The Sun. — London, England, 1846-01-28 00:00:00

firai rciaxatien or t h ese duties.—(llear, hn ar.) That is my hence ; I see something of this already at wore' in . tthheeri:t.st accounis frons the United States, notwithstanding ii°unare some indications of a hostile twilit in Look trY. I see something of that spirit at work. ti'lreii,sta.nce at the report lately made by the Secretary of United States.—(llear hear.) That shoasti r s e a! the exampl e is not altogether unavailing. In that Port Mr. Walker states, that in the conflict of op : P°,.„sing tariffs they sacrificed the interests of the co (7creen agriculture, and navigation of their , e° l .. ,lntry, As - well might they impose monarchic, : i 4tl" aristocratical institutions upon their Govel n rileeht. Let commerce (he says) be as free and as e "Pendent as our Governmeet, and advises them to nationP thei ports to all the world, and nation after icso.. would then follow their example.— (Cr i •_ ..._ t wiltean, hear.") And if the question should be as ed tone:;hailtl le gi , n answered e w r 'rk n ( ' ln 'f e venesa'ywsi)"; restric thatbtl;esethef'iset r, Erigler4 had w already abolished the . duties ; ti n n: L ost of their exports: they had reduced their duty • bread stude, Di ,,, ;'••-, i mportation of cotton, on ~, tt of je s " v "i ( ins, and other articles. The r, ducts. ill. ~..0 tariff (he adds) would lead to , vitdretsast:sdicratnotpt of revenue. Here, then, Sir a , n is the y oti n Ulu you have set the . er tieesupon your example—that reduced the amount of duties re. li tti i r of import and export, wiLhoet "nyp I rill? engagement with any other Government. op e e a ce g e ' v e Yon more examples—l can give a country, o er l ie -c '' as a country can be to the United States, n t ~. ni, intercourse,eoinutuin s 'tensing liberal views. I must say, in justice to l Il e n rc ign rho now rules over that ceuntry, that tains iee,"ve seen documents written by opeitznth respect to freedom of commerch i sl i fe etti r is as liberal as could come from . any es g i, c ' r • --- (Hear.) That Sovereign is constantly 'tee g a relaxation of all commercial a duties, v.. I d sol e . 0 not despair that at . _ „ct. . very t his wishes will be carried into e , fr same -a ex_ atee le sh °wing an inclination to follow th:_. ..) .__ l., _ d e l' io i end also other couluries.—(Hear,hcar. o ,S ng i 0 1 set eiipeestiir that the example which the , are g le i con t . ta me ,,. 1 he elk:eyed by every other country on tl example fe e '''' tnd that they shall quote you as irPietrenieg a similar course.— hear, hear,aaned e'heeNrys...), eo tert t n't this freedom of commercial intercourse i i i i Iloti e l nt e 1 ! new bond of peace—(Cheers)—. a i nd in t a h t at h t a n ve Re e l, 'MI not oppose any measure whic 1 . ) ,c of s 145 e e a t " d "neY i fur the permanent continuanc. tot sue de will prevent us from being exposed tv 1) 5 n fluctuations,and new will gain for ~ think we 4 01111 c°a'tineers. And I do . be ' neglect no opportunity to gain such of e D 4clv antage by having an abundance It te‘ae food in this couny.— (Loud cheering. ore,„ . n ee said that I have proposed these measures in ot I ''ealth • - i fa i ster a love of gain and an accumulation of ' ec titni 1 - " vise these on no such principle. I believ f e ca. Nee t !' a tion of wealth—that is the increase 0 ain , . 414; 1 ," one of the means by which we can m has sserittlp eminence of this country which she I . lieve held over the other countries of the world. But 3ece,i7etlitd to show that abundance of provisions and to the aceYn which is the main thing, not only contributes . c t° tCtinialation of wealth, but it is directly conduc k iv ,, wi se e alleviation of allpublic burdens. It leads h e tog t t ' the alleviation local burdens by diminish heall. it °llia ' s cif paupers, but above all, and before tlit4iis heonduciveto the spread of morality, by 11914 rt i v -in g the temptations to crime that arise fro t m . Rive '*--(l,lear, hear.) I ask you, therefore, el, O or lii,Pitir consent, not on any narrow i re' -IHiciPle connected with the mere accumulation v hehe,,th (or increase of the revenue), but upon the far Litn'ir PrinciPle of increasing morality. Depend upon 4 Xae 3. , (1 increase luxury you will increase voluntary b .' el3 tl in Se - n ' t , I 4s k you, therefore, for the sake of morality - P °ll th ` e this measure. I ask you to consent ha to nd i - t se e , ame Proof which I have brought you, that.a you Il leey i cheapness diminish crime. I could give ehss °stances of what the social effects of comparative . I , l llPriesB l ; c ti , l Y naa 'oc a c r u e r in numbers to the mind of this I. ee s t c'. „ is sail that there is no danger of scarcity. b ut 4,-43 scarcity ? It was a relative question. , etit re 43 scarcity to some might not be so to others ; tiee, hadreleer that the lapse of three years of abund revlie that a great Ch_ ange in the habits and the of g 8 °I the cehereparatirc peo c hs en ( s l a iear, hear ) Three years had indeed produced the 41'g'• That, whichaie was not scarcity ; in 1 h ardh Winter of 1842 would be scarcity . noa. til e G e c e ) l tile other d• y th ' est in one of the battalions or B ; :i kli er -r ` 43 the increa 4 se , in the number of the private 41 ., 6 le 4 st % ,. 