The Express. — London, England, 1848-06-27 00:00:00

111PERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LOILDS.—MonaT, JUNK 26. The Loan CHANCILLOk tool: his seat at 5 o'clock. PRIVATL BUSINHSS. SECOND READlNGS.—Sandbach Charity Eatate Strathtay and Breadalbane Extension Hallway. Greenlaw's (or Woolwich Tiro [ Lands) Estate; Middle linduage Acta AmenW orce draent (en.%road Northern Railway ((isle of Aghdrne branch); Oxford, ter, Wolverhampton (N 0.21; Drumpeller Railway ; Crence Railway and Leeds and Thirsk Railway Amalgamation ; Fast Lincolnshire itailmsy (alteration of Great Grimsby branch); Dublin and Malinger Turn pike Road; low's Patent; THIRD READINGS.--Briatol Dock Transfer; Queensferry Pas sage ; Iluddennteld Improvement ; Waltehaven Junction Railway Chester Cemetery ; Manchester, South Junction, and Altrincham Hallway, Bills. PUBLIC BrstsEss. COMMlTTEES..—Certifteates for Killing blares (Scotland); Game Certificates for Ruling Mares; Cruelty to Animals Prevention; BUM. THIRD READlNG.—Evicted Destitute Poor (Ireland) PETITIONS.—By Earl FITZHARDINGE, from !Instal, signed A by 2,326 person in favour of the Health of Towns Sill.—ord ISE MONT, f rog s several lodges of Odd Yellows, in favour M a th NU for lerratiramr Odd Fellows' societies— the Fart of EGLINTON, from Annan, Candor, and other places in Ssuland, against the Registratio i n Sill.—lned PORTMAN, from a board of guardians n beltire. complain:lm of the great increase in the number d ' , Wawa —Earl FITZ WILLIAM, from ingapore, tout men of certain defect-4in the administration of to e law.—Marquis of LANS DOWNE, tram the It wal Collette of Sunroofs% praying that their lordship• would withhold their sanction trom the establishment of a college of general practitiocers.—Lard WILAILNCLIFFE, from a place not heard, against Sundae trading. NOTICE OP mono:l.—Wier !Notts.—Earl GREY, to-morrow (this day) to move an address to her Maio-Ey for the production of certain &suntan. on the subject of the West Indies, in doing which be would stake some remarks upon what was reported to have taken place elsewhere on the subject. .EVIC fED ESTITUTE POOR (IRELAND) BL. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE, in moving the I t hi L rd reading of this bill, nsked their lordships to reject the amendments mule in the committee, and to restore the bill to it, original shape. The amendments entirely altered the character of the bill, and destroyed its efficiency. The first amendment wax, that notice should be given to the clerk of the board of guardians, instead of the relieving officer. He must maintain that the original provision in this respect was much batter than the amendment. The second amendment was one which would dimini,h the value of the measure and alter its character. It was to tho effect that provision should only bo made for tho contingi nor when it occurred, in stead of anticipating it, as or iginally provided ior by the bill. Twelve hours ' notice of an intended eviction would not be sufficient to 'recurs the unfortunate persona to be turned ou' of possession from the consequences of so midden an set, whilst seven days, ns at first proposed, might be long enough to allow of relief being properly administered. If their lordship, by retaining the amendments, thus muti lated and emasculated the bill, it would produce a most un favourable effect in Ireland. The noble marquis concluded by moving that the amendments made is the first line of the second clause he struck out. Lord MONTEAGLE supported the amendments, and contended that they would cause the relief to be more o ,era titre and eti;cient. The Earl of ST. GERMANS dad not see the utility of the bill. lie objet ed both to the bill in its original state, and also to the amendments. There was no provision in the bill fort wing notice of the number of persons to be evicted; and the: seven days' notice of eviction would only be calcu lated to excite a tory feelirgs against the landlord, and give time for some opposition to be offered to the process whe.i it was put in execution. It appeared to him that it was more desirable that the notice should be served on the relieving officer than the clerk of the board of guardians, b-cause the former would be in the locality of the unfortunate persons to be turned out; and he might be ordered by the poor-law commissioners, up 48 hours' notice being riven to them, to repair to the spot and ascertain the number of persons likely to he rendered destitute by the execution of the pro cess. He should therefore move, as an amendment, that the notice should be given to the relieving officer instead of the clerk of the board of guardians, end that it should be 48 hours instead of seven days. The Duke of LEINSTER supported the amendments. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE thought 48 hours' would be rather too short a notice; but if sufficient notice was given to allow of the persons to be evicted being pro vided for, he did not wish to adhere pertinaciously to his opinion as to the seven days. He had, therefore, no objec tion to consent to the period being 48 hour.; and he would also agree to the notice being given to tke relieving officer, instead of the board of guardians. After a few words from Lord MONTEAGLE their lordships divided, when the numbers were— For the motion 47 Against it The bill war then read a third time and pasted CERTIFICATES FOR KILLING HARES (SCOT LAND) BILL. The house went into committee on this bill. Clauses 1, 1 and 3, were agreed to. Lord REDESDALE moved a clause to limit the authority from the owners or occupiers of land to kill hares to one per son only. The buke of lideitmoNO opposed the clause. The house divided—For the clause 36 Against it 23 —l3 The clause was then inserted, On clause 4 being proposed, The Earl of CARDIGAN moved an amendment, to pre vent the oecupitr of laud from laying ot snares or wires for the killing of hares. The Duke of RICHMOND opposed the amendment, on the ground that ii would have the effect of preventing the small occupier from preserving his crop. For his part, he would give the farmer the power of killing pheasants and other game, whice he tho r ught would have the effect of pre serving game more effectually than if a whole army of game keepers were employed. (Hear, hear.) The Earl of Yentionocon and Earl GREY also opposed the amendment. The house divided—For the amendment 2O Against it The clause was then agreed to, as were those which fol lowed. On the question that the preamble be agreed to, The Earl of MALMESBURY objected to certain words. A short conversation casual, but a division not being insisted ow, the preamble was agreed to, and the house resumed. GAME CERTIFICATES FOR KILLING HARES BILL. This:bill pas-ed through committee without amendment. The house adjourned at 36 minutes past 7. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—MONDAY, Just 26. The SPEAKER took the ehair at 4 o'clock. PRIVATE BUSINESS. . SECOND READINGS.--Esdaile s (orphan working school) Charity Estate; highland Roads, Bridges, kc. (Scotland.; (Silk; REPORIS (CONSIDERED—Dunbar Customs, Water and Har bour Dues Amendment; Helmedale, Little Ferry, and Leek Roble Harbours; Newry Navigation amendment of arts) ; Bills. THIRD READlNGS.—lLisnlyn's Estate; Londonderry Improve ment; Bills. LORDS' AMENDMENTS OONSIDERED.—North British Railway (No. I), Increase and Diri•101:1 of Capital Bill. PUBLIC BUSINEsS. PETITIONS.—By Mr. GODSON, from Kidderminster, for parlia mentary reform, and a reduction of expenditure ; Mr. GREEN E, from Lanea , ter, for reform; Mr. HASTIE, from Fakley, for the charter; from same place, against the navigation laws; Mr. BERKE LEY, from (two petitions), foe parliamentary reform on Mr. liumg,'s plan ; Mr. BROTHERTON, from Salford, 1.541 family peti tions to sane effect.—Col. MULE, from Renfrewskire, against the Lunatic" (Scotland) BilL —Mr. DUNCAN, from Dundee, against the Beanivn's %Vida% Fund Bill.—Sir D. L. EVANS, from Westmin ster, against Sunday trading; Mr. C. LUSHINGTON, from fish mongt is and fishmongers' ambitanto In London, against Monday trading.—Sir F. N. BUXTON, from Leigh, in ENOS, against the Ws of into:cleating liquors on Bandit's. SECOND READlNLl.—Constabulary Force (Ireland) Bill. 0010111TEE.—Priscas Bill. NOTICE'' OF monoN.-SrAtx.