The Sun. — London, England, 1846-02-16 00:00:00

~ ,Sb i t upo.- a Ag' ipit . relatiog " D. 011 31. he"op p w of th e a Pec oer the 1:4-1 3 t he t he [ ll P th il itt go , 2 nd I 0 were a be rem " far u id P rot% . J r ' rg res . or;1 (1 131- t d . es o p jes no vi „ e vert „ co be Lou t he , s a 9 cod ;don, or be vio to , pp ealed h , ‘ sh o' ► real e, avail )01. to e 9t 9 61°11 ioa/PlitSeS ought to pay no attention, but to taxes for general pur- P-se , , s uc h as rates for the poor, the preservation of the c ountry, an d t h e administration of justice imposed exclusively on land, he thought the attention of the C ommittee ought to be directed. The maintenance of the poor was a general and national object, and the expense should be defrayed out of the national funds. The same argument applied to the militia the exp enses of the administration of justice.ra an te By the to o rigirial P oor-law Act of Elizabeth, it w',.s enacted that every man should be rated according to his ability, so that i t was not intended that it should be exelu- Siv e ! y r a tax upon real property. eve r, from t h e difficulty makingE ventuthaell of !tie nt, it h ad become exclusively a tax o y ' a shs n r assess - Property, and such it was at preset rental of his mill, present, and now the Propri etor of a mill only paid up h Wh ich he m i ght at any time shut up t an e d thus escape from Plying the rates, while the farmer had the rates, had no choice, he must e i ther employ men or increase T hen a ga i n in the , houses did not Pay same t , ) the poor -rate that the land paid. It was Pr tr ° u l3 e " t t h i 7t tthe proportion of payment on the part o o ha proportion of late increased, but that was property . f w l i t n o g nse to the in erease of the, number of houses, and the conse %lent decrease i n t h e quantity of cultivable isue ~, • R e , g to the increase of houses . and of railroads. admitted that houses were perishable property, and land rated was not ; and, therefore, they ought not to be ought to be to highly : but if perishable property he crops of I. h o °t r eet etl, what was more parable than t protection ? the f and what was more entitled to t The law of settlement, too, and was injurious t t o o the agricul reuaral; be tlY, and was of no good to the manufacturer, free trade .111 red alteration. If they established ti)bociples In the corn market, they must do so iu the of settlement. t it du? .rnarket, and destroy the law extentellted that an alteration in law of settlement, to the GRAHAM, would proposed last year by Sir ! ate t ho effect of relieving the agricujlt.uraltiimntoeiroestto, towns al..vto the effect R I '"1 making residence for a certain impracticable, add a settlement, he thought it was compensation Th ec if Practicable would Were ' with regard to the highway-rate—the no te—the highways cot : alore for the benefit of the r t a owns than of the hi g n o „ t Y' The farmer derived little benefit from the geth il e lt Y h a l ll.e would allnde for a moment to tithes alto- P NI . ' v did not consider the m . a burden on land. lig e , -Its to the Commutation of tithes, the m y e s n e t ri o o f u t s b ly e kro'hstered.with cultivation, but from the mo on the pro- T hey they Petty. The, lie looked on the land-tax in tas t ;„ were charge s on the property a similarm rely light. like likols, and not peculiar lburdens.nd in France, were France, Whi s i i t h e direct taxation th ew e considered not to be ° a ll ay . burden . whatever in the 41`itlyation of the soil. It diminished the value of Nt fto d ' b tlt did not interfere with the cultivation.. He li ted "ed that the malt duty was it, but inasmuch a peculiar burden on le • . Al l whoa e beer paid a portion of . -a te . , i , - rams pai mac red to prevent the production of barley, in s Ili -t was a peculiar burden upon . agriculture lturiats s. etl, With duties, the agriculturists ...kik) regard to other °t he, th,, Customs and Post-office as much as any paid to the fitt Portion of the community ; they (11AltilT1/11(4e, 'end in all the law reforms the Stamp up. Ile de„-,•11,113a the transfer of landed property was keptov e rn - hiectl'ed that the measures proposed by the Gt t °trm ntea toutt any compensation. the fcrkeefProteetion, it was the . difference between what ad udder r would obtain for his corn under . the present I kPo t he syste m of free trade, which it would be "I ble t Ikitioo t° calculate. With regard . to the comparative th s e t) ? LI the producing agriculturists of England . e it t ri f d_ !44441414M, he contended that the prod . ucing . agri I shad iof tngland were much . highei taxed... d ared ILIP4YB a dvocated protection, but if public opinion i eh!t ems , bi, see i th , co be done away with . he would submit, i e leht lu i - best endeavours to palliate the evils and the lie 'IN ~ grY c ontention between class and class. 14 , . Luit, , L'l lllt f "4°Se who acted with him . would, if beaten, ttlei) 'a ter 4 fair fight, and do their best to promote 1114'r e e ° :,. ri tY of - t r heeoutry. If, however, the measure his ti ed i • I , It% a u this Parliament' mea it would not be the 're acedublic opinion, but of of the Lords party .. tactics—aai til ril ill onposition to the opinions vre n i ar; l4ll J: n ri e' ty of the Cabinet, by an able mancou t 0.., polities. hiellilhilitononA . td ht said that he retained the opinion li i4na Pts e 4 ll , - expressed in 1820, that there were 7sti 1 44 Leg Peculiarly on land; and he went further both Cli1114:1:ths and l'llhle Friend, for he considered. s upon land. t the same as peculiar burden th - ltat : til e time he denied that the proper way to Pik lrest 4 , - the landowners was to impose a duty on : it th " is l i ti ! ti na of foreign corn. He feared, however, 1764 irep:utintrY would not take wit n h d in ow i n ts er s , cope the in his , %ilit y tt4ut burdens upon the la 'th ou to N , 1 e e into the labour market to purchase his be r'is•-th the c heapest rate, in consequence of what of the might call the patriarchal state Nes "al districts The farmers and . land ; It t° azi pBrt)tid probate and legacy duty on their pe k 4 1 4 3, k eerty i n common with the rest of the com "ltts,i"ltt there were many burdens borne exclusively 1411:11te.thl:he r . ecent law changes had saved immense L v agricultural interests, and the stamp . duties the ' ll t . krtd,cll"ebY diminished. Yet lie admitted that sat; interest had cause to complain of the stamp It Ak 0 '1 " he should wish to see the tax changed from Latalt alienation into a tax on succession. . h tr 'lil t i g 14 cat the eoeo - considered that any p .o ro n te o e f ti c o a n pi w ta h l which %tealti,,,t,age an unnatural application removed, but the 1 , h 4 , Ni ue 40 11 of the soil, ought to . be 14 %t 11t required some protection, as a set-of to the ta, aud • •11 tu improper protection Nsr . 'hich ha 00711 i Personal p o erty in this country. The 41, - -4141 ;s ills 2P'rty-tax r le P vied on agriculture under the 0N,,, t 7(ltHred that the agriculturist should have 4 kis °I Protective compensatiou. It amounted to e eerty-tax of twelve per cent. on lt Pert, , real Pr 'or all personal property was ° tee(' exempt. Real, I ° l l Were withdrawn there ought to be some tit'slnissiou of special t axation, so as to restore an keL r,t)t°lburdens. The Noble Lord then alluded to t(`.o,:c Speeches made at one of the League meetings th e Iltt Garden, in which one of the speakers, alluding ii i 'l lke i i;_rtY shilling-freehold movement, called it in til de, it, °Leh would lay the hereditary aristocacy i No r R and called upon the Government to adopt t f t401.4% 1 4 .° put down the League. ietilelLeNTEauLE then rose to move the addition iti lkttt Y7 l l 'l, l°4 °I which he had given notice, via., that the thlii4hy'tt/I,ll,sid extend to the peculiar exemptions e p e ,di t i v agrieultura.l interest. It was necessary that I, 4 1 ; " s hoUld be made, in order to secure an i . m . - eat eiqei %r t , an r Y, and therefore he did notantici- He IleltPlitaNtea (IPPOsition to his proposition. kt c ' t hit ' i lls Noble Friend on the frank i th Nll 4l.„ 4Pe et'h, and was glad to find that he did Pro Cc :,,l t I t co ' i li t ri ih e as a peculiar burden upon land ; and lis 4 "'Ne i ; constitute no ground for protection unless 1 '44 1 , 11 ' 4 re, ".e intended as a protection for rent only Ivese-1* thereattile general interests of the community. of h en ; nor tithe was the cause of price—they se th ot , arid 1114etleenees of price, and not the cause the 4 1 ll 'lls ,!Y both stood on the same grou .d d to Il e elitlicm-e difference between the rent paid %sid " tttd that paid to is area , the clergyman. ,to 1, ohm. 14 t the 44 the dangers connected with trans taell43eer the e of the poor to the State were so great be_ ' the e adopzionOf the plan impossible, and t Feb re h., '4 1 . 01 y, % ;": •been a great alteration during the 44 Os Prop eni In proportion of the ratability ert o y f , h ars e " greatly in favour of landed pro . p ti4st4 he Net twe alta and substances it was so difficult 'eteoltdralaistre.t.e•ailY itupossible. Then, with regard to t h 1 1 40 4 of ~ * II th e s ) s l ice, one-half was te e „, hod burdens e, and if the State were to already b, ar h ' t 4' the the manage ,t no. pruset_ ..°State musthave , t esh i t n 'Ote entio,s ' l ra g, and they must have a i t, a wise ", an alternative which he considered ,._ ) 41, kalt (In°. Then with regard to the malt 4 ' -etitl a of had Participated more largely in the malt d, the dut:ttitition than any other article. Two-thirds ..e k bic t u Iv lieti been remitted since 1815, and n , Ivh icl i -t ,brisr s le ! anY further reduction would benefit the d , o, • th e d ' Inasaluch as at present the manner ill erße, Ilty ~,,, „ a higher as levied enabled the maltster to '4 ZI'S v price fur barley than they would 111 1 h Vie be and it also affoaded the Prei reserios arleY-grower, a close monopoly c't il t 14 and distilleries, as against te" of sugar the 4 r . -4 - and Other articles that might ' A rd 14 t til • c.,, it to , ",, 11° - establishments. Then with Isi qii ei entif, -sing Malt by feeding cattle, the 1 4t e ° halal 11% , t "e ic as nult sts declared it was not so ncu- Y 'ditties lie barley. A s to the probate and k t4 ll lt i tY 0; Ltlea,..".osidered that they imposed an . 'N' oil t 1 'lltloo favourable to the lauded flies[ as lou gh tl • : le a, h m be let inequality was not .so mks, seize( en imagined. The agriculturist , ; tL 4, 141,es a nd in regard to draining eltl4oipth,ns in eariou3 othcr articles, and all "q t .,, ' :l ax i ll f I n the auction Bill of last year were ex )I Yhi 4°°ll r of the agricultural interest. He was it t:( ‘l4si ti INT1)01.° their organisations, but he would t t el it, 1/, 0,i,".1_,1ne League to do with this ques b,(l th ,h; bed to ace the League cease, and he l'ititsitli;th,l4..ti t he 1 ': t. ,: 411 .,,,, u , t _er 3 , or it acre anxious it should IL r4 (1; t ° on- j , `'• ues tr°Y the League was fit the Nttiti, 1 ,,,, ~,.