The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser. — London, England, 1826-05-24 00:00:00

Illt Ili ( I d 1 , r. 4 • 1 111 Ia ttri _ THE BRITISH PRESS, ad proorience IMO placed is a sew and unheavii.of eltuatien they were pointed eaten thepersons who stood in the way of public re. hef, h was not to be considered what effects the measure might poises, but what It had produced. It had been seen how it had been discuseed t the country. and al th ough the Noble igarl had said would come to the general quewion next year with great Wooster& he (Earl Grey) could not see how, after the eroteuregeMent which had leen gigot to public clamours, it would be mitbiWe to approach the general question with calmness ar hilipartiality. Whatever odism or obloqiiy might he attachad to his opposition. he was determined to bear- It he cou'd he pernlitelert that the measure would be prodnetive of the slightest relief. he would lend it his support; but he believed, that so far from heir : ; beneficial, It would litevitshly be mbichievous. Positione had been shifted a good deal during the diecussions : what was at fleet a con. tingentdanger, afterwarde became an iniminentenet tlie.i the north. cut blew and destroyed it.e crier, and the Nable Earl opposi , e Ohs Earl of Irivertmol) related instances which came within his recollection, of crepe destroyed by winds ; bin although the wind was certainly unpleasant, it had rot cv:n ricstroycd the hams of an early honest. Ile had received infoemation loom awe individoes who were the best authority on the seshject, the one was Mr. Coke and the other a Noble Lord in that ilotiee, and both the informants agreed that there never was an anrentratice of greater abundance. 'Pie came was trite of Ireland. In the -onuity with which he was best acquainted, which was statue sgri cultaral county, he mean: Northusubnlwitl. 11. e general opinion *ea that there was as greet a stock of corn with the farmers and 'nee dtants as was ever known. They had also hopes of an early harve‘f, aid stated thar • great quantity of wheat had born sown. Ile would ask the House if it apprehended danger was not reduced to a mere possibility ? and. onsequently no case was made out to *op_ port the measure. He thonght that Ministers ought IR' her to hare acted en then own reepensibilify ; that mode of proceeding wild,' hive had the advantage of not cavities alarm ; but the present moisture, after all, would he, when acted upon, All act of power ; against law. But the Noble Lord on the opposite si.le had lino ',Jiffy of an inconsistency in bringing forward the measure. by limiters the quantity to he imported. If tee income were intended to guard against a contingent necessity, how could it he known that quantity would be sufficient ? Ti noglit to be, in that coy, Indefinite and enlimited. Ministers heti therefore failed to make I out their cane. But lie hat another oltiertion to the measure. If Parliament could give prispeCtirely 3 ii .sir to dispense :vita the laws, they ought to give it oil after a very nature exaeenation touch leas ought they to give 3 inisters the opportunby of putting dal.ooo pounds into the 1 reasify on the eve of a general election; such a step rithout inquiry might be detrimemal to the Constitution. He would be set down as an ignorant person. but he ovoid declare his incapacity to co.npeehend the doctrines of political economists. However true snore principles night abstract, eddy appear, yet so imperfect was human eirseity, in short woe human foresight, that circumstances cro.e ever' meinent which de. ranged all previous calculations; nor was the Retort of Inqiiiry gone over; ft might suit 3linisters in g-t rid of Parliament as I soon as possible. hut when a grave question of great importance , to the co nmunity, he womb' not say to sgricalturiste„ was to I be discussed, he did net think the Parlisnient ought to separate ; at so early a period. It woalit be limier to en into an inquiry than to adopt a measure through confidence in 3linioeis. lie had no particular objection to place cor•tilence in the Noble E (Earl Liverpool) although the Notele Earl (lid net merit his confidence. lie had been a tenet tine il..saliefiel the Noble Earrs principles of goverthoent, alge.egli he had of late been less displeased with them even at the eleventh hour he would prefer to (Hews the question. Ile remembered the ilincue eon on the Caen Laws in 1815 : at that time lie was favourable to the reduction of rite duly on importation, and he thought that at present the public were entitled to such a roles- inn on account of the reductions of burdens on the agriculturists ; bat ii all laws. ant particularly in lain relating to subsistence, there was no greater evil than fluctuation ; it would produce the nicest detrimental :greet*, 1 The property of individual! , would be seriously erected ; they could rat tell how to buy or how to sell. Ile had heard of individuals patting filmy or sixty thousand pounds hen their pockets, while the farmers. and in consequence the manufeteurere, were inionveri,hest to an equal extent. Althotigh he would tireeer to postpone al tegether the discussion of the Corn Laws till next Session, yet he would pre., the discussion to a measure of this hind. The pass. tog of the Bill would render it impossible to connUlcr the Corn lows with impartiality anti coolness. He could not give a ell ent vote on a question which deeply interested every class of the community ; Ii he knew himself, he was net intim-iced by eny motives of a "Mitt nature when he felt himself called on to concur with the :Noble Earl in his optaretitel t o the encaeire. The E.rl of ii Aline f‘t IIY seta for a short time inistitliltle in conaeluenee of the noise teepee the her. We ti , ..:.mitood him to nay, that the price of this. wide. , Itsi been inked about. was a price collected from the secrecy of the prime of ow , • throughout the country. The consequence of rho was. that it tl.efered in durtrent parts very materielly. It might. in ease places be as high a, !0.. sir 11)0.. At any rate it might be reaseeeoly concluded, that be_ lore the average price could be HOn., in some parts the prier mint be much heyoial that. This was rot s ritiestiou of rounds er shit_ lingo; the actual price of tern dven.liag ember on the at tte of the couatry—its capacity to pay that price. lit many pars or the entente the distress wait now no great, that there were theretande. or iris oithoitsands, he might sty., exi.ting on ch trite; bed the price of sixty shillings. which might at other periods be moderate, both's regerded the Co.rittitier and °scattier, might un der ouch circumstance% berme equal to whit; at another time would be eighty 'Millings. This was t.:e principle on which the present Pleasure rested. A case mieht be amounted in which twenty shit. Lag. was too high. The Noble Iron' who last spoke said this measure would afronl no relief; but was it of no importance to hare earn cheap, when uumbers were in the receipt of not more than half their previous amount of