-Mr. BANKER, to-morrow, to mere that the circumstances attending the expulcon of a minister, accredited by the court of Great Britain to that of Spain, and the in terruption of the amicable relations between the two countries come quent thereupon, are circumstances immediately tailing fur the atten tion of parliament. SLIGO ELECTION. Mr. WRIGHTSON brought up the report of the com mittee appointed to consider the petition against the last return fur the borough of Sligo, which set forth that the last election was a void election, and that iliarles Townley, Esq., was by his agents gu ity of treating. RAILWAYS IN INDIA. Lord MAHON asked how far railways in India had been affected by the commercial distress existing in that part of the British c mpire ? Sir J. C. HOBHOUSE said the circumstances of the In dian railways had bet n for the most part correctly stated in the public prints. The Madras Comp Any had dissolved it self. The Great Bengal Ct mpany had not been able to raise the amount required by the East India Company in order to proceed. With regard to the Bombay line he hoped, how ever, that somewhat brighter prospects were in store. BOROUGH OF ST. ALBAN'S. Mr. COBliiiititi7npreeeniCii a petition of which be made mention on Friday night, from an elector of the borough of St. Alban's, praying that that hor-ugh might be included in the schedule of the bill instituting a commission of inquiry introduced at the instance of the hon. member for Flint (Sir John Hamner). The hon. member observed that he had given notice that he should move tomorrow that the petition be printed. The petition was ordered to lie on the table. Mr. RAPHAEL rose to say a few words on the petition, but The SPEAKER intimated that the hon. gentleman was out of order, the petition having been duly received. Mr. RAPHAEL—Then, air, I will move that the petition be printed. (Order.) Mr. COBDEN reminded the hon. member that he had already given notice to that effect for to-morrow evening. Mr. RAPHAEL said that under those circumstances he would postpone what he bad to say until that opportunity. POOR LAWS (IRELAND). Mr. A. STAFFORD asked if it were intended to bring in any declaratory measure with reference to the clause of the Irish Poor Relief Amendment Act, commonly known as the Quarter-acre Clause I" Sir G. GREY said it was not intended to propose any alteration of the law, but the poor law commissioneri had the subject under consideration, with a view to making an order respecting it. NAVIGATION OF THE ST. LAWRENCE. Mr. SPOONER asked if a memorial had been received from the Board of Trade in Canada on the subject of open ing the navigation of the St. Lawrence, and representing that, if the policy of the present government in reArence to that question were persevered in, the consequence might be the annexation of Canada to the United States. Mr. HAWES said some papers had been received, which should be laid before the house to-morrow. ENCUMBERED ESTATES (IRELAND) BILL. Mr. BRIGHT asked when this bill would be proceeded with ? Lord J. RUSSELL said it would be gone on with before may of the other Irish business before the house. THE UNPRODUCED DESPATCH. On the motion for reading the order of the day, Mr. B. HAW ES nee and said that in aooordanoe with the pledge he had given to the house on Friday night, he was anxious to make a abort statement, by which the house would be better enabled to judge of the correctness or incise remness of the accusations of the noble lord the member fbr Lyhn. In the first place be wished tb may that ilia the heat of debate on Friday night he had made use of any ex pressions that could be considered objectionable, it was his desire now to withdraw them. He fe lt, how ever, that the statement of the noble lord and the imputations which he had cut upon his noble friend, and en the departm ent iu which he had the honour to serve, could not be permitted to pass without the most direct and positive denial on his put. He would briefly re. state the circumstacces. ( The hon. member then, without any material variation, repeated the statements made by him on Monday and on Friday in last week, as to the receipt of the despatch in question, its endorsement , at the Colonial office, and its having been directed both by himself and Earl Grey to be sent down for the information of the committee. Ile also re-stated what had occurred in the committee on the subject.) lie then asked the house to put that generous interpretation on this matter to which he conceived his conduct throughout entitled him. As to himself, he could assure the noble lord, though he laboured under very s•vong feelings, and though he considered his public and private character entirely at stake, he would not allow himself to be betrayed into any hasty expressions; he had so keen a sense of the evil cons( quences of these altercations which had so recently taken place in the house — he had en keen an apprehension of the results likely to ensue thence elsewhere—(hear, hear)—that he would repress the acute perception of the injury offered to him, and seek to avoid offence to any one in what he felt called upon to say in his vindication. (Hear, hear.) lie would read to the house what he underst od to b the charge of the noble lord against him, as conveyed in e the noble lord's own words. The noble lord thus expressed himself: I raid that if thew minutes and memorandums were not got up stihrequently —to his examination of the Sib o f A p ril, he was troubled with the shortest memory since the days of green beg notoriety, when Theodore Ma) ocebi gave his answer of Nos so rimed°. That was the chat ge I made, and the hon. gentleman may take his option whether or not, after three various discussions and various minutes to which he attlx“l his name, be, on the Mb of April, could net re member the receipt of any despatch of an important nature that he could not on the ath of April recollect, notwithstanding three vene rate discussions on die sash vet of that despatch and its importance, that any Important despatch or that any dinnatch connected with the agriculture and social orate of Jilltlaieu Intl been reuelved. That in the chance I make ng.iinst the hon. newton:in, and I rare nothing whether he makes his defence against the one or the other of the horns of the dilemma on which I pl hie him, and from which be cannot escape. Now be would read to the house the questions that had been put to him on the committee, and the answers he had given. Mr. Goulburei asked, Cat you explain awe reason why we have no accounts in the 11 aper. laid before parliament for Jamaica of the character of thew ftum other colonice ! I imagine you allude to the blue book—to the annual account from Jamaica.—There is no account of the state of the island, and an the other caws I That is generally comprised in rho annual report calk d the Blue Book. The fact is that we have not ' received it.—Dots not the governor write despatches to the Colonial office on the subject of the suite of the inland, beetles that one pan cider paper in the course of the year t Yen, certainly, but lum not aware of any despatches from him of any importance, which have been withheld from this committee.—Wc have remised Irvin Mher colonice very considerable details as to the state of those colonic& and as to the prospects of agriculture ; but from Jamaica 1 can tint nothing of the kind' Until very recently, I think, there has been no such general despatch received; that dogwatch is now printing fur this committee. 1 ought to el I tbut the goes rnor has beim in the island 11 very Wort time—By the Chairman: That is preparing is it ! There is a despatch, but still not of the nature to which the right hon. gentlemen alludes ; however, whatever we have will he furnished. Now, therefore, as he had stated, a dispatch had been received from Governor Grey, which was in preparation for the use of parliament, and which, as he had further stated, contained in it nothing of an important character. That war hie impres *ion, certainly, and the home, he thought, would admit, at least, that if he had erred, it war not on the site most favour able to his own opinions, for the despatch in question, which occupied but a mingle page of the Blue Book, while it inti mated an opinion that some sort of protection was desirable, intimated, also, the decided opinion of Governor Grey that the government at home must not place too much reliance upon the statements of the planters as to the cost of cultiva tion. (Hear, hear.) Here was an opinion which, had he been influenced by the unworthy spirit attributed to him by the noble lord, he should certai dy have made the most of ; but, as he had before said, he did not regard the opinion as one of importance. The honourable gentle man then repeated his statement of last Monday as to the date of the reception of the des patch, and the circumstance that after distinct directions had been given on the 30th of March by his noble friend Earl Grey, that the despatch should be at once laid before the committee, it was found, on the I tah of April, that, by some misapprehension on the part of Mr. Cox, a gentleman whose high honour was well known to many members of that house—( hear, hear)—the despatch had not been forwarded to the e anmittee. He then called upon the house to any whether he could give a fairer or more frank statement oil the subject than he ha I given —( hear, hear)—a statement which ho hoped, further, be bad made with temper. ('leer, hear.) To the noble lord opposite, as to a gentle. man, and as to a person holding a high position in that house and in the country, he would at peal, whether be could, atter this statement, maintain the charge which he had made ? (Hear, hear.) If the cohle lord still adhered to that charge, he (Mr. Hawes) would then ask the house to institute a complete inquiry into all the facts of the matter. (Hear, hear.) He could not submit to individual arbitration in such a case. (Ilear, hear.) He would either, by full inquiry, ho convicted of the guilt impuscd to him, or he would stand fair and honourable be fore the house and before the country. (Cheers.) He was not aware that during the long time he had sat in that house he had ever had doubt or discredit cut upon him—(hear, hear)—and he thought he had now a right, having fully and frankly explained this matter, to appeal to the noble lard to withdraw his charge, or, should he nut de so, to the house to institute an immediate and searching Inquiry into the whole ease, promising on his own part to lend every aid to that inquiry, and to subetautiate