‘1 in the course Which the had ii.,,,v 1/11 Of ,47, Nobi.',l Lord concluded by the 'Tami l h,, , ...., • • moving v u Tin given notice. The Earl of ESSEX expressed his intuition of voting for the Ministerial measure. Lord STANLEY rose to protest against the doctrine, that tithes and land tax were not burdens on the land. The claim of the tithe owner was as sacred as that of the landlord and the landowner had TIO right to complain of the tithe, pro vided he had purchased his Lind subject to tithe; but he denied that rent and tithe stood on the same footing. Rent was the surplus of profit. Tithe was to be paid undiminished, whether there was profit or not. THE SUN, LON 1) ON, MON DA Y EVEN Y _ _NC, FEBRITA R, Y 16, 184 f. (LEFT SPEAKING.) HO USE OF COMMONS. The SPEAKER took the chair at five minutes_before Four o'clock. NEW MEMBER. Mr. FINCH took the oaths and his seat for the county of Rutland, in the room of Mr. Dawnay, who has ac cepted the Chiltern Hundreds. THE GOVERNMEtif POLICY. Sir JOHN HAN ATER presented four petitions from the inhabitants of Hull, in favour of the financial and commercial policy of the Government. The Hon. Me mber also presented a fifth petition, praying the Govern ment to take into consideration the duties on tea. RAILWAY BUSINESS. The following railway Bills were read a second time, and ordered to be committed, viz.:— York and North Midland Railway (Whitby and Pick ering Extension). Blackburn, Chorley, and Liverpool Railway. Liverpool, Ormakirk, and Preston Railway. Blackburn and Preston Railway. Ashburton, Newton, and South Devo❑ Railway. North Staffordshire Railway (Ilarecastle and Saudbach line). North Staffordshire Railway (Churnet Valley line). East Lincolnshire Railway. Epsom and Dorking Railway. Forth Kent Railway. North Kent Railway (City Extension). London and South Western Railway (Hampton Court Branch). London and South Western Railway (London Bridge Extension). London and South Western Railway (Chertsey and Egham Branch) London and South Western Railway (Epsom Branch). Staines and .4ichmond Junction Railway. Grand Junction Railway (Huy ton and Warrington Branch). Manchester and Birmingham Railway. Mr. W. PATTEN wished to bring under the attention of the House the proceedings of Parliamentary agents with respect to the introduction of their Bills into the House. It appeared that those gentlemen were in the habit of giving the Bills one name before the Board of Trade, a second name when brought into the Private Bill Office, and a third title when introduced into the House. This practice was attended with great inconvenience, and rendered it almost impossible for the Classification Committtee properly to classify the Bills referred to them. He trusted that the House would take some steps to remedy their practice. Mr. GREENE moved—" That it be an instruction to the Committee on Petitions for Private Bills, and to all Committees upon Private Bills, not to hear parties on any petition hereafter referred to them, which shall not be prepared and signed in strict conformity with the rules and orders of this House." Mr. ENT WISLE thought that people ought to comply with the standing orders themselves before making any complaints. The House then divided, when there appeared— For the original ;notion Against it Majoriry for the original motion —42 CORN-LAWS. Mr. T. M. GIBSON presented a petition from Man chester, in favour of the Government measure on the corn-laws. THE CONVICTS FROST, WILLIAMS, AND JONES. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE presented petitions pray ing the House to consider the condition of the convicts Frost, Williams, and Jones, with a view to entreat her Most Gracious Majesty to mitigate their sentence. BREACH OF PRIVILEGE. Air. COLLETT gave notice that it was his intention, instead of moving fur a Select Committee, to move for a Committee of Privilege, in reference to breaches of some privilege committed by Noble Lords, Members of that House, the names of four of whom he could then mention.—(A laugh.) Lord DUNCAN gave notice of his intention to post pone his motion from the 19th to the 26th of February, in reference to the window duties. THE WAR IN INDIA. l2ir R. INGLIS wished to put a question in reference to the recent outbreak in India. He wished to know if the Government had received any positive intelligence as connected with that outbreak ; and if they :had, that it might be communicated to the House. Lord JOCELYN, in reply, stated that no official in formation had been received by Government in reference to that transaction. No official despatch had been re ceived; but a private letter had been received from the Governor of Bombay, dated December 23, enclosing a private communication from the Government of India, which informed them that large bodies of the Sikh troops crossed the Sutlej, against whom the British troops advanced on the 18th of that month; but after a march of three hours they had to give up, in con sequence of the extreme darkness of the night The first entrenchment was taken on the 21st. Since this private letter no communication had been received by her Majesty's Government ; but when the dispatches of Sir Henry Hardinge were received, they would no doubt be highly satisfactory. Mr. F. FRENCH wished to put a question to the Right lion. the Home Secretary, as to the removal of the board of guardians at Tuam, near Castlereagh, Ireland. He wished to know why they were removed. Sir J. GRAHAM, in reply to the Hon. Member, had to say that the board of guardians had positively refused to open the workhouse or even to administer the poor laws, and the consequence was, that the poor law commissioners were forced to remove them. Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD had to request from Sir Robert Peel an answer to the following question: — whether it is the intention of her Majesty's Government to propose to Parliament any measure on the subject of the law of landlord and tenant in Ireland. Sir R PEEL said that he certainly did hope that her Majesty's Government would be enabled to introduce a measure on the subject referred to by the Hon. Member. Mr. COLQUIIOUN begged leave to ask a question of the Hon. Member for Cork. He wished to know whether it was his intention to press the motion of which he had given notice? on to-morrow (Tuesday) evening ? Mr. O'CONNELL said he certainly would if the House would permit him. ADJOURNED DEBATE.—CORN-LAW S. On the order of the day for resuming the adjourned debate being read, Mr. ASTELL presented a petition from the parish of St. Albans, praying the llouse not to pass the mea sure proposed by Government with reference to free trade. Mr. 0. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from the county of Cork approving of the present measures of her Majesty's Government. The petitioners stated that they were engaged in manufactures, and that as they neither had, nor desired to have, any protection on their trade, they prayed the House to abolish all protection to agriculture. Mr. W. MILES presented several petitions from Somersetshire against the present Government scheme. Ile also presented a petition from distillers in the souther❑ parts of Scotland, in which the petitioners stated that they had embarked all their capital, in their present trade, and that if the present measure of her Majesty's Government were carried into effect, not only themselves, but all in their employ would be ine vitably ruined, and they therefore prayed the House not to persist in their present measure. Lord WORSLEY presented a petition from Notting ham against the proposal of the Government, and in favour of protection to native industry. The measure of the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of the Go vernment was in direct contradiction to those principles which had brought him into office, and the petitioners prayed that before the measure was passed into law the country might be appealed to through the medium of a general election; they felt confident that a minority would then be found which would continue protection to agriculture. Mr. THORNELEY presented a petition from Finston, in Staffordshire, in favour of free trade generally; and the petitioners prayed that the repeal of the corn-laws might be immediate. An Hon. MEMBER presented petitions from sixty three parishes in Herefordshire, against the measures of her Majesty's Government, and in favour of native industry. An Hon. MEMBER presented a petition, signed by 920 inhabitants of the town of Wellington, praying for the removal of all restrictions on food.—(Hear.) Mr. ORD presented a petition from the shipowners of Newcastle, in favour of the Government measure. Mr. FERGUSSON presented a petition from Mon mouthshire and other places, praying that the measure of her Majesty's Government respecting a repeal or the corn-laws may not pass into a law. Mr. HUME presented a petition from several places in Scorland in favour of the measure now proposed by her Majesty's Government. TIMBER DUTIES. _ _ Mr. HUTT presented a petition from one of the largest ship owners in Hull, praying that the measures of her Majesty's Government may pass into a law, as it woul: have a salutary effect on the ship building of this country, which was in a very depressed state at present, in consequence of the duty on timber. Lord J. RUSSELL presented several petitions in favour of a total and immediate repeal of the corn-laws. Mr. CURTEIS presented a petition from E4stbourne, to the same effect. Mr. BRIGHT presented petitions from places in Northumberland, Cheshire, Worcestershire, Kent, Dor setshire, and Staffordshire, to the same effect. Lord PALMERSTON presented two petitions limn Scotland to the same effect. Mr. GISBORNE presented a petition from New castle-on-Tyne to the same effect. Rir R. PEEL had a petition to a similar effect from Tamworth.—(Hear, hear.) The petitioners con sidered that the measures proposed by her Majesty's Go vernment would give an impetus to agriculture and tend to define plenty throughout the land, and there fore they desired to see it passed. This petition was signed by the Mayor and several of the Town Council. The Right Hon. Baronet presented petitions from Dun fermlin' the Corporation of Glasgow, Renfrewshiro, Pollock, and Boston, in Lincolnshire to the same effcct. THE ADJOURNED DEBATE. On the order of the day for resuming the adjourned debate being read Lord MARCH said he could assure the House that it was not his intention to enter at any great length into the consideration of the question then before it, or to trouble them with any statistical de tails, as Honourable Members who peeceded him on Friday night had gone so fully into the 'natters that he would consider it presumptuous in him self to follow in that course. At the close of the de bate on Friday night a Noble Lord, the Member for Dungannon, astonished him (Lord March) not a little indeed.—(Hear and a laugh.) Although from the recent conversions that he had noticed he ought not to feel surprised.