The Sun. — London, England, 1846-02-21 00:00:00

RAILWAY COMMITTEES. 1 (YESTERDAY.) Sub-Committee. No. 1. The Committee resumed its sittings to-day at twelve &dock ; Mr. Strutt, chairman. MANCHISSTER AND SOUTHAMPTON. Mr. Buftrta proceeded with the legations in this petition, against this line of railway. T al he case was part heard yesterday. The allegations adduced to-day were of the most trifling nature, such as some wrong numbering on the plans and d sec tions, almost amounting to merel y clerical errors. A f of them were sustained, but the larger number overruled. The Committee then declared that the standing orders had not been complied with in many instances. The Bill is not, however, likely to suffer from the errors proved against it. YORKSHIRE AND GLASGOW. Mr. Coates appeared for th e p romoters of this Bill. The formal evidence in support'of the deposit of the plans and sec- a tious was then given, after w hich Mr. Burke appeared on petition against the lins. In consequence of the absence of several witnesses in this case, necessary to make out the allegations in the opponents petition, Mr. Btfake asked for an adjonrinnent. The Committee accordingly adjourned the further proceed ings to Wednesday next. BOSTON, NEWARK AND SIIEPPIZI.D. Mr. Ellicombe appeared for the promoter'S. The witnesses to prove the deposit of the plans, sections, and books of reference, having been examined, Mr. Burke appeared on the petition of the owners of land on the line. The first allegation was that the parish of Averham was omitted from the book of reference deposited with the clerk of the peace and at the Private Bill-office. Mr. ELLICOMBE called a witness, who stated that Stathorp, which was the township of the parish of Averham, was in the books of reference, but that the line would only go through the township. The Committee decided that the standing orders in this instance, had not been complied with. The next allegation was that the plans and sections were not duly deposited with the clerks of the peace for the several districts through which the line is to run. Mr. BURKE called Mr. Gibbs, the engineer to the line. Mr. BURKE—Is there a branch from Hocking to Spalding? Witness —There is. Mr. BunKE is there a section to show that branch? Witness—There is not. Mr. BURKE—Yon stated, when first examined by Mr. Ellicombe, that the plans and sections were duplicates of each but here is a complete section entirely omitted. The CtrainstAN—You most distinctly stated, w h en the plans were put in at the commencement of the present in quiry, that the plans and sections were duplicates of each other. Witness—l stated that the plans and sections, as drawn by me, were duplicates of each other ; but since then, I un derstand, some alteration has been made in the powers of the Bill, which must account for the omission. The CHAIRMAN—ThiS must be explained, for at present there is no proof as to the plans. Mr. EuacomßE called the assistant-engineer, who said that the plans and sections were altered subsequently to Mr. Gibbs having seen them—the section No. 1 omitted, that of No. 2 substituted, which took the branch in. Mr. BURKE would deny this on the face of the Bill; he would prove that the standing orders in this most import ant instance were not complied with. It being now half-past three o'clock, the Committee said they would adjourn to twelve o'clock on Tuesday. (Sub -Committee No. 2.) This Committee met to-day at twelve o'clock. There were present the Chairman (Sir J. Y. Buller), Messrs Kemble, Bell, Brainston, E. York, 0. Craig, and m\ alker. GUILDPOR,D, CHIMOUTH.CHESTR, AND PORTS- E On the application of Mr. THOMAS, who stated that it was the wish of the promoters, this Bill was postponed sine die. THE LEEDS AND YORK was called on, but the parties not appearing THE LONDON AND OXFORD was proceeded with. The object of this Bill was to construct a railway from the London and Birmingham Railway, near Harrow, to Oxford, passing through the county of Bucks, with branches to the Great Western. The length of the proposed line was 54 miles, the capital 900,0(X /, and the estimate, 850,0001. There was one petition against the Bill, for which no one appeared. The Committee found that the standing orders had been complied with Engineer, Mr. J. Addison ; Parliamentary agents, Messrs. J. Parkes and Co. ; Sol,ci' ors, Messrs. Bridges and Mason, London ; and Charsley and Parton, Beaconsfield. DIRECT LONDON AND MANCHSISTER. The object of this Bill was to enable the promoters to con struct a line of Railway from London to Manchester, the length of which was 17 5 miles. The estimate was 5,500,0001., and the capital subscribed, 4,386,0001. There were ten petitions against this Bill. Two of them were from the owners, lessees, and occupiers of land along the line of the proposed railway, for which, as well as petitions from Mr. Egerton, the Marquis of Anglesea, and Mr. Cave Brownwood, agents, appeared. The remaining petitions were from the Manchester and Birmingham Company, and private individuals, but no one appeared in their behalf. The usual formal proofs were gone through. The first petit ion against the 13111 taken was that of Mr. W. Egerton, which alleged that in the township of Cheedle Moseley the description in No. 89 in the book of reference and in the plan was wrong, Elishia Warren being stated to be the owner, and Sarah Fv l4loe, the occupier, the true owner being Mrs. A... Maria White, and the occupier of the same, William Bailey. Mr. Pritt appeared for the petitioner. Mrs. White proved the incorrectness alleged, and also that she. had not been served with a notice. The petition next alleged that there was a similar inaccu racy with respect to the property numbered 91, Peter Pownall being described as the owner, and Isaac Falconer as the oc cuOer of the same. The allegation was sustained. Several other similar allegations were abandoned. It was also alleged that in No. 43 in the plan the road de scribed as an occupation road and the property of the petitioner was a public highway, and the property of the surveyors, who had not been served with due notice. The Committee considered the allegation sustained. The next petition considered was from the owners and lessees along the line, complaining of non-compliance with the standing orders. The petition contained several allegations analogous to those of the preceding petition. The Committee had proceeded to some extent with these allegations when it was announced that the Speaker was at prayers. Engineers, Sir John Rennie, Mr. Rastrick, and Mr. G. Remington ; Parliamentary agents, Messrs. Dyson and Co. : solicitors, Messrs. Ashurst and Son, Sudlow and„Sons, and J. Owens, The Committee adjourned shortly before four o'clock to Monday, at twelve o'clock. Sub-Committee No. 3. This Committee resumed its sittings at the usual hour this morning, Mr. Aglionby in the chair. GRLAT NORTH D SOUTH WALLS. This was the petition of the Great North and South Wales Railway, for leave to bring in a Bill to make a railway from Carmarthen to Aberystwith and Newton, with a branch to Cardigan, a distance of 50 miles. The estimated cost was 1,840,000/. The Committee found that the standing orders had been complied with. TEL X.ENT ATIYLOSPZIEIRIC. The object of the petitioners in this case was to make a railway upon the atmospheric principle, from a point a little beyond the New Cross station of the Croydon railway to Maidstone, Sevenoaks, and Tunbridge, a distance of about 40 miles. The estimated cost was 1,070,0001., of which sum 822.7501. has already been subscribed for, and 82,0001. de posited. The Committee decided that the standing orders had been complied with. KATriALD TO 71EUTPORD. The object of the petitioners in this case was to make a branch railway from the Great Northern (London and York) Railway at Hatfield to Hertford , a d istance of about twelre miles. The estimated cost was 130,000/., and the amount subscribed for was 97,5001. 'The Committee decided that the standing order had been complied with. The Committee shortly afterwards adjourned. Sub-Committee, No. 5. At twelve o'clock this Committee met in Room No. 12. Members—Mr. Home Drummond, chairin,n ; Mr. Compton. and Mr. T. Egerton CAMBRIDGE AND LINCOLN EX TENSION. This Bill stood over from yesterday, on account of a doulA as to whether the datum line was referred to a fixed point i . i_writing. The matter being brought forward this day by Walmisley, the Parliamentary agent, the Commlttee decided, that the standing orders were complied with. GU " GRISISBIT AND SHEFFIELD JUNC TION (No. 2.) sh Th ein i c l i s j a u l n i e n to extend the Great Grimsby Railway and e sixteenata" from Market liasen to Lincoln. Its length Mr. John Fovrlcrlliess' and l the cost is estimated at 265,0001. and Co., the Parliametnte engineer, and Messrs. Dyson Hall There were two petitions against this Bill, bat no one ap peared In support of one them. The other in support t.f which the parties did appear, inaathat of a Mr. W. G. Todd. There were but two all egations w petition, one of which was that the datum line was not ret his in writing to any fixed point; the other was that all the heights and spans in the cases of two roads were not given. Mr. DOWNFORA who appeared on the part of the peti tioner, said that the latter was the agent of the Hull and Lincoln Railway Company. It appeared that the datum line was ref certain stake, but not to any fixed poireirt, to a top of the stake or the ground at the foot of theas the I _Evidence was given on both sides, it being renresent s ed ke. the promoters of the Bill that the course pursued in laying b down the line and preparing the plans was that usually adopted by engineers. The Committeeth ou ght the reference ineutheient, and were of opinion that in this respect the standing orders were not complied with. In respect of the second alleption, it was admitted, on the that the standing orders part of the promot ers of the Bill, were not complied Iri,h. LONDON, SALISIU.TI7.Ir, AND YEOVIL JUNCTION*. This Bill has for its ester the making of a line from . Or ta tip ~ f the South Wn Railway at Basingstoke , eovil, the length of which will le! 73 miles, and the co. , r, as estimated, 1,I)00,0110/. Mr. J. Locke is the engineer, and Messrs. Webster and Co., the Parliamentary agents. Against this line there were several petitions, mostly upon the ground that the plans and sections were incorrect, and calculated to mislead, and one contained an allegation that the parish of Clifton Maybank was not named in the notice. Mr. Venables appeared for the petitioners. . . The petition of ]),lr. A. C. Bridge, in which it was stated that there was already a line of railway passing through his property, contained the allegation that there was in the Gazette notice no mention of the pans • • I of Clifton Maybank, through which one of the branches would pass. Mr. WEBerzs said that the that the was mentioned. Mr. VEreaastar.s contendedder branch. Ml. thep a a n r c is h h . ought to be named in the notice of the Yettni n MT. WM3STER contended that this not necessary, and that if the parish was named in the notice at all it was sufficient. After a long discussion on the point, the Committee de cided that the standing o rders were not com p lied with. The second allegation of this petition was that in the plans deposited with the clerk of the peace for the county of the progress of private business in that llouse, there could be hardly any objection to its adoption. Mr.O . CONN ELL could see no reason why this motion should be confined to Irish railway Bills. It ought in his opinion to be extended to all private Bills relating to Ireland, and he should move as an amendment that the words " Irish rail way hills" be left out, and the words " Irish Bills" be sub stituted for them. Lord G SOMERSET said it was quite impossible that the motion of the Hon. Gentleman could be acceded to, and although no one was more anxious than himself to facilitate the passing of Irish railway Bills, vet it was his duty to ask the House to resist the motion of the Hon. Gentleman opposite. Mr. STRUTT said that there were many parties in town who were the promoters of English railway Bills, and who had to pay hundreds of pounds per week to the witnesses whom they had brought with them from the country in support of their lines. The House, in his opinion, should deli berate carefully before they ventured to give priority to any Bills of this kind, unless they received an intimation from the parties who were put to expense by the delay that it was their wish that the Irish railways shoul be oceeded with in pre ference.