§ Mr. Grotebegged permission to put a question to the right hon. Gentleman, the President of the Board of Trade, in reference to the duty on foreign wines and spirits. It would be in the recollection of the House, that the Chancellor of the Exchequer, in bringing forward the budget of last year, reserved a considerable sum in consequence of a contemplated diminution in the duty on foreign wines and spirits. It was understood that negotiations had been going on with the French government since that period, connected with the reduction of those duties; but the uncertainty that still existed as to the amount of the reduction, or, indeed, the doubt that, under all circumstances, might be fairly entertained as to whether there was to be any reduction at all, occasioned much inconvenience and embarrassment to the trade. The question, therefore, that he wished to put was, whether the President of the Board of Trade entertained a hope of the probable and speedy conclusion of the arrangements between the governments of the two countries, and a reduction of the duty on wines and spirits consequent thereupon.
§ Mr. Labouchere, before answering the question put to him by the hon. Member for London, begged to set him right upon a point on which he had fallen into a mistake as to what was last year said by his right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer. It was true, that his right hon. Friend stated, that he thought it right to provide a certain sum for duties which he apprehended might be diminished in consequence of negotiations then going on with the French government; but his right hon. Friend carefully guarded himself as to wines or brandies, or other articles upon which he thought it likely the reduction would be effected. He admitted that the suspense occasioned by the protracted nature of the negotiations going on between that country and France had caused great inconvenience to the trade, and it would be very desirable to put an end to that suspense as speedily as possible. Under ordinary circumstances, he should have felt it his duty to urge upon the French government the 626 speedy settlement of the question, and he certainly should have done so were it not for motives which would obviously suggest themselves to the House. He trusted, however, that he should be able, in the course of a short time, to give a distinct answer upon the subject.