—(Hear, hear.) That Noble Lord, in the short period of one month, had made two speeches in that House, one on either 'side of the question.—(" Hear," and a laugh.) However, it was not for him (Lord March) to say to what that change in his ideas was owing ; but he should say that he did not seem to have attended to the debate, for his speech had been al most one-sided. The Hon. Member for Bridport had made a statement, and he (the Noble Lord) wished to urge on him the necessity which every man of honour in that House would admit to be correct, that no man should make a statement in that House without being fully convinced of its truth and accurrcy. He stated that a Noble Duke, who was a Member of the Administration, that passed the Reform Act, threatened to swamp the House of Lords. He must appeal to the Honourable Member whether the Noble Duke did not resign his seat in the Cabinet when such principles were broached, and he was sure that if the Hon. Member was present, he would bear him out in that statement.—(Hear, hear.) He believed the Noble Lord, the Member for the city of London, would bear him out in that statement. Now, with regard to the immediate question before the House, he believed that it would be the ruin of the agricultural classes of this country. It was said that free-trade would be of im mense advantage to Ireland. This he could not believe, for he had not heard of the Hon. and Learned Member for Cork taking part in the debate. During the five nights the question had engroast d the attention of that House, the Hon. and Learned Member had not risen in his place to state that her Ma jesty's Ministers were about to confer a great advantage on Ireland.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. and Learned Member had done no such thing. The Right Hon. Baronet at the head of her Maj sty's Ministers had said that the agriculturists should lay out more capital on their land in order to make it more profitable. He had said that the agriculturists did not yet know what great benefits were to be derived by the improvements in chemistry, as applied — to land—that they were yet in their infancy. He (the Hon. Member) na..intained that if they were in their infancy, they required protection The Secretary of State for the Home Department, in the speech which he made the other night, stated that the feelings of the whole bulk of the community were in fa vour of a repeal of the corn-law. Now he would main tain that the contrary was the case, and that the great feeling of the country was in favour of protection.— (Hear, hear.) It was his opinion that the measure of the Government was opposed to the wishes of the peo ple ; and if the Right lion. Baronet wanted a proof of his statement, he would only refer him to the elec tions about taking place for Gloucester, Sussex, and Dorsetshire. An Hon. Gentleman opposite men tioned the city of Chichester ; but he would tell him that in a canvas made by his brother for five days in that town there were not over twenty gentlemen in favour of free trade. There was a show of hands cer tainly in favour of the measure.—(Hear, and cheers.) His brother offered to go to the poll, but the free traders refused, from the best of all possible reasons, because they were certain of being beaten.—(Loud laughter.) Neither the Chancellor of the Exchequer nor the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster had as yet de livered their opinions on this subject. Ile would wish to know if they had changed, and what motives induced them to support the Government ? The Noble Lord did not say that in the year 1841. He was then an advocate of protection to agriculture. It was no concern to him (the Earl of March) how the Noble Lord at that time chose to pledge himself to his constituents. But he (Lord Lincoln) was sent to Parliament for the purpose of following and sup porting a party in favour of agricultural protection—( Hear) — of which the Right Honourab'e Baronet at the head of the Government was supposed to be the head.—(Cheers and laughter from the Protectionists.) That party wos cer tainly opposed to the proposal of the Noble Lord the Alember for the City of London; that party advocated protection to agriculture in the strongest manner. He did not impute to the Noble Lord (Lord Lincoln) any impure motives in changing his opinions; but if he and the other Noble Lord ( Lord John Russell) had altered their opinions on this question he conceived that they were bound to consult their constituents, and see whether they approved of the chang e.— (protectionists' cheers .) Their constituents sent them to Par liament to protect agriculture,—( Hear, hear)— and they were therefore in honour bound to support that in terest.—(Hear, hear.) The Right Honourable Baronet at the head of the Government, vt hen he was member for University of Oxford, and chose to alter his opinions, at once resigned his post. The Noble Lord (Lord Lincoln) in the year 1841 had addressed his constituents in different language to that which he now held. He then said that free-trade was all humbug—(Laughter)—and that if protection were to be taken off agriculture, it should also be taken off every article of manufactures, to every one of which a large protection was at present given by the Government.—( Hear, hear.) Now, he opposed the measure of the Right Hon. Baronet, because he (the Earl of March) considered the principles of free trade which were advocated for corn were equally favour able and good with respect to every other article.—(lfear. ) He opposed the speech of the Right Hon. Baronet ( Sir R. Peel), because it put forward no new arguments on the sub ject. It was not his wish to sacrifice one class of her Majesty's subjects in the country for any other, because he thought the interests of the agriculturists with those of the manufacturers were closely and intimately united. He thought what was in. jurious to one class, was equally so to the other. He -found it impossible to advocate the measure before the House, from the speech made by the Right. Hon. Baronet himself, if there were uo other reason ; but when he (the Earl of March) felt that it was wrong on principle and in justice, and detrimental to all classes of her Majesty's subjects—Cries of " Oh, he could not sanction such a measure.—(Cheers. ) Mr. BAILEY COCHRAN said he dial not wish to misrepresent the conduct of the Noble Lord, and that he was sure the Noble Lord would do him the justice of thinking so. It was stated by the Noble Lord that a certain Noble Duke stated that he would not oppose the creation of Peers should such be necessary, and it appears that such was proposed to be done. Mr. GIBSON said it would be unnecessary for him to detain the House at any great ;length en the subject of the corn-laws. The main object which the party with which he was connected had in view, was the abolition of all protection, and in that re spect he should be always happy to go with the Noble Lord with his friends around him. But the question before them was not protection to the manufacturers, but whether they shold resolve themselves into a Committee of the whole House to take into consideration the duty which regulated the imports with a view to a repeal of these duties.—( Cries of " No, no.") He imagined that each part of the Right Hon. Baronet's plan would be discussed separately, and he imagined that the question before them was the question of the corn laws.—( Hrar, hear.) He thought the question of what Ministers had said at former times, or the relations in which they stood to Hansard, was really of small moment to the more important question of whether it was right or prudent to repeal the corn-laws.--( Hear. ) They told him that the present Parliament was elected to maintain protection, and therefore this Parliament could not deal with protection, because that question was settled at the general election of 1841. Now it was because the question was settled at that election, that he thought the present Parliament was the best fitted to decide upon the proposition before them. If the question of the abolition of the corn-laws had not been mentioned in 1841, when it might have been urged that the question could not be entertained by the present Parliament, but the question of the repeal of the corn-laws was entertained by the electors of 1841, and no Parliament could better decide upon it than the present, for if they went to the electors again, he was sure a more respectable class of men could not bereturned, nor a class in whom the electors would have more confidence. A great many Honourable Gentlemen opposite were in a po sition to entertain that question. Even at the present moment a gentleman, a candidate for Suffolk, declared to his consti tuents that he would leave himself open to whatever he should consider best for the interests of his country.—( Hear, hear. ) Now that gentleman, though a Protectionist at present, might, on hearing the question discussed, be induced to give a vote for the abolition of all protection. It happened to him (Mr. M. Gibson) to know that appeals were made en behalf of the friends of the Right Honourable Baronet at the head of her Majesty's Government on these grounds as well as on the grounds of protection. It had been urged in the manufacturing districts that the Right Honourable Baronet and his party would do more for free-trade principles than would the Noble Lord the Member for London and his party, were they in office; and he (the Hon. Member) was reproached with being one of a party that could not effect so much as the Administration of the present Premier. T he supporters of Sir George Murray took that ground ; though every man of common sense knew that the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of her Majesty's Ministry professed free-trade prin ciples, and that he could do more for their advancement than could Lord John Russell if in power. If there existed a charge of deception or misleading of persons outside that House, that charge should rest against the representatives of the agricultural interest. They made the the tenant farmers believe that Parlia ment would maintain these protective laws. He could only say, that, for himself, he had advised Hon. Members not to pursue that course. He had advised them not to keep telling the tenant farmers that the Right Hon. Baronet would support those laws. They did, however. pursue their own course; they persevered in telling the tenant farmers that those laws would be supported, and they were now reaping the benefit of that perseverance after. The Right Hon. Baronet had taken his place in the Ministry on peculiar grounds. When called upon to propose law in respect to the law effecting the agriculturist, he was asked to state his vies ; and his reply was, " call me in, and then I shall prescribe for you." They had called him in, and he had prescribed for them a draught more bitter than they seemed inclined to swallow.