Ox, ve}

HUBKISSON'S LEGISLATION. 163

Weightior consequences in the future, than many of those 1826.
Political revolutions which have commanded infinitely greater nr. 21.
Attention from historians, The duty on cotton goods was
lowered from a figure ranging from between seventy-five and
fifty per cent. down to ten per cent. Imported linens somebimeg
 Paid as much as one hundred and ei ghty per cent. ; they
Were henceforth to be admitted at twenty-five. Paper had
been Prohibited ; it was now allowed to come in on paying
twice the amount levied as excise from the home manufacfrer,
 The duty on a foreign manufacture in no case exteeded
 thirty per cent. The principle of this immense
reform wag that, if the article were not made -either much
better or a4 a much lower price abroad than at home, then
Such a duty would be ample for purposes of protection. If,
on the contrary, the foreign article were either so much
better op 80 much cheaper as to render thirty per cent.
insufficient for purposes of protection, then, in the first place,
8 heavier duty would only put a premium on smuggling ;
and, secondly, said Huskisson, there is no wisdom in bolster.
ing UP & competition which this degree of protection will
Dot sustain,
These enlightened opinions, and the measures which
followed from them, were the first rays of dawn after the
long night of confusion and mediocrity in which the Castlereaghs,
 Sidmouths, Bathursts, Vansittarts, had governed
their unfortunate country. Even now political power was
80 distributed that, though the new school thus saw the
better course, they dared not to venture too rapidly upon it.
There wag one mighty and imperious interest which, ag the
Parliamentary Bystem was then disposed, even Canning’s
0urage shrank from offending, The Cabinet, which had
*adically modified host of restrictive laws, wag logically
*2d politically bound to deal with the most important of
them sll—that which restrained the importation of food.