The Statesman. — London, England, 1823-02-27 00:00:00

7 111 P. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OP LORDS—Wantersoar, EEL 26. Mr. Blower, from the Governor of Chelsea Hospital, Presented au account of Unclaimed Pension Money. Certain papers were presented respecting the Lout of Chnneery in Ireland. The Bishop of EXETER presented the Seventh and Wok, Report from the Committee oa Macedon. The Mugge of CAMDEN presented petitions from the several parishes in the City of Bath. praying fur re lief from the ASSnirli Taxes. At the same time, he said he tett ittnecessary to observe that those taxes pressed heavily on country gentlemen,pardruharly those who had monotone with numerous w indows: besides they were so ost heavily pressed by poor rates, in consequence of the nunster of persons who were out of employ, and for velem no work could be procured. The Ea: I of LIVERPOOL said that it was the anxious wish of the (lovernment to afford as much relief to coun try gentlemen and persons employed in agriculture, as it was possible to giv • under present circumstances. The I atter had been already relieved from the tax on farm -horses and on salt; and lie was sure that the reductions now propoed to he made would afford considerable re lid. The (lovernment felt that it would be more equit• Age at the present time to take off some of those taxes that Were the most obnoxious, and pressed most heavily. than to remove any one particular tax; and witb that view they proposed to divide the relief between windows, horses, cordage', servants, &e. by taking away half the totes from all these. The country gentlemen, therefore, trete to be relieved from the taxes on many articles, t.hicb could net be considered as luxuries; for horses, carriages, and servants, were essentially nece s sary to th , nt to enable them to keep up that rank and establish ment which they ought to tohd in the country. The petitions nere ordered to I , e on the table. The Marquis of CAMDEN next presented petitions fe in hop-planers in the nei.rhhourhood of Lemberhomt and otio r parts of Kent. in which they complained of the Leavy ditties on hops. and prayed for a remission of the same. The Noble Marquis said be knew many of the persons who bad put their signatures to the petitions ; that some of them were his own tenants, and that they were al respectable persons. Ile could assure the Louse that those parties laboured under great distress it: consequence of heavy duties, and- that in some sea %gets an entire crop when sold was hardly sufficient to pay the (tete. 'flee Earl of LIVERPOOL said he was aware thitt in c rtsio parties of the eountry, hopq Lamers laboured under considerable diffieulties. and assured the House that Go vernment would be anxious to afford them any temporary relief that was practi.table ; hot that they • could not at this time propose any measure for a general remission of the tax. Besides, it was ti ell knot 11 that a large propor tinn of those engaged in the business of growteg hops, did rot wish that the tax should be lowered. Ot all the or ices of agricultural produce, there teas not one which so much a matter of speculation as hops, therefore th e growers of this produce bad rot so mach reason to complain as was generally ; at the same time' he must say that he felt sincerely for their distresses. The Marquis of CAMDEN said he was ready to admit from tits communications he had with hopplantero, that there were men among them who thought it would be d'sadeantageous to have the duties taken off; but such was nut the ease of :he peltioners. The petitions were ordered to lie on the table. The Carla ROSEISERItY presented a petition from )La7ket Deuping against the I mohaeut Debtors' Act. The Temporary Marriage Act Amendment Bill went through the Committee, and after some unimportant re marks from Lord Ellenborougb and the Lord Cbaocellor, wax ordered to he reported. Wile Duke of BUCKINGHAM presented a petition (tort the Grand Jury of the Queen's County, in Ireland, praying for a commutation of tithes in I relaud.—Ordered to lie on thetable.—Adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMONS.—WansgsnAy. Gosett! BASCO/WE brought in a Bill for lighting the el/ of Liverpool and its vicinity n gas.—The Bill Was tell a first and second time. INSOLVENT DEST.Re ACT. Petition.; we-e pre,rnted against the lo4oleent Debtors' Act from the merchants and traders of Manchester, of Selby, of Whitby, of Coeltermonth, and other towns. — Ordered to be printed. CORONERS' at LL. h ' .‘F Captain O'GRADY presented a petition avainst that Act frotu the Coroners of the county of Limerick.