—( Laughter. ) They were told that the British farmer was unable to compete with the Polish, because he had certain expenses in the cultivation of the soil which were not borne by the foreign farmer—(Hear)—and that in a farm Of three parts arable land and one of pasture, labour rated at 355. an acre, and local taxes at 25., making altogether a tax of 375. an acre. They were also told that the average quantity of wheat was four quarters to the acre ; now by a common process of calculation they would find that nine shillings a quarter on wheat was the item eomplanied of as constituting the debility.—(Cries of " No, no," from the Ministerial side.) Yes, the other items were borne by the foreign farmers as well as by them, and they had re pudiated with indignation any intention of preserv ing high rents by maintaing protection. Could it be denied that this was a fair statement ? Agricul tural labour in America was much more expensive than it was in England.—( Hear, hear.) It was very well know n that the wages of agricultural labourers were at lesst double in America as compared with agricultural wages in England.— )Hear, hear.) It was urged by the protectionists that they lay under peculiar burdens, bet the only local taxa tion which he knew of was Is. per quarter on corn, and surely that could not disable English agriculturists from com peting with those in foreign countries.—( Hear.) It appeared to him a perfect mystery bow they were disabled from entering into such a corn petition. Why, the very fact of the freight of Ks. or 10s. per quarter on wheat coming from the United States, together with all other ex pense!, more than covered the amount paid by English agriculturists in local taxation. The Engli s h turists were protected by the natural corce of things, and they could not rightfully complain of any injustice being done to them by the present ministerial mea sure. He contended, that even if they could show that they lay under any disabilities with regard to the price of labour, they did not pay near as much as was paid by the foreign agriculturist in importing his grain into this country, and they were, therefore, entitled to no protection, from the Legislature.--( Hear, hear.) He contended that the foreign coin trade was as good a branch of industry as the trade in agriculture which was carried on in this country, and that they were entitled to carry on their trade free and unmolested.—( Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") The Hon Member for Huntingdon talked of an an arbiter com ing amongst us to settle thi , t question by sonic compromise.— ( Hear, hear, from the protectionists.) If such an arbiter did come amongst them, he maintained that hisdecision would be un doubtedly in favour of the manufacturers.—( Opposition cheer. ) It was said that the repeal of the corn-laws would reduce the value of land, but he confessed he could not see how this could be, for ever since the corn-law question had been agitated land had fetched as good a price as it did before.—( Hear hear. ) Land had been taken at the same rent also as bofore, and in some cases at increased rentals, and if they had a better test of the value of any given produce, or another that was likely to be effected by a Legislative measure, it was in the willingness or unwillingness which capitalists evinced to invest their money in that commodity. Well, then, land fetched as good a price now, and tenants were equally as ready to give good rents as they were years ago. it ,w this could not be, because they had confidence in the prott ction party maintaining the corn laws, for if they did they would be convinced of the mistake they were falling into, when they remembered that the most eminent statesmen, the Right Hon. Baronet on one hand, and the Noble Lord on the other, were arrayed against them. —( Hear, hear.) Al! parties were just as ready as ever to invest capital in land, anti he could mention an instance which hail occurred in the county of Suffolk within a recent period, and which had been communi cated to him by a friend of his, where sixty three land tenants who were paying exceedingly high rents, notwithstanding the rumours about the repeal of the corn-laws, had made agreements for renewing their leases for very long periods, and not one of these 63 tenants had asked for a reduction of rent.—( Hear, hear.) Twenty of them stated that the farmers had discussed the question amongst themselves, and they had decided that they were not justified in calling for a reduction of rent.— ( Loud cheers.) He was not prepared to mention the name of his friend, but if any Honourable Member required it, he would be ready to communicate it privately to him. Let him ask what was the meaning of all those alarms about the repeal of the corn-laws ; were they (the protectionists) not jealous of the advance of trade, and was not that the cause of their resistance to the measure?—(Cheers, and cries of " No.") He should be sorry to see among the ancient aristocracy of England—the high families of this country—guilty of such unworthy feelings as to be jealous of manufacturing prosperity. But such, he feared, was not the case.— ( No, no, from the protectionists. Was it not a fact a fact that it was a test of the fitness of a manufacturer to a seat ir. the Upper House, that he should be the purchaser of an estate.—( Hear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gontleman at the head of her Majesty's Government, on a former occasion. said that he was sure the repeal of the corn laws would not be in any measure to the landed interest, and would not in the slightest degree tend to alter the value of land.—( Cheers.) That was his (Mr. Gibson's) opinion, and he did not see any reason why the aris tocracy of England should be jealouse as they were (No no) —of the advance of free-trade principles He did not see any reason why they should entertain such feeling; for, after all, he very much questioned, whether many of them were not descended from the manufacturing classes of- this country.—(Cheers.) He contended that it had been the system-Of the country, and could be proved, that possession of 'land had led to the highest offices in the State, He contended'ihat. the ,landed gentry monopolised to a great extent the principal offices and emoluments in society.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) For it was a boast that they make Ministries and unmake them .at their pleasure.—( Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member forShrews bury had said truly, that " the aristocracy of the country was a territorial aristocracy." All this he brought forward to show the great advantages enjoyed by the landed proprietary of the country. He believed that competition from so many causes being unlimited, that they need fear nothing from the aboli tion of the corn-laws. He did not bring these matters for ward as charges aguinst the aristocracy ; but as far as his read ing and experience went, he was led to the conclusion that they had used their functions for their private and pecuniary interests, and for the advancement of their own political power.— ( Hear, hear.) There was one portion of the present question to which he wished to allude, namely, that, if the corns laws were to be totrily abolished, why that abolition should not take place at once ?—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") Why should they defer to another day what justice was said to require, and what the eecessities of the country peremptorily called for ?—Cries of " Hear, hear.") COMMONS SUMMARY. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock. Mr. FINCH took the oaths and his seat for Rutland shire in the room of the Hon. Mr. DAWNAY. Several Railway Bills were read a second time, and ordered to be committed. A discussion took place upon the mo:ion of Mr. GREENE, "'That it be an instruction to the Committee on Petitions for Private Bills not to hear parties on any petition hereafter to be referred to them, which should not be prepared and signed in strict conformity with the rules and orders of the House." Mr. ENTWISLE moved, as an amendment to the motion, to leave out the word " hereafter;" which, upon a division, was lost by a majority of 42. The original motion was agreed to. Mr. T. DuNcomuE gave notice of his intention, to morrow week, to bring forward the petition on behalf of Frost, Williams, and Jones. Lord DuNcaN postponed his motion for the repeal of the window duties to the 26th of February. In answer to a question from Sir It. Iticus, Lord JOCELYN said that the Government had received no information with respect to the war in India, further than that which had appeared in the public papers. He had nu doubt that in a few days the Government would be in possession of information which would show that the aggressions that had taken place had been properly and fully resented. Sir R. PEEL, in answer to a question from Mr. S CRAWFORD, said he was in hopes the Government would be enabled, during the present session, to intro duce a Bill relative to the law of landlord and tenant in Ireland. Mr. O'CoNNELL, in answer to a question, said it was his intention, if he possibly could tomorrow, to bring forward the motion of which he had given notice, rela tive to the disease and famine existing in Ireland. Several petitions were presented for and against pro- tection to agriculture and native industry. Lord WONSLEY presented petitions from Lincoln shire, praying that the House would not place any confidence in her MAJESTY'S Ministers. Lord J. RUSSELL presented petitions in favour of the total repeal of the corn-laws. Sir R. PEEL presented a petition from Tamworth, signed Mayor, Corporation, Town Council, and a great b portionythe the inhabitants, in favour of the Go— or vornment measure for the removal of restrictive duties. The Right Honourable Baronet presented several other petitions to the same effect. The Earl of MARCH resumed the debate on the Customs and Corn Importation Measure. He considered that the debate on this men sure had been entirely on one side. He be lieved that the taking away of protection to native in dustry in England would ultimately tend to the ruin of the country. lie maintained that protection was necessary both to agriculture and manufactures. The feelings of the country were opposed to the mea sures of the Government, and as a proof of that lie thought he might refer to what was taking place at the elections for some of the counties. He thought the interests of the manufacturer and the agriculturist were united, and that one could not be injured or bene fited without injuring or benefiting the other. lie believed this measure would injure all classes, and therefore he gave it his determined opposition. Mr. M. GIBSON agreed with the Noble Lord that it protection was not given to the growth of corn, non, should be given to manufactures. Those with whom he was acting had always advocated the abolition Of protection of every kind. The question now we', whether the corn-laws should