wages ? Then, too. who would say that it was not necessary to relieve the country before corn got up to that price which the existing law said it should Tench before fo. reign torn could be admitted ? The Noble Lord seemed to think It would have been better if Government had not proposed any measure, but had allowed it to run on. with the intention of mak. lag the alteration when the necessity might occur. ft appeared to him that this would have been very unconstitutionel conduct for Government to have pursued. They would have merited the contempt of the country, if they had thiright born, .11,1.! that it would be necessary to open the mate, and instead of coming down to I Patliament, had broken the law, and toasted themselves to an after. indemnity. They would hove been doing that which they must I have intended to be illegal. The Nnide (emit complained of the period at which the mustion was brought forward ; and his Lonlship referred to the opposition made on the Itlih ult. in another place, to a general consideration of the Corn Laws, and conceived ()averment to be inconsistent because it now introduced what wee Imagined a part of the same consideration. Looking at the distress., he did not think this a favourable moment for discussing the question ; and he did not imagine there could be many who considered Government in the wrong for choosing to declinediscus sing the whole subject at such a period. Bet, because they thought this an unlit moment for going fully into its merits. did it follow that they must allow Parliament ton:ovate without taking any steps to provide against the prosiele necessity which had been referred to ? The Noble Lord asked, when did this new Belo break in upon them ? But he asked that which it was inipreeihle for him to answer. Minister,, at the beginning of the Sgssjim, thought the distress would heof shorter duration Than prnvel to he the ease: they theitieht there would he an earlier demand for the manufactures, and that the distress would be less extensive in its preasure, and sortnee relieved. (in what particular day there ant this aCCOMUialitan of evidence iuducing them to c o me to their present conclueinn--when it ass that the greater number he- Jog thrown out of work. and deriving support from eha- I city, Ministers felt a necessity for doing something—et what pre cise moment it was that these grsdaelly accumulating circum stance' induced a conviction that the present measures were indispensable, he could not say. Whether the measure% ought to hove been introduced a few days or a week sr.uner, or whether I they alight or ought to have rented a few days lioicter, individuals might conclude as they pleased ; but fur the credit of Government be did not wish to say. (Bear, hear. from Lord Grey.) Ile could wet say, because the gradual accumulation of distress rendered it point of considerable nicety. (Hear, hear.) 'There was one point to which he wattled refer. The decision wits not come to in cone. quince of any feelinF of trepidation resulting from the partial riots referred to by the Noble Lord. He could answer for it, that the Administration to which he belonged, and with which he had long meted. were not terrified into their spreeent coarse. He believed I there was no Node Lord present who did not k , ,Ow that they had not been deterred from pursuing a straightforward course when much greeter danger existed than that of the present period. Ile lamented the occurrence of these riots, however, because they had . caused the destruction of much property, greatly to the injury of those already suffering ; and he lamented them also, because they I afforded the Noble Lori opposite an opportunite for mating what he had. They went to prove the extent of the itiet Teas , an d so g ar only had they entered into the consideratimi of Government. If Orielestrnent had waited, and hroken the law under a greater degree of pressure—if they bad not got this indemnity in anticipation tf wy wo o d h ave h a d t o have asked for it under lesa pleasant cir. minsetaitees. But if they were not held as fit to be trusted to act upon their discretion according to law, how much less fit must they be to act in violation of the law ? In his opinion, those op. to the measures did not consult their own interests. suppose t lied Mit is purpose to vote this Indemnity ; this would bolo been required under much greater pressure than at present existed; and if the agriculturists considered their own welfare, they would not wish Parlianient assembles' under such (-imam slangs& Next Session the question might be discussed ca lmly, an d "atheist prejorlice t but would this be the ease if they had broken the law P - Weald not this alone be likely to cause the grealest 'citation ? Under such excitement as this, It was more than pro. bale that some very compendious, and to the agricalturias not eery 'solaria:, method would be adopted for getting rid of the owe Laws. Tbe Noble Lord seemed to imagine that mischief la been done, bat he (the Earl of Harrorby) could not conceive what mischief. The Noble Lord had said this m -mere would, to a seems degree, prejudice the question of the Can Laws but isedilem was more remote front the initiation of Ministers. To the edosiedets of the bonded corn at twelve shillings duty, time did not appose any particular objection ; and in objecting te the ober proposition, they seemed to forget that eircummaces might rimier the peke of sixty shillings, which at certain times wield be far and reasonable, the very reverse of this. Hp win. wag In she feet. them, and rejected the second. But Noble Lord mid these weld be no relief afforded by them, as if the sating Mee et 1110.111111_31121ime, er at least WOW Is the mune of bait • year, weield no eatielble difference. He felt that be bed trembled the nrit enough es the subject, and h e A m id mid ". with enpresille a belie that whoa any great public body was cam cased, the merrary eamilke would be made for w as • r q beset It eel girths, bet theme we things were gh gel" mew hi diem coomodictio• to each liirterests of the manufacturers and agrieultutiats were the same, j and ea three bodies were necessarily in opposition. It must be to the interest of the manufacturer; to have bread al cheap as possible, and to the interest of the agriculturist. to bare it as dear as possible. Notwitbatanding this, if either crushed the oilier they would crush their best customers. That Ministers might he able to reconcile these two interests, Beet Session was his sincere hope. If he thought this measure was likely to prejudge the after question, he would not give it hts sup. mur het that it was not he was persuaded. That cast a might arise in which Gavernineut was justified in changing the course it might have thought it expedient to pureue, in his opinion no one could thirty a:A he hop d and trusted their Lordships would secure to thrnixelvea the coetfortsble coneeiousneee that if the evils which assailed the reunite should increase, they had provided for them in the best way possible. The