110 had applied for furloughs during l' re `q ae; ',, e ,ar years was very great, and had bei h n recsdirh-e-`IY on the increase as compared with 4 la ;:g Years. They had more than doublets . itk're44'so(l I Was told that the reason of this ill 4:it f %teal Was that the friends of these soldiers hadb l e a e s z t s 'lv for that comfortable circumstances during the Is kt t (l iei v a 'e4r s 3 trikn l i, confess I thought this a singulardatie,moral instance of the . abundances this occasti„"iisted 1; . ; this country. I also think that m o to ea (I'll the th e lelve of absence Joe ti, c : the soldier, for it was products i vF f permitted sim s tli f •" sc'ejetY of his friends, and made him return di, titeis duti es es better qualified for theperfo „ r h m_anic was tt l 'Pos ed . • t I Wa . s asked the other night e ie When, n disturb the state of prosperity -" ' "" I hav e alluded ? I was told that the e pYear s " 'ace of the abundance of the last three ie rs no ktflicient plea was given for disturbing . tie . , inch „arrangements for that prosperity co-existed HI th e '" alterations which had been made is la ‘ • • i , th e ., „ ‘ in 1842. My answer to tli veteb or `,"e prosperity referred to existed up to th e bi „ . last year • 'but in that year, and during ieeti—ns°atbs that' have s i nce e l a p se d, all in precedine• 4 PPenNd . ojr, Then, prosperity have dis -4s sYM ath ne t.: and since b then, there had been recturinP y eeekeen the prosperity ' of the menu- I N thagt classes and the prices of food. I con reesen to rotn the Month ()I' October, 1845, we had con- The; A I feel inl ' flat a great change was necessary. e ner M. r ) . -re etie n are the proposals, which, on the part Ca le Oesty, we have to lay before you.—(Hear, hear.) kelh- th , 4ve nothing to feir from any ungenerous Peet 7 of this Rouse There has been no ap e,iit_o th e Popular feeling on this question. The or th g, the eeneral feeling of the country, is in favour epktjaelisettlement of this question. We can now ° eat ',, it in a proper spirit. There has been a ItiestiorTrucietY on my part with respect to this tiltl rself . Inc example You set in tai uon I ,`ltieste m oie settlement - of this all -important „„her e 1 \\ : 'ill be followed in the rest of the world. 1 7,,,,deie g -s 411,.Y...e.,ur justice, in y , , , o . ur wisdom, the means e• sub ie Jesuce on this question, because you are e`, ° .. n ise t ' s e t t i t: any coercion.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) (1/7ests a u tni ar in . mind . tha weth than the have worse present 4114totiri o h ;e 4r ) - -an v‘ d o r t s h e a t re ' a measu a res which I have -e'lleeret-,,Lne Rouse have been brought forward with the Itlt t.tiee' e sire of effecting an adjustment of those great ` h ti ° , pl.liic which p rsent eo . prominently occupy 1. 1 's t, „ a ttention, and that . they may ultimately tha t bee p LW' advantage of her Majesty's subjects. They ; slikt t broue.bt- forward from a sincere desire ' ll 4 l l t tie7 t Y 1,411 benefit all classes without is I Rht f o x a gricultural body. They have . not . been - R he ward without the deepest consideration hay °elt ) '" give th 0,,, e‘ „ -n to the e ff ect which y th ils t o ". or the country. I therefore . recommend . Hance o e )oer calm and dispassionate consideration, in itZ,r'f'!?ope that th 9• will conduce to the mainte- Of flt tlril ' l ndly relations bet7e . en different classes of P'ile unttY—to giving securities for the . permanence 4,,, ( anal • the eß st , With the assurance of maintaining loyalty ~s ' e e ~,l'er majesty's subjects ; that . they . will increase then 1. :s 1 )1 1:) -F i th (1 ,! tk 'en and better _ i t . he ht con n d o i n u . on of' the whole Baronet rho te ed ti " i Publi c , The 1 from house nearly three lir, () Pp, • s .'eat, amidst loud lg cheers principally hot 'sitihalfavine• addressed the Sir 441 a few minutes toterteethefl)LEß r , again in a 41 m PEEL rose , tti)i le w 4 concluded his statement, and said he wished tt, h e . T W . titne which fee House might deem reason 4iaeuse ne c oesideration of He did not ex his prop he': th 4t ,!'on of it should take place. but u e sition before eetdct4l,l unreasonable time wonld be required,ic House t i e ' , lr lt.ine entirely guided by the sense of t_. a ne _ - ei e '? ° f th e te l . g ,te s LIS said lie would wish to ask il . 5 11 te nese; '''itit lion. Baronet in reference to the hii . a a . fi e . th,,(t,of t he statement. The Hon. Baronet had J a fe., n eiel „ e ",, , 13 speech should be a commercial and not th ' ;, th e Ne t: ; but he conceived it would be impossible.to Risr• 414sur( to understarel its position in reference e tie e , h eit, ,e, unles s the Right lion. Gentleman wouldthe li g: ste t u, )en,sonee general terms, an idea of what the as h e i rel.l4 l Sib of the. burdens on the land, as well ei te Otliy "PelltlitUre of the State. For there was to I,;,Cntli,t„,ea of at remission of the revenue, but also an lier en S. (.I'elp,s.,,°Me 600.000/ in the aggregate. 'coati" 'Me evonld wish, before tine Right lion. ,e11,11(4, eo.44l(i.ered .1, 9. te ‘, ll at question, to ask him whether . he 11 a t i l . cif ti e , - at day fortnight too soon fur the (ha d Ilaeoen 4.,ar; queation.