all he had said by the testimony of persons of the most unimpearhel honour. SCheers.) Lord G. BENTINCK was sure that every one who had listened to the hon. gentleman must be perfectly satisfied that his statement as regarded the despatch particularly in question was perfectly accurate. (Hear, hear.) But the hon. gentleman had not made out any case to show that the Celoniabollice had not withheld information from the com mittee. lie (Lord G. Bentinck) hail made two distinct, charges—the one, that the Colonial-odic° had systematically kept back the inf vitiation of February it ought to have placed in possession of the committee; arid the second against the hon. gentleman with reference to the despatch in question. He must repeat his surprise that the hon. mem ber had so wholly mistaken the character of this deepavh, when he regarded it as of no importance, more specially atter the right honourable member for Cam-, bridge University had so emphatically directed his attention to the point, in the committee. It was of the ute most importance that the contents of the despatch should be known, for, after the right hon. President of the Board of Trade had, in his place, denied that there was any inform. ation from Jamaica, and alter the bon. member, before the committee, had stated that the despatch of Sir C. Grey con tained nothing of importance, the West India agents who were in the committee room at once forwarded representations home which led to the conviction there that Sir C. Grey had betrayed his trust in not forwarding account. of the distress of the colony, and the result was an article in the Jamaica Dispatch, which, amon. other remarks, said,—" Whatever may be our opinion as to the present government and the incapacity of its representative here, we cannot bring our selves to the supposition that any set of men, entrusted with the government of the empire, would dare to disregard the well authenticated distress of any portion of her Majesty's subjects." In like manner with tsc hon. gentleman, the right hon. l'resi tent of the Board of Trade had denied that any despatches hail been received from Jamaica. On the Bth February there took place in the house this ques tion and answer : Mr. Goethe att wished to know why Jamaica had been omitted in the it:dement of the affairs of the several West India cronies laid be fore the house, and strait there would he any objection to lay the last intelligence frau Jain dot on the table Mr. LAIIII,IIERE WAHI that, as the right hon. gentleman had had the kindnem to give him notice of his intention to ask the quettion, be had applied to the Colonial-aloe en the subject, and woe enabled to state that the reason that no blue book had been laid on the table respecting Jamaica woe, that it had not been received. Owing to the ample infotmation which hal been forwarded by Wed /Agin, Earl Carey had stated he could a& nothing to the rources of intelligence already opened by the noble lord. With respect to the latter 100 tof the right hon. gentleman's question, he had to say that no despatch had been received giving any general account of the s•ate of Jamaica; but that es coon as such a document should be received, it was the intention of the Secretary of State for the Colonies to communicate it without delay to the house. Now, the fact was that on the Bth of February information had seen received by the government from Jamaica, as ap peared from &speech of Earl Grey in another place, in which speech occurred this passage : A very great change wan going on in the West Indict, at the present moment. Among many documents which hail pawed through hie hands connect.' with the state of these colonies, ho was very much struck with one which lie had received the other day from a number , of planters in the wmtern part of Jamaica, and who stated that they had invented capital to the extent of not tees than 1,12,000/. in planta tions in the colony; and they added, what was a moat remarkable fact, that, with one exception, they had all purchased or leaned their plantations since emancipation. That showed what a change of sys tem was in progress in that inland, and he believed that in the course of a few years more they would see the soil 01 Jamaica cultivated by planters carrying on business for themaelves, and forming resident owners or lessee's of the land. So far from believing that the pram mete of Jamaica were bail, he was not aware orally part of the British dominions in which there was so favourable a erospect for the invest ment of capital at this moment an Jamaica. It was this remarkable statement, doubtless, which had struck the attention of the right hon. member for the Uni versity of Cambridge, and induced him on the Bth February to put the question which had elicited the answer just cited. The house would be edified by the illustration of colonial diplomacy, which would be afforded by the perusal he now begged to make to them of the whole document, which the noble earl had thus so meanly perverted to hie own use, and which was A MIILHOZIAL TO THE Rioter Illogneammat THE Esau. GIE.T, HER MA/12SIT'M 1"11/1CIYAI. SIECRICTAaIf Or STATE ran THE CA/1/.1., &C. —My Lord,—We pray your earnest attention to the following facts. We, the underWgned, are the owners of 10, and the lessees of 19 sugar estates in the west end of the Island of Jamaica, on which prow/tiee we employ daily an average of 2,091 labourers, who re. present families numbrting 14,490 people, lately redeemed from slavery. Our sugar estates, 32 in number, are expected to make this year 2,796 hogsheads of sugar and 1,351 puncher:los of ram, which will coat us, by accurate computation, 60,3131. lls. Id. We have no hope of realising more than 131. per hogshead and let. per puncheon (the maximum price of the market at pre sent), at which rate our produce will bring 60,8961., Malin a balance over our expenditure of 5801. 64. 7d., to go ogsioot I pie cent., the common rate of interest which money bears in the colony, and which, on 60,3151. 13s. 5d.,' would be 3,6101. Ins. hid. Our capital invested on these 32 sugar estates, in lire stock md implements of b ua e a m iy amounts is lire stock t0n2,094/;in implements:W.l4,6334 upon which weeeand-tear capital we receive no interest whalers. The 19 sugar wastes that we own met us 95,7844, and we pay a rental for the 11 other estates of 9110/. per annum, which sunk capital is likewise wholly prontlese. We are not so absurd as to ex pect that the British nation should abandon the principles of free THE EXPRESS, TUESDAY EVENING, JUNE 27, 1848. teas Now ter = b: the metortly of the porde, in eider to seed as • bet we salwait teat t cannot be wo seer* via 'of tees trade to give to he sere colonial.. a Miligr am all/ M gm ka m• ge •rk et by allowing them to cultivate Ripe to ,• sod we submit hey must:have mat segaspellp Bit tie West Indies cease to guppy the market with MB 3tene lordship must have ascertained that a supply from the SW cannot be (reigned at the rates of sheogrewn produce. ! um resident proprietors, sod ail of us, with one exception, and leased our property ranee the Emancipation Aet. be evident from the frets rioted that we cannot cultivate for illigliggymr; Indeed, we have not the meting, unaided, of hiking off the gessmiterop, and the British West India merebants are now unable BO MBA as, end of course disinclined, where there is no hope of profit or even of recovering their advances. If we, being proprietors and les sees, living on and managing °strewn properties, brought up to tropical aorrieultute, soil availing ounwives of every practical improvement, have only such • result to exhibit as ham forth an the 'dement of these testa, the inference to conclusive that the position of the absentee pro prietor or mortgagee, represented by paid agencies, is still more de plorable. It is evident that unlees some mode of rupprosting slavery and the slave trade more effectual than that hitherto pursued he militated, taut without immediate aid, in the shape of money loans, sugar cultivation, upon which 300,000 of the emancipated entrees are wholly dependent, must cease In Jamaica. But orr object in submit ting these hots to your lordship is to enable you to draw your own in- , Brener,. end suggest your own remedies; and we beg you will eon eider our desperate position se an excuse for troubling you with the statement.