§ Resolutions [February 14] reported.
§ MR. STEPHEN CAVE, on bringing up the Report, observed, that he had been misunderstood to state in the previous discussion on this subject that he was personally unfavourable to the classification of the duties on sugar, whereas he had, of course, always been personally favourable to that principle. What really happened was this: His hon. Friend the Member for Peter- 451 borough (Mr. Thomson Hankey) had expressed a hope that the re-arrangement of duties was favourable to the British West Indies. He stated, in reply, that it was not; because, while the rates of duty on the two grades which comprised the bulk of imports from the West Indies either remained stationary or were raised, those on other qualities had been lowered. Consequently, speaking as a West India proprietor, he could have wished that the incidence of taxation had been somewhat different. But there was no ground of complaint; because the table was the result of the principle of which West Indians generally approved, and was in exact accordance with the provisions of the Convention of 1864.
§ Resolutions agreed to.