—( Cries of " Oh, oh," an ass " 1 11 1 1 - th4 t • t li e b - ' ' remind the Right Hun. ,„ - -ee i t i : w eti i . egeers to i ll esti e 1 this ei Ilse, impessible before that time to this tc : i t h q n. c , -- clie- u l t l'e the interest connected with IL 'h e li ji-sti nti 4r ' 4505 .) The Hon. Baronet, had alluded .a th' t t -.e erit4la?,f,,,fre , trade ; but whatever opinion ire ferthlineee , -- "e‘e now by those who were opposed to frn„ght le e t h ce al,3e he would say this, that before a f the h e m - 's i f --``' 130 hen 1 ) 1 f the opinions o ee l%) i was , -.possi e or ME ar, the I t Ile t4 "d to reach this House. of ~,,, otte, Who astonished that the other side of the ce t iv.te in e4„O professed to have the feeling ~., , i' l. ll to th at u f r ut . their polities, should show an aPP II itti . 11,,.. eeling. It) pplieaututE ee' that so far from being afraid of , such th e li t e 'Meteb e ll e ' theY anxiously expected the event. , f he Ire"' w ished - w as under a mistake if he thought that 11, 41 the-, t ' ) av uid any discussion until they heard 441. Pei,,lii",stituents.".l2hat would be placing his I.,„Rtr. II 'i Sir It. Peel in a condition which he hoped i t , I is piseeale) would never see him occupy. Sir 11. ti c ?irs erit i t was to think for the people, and give his Oi s 11°Ped thatth'.'nl.—(Cries of " Oh, oh," and laughter.) ter reel , Snr IL Peel - would not hesitate to adrai.. Y (1 1 e r to the requiring Ito e 4 3', th •country, and, so far from , trio ne k ern , erat relief ought to be immediate ; and if the iv ° p se e mbar Would only apply the principles of COM" onla be , 0 the case, he would not be at any loss, but 1 Ail I t. :;;., I ._ to enter at once upon the debate. 14 11 111 Just t.,..sti;.L.here rose and said—lf I may be allowed, d ue l ea , ' l' the Hon. Gentleman to allow me to c ei 14"" 3 i'" defel think the ~I , ow l is ~,.. ice.---.(Loud laughter.) I ott reje et i on 'u i , of great importance, and the acceptance k Vaee to th e ° ' the propositions made is of great conse -I:lktJeet to country. I should be the last persons to ioe . an y oPportunity being given fur due conside leezi , Qin it is also of importance to many to know as 1 te " POSSibl •iil i k t , e the course Parliament intends to adopt. f ur the 111 nat.next Thursday week will not be too seen , k , sideration of this important subject. i ese e ,', LES said, that whatever the Anti Corn-law th e -:e might say, it was but just for the House to give tes4:eltist serious and deliberate consideration to the i11.t3 .t3 o r , . . ' the agneulturaliste—(lleer, hear)—and he therefore conceived that the Right Hon. Baronet's pro. position to enter into the full consideration of the question on Thursday would be decidedly' unjust and premature.—(Near, hear.) It would be necessary for all parts of the Houso, those concerned in the mann lecturing, as well as the agricultural interests, to weigh the subject well before they came to any final decision. —(Hear.) He would remind the Right Hon. Baronet that when he proposed the Income Tax Bill, no less than eight weeks were allowed by him for the full con sideration of the question, and surely this subject was of far more interest than the income tax.—(Heer.) Sir R. PEEL said that he had no objection to postie no entering into the subject until Mon day, instead of Thursday week.—(Loud cheers.) At the same time he would state that the Government intended losing no thee in bringing the matter to a final issue.—(llear, hear.) He might also add, to what he had observed in the course of his speech, that when he.proposed a reduction in the importation of raw material, he had anticipated a great loss in the revenue, but he had been most agreeably disappoint( d, for the consumption of those articles lied so much increased, that there had been an increase in the revenue (luring the past year in that respect of 4,000,000/.—(Hear, hear.) And the gain with respect to articles formerly paying customs'-dues had also, during the past twelve months been very considerable. Lord JOHN RUSSELL wished to know whether, if they adopted the resolution of the Right Hon. Baronet, the question of the corn-laws would be one or the first that would come und( r the consideration of the House? Sir R. PEEL said, that the Government was anxious to give the House and the country an opportunity of pronouncing its opinion upon the subject of the corn laws at the earliest perioA, and they would therefore en deavour, when this question would again come before the (louse, to arrive at some great leading principle of action.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. LIDDELL then rose to address the House. He was at all times anxious to meet the wishes of the House, and he could assure it that he never rose to address the House with more diffidence ; but he felt bound to express his opinions upon the important ques tions that had been alluded to. His opinions were in opposition to those of her Majesty's Ministers. The Right Hon. Gentleman, he was sure, would do him the justice of admitting that he had not a more faithful or staunch supporter than himself in the House. Ever since 1830 he had given his adhesion to him, and never until this moment had he cause of regret.— Hear, hear," from Colonel Sibthorp.) He had sup ported him throughout the whole tariff and the admis sion of foreign 'cattle ; and he had also supported him in his measure with respect to the Canada Corn-bill. Till the very last moment he had continued the confi dence he had hitherto placed on her Majesty's Govern merit. He had even declined to attend a Protestant meeting in his county, so convinced was he of the con sistency of the Right Hon. Baronet and the Govern ment. But when he heard on the first night of the session the speeches of the mover and seconder of the address, and that the Right Hon. Baronet him self abaudoned the principles of protection he had hitherto held, he felt that the time had come when he c ould support him no longer.