be abolished or not. The parties who advocated protection in that House had led the tenant-farmers to believe that protection would b permanently adhered to. For those misstatements they were row reaping the fruits of the agitation of this question. The Protectionists had called on the Right Honourable Baronet, instead Of the Nimble Lord, to prescribe for them, and they were now suffering under the severe dose he had administered to them. The Right Honourable Baronet, in leaving a protective duty of Is. on foreign wheat, gave to the agriculturists more than an equivalent for the bur dens which they bore. The price of bread of 1 tte ha-I increased, and could it there-fore be said that the repeal of the corn-laws was likely to reduce its value. In Suffolk nut less than sixty-three farmers had renewed their leases, and not ask for any decrease of rent. What, then, could be thought of those w ho wished to retain protection, who thought the aristocracy of the country were determined to support their own interests without any consideration to those of the community. The landed gentry monopolised all the places in society, and it was only a short time since that one of their body said they could make and unmake Ministers. Ile did not see, if the corn-laws were to be repealed why that repeal should not take place now, and not be delayed for three years ? lie believed the agri cultural interest would be more benefitted by the im mediate than by the dela) ed repeal of the corn-laws. He urged upon the Government to consider the nee( s city of making the repeal of the corn-laws immediate ; believing that nothing would settle the different questions th a t were under agitation in the country but the adoption of that course. He felt convi nced that those wh ri iiot as o of .".bout Himself, ie ae d t i e r t t i wo were uld ci stronglyb induced e s d a i b u y e ( a ) ny consideration to forego usking the sen se o f the Housa upon the question. The protectionists might ask for a dissolution it' they would, but it would be only a post pot:en:ea of the measure. He entreated of llon. Mem hers to put a stop to their futile opposition. Mr. IIAI.SEY opposed the Go v ernment proposition. lle asserted that the proceedings of the Le ague were neither honest or constitutional, and if' they were legal he Ousted the Government would adopt :melt measures as would soon put a stop to their legality. lie advocated equal protection to agriculture and ooniteerei e t Mr. DicKerssore supported the Ministerial plan, be f lieving the best course to pursue to Peevent scarcity of food in this country would be to give every facility to its admission into England from foreign countries. Lord ALFRED eIIUCHILL opposed the measure. Sir W. CLAY supported the motion. The Hon. Member opposite put him in mind of the attorney who indorsed his brief for his council with "no merit ;" abuse the plaintiff's attorney" They had dealt in every sort of abuse of the Right lion. Baronet, but had not stated one fact in support of the retention of the corn- laws. They had overstated their ease and dealt in abuse, and thereby damaged their own case. (LEFT SPEAKING.) IRELAND. PRECAUTIONARI MEASURES. DUBLIN, FEB. 14.—The Cork Reporter continues to take a gloomy view of the prospects of the poor according as the season advances:— _ " We adverted in our last (says that journal) to the alarm ing prospects of scarcity i❑ the immediate neighbourhood of this city, then brought under our notice. Subsequent ac counts that have reached us tend to confirm our apprehen sions as to the immediate approach of a general scarcity of sound patotoes through the country. We may, however, state on what we deem competent authority, that the pre cautionary measures of the Government are on such a scale as to afford an ample supply of food when the exigency may arise to require it. The quantity of Indian corn and corn meal at present to be delivered at the ordnance stores is 300,000 bushels; but, should a much greater supply be re quired, arrangements have been made by which it can be readily obtained. This will be at once manufactured at the Lee Mills and stored, and will be sent from this port in Go- vernment steamers to where it may be wanted. The terms upon which it will be disposed of we have not been able to ascertain, and our impression is that they have not yet been determined upon." The miners of the City of Cork and its surrounding vici nity have issued a public announcement, stating that, in consequence of the advanced prices of the common neces saries of life, and the prospect of their being scarce and very dear in summer, they therefore will not work for less than 2s. 6d. per day, or 15s. per week, after the 12th day of April next ensuing. A very influential meeting was held at Youghal on Wed nesday last, for the purpose of devising measures to meet and remedy a state of affairs such as is described in the following resolution : " That from minute and accurate returns lately taken in this town and in the country parts of this parish, by direc • tions of the Poor. law Commissioners, the following appear to be the deplorable condition and prospects of the people, namely:—That in the country parts the farmers have no more than a sufficient supply of potatoes for themselves, that some of the labourere•have almost totally lost their potatoes, and that most of them have a supply only for the consump tion of two months; and that in the town the state of affairs is still worse, there being an awful amount of destitution, much sickness, and no adequate employment for either la bourers or tradespeople, at a time when it is apprehended that potatoes will soon run up to starvation prices." The Duke of Devonshire has sent a subscription of 1001. to the fund for the relief of distress in Dungarvon. MURDER IN THE COUNTY OF WATERFORD. " Great sensation," says the Cork Examiner, " has been created in the neighbourhood of Clashmore, in consequence of the discowry of a murder, committed on a poor woman living within a short distance of this place. The body was found on Monday last in a drain, having the breast bone broken, and showing other serious contusions in various places. It is understood that she has been separated from her husband for some time, who has been, in consequence of certain suspicious circumstances, committed to gaol, waiting the result of the coroner's inquest." EXECUTION OF BRYAN SEERY. The following account of the execution of this wretched man is furnished by the reporter of the Freeman's Journal. Seery, it will be seen, persisted, when on the verge of eter nity, in the most solemn terms, to assert his total innocence of the crime for which he was about to pay the forfeit of his life:— MULLINGAR, FRIDAY EvENINO.—The die is cast—' the law has taken its course' and Bryan Seery—the ill-fated, self-declared, and universally believed innocent Bryan Seery —is now no more. The following declaration was made, vo luntarily made, by the unhappy man on Thursday evening, in the presence of the Rev. Mr. Savage, the deputy-go vernor of the gaol, Mr. Gunning (the prisoner's agent), and two magistrates of the county, who signed the document : " County of Westmeath to wit—l, Bryan Seery, now a prisoner in the gaol of Mullingar, and to be on this day exe cuted, do most solemnly and sincerely declare, in the pre sence of that God before wham I must shortly appear for judgment, that I never fired at Sir Francis Hopkins—that I never committed any act tending to injure him in person or property—and that I never was cognisant of, or a party to, any conspiracy to plot or shoot, or injure the said Sir Francis Hopkins; and that I am not guilty, directly or indirectly, of the crime for which I am to be hanged. " BRYAN SEERY.' " This was the declaration presented by the Rev. Mr. Sa vage to the Sheriff to witness; and I presume it is the same document signed, in the presence of the parties alluded to above, on the previous evening. "The prisoner, after having - spent the whole of Thursday evening with the Rev. Mr. Savage in religious devotions, re tired to bed about eleven o'clock, and slept soundly until six in the morning, when he arose, and after attending mass in the chapel he received the holy communion from the hands of the Rev. Mr. Savage, whose attention to the poor convict was unceasing. At six o'clock in the morning the trumpets of the military were heard all over the town, the men being under orders Tor duty at eleven o'clock. The military present consisted of the following :—Two troops of the 11th Light Dragoons, 30 rank and file each, commanded by Maj..r Jones; two troops of the Bth Hussars, of 40 rank and file each, commanded by Colouel MiCaul and Lord Killeen ; the 6th Regiment of Foot (stationed in the town), two cons. palsies of the 32d, under the command of Captain Lowe; one company of the 75th, commanded by Captain Bathurst; and 75 constabulary, under the command of Messrs. Brooky and Shiels. I have never beheld a more awfully solemn scene. Almost every shop in the town was closed, yet hardly a soul except the soldiery attended at the execu tion ! It was a tine unclouded morning; as the day advanced the clear bright sky proclaimed the return of spring. The streets, as I have already said, were quite deserted, and the people testified, by their refraining from either coming into town, or collecting in crowds in its suburbs, their abhor rence of the '.ragedy. One fact illustrative of this I shall relate :—A mercantile gentleman, who came from Dublin to purchase butter, could not get any person to do business with him, and although the day was that on which the butter market is held, according to the patent, the market being the largest in Leinster, there was not a single firkin brought into town. "At eleven o'clock the infantry and police were placed in order in front of the gaol. The unfortunate convict was ac companied in his devotions throughout the morning by the Rev. Mr. Savage, who, since his sentence, has been most assiduous and unceasing in his attendance. When the hour of twelve o'clock had arrived, the Rev. Mr. Savage requested the sheriff to witness the declaration, of which I have given a copy above ; but that functionary refused. The Rev. Gentle man then informed the prisoner that the hour was come for him ; and the prisoner, taking a crucifix in his hand, said, I follow Christ, and declare lam an innocent man.' The Rev. Mr. Masterman, wearing his surplice, then walked with the prisoner to the scaffold, repeating the Litany of Jesus aloud. When the prisoner appeared on the drop he said, raising the crucifix, and in a calm, loud, and steady tone, and with an emphasis of awful and terrible solemnity—' I declare before my God that I had neither act, hand, part, or know ledge in the crime for which I am going to die here !' " This declaration, so pronounced, caused a shudder amongst the soldiery, and the prayer, The Lord have mercy on him,' burst from every lip. A few moments more and the unhappy man was launched into eternity. " The body, after the usual time of suspension, was cut down and placed in the coffin, and then his friends conveyed it to the late residence of the deceased, in the town of Mullin gar, amid the sobbing and burning tears of the townspeople. Thus ended the fearful tragedy. . " The body will be interred - on Sunday in Castletown, and although not a soul was present at the execution, some hun dreds of thousands will, I am assured, accompany poor Seery's remains to the grave. There was only one magis trate of the county (Mr. Uniacke) present. I cannot write more, for, in common with the whole inhabitants of the town, I am so shocked at what I have witnessed, that I am quite nerveless. God grant that I may never again have to describe such a scene. Gloomy silence now reigns, and all is tranquil. • " The military will not, I understand, leave town for a day or two. " Seery was kept for an hour after the time appointed for his execution. Sir Guy Campbell was understood to have said that the delay arose from the expectation of a re prieve by the ten o'clock coach." THE ATTEMPTED MURDER NEAR ANDOVER. ANDOVER, Fzu. 14.