—We have, he., (Signed) 11. A. Witimume (and ffiteen others). It had been geld by the Colonial-office that no despateh from Sir C. (hey had been received in time for the com mittee, giving a general statement. There was the dispatch of Sir C. Grey dated 22nd Oct., 1547, giving a general state ment : had this not been received in time fur the committee? Again, as to Trinidad, had no general statement% been re ceived thence in time for the committee, and of essential importitace to its deliberations There were despotchea from Lord Harris, the one doted the 4th Sept., the other 18th Sept. of lest year, both of them expresaing the writers' convictions that, sinless speedy aid were given to the colonies, the cultivation of their pro duce would be relinquished, and the islands must subside into barbarism. The former of these despatches I wu received on the 4th October; tho latter on the 22nd October ; their production was moved for in the house on the 26th November. Yet,theugh the house eat for four weeks after wards, these papers were net produced until the evening of i the night on which the debts in that house Bused—(hear, hear)—and after statements had been made there, and in another place, capable of refutation, hail tee house and the country been in preesess.con of these despatches— statements calculated to create much prejudice against the West Indian planters, and to show them guilty of an entire want of energy and good management. Haying payed the way by these observations in order to show the system which prevailed at the government offices, he ' would now go back to the sth of April, and examine into the course pursued by the hon. Under Secretory. Granting for the moment that it was tho honest intention of the Colonial-oltice on the 27th of March to send the derpatch of Governor Grey before the committee, and {trotting also that some mental confusion on the part of the lion. member had prevented him from understanding the question put to him when he was before the committee by the right hon. gentleman the member for Cambridge, and that by this' means the committee was left in the lathe( that no despatch relating to the agricultural and social state of Jamaica had been received from Sir Charles Grey, he (Lord 0. Bentinck) wanted to know how the honourable member would account for the answer which he gave after-1 wards to the questions of the committee ? lie begged pardon for going so minutely into (Haile, but they were essential towards proving the charge that he made—namely, that the government was guilty of keeping back imeortant despatches front the committee. The evidence was closed on the sth of April, and the house adjourned for the Easter renew , . On Tuesday, the 2nd of May, he summoned the committee to receive the draft of the resolutions and the report, both of which were circulated in M.S., and a copy of which was sent to the hon. Under Secretary and the right hon. gentle. man opposite (Mr. L ,bouchere). On the 4th of May the committee met pro fonew, but only six or seven members were present, and the right hon. gentleman expressed a re gret at the circumctance, as the government desired to know what impression the evidence had produced on the committee ; at the same time he gave them to understand thot although the ministry would not be governed by the opinion et the majority , they should sever theless feel it to be their duty to allow themselves to be in a great measure influenced by the opinions expressed on the pert of a body of gentlemen who had a* unremittingly devoted themselves to the inquiry. It was then agreed that the committee should be adjourned until the Turaday following, May 9, in order to secure a full meeting, when the tight hon. gentleman said be hoped in a frien Ily manner to learn what their opinion was. On Thursday, May 11, the corn• naittee received in M.S a copy of a despatch trim Mr. Sti pendiary Strutt, which, as was averred, was sent because the committee was then deliberating on its report. Why we re other de-patches from Governor Light and Lord Harris kept back at that time particularly one which arrived simultaneously with that from Stipendiary Strut', dated' March 23, and written by Lord Harris ? I/mat:hestad been communicated to the committee by tho For. ignedliee a. soon as received, and why did not the Colonial.elliee pursue the same course? He believed the house was tired of these details—(hear, hear); but he considered them important to make out his case, for the Gets he bad laid before them proved that when the despatches contained evidence that told against hint they were immediately laid before the cam. mittee, but when they favoured his views they were sup pressed. The members of the committee came prepared to judge by the evidence before them, nod without any mental reservation to agree to the resolutient and the report ; and when a member of the government came down and salted what impression the evidence had produced on their minds they had a right to coneliete that they had received the whole of the evidence. Therefore he had a right to say that the West Indies had not been fairly dealt , To revert, however, to the proceedings of the committee: on the 4th of May they met, and adjourned to the 9th, and then again to the 18th. What happened in the into real ? On Friday, May 5, he came down to the house to move for new papers; the hon member for Kinsale was not in hie place, but the hen. Secretary for the India Board said that no time should be lost in consequence, and he undertook to move for the copies of the despatches which had been kept back, He (Lord G. Bentinclo left the house, but the hon. gentleman forgot to move for the papers, and he apologised for the neglect as well as mewed him that no time should be lot in conureemee, fur the colonial department wuald at once set to work tel prepare the despatches. Now he never meant to say that when Earl Grey did see Governor Grey 's despatch emblazoned all over with comments as it was, it did not occur to him that it had come hack without ever having been sent before the committee. But what was the conduct of the hon. Under Secretary on that occasion? Practically speaking, as he had shown. The despatch of Sir C. Grey was moved for on the sth of Me', and what he wonted to know wu, how Earl Grey and the hon. member excused themselves when they found that the despatch which was to have been sent en the 28th of March hail not been sent on the sth of May ? Earl Grey never asked wi o was to blame, nor did he express any regtet. The result of this keeping back of important intonuation was to induce the right hon. gentleman the member for Cambridge University and the hon. member for Liverpool to bold hock from giv ing any opinion as to the question of protection. His pur pou in going into there detai's was to show that the West Indies hail not had fair-play, hut that they: had been treated by those who ought to have protected them as if they were criminals at the bar of justice. The charge he made against the government was, that a systematic suppression of the truth as regarded the state of the West Indies had been resorted to by the government in order to mislead the committee in melting their report. And he must say that the hon. Under Secre tary, and the right hon. gentleman also, if he knew of the existence of the suppreesed despatch, which he (Lard G. Bentinck) believed was not the MC, did not deal frankly and fairly by the committee when he asked the members of it what their opinion of the evidence was at a moment when the lion. Under Secretary knew that evidence had been kept back which if known would have decided the vote of the committee. That was the charge he brought. The hon. Under Secretary had given his explanation such as it was. But when it was .aid thee he (Lord G. Remind') had' charged with fraud the noble earl, who stood BO high as to be above such a charge, he would only reply that bin ch ego amounted to a political holding !ACK of certain despatches, in order to attain a political purpose. (Loud cheers.) Ile was there in hie place defending the interests of the country. It was his duty to arraign a high minister of state, and he would persist in so doing. But he had charged no fraud on the noble earl. What he said was, that a wonderful want of memory had been exhibited by the hon. Under-Secretary. He repeated he had made no use of the word " fraud ; but he hied only quoted the words of Burke in his speech on conciliation with another portion of the British poseeesions in North America, when that great man said, with ref recce to trickery and the purity of statesman ship, " Refined policy ever has been the parent of confusion and ruin, and will be so u long as the world endures. I'lnin good intentions, which are as easily discovered at first view as fraud is surely to be detected at last, is, let me sty, no mean ingredient in the policy of governing mankind." Lord J. RUSSELL said that he mold not hut think his hon. friend was entitled to an answer to the questions he had put to the noble lord that night; and he (Lord J. Rus selljrose, nut to make a reply to the noble lord's long speech, hut in order to elicit some reply on beh..lf of his hon. friend. The noble lord, on a former night, accused his hon. friend of keeping back a despatch from the committee of which he was chairman, to which charge his hon. friend replied by reading a minute signed Earl Grey, dated March 30, ordering the despatch in question to be laid before the committee. Oh Friday lest the noble lord said that those minutes must have been contacted after his hon. friend's evidence had been given be fore the committee, and at the end of his speech he quoted the sentiment of Mr. Burke, that—" Plain good intentions are as easily discovered at first view as fraud is surely to be defected at last." His hon. friend then said that an allega tion of that kind was not to be met without previous notice, upon which the noble lord said, " that if the minutes were not got up"—that was to say, if a gross and disgraceful fraud had not been committed by Mr, Fox, Mr. Elliott, his hon. friend (Mr, B. Hume), and Earl Grey—" subsequent to the sth of April, the bon. gentleman was troubled with the shortest memory that had appeared since the days of Majocchi, of green-bag memory." And now, when his hon. friend made an explanation as to the facts, and asked the noble lord to prove his charges or to witialravr them, or else to have a committee appointed to examine into their truth, what did the noble