— (Hear.) He was perfectly ready to admit that the first question which should occupy the attention of the Government in the present condition of affairs was, the question that the poor must be fed.—(hear, hear) That question he had never lost sight of. The Premier had declared that they could no longer support the policy of protec tion on the grounds which he had formerly entertained, and that if the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton were again to bring forward his measures for the repeal of the corn-laws, he could not conscientiously oppose on the score of protection. He (Mr. Liddell) confidently, with the opinion that the poor must be fed, would main tain that an abundant and cheap supply of food might be obtained, and, in fact, had been supplied for years, under the principle of a protective duty. On these grounds, if on no other, it was proper that protection should be maintained which had prevailed throughout a long series of years. He would take the liberty of qnotin; from a speech made in 1843 by the Right Hon. Baronet, which would materially assist him (Mr. Lid dell) in the course of argument which he wished to pursue. "The protection," said the Right Hon. Gen tleman, " which I wish to retain, I will not retain for the agrandisement of any particular class. The only protection which ought to be tolerated is that which will provide for the benefit of the whole class of the peo ple." On those grounds the Right Hon. Boronet had formerly supported protection, and he (Mr. Liddell) could see no reason why he should now depart from the principles which he had then laid down. But what had occasioned the change in the principles of the Premier? The Right Hon. Baronet had said that his principles had undergone a gradual change, in consequence of the benefits which he had perceived to accrue generally from a remission of protective duties, and the immediate cause of the Premier having taken the steps which he had was the failure of the potato crop in Ireland. The remedy which the Right Hon, Baronet had proposed to meet this admitted evil was, in point of fact, no remedy nll.—(hear, hear.) If he had sent 100,0001. or 200,0001. into Ireland to be expended in the construction of public works—in such case, he (Mr. Liddell) could conceive there would be some improvement in the con dition of the poor in Ireland. It would be putting money into the pockets of the labourers, and they would be enabled to live in a state of comparative comfort. He (Mr. Liddle) would admit the great merit which on various occasions had distinguished the proposals of the Right Hon. Baronet, and which had induced him (Mr. Liddell) to give him his support, but on the present oc casion he could not conscientiously give him (Sir Robert Peel) his support. Wages were never so high, and never had there been a greater demand for labour than at the present moment, which was a pro et that the system of protection should not be further interfered with. If, in the course of his arguments, the Right Hon. Baronet could have shown that the price of grain had increased, or was likely to increase, he (Mr. Liddell) thought it would have formed a stronger argument for the adoption of the course intended to be pursued by the Govern ment than any other that had been brought forward. The contrary, however, was the case. In 1840, in endeavouring to arrive at a price for bread, which should remunerate the vendor, and at the same time be within the reach of the consumer, the Right Hon. Baronet had taken the average price of the preceding ten years, and had fixed the proper price at ss. 6d. per quarter, which he considered as a fair and just price. Now, he (Mr. Liddell) had calculated the average price of corn for three months, up to this day, Jan. 27, 1846, and found that it was 565. Bd. per quarter, which was the exact price which had been fixed as a fair and just average. On this ground, then, there appeared no cause whatever for the repeal of the corn laws. He would tell the Right Hon. Baronet, that if in consequence of the great changes which he had pro posed, any material diminution should take place in the price of corn, and that in consequence vast tracks of land should be thrown out of cultivation, the parties that suffer would not be the large landowners. Those who in the first place would be the sufferers would be the tenant-farmers—those who had expended their capital in the improvement and cultivation of their farms ; and the next victims le ould he the small landed proprietors, who tilled their own land, and who had invested their all in the improvement of their land. His constituents should not have to reproach him (Mr. Liddell) for hav ing departed from those principles of protection, to sup port which he had been returned as their representative. He for one would not betray his trust, he would not appear before his constituents in any other light than as the avowed• supporter of protec tion, to which principle he had pledged himself. There was another body of men that would be affected by the proposes measure—he meant the clergy. The clergy w eerfe the et Right ght ie overpaid itt. body Baronetof men, would yet e the e apro positionsien considerable in nsidera t b hat lelo a s s v o e n r3 t , h s e t i r r e i e n g c o m objectionex.