HC Deb 13 March 1822 vol 6 cc1073-7
Mr. Marryat

presented a petition from the House of Assembly of Lower Canada, which contained a simple, but melancholy recital of plain facts and official documents. The petitioners state, that within the last year the wages of labour, the prices of the produce of the soil, and the value of landed property in that province, have diminished one half; that the amount of the exports has decreased from near 800,000l. to little more than 500,000l.; that the imports have decreased from 1,300,000l. to between 8, and 900,000l.;and that the provincial revenue has fallen off, within the last year, from more than 100,000l. to between 70, and 80,000l. They add, that all these results have been occasioned by the acts of the Bristish legislature, which have imposed a duty on the importation of their timber, while at the same time they have lowered the duty on the impor- tation of foreign timber; and have established a system of corn laws, under the operation of which their corn has been excluded from British consumption ever since October 1820. They respect fully state, that if their produce is thus rendered of no value by the legislative measures of the mother country, while they are compelled to send their produce to her ports, and prohibited from all commercial intercourse with every foreign power, they shall he unable to find the means of providing their population with those articles of comfort and necessity which they have hitherto been in the habit of importing, or to raise a revenue to defray the expenses of the civil establishment: and they conclude by praying, that their grain may be admitted into the borne consumption of Great Britain—Sir, this talc of distress is interesting to us as well as to the petitioners; because the adversity as well as the prosperity of every colony, is reflected back upon the mother country. It is obvious, that if the exports of, Lower Canada are insufficient to pay for her imports, the British merchants and manufacturers, by whom they are supplied, cannot be paid; and that if the colonial revenue will not provide for the civil establishment (and Lower Canada is the only British colony that pays the whole expense of her civil establishment), the governor, judges, and other officers, who are sent out from hence, must be paid out of the revenue of this country. The statements in the petition, that their produce is rendered of no value by our late regulations, are by no means exaggerated. As to their timber, it is a fact within my own knowledge, that a cargo was lately consigned to a respectable house in this city, who refused to receive it; being aware that instead of leaving any nett proceeds, it would bring the shipper in debt. They, therefore, left it to the captain, who disposed of it, and found it insufficient to pay the freight and charges of sale. So that timber from the British: provinces in North America is not only, total loss of the prime cost, but brings a further demand upon the owner. Such are the consequences of the new duties on timber, settled last session. With rest pest to their corn, it is only admitted into our home consumption when the average price of British wheat exceeds 67s. per quarter; and therefore, all that has arrived here since Oct. 1820, still lies locked up in our warehouses, with every pros- pect of remaining there till it is spoiled, or till the value of it is sunk in rent and charges. I have before had occasion to assert, in this House, the necessity either of continuing to act towards our colonies on our old system of protection, or of releasing them from those restrictions to which they are subjected for the advantage of the mother country. To require from them a double monopoly, to bind them to take all their supplies from you, and to ship all the produce of their industry to your market, while you pass such laws as render it of no value, or prohibit it from your home consumption altogether (which is precisely the case with these petitioners), is exercising an unexampled degree of arbitrary power over them, and if continued, must soon devote them to absolute ruin. I trust, therefore, that this petition will meet that favourable consideration to which it is entitled.

Mr. Ellice

said, that no person unacquainted with the Canadas could form a just idea of the contrast which their present situation presented to their former prosperity, or of the consequences that must inevitably result from the continued restrictions on their trade. Last year the alteration in the timber duties bore heavily on that branch of their commerce; and for the first time the operation of the corn laws prevented the introduction into this market of the other staple article of their produce. They were also, if report spoke true, threatened with the loss of their West India trade. If they were not permitted to send their produce to this market, while it was excluded from many others by the operation of the navigation laws, it was impossible they could long pay for the manufactures and supplies we compelled them to receive solely from this country; and he did hope some relaxation of the present restriction, and, above all, the admission of their corn, might be conceded, without risk of injury to the agricultural interests.

Mr. Bennet,

of Wilts, opposed the prayer of the petition, on the ground that it was as necessary to protect the English agriculturist, as it could be to relieve the Canadian corn grower. When corn might be imported into this country, large quantities of American grain had been sent to Canada, and thence smuggled into England; so that the restraint now complained of the petitioners had brought upon themselves. He wished to give the colonies all equit- able protection, but could not consent to afford that species of relief which the petitioners now desired.

Mr. Wilmot

was fully convinced of the reality of the distress complained of, but he must remark, that there was nothing in the measures lately adopted that could produce that distress. He thought it desirable that this petition should be referred to the special notice of the agricultural committee.

Mr. Ricardo

thought the House bound to attend to the complaints of the petitioners. The Canadians suffered serious hardships which ought to be removed; they complained, 1st. That we did not take timber from them on the same terms as we did before. 2nd, that we refused to admit their corn. And 3dly, that they were subjected to the inconvenience of purchasing all articles in our markets. As to the first, we had a right to go to any market we pleased for our timber; but, on that very principle, the second cause of grievance ought to be done away, and their corn ought to have access to our markets. With respect to the forcing the colonies to purchase in our markets, when they might be more conveniently supplied elsewhere, it was an inconvenience to which they ought not to be exposed. He would always oppose that principle, not only as applied to Canada, but to every other colony.

Sir I. Coffin

thought it would have been a good thing for this country, if Canada had been sunk to the bottom of the sea. It cost this country 500,000l. per annum, and did not make a return to it of 500 pence. The Canadians, by the timber trade, had been in the habit of cheating this country out of 300,000l. yearly. This had been done by suffering great quantities of American timber to be sent down the river St. Lawrence, which had been then brought to England as Canadian timber. Yet, after acting such a part, they now threw themselves on that House for support. The sooner the governor was called home, and the sooner the assembly and colony were suffered to go, he should be sorry to say—au Diable, the better.

Mr. W. Smith

allowed that Canada cost us a great deal of money: but that made it the more necessary to take such steps as did not interfere with its improvement. He was convinced that if the province was made easy and comfortable with respect to its commercial relations, we need not be at the expense of a heavy military establishment to defend it.

Ordered to lie on the table.