—( Hear, hear . ) The H d on. Member for Roscommon had roposed that all the Irish Bills should have priority over all English Bills, the consequence of which would be that the agents of English railway Bills would be kept in town together with all their witnesses, for several days, doing nothing, and at great expense. Such a course as that would most undoubt edly cause the greatest discontent. On the other hand, the Hon. Member for Dublin proposed that one Committee only should be engaged exclasively in dealing with Irish railway Bills. He (Mr. Strutt) should be disposed to give his sup port to the latter proposal.--(Hear, hear. ) Ile eertainly wished, before the House came to any decision, and took upon itself the heavy r esponsibility which this matter would involve, Hon. Members would carefully weigh the question.—( Hear. ) Dr. BOWRING was proceeding to make some remarks upon the motion, but was called to order. Sir W. HE AT HCOTE said that unless a preference were given to the Irish railway Bills, the arranghment which had been entered into by the House of Lards, which gave such Bills the priority would be perfectly imperative. The expense which would be entailed by the pro posed priority to the Irish Bills would net be so great as represented by Honourable Men-hers. Under those circum stances, therefore, he should give his support to the motion for giving preference to the Irish railway Bills.—( Hear, hear.) Dr. BOWRINU said he was of opinion that everything in their power ought to be done to facilitate the passing of Irish Bills through the House. He considered that it would be a very great advantage to have the Irish Bills come down from the He,pse ' of Lords, after having received the sanction of their Lord ships, and he hoped there would be no delay offered to such Bills, as there were a very great number of persons con nected with such lines now in town at vast expense. He considered that such persons had a claim to be first heard, as they were subject to great inconvenience in consequence of the distance they lived being so much greater than the witnesses attending on English lines ; and he hoped the Irish lines would be dispatched in preference to English ones, for the reasons he had stated. Sir JAMES GRAHAM ( who spoke in a very low tone) said that he was of opinion the suggestion of the Honour able Gentleman was well worthy the consideration of the House, as the state of Ireland at present unfortunately required that some immediate steps should be taken. There was also in Scotland distress in one district of a very serious nature, and the proposed line passing through that district, he ( Sir J. Gaaham) was of opinion ought also to pass the House with as little delay as possible. Mr. B. HAWES perfectly agreed in the propriety of the question just put to the Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary for the Home Department respecting the measure which had just been proposed by the Hon. Member for Roscommon. He thought it was necessary that some measure should be taken, in order to save the disadvantage which might possibly arise from the Irish railways Bills being began in the House of Lords. It should not be forgotten that great expenses would be incurred by following such a course not long possibly before it could be known that the Bills had received the sanction of the House of Commons. He was aware that there were peculiar circum stances which would guard the railway Bills for Ire land, which might seem to justify the adoption of any ex traordinary course, yet he thought it would be better that they should be submitted to the Standing Orders' Committee, for he perfectly agreed in the opinion of the Hon. Member for Derby (Mr. Strutt), that the Chairman of that Committee would be fully able to do justice to all the parties concerned. Having passed the ordeal of that Committee and the Sub- Committees, which were all composed of gentlemen, he thought the suggestion might be adopted originating the railway busi ness for Ireland and Scotland too in the House of Lords. He agreed, therefore, to this extent with the suggestion, but he thought it would be unwise to pass any formal resolution upon the subject. The gentlemen composing those Committees would sufficiently perceive the feeling which had been expressed on every side of that House, and the matter might, therefore, be safely left to the Committe of Standing Orders. Sir GEORGE CLERK perfectly agreed with the Hon. Member that had just sat down, that it would be unwise for the House to fetter itself by a resolution upon a matter which ap peared to him to be already sufficiently provided for. The feelings of the House had been sufficiently shown to the ma nagers of the several companies, and hi , thought it better, therefore, that the Bills should be sent up without fetter ing the Committee with any resolutions of the kind. Sir G. GREY considered that some measure should be taken by which railway Bills might be disposed of without waiting for the order in which they are at present arranged. Mr. W. PATTEN stated that he had caused notices to be given to the Parliamentary agents to be ready with their wit nesses on Monday next. The present number of railway Bills had been formed into 33 groups; and in the meantime the various Committees would consider which project it was ad visab:e to proceed with. Mr. FOX Al AULE agreed with the Right Hon. Baronet that a discretionary power should be given to the Committees. In the case of the Glasgow Railway, referred to by the Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home Department, he considered that scheme should be proceeded with as early as possible, in consequence of the distress which existed in the parts through which the line was to pass. Mr. AGLIONBY did not think there would be any diffi culty upon the subject of the classification. He thought it necessary that the Bills should be proceeded with in their chronological order; but if the Government should arri v e at the conclusion that some particular Bill, on account of dis tress in the parts affected by the Bill, should be exempted from the operation of this general rule, they should mention that particular case to the House, and the House should then direct and instruct the Committee to take this particular case out of its order. '1 he O'CONOR DON then agreed to withdraw his motion. Mr. P. SCROPE said that the present system of in quiring into the merits of different lines was very inefficient, and required some alteration. Last session one line of railway was 84 days before a Committee, and spent from 300,000/. to 400,0001., and yet at the end of the session was very little far - flier advanced than at the beginning. The most important ,re works were, under the present system, postponed, and the time of the Committees was occupied in the discussion rid of trifling undertakings that were generally attended with He little or no opposition. The real fact was, that a Commission, ay, such as had been appointed by Lord Grey at the close of last :he ses sion, should be formed, to analyse all railway projects ‘g placed before them, and they should at the meeting of Parlia ment make their reports upon the undertakings. He would ask the gentlemen of the House whether they supposed that the average Committees of the House, consisting of five Members Lnd each, were at all superior to a Commission composed of '4‘ five of the most eminent men in the kingdom? t Mr. GI SHORN E wished to ask the Right Hon. Baronet the • Vice-President of the Board of Trade, whether the Government intended to adopt any measures founded on the Gauge Com mission ? In their report he found a resoluti in to the effect that a gauge of 4 feet 8i inches was the most efficient. Did • the Government intend to bring the subject before the House? Sir G. CLERK said that he was not prepared to say that the Government was ready to make ar.y proposition at present. , s 1 The Commission had presented a very voluminous mass of mce ev idence, which was then in the bands of the printer. That her, evidence would have to be submitted to the Government in its [nth printed form before any proposition could be laid before the ook. House. bleb Mr. HUDSON said it appeared to him that the diffi- Ig to culty complained of might be obviated by appointing dbe two or three additional Committees to take those Bills into their immediate consideration ; but he would throw it out for the consideration of the House whether time and expense could not be saved by assimilating the stand ;, he ing orders of the House of Commons and the House the of Lords. After a Bill had gone through one Standing 'ern- Orders' Committee, it was unnecessary to carry it through • an other. Under the p r esent system great inconvenie n c e was inflicted on the promoters of railways without answering ed a any national purpose. Considering the great number of railway land, Bills before the House the as , imilation of the Standing Orders' , hieh Committee of both Houses would be of great advantage, inas euts• much as it would save a great deal of unuccessary expense. they The motion was then withdrawn. BOROUGH OF WIGAN. iould The SPEAKER said he had to state to the House that he ; the had received a communication from the Hon. George Lindsay, in which he declared that it was not his intention to prosecute were the petition against the return of the Hun. Member for the borough of Wigan. Derset there was no mention of a branch leaving the alter native line. 'lr. VENABLES explained that there were two branchoer, h n hich, in the plans deposited with the clerk of the p e ace, were both represent ed as leaving e ae while in the B_ll and notices one was represented as leaving the alternative line. There were several other allegations de pending on this, one of which was that there was no section of the branch from the main line in the parish of Yetminster. The Clerk of the Peace for the county of Dorset handed in the plans in question. In the course of the discussion it appeared that the mileage was incorrectly marked. The Committee reserved the point as to the sections till their next meeting. At about quarter to four o'clock the Committee adjourned to Tuesday next -------_ Sub-Committee No. 6. This Committee resumed its sittings this day at twelve o'clock ; present Captain Jones (in the chair), fill-. Greene, and Mr. Deedes; and after having disposed of a Navigation Bill, they adjourned till twelve o'clock on Monday next. ARMY RECRUITS. Captain L AYARD gave notice that he would, on an early i phwstoopeooiitry ask tNtokmy, a rnteti v seohnn i O e etepp w sit, hri t pi: o cagatu etTtit n i d eobHhee u eenß c oeort i nnfs r , g t inithßlehesj : aei o rn:e u tfoinoy n tßole g i iseftEoe:mwLethtirehh.Aevnregi three eeiDaf had given a respect day, bring on a motion for the better regulation of the recruit- H e Secretaryag t i ivoen personsn _toa o f ffafveoPseir s srecC o ieti l nG:,Rt icitors for the Home Circuit in Ireland, or for cer :'.lesatnhtd; ait t SC:hb a Vtgr i alAah n eotiewereet c en.hrl ounties belonging to it, in the room of the Crown Soli e and citor for that circuit, who has died ? If that question be an ranee. swered in the affirmative, then to ask—Whether the salaries ilk, in or emoluments of those officers have been fixed, and if so, at what amount; when were the appointments made; when is and was it determined to divide the circuit into districts, with kshley separate solicitors at distinct salaries; and whether there be any objection, on the part of the Government, to laying before this House copies of all documents relating to any alterations Mame which have been made in the office of Crown Solicitor, or in the arrangements for the oonduct of Crown prosecutions in e, and Ireland? Sir said he had to state, in sower to the question of the JAMES GRAHAM Right Hon. Gentleman, that ilway. there wild be no objection to lay upon the table of the House the papers he had asked for. In respect to the ether part of the Right Ron. p est i eman % question, he begged to say that certain appointments had already been made of some Crown Solicitors, about three weeks since, which would come into operation on the 31st March The Home Circuit in Ireland consisted of six counties, and it was proposed to add two other counties to that circuit, and that a Crown Solicitor should be resident in one of those counties. tion to The salary should be 5001. a year, two hundred a year to cover )f Irish all expenses, making 700/. for each, and lan aggregate sum of d com- 2,1001. for all, being 100/. per annumess ha s emolu ls, they merits of the late Solicitor. —( Hear, hear.) 