— (lle t a e r, th hear r . o ) ' pes l e i .t e mi change. He had still a no th er o bj ect i on to thee r llr) tion—it would cause a falli ng o ff i n the quantity(". of home 'grown corn. If so, that wo u ld b e a very t evil, as a falling off in the growth o f t h at artielew g . ea ould occasion a diminution in the demand for labour, the rate of wages would fall—(Hear, hear)—and the parish burden., would be increased. These were the fears that he entertained on the question, and why lie stood up in the House to place his sentiments on record. He wished to say a few words on the subject of compensation proposed by the Right Hon. Baronet. He (Mr. Liddell) had no doubt on his mind that the reduction of the duty on a groat number of the articles named would be bene ficial, and be satisfactory to the country. He particu larly concurred in the policy of placing the whole of their colonial possessions in the same position as Canada, and he saw in the Canadian Corn Bill a far-seeing measure, as it were extending the lEgis of protection not alone over the Colonies, but over the seas e hick connected them together.—(Hear, hear.)—The ex pectations of the country on auit measure had been re alized; shipping had increased in the last eighteen months to a greater extent with that colony than they had done from the repeal of the navigation laws. Ile looked upon the policy then as wise, and he now con curred with the colonial policy laid down by the Right Hon. Baronet. But when he (Mr. Liddell) heard it stated, that on the Est of February, 1849, the whole corn-laws were to be repealed—the process to go on gradually till then—he could not on any ground of com pensation stated, reconcile himself to the change pro posed by the Right Hon. Baronet. The Right Hon. Baronet talked of the 16,000 managers connected with the various trusts and roads throughout the country connected with highways and local improvements, the waste and improvidence they occasioned, and the necessity there was for a consolidation of their powers ; but however true that might be, a n d h owever d es i ra bl e it was to have a change, it was not therefore necessary to repeal the correlaws.—( Hear, hear.) It could as well be done under • the existing corn-laws. Then the law of settlement was ! referred to, but however humane and proper the Right Hon. Baronet's proposition on this subject might be, why mix it up with the corn-laws? Then agricultural improvements were referred to, but he sees little advantage in that proposition. If land offered a proper security to parties having money to lend, there was no difficu lt y in g ettin g i t now. And if the land was so poor and encumbered that the proprietor could not I raise money on it in the ordinary way, he saw no great V- I vantage in getting the money as a loan from the Government. Then other local burdens, to the amount of 50'3,000/, were to be removed on to the Consolidated Fund. That he admitted was a benefit, but not at all adequate compensation to the in terests affected by the change. It would have been easy for I him to have taken another course, and ho was aware of h's peculiar situation in the county he represented ; yet, notwith standing this, he would honestly state his conviction. Before this question was settled, he thought the country ought to be I appealed to. He, for one, was not afraid of meeting before his constituency those who were now raising the popular cry cf cheap bread. He said this, though threatened with serious opposition in the county he represented; the Lord-Lieutenant thinking it not inconsistent with his duty to make a canvassing speech against him (Mr. Liddell). He would, nevertheless, whatever difficulty it might occasion, or whatever opposition he might raise, act up honestly and independently to his con , victions.—( Loud cheers from the Conservative benches.) Captain ROUS said that, seeing the manner the Right Hon. Baronet had been met by those behind him, be considered it was his duty, as the Member for the city of Westmitister, to state to the House that he would support him heart and soul, as he considered the measures proposed were for the good and welfare of her Majesty's subjects. On many questions he had voted against the Right Hon. Baronet, but never against his general policy. He was not like some gentlemen in that House, going into the gallery and voting against the Right Hon. Baronet, without adducing a single argument, or offering a single remark for so doing. He recollected one case of this kind happening last year. He, for one, would not go there to vote if he was not prepared to give his reasons for that course. —( Hear, hear.) He recollected that, in 1842, he made a speech in favour of the existing corn-laws, and against the pro position for an Bs. duty ; but since 1842 h e had seen good grounds to alter his opinions. Since then there _had . been a failure of the potato crop , and the mai -1 nent danger—had there been th ae wheat crop longer weuld wet weather this season—that thhaavtetbheeepnedpeuslatrtoieyned,„..asTeheinst,incouuapliled yin w er it e h asi a n n g o , th ,o e , r hil agme e r th u e nt, soil on which their food was raised was confined to a limited area, a . h s‘ t 'a of s said had thatopera t t h e e d hisonwould to throw mind bring t about iltlhi millions aot;gec acres ou cultivation ; but, as arable l a n d could p roduce three times more than grass land, there w as no p roof that the land m easure would go out of cultivation. But if the land went out of cultivation, and if there were labourers out of work, they would be very glad to go upon it, and work it, profitably to themselves and the proprietors.