lord do ? He favoured them with a long speech, but es to the character or honour of his hon. friend the noble lord had not said anything by which the house could infer what his intentions were. As to the minute, he had certainly said there was no doubt his hon. ' friend was correct in his statement, but then subsequently he seemed to nay the contrary, and he (Lord J. Russell) wanted to know whether the charge of concocting it was withdrawn ? That was the first question he put to the noble lord. Now, an to the second point, the charge was perfectly intelligible, and constituted what the noble lord called the other horn of the dilemma—namely, " that if the minute was not concocted alter the 6th April, the hon. member must be troubled with a memory es short as that of Theodore Majeocht, of green bag notoriety," who, as they were all aware, had acquired a character by trying to deceive all the world in giving his evidence. Now his hon. friend had gives his answer before the committee in the sense in which he understood the question, and even when subsequently taxed on this score in the house he hid appealed to the right hoe. gentle men the member for Cambridge, when it turned out that he had misunderstood him. But he (Lord J. Russell) wassure the right hon. gentleman would readily distinguish between misapprehension and deliberate falsehood. Now, ha asked the noble lord did he mean to withdraw the charge of having concocted the minute, and in the second place, did he persevere in the other imputation? If so, his honour. able friend wished to have a committee, to inquire into the truth of these charges; and in his (Lord J. Russell's) opinion, he was entitled to one. Mr. DISRAELI rose. The SPEAKER reminded the bon member that there was no qutstion before the house. Mr. F. MACKENZIE moved that the house do now ad- joints. The motion having been seconded, Mr. DISRAELI said that it was unreasonable in the noble lord, after having blamed his noble friend for making so long a speech to expect him to rise nein. If his nettle friend had not conveyed his meaning already to the house he ' might well +pair of being able to do so in any supplemen tary speech. The noble lord opposite had risen with great alacrity to remind the house that the important point before it wen the accusation made by his noble friend the member for King's Lynn against the hon. member for Kin sale, of having committed a pslitical fraud, by concocting or inventing some e.c post facto minutes ; but the house would recollect when the noble lord rose the other night he never once alluded to that point. He then rose in a state of some excitement in consequence, as he elated, of a charge of fraud having been brought against the government of sup pressing important information contained in despatches, and it was a subsequent observation of the hon. member for Kin sale which drew forth from his noble friend the statement of the dilemma upon one or the other horn of which the hon. secretary must be impaled. He had his choice—either he had cram xted the minute, or elm he was troubled with a very short memory. Well, he (Mr. Disraeli) believed that the hon. ire mher's memory was 'hon. (Cheers and laugh ter,) This was, at all events, the least difticult conclusion, seeing that the hon. member, when Wore the commutes, was perpetually asked to produce a despatch, the existence of which he as perpetually forgot. His opinion was that his noble friend had never intended to make the charge which had been so much elaborated upon against the hon. Under Secretary. (Oh.) The real charge sgainst the government was a systematic suppression of im portant information. (Hear, hear.) The hon. Under Secretary asked whether his noble friend persisted in the odious charge of forging the minutes. His f Mr. Disraeli'ej answer was, that the charge bad never been made, or, if it had, had been most amply withdrawn. (Hear, and oh.) Let them look to the really important question. All this discussion had arisen because certain must important de spatches hail been withheld from the committee on sugar planting, one of those despatches which had come from the govt reor of a moat important colony, recommendirg a protecting duty of ten &tailings. (Hear.) Then there was another important despatch from the governor of Trinidad, which, from the same extraordinary circumstance, never was produced. But that was not all. There was anot•er still from Iterbice. (Cheers and laughter.) Here were three material despatches which might assist the committee in forming a government (loud laughter from the treasury benchee)— he meant a report, all of which had been must unecceuntably withheld. (Hear, hear.) Was not, then, the wi.hholding of these important despatches at a most critical juncture a fair ground of attack from a constitutional opposition ? But even that was not all. He would now bring forward ame respecting the Chief Secretary of the Colonies respecting which (or he was very much mistaken) the public would call for information. On the 7th cf February last that noble earl, speaking in another place, wished to fill that august assembly with the notion that there was no reas in yet to despair of Jamaica ; that new social circumstances were developing themselves; new resident proprietors of a new race were springing up and investing vast capital in the land, and that such were the men from whom England was to look for the regeneration of Jamaica. The noble earl further held this out se an inducement for the increased investment of British capital. The noble earl's words were reported to have been these ; "Among many documents which had passed through his hand' respecting the colonies, he had been very much struck with a memorial from certain planters of Ja meica, stating that they had invested 142,0091. in the 'ele ctive of their estates. He believed that in a few years they would see the soil cultivated entirely by planters who wire resident on their estates." Now this document, which the noble earl had described as a most important document, hut from which he had quoted so meagrely, ran as follows : " Your memorialists are owrerrs of 19 and renters of 13 sugar estates, which, together, produce 2,796 hogsheads of linear and 1,351 puncheons of rum, the production of which altogether will cost 60,0001. Now, 151. per hogshead for smear and 141. per puncheon fur rum will produce alto. gether 60,5101. against the capital sunk, taken at 6 per cent.—the usual interest in the colony-32,0001. for implements on the 19 proprietary estates, and 95,0001. fur rental on the other thirteen." Now, the noble earl, in endeavouring to persuade the assembly of the resus citation of Jamaica through the exertions of a new race of planter', should not have omitted this paragraph: " It will be evident, from the fact+ stated, that we cannot cultivate for another year. Indeed, we have not means of taking up the present crop." (Loud cries of "Hear, hear.") These were the men of whom the noble earl had boasted as having in vested 142,0001. in the purchase of land in Jamaica subse quent to emancipation. The mem rialists went on to point out that if they, resident proprietors and planters, were in such a plight, what must be the condition of absentees and mortgagees who were represented by agents. Now, this was the document to which the noble lord had referred as proving that the restoration of Jamaica was going on, and that the island offered iadueement for the further investment of British capital. (Hear, hear.) How could he find words to describe the conduct of that minister who, receiving do cuments from the colonies, mutilated them to seems his pur pose, and used them to corroborate views which thi:y were intended to confute ? (Hear, hear.) Looking at this cir cumstance, together with the suppression of the three de seatchee, he considered that his noble friend was fully justi fied in asserting that there was a systematic attempt on the part of the government to suppress and pervert colonial in 13111MtiOn. (Hear, hear.) Another case wee that of Go vernor Higginson's despatch, every line of which the noble earl had designated as most important, but of that he only quoted as much as supeorted his own cpinion. (Hear.) One part of Governor Iligginson's despatch ran thus " It must be conceded that free-grown sugar can never render such a return as that produced by foreign slaves." Why had those lines been left out ? (Hear, hear.) Were not the omissions he had complained of strong symptoms of a wish to repress all information which bore against the noble earl's opinions ? (Hear, hear.) The hon. member having alluded to Lord Harris'e despatch, which has already been so fully discussed, proceeded to say that, to all these charges, ministers had commenced their defence by pleading guilty, their allegation ing that their offence was a Wunder, not a crime. (Hear, hear.) Ile thought that nothing could be more enormously ridiculous than their position. (Cheers and laughter.) It was very convenient for a government to deprecate dis cussion, and to censure all inquiry as in bed lege. Nothing could possibly be more indelicate than asking a man questions which he did not find it convenient to answer. (A laugh.) But these were questions which must be an swered. lie believed that that discussion would make an impression elseseeere—that " elsewhere" to which the hon. Under Secretary had so confidently appealed. " Elsewhere" it would be