I: trl of LAUDERDALE said he could not give a silent vote. Before he preeeeded, however, he must request the Clerk of the House to read the two first peerages nehis Majesty's Speech of the al Feb. 11;25. Wiese paseages were then read by the Circe. aid, as may be recollected, speak in the most flattering terms of the prosperity of the reuntry4 His Lordship that pro. cetiled to sus Jhat the Noble lord who last spoke defended the measures oi. the ground of their necessity. Now, he lied called the attention of their Lordship , to those passages in his Majesty's Speech. because all chases are described as enjoying, at tie period to which ft referred, the greatest prosperity, the greatest COntenl, and the greatest happiness the country could afford; and while things were in this state corn was tis. higher titan at this moment. He objected to it: :se rasa measures, combined as they were, and to the language of the Noble Lord, ahich sacrificed the principle of the Cern ',ewe Ile was surprised to hear the Noble Earl now ar raireng thel'orn-Bill, when lie recollected he sepported it with him in Ifile. He cnuld not conceive how the Noble Earl had managed to forget the arguments he used on that occasion, when the price of corn was fele. The Noble Led dill not say this would be a mea sure ts: relief, It must, in feet, be evident that it toitld not hese, (or the distressed tearitrecturer* had no metier, and the price to them, therefore, could he of no importance. 'r he only reason the Ministers gave far the measure was, that much of the bonded corn was abut up in the neighbourhood of Mankhcster and Liverpool. and other dtstrrs•ed &oriels, site it was likely to have a bad moral effect that there so•mtl:l he corn so confined whileijAividuels were starving. On the Iteh of November corn wax dea(erellen when the Noble Earl took the alarm. Last year it was eigiutpence dearer titan at present, but Ministers did not then conie forward to as!: for measures like the present. It was, therefore, lair to infer that tbs.): had sonic desiwi on the Corn Laws. Alinicers said they (lid not mean to prejudge the question. He did not care what they meant; but this he knew, that the me mune woe calculated to set the inanutacturiog interest in direct opposition to the agricultural, and would :01'ect the letter in such a way as they would not be likely to recover fiir years. (Hear, Lear.) They objected to going into the discussion now, because of the time; hut lie could not iMagthe why the time. should he objected to. In WIC the Committee to i inquire. imo the torn Laws was not appointed till :he 17th of June. sod now they were only in the rnhidle of May. The Noble Earl i had not the sit:lame of an excuse fur the course he pursued. In I 1322, the Noble Earl told them the Country was ovcr.produedre of turn, lad h.e now tame forwent with Measures assuring them that forei:'ll runt meet be admitted to supply the scarcity. The g ..... ne on which lie stood was, that Great Britain and Ireland can produce sufficient corn fur conetinienoe ; and to austsin this pro. he would refer their Lordships to the evidence given by the Ceniniittee which sat on this subject in the year Idli. If they looked to the returns of Ireland, they would find hi.. sintement supported, the average produce being twelve hundred thousand quarters. It would be most mischievous in de pend or. the introduction of foreign corn, as we must if re tlisenu. rage the growth of our own produce, thr foreigners would take ad. vantage pf our being obliged to rely on them. (Hear.) Then we ought to consider also, that if we hail a bad harvest here, there were generally bad harvests throughout. the whole of Europe; and in the northern part of Europe. from which we principally derived our supply, this was particiOarly the case. Let the House consider that it not only would have to contend against its own mu. nicipal laws, hut against the prollibilien of France also. Let them look too to the law of Sweden. (neer.) Ntehing was eu iieju rious as vacillation in the price of corn. The Nottle Lord then referral to history from the time of Charles the Second, to shew that corn was elteaper under the restrictive system. Ile contended that if they reduced wheat by importation to a very low price, nr allowed it to reach a very high price, either would have tile same effect 011 the manufacturer; There were two thing; lowered the price of Idiotic either a superabundant supply of labour, or a very great deficiency of demand. It' grain was at a low value, the agriculturist must turn off his hands, and these men being thrown out of employ must diminish the price of Labour. If the prices were any higher, only the ablest inert would be retained, who would be found to week a greater number of hours-- In his ooinior therefore, it ens equally injurious whether the prices were high or iow : equality of prices was the great ohj - ect. He called item, llinintcrs for a little consistency in their ntea•tires. not the agriculturist eubjectea to nutoy tale., which did not bear mien the other climes of the community ? The land-tax was ls. in the pound, aed It had heat stated by some that from one end of the ante !ry to the other it might he calculated at le per cent. Who paid :he tithe. and the poor rates ? Who paid for bridgee, public buildings and road mon.•y e These taxes were exclusively borne by the agricultural community, as well as many othem. The agriculturists paid the expences of public prosecutions, the duty on wool. and msnv oilier taxes. The Earl of LIVERPOOL observed across the table that the tax on wool was taken off. _ _ . . . The Bar! of LAUDERDALE resumed—De was' glad to bear that any of the taxes were removed ; but he still contended that there was 141 per cent. direct tax on the land, besides 33 per cent. amount of taxes which the landed interest paid in common with other classes of the community. %Was ft not just then, he demand. ed, that the agr i cu l- nr ist s hould be protected as well as the mane. facture?? He confessed he thought the discussion on this subjt et even more injurious to the agricultural community than the mea sures proposed. (Hear, hear.) It was not those who opposed those innovations that should be charged with exciting angry dis cussions, but those who proposed alterations is the existing law, without reason. and when there was no fear of scarcity. lie was sorry to hear a N..ble Lord say that 80s. was a famine price. When there was so much vapnuring about the prosperity of the country, it should he remembered that corn was high. It was of late years that 80s. was considered a famine price. He re peated, he considered such observations more formidable in their effect than the measures proposed. What was the object of the Corn Laws as they at present stood ? To render us independent of foreign supply, and by such means, as much as possible, to equalize the price of corn. These were the grounds upon which the Noble Kul (Liverpool) supported the measures in 1815; and row that the supply front Ireland was increasing, and