duty should be uniform. Thus it would be: When the price is
52s. and under 53s. and 54s., 18s.; and when 54s. and under 55s., still
18s. When the price is 55s. and under 56s., we propose that the duty be
17s.; when 56s. and under 57s., that it shall be 16s.; and when 57s. and
under 58s., that it shall be 15s.; and when 58s. and under 59s.. that it
shall be 14s.; and when 59s. and under 60s., that it shall be 13s.; when
60s. and under 61s., that it shall be 12s.; when 61s. and under 62s.,
that it shall be lis.; when 62s, and under 63s., that it shall be 10s.;
when 63s. and under 64s., that it shall be 9s.; when 64s. and under
65s., that it shall be 8s.; and when 65s. and under 66s., that it shall
be 7s. At the three next items of price I propose another rest in the
scale similar to the former. I should propose on the next three a duty
of 6s., that is to say, when the price is 66s. and under 67s., when it
is 67s. and under 68s., and when it is 68s. and under 69s. In each of
these cases the duty would be 6s. When the price is 69s. and under 70s.,
I propose a duty of 5s.; when 70s. and under 71s., a duty of 4s.; when
71s. and under 72s., a duty of 3s.; when 72s. and under 73s. a duty of
2s.; and when 73s. and under 74s., a duty of Is. the quarter. When that
price is arrived at, I propose that the duty should altogether cease;
the sum of the proposition, then, is this, that when corn in the British
market is under the price of 51s. the quarter, a duty of 20s. shall be
levied, which duty shall never be exceeded, for I am quite satisfied
that it is useless to take any greater amount of duty." With respect to
other grain than wheat, Sir Robert Peel proposed to adopt the proportion
of value and duty which he found in the present law. "Colonial wheat and
flour," he continued, "shall be imported at a duty of 5s. whenever the
price of British wheat is below 67s.; that when the price of British
wheat exceeds 67s. it shall then be admissible at a duty of 6d. I
propose to give the same advantage to colonial wheat, respecting
the reduction of prices at which it shall be admissible, as is given to
other descriptions of wheat. But considering that the sudden drop in
the prices from 5s. to 6d., on account of the difference of Is. in the
price, is at variance with the principle of the law, which seeks to
establish as equable and uniform a reduction of duty as possible, we
propose to make this arrangement respecting colonial wheat--that when