It may be added that duties of 12d. and 5d. do not, even if a departure from the principle of charging on quality were justifiable, represent the just proportional rates which ought to be levied upon what are supposed to be, respectively, cultivated and wild, as they are represented in the ordinary Price Current by the highest and lowest prices, which are 3s. 10d. and 2s.  The just proportional duty ought to be on the lowest, not 5d., but 7d.  The duty, as first proposed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, of 1s. per pound on nutmegs, without distinction, was perfectly satisfactory to the planters, merchants, and the trade in general.

It is a mistake to suppose that a duty of 1s. would exclude the so-called wild nutmegs.  They would be imported in large quantities, as the cost is low.  In quantity it was 17 Spanish dollars per picul, and there is no reason to suppose it would be more now.  The finest picked cost say 34 Spanish dollars.

    In Pinang and Singapore for cultivated the price is 65 to 70
    dollars.

The planters for the most part do not sell on the spot, but consign
here for sale on their own account.

London, May 23rd, 1853.

NUTMEGS IMPORTED AND EXPORTED TO AND FROM SINGAPORE.

Value of the
Imported.   Exported.   Growth of    native growth.
piculs.    piculs.     Singapore.         L
1841   2271/2      412       1841/2        3,323
1842   258          809       551            9,897
1843   1501/2      249        981/2        1,760
1844    52          282       230            4,131
1845    41          383       342            6,143
1846    79          331       252            4,526
1847   139          416       277            4,275

NUTMEGS EXPORTED FROM JAVA.

Nutmegs.        Mace.
piculs.       piculs.
1830          1,304           177
1835          5,022         1,606
1839          5,027         1,581
1843          2,133           486

IMPORTS INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM. 
NUTMEGS, WILD AND CULTIVATED. |              MACE. 
Imports.  Home consump. |           Imports.  Consumption.
lbs.        lbs.     |            lbs.       lbs.
1847     367,936     150,657    |  1847     60,265     18,821
1848     336,420     167,143    |  1848     47,572     19,712
1849     224,021     178,417    |  1849     45,978     20,605
1850     315,126     167,683    |  1850     77,337     21,997
1851     358,320     194,132    |  1851     77,863     21,695
1852     357,940     239,113    |  1852     61,697     21,480

MACE EXPORTED—­ACTUAL GROWTH OF SINGAPORE. 
Quantity—­piculs.    Value—­L
1841        251/2               583
1842        72              1,616
1843        403/4               943
1844        161/2               359
1845        71              1,616
1846         8                179
1847        75              1,661

109 piculs of imported mace were also re-shipped in 1847.