he hoped, for the sake or that country, would continue to increase (hear), would the Noble Earl say th et this country could not produce suffi cient corn fur its own consumption ? He had heard of the proceed_ its on this measure elsewhere, where lion. Members joined in complimenting one branch of the Administration at the expense of tli2 other nienbers. He would not join ita increasing the popularity at one branch of the 31inistry to the prejudice of the other branches, which perhaps he thought the best (near, hear), but he must say the this was the must extraordinary session he had ever known. At one period the Noble Earl at thy head of his :llajesty's Govern. meat had no doubt that we could raise a sufficient supply of corn within the empire—at another period this proposition was primal rally denied.At one time we heard that paper was the same atigold— then. that nothing but a metsllic currency was safe—and now, that was called a famine price for corn, which same time ago was reckoned a fair and salutary price. (Hear, from Lord Liverpool.) At first, when the Bill fot the admission of warehoused corn was introduced, it was understood that no more than 300,000 quarters were to be admitted ; but it now appeared that not only the corn in warehousc,but the grain brought to be warehoused, was to be let in. (Hear.) 'There were 14,000 quarters in this condition in the port of London alone. It was not generally known how much grain was in the other sea-ports. It appeared, then, that this mea.stire was introduced by Ministers, without knowing wh a t goon thy would he admitted by the Warehoused Corn Umil. But there was another objection. The quantity proposed to headmitted by the Bill now under their Lordships consideration was HOMO quarters. Haw could his Majesty's Ministers take upon themselves to say that this quantity would be found adequate, and, it' it was not adequate, were they not 01-sO4 in a species of dilemma; for by the Bill the King's prerugasitre was hati:ed. while it was un limited under the existing law ? As to the effect of the proposed measure upon the general question of the Corn Laws, he should only Obserse.that he had never spoken to any one outside the House who was not of opinion that the general question was disposed of by these measures; consequently, they were viewed by every agri culturist with grief, and by every manufacturer with gaiety. In bin opinion they were unneesssary measures, and calculated to do an infinite deal of nilschief ; and on these grounds, and for the reasons Wendy eaten, he gave his decided dissent to the proposi tion of the Nook Lord. The Earl of Liverpool and Lord King rose at the lame moment, and the call for the former appearing to be general, Lord King gave way. The Earl of LIVERPOOL proceeded. He thought it neces sary to say a few words in answer to what had fallen from the Noble Earl who had just sat down, but he did not feel himself callA upon to enter into any of the general arguments ibtrodueed, which applied only to the general question of the Corn Lsww, and not to the pardeular raeiroire hel.re the House. He would soy, in the first place, as to any effect which the disctrodona on the proposed measures may have on public feeling, in reference to the ge neral question, (hat that cth et was attributable rather to those who opposed the measures introduced, think to his 31ajesty's 3li. misters. Itrhea those measures were timt proposed in another place, they weft hailed universally. (Cries of 6 ' No ! No !") The manufacturing and the agricultural interest joined in their ap probation of thee. (Continued cries of " No ! No !") It was the op it ion in Mt House, and nothing else, that raised the mi. tigated opposition which the measures met within the other House. Those who proposed the present measures disclaimed any intention of affec.lng the general question by those measures. M'hether they were believed or not, they disclaimed any such intention. It was those who opposed the present mestere* who really acid that the question was decided by a temporary measure, intruftced upon the ground of urgent necessity, and put forward to meet a special put. pose. Ilia Majesty's kilobit/Ns denied that any such decision had taken place, or was intended. 'The Noble Lord (Lauderdale) had entered into the system of the Corn Laws since 1763, and be (Lord Liverpool) would not follow him through oil his minds dons; but the real fret was, that the noble Lord omitted to cond. der that It was since 1766 the peat growth of our manufactures and the growth of our population had taken place. He would not fol low the Noble Lord through all his observation, on the system ; bat if the Noble Lord went back still farther than 1746, he would There ki ll had ent ivila we ena li t ii t lFe n e : tha so ii t he lluet thet s r o ub e j t ha i re on d beitnartithe:tipeleelluctnotolutyacounannor price. atten tn . 1745, wheat was 23a. a quarter. the Wincluotet measure; In 1707. 5150 . t in 1716, Na. ; and in 1780, 410 a. 74. Therie four yeses were not singular in showing tha variation of prices. If their Lordships went • forward 40 years, they would end that in 1716 wheat was .41111. lad. per quarter ;•in 1741, 41s. Pd.; 1742. les. • and 1715, 295. Thus. h app eare d. t h a t t here was inevitably. a nd that there always must be, a euctuation of prices. Thin was no argument in favour of one system or another, but a proof that'under any system a greater IW two fluctuation of prices must exist. But the Noble Earl charked him with ineetteisteney. because he supported the Corn Bid in 1815, on the principle that it WWI advantageous that this country should produce sufficient earn for he own coasomptfon. Ile sincerely wished Great Britain arid Ireland did produce suffi cient corn for the consumption of its own population. He thought that our effort should he directed to pteduce enough but helm. lieved it was an undoubted fact, that we had not succeeded in pro ducing enough—be meant upon an average of years. It was a question which no er.e could answer, whether the growth of our population would outstrip our power of peoduction or not. This ought to be oar object 1 whether it might or might not be attained was a queation ; but there was no question that it had not yet been attained. It was supposed that 801. was a fair importation price in 11115; but would the Noble Lord say that the period when 811 n. was. fixed upon was not an extraordinary year—he meant extrsordinary as compared with other rears of greater abundance, but such as we must expect occasionally to occur ? (Hear.) Could it be argued then that the price fixed upon at that period, was exactly the price that ought to be fixed u p on at present . In the year 1814 a Bill Was intmdured into the House of Commons be an Hon. Member, tieing the importation price at 120 e. The Noble hoed agreed with him (Lord Liverpool) in 1015 that 804. was a fee price, because the necessities of the country required the importation of corn. In fixing that price it was considered Mat the agriculturists