'e with On the motion that the House should, at its rising, adjourn until Monday next, TON Mr. BROTHER suggested that the House should sit to-morrow (Saturday) a t twelve o'clock, in order that they might be enabled to go at once nto Committee on the impor tar t measure before thern.—( Cr i es of .‘ Mote, move.") The Host. MEMBER declined to move; he only wished to throw out the suggestion. Sir ROBERT PEEL said that it would be extremely advantageous, both to the agricultural and sense e commercial interests of the country, tt the f w r ohmati d ts u v s a u n a t l a gr rules. —(Hear. ) e c s ould ( H b e e ade rived the mliHouse should be taken on the preliminary step, r but he did not see how the suggestion of the Hon. Member would Mr. STAFFORD O'BRIEN suggested that as there was a long list of gentl emen on his own side of the House who were anxious to spea k u p on the subject of the Government measure, the debate ou g ht to be kept open until those gentle men had an opportun it y of addressing the House. P ti sh ou h s is e The motion was then a greed to. desires,d e p departing FOREIGN POSTAGES. Mr. ROEBUCK was understood to ask the Right Hon. Baronet, the First Lord of the Treasury, l eaf there were any hopes of the penny postage system being nded to the colonies? Sir R. PEEL replied in so low a tone as to be inaudible in the gallery. He was, however, understood to say that it was Tlii SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY MORNIN'Ci. FEBRITARA 21. 1846 not in his power to give a positive answer to the question of the Hon. Member. THE POTATO DISEASE. Captain OSBORNE said that since the speech which the Right Hon. Baronet delivered a few nights ago, certain statements had been published with regard to the potato blight, to which he begged to call the attention of the Right Hon. Baronet. Those statements had been published on Thursday, and re , lated to the proceedings of the Horticultural Society, a meet ing of which had been held on Tuesday. Dr. Lindley, it appeared, had at that meeting exhibited some specimens of new potatoes, which bad many symptoms of disease. The re sult was, that it might be expected that the crop of the elming harvest would be exceedingly deficient. He wished to know whether the Right Hon. Baronet had received any communication or information on the subject ? Sir R. PEEL said that when h • spoke on Monday night, he stated that we had great reason to apprehend that the danger resulting from the failure of the potato erop would not be re ducing during the forthcoming autumn. But when he spoke on Monday night he had had no direct communication with i ir. Lindley ; he spoke from the communications which he had received of a general nature from various scientific gen tlemen, who said that they apprehended that the next potato season would be marked by a great failure. He feared there was every reason to apprehend considerable danger from using the diseased seed. It was said that some new potatoes could not be detected as diseased by the closest microscopic inspection. The plant was supposed to be sound, but from recent information received, he had every reason to believe that the disease was quite apparent ; and it rested with the Government to give timely notice of this fact to the country at large CORN-LAWS. Mr. BRIGHT presented petitions from Essex, Surrey, Stafford, Newbury, Reading, and one from Sunderland, signed by 4,000 persons, praying for the total and immediate repeal of the corn-laws. Sir THOMAS ACLAND presented a petition in favour of protection Mr. R. PALMER presented petitions from several parishes in the county of Berkshire, against any alteration in the corn- laws. Mr. WAKLEY presented a petition from the parish of Clerkenwell. The petitioners stated that the present corn laws operated injuriously to their interest, and prayed for a repeal of those laws. ADJOURNED DEBATE. Mr. C. BRUCE ruse and said that it had been stated in the course of this debate that increased opposition to the repeal of the corn-laws would give an increased force to agitation. He (Col. Bruce) thought that if by conceding or voting in favour of the present measure he could succeed in putting an end to agitation, much of his opposition to the present measure would be removed. He could not, however, so persuade himself. He believed that if this measure was carried discontent of a more dangerous character, and agitation more difficult to re press than anything with which we had now to contend, would be the result. He could not concede the point, that the passing of this measure would put an end to agitation at the head of the Ministry; and such being his conviction, f which were compensated for by the corn-laws. If the mebre be should abstain from a single observation at variance with 1 question had been one of political economy, the H, n. Merovere these convictions. It bad pleased an all-wise Providence, to and those who coincided with him would be required to here visit the nation, and in particular the kingdom of Ireland, that manufacturers formed a majurity of the country. Buti._ with a great calamity ; and if the corn-harvest in Ireland was ample evidence before the House that they were note maj a sn:ty had been deficient, as was the potato-crop, why that would be hi it. What objection, he might ask, could there be to law w, some justification for introducing a measure in suspension of which protected the interests of the majority. He would moo, the corn-laws, and he, and the Hon. Member who coincided with the leave of the House, refer to the other consider:ll,os; 8 in his way of thinking, would have fully concurred in such ; involved in the question. lie did not wish to go throug . not but he could see no connexion between the failure in the po- various subjects in the course of this argument ; he wouid°: tato crop in Ireland, and the suspension—much less the repeal even charge the Government with its present change of sub'opilu of the corn-laws.—(Cries of " Hear, hear," and cheers.) Atter the Right Hon. Baronet bad rendered this country la The true remedy for the distresses of Ireland was not to abolish ject to foreigners in respect to its monetary system, he COl u ie the corn-laws, bnt to give the people the means of purchasing harely have expected that the Right H on. Baronet w ~, the food already its the country.—( Hear , hear.) What he render this country dependent upon foreign ers for its 510v1. complained of was, that they did not give their own law a fair of food. Althou g h some of the leading Members of the lisp trial. What c ircumstances had arisen to justify them in proposing sterna - lent had repudiated arguments , facts, w 6645' Sort of to reverse, at the bidding of the League, the decision which the speeches of times long gone by, and had committed a r' esas country had given at the last general election ? Was that the political suicide, he was not aware that any of them had re way they proposed to carry out the Reform Bill ? It could net diated the speeches which they made in the last session I 1 7 i li i be denied that the question at the last general election, when liarrent. He (Mr. Neweigate) listened to those speechensi!_te so large a majority was returned to that House, was protection steep attention, and he wished now to show from the the or no protection. It was really too bad, therefore, that this de- sudden ttis change had come upon the country. What twat ts cision should be now rescinded, and they should be stalled upon sobstance.of the speech which the Right Hon. Barone yea to yield to the dictates of the League. He would ask, had not head of her Majesty's Government, delivered last r oi the country prospered under the corn-laws ? And if this had 1 upon the subject of the corn-laws. It ' 0 ,1,,,... been the case, why then were they now asked to aliolish them? I able argument in favour of the maintenance of the corn-wt about The imposition of the income tax had restored the funds and it proved their tendency to produce steady prices, e"„ e st re-established the public credit. It had given an impetus to diminishing the activity of manufactures—it proved tn! great speculation and to ctenmercial transactions. All of these increase which had taken place in manufactures under r ice things had for a long time previously been in a state of depres- c,irn•laws—and it proved that in September, 184 4, we re pre sion. This was followed by the mania for railway speculation, of wheat was 455. 2d. per quarter ; and he appealed to the .. t his which required from the nation the deposit of an immense sentatives of the manufacturing interest to say amount of capital—more, indeed, than could he conveniently was an unreasonable price. He used the argument t,".. laid spared. That mania caused a greatly increased demand for landed proprietors of this country did not look upon " the yes labour, with an increased price for it. These things were, no in the light of mere commercial speculations, and „,e I P , leaf doubt, very beneficial, but were they likely to continue so as his belief that it would be a great evil if they did. r'°` g the est to justify the changing of the entire protective policy of this could the Right Hon. Baronet reconcile that feeling se 1 0 that 1 country, under which this country had arisen to be the queen with his present course of action.—( Hear, hear.) eto es', of all nations. He for one, therefore, could not consent to speech the Right Hon. Baronet said that if they we, r , was sacrifice his principles to the opinion of the Right Hon. Ba- tend the principles of free-trade at home, they shoulud,ste) ronet. He could not consent to embark with him on the them also to the colonies ?—( Cheers.) He (Mr. Ne w - 7, 1 bis boundless ocean of free trade, to arrive at a distant shore, heard the Hon. and Gallant Member for Liverpool seY r oe which no person had ever explored. Even though the favour- I speech, that such should be the result with 1 4 te t ing breezes of popular opinion swelled his sail and wafted him Ito their colonies. He (Mr. Newdegate) e' e u s od whetn,e,,st, the over the deep, he would not follow the Right Hon. Baronet i conceive what were the motives which actuated th . 1! „ r se to the promised land of abundance; for he could not be sure 1 policy of the Right Hon. Baronet for not adhering toottVsel that the luxurious vegetation would not by its superfluity breed ciples which, during the greater part of his life, w 5 erg . I a noxious atmosphere, which would be poison to the English honour, and for his country great commercial prosy „ see constitution ; for he saw in the perspective the troubled ocean ( Cheers.) Was it possible that he sought to establi' ' o f 0/ of angry dispute, and he feared to encounter the shipwreck bartering of the products of that country and disaster which it threatened; therefore he should refuse to other? Suppose that even they could establish large , oor with thos e o pse!' fire the first gun which, booming over the angry waters, should that was a principle that could not be advocated bY °f es t) it give the signal for sailing. He thanked the 5- ouse for the ble political economist. That system would find I t° ,by , attention they had accorded to him, and resumed his seat, de- the way that bullion relieved your monetary distre o ro ot , daring that he felt it his painful duty to vote against the Go- importation of it from abroad. They would nog bstfo, vernment. by such a measure as the present the onlf by toe d Mr. POULET SCROPE said he was anxious to make a between them and the distress which would be felt' 01 oos P", few observations. It would appear that the measu re was being unprotected. He trusted the House would ea 41; brought forward for the purpose of debate, for the arguments while he explained the basis on which he formed bls „ t red used for and against the corn-laws it would be found were the of the measure now before the House. It was an„ . e 101 1 , same as those used for the last ten years. He thought the disagreeable duty to differ from the opinion of the n ; g e sio„ object of the debate was very truly described by the Hon. Baronet, but no personal considerations should incl,e,ches,ll, Member for Berkshire, who said the real question was w hether act a g ainst the opinions of his constituency ; almost` 0 . i , protection was right or whether protection was wrong ? of whom would be seriously injured by that measurpooierlo (Cheers from the Opposition.) if it was right let them main- were extensively engaged in the batting trade, au° `do tain those laws, if it was wrong let them be abolished. These the manufacture ot hardware.