—Since our last report of Wednesday's date, Brealey, the man shot this day week by Shurmur, has been rather better, and it is hoped now he will eventually recover. On Thursday last he was ordered by the doctors 50 drops of laudanum at three different periods during the night, each time he awoke. On Friday he was at times sensible and rational. This day (Saturday) Shurmur was brought from Win chester Gaol, arriving at the Andover station by 10 o'clock. At 12 o'clock precisely Mr. Van Santen, the superintendent of the Andover district, and Mr. J. Blair, of the Winchester district, brought him before the bench of magistrates—Col. Ironmonger, the Rev. C. Randolph, and the Rev. C. Dodson. The witnesses were in attendance. Mr. W. Smith, surgeon, was the first witness examined. After being sworn, he deposed that he had seen Brealey that morning. lie was still at the cottage, Redrise ; and at pre sent he believed he was progressing favourably, but as yet could not pronounce him out of danger. Probably, by next Saturday, he might be enabled to do so, if he continued to improve as he had done the last two days; yet even then he would not be sufficiently recovered to be brought up to give evidence. By Colonel Ironmonger—Do you think he may be well enough to be examined here by next Wednesday week? Mr. Smith—Perhaps lie may, if he goes on as well as he has done for the last three days, but I should not like to say positively lie would. After some further consultation, Friday, the 27th February, was fixed for Shurmur's further and final examination, till which day lie is remanded to Winchester Gaol, on that day to be again brought up to Andover, the examination to com mence at 10 o'clock in the morning, by which hour all wit nesses are summoned to attend. Shurinur is much altered in . . his appearance since M on d ay last, and expresses great contra ion,persisting he did not mean to shoot Brealey. ACTS OF PARLIAMENT.—A return, procured by Mr. Hume, was issued on Saturday, showing the num b er o f A cts of Parliament supplied to. the public under the promulgation order, and to public departments in Great Britain, in each year from 1835 to 1844, both inclusive. The Acts supplied in 1844, under the promulgation order, numbered 505,849, and to public departments. 45,313. THE MAILS.—SOUTHAMPTON, FEB. 15.—The Gib. raltar steam- packet Royal Tar, Captain Evans, arrived in the docks at twelve o'clock this day and landed the mails of the following dates :—Gibraltar, the 6th inst.; Cadiz, 7th; Lisbon, 9th ; Oporto, 10th ; Vigo, 11th ; and Corunna, 12th ; which were forwarded to London by the five o'clock train. The Tar experienced very bad weather upon her outward voyage, which has been the cause of her not leaving Gib raltar at an earlier date ; • she has thirty-nine passengers, a cargo of fruit, some specie, four oxen, and two cases of leeches. The Queen steamer, with the next Peninsular mails, is expected on Wednesday. The next outward Gibraltar packet will leave here on Tuesday, on which day the Tagus, with the East Indian mails, may be expected. LEEDS.—There has been rather more business done at the Cloth-halls this week in cloths of low qualities, and low priced summer Tweeds for the German market, but in tine and middle qualities there has been very little business done. Prices are exceedingly steady, and the stocks in the manufacturers' hands are below the average at this seasoc There has also been more doing in the warehouses this week than for some time; many of the buyers are making the i r •t appearance in the market, and are purchasing cautiousl:s or the spring demand. LATEST FROM AMERICA. ARRIVAL OF THE HIBERNIA. The royal mail steam-ship Hibernia, arrived at Liver-, Petri at 4 P.M. on Saturday. She left Bosten on the Ist. rest., and Halifax on the 3d. By this paelset we have received New York papers to the 31st ult. The war fever, we are happy to say, appears to he subsiding. GREG ON. The New York Herald gives the following account of the state of parties in Congress : We have received from our special correspondent, whom we sent to Washington for the purpose, and also through several other private sources, and letters from persons well acquainted with the state of parties in Congress, the pro bable result of the present condition of things in the capitol, as regards the foreign policy of this country, and also the prospect relative to the succession to the presidency in 1848. During the present session, both Houses of Congress have been prineipally occupied in skirmishing or pre liminary debates on our foreign policy, on the Oregon con troversy, or on the affai rs o f Mexico. These debates have terminated in no distinct vote, but merely in approaching what may be the probable sentiments of Congress on the issues involved, particularly in respect to the Oregon ques tion. Several preliminary votes have been taken, expressive of these sentiments, such as that on General Cass's motion, on the subject of inquiring into the military and naval re sources of the country, which seemed to be rather warlike in the result, until that was effaced by the votes on the motions of Senator A ll e e which assumed a different com plexion. Th e d e b ates on these motions were very warm, and very warlike, and very curious ; but the speeches were princi pally addressed to what we call " Buncombe ' or in other words, were merely i n t en d e d to operate on the floating portion of the population, and to make capital for the elections. Yet beneath this turbulent ocean of words there has been a great deal of distinct and positive arrangements made among the parties at Washington, which will have a most important t ' bearing on our foreign and domestic policy, as well as other measures, and which are all mixed up with the succession to the Presidency. We mean now to give a programme of the state of things, as indicated by facts that have come to the knowledge of our cor respondents; and communicated to us. The parties in Congress may be divided into three sections, the Whigs forming a very important body ; the Democrats the other most important body of men, having also the reins of government in their hands; and, in addition to these two par ties, there is a distinct party, which may be called the " Independents," being those members who are principally attached to the fortunes of John C. Calhoun. During the last two months, the Whigs, after a great many consultations, have very generally agreed among their leaders to bring foward for the next Presidency Winfield Scott, alajor-General of the United States Army There has been an effort made among them, to make Judge APLean the candidate of that party; but the effort died, arid was annulled by the supposed greater popularity and availabi lity of General Scott. On the other hand, the democeats, or those attached to the fortunes of the Administration, are divided into a number of separate Presidential cliques, comprehended under the names of Wright, Denton, Cass, Walker, Buchanan, Dallas, and some others. Mr. Polk, the present chief magis trate, from his official position, if necessity should require it, will be the candidate of his party, although he must of coarse deny at present that he has any wish for the office again. Lastly, the independents, who may be called the " free trade " party, the Girondists of the present day, the juste milieu, look on John C. Calhoun as their leader, and mean to support him for the next Presidency at all hazards, without respect to conven tions or nominations from any quarter. The determination of the Independents over the country is a great anti important fact, possessing a great control on the next Presidency, and perhaps decisive of the particular result. The strength of these three parties in Congress varies very much. In the Senate, the Independents, or friends of Mr Calhoun, can give a majority to either the Democrats or Whigs as they list. They number some six or eight votes. In the House these balance-of-power men have not yet suffi ciently revealed their strength to enable any one to determine what influence they possess. It is probable, however, that the Democrats, or exclusive supporters of the Ad m i n i s t ra ti on , have a small majority in the 'douse. The influence of these private and secret arrangements among the leading politicians at Washington will be very great on the issues of our foreign and domestic policy, com prehending the Oregon controversy, the Sub-Treasury, the fariff, arid perhaps other measures. We are perfectly sa tisfied, from what we have seen, and what we know, first, that no absolute " notice" relative to the Oregon question will pass the Senate, and therefore it cannot get the sanc tion of both houses. The passing of such a notice cannot be accomplished at the present session, because the Independents, or friends of Mr. Calhoun—being friendly to negociation—will be a sufficient check to the war party in the Senate, even if the war party in the House have a large majority. Again, it is highly probable, judging from the same data, that—Secondly, a modification of the tariff of 1542 will take place by a union of the Democrats and Inde pendents in the two houses ; and also —Thirdly and lastly, that the same majority will be able to pass the Sub- Treasury Bill proposed by the President in his late message. Theo" are the most accurate conjectures that we can now form of the present state of parties and their results in Congress. The most recent intelligence of the probable return of Mr. Calhoun to the State Department will not vary much these results, but rather give strength to the presumption that the Oregon question will be settled by negotiation, and the Tariff modified, and the Sub-Treasury Bill passed the results ; thus far so unexpected at the be ginning of the session of Congress, have, in a measure, been brought about by the independent