abouid be protected by a fair remuner a ting price. Thie w as n ot t h e proper prover time to say whether the pries ftmed at the period referred to was or was not a fair price at present. He was not prepared to ' say that be thought 110*. a fit price now. The agricultural interest had been relieved of many burthent since the arrangement vas made fixing the impartation price at 00e. Since then the Pro pry Tax was repealed. together with the taxes on horses used for agricultural purposes, the tax on waft, that on leather, and many other uitcri, which bore very heavily op the agrmultund 'popula tion. In tart, a great mass of the 27 melions of taxes which were repeelcd since the peace. had been taut from off the agricultural Interest. Cousidering this, he was not prepared to say that Gas. was nut as good a remunerating price now as iffis..wae in the time referred to, which was a period of Agri littoral difficulty and em. barrassment. But the principle for which he (Lord Liverpool) now contended had been admitted by the Noble Earl (Lauderdale) that principle was. that foreign corn should be admitted when the condition of the population rendered its admission necessary, but 1 that the agriculturist should be secured a fair remunerating price. This he had said whets the subject was before under consideration, ; and to this principle he now clung. When the general question I again came under discussion, he should be prepared to meet it, but 1 1 he had given no opinion on it in that House, he declined giving any opinion, hitherto (liter); but he should be prepared to state liia opinion, grounded on the principle that sufficient protection should be given to the agriculturist. On the same principle he should propose to secure the country from the danger which would occur when anything arose to prevent she production of • sufficient ' supply. But a Noble Lord said that the proposed measures were not measures of relief. Ile . (tiord Liverpool) concurred with the Noble Lord, that the high price of corn was not the cause of the present di'iress, but that It NOW from over-trading. But what.. ever may have bean the cause of the present dietrese, it was only laughing at the people to say that lowering the price of corn would produce no alleviation to the distress. For his part he supported 1 the MealUTell as measures of essential relief. But it was said, ' "your population are without employment, they have no means of buying bread, and what is the use of reducing the price when they can afford to pay nothing ?" It Was unfortueately true that some part of the population in the manufacturing districts were without employment, but it so happened that •great majority of the popu. ' lawn were either partly or wholly employed, yet from the pressure of the times were forced to labour at reduced prices. Many unfor tunate people were earning only 7%, 5.., or 2s. a week, out of 1 which they were endeavouring to subsist and support their families. ' Now would any one take upon himself to sa d % that it was no matter to this extensile class whether they could purchase the quartem loaf at Is. or Is. fah? ((tear, bear.) He repeated that he proposed the measure as one of essential relief. He did not say that the dis tress in the manufacturing distrietiarose from the high price of corn, but he thought it could not be denied that she price of provi. shins must affect that distress. Then what was the question which arose? It may be viewed as matter of form in one way, and in another way as a question of serious consideration for the agricul tural interest. We were now, as at all former periods, in the hands .u: Providence. who emild alone determine upon the abundance or scanzineas of the next harrest. He argued nothing from the stock in hand ; lookino at the present price of wheat, he did not think it unreaaonable; but he knew on what couthigencies the prospect of a good harvest rested, and he would soy to any Noble Lord who teard him. " can you lie on your bed this night, and reflect en the possibility of a bad harvest, ht the prawns State of the ntanufal turingdistricts, with no othee feelinap than those which would have accompanied ouch prospect, eves at on. kw a period as in July last ? Would yoa consider the prospect of a bad harvest in the present year with no greater apprehension than you would When the population WAS not only fully employed, but when advertise ments were printed inviting labourers from Ireland and elsewhere l When all hands were employed, was a bad harvest likely to pro. duce so much distress as when a large proportion of the population were nor fully employed ?" Those, be repeated, were serious consi derations. The question then arose, should we not guard against the possibility of such an evil, and secure the me a n s wi t hi n our power for e ff Ording relief? If the relief ought to be afforded, then was it opt much better that it sffisulti be applied with law than without U ? The House was called upon to give that power, to be applied in case of necessity. If their Lordships neglected to grso.t the power required, they would place the Executive Administra. don in a situation of great responsibility. He confessed he pre ferred the other mode of proceeding, with reference to the agricul tural interest only. If exercised with discretion, we should know sufficiently well what we were, and it would be perceived how inti mately blended the interest of the agriculturists was with that of the oiler classes. On the other hand, if Parliament refused to in. vest his Majesty's Ministers with the discretion they required, should the event to which he had alluded occur, they would find it necessary to Pilti%e the Crown to assemble Parliamen t , and they nuts: advise that Parliament, should it be called, to discuss the Corn Laws. Now he could not conceive anything more inconvenient, any thing more likely to prevent the calm and temperate discussion of each a question, than calling together Parliament at such a period, for the express purpose of discossing the Corn Laws. He believed that the question could not be agitated at a more inconvenient time. It might be said, why should his .Majesty's Ministers wait for a better time? But under the circumstances to which he had alluded-- a bad harvest and an unemploy ed population—Ministers could sot delay; the question would force itselfupon their attention ; and under these disadvantageous circumstances it must be discussed. He would nut admit that the Bill prejudiced the general question. On the contrary, it would tend to bring the question more where it Was. The application of a remedy to a special evil would take away many objections to which the present system was liable. After such an application, we should return to the dis cussion of the general question under more favourable and con. venient circumstance% His Majesty's :11 imsters, therefore, were only doing their ditty in calling for th e p ower by l aw with w hi c h the Bill invested them. ft was impossible to say now that we could look on a bad harvest in