—( Hear, hear.) He had not prepared a speech—he had not come down to the House, like some Hon. Alembers, with a speech ready prepared against the proposition of the Right Hon. Baronet, without hearing it. He would, therefore, conclude by saying that he would give the greatest possible support to the Right Hon. Baronet, and if he failed, and a dissolution of Parliament took place, and the Noble Lord the Member for the City of London succeeded to power, he ( Captain Rolls) would support him with the same zeal as he had supported the Right Hon. Baronet.—( Cheers. ) Mr. STAFFORD O'BRIEN said he would not have occupied the attention of the House had he not been so per sonally referred to by the Hon. and Gallant Gentleman who had just sat down. lie had referred to his going into the gallery and giving a vote without a speech. Surely all reason for a vote was not to be found in a speech, but that it was possible for there to be such without resorting to a declaration of that kind. With respect to past votes, and past proceedings, there was not much reason for many of them to congratulate them selves, as even the Hon. and Gallant Gentleman had himself referred to his own proceedings on the EO. duty. They ought to let bygones be bygones, and not enter into matters in which so many of them would present so very strange a figure. He might remark, that if the Hon. Member for Stockport took credit to himself for the change of opinion that had taken place on the corn-laws, the Right Hon. Baronet denied that either the speeches or the arguments of that Hon. Gentleman had had the least influence on his mind, in making the present proposition. The Hon. Member for Stockport talked of the obtuseness of intellect that characterised the country gentlemen, who would not he influenced by his coun sels, but it was curious that while they (the supporters of Protection) and the Right Hon. Baronet differed, they should, according to the logic of the League, be therefore equally de ficient in mind, and incapable of appreciating sound argument. —( Hear, hear.) It had been asked by an Hon. Gentleman on the other side (Mr. Hume) when it was remarked that they should go to the country before settling this question—" Were they delegates that could not act without first consulting those who sent them ?" He (Mr. S. O'Brien) to this would say, that ali he wanted was to go to his county (Northampton). He did not wish to enter the lists elsewhere. He did not wish to be like that gentleman, the butterfly of the House.—( Loud laughter.) Not confined to one borough or county, or even one kingdom or island, but extending his flight to the sister is land, and finding, when driven from everywhere else, a refuge among the potatoes of Kilkenny.—(Laughter.) Mr. HUME— I never was in Kilkenny. Mr. S. O'BRIEN—If the Hon. Member was not, it did not mend the matter, and now he had sought a shelter among the heather of Montrose.—(Laughter.) In conclusion he would say, he remembered the principles on which he was elected, and would act up to them ; when he could not do so, he would resign his trust. After a few remarks from Mr. NEWDEGATE, which was inaudible in the gallery, Lord INGESTRE remarked that the Right Hon. Baronet had said nothing about how the averages of tithes were to be taken ; he should like to know ? Sir R. PEEL said the averages could be kept in perfect consistency with the proposed law. Lord INGESTRE very much regretted that he felt it his duty, in accordance with the principles he professed of protec tion to industry at large—not that he had any selfish aim in ask ing protection to agriculture, but because he conceived pro tection, as a principle, to be necessary for the salvation of the country—to oppose the Right Hon. Baronet. He felt that, in the speech made that night, as also that made at the opening of the session, there was not a single argument to convince him of the necessity of the organic change that they were doomed to forgo. He could not conceive, he repeated, any necessity for the change, for, since the year 1842, agriculture had been recover ing —.grain was obtaining fair prices—ample employment was afforded to every person, and therefore he did not consider that at present there was any need of this organic change. His own opinion was, with the Hon. Member for Durham (Mr. Liddell), that all these things were good in themselves, if they did not make themselves dependent on foreign nations for the food of this country. He could not, at the same time, conceal from himself that the country at large, and those with whom he associated, owed a heavy debt of gratitude to the Right Hon. Baronet. They could not forget his exer tions in the famous crisis of 1831-32, the period of the Reform Bill. He (Lord Ingestre) did admire the expressed deter mination of the Right Hon. Baronet on the first night of this session, that he would not guide the helm of the State unless that helm were allowed to traverse; but he (Lord Ingestre) had joined the Right Hon. Baronet's ship when it was sailing under other colours.