Cape were sub- 233 jected to much lower duties. Now this he considered to be an infraction of the Treaty between this country and the United States, which provided, among other things, that no duty should be imposed on goods from England higher than was imposed on goods coming from any other country. What made the circumstance of more importance was, that of the goods that came from the east of the Cape, by far the greater proportion belonged to American citizens, while of those which came from England nine tenths were the property of English merchants. The amount lost in the cases he referred to by British merchants was not less than 200,000l., and one house in Glasgow had lost 3,000l. He wished to know what steps had been taken to procure redress. The course taken by the United States was clearly against treaty, yet the Americans appeared fully alive to the importance of the Treaty wherever it was in their favour, for they had insisted on the repayment of the amount of duties levied on their rice by us in excess of that levied on the rue from the coast of Africa. He wished to know from the noble Earl whether he admitted the justice of the claims of our merchants, and, if so, what success had attended the application which he had, doubtless, made to the Government of the United States?
§ The Earl of Aberdeenbelieved that his noble Friend had correctly stated the circumstances of the case. It was one which had engaged the attention of the Government for a considerable time, and on which much correspondence had already passed. The case of the British merchants, he had no difficulty in saying, appeared to him a very just one, and deserving of the support of the Government; but he thought that the official experience of his noble Friend might convince him that one might have a very good case without immediately being able to bring it to a satisfactory issue. The Gentleman who preceded Her Majesty's present Minister at Washington urged this case on the Government of the United States very strongly, and Mr. Pakenham had pursued the same course; but he (Lord Aberdeen) was certainly not in a condition to say that their representations on the subject had been received in the manner they deserved. At the time of the last despatch referring to the matter, Mr. Pakenham proposed to put himself in 234 communication with the principal parties interested at New York—a branch, he believed, of the Glasgow house alluded to by his noble Friend—and from them he hoped to receive such information as would strengthen his means of applying to the Government of the United States. He could assure his noble Friend that it was impossible for any person employed in Her Majesty's service to display on this or any other subject falling within the sphere of his duties more zeal or ability than the Gentleman at present representing Her Majesty's Government to the United States.
§ House adjourned.