the present year, as on the last year, or on any other year. Under all the circumstsuces he thought the House would agree with Item, that it was more fair, just, and suitable, for the Aliiiiintra of a Countitutional Govern ment to ask the power now required, than to exercise that power without calling upon Parliumeut to invest them with it. Their Lordships were the jokes whether this power should be confided to his Majesty's Government, and be should leave the question entirely to their disposal. The Earl of LIMERICK said, he could not conceive a more general alarm, than that which the percent measures of Government excited. In the country with which he was peculiarly connected (Ireland), he had letters stating that all bargains were shaken, the farmers were bewildered, and the corn factor on the brink of ruin. On the whole, he feared that the measures proposed by Go vernment would produce great i erolenge, and tend coosidee _ ably to augment the rat lets (I . Lord KING congratulated their ?deities on the signal success over the domestic enemy. The N le Lord opposite had taken up the rodeo agrestis of the Hon. alehiber for Sornersetsbire (Sir I .' Lethbridge.) The Hon. Baronet's mantle had fallen on the Noble Lord. Ile wished us to be a nation of sellers, and no buyers. M itch had been said about the possibility of our growing corn sufficient for our consumption. The question was not whether we could grow enough, but at what cost we could grow It. if the population increased, we must turn more land into cultivation than was now cultivated; and if we did so, we should arrest the prosperity of the country. It was a paradox as say, that if corn was high in Price we should go on smoothly, and all would be well. It was said if we admitted foreign corn we should be like Dutchmen, dependai.t on the world for our food. In the time of Napoleon, this country existed by bps permitting us to have corn from the Continent. Such an opportunity would Lever recur for a combination amongst the nations of the Continent. It was the interest of fOreign nations to supply us with torn when we required. and nothing was more Idle than the four of being dependent upon foreign nations far a supply. The Noble Lord next adverted to the sums paid for tithes, which he said were paid by the consumer, and not by the agriculturist. In feet, they were paid by the consumer as truly as of the tenth was taken off every loaf, or that till tax was paid in the baker's shop. In conclu sion, the Noble Lord supported the motion •. 1 observing, that as the Noble Ha t ((li v e r p oo l ) h a d set hi s h ous e in order, he could come to the consideration of the general question of the Corn Laws under better anspijoes next year. The Marquis of SALISBURY said that the whole responsi bility of the measures tested with his Majesty's Ministers, and it was for them to judge whether they would use the discretionary power which they had called for. The Earl of VARNA HVON selti that he bad suspended Ms opinion, in the expectation of hating' some informatioa tram Ids Majesty'. Government; but as no much lofuemation had been fur. niched, It. could not support dr. present measures, &mow he thought they involved the whole quetesien of the Corn Laws. He thought those Laws had nothing .), do with the distress of die country, and that, of course, the Mesons before their Lordships could net operate as a remedy. ' Lewd REDESDA LE was host% so the ateasewee, bemuse they west to horse a ter wpm the ogrisahosal intones, which be eon sideted partial mad unjust; mod be eke thought that they world CONTRACTS FOR COALS AND CANDLES. Comsainariat Deparonent. Treasuty Chambtrs, Bth Mug, 1826. QUM Persons as are drsirous o/' contracting with the 0 Agent for Commissariat Supplies, to furnish for twehe month,, from the 25th June next, such quantities of COALS and CANDLES as may from time to time be required, for sundry Barracks and Stations in the undermentioned Counties anti Islands, may receive Particulars of the Contracts on applying at this Office berseen the hours of ten and four, and to the respective Barrack Masters in the Islands of Guernaey, Jersey, end Alderney, and deliver their Tinders at this Office as follows, viz.:— Tenders for supplying Coals, sealed up, and marked " Tender for Coals," until twelve o'clock on Wednesday, 31st May inst. Tenders for supplying Candles, sealed up, and marked " T e n. dere for Candles," until twelve o'clock on Friday, the 2(1 of June next; but no Propm.al„ either for Coals or Candles, will be noticed. unless made on, or annexed to, a primed Particular, and the Prices inserted in words at length ; nor unless a Letter be subjoined to such Proposal from two persona of known property, engaging to become bound with the party tendering in the stint expressed In the Particulars, fur the due performance of the Contract. Tenders to he made for the several Counti racks and Stations, as specified in the Parti COUNTIES, &c. Hants Isle of Man Isle of Wight Ken t Lancaster Middlesex NOftult Northumberland Non hampton Nottingha, Berk. Brecknock Chester Cornwall Cumberland Devon Dorset Durham Essex Gloucester ies, and separate Bar- Liars of Contracts. PRICES OF BRITISH tank stock 2tll II per Cent. Red. 77f I per Cent. Com% 7:i Ditto Acct. 701 per Cent. 841 I per Cent. Red. Sla New 4 per Cent. S 5 941 Long Ann. IS) Pembroke Sufi lic Soli:met Surrey Sussex Warwick York North Britain !elands of fluernsey, Jerney...k Alderney. iTOCKB rEsTF.nimy. India stuck 7315 Cl 5 Ditto Bonds 7 8 pm Sr:nth Sea Old Annuities 7! Ditto New Annuities 28 Ex. 81Ile Ite44. 8 9 put Ditto MAL 8 9 pm Ditto 4niall 8 9 pm Lottery Tifeete 211.198. --•--...=.—. --=::::-- ••••_^,-, ..--- ~...... -y...- --- ~.._, ...qt. fi,..- - A :. ' ;.. w -2- ;,.. , i:, , z r.. i„.. • . --`...-- - Af r...* ;.--='-- _'--PiN. ‘ ' 476 ..'-.:*'-.,".:'::•? • -•,- ' -_,:. it ,t . a ~.;.--. (.. fir 7 -4- ,‘ -, 2 '.. '":• ' ~_' . 3 1 0, 411...14 1. ' r riTIN\ l'4l - 11. - ~...tatt.v . ,...- I'' . s ' ;4- "''''•.• ..... 