The following figures show the quantities of raw sugar in general, in tons, imported into the British markets for the last five years, compared with consumption:—
| Years. | Entire Importations. | British Consumption. | Surplus. |
| 1847 | 415,289 | 290,281 | 125,008 |
| 1848 | 354,834 | 309,424 | 45,410 |
| 1849 | 362,087 | 299,041 | 63,046 |
| 1850 | 332,470 | 310,391 | 22,089 |
| 1851 | 419,083 | 329,561 | 89,472 |
| 1852 | 360,033 | 358,642 | 1,391 |
| Deduced from Parliamentary Paper, No. 461, Session 1853. | |||
The consumption of sugar then in the whole world may be roughly estimated at two and a half million tons, of which the United Kingdom may now be put down for 350,000; the rest of Europe 420,000, and the United States 300,000.
The United States produce about 140,000 tons of cane and maple sugar, which are exclusively used for home consumption, the remainder of their requirements being made up by foreign importation. The American consumption, which in 1851 amounted to 133,000 tons of sugar cane reached last year a total of 321,000 tons, almost as much as England consumed—358,000—and more than the consumption of 100,000,000 of persons on the continent.
The whole production of tropical sugar, is about one million and a-half tons, while the consumption is probably two million tons; but the manufacture of sugar from beet root, maple and other sources, supplies the deficiency.
The total quantities of sugar, and molasses as sugar, consumed in the United Kingdom in the last six years, were, according to a Parliamentary paper, No. 292, of the last session, as follows:—
| Cwt. sugar. | Cwt. molasses. | |
| 1847 | 4,723,232 | 1,256,421 |
| 1848 | 5,003,318 | 865,752 |
| 1849 | 5,283,729 | 1,021,065 |
| 1850 | 5,570,461 | 752,027 |
| 1851 | 5,043,872 | 1,522,405 |
| 1852 | 7,203,631 | 799,942 |
The returns further specify that the annual average consumption of British colonial sugar, in the five years ending 1851, was 5,124,922 cwt.; and in the five years ending 1846, was 4,579,054 cwt.; the average consumption of British colonial sugar, has, therefore, exceeded in the five years since the duties were reduced, in 1846, the average consumption for the five previous years by 545,868 cwt. per annum; or in the aggregate in the five years, the excess has been 3,239,338 cwt. The quantity consumed in the year ending December, 1852, was 4,033,879 cwt.[16] There can be no doubt whatever, that the consumption of sugar in Great Britain is capable of very large increase; moderate cost, and the removal of restrictions to its general use, being the main elements required to bring it about. The question of revenue must of course be a material consideration with Government; but recent experience certainly leads to the conclusion that it would not suffer under a further reduction of duty.
The revenue derived from sugar before the reduction of the duty, was five millions per annum; in the past two years it reached nearly four millions.
The reduction in duties which took place in 1845, may be said to have answered the expectations formed of it, as regards the increase of consumption, which there is no doubt would have even gone beyond the estimate, if the failure in the crop of sugar in Cuba—that most important island, which usually yields one-fifth of the cane crop of the whole world—had not driven up prices in the general market of the continent, and, in consequence, diverted the supply of free labor sugar from this country. As it was, however, the consumption of the United Kingdom, which in 1844 was 206,472 tons, in 1845 was not less than 243,000—Sir Robert Peel's estimate was 250,000 tons—the average reduction in price to the consumer during the latter year having been 20 per cent. The large increase in subsequent years I have already shown.