—Laid on the table. WISIONTS AND MEASURES. Sr; 0. CLERK said he rose, in pursuance of a notice which he had given, to wave fur leave to bring in a Bill to twill,. w. 'gilts and measures through the kingdom. As be could not expect any opposition to his motion be did not mean then to enter into any detail on the provi otis o' his Bill. It was drawn up on the principles re commended by the Commi,siouers who were some years aZa appointed by his Majesty to enquire into the state of I,le weights awl ninon-es in use. It WAS not intended to make ary alteration in the standard that was established ley another Con mitree in 1755. Any alteration that rdght introduce decimals in measures would produce gm+, inconvenience. lie did not know then whether it tovold be neressary to make any alteration in those laws which empowered Magistrates to enforce the standard of vseights awl measures, bat it any alteration should be fuopd reynyitr, amber Bill for that purpose would be brottgbt tn. The lion. (lent. then moved for leave to bring !au Bpi fur aseertisining and establishing the uni firtn•ty of weights and measures. 16- are • was granted.. and . the Bill was accordingly tr light in and rea I a first time. It was ordered to be read a second time on Monday next and to be printed. Viva! LAWS. Mr. Sergeant ONSLDW postponed. from the 13th to the ilad of Apel, his motion far a repeal of the Usury Lists. Mi. CAMPBELL presented a petition from the free- I t allera awl inhabitants of the Shire of Argyll, com pleining of the alteration wade in the law last Session tespecting the Barilla Ditty, by which the kelp ma unflettlfera were grievously all'eeted.- T Ordered to be piloted. Mr. CHETWYND moved for returns of the amount of all County Hates levied in England and Wales fur the last:even years, with an account of the application of theta. disttagnish l ng the sums expended on makin.t and r e pairing roads an•f bridges, and on county prosecutions, te. At all the la.e meetings of the agricultural ela.ses, they complained that they bore the entire weizht of those hordcws. The object, th-refore, of his inotiol was to ascertain hoe far they were affected by those rates, which not 'be alma to press exclusively on any one class, but should be di:.ributed. Noddy a stung all, who etijnye I the advantage of elem.—Ordered. • Mr. S. RICE moved fur returns of the number of Schools in Ireland enjoying public income, with the untaber of scholars in each, together pith their annual experwe and Inman •.—Orderrd. suret.r.—WATB AND muss. Ox tae *swims tat Mr. BERRIES, the Orders of the Day for going into a Coatmittee of Sapaly, and of Ways and Means, were read, and postponed to Friday brag. Oa the motion of Mr. DERBIES, the Exchequer gills B.lt, and the Transrer of Aids Bill were read a aeremitime, and ordered to be united t4-worrow (.his day.) The LORD ADVOCATE mcved for leave to continue TIM STATES] to July 1824, an Act of his late Majesty, for recovering thepyment of Small Debts in Sco:land more expediti ously.—Leave was granted. Mr. GOLTLIIU RN moved for leave. to bring In a Bin, to amend the laws that regulated the collection of Church Rates, and of the moneys paid to the Trustees of the Board of First Fruits in Ireland. The object was to reduce the rate of payment from six to four per cent. in favour of the persons assessed, and not by way of r♦ lief to the Clergy. Afters few words from Sir J. NEWPORT the motion was agreed to. SURREY COUNTY PETITION. Mr. DENISON said he held in his hand a petition which he wished to present to the House. It was moved at a public meeting of th it county which he bad the ho nour of representing, by a Noble Friend of his (Lord King) and it was seconded by a gentleman of that de scription, who might, with great propriety, be called country gentlemen, who always resided on their estates. The petition, which was carried with only six dissentient voices, complained of the exptnses of Government in the Civil List, in the Military and Colonial Departments, and particularly in the collection of the revenue. It called for retrenchment generally, and for a repeal of the tax on Malt and Windows. This last he was glad to her promised in the able statement of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whom lie was sorry not then to see in hie place. The Second part of the petition went to pray for a reform of that house. There was one point which k was not touched on by the petition. It did not comment es the alteration in the currency both In 1797 and 1814. lie always maintained, and he was still of opidonah,d' the standard ought to be raised higher than that atiptis blished. The Hon. Member, after adverting to the Wee:. ral clauses of the petition (which was given at length in the STATESMAN of the 11th instant,) begged leave, in