414 Ships, Colonies, and Commerce. 



begun this work. It originated in a desire to relieve ourselves ; if it 

 turn out in a manner to reduce to misery, or in any way to injure the 

 interests of those to whom we have held out the assurances of removal 

 to a better condition I (says Sir Howard) know not the name, for the 

 case has, happily, never yet occurred, by which to call such an act. 

 But what care our political economists of the new school for such conse- 

 quences. " Let us maintain our principles" said the French Revolu- 

 tionists, " though all the world should perish I" 



One strong reason urged for keeping fast hold of these Colonies is, 

 that they contain coal of the first quality, and in immense abundance ; 

 and no more need be said to satisfy persons who look beyond the mere 

 surface of things, that upon this account alone they are inestimable ; 

 that this precious ingredient of their value may be made to bring them 

 nearer to us, and cement them firmly with us ; and that to surrender 

 such a boon to a rival nation, for that must be the consequence of our 

 throwing them off, would be an act of political suicide ! ! 



After exposing some of the absurdities of the new school, Sir Howard 

 justly observes, " that foreign powers, without exception, seem to pre- 

 fer the example by which our power has been created, to the theories by 

 which we are told it may be increased ; but by which (we perfectly 

 agree with him) it is much more likely to be undermined and ruined. 

 The course of policy which made Britain a great maritime power, will 

 maintain her in her supremacy ; but, in proportion as she deviates 

 from that course -which made her great, she will become feeble." 



With regard to the intercourse between British North America and 

 our West India Colonies, upon which so much of the prosperity of the 

 former is said to depend, we are sure the West Indians have no ungene- 

 rous or unsocial feelings on the subject. All that they desire is this, 

 that if they are forced, for the encouragement of the Canadas, to take 

 their staves, lumber, and provisions from these British possessions, at a 

 higher rate than that at which they can be obtained elsewhere, they are 

 entitled to some equivalent advantage to counterbalance this onerous 

 obligation. Mr. Bliss, the champion of these northern colonies, indicates 

 in a recent pamphlet,* that the West India Colonies " were never so abun- 

 dantly supplied as now, and that their supplies were never so cheap." 

 But we would submit that this is rather a disingenuous way of stating the 

 case. The question is not what price was formerly paid ? but what is 

 the lowest price at which the West Indians could now obtain their sup- 

 plies ? And a reference to the prices in New York, Boston, &c., and 

 to the rates at which the planters in Cuba are supplied, will shew that 

 Canada is by no means the cheapest market. The duties, in favour of 

 our Canadian produce, levied in our Colonies " are paid," says Mr. Bliss, 

 " to the colonial treasuries, which must be supplied from some quarter." 

 It so happens, however, that to collect these duties and enforce these 

 t( free trade'' regulations, a crowd of custom-house officers were imposed 

 upon the colonists at necessarily, very high salaries ; and, in consequence, 

 nearly the whole of the duties collected go to pay their salaries ! 



The amount of these dutiest was in one year. . . ..75,340. 

 And the expences of collection 68,025. 



Letter to Sir Henry Parnell, Bart., M.P., on the New Colonial Trade Bill? 

 1831, page 25. 

 t Papers submitted to the Board of Trade by Mr. Keith Douglas. 