—( Hear, hear.) He did not then expect that the landmarks of the people would have been removed. He would not lend a hand to hoist the topsail when they were going down the stream of destruction. They were, indeed, to have some further time for discussion, but he had taken the very earliest period to express his objection to any alteration of the present corn-laws. Mr. F. R. SCOTT said, that he had never risen with greater regret than now in opposing the proposition of the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of the Government. He (Mr. Scott) had come down to that House determined to hear the case before pronouncing a verdict upon it, and he exceed ingly regretted that the statement he had that night heard was not such a satisfactory one as, to induce him to alter the opi nions he had previously adopted ; namely, that support to native industry was the safest guard to the prosperity of the country. He had not pledged himself at the last election to any particular course of policy ; but as he considered that a promise should be held stronger and more sacred than a bond, so did he consider that an implied understanding was ever, in an honourable man's mind, to be held equally strong. — (Cheers.) The statement of the Right Hon. Baronet had not convinced his mind that there was any necessity for this change ; at no former period had there been more work or higher wages foe it. That was the case, particularly in the northern districts of England, and in the south of Scotland ; at no former period were the prices of grain so steady and so accessible to the poor. Surely that could net be a reason for abandoning the system which had led to that prosperity. There might be causes to lead to this change in the mind of the Right Hon • Baronet, but he much doubted if the same causes would con vince his colleagues. He would not deny for a moment that a cheap rate of grain had contributed in no small degree to the welfare of the country ; but he contended also that grain from their awn soil was the greatest benefit to their country. He (Mr. Scott) was sure that if the present system of protection were continued for ten years longer, there would not be in that country a discontented people. When the Right Honourable Baronet, at the last settlement of this question addressed the House, he assured the agriculturists of the country, that by agreeing to his measure they would fortify their position to such a degree that they could defend themselves against all foreign commerce. They (the agriculturists) were 'not placed; on equal terms with the manufactures in the changes which were to take place. A manufacturer could change his works, but the stock of the agriculturist was sunk in the ground, and could not be recovered. But the Right Hon. Baronet, although he had informed them that the duties were to be taken off the ex cise and the customs, had not informed them how the deficiency was to be supplied, whether by a property-tax, or by some other means. He again expressed his regret at the conduct pursued by the Right Hon. Baronet, and his own inability to sup port it. Lord G. BEN TINCK wished to know how the Right Honourable Baronet calculated the tithe averages. The present law supposed an average of 58s. Bd. a quarter, and tithes were paid upon that amount. It would take seven more years before grain would be reduced to 455. Were the agriculturists to pay on 58s. Bd. when grain was only 455. a quarter ? Sir R. PEEL explained that the proposition he had intro duced to the House would not, as anticipated, have the effect of reducing the price of grain to 455. per quarter. It was, however, at present quite uncertain what the result would be ; but he did not think the question of the Noble Lord required an answer. The same question might with equal reason have been asked in 1842. He hoped that the reductions he con templated would lead to an increased demand for labour, and that wages would in consequence so increase that grain would remain at steady prices. I f otherwise, the House could take parts e questionfbetnhc h e i s o ,u,wfs House) oso g al greeted d e the matter into consideration at a future period. Sir JOHN TYRRELL (whose appearance on the Oppo sitioniethhe tn He roars ec.ihi a. dB o f t. I:loeanuhegethnoot on that from hoaft ijei a ri ll t t e h l l i si a; R w h i oonneLf adeputation who waited upon the Right Hon. Baronet, occa sion had, as he might g say, presented a pistol at the head of his Grace the Duke of Richmond, by holding to him a docu ment, which had reference to the price on wool and with an air of triumph--" Look, the, he asked, duty on wool was reduced ld. per pound, prices have risen." But the reason that the prices had risen was, that English wool was required for the manufacture of coarse cloths, while for finer fabrics fo reign wool was imported. He regretted that this discussion had gone on, because it would end in nothing important, but the Right Honourable Baronet complained that this argument had only been met by vituperation on the part of his opponents. He confessed that he ( Sir John Tyrrell) felt in the position of a person in the Peninsular war, who might see the Duke of Wellington and his staff going over to Marshal Soult.—(Laughter. ) He believed that that was precisely as the agriculturists felt now. He felt that the Right Hon. Baronet in his speech from the throne.—( Laughter.) He would rather tell them what a farmer said to him one day when he was out hunting.—(Continued laughter.) He said Sir Robert Peel will only pull in front, he will not go into the shafts, and he wont pull in the middle.