order to remove a mistake, to restate the words be used at the meeting. He had then stated that churchmen and ndholders wire as much entitled to their income as any Nobleman in the country to his rents. He contended. that before either of those clauses was touched, every useless and unnecessary expenditure should be loppedolf. These were his sentiments, and the sentiments of the county to which hebelonged. They wanted neither confie cation nor robbery ; all they wanted was, that every ' thing should be conducted on a principle of equity and of justice. Ile begged leave to bring up the petition of the suffering freeholders of the county of Surrey. On the motion that the petition be brought up, Captain MARRILLY said he did not wish to promote any discus pion on them, but as he was one of that small minority who opposed the petition at the meeting, be would take leave to disclaim it. The petition was then brought up, and, on the question ' that it do lie upon the table being put, Mr. RICARDO rose, and said if his lion. Friend who bat brought forward the petition had not declared the ',Wives by which he was actuated, the house would not have given him credit for any other views than those of perfitct justice, and he was also convinced that the boo. gentleman who seconded its presentation was governed by the same motives. He (Mr. Ricardo) however, con tended that they were a little vague in their charges on the public creditor, when they asserted that he has re ceived an advantage from the alteration in the value of the currency, to the injury of the nation at large. What was the injury the public had received, or what was the peculiar advantage which arose to the creditor of the State in consequence of it? It was too common, in the discussion of all general subjects, to uphold one's own opinions, and attach merit to the supporters of them, and at the sate time to censure and distort the arguments of the opponents. At the sometime it was said we only want equitable adjustment, thereby implying that an equitable adjustment was refused them. He, for his part, would contend that all he sought for was the same principle of equity to all the fundholders, as well as the payers of meet ; and, before beset down he would undertake to prove that the stockholder was not receiving more than he was entitled to. At the public meeting from which the petition before them emanated, it seemed to he in ferred thst the whole debt of 800 millions was contract ed for during the time in which the currency was depre ciated ; bnt, when that came to be minutely examined, it appeared that the actnal amount of debt incurred be fore the extreme depreciation of the currency, was 400 millions, and 100 millions more was contracted during its depreciation to a small degree. Thus showing that if the entire debt, 500 millions, was burrowed before the depreciation of the currency took place, on which the in ference was founded.—(bear) than the interest on that sum has been paid to the creditor in depreciated cur reney, for more than twenty years, to his serious loss, as could be easily shown. Indeed, the calculation admitted of the greatest nicety. Mr. Russett, who was a very able accountant, and who calculated the interest upon al the loans from year to year, showed very clearly tnat, in the space of twenty years, which he hal just alluded to, the public creditor received less than was his due to the extent of 27 millions; and if they reckoned the interest for the time on the principal of compound interest, the loss would reach 12 or 13 millions more, making the whole amount of loss sustained by the public creditor 40 millions from the depreciation of currency.—(Hear hear.) What was the advantage, he would next inquire, given to the public creditor by the depreciation? Why, Mr. Russett proved that, for the remainder of the debt, 300 millions contracted during the greatest depreciation, that a loss to the payer of taxes of two millions, or rather of one million, nine hundred, and some odd thousand pounds, aad a consequent benefit to the public creditor. — (Hear, hear.) What, then, was the result of comparison ? On the one hand, the public creditor lies lost, since 1797, by Ids interest on 400 millions being paid in the reduced eurrene:,, the sum of 40 millions—equal to a purchase of two millions a year and on the other hand, he has gained an advantage of too millions a year on the debt incurred since 1797.—(Hear, hear.) On the one side, the loss to the fundholder is seen; and, on thetrthei, the loss to the payer of taxes is made manifest; from whence it may be seen that the latter has nut incurred the greater injury. —(Hear, bear.) If, however, his lion. Friend be right in the extent to which he said the depreciation of the currency went, even so far as 50 per cent., it would only prove that the loss to the old creditor was greater di well as the profit to the new.