position and moral power ex hibited by Mr. Calhoun and his friends, in resisting and op. posing all those who supported ultra measures relative to our relations with Great Britain. The probable prospect, therefore, of the present state of things in Washington is highly favourab'e to a peaceable ter mination of our difficulties with England—of the success of libersl principles in commerce and currency, and the probable triumph of the measures brought for ward by Mr. Polk. How the question of the next Presidency may be, will be a matter of speculation hereafter. The New York Journal ofeommerce, in commenting on the probability of England renewing the offer made to her for the settlement of the Oregon question by Mr. Gallattin, uneer the Presidency of Mr. Adams, observes, that, "it breathes peace, conciliation, concession, in every line. Let but the same spirit prevail in our own councils, and all will be well. It is easy to meet when the approach is mutual. We do not ourselves per ceive any great objection to the free navigation of the Colum bia, in time of peace. In some respects it would be an ad vantage to our people. Wherever au Englishman goes, he carries money ; and wherever he carries money, he leaves a portion of it. As both shores of the river up to lat. 4!) would be ours, and inhabited by our own people, the pre sence of British vessels and merchants would be a constant source of profit. Mr. Gallatin's proposi'ion, as presented in his recent numbers, is very similar to the above—only he thinks we must have the free navigation of the St. Lawrence by way of offset. This, we presume, is out of the question ; but it is plain, from the war approximation of the two propositions, and from other indications which meet us daily, that the current is gradually working clear, and that the prospect of a peaceful and satisfactory adjustment of the dispute is becoming brighter. The people will ratify any concessions which the Government may deem it proper to make. The following is the latest from Washington : Correspondence of the Journal of Commerce. WASIIINGTON, JAN. 29.—The city is rife with rumours of Cabinet changes; but I do not, as yet, see any ground for them. There are also rumours of intelligence from Mexico, of a hostile kind, said to have been received from the South, by the Government, last night. There was no mail to-day from beyond Richmond, but news is anxiously expected from that quarter. Mr. Webster's resolution calling for the correspondence which may have taken place between the Government of Great Britain and that of the United States, on the subject of Oregon, since the date of the President's late message, was adopted. The Navy Bill was taken up, and Mr. Speight of Missis sippi spoke agaist it, and, in course of his remarks, declared his opposition to the notice, and his opinion that our title to Ore gon was neither clear nor unquestionable. The Senate adjourned over to Monday. The House was engaged to-day upon the Oregon debate as usual ; but, as a proof that it will not be long continued, it may be remarked that the interest in it has entirely subsided, and that the hall has been thinly attended during this week, and is less orderly than heretofore. But the House is unprepared to take the question ; perhaps because the members have not made up their mind which way to vote. They must take the question before the 10th Fe bruary, for that is the day assigned for taking up the subject in the Senate. The House, however, refused, to-day, to adopt a resolution for terminating the debate on the 7th February, by a vote of Se to 53. Mr. Holmes, of S. C., made a speech of one hour against the notice, and presented the subject in a vivid and original light. He denied the allegation that our title to Oregon war clear and unquestionable ; or that the United States had any title to Oregon from discovery, exploration, or contiguity, that Great Britain did not also possess, to an equal extent. Our claim under the treaty with Spain, of 1819, did not confer upon us the exclusive title to the soil of Oregon, because it was not possessed by Spain. Great Britain had always claimed a right to the unsettled portions of Oregon for the purposes of fishing, hunting, commerce, &c., and never assented to the exclusive pretensions of Spain. When the question was brought nearly to a war, it was settled by the treaty of Nootka Sound, which acknowledged the rights of England in the ter ritory. The Secretary of State had endeavoured to get ove r this by an assumption that was wholly untrue, viz. that the treaty of 1790 was abrogated by the subsequent war between Great Britain and Spain. It was one of those treaties that conld never he annulled by war, because it conceded mutual rights, instead of merely conferring a privilege. He illustrated the difference by reference to the treaty by which we purchased Louisiana. A war with France would not annul it, for the treaty conferred on us a right. But, in regard to the treaty with Great Britain, by which we were allowed to fish on the banks of Newfoundland, war would annul it, because it was a privilege. Mr. H. dwelt with great force on the destructive conse quences of a war, especially in our present unprepared state. Even supposing that England would wait for the expiration of the year's notice, he did not believe we would be able to send a vessel out of our ports, either on the Atlantic or the lakes, for they would be immediately taken; and he asserted that no military man in the country would hazard his reputation by saying that we could take Oregon; and he denied also that we could take Canada. The debate was continued by Mr. Ewing of Indiana and Mr. Baker of Illinois, in favour of the notice. The Washington Union, the organ of the Government, in speaking of the report that an offer was likely to be made by Great Britain to settle the Oregon question, on the basis pro posed during the Presidency of Mr. Adams, says, " That such a proposal as that on the part of the British Government, made in the manner, anti carried out in the spirit which we have in dicated, would make every friend of just and honourable peace, both in this country and in England, and throughout the world, breathe freer and deeper,' with a good hope for civili sation, for free institutions, and for mankind. It would not then be unreasonable to hope that on su c h a p ro p osa l, so ma d e and so carried out to the more ample recognition of our just BARBADOES R atewA claims, further negotiation might yet build a peaceful moue • , I v )st packet, are rA I 01 Attorney-General, ryi t l ae h yt e t.eu r ide r t si I l el s ,e si lyt anti had b eer A publi c moot to the enlightened moderation and justice of two great he Bar badoes p a p ers presided nations. We say this, of course, in view of the fact that the Te,,e.il:e.teit'l'g by ' w theie aythheH a most otrourable the navigation of the Columbia, by Great Britain. through five held ; a provisional committee, consisting of eighty-fo ue I amid a managing committee elected. Al'Aiough no allotment hundred miles of American territory, cou ld, i n th e present stat i c' wan e pro p r ietors anti leaeting merchants, had been formed, had yet been made, about 1,000 shares had been promptly of the question, be hardly urged with seriousness by the Britt: Government." subscribed for, and the Government Mr. Hannegan, however, in a debate in the Senate on tne were expected to tall's. lin 1 0001. to aid the • • 28th January, said that he knew the article had not been rub- pioject, as they had a surplus revenue, milted to the President prior to insertion, • le on the same sub- and the introduction of a railway would save much of the meet his views, and the Pinion, in an art icle and that it did not expenditure now required to maint. • • mu in good repair the ject, on the following day, says, i f tile navigation of the Co n regard to the free navigation public roads. The Companyt engineer had arrived out, and, of the Columbia :—" spoke s o • c old not be seriously urged , Very of coal had been made in the hilly districts of t i l t re ._, i e sl a a o r T i r .., 3 , lumbia as a proposition which the British evernmen s the present state of this que r a " ;ro y os•tion we deem wholly i t n _ w hich t had been favourably reported on by Sir Robe s' Whether urged or not, such p Government, as in fact it is declared to he b y urgk, and analyzed by Mr. lierepath, of Bristol. admissable by our the President , in his messa g SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY.— Hauders Snr, - ,so n . i s t o u e ,it yTi. he repeated on Friday next. Brabant, Phillips, 'Leffler, mi ss (From the New York Journal of Contmerce, Feb. 3. ) Birch, and Miss Hawes are the principal vocal perform erg. Latest information from Cuba mentions the arrival at Lord ,John Russell received Viscount Melbourne, Havannah of an unusual number of Sonish ships of war, count Morpeth, Mr. Rutberfurd, and a select circle to.;inuar From the Journal of Port au Prince we translate the follow- on Saturday, at his residence in Cheshana-place. ing, which may serve as an explanation of he views of the Spanish ships There has arrived at St. Domingo a Spanish fleet, destined to take under its protection the Dominican Republic. A letter from St. Domingo, published in the Mantfeste, says that the Spanish Protectorate has been desired by the President Santana, and the Bishop Portes; and the same paper ex presses an opinion, that Spain will not limit its exertions to the exercise of the simple right of suzerainete over her ancient colony, to which is reserved all the rights of proprietor ship, by the treaty of 1815. This will explain the motive of the extraordinary - congregation of Spanish ships, of which in formation has recently been had, in the harbour of Havannah." The other papers state, that it was expected a confli c t wou ld take place between the Spanish and the Haytian parties during the month of February, and that there was every expectation that the Dominicians, who were commanded by Spanish offi cers, would prove victorious. CANADA. The Montreal papers are to the 27th of January. Intelli- gence had been r eceived in Canada of the appointment of Earl Cathcart as Governor-General. There was a rumour that the militia was to be immediately embodied. MEXICO. The latest intelligence received at New York was, from Vera Cruz to the 3d, of Tampico to the sth January. Paredes had completely succeeded in his revolution,had entered Mexico, and was forming his Ministry. The following account of the revolution from tie pen of an oSicer in the United States Navy, ho was an eye witness of what he describes, appears in the Pensacola Gazette:— As several very important changes have recently taken place in Mexico, having more or less bearing upon our rela tions with that country, I propose to give you a brief account of them, which cannot fail to interest your readers, as well as the public generally. We took down to Vera Cruz, Mr. William S. Parrot, our