§ MR. LABOUCHERErepeated his question to Sir R. Peel of a former night, whether there was any foundation for the 1287 reports mentioned in the public prints, that the Spanish Government had sent out directions to the Government of Cuba, to impose discriminating duties on British goods entered at the ports of Cuba and Porto Rico.
§ SIR R. PEELsaid, that as to whether the Spanish Government had sent out any directions to Cuba, Her Majesty's Government had received no information; but they had had communications from the British Consul at Cuba, stating that from the 1st of March last new regulations were adopted there, both with respect to the Tariff and to the tonnage of importations; but those alterations were not directed particularly against British shipping or British goods. They applied indiscriminately to all shipping and to all goods. In some cases the duty was lowered, and in others it was raised. In the opinion of the Consul, the alterations in the duty did not particularly affect the British merchants. In the case of linens the duty was lowered, while, with respect to cotton goods it was increased; but the produce of all countries was equally affected, and it did not appear that the alteration had been adopted as a retaliatory or hostile measure towards this country.