—(llear, hear) He would be glad to hear from his Hen. Friend (Mr. Denison), in what respect his arguments were deficient ; but he repe}t ed that he did contend that the public creditor has de rived no exclusive advantage generally from the altera tion of the standar l.—(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. ft.) did rot stand there to defend the depreciation of the currency, but left that measure as he found it. His Hon. Friend, I, in the course of his speech, regretted that, in 1819, the higherstandard of the then valve of gold was not adopt ed. A Noble Friend of his below him (Lord Folkestone), at that period pioposed that the standard should have haven taken at the market pike of di. Is. or 41.-25., in stead of recurring to the standard of 1797. To that he (Mr. It.) was ittelinrd to he favourable, and it was only the consideration that, as they had co.ne so near it, it was as w. II at once to o ha-k to the whole standard.— (Hear, hear, hear.) If the standard of -IL Is. was adopt ed, the difference of depreciation would amount to no more than three or four per cent.—(Hear, hear, h e ar.) On alre amonait of the depreciation, however, there were the most* extravagant asser lima made, and which it was impossible to reconcile. One person statist it at :10 per avid.; another at . 100 per cent.; and a third at no has than 50:1 per cent.—(hear, hear, and laughter.) He was really at a loss to know`what value could he given to such propsitions. An increase of taxation was also brought into calculation. lie would ask the house, if Ministers had mpeeed to increase—aye, even to double taxation, Would they have bettered their resoureds ? There would not have been lie was convinced, fan itiereim of reieenhe, tor an improventent in trade ; on the contrary, they would both have been materially injured.—(year. hear) It was not his mention to go over the backneyml subject of the alteration in the currency; with reference to it, the opponents of it declared 114 the Right Hon, tietitleasan's (Mr- Peel) Hill was the whole cense of the reduction in the price ilagricaltural produce and of all commodities. Let it, however, be inquired what would have b ee the case if the house 114.1 not passed that Bill. but let things go en as they were before it. The best authority on such a !glint was the experience of those connected u ith the Bank ; and the opinions of a Bank Director (Mr. Turner) were to him (Mr. Ricardo) conclusive won it. Mr. Tur ner said, " With regard to the e ff ect of Mr. Peel's Bill on the issues of the Bank of England. lie could state from his experience, as a Diree or, that it was a dead letter, neither accelerating or retarding a return of cash payments. except so far as they were affected by a pay rapt from tioventinent of ten millions of Exchequer Bills." Such was the opinion of Mr. '1 urner, and such was the opinion of all Bank Directors, that he ever beard speak upon the subject. They bold a different rode, by which they judge of and regulite their issues, 'that of the application of discounts. They found at present, from the rate of intereet being so low, that more ;no- Vey was not wanted in the market. If the Bill of Mr. Peel had not been passed, he was convinced that the amount of currency would have been the same at this moment.—(Hear. hear.) Mr. DENNISON explained. Lord FOLKSTON E thought as be bail been alluded to, that a word or teo from him was necessary. His Hon. Friend (Mr. It.) seemed to rate that the arguments un the depreciation of the currency were founded on an ab surdity, when he says, that if the taxes were doubled, the phenomena would have b en still the erne; but be (Lord F.) contended, that there was no anolocy between the cases.—(clear, hear.) Soule of the phenomena which had been referred to could not so readily he admitted — such as an increase of revenue and an improvement in commerce. lie was much incline.) to doubt the latter proposition, as he hard ensure-rcial men every day de claring the distressed and declining state of trade. A iYor• they /Wenn in, who tires lite.' the petition of the city of London a few evenings since, and another Worthy Alder ' man on Friday lase, had both declared it—the latter par ticularly, with reference to the shipping itoteresca.— Not only, therefore, did he deny the sicuilari.y of the cases, but the difference of tit,. phenomena accompanying their aituation.