THE ABORTIVE COMMERCIAL NEGOTIATIONS WITH SPAIN.--Senor Sanchez Silva,
known for his speeches in the Cortes, as deputy for Cadiz, has
published, in an address to his constituents, an account of the
negotiations between the Spanish and British Governments relative to a
treaty of commerce. The effect of this publication will be to undeceive
the minds of Spaniards from the idea that the Regent's Government was
about to sacrifice the interests of Spain, or even of Catalonia, to
England. The terms proposed by the Spanish commissioner were, indeed,
those rather of hard bargainers than of men eager and anxious for a
commercial arrangement. Senor Silva says that England, in its first
proposals, demanded that its cottons should be admitted into Spain on
paying a duty of 20 per cent., England offering in return to diminish
its duties on Spanish wines, brandies, and dried fruits. But England,
which offered in 1838 to reduce by one-third its duty on French wines,
did not make such advantageous offers to Spain; and the Spanish
negotiators demanded that 20 per cent. _ad valorem_ should be the limit
of the import duty of Spanish wines and brandies into England, as it was
to be the limit of the duty on English cottons into Spain. This demand
nearly broke off the negotiation, when Spain made new proposals; these
were to admit English cottons at from 20 to 25 per cent. _ad valorem_
duty, if England would admit Spanish brandies at 50 per cent. _ad
valorem_ duty, sherry wines at 40 per cent., and other wines at 30 per
cent., exclusive of the excise. Moreover, that tobacco should be
prohibited from coming to Gibraltar, except what was necessary for the
wants of the garrison. The English Government, in a note dated last
month, declared the Spanish proposals inadmissible. If the Spanish
Government did not admit the other articles of English produce, the duty
on Spanish wines could not be reduced. English cottons were an object of
necessity for the Spanish people, and came in by contraband; whereas
Spanish wines were but an article of luxury for the English. Senor
Sanchez Silva concludes, that it is quite useless to renew the
negotiations, the English note being couched in the terms of an
_ultimatum_.