—(Cheers.) If thefoeer were the grounds on which they were to judge of the corn- those free-trade principles—if they carried them ° s ad a laws. When he understood a question, he had always the would unshield almost every class of his constitueneYooljtf°,lf moral courage to act according to his opinions.--( Cheers from pose them to privations that their struggling tad: _,,i j ri!,,f the protectionists.) He should say nothing of the potato rot badly endure. The great mass of trade, in th 1- . 0 0 ',,1 in Ireland, because he considered the question in that House instances, in this country will be found to be hinder,7oool:e had reference to the condition of the people generally, and for progress by the application of the principle of abane ss iol their sakes it was to be considered whether a repeal of the corn- protection; and further, it will be necessary for ti," s 4 o il; laws was right or wrong. He should not fellow the able to be followed up until almost universal distress ti o f t , 00 1 0 ' ; statement of the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of her Ma- lie would now enter upon the question of whetheree„ f il e e jesty's Government, but he considered there were other reasons laxation or prohibition had characterised the P° og l eid e; besides the relaxation of prohibitory duties for the increased with respect to commerce—whether or not protee e t s l e 13 1c' e! prosperity of the country for the last three years. He consi • abandoned and relaxtion adopted. The Right pr o sell e e dered that the abundant harvests which Providence had the Secretary for the Home Department thougeeeeeleo blessed them with had aclaim in that prosperity.—( Cheers. )He for the last twenty-five years had been to inspos e s !,,jos ' O O maintained if that was the argument for a repeal of the corn laws, duties, and as they became burdensome to eh i • osk iee'e) it was as strong in 1841 as now—in fact it was as strong 20, or gradually until they had become relaxed. Mr. r ) ) i t ios'/ 30, or 40 years ago. The corn-laws raised the price of corn, or an advocate for protection, but not for pro , " t exi t %e they did not. If they did not they were of no benefit to a g ri- Ri g ht Hun. Baronet had said that nothing but e: ( e r , ss' f i/ i culture, but were a gratuitous interference with the t ra de of the g ene y -should justify the retention of proteetio al „ o ter ,ij country which no arguments or no reasoning could justify. Take protection should only be extended to som e I t ' sisi' s e e the other alternative—the coin-laws raised the p rice of countr y that was in a suffering condition. }ha s ? I/ 0 " corn, and it was urged that a law of this tendency was necessary treatment from the Government of a great co untri ieve re t 0, to enable the farmers to pay the heavy taxes not, in his opinion, bear the name of a paterval s. `' e j ` o # which the L eg i s l a ture inflicted on them. Now, how could the The labour of this country had been obi %eel, farmer be th e p ar ty who paid the taxes, when the consumer exorbitant sacrifice. The currency had also been, b ey' paid him an increased price for his commodities? In fact, it up to 1820, and he would inquire, how much it 11 1 °4 o l ie was the consumer , ant s not the producer, who paid the taxes crated since? The late Mr. Ricardo, before he d e " fi iV whilst this system existed. " Oh," but said the protec- the curreney hid depreciated 15a per cent. 111 b rol , 'e 4 tionists, t. we give protection to every class of pro. Baronet had also stated that the advantage ell" e ceri t. _ 0 0) ducers ; and in return for the high prices they pay us for our obtained over labour amounted to about 85 per ~,, c , ,, c , corn, we pay them an equally high price for their own produc- ously to the year 1820 the depreciation in '''' it !",1 1 ,. tions." In his opinion this was an argument unworthy of being amounted to about 10 per cent. Actordiogoosi% i advanced in that House. They made them pay their heavy from official sources, the rental of land 1 45,7 55 'er t i taxes, but they would not compensate them. There were 1814 to 39,555,7051., and in 1843 it Nrs s , t sle . i , l hundreds of thousands of workers in cotton and wool in this shewing an increase during a period n i „,jl, A il's country. They paid taxes upon beer, sugar, coffee, tobacco, of about 6,347,9101. ; in this amount were inclu"' e s e 0 0, 90 malt, and other articles, that went towards the payment of the for tithes, which being deducted, would lea', o f lit! i „ national debt. Did Hon. Members think that it would he any 4 813,545/., being the real increase. The re nts., iti l , o l. benefit to those persons to impose upon them a tax u p on bread Great Britain and Ireland during the same perie.°3e.,e. in addition to those other articles. There w as another lar g e 16,259,3491. annually ; and in 1643 the rental sva:fgs,Pfesi., class of persons, the moneyed interest, fundholders, annuitants, being an increase of income during thirty yeer!_ t the ft mortgagees, and other* they paid their share of the nation's From these returns then it would appear tn t e ie ssot eig taxes, but they could not be protected by protective laws, for land had increased 12 per cent. during thi r / f ra e lsl they were not producers. Some Hon. Members seemed to have during the same period the value of ho,t!!! 004, a notion, which he thought he could best illustrate by an increased more than 40 per cent. .!L l i e tio ti l .,Pa anecdote. A farmer in the Highlands was building a house, Geatleman then showed that during the permessiod s toj e 4l , a few miles from a very pleasant sea-port; he was met by a and 1843, the increase to the productions of tb eio se, es e l y person who was on his way with a little scrubby pony, with a fifty per cent., while the increase in the pe,P," . _ i0 01' . ,0 1 ,1 large deal hanging on one side of the animal, and a large stone rattier more, about fifty-seven per cent. 11 .` i s bes4 on the opposite side. The party who met him inquired of him if now whether no strain had been put on t he riog isi t . it was his intention to build his house with stone? He replied, country—whether capital had gained nothing °,1 . , 1 1 ,101 ? 1. ,0 that was not the reason why he used the stone; it was to maintain to which he had referred. lf, according Cont,' 00 es toi s c , a balance with the deal on the opposite side. He never thought Gentleman, the depreciation be ten per ce, to ie ° l e however of cutting the deal in half, and thus making the two perty and land, the same principle would aPP'Y of el f,,a pieces of deal balance themselves. This was just the case with intrinsic value, as applied to the purchase to it3' ';ii , these protectionists ; they think that by adding another burden average price for five years, from 18 15 etc ri d le they are enabled to relieve the existing burden_ He put it to the currency was returning to its : 4 I 1 ,6 the gentry of England whether they would choose to protect was 80s. 4d. per quarter. During the tw° Y e , -r of °ei themselves from their shire of any burdens which might be im- to 1821, the corn-law being then fixed, the P r ' ;',"l, Se r b posed, in consequence of invasion or any other extraordinary from the average of 80s. per quarter to 44 5 . e ct t he ?I ' t expenditure, by the jugglery of a set of corn duties. He had In 1822 the corn-law was again altered , e ° es ip t'ye es 4 vainly waited, during the whole of this debate, for a single wheat had recovered to 61s. per quarter, fell a i ,si es' e fe valid argument in favour of protection, and he would ask the The average price from the year 1822 to 18 1e.i i tb o , o , House whether the idle sarcasm which had been thrown out quarter. During the years between 1828 and foo e f e t te by the Hon. Member opposite was in favour of protec- was 58s. 11d., and the average for the last it sr .e t Lion ? Why, he had always understood that it was one of present time had been 525. per quartlgra. do ete4 the very vital principles of all trade, and the very foundation of peared that since the peace, with t D rl 0 7 4 political economy to buy in a cheap market and sell in a dear country, while the rent of land had e een s. s ee one. This was, it was true, the maxim of political economy ; increased, the price of corn had fallen 5 Per .., e cs",. err and what was there cold-hearted in that? He had made a the official value of corn, which is the fixed , ^ lO . fsc i `, l ,6 o . pathetic appeal to the House with a view to prevent the in- the difference of the increase. It is a sing e cis, re etZ, troduction of a lower rate of paper-hangings and silk goods. 1819, the declared value, If Honourable Gentlemen on the other side of the House which during that year had been less than yere P eV which was also th e eel ' le g' would only take the trouble to oarry their principles to the value, fell below, and has never since roc 131' I slgt oe r ,1 3 extremes they would see what crude absurdities they held for The amount of difference was very great. - I, e ded t off opinions. If they were to strip that Hon. Member of all that value, which was the fixed value, had el e ` - e, is ° ,Ol 0 ,,# he had about him, which was not the produce of British in. and actual value by about 96 per cent , ° , 1 ",, d uc e ey e t ,/, dustry—if they were to take from him all that he had about money bad gained a value over Pr o ++ nr - et e,Se him of German wool, of Russian flax, of American cotton,- of more, than 96 _per cent.—(Cries offs eeederlA Italian silk, he would appear in his place in a condition Had not therefore the value of labour in th o f tli','„ ,vs more fit for a state of savage nature than civilised society. some degree depreciated? The character rop etyot7 4 , 1 , And if he followed out the principles of the Hon. Member for been marked by an unequal distribution of 1 ; t rsr,g,V i i Knaresborough, of abstaining from everything that was the had fallen in value in the hands of the gr e ' f hif es er ! i; produce of machinery, they ought to come down to the House would now address himself to another part l i ed, i iee, e l clothed with skins, and they should follow their prey with was his firm belief that the burdens upon tu li lea d ,l 4 0,.,1 clubs, tear it with their teeth, and grub up the earth with 12,100,000/. annually, in which sum was bl it he' "ore' their nails. He would ask Hon. Members who had expressed of tithes. It was sometimes argued that qee , s s itts n their intention of opposing the Government measures, to sup- stitute a burden on land. The Hon. Ge , " , SO, e;',iy pose a manufacturer whose warehouse was glutted with the Ricardo, M 'Culloch, Dr. Pavey, and r r seis tis P e striel goods he had produced, but which he could not sell ; whose that tithes were a burden on the land, 41 % ob!, i if f ,tti ' correspondents were writing him from abroad that the foreign petted the improvement of the soil, and v 14.1; te teg y t g market was equally glutted. After having vainly struggled for interests of both landlord and tenant. or /At a length of time against the difficulties which environed him, taxes paid by the land, including the Pl i e i etsg, iS i ia l ' he put his workmen on short time, and then en short wages, to 12,339,0641. Tre Hon. Gentleman t it a s i ' o o, , until he finds it necessary to discharge them, and to shut up items of this amount, proceeded to say th a ta s y e t his mill. Let them also imagine the condition of men, women, by any argument, to gainsay his staterne%eteree eit', , and children, suffering from the want of food, and unable to tence of burdens on the land. It 1155 e t" y,s , . i obtain employment. Let them imagine parents giving supposed that he was willing to fir e es ,;, up their children to any occupation by which they commuted ;he would accept free-0110 e V i might obtain their subsistence—no matter how de- Cation. To these he would replYf t wou ld s /' s i l° te e s' I grading or immoral. Suppose they came and so- w,,uld not only be improbable, but it . 