—(Hear.) With regard to the opinions , which lie mait:tained on a former o..casioa, which had been alluded to; he was ready to admit that the proper. sition would have been inadtn i sate to what hail since oc curred. He proposed an alteration of the standard, a hich his Hon. Friend had considered to be equal to 5 per cent. Ile could not. however, help thinking that his Hon. Friend hid not been consistent througlion , . He had since admitted that the depreciation might have reached 10 per cent. If. herefore lie had been correct, he was not consistent, He (Lord F.) was then ready to admit the depreelician was in reality in .re than five per cent.— The fall icy of his Right. lion. Fiiend's argument con sisted in this that he admitted no distinction between pa per and cold—(hear, hear.) He (Lord F.) maintained, on the. contrary, that gold was depreciated long before tt separated front piper—(hear, bear.) It ems material to attend to that distinction in all CAM a where the currency was composed of both gold and paper, partieul trly teams laws existed as they did in Loa-laud. prohibiting the nt dting, as well as the exportation of gold—(hear, hi ar,) under lievere penalties. From this accomp tinment the depreciation would go further than if things were allowed to tin I their natural level—(hear, hear.) Consideralle reliance had been placed on the reasoning and caleula• dons of Mr. Altteloit, but the data taken by hint were not fair, they should not have been taken front 1797 but from an earlier period, even before 1792. Under all considerations be was ready to admit that be did not think himself wrong in the proposition he male in 11119, but in the extent of that proposition—(hear, hear.) Mr. WODEHOUSE read an extract front the speed. of the late Mr. Horner, expressing an opinion as to the pro priety of changing the currency when the standard was de predated. If, therefore, they were in error, such was their authority. Mr. 110T.NIE SUMNER ad 'rested some observations to the Chair, in the course of which he contended that it was not in the power of the House to devise means for the full relief of the agricultural interests. Instead of relief to the public being afforded by a compliance with the claimants of Reformers, the evils of corruption would be much more op pressive if the representation of the country fell into their hands. lie then alluded to the petition from surrey before the House, which, he contended, did not speak the sense of all the freeholders of the county. Tnough lie was opposed to many of !Item at the. Meeting when it was adopted, be was willing to limn them fir the degree of patience with which they heard him.—(llenr.) Mr. GREY BENNEI rose, to recall to the House that the Requisition for toe Meeting, at which the petition be fore them was carried, was signed by five Noblemen, add some hundreds of respectable freeholders.—(Hear.) That Requisition did not merely refer to the distresses of the agricultural classes, but it embraced a tistinct notice ou the subject of Refoem. The difficulty with which a hearing was procured at some County Meetings by some speakers was to be regretted. though it could not excite surprise, as even that House were occasionally unwilling to hear people who were not liked, or who were supposed to talk nonsense.—(Hear, hear.)—lt was very unfortunate, but it was so.—(dear, hear.)—With regard to what had fallen from an lion. Member (Mr. Ricardo), he would not enter into a long discussion, or pretend to combat Isis opinions, without unnecessarily taking up the time of the blouse on a subject not directly before it. lie could not, however, avoid expressing astonishment at t h e trifling effect imputed to the alteration of the currency by the Honourahls Mem ber. As if a change since ISM which he (Mr. tieunet) contended was fifty per cent. from a currency of merely paper, to that of paper on a par with gold, was of no jut pornince, and that in a country where credit was of so much importance to millions--where its transactions were carried on for more than a quarter of a century in one currency, and then in another, and when at last the debt contracted in its greatest depredation was finally paid in gold —(Hear, bear.) All this appeared so unhappy an authority, that lie the Hon. Member whu had. supported the meastn , s, anti led the House into than, could calculate the depreciation at four per cent., and though even now be allowed it to be, as if in repentance, 10 per cent. excited his (Mr. Bennet's) surpris Its his opinion, the depreciation at least asnonnted to 40per cent. Taking it even at the 10 per cent., thus admitted, did it I nut add 10 per cent. to the reveille of the public creditor? to plareinen and to a class of persons who were termed public functionaries, from the King upon his Throne to the lowest constable in the land, awl 10 per cent. to the pay of the army an I the navy.