7 ---„,,,,,.. -•------ ~,,,-.:---- -.,--- . SY' - have the effect of throwing out of cultivation a large portion of the poor lands of the emir,. • The Earl of DARNLEY objected to the manner In which the measures had been intreduad and thought it would have been better If the discussion had ban postponed until the whole ques tion of the Corn Laws should be brought before their Lordship*. The Earl of MALMSBURY rose for the purpose of 'newer ing one observation which had been made, with reference to that line of eOO4lllCt which he had felt it his duty to pursue on a former night, as regarded the question on the Corn Laws. The Noble Eel (Liverpool), In allusion to the opposition that had been made to the present measure in the other House, had said that it would have gone there by acclamation, had it not been for what had passed in this House. Nnw his (the Earl of Malmsbury's) reply was, that in introducing the motion which he did on • former occasion, he was only doing what he felt to be the strict line al his duty ; and which he would do hie best ever to act up to. Ile knew that on this occasion he had both popular clamour, and also the whole strength of his Majesty's Uoveritment, to contend with. Hut while he felt himulf conscious of performing his duty, he would excleim—Non [lrian: ardor ;nava jubratium I although he would rot add con yearns iattanfis laniard, because their Lordships knew that tyrawarra did not strictly mean a tyrant. but one possessing ll?wer• Nothing should deter him from pursuing that line which Ida duty prescribed to him. It had been objected to hint that Ise was an interested individual. Ile knew he was an interested indi vidual; but lie hail the satisfavion of thinking that his interest* were strictly combined with the interest of one great class of the community, whose opinions, he believed. coincided with his own ; and as he ten the prelim measure would be injurious I to those interests, he had felt it his duty to oppose it. It was also said that the proposition on his part had led to certain transactions In the other House. It was nothing to him what they did in the other House; if they did no, do their they, that was no reason why he should neglect to perform his. But why should he be blamed for any alarm that had taken place in the other House* This re. minded hint of what had occurred when he was at school. He had seen II boys receive the lash without calling out, but the twelfth boy, when he felt the lash, cried out very lustily, and disturbed the whole neighbourhood; but w ou ld th e y sa y i t was t h e p oor un f or . tunate boy's fault? Certainly not ; it was the Doctor's, who held the rod over him. (L aug h ter . ) H e was ',wisely in the situation of that twelfth boy. (Much laughter.) The Duke of SOMERSET wished to state briefly his reasons why be should oppose the present motion, and why he thought the House ought at once to enter uprin the consideration of the whole question of the Corn Trade. In the first place, the present syrem confined British competition to the foreign markets, and this tended to reduce the revenue. Agnitt, the policy of the Corn Laws affected the Pnor's.rates, they being in a great measure re gulated by the price of bread, which was necessarily kept at a high rate by the operation of those laws. The consequence of this was, that it tended to reduce the character of the British pea. sentry, by der ing them to the parish for relict. lie objected to the present measure, because it would tend to continue an uticer taM policy with regard to the Corn Trade, which he thought de manded a full and fair investigation without delay. Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and a division took place, when there appeared, fete Contents. 81—Non.Contents, 23 -31siority. 61. During the abserce of strangers a division also took place on the Foreign Importation Corn Bill, when there were-- Contents, 78—Non•Contents, 28—Majority for the second reading, 80. • Their Lordships then adjourned at TWELVE o'C ince. --------- PRICES OF FOREIGN (WIWI Bands 414 Colombian Bonds Ditto Hoods 1224) 42i 2 If 2 Ditto Acct, 42 4 if 2 ij Daulob Bondi (DM, 254 Greek Bonds (11322) 124 Ditto Acct. 151 Mexican Bonds Ditto Roods %t 2b C 24 2 I Ditto Acct. 624 if 24 2 14 f 2 PRICES OF SHAI STOCKS YESTERDAY. Peruvian Ronda %t Portuguese Bonds i l 3 Rusaiun Bonds 7 Ditto Acct. 76 4 Spanish 11.,nde if Ditto Acct. 8 Preneb Mantes 5 per Cent. 9Cf. 30c. Exchange 26c. 60c. 65c. French Mentes 3 per Cent. 64f. Exchange 25f. 60c. ES YESTERDAY. Share. Paid. 100 00 2S din 00 6 0 tits ASSURANCIt COMIANIM. Alliance British and Foreign .. ........ 100 10 01 Mt Protector Fire .............. ......... . 20 1 dis IRON RAILMATS. Liverpool and Manchester British Iron liiberniau . 100 9 2pm .... 90 - 1 fpm .... 100 10 9} dig .... 100 li 9Ms NISCILLANSOM Canal (1111 Engine ..... General Steam Navigation Provincial Bank of Ireland ... .NGE YESTERDAY. Leghorn Venice . Malta Naples Palermo ....... per os I lb Ll.bon Oporto RI, Janeiro ........ Bahia 47 Buenas Ayres Dublin, 21 days' sight Cork .......... BULLION, PI& UZ. d. Portugal Gold, In coin .. 0 0 0 Foreign Gold, in ban. .. 3 17 6 New Doubloons ...... 0 0 0 New Dollars Silver, in bars, standard 0 0 0 lii 431 COUR'SE OF EXCH Amsterdam C.V. 12 7 Ditto at sight .. . ... 12 1 Rotterdam 2U. 12 b Antwerp Hamburgh 2l U. 37 8 Attune 21 U. 37 9 Paris, $ days• sight Ditto 2 U. 25 95 Rottleant ......... . . 25 95 Berlin ..... .............. 7 Erasidort on Maine Et. M . 155 Petersburgh, rifle 3 UM. 81 Vienna, enective ti 2 M. 10 22 Trieste....do lO 22 Madrid ... Culls Bilboa Barcelona. Seville . Gibraltar 'v.: 41 Bl '!:'* Vu Brittsik tireiSgi. DRURY-LANE THEATRE. MISS KELLY'S NIGHT. This Evening, WEDNESDAY, May 24, will be performed the ROAD TO RUIN. • Goldfinch, Mr. Mathews. Sophie, Ml= Kelly. After which the Interlude of INTRIGUE. Tom, Mr. Harley. Ellen, Mks Kelly.. To which will be added, JONATHAN IN ENGLAND: Jonathan W. Doubikins, Mr. Mathews. COVENT-GARDENTHEATRE. This Evening, WEDNESDAY, May 24, will be performed I he DOM Play of WOODSTOCK. The principal Characters by Messrs. C. Kemble, Wards, W. Farren, Serle, Jones, Cooper, Egerton, Blanchard, Chapman, and Evans ; Mader Longhtirst, Ne. Chitterley, Misses Junes and J. Scott. AR*, which the Romantic Selo-Drama of ROBINSON CRUsoR ; oy, Tna SOLD BUCC XXXXXX . Robinson Crasoe, Mr. Farley ; Friday, Mr. J. 8. Grimaldi. Inis, Mrs. Vining ea• All Lotteries end for am with this Drawl ' ag. Six Prises 10.0001 ail In Oat Day. The Piles of Tickets and Shares will rise after next naturday. T. BRITISH Paw commenced pub/iohing yesterday moon ing in dm o'clock. LONDON, WEDNESDAY, May 24, 1221. —..... We have received the French Papers of the 21st, and the Etoile of the 22d inst. It is stated in letters from Odessa of the 2d inst. that General SABONIEFF iti at the head of 40,000 men , cantone d at Ismael, Kischnew, and Bender, within a day's march of Jauy and Galatsch, while the advanced guard of WITTGENITEIN is in the neighbourhood of Tulczyn and Kaminiets, at three dare march from Jassy. The Porte is said to hare sent 300,K0 kiloks of corn to the magazines in Siliatria, which is fixed as the point of concentration for the army of Itomelia. Brailow, in IVallachia, has been put in a state of defence, and an appeal to all the Mussulmans in that quarter has been published at Widin, for the purpose of raisirg them in a levee en masse. The following is an extract:— PARIS, MAY 20. Count Portal', one of the Members of the Committee of Inquiry of the Chamber of Peers, has been selected to make the !tenon re. suhing from the examination of the nftalr of M. Ouvrard. This ro. ble Peer began to rend it yesterday at three, and continued till half. pas. six. Ile recommenced this morning at eleven, and concluded at half•past two. The Mgrquia de Paatoret had previously waited on the Marshal Duke of Beilune to receive his deposition, he heir` too ill 'to attend on the Committee. Next Monday the Chamber of Peers will form totelf into Court of Justice. The call of the House will be made at