4,ol,",.o °' i l li'i' belted assistance from the manufacturer, he would say Before he sat down he wished to e xpress "ge w e e 01 1 .4 1 : . to them, "My friends, my heart bleeds for you, I regret it, by the meaning of the word protection . o f th e ee P tg ey, i l but I cannot help it ; my capital is locked up ir, yonder ware • stand that it meant prohibition, but it inea v eer', I. house, or my money i s exhausted. I can send no more goods trade. Taking protection in this sense, b e ti ffor u o cli ~ A ',le: , abroad, because, although 1 may obtain corn and other commo- duty and function of the Government "' bu t jo i por;:; I ly . dities in return, 1 am prevented from doing so by the law."— the trade of a majority of the communitYt,he le be ( Hear, hear.) Thus their intercourse with foreign nations was as not entirely to sacrifice the interest 0 0.. ` eht to eb sti t tot e t . destroyed, or, if not destroyed, rendered almost abortive. In in relaxing this system of protection, it l a it', e sfi te See, the Queen's warehouse, for instance, at the present moment with a view to its relaxation than a vie of , ('Ve there were hundreds of thousands quarters of foreign coin, He could not conceive that it was profits' - 1-1 00, 0 es i a_i , bat tal e l iil which they were prevented from purchasing on account of the point of view, for the majority of t, en ter s os' li Ai high duty exacted. Well, now he would ask, would it not be opinions which they had advocated an" of eel P it V i ttet i desirable to pass a measure that would remedy this evil? They at the dictation of a Minister who had P r fbeole,/ had at present an ill-paid, discontented, and demoralised pea- master and dictator of his own Cabinetijoeourof Set/ ) sentry under the present system. Under the altered system expressions which fell from that Right ose cll b e ~ ( I s ' would it not be desirable for the succeeding tenant to be a man respect of the aristocracy and the r", ° ll o f ; 01;1 . /0 who could afford to pa better wages than his predecessor, and could not help looking at the en 9 g ingli'Sei e treie employ morelabourers. He eouldnotseethat there was anything the House, and reflecting that die t ioig f e 0 0 0 0 1 very terrible in all this; and surely if the operation of the proposed would have acted with more wsu to i t/cl e ' tt ie s Jy; measure would have this effect, it would be a most desirable a little longer ere he gave utterance outir,,,yl., measure to have passed into a law.—( Hear, hear.) The ( Hears hear.) He, for one, did Ot erV lrte ; / it er /("4 . farmer then, instead of using his two-horse plough, and west- which he had trampled upon his .' u dgre n gi sb! , t if ing his manures, and persevering in a bad system of cultiva- threats had overpowered their better ] .. t as ss: u te, ,s 9 tion, and allowing the rains of heaven to lodge upon his lands i conduct of a constitutional Minister, D:f theca 110,1','Ps. until it had rotted his crops, and produced nothing but weeds, ; freedom, liberties, and best right' eg ieel s ti°,. o tl r e /V. would adopt a very different and much more profitable system. i therefore, the Right Hon. Baronetcrooest'ai ts o o if i t He thought it was by such reasoning as that used by the Hon. ' changing opinions to the proper a° ho uld i . je stY o e ( je a Member for Stockport, that they ought to consider the import- namely, an appeal to the peoples he r ' he r l' i !,"1; 59 ,,, i rd ',' i ,' ante of the question. If, then, the Hon. Gentlemen who 0 1) - Hon. Baronet was the Alinister 0 cf n l t 'erst n',,l , posed the abolition of these restrictive laws could not convince the country that protection could be maintained for the councils ; and likewise that he was th e who had already indicated her choice by se. ) , fi t t id bee a 00' 0 ;0 o P - 0,0 mutual benefit of all, they could not do better than the country, but net of its choiee'. - f i v,' a ' fle rd a, i,f3 . ; abolish those lawF, and he could not but think that the motives lion. Baronet had told them tha t I soe' 0 ePre 4 which actuated the Hon. Members in opposition to her Ma- they would have to yield hereafter by suc h: eli ,ert e t ~/ jesty's Government on this question were dictated by very sus- should not have been surprised to h e e t ° ' e hen, ,sfl eti, IF; e picious motives.—(lronical cheers.) What he meant by sus- a leader of a band of agitators ; is b u fs i t hfs' t so Ist,, ,r # i picious motives was, that they were dictated by a party and a Crown turned round upon b e, et oand eci e o ol3 l o r , 'e selfish feeling, and to convince the country of the contrary, seising them by the throat, e he got t os t ste they should at once support the Right Hon. Baronet's measure, yield up their principles or, mo n , 'ipe J; tyre and thereby enable the people to purchase a sufficient quantity Sip e ~. 7 of the article of life at the cheapest possible rate. what this force was, and he fo r s , s ee fa ce. c o s 0 0 Mr. NEWDEGATE said, the Hon. Member"who had last from them, he etas in truth ala_r ne t old eV s e i se,i" that he was not afraid to look it i t" ef . t he .. . e e 4 • 4 1 , ,e Minister ',, be p al tit ii ' y addressed the House had attacked the consistency of the prin- certainly be unbecoming a whit"' oti°' es Nut" ciples and arguments of his Hon. Friend the Member for sure if the broken-up party w ith ,on ,sit :.o t ~ , ,0, ... Northampton, I n the absence of his Hon. Friend, he would sisted stedfastly and firmly in th . err 'ereservreetoolo ;7 0 / 4 endeavour to answer the Hon. Member. The Hon. Gentleman this measure, they would "1Y rg 4513 °i 4 t o d t o t : o' had said that his Hon. Friend was not consistent on the ques- liberties of the people from she d. , by sey e , S sis s ff. , tion of buying in the cheapest and selling in the dearest market. He did not understand the argument of buying in the cheapest agriculturists had such mcielioubt as to tn.o'ci c r ,I,,ii and selling in the dearest market as implied by the Hon. they need not entertain any . - n o l es, • l i ffilY) , The Hon. Gentleman concl asisthteswristr o lte e 1 ; Member, the principle was indeed true as respecting trade, but (Laughter fe ctlf v , sv e lt e / it did not hold good in Legislature. He denied that the Imotectionists. ) s, idle, to e s c 01 1; 1 ( as ver , c ecl •-. 0 60 0 '(, functions of Government were merely to increase the wealth of Mr. BARKLY (who wcircurnstan g oo° a , e . ~, on the Opposition be the - country, he conceived rather that it was the dutygallery) said that he was o s f o this rest %tite r rt° cliOi po 0 vernment to secure the happiness, the peace, and the welfare upon the consideration . ,_ upon anY eie t in l e a b e es4 of the population. He denied that a case which might be true deliberately as he should ode when applied to trade was as universally true when applied to w ith th e P e svh ° eV re. id .ii l/ Government. Were this principle applied to Legisla- true that he was connected tha t tho' .. the ir r tie olf pe tore now, could they justify the expense in provl• dustry, and he mu" is bat r l , ' , e n a r ' t "% $1;01 0 1 r I I ; magnitude and equal corn e m d er eial °l ' s° r° teet tid u ,eve (14 ding for the national defence. The same justifies,- honour to send him to . g ve his sus i ses soos 00 .ei s e, tine might be equally applied by the Legislature to the lieved that he would " ' ere only ' the ii s eh' e tr,Ss defence of labour and prosperity, that the military establish- tion• but those he r free " re ee" l tiiii l; re % ments would apply to the preservation of personal safety. be more likel Hear, How could it be said in the case of an army that they should or self-interest. ( in the consiu e ~e ° !pes ``by t tc e l buy in the cheapest market? No doubt they might get men itself to his mind, more c°i' clue " doc trl e i to to & hear.) l r r atio t he i ° itti 1 ,1 ,) whether it would be cheaper in some parts of the world than at home, but could b a d bef n oe the Y, r oo„tio„°.? ) they place the same dependence on them. Would the same British empire to freedom of trade men possess the same motive or quality ? It had been said that which or to c °nt"' eent uri t e est " rd be ti lf + s t the repeal of the corn-laws must reduce the prices ; or it must Honourable Baronet, e _ tste e f o r . . 0 a .Me oa t ,t ... , not. reduce them. But if they reduced the prices of corn, agriculture, which had e a; w i t h te the f . 10 t0 , 1 , el' lel e fe i did they not r isk unsteadiness in the markets. The Hom tion s hould be approabehene said that i s oel e p a roP e c st e e toe l Member seemed altogether to have overlooked the fact that liberation. It had , changed °c ura ble ,d 'a s l a , ' , these laws were enacted to ensure steadiness of side of the House he t e t, „,_ ht ga . no d 0 loilhollocNoy; prices. Even if they bought in the cheapest tion merely because the suit; which he r 2l t hose bi , 00,i e e efi P market, it might so happen that the market, even the cheapest Proper to change took, beg t " ei t i e enc et t,„% s on ° f 0 114/ market, might be an exceedingly dear one, and the country (Mr. Barkly) " himself W as "" she ePTiaeta t c e :1 1 A might again find itself in the same state as in the years 1841 say so, that he . geen ced bY f „ r e' o neot i sie e and 1842. The distress of these years was produced by their He would not be in their characteLcsooi .in re,,,,,,, commercial relations with America and the reaction on the mone- men, however h t igh th at the siti re " a ' t le'Lder'ver t el° 4 l 4 ° tary system athome. He begged political economists, who were It did strike him by the t" ° --r was J s tbs t 'O O earry out those lotto reop , 1 0, the strongest advocates for the extension of their trade, not to been lately made Of free-tradeliotatge ioo 10. 