—(Hear,) The House went on at that period witl:ont consideration, confidingly and unknowingly.—(heir, hear). They looked to what i.ai t a ken ilare In 1707, and in Isl 3, when that ineinur aide vote was made, which decided in the wisdom of Par liament that things unequal in tbemseiv.a were equal to each other—(Hear, hear)—when they came to a vote which stripped Lord King of his property.—(Hear, hear) alien property was cotdiseated by majorities—(ileo) and when they voted that a pound might be p 'id by four teen shilliogs—(Hear). Let it be recollected what Par liament then did, ignorantly but not dishonestly, (Hear). Be called upon the House to look back, and then to the distress around it arising from these cans-s 1 and then I.e entreated them to take it into consitleration.—llear.) I was often impl wed to do so. —Cons oittee upsn Co. 't ree had sat to take into consideration the rate of agehmt. lute, and it was extraordinary that the source of all the evils should have escaped their notice, and they starer looked at the effects pr.Auced by the change ofeartency • t k into (H eir .) Th e Some hied beit;gl implu.e4 to 111o' too origin of these distresses, and to aproorire a reme tibilSwithont OW. It was, therefore, not surprising the people should themselves express their ..pinion., ant discuss them in places certainly unfit for th- proper aliscuesion of suck topics.—(Hear.) There c wld not be a more unsuitable place far the proper consideration of them than a public me-ting ; but if Parliament n •glecteol to dolts duty; the people wool.l itnthei.'4.—(Hear. hear.) !lough Gentlemen might scout the petitions of the peo ple, he had no d mitt but that he cJuld prove the e q u ity of their dahlia, even lig aunt the ralenla•tons of Mr. ellen ; and he wand, ftr the rearm , conclude, by hoping that substantial juatice would be done them, and that Parliament would take their case into comiidem, tion.— (kleor.) Mr. PEEL said dist it was impossible, al any par is( view, to &use to a deterniina ion on th e mer it s of a question: Me war ready td at tett, thst a restoration to rash payments, could not be effected wit.iont causing a injuryi but still tint was no argorn-nt against tie principle of tilt measure. He wished to postpone any further observations till the question maw properly under the consideration of the house, but there was true which he could not avoid Alluding to; nantely. the pubic faith of the country, which truest to be insiolab'y a Iher.ll to. SO far as :he fundoolifer was concern if, it oat true, tho debt was contracted in a depreciated eurreney ; but o n the return of peace, it was determin-d th it the cash cur rency should be restored, which certainly affe ted the oti. ginai debt. There wee different opinions entertoioed upon the policy of the Bill of 1119, which effected that restoration; hut all agrded upon the equity of the mea sure. because that which was just in le and IS/I, mu s t be just in 1 t i 23. though the liveiruble Member fur Shrewsbury 'night succeed in showing s on. partial in stances of injury. What were the r-solutims moved by Mr. Horner its 161 I ? They were that payrrtents in coot should be resumed, nat in six months' otter pew, but io twa pars from aloe time at. which Col were :novel. But it was mare important to know what were I is iesshrionr, as far as concerned the . qiiity of the uvastird; the/ we e that promi-s •ry notes shoot.; be p rid in VezlinZ gieneV ; that during the oh de time of suepenios of cash ment- by the n-• altereion slmil I tok- place is the value of the promissory note. If such seutimen's were declared in 1611, would it be fair—would it be jus., no te %1 lieu they were called upon to pay, to milo a , 17 tion from :he sum which it lord agreed up in to pi% He now ntsintained every opinion who he toil in Inn, bat he objected to the expression of any opinion un a par tial Lonstiler %lion of toe suleject. He cafel upon tie house to examine the state o the cma•ry now and in Isl 7, and not to overlook that int:rortant amid r snots when they turned their Attentiou to the state of the mac- renew. Mr. 310NCK said that hermit! not he r the observa Bone of the bon. M. usher of Portarlington, without of faring a few words in rep:y. It would be ratder a strange principle, that because an injustice is rd been done to the public creditor at a former period, that that injostlee should now be continued and visited upon the puldm debtor. Even, according to 3lr. 3lnselteq's tables, N e public creditor was sot treated with i•jordice for uteri than 20 years, white the present in-asure waN to be visit ed in perpettuty on the public debtor. In all dhie.ussioes upon this subject, the public debtor a id creditor wen alone considered, while an impor aut it were Amp titer 1.11 out of vies ; namely, soortg..gees, and all nits, harrowed money in one currency, and ,vere now obli;:elL to pay it at a considerable loss in an altered correnev.