noon. It will hear the Report made, in the name of the Committee., b y M. Portal:a. We have received regular files of United States Paptr i to the 49th April; but their contents are not particularly Interesting. The following is an extract of a letter dated Constanti. nople, the *id April, received yesterday by a respectable Turkey house in the City. The intelligence it convey s comes from a quarter which possestes the best means of information. It would appear from it, that in the nego tiations which have for some time past been carried on be. tweet' Russia and Turkey, the fate of Greece has been left altogether out of the question. We arc not, however, the less disposed to believe that the instructions of our new Ambassador at Constantinople required him to make what proposals were likely to be most acceptable to the Porte for the advantage of the Greeks:— The di•cussiona between the Porte and Russia are about to come to a decisive issue. Sortie reasonable demand. regarding the Province., and requiring Plenipotentiaries to be despatched from hence to meet those of Russia, to settle all points at issue, but confined to these subjects alone, have been made by the Rusaisa Charge d'Affaires here, allowing the Porte till the 17th of next month to carry them into effect. If this be not absolutely done by that time, the Russian Mission. and, subjects will then quit, and war will ensue. It is believed the Porte will yield, as the demands are so admissible, and no signs are exhibited of any in:rntion to engage in war; but should this not happen, it Is expected that after invading Moldavia and Wallachia, the Russians will Waste their own terms, and go no further. Such is the opinion we have heard expressed in a high quarter. Meanwhile every thing is quiet hue there is, of course, a good deal of uneasiness, but no fear as to rime of property, or individual safety." It appears from Lloyd's list of yesterday, that the fol lowing depredations have be.n lately committed in ti.e Archipelago, on English mercantile ships, by Greek pins deal vessels, calling themselves men of war:— The Thomas, Hobbs, from Constantinople to Alex andria, bas hcen taken by a Greek ship of war of 10 gum, and carried into Hydra. The Packet, from Glasgow and Malta, to Smyrna, hos been plundered of upwards of sixty packages manufactured goods, t cwt. sugar, and a quantity of dollars. The New Thomas, Quircy, from London to Constanti nople, was boarded, and the Master was plundered of his money, clothes, watch, &c. A debate of some length took place last night, in the House of Lords, on the second reading of the Corn Im portation and the Banded Corn Bills. The progress of these Bills was principally opposed by the Earls GREY, Liaretica, and NIALSISBURV ; and to us, we confess, it appears that a more feeble opposition was never made to any measure introduced to their Lordships notice. To charge Ministeis with vacillation upon this question is err tainly a moat whimsical accusation ; for upon what foun d don does the charge rest ? Upon the fact that, in the present peculiar situation of the country, when the opera tives, by an increase in the price of the first necessary.of life, might be driven to excesses that would put at hazard not only the tranquillity of the country, but the very existence of the present order of things, they had intro duced such measures as would avert so great an evil. The opponents of these measures have attacked Ministers upon their sudden change of system, relative to Corn, and have maintained that no difference of circumstances could have taken place within so short a period as that in which they ob jected to the agitation of Mr. IVHITMORE'II motion and the introduction of their own measures regarding bonded corn and the importation of foreign grain. The Members of his MAJESTY'S Government have, however, repeatedly de dared that the propositions did not, in the most remote de gree interfere with the discussion of the Corn Laws in the next session ; and as to the mutability of their conduct, we have only to observe, that circumstances respecting the commerce and manufactures of the country, from the middle of April to the middle of May, together with the privations that the operatives dependent upon them were enduring, and the consequent irritation of their minds, rendered a change of measures, in so far as such change would have a tendency to prevent the price of those provi sions more immediately within the reach of the working classes from being enhanced, not only a desirable object to be attained, but a positive duty to be performed, by those entrusted with the direction of the affairs of the country. We rejoice that the result of last night's debate was a triumphant majority in favour of Ministers—the numbers appearing, for the second reading of the Bonded Corn Bill—contenta 84, not-contents ; and fur the Corn Im portation Bill—contents 78, not-contents 28. . 1. Cll, TUESDAY EVEDISG. The Account Day in the English Funds was not a particularly heavy one, but still the differences in some instances were extto. sive, the extreme variation being 77 and 81. The first part of the morning it had every appearance of turning out a bear account, Consols being the same price for money as for time ; some bargains were done at 78 ; but as the day advanced, large delivems Of Stock altered the opinion, and the Market declined to 78i 3 for money, and 71t4 for the account, making the continuation a quar ter per cent. Consols tinnily closed for the account at 4, and for money at 4. Exchequer Bills were lis. Ifs. premium ; India Bonds 75. Rs. premium ; and the Stock 2344 L. The New >-:rip nas 4 premium to par; and Bank Stock The princip.l business in the British Funds this morning, however, was in balancing ac counts. The Foreign Stocks have been in a great measure neglected te eing, on account of the Reuling in Consols. Russian S:nck was Via. In Greek Bonds, there were no transactions. 1 4 , nth Ameri can Fonds were steady ; Colombian about 42; 31exican, 62; Chilian, sellers, at 42 ; Peruvian, 32 ; Spanish, 8. The accounts from Manchester this morning are favourable. Goods are in great demand there. s A variety of reports prevailed this morning, of a contradictory nature. The first rumour in importance was, that the Burnie" had broken the treaty, commencing ,hostilities the day after the signature of the official document. Another was, that Mormon bad surrendered A third stated that Spain had become a cause of misunderstanding between the English and French Courts. particularly as to the fortifyi ng an d possess i on o f C a diz. edo not know what ground there is for the last report—the two former arc without the slightest foundation, as the accounts are stated to be brought by the Chihli! Harold me rc h an t man , which sailed if" Madras on the 24th of January. There At e very for letters yet in town by the Childe Harold ; those that are we have seen. and they do not contain a sentence relative to the intiaction of the ma!, by the Burmese. _ ~_ ' ' "it tAimtfal ~' l `` I .