Mexican Secretary of Legation, who bore dispatches for the Minister. Upon our arrival at Saeri fiMos, we found that Mr. Slidell (our Minister) had preceded us some ten days. He had been received with every demon stration of respect by the authorities at Vera Cruz, and had proceeded on his way to the capital. Lieut. Kenneday, of I the St. Mary's, accompanied him with a view of bringing back his dispatches for the Government. After Mr. Slidell had been some days in the capital, he was formally notified by the Mexican Government, that it could not receive him in the capacity in which he came, which . was that o f E nvoy E xtraordinary and Minister Pleni • potentrary—the Government not considering itself bound Ly the promise it had made us of receiving a special Minister, charged with the n ego ti at i on of the Texian difficulty, to receive ' the usual Minister resident sent from one friendly power to an other, as the reception of the latter would imply a state of friendly and pacific intercourse which d oes not exist. The Go vernment, however, did not require that Mr. Slidell should withdraw from the country—on the contrary, it gave him per mission to retire to Jalapa, a pleasant little town some sixty m il es f rom Ve ra Cruz—there to await th e f urt h er i nstruct i ons of his Government. Such was the state of things when. the St. Mary's sailed, and the above was, no doubt, the substance of Mr. Slidell's dispatch to the Govern ment by that vessel. In the mean time the country was on the eve of a revolution, which broke out the next day after the St. Mary's left. It will be recollected, that General Paredes commanded a division of the army, called the " Army of reserve," and stationed in the Department of San Luis Po tosi—the Department adjoining Tamaulipas, in which latter Depaitment Tampico is situated ; which army was destined to second any movement that might be made by Gen. Arista, who commanded the Northern tr,ntier. If we may judge by the tone of the correspondence which had passed between Gen. Paredes and the Minister of War, and which has been published in all the Vera Cruz papers, his troops as well as those of Arista were exceedingly anxious to com mence the war upon Texas ; to enable him to do which, he importuned the Government for the necessary sup plies, which it denied him, under one pretext or other, although it had, as Paredes alleges, ample funds for the purpose in the five million loan authorised by Cong , ess. The army, grown tired of the state of inactivity to which the Government had reduced it, naturally became disaffected. The opposition press fanned the mark of disaffection, into a flame. The most vehement and bitter denunciations were every day launched against the Ad ministration, charging it with every species of corruption— fraud, peculation, and even treason--in entertaining the design of re-opening negotiations with the United States for the sale of Texas, New Mexico, and California ; and after the arrival of Mr. Slitlell, it alleged that this gentleman came among them empowered to offer a corrupt bribe of five millions of dollars, the price of their dishonour and treason. These attacks followed each other in quick succession and were written with warmth and ability. The following extracts from the Veracruzano Libre will give you a just idea of the tone of the opposition press, generally, which, as they say, is the tone of the whole Mexican people : " No ! The sale of Texas shall not be consummated, neither under the pretext of settling boundaries shall the perfidious Yankees extend their rapacity to other departments, not less rich and precious. Let them keep their infamous bribe of five or six millions of dollars, as the valiant Mexican army does not deal in such opprobrious transactions with the enemies of its country, and is resolved to defend to the life of the last veteran the integrity of the territory and the national honour." The disaffection which had been thus gathering head, broke out into open rebellion and revolution as soon as the arrival of Mr. Slidell was made known at the head quarters of General Paredes, who forthwith issued his prenunriamento, or manifesto against the Government. The pronunciamento was re-echoed by the fortifications and garrisoned towns as soon as received-- the train having been well laid, and the match no sooner ap plied than the explosion took place almost simultaneously all over the country. The city of Mexico, even the very seat of the Government, throwing wide its gates as soon as Paredes sounded his first bugle in its spacious valley—notwithstanding Herrera had taken all the precautions in his power for the de fence of this last stronghold of his party. Indeed, he used his authority so arbitrarily as to give just cause of offence to the litizens, seizing upon the public money without warrant of law, suspending the liberty of the press, levying forced contribu tions, and maltreating and arresting many of the principal in dividuals. Among others, the Archbishop was forced to take ri fogs in Tacubaya, and Almonte secreted himself in the city. The news of the revolution reached Vera Cruz on the morn ing of the 23,1 of December, and in a few hours thereafter we were astounded by the reports of the heavy guns of the Castle, as they gave a hearty response to the grit. of their companions of IN:tosi. The fleets followed the example of the Castle ; and a astute from the steamer Montezuma, with the English flag at her fore, and the Spanish at her mizen, announced its determi nation also to adhere to the pronunciamento. In the city of Ve, a Cruz occurred the only resistance we have heard of This city is garrisoned by two thousand troops. One hundred of this number, with a colonel at their head, stood fast by the government, took up their arms and marched out of their barracks, firing a volley a, they passel upon those who remained, and killing a captain and two soldiers, They then formed in a public square to consider what course they should pursue ; but finding themselves alone in their strug gle against the popular current, they continued their march, a n d strange to say, were permitted to do so, unmolested, into the open cianitry. Paredes is now master of the capital and of the country. The administration of Gen. Herrera, who succeeded Santa Anna, having continued just one year. To show you how much the arrival of Mr. Slidell had to do with bringing things to a crisis, I extract the following paragraph from the manifest of the gar rison at Tampico, announcing their adhesion to the movement of Paredes : The officers here assembled are convinced that *le adminis tration does not intend to prosecute the war agib i st Texas, thus setting at defiance the will of the nation, anilli'at, with the greatest assurance in the face of the whole people, it is actually treating with the Government of the United States for the sale of Texas, and for aught we know the Californias also, and that therefore it behoves the army and the people to dis pose an administration which has so little regard for the national honour, &C. &c. A rumour was current in our streets to day that Mr. Slidell had been murdered in Mexico by the troops of General Pa redes. It was said at first to have been transmitted by the telegraph from Baltimore. We can find no foundation for the rumour. In fact, it was stated three days ago, but not thrown into general circulation till this morning.— Vashing ton ['taut', Thursday. The American naval forces in the Gulf had been increased by the junction of the frigates Cumberland and Potemac ; and the army on the Rio Grande was kept in good fighting condition. It was considered probably that the President would recommend decisive measures to be adopted towards Mexico. TEXAS. ' l B a . s ) t of t he B' I"billips, we have Galveston elected Lieu steamship New York, LATE ( ST Fr k' o lt in o3 t l h T e E i‘d 7CA ew S. —Orle Y als a P r i r c i a " tilu s len'ejeaonu.rl It would appear that the Christi joarn Darnell has the beenit li . new state by a small majority, The d te a i t i t a , s a to_ G t o be e l r. l o th r . o a f nd Captainrpus G e neral Henderson for Governor is very heavy, frontiers is of little interest, Emigration The news from the . • h • continued, the roads being filled with wP..ggons, &c., 8:e. majority of General Ifashington Union, Thursday. An extensive fire had occurred et Philadelphia on Jan. 18. which had destroyed several stores, and property to the amount of 125,000 dollars. It was supposed to have been the work of an incendiary. MONEY MARKET, JeN.'3l, 1 r.m. There was very little doing in stocks to-day. The sales principally for cash, and at an advance on yesterday's prices of one and two per cent. Long Island went up 2 per cent. ; Canton, I ; Norwich and Worcester, 2 ; Harlem, .1 ; Morris Carol, 4 ; Reading Railroad, 14 ; Farmers Loan, 4. Tho closing quotations for sterling exchange were 8 to 8} per cent. premium. The demand for bills this morning was more limited than anticipated. COMMERCIAL. NEW Yonx, JAN. 31.—FREIGHTS.—To Liverpool, are rather quicker, though the packets recently have filled up with much difficulty. To London, they are not active, and we slightly reduce our quotations. To Havre, there continues to be a very small amount offering. To Antwerp, 15,000 bushels of corn have been engaged, at 20 cents per bushel. EXCII A NGE.—There has not, as yet, been much done iq foreign, for transmission by the Boston steamer to-morrow. We quote bills on London 8 1 / 4 to 8 1 j' z per cent. premium— though sales have in some instances been made below the lowest, and above the highest of these rates; Paris, sf. 28%e. to sf. 27' , 4c. ; Amsterdam, 3914 to 39 1 % ; Antwerp, 34 2 ' to 39% nominal, there having been nothing done ; Hamburgh, 353 ; and Bremen, 7814 to 78 1 % cents. OCEAN STEAM NAVIGATION.--We seem suddenly to have waked up to the importance of increasing our steam marine. In a day or two, the Postmaster-General will conclude one or more contracts, for carrying the mails to Euro?e in steam vessels ; on the 27th instant a Bill for the incorporation of Company, to be called the Ocean Steam Navigation Company was introduced into the House of Assembly of this State. It was stated that as soon as the Company could procure an Act of Incorporation, they would proceed immediately to build four steamers of the largest class, capable of making the passage between New York and Havre in nine or ten days. It thus appears evident that we are likely soon to have twoor three lines of ocean steamers for the merchant mar ine, exclu sive of those that Congress may have built. It is right and proper that all this should be done. co urse. Four, and Atlantic trade before this year runsfolurs or five to Nevi , York. There will probably be ten or a dozen s t ea m-ships in the perhaps five, will run to manyßoston, and ocean steamers as packet ships ; and it is not unlikely h packets will, in that tim e , t In ten yea's there will be a be turned iota propellers. as at our