— There was an error of very general ciren'a ion, that the e wai no difference I etneeis the price an: the value of gold —but to those who hail attentively considered the sale jell!, it was known that while the rice of gol I had de preciated no snore thin 4 per cent. the ta'ue had depre elated from 40 to 50 I.er cent. Due; nir the snap, nsion of casts pa) in its, the value of ; fold was so deptecisee.l„ that a.s ounce of gold represzn'ed a (plater of wheat—a circumstance which was never before known in toe hi-- tory of this Country- The effect of the pr. sent measure upon produce was, that the landlord naa °hosed to re dike his rents two thirds, and as de .tor be leis obliged to pay one pound, while he received only sit and eight pence. This was in itse:f sufficient to account for the distress—(hear,) —of the landed interest which now pre- Mr. RICARDO rose to set himself right on a point which had been inisunderstood. Ile admit ed that the Noble Lord was correct, in stating that h • (Mr. 11.jhat on one occasion computed tile depreciation at 5 per sent. and that he now found it to he 10 per emit. ; s 11, how- , ever, he was rot in error. Ills first comp . :l*km referred to a payment in bullion ; and it wo ild have Leen co rcct if the kink had acted precisely in the spirit of thit bill: but, instead of doing so, they fail cot together a lave quanti'y of gotd, which they coined into sovereigns, and then they CAWS down to the loose to pro,.etst an act 'ding firm to. get rid of those tovereigus, woicli toey could only effect by leglilative in , en rence. If the measure of which he approved hwl hen acted 03, the eeote.dation would have b en bitr fire per cent., because it would have ben measured by the price of gold„ Lord FOLKESTONE s lid he had topp red tar Hon. Member to have been arguing with reit rere.e to tie art , of 1819, known by the Lame of Mr. Peel's Bill, hut now be discovered that his argosnent ratted on a use,- sure which existe I only in ids imigination. SECRET SOCIZTICS IN IRELAND. Mr. BROUGHAM gale mice on the part of the Member fur St. Albans, that he would we Tnes•!ay nest makes 'nation relative to the Secret Societies to Ire land. Mr. MAURICE FITZG ERA I.D gave natire that he would move on the same day for the pi auction of pa p rs illative to the consiitu ion ut Secret Societies is Ireland. 110 VIN LAWS. Mr. W. WHITAIORE said Cat he rose in pursnanee of the motion he had given reat:ve to the - Corn Laws. Before lie procredsd to discuss the question, he wis h ed to say a few words in answer to some objections thid were made against the proposition which tie meant to offer to the consideration of the douse. Is w that a discussion upon this subject would tend rather to increase the evils which. ROM existed, and that the present time wits particularly unfit for the introductiiin of cosh a subject. Now, as to the first °lire:ion, he completely differed with tii . ..tse who ma to it, because he was persuaded that discussion would rather dilsel than increase the existing evils. The present state of the Corn Laws was the cause of the distress, and the root of all the evils which prevailed among the landed interest. Feeling so, lie did teat think that he width! discharge his duly, if be did nut bring the suliject before the at 'enlist's of Parliament. With ref,renee to bole, he had only to say, that if the view he had taken of the subject were correct, as lie hop..! to piote i-, there was no time which would not Is:, primer to into Ince it, sod of s.l) others, the present %edit fitting, fur the lees respecting the most iniiiortaut bs of food mete such that it was pa ticulorly deairahle that au altera4 oll -hould be made in them at a tint+. Witell it iir.bui I apt ra y to be prospective, and he !lisped Cie spiesii u aould discussed with that tem, er and c.ildinms necessary lit take a tight view of it. He cot fessed the tit.- der which he laboured were considersbly increased by his inexperience, and the magnitude of the slyest ne on which he had to offer his (minions. liiistevt`rs lie would be as concise as pcp4sibl•-, in placing Iris vices b.- fore the attention of the The main feattsr -1 I the present state of the Corn L iws w.es the tl t et. a:10 1 of price to which they gave rise, but le was smxioas net to conflict this tketttation :r,c tb ive• 41 '• question of curgetlcy, Incause be thought, i n order to IA O Itt ti ' el tr si fe "" lig2iMli .. ...._ - - ....,