said that there were some facts of a very suspi cious character which must bc explained. "Elsewhere" it woul I he reinemlemed that three important despatches had not been produced before the sugar committee ; and " else where" it would not be forgotten that the noble Secretary of stem bad held upJamaica as a desirable place for invest ments of capital. (Cheers and laughter.) These were all facts which would tell "elsewhere ;" and he had that confi dence in the good sense and spirit of "elsewhere" to believe that they would not Mid fault with a member of parliament who attempted honestly to do his duty and to elicit truth, and who was not afraid, when necessary, to impeach a minister, however high his position, bright his honours, or long his pedigree. (Loud cheers, and laughter.) Mr. V. SMITH complained that the hon. member for Bucks had evade el the main question, which was the charge against the Colonial-ottice of having concocted certain minutes. (No.) The observations of the noble lord in plsin English meant a charge of forgery. (Hear, hear.) The hon. member for Bucks had said that his noble friend had withdrawn the charge. It he had done so, he (Mr. V. Smith) considered he had done so in a very unhand some manner. (Ministerial cheers.) He thought that the noble lord should either withdraw his charge or put himself in a condition to prove it. (Hear, hear.) The second charge was that his hon. friend's (Mr. Hawes) memory was shorter than anything on record since the ci he footed case of 'Llietedore Majocchi. Now who was that Majocchi ? The greatest liar the world had ever produced. "Ferdinand Mendez Pinto was but a type of him." (Laughter.) Were such things to be asserted of an hon. member of that house and not either fully proved or frankly withdrawn ? (Hear, hear.) He thought that these per sonal questions should be settled before they entered into the general question which had been stated by the hon. member for Bucks, relative to a general and systematic sup pression of facts by the Colonial-office. (Hear.) Sir J. PAKINGTON said that his noble friend the mem ber for Lynn had distinctly stated that after what had fallen from the hon. under secretary he could not make any im putation against the minutes, and the hon, member had taken off his hat in the manner in which hon. members were used to do when satisfied. Mr. HAWES—That was to the hon. member for Buck inghamshire, not the noble lord. Sir J. PAKINGTON had seen the hon. member do so to the noble lord. (Hear.) He (Sir J. Pakineton) could assure the bon. member that he completely exculpated both himself and the noble earl at the head of the colonial depart ment from any such charge as that of altering minutes. AU he meant to aver, was that in the matter of these despatches there had been grave neglect somewhere. (Hear.) Having recapitulated the facts respecting the despatches, the hon. baronet concluded by observing that in such proceedings there must have been intentional suppressions or very grave blunders. Sir G. GREY complained that the hon. baronet also had attempted to divert the attention of the house from the ques tion really before it. What was the real question? His hon. friend the Under Secretary for the Colonies feeling that a charge had been brought against him on Friday night deeply affecting his honour, had come forward with an ex plicit statement of facts, and also to ask the noble lord the member for Lynn either to prove his charge, or to withdraw it. The noble lord had entrusted his retractation to the hon. member for Bucks and the hon. baronet, and therefore he (Sir G. Grey) would put that matter aside. The real pee- tion was the charge which had been made on Friday night, and now a new aeries of charges were brought forward. The noble lord and the hon. member had spect the jotters/ in ransacking Hansard for speeches, or rather scraps of speeches imputed to Lord Grey in the other house of parlia ment, to support charges of neglecting to lay certain papers befwe a committee. Ile appealed to every honourable man in that house whether there was not a difference bets een accidental omi•sion and fraudulent suppression, u charged by the noble lord. The charge bad been brought forward recklessly, for the purpose of injuring the character of his hon. friend (Mr. Hawes). Lord G. 1313NTINCK replied with some warm , b, and re minded the government that there was ample time to have produced the despatch to the committee, after the fact of its not having'been received was known. He would not retract the charge which he had preferred against the government, • charge involving a grave and serious offence deeply injuri ous to the best interests of the transmarine possessiuns of the crown. Mr. CHARTERIS was obliged to understand that the noble lord had withdrawn his charge against the under Colonial Secretary, but he certainly had no; done it iu the handsomest manner. Mr. NEW DEG ATE did not see why his noble friend should be called upon to withdraw a charge which in reality he had Inver made. The motion for adjournment was then withdrawn. DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH SPAIN. In answer to a question fr o m Mr. OSBORNE, Lord PALMERSTON said that the only medium of com munication between the government of this country and that of Spain was their respective consuls ; and, as regarded the Quadruple Treaty, it had been established for a particular purpose for maintaining the indcpendenc, of the Spanis.l crown and the Spanish people ; but if it were not so, all he could say was that the British government would never be a party, by treaty or no treaty, to enslave any nation on the face of the earth. (" Hear," and laughter.) SUGAR O. o l d U p T s l °ENS resumed lit N he debate,k: D and TE contended Mr. that there had been no breach of contract with the \Vint India body ; the full comi ensation had been paid, and West India property, so far from having deteriorated had increased in value since 1831. He condemned the practice of importing Coolies into the West la dies as unprofitable and demoralising. His opinion was that the system of immigration hid been a failure, and 'hat if carried out extensively it would only create a slave trade under false Colours, and injure materially the interests of the colonies, both in their s cial and moral condition. The hon. gentleman then referred to the ap prenticeship system established at the period of the emanci pation of the slave, and contended that as early as 1835 there were numerous complaints of the cruelties practised against their apprent ces by the planters in the West India islaes. ' The Marquis of Sligo, formerly a got senor of Jamaica, anal himself connected by property with the colonial in terest, on his return home published a pamphlet which fully justified all this representations which had been previously made in the imperial parliament respecting those cruelties; and the Earl of Mulgrave took a simi lar course. He admitted that the planters had a lair claim to relief if it could be given consistently with the principles of the basis of our commercial legislation, and with the rights, interests, and future prospects of the negro. But the house ought to be careful hew it sanctioned immigration by private indiviSnals. or encouraged grants of money for promoting that object. Missionaries in Jamaica had complained of the system, and of the iniquitous manner in which the emigrants were entrapped to leave their own country, and abandoned and left to starve when no longer tf use to those whom they served. If it was wring to con sume slave-grown sugar it was equally wrong to consume slave-grown cotton and tobacco. If non, gentlemen pro hibited slave-grown produce altogether he would know how to deal with the question. But the vision of those who sought protection for the West India interest seemed to be circum scribed within the dimensions of a hogshead. (Liughter.) In advocating protection they were only h ding their selfish ness behind a cloak of humanity. (Hear, hear.) He was as strongly opposed to slavery as any man, but he could not vote with thew who called upon him to support dis criminatory duties; nor did he think they could be at best more than a temporary advantage to the interest which it was sousht to relieve by them; while advancing money was only like giving pecuniary aid to a man already much em• barraged, who grasped at a straw but eventually sank. The tate of those islands was Reeled. They could not compete with Cuba and Brasil. It was a question of extent of terri tory and cultivation, and he confessed he hoped to see the day when there would be no absentees from the estates. He lamere.ed that the government had made any con cession, or that they had departed from the principle laid down by the bill of 181 G. If their scheme afforded a large measure of relief to gentle. men opposite, it would have some recommendation, but it did not. It was in fact a change without an advantage. It was a retrograde step on their part without conferring any bene fit on these for whose distress they expressed their sympathy. lie could not therefore support a vote of money, because its tendency would be to diminish the wages of those who had a right to the full value of their industry ; nor could he on the other hand support protection, because it would be a gross injustice to the people of this country, who were such large consumers of sugar. He must, coasequertly, vote against both