ded a treaty with Belgium for the admission
of her linens. And the king of Prussia has effected an arrangement with
the czar, which, in certain particulars, secures, upon his own frontier, a
relaxation of the iron strictness of the Russian system. England has
concluded no commercial treaty with any of these powers; and the
negotiation with France, which the measures of Lord Palmerston interrupted
in 1840, at the very period of its ripeness, appears still to
slumber--owing, we believe, in part, to the prevalence of an anti-Anglican
feeling in that country, which, for the credit of common sense and of
human nature, we trust will be temporary; but much more to the high
protective notions, and the political activity and influence of the French
manufacturers, which overawe an administration far less strong, we regret
to say, than it deserves."

Our recent attempts, therefore, to introduce a general system of free
trade among nations have proved a signal failure, on the admission of the
most enlightened advocates for that species of policy. Nor have our
earlier efforts been more successful. Mr Huskisson, as it is well known,
introduced, full twenty years ago, the system of free trade, and repealed
the navigation laws, in the hope of making the Northern Powers of Europe
more favourable to the admission of British manufactures, and materially
reduced the duties on French silks, watches, wines, and jewellery, in the
hope that the Government of that country would see the expedience of
making a corresponding reduction in the duties levied on our staple
manufactures in the French harbours. But after twenty years' experience of
these concessions on our part, the French Government are so far from
evincing a disposition to meet us with a similar conciliatory policy, that
they have done just the reverse. Scarce a year has elapsed without some
additional duty being imposed on our fabrics in their harbours; and the
great reductions contained in Sir R. Peel's tariff were immediately met,
as already noticed, by the imposition of an additional and very heavy duty
on British linens. Nay, so far has the free trade system been from
enlarging the market for our manufactures in Europe, that after twenty
years' experience of its effects, and an increase over Europe generally of
fully a third in numbers, and at least a half in wealth, it is an
ascertained fact, that our exports to the European-States _are less than
they were forty years ago_.[16] "