0 , 00 direction refer to this argument, because it was a most unhappy one for the ) Fe o f opi n . , b 54.0 01 Hear, heart) ounce „ lis ter ~ i themselves. But the Hon. Member said that it was very hard fact. — The Hon. Member listened to that the manufacturers should pay a duty on corn in addition change(' but m erely an for I ' l h. — to their other taxes. He was prepared to prove, in the trade.. . ... first place, that the manufacturers paid only those taxes evening, said that be h id It . , , .. • . a esiosinos l s" I He feared that they could not but expect that the great masses of the people would be occasionally visited by distress. He feared that if the present cause of agitation were removed, there would not be wanting individuals who would point out other alleged causes of distress. There would be little diffi culty in indicating other of the most valuable institu tions of the country which would be exposed to the same danger as the corn-laws. The existence of tithes, the Established Church—the aristocracy—the existence of the great mass of property in the hands of the few, and the neces sary expenses of the Monarchy, would be made the most of by designing persons, in order to excite agitation. He certainly did not think that there would be much to be apprehended from such agitation, if they had a firm and steady Government, be. cause agitation always derived its principle from the weakness or strength of the Government. He for one could not attach such importance to the association of the Anti-Coven-law League as would induce him to withdraw the protective duties on corn. The experience of the Right Hon. Baronet must have shown him the danger of any concession. The experience of every gentleman in that House would tell him the necessity of keeping up the national institutions. The country was teeming with an energetic population, and an occasional popu lar agitation would arise, but they should not concede to it when their reason and judgment were not convinced. Ile thought that the advantages derived by the people were generally in an inverse ratio to the strength of the agitation. He did not intend to go into the question of the corn-laws, as so many gentlemen had preceded him in the arguments that he could use ; and if they went on at their present rate of discussion, they would arrive at a conclusion soon after Easter. He did not blame those Hon. Gentlemen who had gone inte the discussion of the corn-law question, be cause " Quand le cur est pleine, la bouche pane." It ap peared to him that ever since the members of the Government had taken upon themselves the task of acting upon the princi ples of political economy, they had made up their minds to act as if they had neither hearts nor feelings. It was upon this principle he presumed that the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of her Majesty's Government was now acting : and when his Hon. Friend the Member for Northamptonshire had made the speech which he supposed might have been addressed to one of his tenants, he had assumed to himself the character of a political economist. Now the fact was, that the friends arouud him were in the habit of acting as if they had hearts as well as heads; and had his Hon. Friend the Member for Northamptonshire spoken in his natural character, he would, instead of his own, have uttered the speech that the Right Hon. Baronet had made for him. Now, if the Noble Lord the Member for London, when he failed in forming a Government, had declared that the measure now before the House would be carried—if carried at all—not by the votes of those who had the pleasure then of supporting the Right Hon. Baronet, but by the votes of those who sat around himself, he (Mr. C. Bruce) thought after the speech of the Right Honourable Baronet—which he could not help de signating as a most imprudent one—there would be less inclination ,than ever on his side of the House to sup port the views which the present Ministry entertained Now he was not disposed to think that there were not ten or twenty men to be found in the country able to undertake the management of affairs—( Hear, hear)—for that would be re ducing them to the condition of his poor country (Scotland) after the battle of Chevy Chase, when ail their great men were slain ; but when the jolly English monarch heard of the death of Earl Percy, his words were— " Now God be praised, said the King, Sith 'twill no better be, I trust 1 have within my realm Five hundred good as he." And he did not doubt that England was not in worse position than she was then, but that she could easily find many able statesmen to guide her destinies. He considered that if they did pass this measure of the Government, they would see before two v ears elapsed an agitation which would compel them to repeal it. Ilut, in his opinion, those considerations were overborne by considerations of public morality, and by that respect and con fidence which should ever be maintained between constituents and their representatives. In his own case many of those who voted for him were tenants of the Gallant Officer to whom he was opposed, but they had confidence in his support of the opi nions in which he sought their suffrage—namely the sliding scale. It had been stated by the Hon. Member for Bridport that the landed proprietors of Scotland were in favour of the proposition of the Gcvernment. Now, he (Mr. C. Bruce) was of opinion that they were extremely dissatisfied with it. In Scotland the carrying out of this principle had been the means of creating the greatest alarm amongst the tenant farmers, and, in order the better to prove the truth of this as sertion, he would take the liberty of reading an extract from a letter which he had received from a friend of his, a considerable landowner in Inverness and Ross-shire. The Hon. Member then proceeded to read the extract, which was in substance to this effect : " That the announcement of Sir Robert Peel's measure had been the means of casting a gloomy sensation over the inhabi tants of that large district." And he (Colonel Bruce) had no doubt that that was the general feeling of the entire people of Scotland ; and he looked upon such a fact as a set-off against the assertion of the Hon. Member for Redford. If he (Colo nel Bruce) were to pass an opinion on the attempt of the Noble Lord the Member for London, in his late endeavours to form a Government, he would say that his conduct was such as highly became an English gentleman, instead of an advance ment for office, as it had been called ; and, therefore, he was entitled to treat his Lordship's letter as a speech from the throne. The Noble Lord, however, failed to form aMinistry, even for the temporary misgovernment of the country. His Right Hon. Friend at the head of her Majesty's Government adopted the Noble Lord's letter. He found all that that letter contained was very true ; but he wondered the Right Hon. Baronet had net found it out before.—( Hear. ) (At this time the Right Hon. Baronet Sir James Graham entered the House.) He was glad to see the Right Hon. Ba ronet come in, because he wanted to tell him how exceedingly anxious he was to say how his speech of the other evening read as compared with his admirable and conclusive speech of 1839. He well remembered the cheering with which that speech was received by the Members on that side of the House. He (Mr. C. Biuce) acknowledged that he had him self cheered until he was quite hoarse. It had created an im pression upon him which had never been effaced—certainly not effaced by the speech of the other evening. He was ready to acknowledge that the speech of the Right Hon. Ba ronet of last year showed a great modification of opinion. He would apply to the Right Hon. Baronet the language which had been used by the Ayrshire farmer to a Scottish Noble Lord. The farmer happened to meet in the street the Noble Lord, the proprietor of the farm he held, and the Noble Lord, anxious, like all Noble Lords, to be exceedingly kind and courteous where his rents were regularly paid, invited the far mer to his table, where he was placed, an honoured guest be side her Ladyship. Unaccustomed to the spendour which surrounded him, he permitted the first course to leave the table untouched ; but when he got a little more familiar, he was anxious to express his satisfaction in the most delicate manner to the lady beside him, and turn ing round in the most engaging manner, he said, " I need na ask yer Leddyship wha made the pudding."—(Laughter. ) The pudding which had been dished up for them by the Go. vernment plainly exhibited the master hand of the apron and white paper cap of the homesoffiee.—(Continued laughter. ) This measure, in his opinion, would touch most seriously in the department of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, arid he should like to know what that Right Hon. Gentleman would have to say on the subject, because he knew of no one on whose opinion, experience, or ability he should be more ready to rely than that of the Right Hon. Gentleman himself. An illus trious Duke in another place had announced that he sup ported this measure, not because his opinion had undergone a change, but because his feeling were in its favour, and he (Mr. W. Bruce) regretted exceedingly that that noble personage had allowed his Letter judgment to give place to his feelings. He thought that the Right Hon. Baronet had made one part of his speech plain, but in other parts he signally failed to show the truth of his position. He also thought that the Right lion. Baronet had signally failed to show that corn would be subject to a much greater amount of competition when the corn-laws were abolished. He failed, in his opinion, to show that this country would not be deluged with such an amount of corn as effectually to destroy the agriculture of this country.—( Protec tionist cheers.) The Right Hon. Baronet had said that he be lieved that such would not be the case, but he had entirely failed to show any grounds for his opinion. He had also failed to show that he might not, with perfect certainty of success, have made a great modification in the existing corn-law, which would have met with the general assent of the House.— (Cheers.) He had also, in his opinion., failed to show that there were circumstances in his position which, on his re sumption of office, justified him in bringing forward the present measure. He bait tailed to show whether it would be either wise or expedient to leave this country dependent for its sup port on foreign countries, which had already adopted hostile tariffs with regard to the manufactured articles exported from this country.—( Protectionist cheers.) Far be it from him ( Mr. Bruce) to join with any Hon. Gentleman in accusing the Right Hon. Baronet of any improper motives in bringing forward his present proposal. He had too deep a regard for the high character of the Right Hon. Baronet to make any charge against him of improper motives; he had too strong a regard for his integrity to do so.—(Cheers.) He believed that his motives were upright and honest. He well knew that the Right Honourable Baronet had at all times hitherto enjoyed the high character of being tl-e most distinguished advocate in that House of the rights of the people of this country. But whilst he honestly made this con fession, he doubted the policy of the prese nt p ro p osal of the Right Hon. Baronet.—( Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Bruce) gave every due weight to the obligation of consistency, and to the opinions that emanated from such ; at the same time he was bound to say, that he could not recognise in the present course of policy any such honest observance of former con sisteney.—( Hear, hear.) He should say that he could not urge anything like unfairness against the Right Hon. Baronet ral •,19Y HOUSE OF LORDS RAILWAY CONIMITTEES.—STANDING ORDERS. The following live Bills have been adjourned to a future day, in consequence of some slight inaccuracies. They ;nay, however, be considered virtually to have passed,- 1. Irish Great Western. 2. Belfast and County Down. 3. Newry, Warrenpoint, and Rostrevor. 4. Dublin and Enniskillen. 5. Londonderry and Enniskillen. PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS. (From the Votes and Proceedings of the House ofCommons.) THURSDAY, FEB. 19. the following Petitions for Railways were reported, and the Bllls ordered to be brought in 'ay the undernarued lion. Members: — London, Newbury and Bath Direct—Admiral Dundas and Viscount Duncan. Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Manchester (Barnsley Branch) — Viscount Morpeth, Mr. Parker, and Mr. Ward. Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne, and Manchester (Dukinfield, Wore borough, and Glossop Branches, and Sheffield Station)—Mr. Parker and Mr. Ilindley. Huddersfield and Manchester Railway and Canal (Bradford Branch) —Viscount Morpeth, Mr. Staustield, and Mr. Aldam. Wilsoutown, Morningside, and Coltness (Bathgate Branch)—Mr. o,waid, Mr. Colquhouti, and Mr. W. Lockhart. Wilsontown, Morningside, and Coltness (uaiedunian Junction)—Mr. Oswald, Mr. Colquhoun, and Mr. W. Lockhart. Fleetwood, Preston, and West Riding Junction—Mr. Clifton and Mr. Patten. Maldon, Witham, and Braintree—Mr. Dick and Mr. C. Round. Bristol and Exeter (Crewkeme Branch) —Mr. Acland & Mr. I'. Mlles. Dundee and Perth—Mr. Duncan and Lord Hallyburton. NOTICES GIVEN AT THE PRIVATE BILL-OFFICE. THURSDAY, FEB. 19. Lancashire and North Yorkshire Railway— Committee on Petition, adjourned till Monday, Feb. 23. The following Committees on Railway Petitions were adjourned till Thursday, Feb. A: — Wexford, Waterford, and Valencia. Surrey Grand Junction. Oldham, Manchester, Liverpool, and Birkenhead. Midland (Birmingham and Gloucester Branches). SECOND READINGS OF RAILWAY MIX MONDAY, 23. Perth and Crieff Direct. Ayrshire, Bridge of Weir, and Port Glasgow Junction. London and Croydon (Thames Junction Branch). London and York. North-Western. Saint Helen's Canal and Railway. East and West Yorkshire Junction. Midland Railway (Syston to Peterborough Deviations and Branches). South Midland (Northampton and Bedford Lines). London and Birmingham (Newport Pagnell Branch). London and Birmingham (St. Alban's and Luton Branch). Cheltenham and Oxford. Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle. West of Scotland Junction. Edinburgh and Glasgow (Amendment and Branches). London, lionn.slow, and Western. South Midland (Huntingdon Branch). Exeter, Topsham, and Exmouth. South-Eastern (No. 4--from Tunbridge Wells leading to Hastings and Rye). South-Eastern (No, s—Branch from Reigate to Dorking). South-Eastern (No. 6—Maidstone to Strood, near Rochester). South-Eastern (No. B—from Canterbury to Dover). South-Eastern (No. 9 —from Chislet to Margate). South-Eastern ( No. 10--from the Godstone Station to East Grinstead). South-Eastern (No. 11—Branch from Rye to Rye Harbour). Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock, and Ayr Amendment and Branches, (No. 1). Glasgow, Paisley, Kihnarnock, and Ayr Amendment and Branches (No. 2). Glasgow, Paisley, Kihnarnock, and Ayr Amendment and Branches (No. 3). Norfolk Extension (Derehrun, Wells, and Blakeney). North British Railway and Branches (No. 1). North British (No. 2—liawick Branches). North British (No. 3—Carlisle Extension). North British (No. 4—Gretna Branch). London and South-Western (Romsey and Redbridge Branch). RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS. BRISTOL, Fan. 19. STOCK ESCHANGE.-The sales are- Bristol and Exeter, New, 111.2 -Birmingham and Woucester, 126-Bristol and South Wales Junction, 21. 16s. 3d.-Caledonian, 14-Great Western, Quarter Shares, 181. i -Midland, 150 1 4 -Ditto, New, 28% -Vale of Neath, 3 -Dutch Rhenish, 7. 31ANCEIESTER, Fan. 19. STOCK EXCIIANCE.-The sales are -Birkenhead, Chester, Mold, &c., ItB dis.-Birkenhead, Lancashire, and Cheshire Junction, 3% p.- Direct Northern, 14 dis.-East Lancashire, No. 1, 4 p. -Ditto, No. 2,41 A p. -Fleetwood, Preston, and West Riding Junction, 14, p. -Goole, Doncaster, Sheffield, Bce., ltq p.-Iludderstteld and Man chester Railway and Canal, 6% p.-Huddersfield and Sheffield Junc tion, 12 1 A, p.-Leeds, Dewsbury, and Manchester, New, 228 Liverpool and Bury, UN -Ditto, New Shares, 3 p.-Liverpool, Onnskirk, and Preston, 314 p.-Liverpool, Warwick, Manchester, and Stockport, % dis -Manchester and Birmingham, 75-Manchester and Leeds Extension, 3% P.-Manchester, Midland, tti,a Great ! Grimsby, to D.-Manchester and Boothampton, t , 4 p.-Newcasr, and Berwick, 13 p.-North Staffordshire, 4 p.-!.touth Eastern and Dover, C on solidated Halves, 11. 195. p. - West Riding Unio n, 3 % p .- Great Luxembourg, 1% die. LEEDS, FEB. 19. STOCIL EXCOANGE.-The sales are-Louden and Croydon, 221 - Manchester and Leeds Extensions, 4 p.- Manchester and Birming ! ham, New Quarters (C), p.-York and North Midland Eaten : sion, 32-Leeds and Bradford, 53 c.-Leeds and Thlrik, 10-North British, New Carlisle Branch, 2k-Wilts, Somerset, and Weymouth, 3!8 -Direct Northern, 21. 3s. 6d. -Liverpool, Orrniiiirk, d and Preston, 5N -West Riding Union , 51 . 16 5. -Grand Union, 1% --Leicester an Bedford, 2s. 6d. dis.-North Western, 2/. 125.-Welsh Midlan ds, 1 / . HULL, FEB. 19. STOCK EICUANGE.-The sales are-York and North Midland, East and W. st Riding, Pi IA -Blackburn, Damen, mid Bolton, New, 21. 13e. W.-North British, Carlisle Branch, 21. 185. 6d.-Amber- gate, Nottingham, Boston, &c., 2!s -Derby and Gitinsborough, 16s. \-Goole, Doncaster, Sheffield, &c., 31. 75.-Grand Union, No.-Hull and Barnsley Junction, 345. 3d.-Linooln and Wainfleet, 345.- Lon j don and Birmingham Extension, 88.-Trent Valley Continuation, SHEFFIELD, Frs. 19. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The sales are—Grllneby and Sheffield Rail way and Dock, ii/,—Maneliester and Lincoln Union and Canal, 21. 64.—North Western, 21. 13a.—West Riding Union, 5 1 / ,',. NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, FEB. 19. STooK Excussica.—The sales are—Caledonian Extension, p. —Great Grimsby Extension, 13s. p.—Lancashire and North York• shire, ss. p. Notes issued • • .... 26,800,325 126,800,325 YORK, rim 19. I &rocs Excuanns.-The sales are-Eastern Counties, York Ex tension, 11. 145.-Grand Union, 11. 'lg.-Ipswich and Bury. B.X- Ditto, Extension (Norwich), 2%-Leicester and Bedford, It. Os. 6d. 1 -Newcastle and Berwick, 21%-Newcastle and Darlington Ex tensions, 10% -York and North Midland Extension, 33 -Ditto New (East and West Riding), 101. 3s. 6d. EDINBURGH, Faa. 17. STOCK EXCHANGE.-The sales are-Aberdeen, 101. lOC-Aberdeen Banff, and Elgin, 11. 18s. -Airdrie and . Battigate, 21. Ils.-Ar broath and Forfar, 281.-Ditto, Half Shares, 161. -Armagh and Portrush, 11. 15c-Ayr and Dumfries, 21. 2e.-Ayr and Galloway, 11. ISs.-Ayrshire and Bridge of Weir, V.-Banffshire, 11. 10s.- Belfast and County Down, 31.-British and Irish Union, 31.- Caledonian, 141. 10s. ex new-Ditto, New, 31. 17s. 6d.- , Caledo nian Extension, 21. 12s. 6d.--Caledonian and Dumbarton, 21. U.-- Caledonian and Northern Direct, 21. Ic-Carnwath and West Linton, 11. 75.-Chelmsford and Bury, 11.- Clydesdale Junction, 19/. 10c-Cornwall and Devon Central, 21.-Deeside Railway, 41. 10s. -Direct Northern, 21. 90-Dublin and Enniskillen, 41. 7s. 6d.-Duu dee and Arbroath, 391. 55 .- Ditto, New, 221.-Dundee and Forfar Junction 21. 12s. 6d. - Dunde s and Ferth, 141. 17s. 6 d. - Ditto, Kinross 'Extension, 21. 103-East Coast of Scotland, 2/ 135. -Eastern C ou nties Extension, 14,,18s. -East India Railway, 1/. ss. -East. of Fife, It. 195.-East Lothian Central and Tyne Valley Junction, 21. --Edinburgh and Bathgate,. V. 128. 6d. ex new-Edin burgh and Glasgow, 781. 10s.-Ditto, Half Shares, 161. 10s. - Ditto, Quarters, 191. 155.-Ditto, ditto, New, 161. 10s. -Edinburgh Glasgow, and Dumbarton. 16s. - Edinburgh and Leith Atthospheric, 11. 4s. -Edinburgh, Leith, and Granton, 19/. IN.-Ditto, Prefer ence, 201. 105.--Edinburgh and Northern, 61. 2s. 6d.-Ditto, New port, 11. 45.-Ditto, Lochgelly, 11. Sc., 6d.-Edinburgh and Peebles, 11. IN.-Edinburgh and Perth, 31. 14-.--Edinburgh, Portobello, and 31tusselburgh, It. 135.-Forth anticly Junction, .21.-Glits gow and Ayrshire , 76/ . 155.-Ditto, Stock, 27/. 158.-Ditto, Quarter: hares, 181. 108. -Glasgow Belfast Union, 21. Is.-Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle, 21. 96. -Glasgow and Dundee Junction, 21.- Glasgow and Garnkirk, 43/.-Glasgow and Greenock, 191. 10s.- Ditto, New Stock, 101.-Ditto, Preference, It. 155.-Glasgow Har bour Grand Junction, 1/. 185.- Glasgow Harbour Mineral, 21.- Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and AnirogSan, 21. 158. - Glasgow, Strathaven, 2 . 1. r l t l . o f t ,.d s .-- „o t i 1 1 [ L a i t , 0 31. J 3 u s t G i o r n e , a 2 t l N . t lr t r i e . a , t , d e o s u m i t i i t h y and Lesinahago w, Dunn, 21.-Great No Waic, , , Cs. tavern( s 5 and i Ight, I/. fig.-Lanark and Lothians, 11. 6,, 6d. - Larne And - London and Hounslow, 11. -1, u l l and Manchester (llastrick), 31. 12s. Gd.-London and )laulch,6ter (Rem.). 11. 175. W.-London and Windsor, 1/. 2e. 6d.- London and York, 4/.-Midland and Eastern Counties, 11. 17s. Gd - Morayshire. `2l.- Newcastle and Berwick, 22/. - Newry and Lon donderry,ll. 17s. North British, 251. 105.-Ditto, Halves, 71. 10s. -Ditto, Extension to Carlisle, 21. 17s. 6d.-Ditto, Extension to Dalkeith, 61. 10s. - North Wales, Mineral, New, 51. 10s.- Perth and Cried' Direct, It. 17s. - Perth and Inverness, 11. 165.-Scottish Cen tral, Ls/. taa.-Dltto. New, 91. 2s. 6d.-Scottish Central and Cale donian Junction, 1/. 14s -Scottish Grand Junction, 21.-Scottish Midland, GI. -Scottish i•outherin 11. Dia.-Shrewsbury and Here ford, 1/. - Shrewsbury, Oswestry, and Chester, 51. 55.-Ditto, New, it. 45.-South Midland, 41.25. 6d.-Stirling anti Dunfermline, 21.75. -Stirling and Midland, 21. 128.-Strathern Junction, 2/. 155.- Surrey Grand Junction, 1.1.-Teats and Dove Valley. IS. 3s. 6d.- Wishaw and Colinas% 51/. GLASGOW, FRB. 18. STocx EXCANGL.-The sales are - Airdrie and Bathgate, ss.- Ll Arbroath and Forfar, 28-Ayr and Dumfries Junction, British and Irish Union, 61s. 6d.-Caledonian, 141.-Ditto, Extension, 50S. -Caledonian and Ayrshire Junetion,"3s3.-Caledonian and Dumbar tonshire Junction, 498.- Direct Nortern, 455.- Dundee and Perth, I4X -East of Fife, 395. East Indian Railway, 25s - Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dumbarton, 19-Glasgow and Belfast Union, 455. Car- Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ayr, 76% -Glasgow, Dumfries, and lisle, 485.- Glasgow, Kilmarnock, and Ardro,san, 595. 6d.-Glasgow Harbour Grand Junction, 355.- Great North of Scotland, 61s. 6d.- Perth and Inverness, M.-Scottish Central, New, 9 X -South Mid -575. 6d. BANK OF ENGLAND. (From last Night's Gazette.) kn Account, pursuant to the Act 7th and Bth of Victoria, oap. 32, for the Week ending en Saturday, the 14th day of February, 1846 . ISSUE DEPARTMENT. .0 Government debt • . 11,015, 100 Other securities •• • . 2,984,900 Gold coin and bullion 11,177,282 Silver bullion ..... 1,623,043 26,800,325 M. MARSHALL, Chief Cashier. Dated the 19th day of February, 1846. BANKING DEPARTMENT. Proprietors' capital.. 11,55 X 3,000 Rest •• • • •••• • • • • 3,474,577 Public deposits (In aluding Exchequer, Commissioners of National Debt, Say ings -banks, and Di vidend accounts) , Other deposits s e ven day and other bills• • • • • - - , Government securi ties (including Dead Weight Annuity) • • 13,137,047 Other securities .• • • 22,251,906 Notes • .• • • .... .. 6,674,1175 Gold and silver coin. • 667,277 • 5,138,873 . 18,018,523 . 945,332 £ 42,730,305 £42,730,305 4. MARSHALL, Chief Caehler. 164 G. Dated the 19th day of February, THE FIRES AT LIVERPOOL. -OFFICIAL RETURN TIIE LOSSES.—The fires that happened on Tuesday and Wednesday, °F at Liverpool, were the most destructive that have occurred in the town for the last two years. The destruction of property is esti mated at about 65,000/. The warehouse burned down on Tuesday was insured for 2,500/. in erial ire office, and goods therein in the Royal Liverpool (a new office), Sun, Phcenix, Alliance, North British, Leeds and Yorkshire, Manchester, London Union, and Lon don Insurance Offices. The second warehouse destroyed (that knovvn as Rawlinson's), also situate in tho Gore, was insured in the Royal Liverpool office for 3,700/., and the contents for 36,000/. The owners are insured in all the above offices, as also in the Guardian and others, their names not ascertained. The Royal Insurance Office (Liverpool) is the heaviest sufferer by the fire, to the extent, it is 11 P s , l :,: o es si o otw t e r . ti r : lonnAast:l,:a.-,c4h0020011.; wheat, o p o o e k ur ri ; aI A , stated, 20,0001. The other offices are sufferers in the following Ali sh, Alli s o n n iocties.m,:i6e.l.soooonOf fd / e . oe ; n: N l33a o ,go r r h op B ; r 2 ,0 0 01. ; Leeds and Yorkshire, 1,000/. ; other ofilcos, 5,0001. The property consumedconsisted (*UM, liiI"ERIAL PARLIAMENT itIOUSE OF LORDS, Friday, Feb. 20. 1 The Earl of SHarrEssucir, in the absence of the Lord I Chancellor, took his seat on the Woolsack at Five o'clock. 1 THE CORN-LAWS. Lurd FEVERSHAM presented forty-six petitions from the North Riding of Yorkshire against the repeal of the corn-laws, land in favour of protection. The petitions were signed by landowners, tenant-farmers, merchants, millers, manufacturers, tradesmen and mechanics, and others in the townships of Gains- borough, Pickering,_ Easingwold, and forty-two other town ships in the North Riding. He (Lord Feversham) concurred 1 in the views and sentiments of the petitioners, said he viewed with alarm the measure brought in in the Lower House of Par liament, and they prayed their Lordships when the Bill was sent up to that House that they would not assent to it. They alluded also to the practices of the unconstitutional body calling itself the Anti-Corn-law League. He considered that if the sense of the country were taken, it would be found that the prevailing opinion was in favour of protection. VAN DIEMEN'S LAND. Lord LYTTLETON requested the Marquis of Lansdowne to pospone his motion on the subject of Van Diemen's Land, which stood for Thursday next, to a future day, as further papers relative to the matter were about to be presented. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE postponed the motion to Monday week. IRISH GRIEVANCES. Lord CAMPBELL rose, pursuant to notice, to present a petition of very great importance. It came from the inha bitants of the city of Cork, and emanated from a public meet ing held in that city, and was signed by the mayor and alder men and so many of the inhabitants, that the petition had been charged to him 8/. for postage, but which, by the courtesy of the Postmaster-General had been returned to him. The petitioners stated that they approached the Honourable House most respectfully, and that, ever loyal to the British Crown and the public institution, and mindful of the pledge entered into by the Sovereign, that the grievances of the people should be redressed, they laid before the House what they considered a very great evil —namely, the compulsory payment of a tax called " ministers' money." So little was known of the impost in England, that since he entered the House he had been asked by a Noble Peer of great standing and intelligence, if the im post of ministers' money meant the grant of Reaium Donum, which was voted to the Dissenting clergy by the Parliament. Now, the petitioners did not mean to interfere with the bounty of the Crown, nor was it their wish that the grant should in any way be intercepted or limited ; all they did was to lay a state ment before the. House of the weighty grievances that affected themselves personally. In the reign of Charles 11. an Act, which he should pronounce a very arbitrary one, passed, by which the inhabitants of certain corporate towns were subjected to individual taxation for the maintenance of the pastors of the Episcopal Protestant religion in Ireland. A NOBLE LORD—Yes, the tithe. Lord CAMPBELL should state that it was an impost quite different from tithes, and one paid to the clergy of the minority, by the Catholics and Dissenters. The late Secretary for Ireland, Sir Thomas Fremantle, had likewise admitted in his place in the House of Commons, that it was a very great grievance. Now, after so universal a condemnation of this tax, the only question for their Lordships to consider would be, what means they should adopt to remove it. He was rather astonished that when the Noble Lord opposite introduced his Act respecting Church Temporalities, that this tax was not removed at that time, for though the pressure of it was lighter, that very circumstance made it a greater grievance. While the former amounted to about 60,0001. the latter did not come to more than 13,0001. or 14,0001. a year, and for that paltry sum it was too bad that all the religious sects in Ireland should consider themselves aggrieved. He did not wish to say anything invidious of the Church, but he earnestly implored their Lordships to take measures for its removal, that the odium of it might no longer attach to the Church. He did trust, therefore, that their Lorships would, look favourably on that petition. He did trust that along with the measures of concession which were contemplated, that the removal of this would also be included, for, under the circumstances of that country, it would have a most favourable tendency. He would conclude by moving that the petition do lie on the table. The Earl of ST. GERMANS willingly admitted that he had stated in the other House of Parliament that this impost was a practical grievance, but he did not admit that it was evil in principle. He looked upon it as simply a grievance of a practical nature, and not to be considered as an insult jog act towards her Majesty's Roman Catholic sub jects. The Noble Lord was correct in stating that the impost was originated for the maintenance of the Protestant clergy in certain towns of Ireland, but the Noble Lord ought also to have recollected that at that time the Roman Catholics were by law incapable of holding any real property, and therefore the tax fell exclusively on the Protestants. It was only recently that Catholics were per mitted to hold property in towns, and they purchased those properties subject to the payment of this tax. It was a grievance of a much lighter character than the tithes, inasmuch as it was levied on the occupiers of those houses in those towns. The basis on which it was levied had remained unchanged since the time of Charles the Second. In Dublin it so happened, therefore, that houses which in the reign of that monarch had been occupied by opu lent families, were now tenanted by the humblest families ; while the rates had remained, comparatively speaking, the same. The same held good in other large towns — in London, in Glasgow, and in Edinburgh, where an impost of a similar character existed for the maintenance of the Protestant clergy. He had more than once directed his attention to the subject ; and he had been in hopes of being enabled to submit some other provision in lieu of it. Difficulties had, however, supervened, and he was not at that moment in a condition to say whether her Nfajesty's Government were engaged in the considerations of introducing any alteration with respect to it. He was not aware that he had anything further to say ; he admitted that it was a grievance, but as he 11.,,thefore stated it was only a grievance of a practical nature and not orrs serinded on prinelpi, .1- in tended to insult the Roman Catholic subjects. Lord CAMPBELL had heard with great satisfaction the explanation given by the Noble Lord. Lord STANLEY could answer the question why ministers' money had not been dealt with in the same manner as the vestry cess.' The ministers' money did not ap pear to him to partake in the slightest degree of the.: nature of a personal tax. It bad been a tax existing since the time of Charles 11., and was levied, not on individuals, but upon houses, and was as much a tax on house property as tithe was a tax on landedproperty in the country. It stood precisely on the footing. It was in no way a capitation tax, bu t was an ad valorem tax. All house property was purchased subject to this tax, and to abolish it would only be to put so much into the pockets of the house proprietors. The difference between the vestry cess and the ministers' money was this, that the latter was a certain tax, and the former an uncertain one. He ad mitted that the present mode of levying the tax was a defect , one, but he did not see how it could be remedied. Lord MONTEAGLE fully agreed with the Noble LI that ministers' money stood on the same footing as tithe. would venture to say, that of all classes of the Irish clert those who had the most onerous duties to discharge were ti least remunerated. He (the Noble Lord) was not then goin to deal with the question of the principle of the law of tithes All he should say was, that it gave rise to a most unhappy struggle between the pastor and the farmer, as regarded ap-: cultural produce ; for certainly distraining the furniture stock of the poor farmer, and selling them off, by pub, auction, was a most grievous proceeding. Now, the, impos of minister's money differed from tithes in this way, that thr former was levied under an old valuation, made as far: back as the reign of Charles 11., the consequence of which as that the heaviest taxation fell on t hose p arts of towns that were in the greatest state of decay, and in which resided the, poorest class of inhabitants. His Noble Friend opposite hid done himself great credit by stating that, when he had been chi: Secretary for Ireland, he was most anxious to find a remed' the impost. Many of the clergy were obliged in confequr of the difficulty of collecting the tax to give it up alr ,oget and in such a state of things he submitted whether it sv a , w , while to allow it to remain any longer on the Statti te _b, He was perfectly persuaded that if half the ingenu4,y wl was bestowed last year by a Noble Lord on a Bill Nein: landlord and tenant was devoted to this question, it y o ult satisfactorily settled. 1 he subject then dropped. THE GAUGE QUESTION. Lord KINNAIRD gave notice that, on Monday next would put a question to the Noble Earl, the Preside t of Board of Trade, as to the intentions of her Majesty' Gov ment with respect to the report of the Gauge Comm scion, PROTECTION TO LIFE (IRELAND) B LL. The Earl of ST. GERMANS said that he int °dues Bill a few nights ago for the better protection of life i Irel and since that certain suggestions had been made to bn he wished to introduce in the Bill in the shape of am ndme He therefore moved that these alterations be printed, that might be added to the Bill. Lord CAMPBELL suggested that the Noble E rl sh withdraw the first Bill, and that a new Bill, incl ding amendments, be introduced. The LORD CHANCELLOR said that the alter tions of a technical nature. The Bill was then introduced with the suggested lterai and read a first time. The second reading was appointed for Monday ne ' Their Lordships then adjourned. HOUSE OF COMMOAS, Friday, Ft i . 20 The SPZAKER took the Cha ir at a few minutes efore o'clock. NEW MEMBERS. Sir DE LACY EVANS took the oaths and his se t for minster, in the room of Captain Roue, who has cepte office of one of the Lords of the Admiralty. Th Hon. Gallant Member, who was introduced by Mr. B uveric Captain Pechell, was received with loud cheers on is entr Mr. Goocx took the oaths and his seat for Eas Suffol the room of Lord Henniker. Mr. FLOYER and Mr. SEYMEa also took th oath: their seats for the county of Dorset, in the room of ord and Mr. Sturt. Four RAILWAY BUSINESS. A petition was presented against the Aylesbur and Junction Railway Bill. The following Railway Bills were read a seco d tim, were ordered to be committed, via:— London and Brighton Railway (Dorking Branch • Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, and Midland June ion Ra Mold Junction Railway. North and South Junction Railway. General Terminus and Glasgow Harbour Railwa • Stirling and Dunfermline Railway. Edinburgh arid Leith Atmospheric Railway. Bristol and South Wales Junction Railway and erry. Windsor, Slough, and Staines Atmospheric Rail ay. Aylesbury and Thome Junction Railway. The O'CONOR DON moved that it be an instruct the Select Committee on Petitions, that in all cases o railway Bills, wherein the promoters shall havp prove( pliance with the standing orders in the House lof Lord; do give priority to the investigation of the compliant. the standing orders of the House of Commons applicable • Bills over all other cases which may stand for inquiry before them, provided due notice of the sitting of the Com mittee for such purpose has been given, and that the promoters of such Bills propose to prove the compliance with the standing orders, either wholly or in 1 art, by rivet voce evidence." The Hon. Gentleman proceeded to point out the difficulties at tendant on the present system, one instance of which he would point out to the attention of the House ; it was the case of the county surveyor of Westport. who, having proved his case in the House of Lords, had been wouldin the have tHee%eof Commons. come back again, obliged to go back to Ireland in order to attend the assizes , and he case same case Another o no p ta ve rwas that of a friend of his, who having proved compliance with the standing orde rs i n th e other House, found that there were 184 cases on the list of the House of Commons to be . beard before his case would come on th e reby t great inconvenience by the delay he w, dvexby putting him toience. Mr. GROGAN said his own motion on trer sub ' stantially the same as the one the Honourabnle r just proposed. It w o u ld be in the recollection of ther d House ber ha that at an early perio d of the p resent session both branches of the Legislature adopted a resolution to establish the prac tice of commencing Irish Railway Bills iii the House of Lords. ' His own motion, and that of the Hon. Member opposite, was simply to carry out that measure more practically and effectually, and seeing that it would facilitate rather than retard such _./ r e d rat So