propositions. Mr. BERNAL hoped the house would deal with the ques tion in *spirit ol impartiality and candour—looking not merely to the interests of the proprietors, but to those of the pu olic at large. (Hear, hear.) The \Vest India interest had unfor tunately to deal with dubious friends and open and con cealed adversaries. The opp siti a of the hon. gentleman for the Tower Hamlets was certainly open and avowed, and he had been the undeviating, he might gay without meaning disrepect, the rancorous adversary of that interest for many years. But ho scarcely expected that that hon. gentleman would have attempted as he had done that evening, by a reference to the cruelties of slavery and the mitigated cruelties of the apprenticeship system, to revive the old West India 'debates of that house. The member for Westbury, speaking of the beet-root sugar, declared that the Zollverein were anxiously encouraging its production. Why, hail they not put a heavy duty upon it ? Again, the hon. member had held up Porto Rico as an example to the West bullies, and. had talked of the excellent roads in the colony. Why, there was not a single carriage road in that inland. Again, the same hon. member said that there were no less than 800 miles of railway in the Wind of Cuba. Why. it was true there were tramways, but the rail ways on which there was anything like passenger traffic were very limited in extent. The bon. member for Kinsale had told them the other night " that the truth must be told." Would his hon. friend revert to a despatch of Sir C. Grey of the Bth of December last, showing the number of estates abandoned since 1833 in Jamaica ? Of the 640 sugar estates in that island, no less than 142 had been given up ; and the coffee plantations abandoned were even in greater proportion. There were 16 gentlemen who had become proprietors in Ja maica since the abolition of slavery, and every one of them declared his inability to go on under the present system. it was said the West Indians were a reckless, improvident set, and that they were so deeply mortgaged that they could never hope to prosper. There were many proprietors, how ever, within his own experience whose estates were quite clear of mortgage. Hie own properties in Jamaica had never been encumbered to the extent of one penny. Every claim had been met—money had been provided for every want. His estates were under the charge of a free trader—as free as the hon. member for the West Riding. No one who knew his (Mr. Bernal's) opinions would charge him with bigoted views or with being insensible to the advantages of new machinery and new plans. And yet, under all these circumstances, "the fact must come out "—his estates were losing concerns. (Hear, hear.) The hon. gentleman who spoke last was con sected with India, and most probably that circumstance was the key to his speech. The hon. member had talked of the labour of the West Indiss. It was quite true, as he had said, that tee island of Barbadoes and parts of Jamaica were well peopled; but other Wands and certain quarters of Jamaica were sadly in want ce labourers, and would never he prosperous until there was a regular and certain supply. The negro at present would only work five days a week nutter any circumstances. The negro labourers often kept horses and gigs, and some of their horses were high bred. What would be thought of a thaw-bacon in this country who kept a horse worth 201. ? Who was it that had en couraged slave labour in our West Indian colonies ? The British legislature. Yet the West Indian planters did not desire the legislature to retrace its course as to emancipation ; al. that they required was that the legislature should aid them to struggle against the difficulties in which, as a con sequence of emancipation, they had been placed. If the government thought the colonies worth preserving at all— per haps they did not—they must apply their most earnest consi deration to the complaints of the West India planters. What was the state of Jamaica at this moment? Tnat estates one after another were being abandoned; that estates, forced to a sale, fetched next to nothing, as an in stance of which he could mention the apparently incredible fact that an estate of 2,000 acres, well stocked with machinery, with two hundred head of cattle upon it, was sold for 2,0001, ; that another estate, whose cultivation was continued, which had once produced 12,0001. a year now produced scarcely_ 3001. a year. (Hear, hear.) Oa what ground , was our West India planter thus left to destruction ? On what principle was he to be refused the same paternal protection which the British farmer enjoyed ? (Hear, hear.) The British corn producer had the protection afforded him in the home market, as against the Pomeranian corn grower, of the freight and other charges which the latter had to pay before he could bring his commodity to a save in our market; but the West India sugar or coffee grower had no similar protection as against the sugar or coffee grower of Cuba or Brasil. (Hear.) As to the duty, he admitted that as tar as the scale of reduction upon Muscovado sugar was concerned, the proposition of the government was better than that of the right hon. gentleman on the opposition benches. He believed that if he were to go amongst his mercantile friends and connexions he could not raise one shilling upon his West Indian estates. Why, therefore, under such cir cumstances as these were the West Indians to be subjected to the charges so constantly made against them of apathy and idleness, when they had not the means of cultivating properly their estates ? He should be sorry, in the year 1848, to find that England had so far departed from the dic tates of common genre as to give up the West India colonies for worthless possessions. For the reasons he had stated, and considering that the Chancellor of the Exchequer had held firm to his differential duty on rum, and had not listened to the gay Lotharios from Ireland, he should vote for the propositions ef the government before the house. (A burst of laughter.) Sir J. GRAHAM said that he had net joined in the laugh which accompanied the announcement of his intended vote by the hon, member for Rochester. He concurred in the sentiments uttered by him at the commencement of his speech. The subject was surrounded with difficulties, and it must be decided upon principles consonant with the general intexesta of the community. But what were the remedies proposed for the distrees is the West Indies by the hon. member ? He was opposed to the importation of creole., and to coolies—as well am to large immigrations of liberar s ,cs a , cans. He also disclaimed all wish for protecti on, lad 47: many disclaimers he was at a lose to discover the ta: member's remedy. With respect to the slaver. of the question that certainly WU n ic ‘, portant feature. The abolition of the slave 44, , subsequently of slavery. were the great est . 6 11 meats ever accomplished by the humanity of a He was ferry that the apprenticeship period tit t liberated negroes had been cut short, uthat had he el —* tended with baneful effects on the happiness an d a. of the colonies. But with respect to the question pp house, when his right hon. friend the member fur Tain in ,g7 thought it wise to reduce the price of all primary heeeaeary a of life, he considered it only right that so importantar, atids of consumption as sugar should also be included in tau, Suction ; and in 1844 he saw that the time had arrivedee e ; the duty on that article must be lowered; but it was ess , e -- sary also to attend to the state of the supply, for if . hat was deficient, the reduction of duty would go to th e se a and nut to the consumer. The result of ieria. 's . showed that the supply was se limited as to rend.r it inf. pensable to enlarge the area of supply,and in consayea,...„ 4 then government admitted, on easy terms of cornmeg.• with West India free labour sugar, the free grown s.gs a ; foreign colonies. The question of slavery was 001 the tai difficulty th it existed in making this alteration of the lev,ai it was urged that, under the most favoured ove n , a t ime of the,reciprocity treaties with foreign countries, star auger• could be imported into England under the set 1844 ; and the euestion:was argued with consummate thee, by the right honourable gentleman below hoe (Y 27. Gladstone), but still it was a doubtful case. Oadw these circumstances, it was that the present g em , mcnt sought to introduce the act of 1816, which lev e lki the distinctions between slave and free labour stew" measure to which he had given a reluctant ,app, , The house and the legislature, in passing the act et leg, had done so deliberately, upon lull argument, and the facts brought under review ; and he must say, there* that the act of 1846 was to be considered as a deliberstes s i final settlement, which gave ample warning to the Wm 4, diens and to foreign powers that the it pithy was a uta s t one. (Hear, heir.) What had been the enact of that aise sure? I' added greatly to the revenue, and cheeperee t k price of an almost necessary article to the consumer . • meta was not satisfied that it had increased the slave trod: to e a Inver ptiblc degree. The intentions of the legislature ire; therefore fully carried out by the consequences of the led 1846. (Hear) He had had different distinct suggerk, made on this subject. There was the statement of the nee hon. gentleman the member for Coventry t Mr. Elba), tkg what the West Indians wanted was a litt.e assistance toads over their difficulties. Why that was what he had h a hearing on this subject since he had the honour of a sent tt that house. (Hear, hear.) 'lnert the petition of the Wee Indian body said, " That no legislation which did nut own profitable cultivation would he of avail." The legi.latureb assure a profitable cultivation ! How could the leais atsn give any such insurance ? (Hear.) It was a rmuest rid which it was impossible to comply. Then there v the proposition of his hon. friend the member fur Inc*, with, which he thought would have contained &met* more specific. lie said, indeed, that a divcriminatiag day of 7s. would not be sufficient; but he (Sir J. Grais) wanted to know how much would besufficient ? The e mittee over which the noble lord had presided proposed a discriminating duty of 10.., without which the amsdas must of a majority of the West Indian estates ass Mem able. Sir C. Grey, in the despatch of which they bad hard too much (hear, hear), gave an opninn to the 1111311. eget, But he thought that the answer of Earl Grey to that dewed contained the sound and true doctrine on the suli,ece Ileum in that answer that a high rate of wages, ieteuflieient taboo, and the went of a steady command of it, which were the great difficulties of the West Indian colonies, were in a gnat measure to be attributed to the duties on sugar, whirl, by maintaining an artificial high price of that article, had is duced the planters to compete with each other in the ease market, and had thereby created an artificial rate of warn, It was by keeping both at their natural level that he bops/ to see the colonists able to produce suiter with a profit. Ms (Sir J. Graham) looked upon that passage of the reply d the node earl as sound in principle, accurate ia point of fact, and the true answer to the rms. mendation of the committee. The hon. gentleman the member for Leominster said that the mkinte trance of the protection proposed by the committee beyond two yen, would be, in the highest degree, injurious to the Wet Indies. The Mauritius afforded a remarkable illustrate@ of the soundness of the doctrine of Earl Grey. An imagre tion of labour bad taken place to Mauritius, which was al most incredible-65,000 coolies having been intredaced within the last Me or seven }ears. But notwithstanding that, the rate of wages rose from viz dollars to ten dollen a month. (Hear, hear.) He considered that protectica witk regard to the article of sugar was very dangerous, and tag it gave encourasement to a species of gambling like the which took place with respect to the cultivation of hem fs this country, where the profits were either great or the ken immense. His hon. friend the member for llroitaich sit that the average cost of production in the West Indies we 11. 2s. 6d. per cert., whilst the average cost of protectim we only 6e. 100. per cwt., making a difference of lie. k Aseeming that to be true, a duty of 10s. would at enable the West Indian planters to cultivate with a peg (Hear, hear.) He was decide fly opposed to a perms= 10i. duty for six years. (Hear, hear.) It was ieexpedirn to grant it first of all to the colonies. That was his pet ticular ground for opposing the amendment, but he weed steel state the general ground on which he opposed it. De hon. member tar Buckinghamshire said the other night our recent c rnamercial policy would lead to a erection, lad that the time hail arrived when it was to take place. In the other house of parliament also Lord Stanley had pro- posed as expedient a prosongation of the time within wheats corn laws were to expire, and the rght hon. gentleman the member for Stamford (Mr. Herrin) had said that nothing really effectual for the relief of the Weet Indies could be accomplished except by a discriminating duty approaching to a prohibitory one. He also saw in manitietoes from the Protection Society ginned by the Duke of Richioend that cheapness was treated with derision. Taking ell these sits together, he believed that an attempt at reaction was pending, and to such reaction he was decidedly opposed. (Cheers from the free traders.) In passing, he would ,peal of the value of cheapness. Lord G. BENTINCK—And the cheapness of wage (Protectionist cheers.) Sir J. GRAHAM would not shrink from that part of th question. (Hear, hear.) His experience of the year 18th convinced him on that point. Lord G. BENTINCK—You stated it bath ways. hear.) Sir J. GRAHAM—The noble lord's taunts fell harmlea on him. (Hear, hear.) No taunts could drive him new from power to make room for others. (Hear, hear.) Hs was there ready and bound to speak the truth—(aearl ; rd his experience of the distress of the manufacturing districts convinced him that the converse of the proposition, namely, that lowness of price was accerapenied by lowness of wages, was true, and that low wages fell on the working cornmeal when Reticles of first necessity were dear. (Hear, hear.) He was satisfied therefore that tney must be cautious before the allowed taxation to enhance the price of ureic es of the fine necessity. (Hear, hear.) Cheapness of price could not le put down by the anathema of the Duke of Rielimag (Hear, hear.) What was the practical beanie of the cheapness of sugar ? It entered into tie consumption of every fatally. It was almost tat only condiment to the tasteless rice, the insipid grid, the saur-kraut of the poor min. (Hear, hear.) And win he could get nothing more nourishing, it rendered palatable his coffee and his tea. (Hear.) Cheapness, therefore, is this matter was everything. Tots was the first attempt at a reactionary policy rounded on a return to prohibitory dans, and he was opposed to that reaction. (Hear, hoar.) He believed in the present state of society in this country, sad with all that is taking place around them, that it was We practicable—(hear, hearl—and if practicable, he believedi to be most dangerous. He believed it was the very reversed conservative with regard to all their institutions, and, if ese vied into effect, he trembled for the consequences. (Rem' This proposition was the first step to give effect to the pet. phecy of the hon. member for Buckingham. lie was at I w pre ise par an e d d i t m a po ta i k i e t:c th oi a n t d ete h p . . ldi Thee gth rs at . o ) pi l n l io e n t d h et oo p ri y ht an i a t .4. 1 k cerely, he could not hesitate to give his vote against de amendment of his hon. friend. (Cheers.) Mr. CALLAGHAN stated that it was his intention so support the government proposition in as far as sugar en! concerned ; but he should reserve himself on the subject spirits until he heard what the government proposition telll/ Was. On the motion of Sir R. Ixotaa the debate was adjourned until Thursday next. The house adjourned at half-past twelve o'clxk. ELECTION COMMITTEES.—YESTERD %Y. SLIGO. —Tho committee decided that C. To wukii Esq., had not been duly elected. DUBLIN.—Four votes struck off the sitting mem ber's majority, on account of non-payment ul rates. THE ALLEGED BEQUEST TO LORD BROUGHAM..." The executors of the late James Watt, Esq., have mu/eta us to state that there is no truth in the report of a sum Cl money having been bequeathed to Lord Brougham by Mr. Watt. LONDON AND NORTH-WESTERN COIdPANT.—RE RIONATtON OF Ma. CREED.—It is stated that Mr. Croed, I who, from the first projec• ion of the London and Birming ham Railway, has been the secretary to the company, his resigned his office. His resignation has not TA been accepted. —Liverpool Albion. COMMERCIAL TRAVELLERS' SCHOOL.—The first public examination of the children of this school took pleas yesterday at the establishment at Wanstead, end the event was celebrated by a Ate cAarropare in the spacious run& attachtd to the building. The morning was occupied by the examination, the results of which were not only highly sane factory to those who have had the conductof the education Of the pupils, but called forth the marked approbation of the subscribers present. After the distribution of the Well es. ned prizes—presented by the president of the day, Mr. Waddington, M.P., each being accompanied by an appro. priate address—a cold collation, provided by Messrs. Young husband, ot en ding t he was served m the spacious grounds surrounding the achools, of which sonic 120 of the • supp irters of the institution, male and female, partook. The usual loyal toasts were given; and afterwards the chairman dilated at some length on the extraordinary but deserv. d sue. cess which had attended this charity, and called upon the commercial body generally to come forward in support of 0 praiseworthy an object. RAGGED SCHOOL UNlON.—Since Lord Ashley's motion relative to the condition of the juvenile poor of the metropolis was brought before the House of Commons, 0 the 6th instant, her majesty and Prince Albert have best pleased to make a donation of 1001. in aid of the funda of tM Ragged School Union. - " - -6 Tbe snails for No z a ynd will be The Duals for thc sp out the aths or e:relrg Th t m will be mime up er The West Indu sondureo, New ° including thaw f, Panama. 19:weewnizoptia.tris.:mini":71::erbe,wineelw,isrrug,r0Te.:2110ad;doft::!iTin.ff,neooiuolp,dibet.tiihici.rii,:, The number Btam p-otfiee, ,11 DAILY I This, we bell ballad to the . Morning Poe. In addition I Mornifa Pa tin VIII EX Which was the Giobe or S ;an D.- fron mar upa by lid offi in