—( Roars of laughter.) The Right Hon. Baronet would force his dietuin upon the country, however much it was averse to it. He could not forbear expressing his opinion that the Right Hon. Baronet was not doing well in thus forcinghis opinions on them. It was perfectly true that the measures of the Right Hon. Gentleman might turn out as he anticipated, but he ( Sir J. Tyrrell) did not think that the supporters of the Right Hon. Gentleman had been well treated by him. He was surprised that the other Members of the Right Hon. Gentleman's Go vernment had said nothing in the way of explanation upon this subject. All that they at present Knew was that the Noble Lord the Member for London had written a letter from Scot land which had put the Right Hon. Baronet in a pretty con siderable fix—such a fix that he has been compelled to resign his office. The Noble Lord himself then came in, but he was obliged to resign in consequence of a demand made by some of his friends, that the Hon. Member for Stockport should form one of his Cabinet, a step violently opposed by the constitutional Whigs. And this was all they had heard. The Right Hon. Gentleman at the head of the Government had not thought proper to say anything about the potato disease. It was no doubt the potato disease which had brought about the present measure, arid therefore he (Sir J. Tyrrell) called the present the Potato Peel Government.—(Laughter. ) Colonel SIBTHORP rose to read a letter which he had that, morning received. The letter came from the Anti-Corn law League—( Roars of laughter)—and was marked "private and confidential."—(Continued laughter.) Coming from such a quarter "private and confidential" to him was something to be admired.—(Laughter.) Of course, if he received a letter marked " private and confidential," respecting a conspiracy to murder any Member of that House, of course he should not scruple to make it public.—( Hear, hear.) And so he would proceed to read the letter he held in his hand.—(Laughter. ) The lettercomrnenced—" My dear Si r ."— (Roars of laughter.) Certainly this might be •t in / s met er ntor n, but it was not fortiter in re. " The operations of the League in Lancashire, Yorkshire, Cheshire, Middlesex, and Lincolnshire, and other important constituencies, having secured a majority in favour of the prin ciples of the League in those important constituencies, the council feel justified in appealing to you to co-operate with them in their endeavour. Withi n t h e last two months they have succeded in establishing five hundred and • fifty-three claims and objections in East Surrey, and it only requires *vigorous efforts to be made to rescue the representation of East Surrey out of the hands of monopoly. lam there fore directed by the Council of the League to take the liberty of urging upon you personally "—I directed, sir, said the Hon. and Gallant Member, my butler to lock up every silver spoon I had in the house—( Roars of laughter)—" the im portance of your immediately obtaining a freehold qualification for East Surrey—(Loud laughter)—and that you also suggest the same to the members of your family and to your friends and relations, who it is hoped will, by your strenuous recom mendation, be induced to follow your example.—( Great laughter.) In all probability, upon the registration of 1846 and 1847, will turn the legislation of the country for the next seven years, and you are therefore reminded that the qualifica tion must be obtained before the 31st of July next. Re questing your early attention to this commuication, I remain my dear sir, by order of the Council, W. Pau riro.N.— P. S. On payment of 56/.—(Laughter) —at this office, 40s. freehold qualifications will he obtained for you, which will enable you to vete for the Eastern division of the county of 1 Surrey. The s um w ill i nclude the cost of conveyance. " Now he received this letter that morning, and he read it, but whe ther it came by the direction of the Right Hon. Baronet he knew not, but he strongly suspected that it did.—(Hear, and supportinglsaßi a .ios Baronet ueo h stn ey t e e , atr faithfully. ahm ) n a measure ahF, oppose perri without hatoi which,gous nueuhrett ventured ui b mt e on. r o s i trespassing_fos uu Honourable carried,mby el e ea a t r r 00 nahhwrgeet Baronet, nuuer f e . pdtl)cot,osn strike The the kddh e h eehr o aeanaßtt shouldeti ttoi s geh t nnhe p tt r r oi oo i mf d non e ott ohn i oow n ei tie House, he should sit down observing that a greater insult had never been offered to the country than had been offered by the Right Hon. Baronet that night.—(Hear, hear.) The Earl of MARCH said, in the present state of their proceedings, he did not intend to take up the time of the House by entering into arguments upon this great question. It was a subject of such vast magnitude that they could not be too careful in approachi ng it. At the same time, he must say, that never, in the whole course of his life, had he been more horrified, mere distressed, or more astonished, than when lie heard the proposition which had been propounded by the First Lord of the Treasury. He was perfectly certain that he could speak for his constituency, for he was sure he knew their opinions, and he was convinced they would not assent to, or accept in any way, the proposition which the Right Hon. Baronet had made that night ; and he now begged leave to tell the Right Hon. Baronet that he would meet with his strenuous, his violent, and most consistent opposition.— ( Hear, hear.) In the course of this session they had heard statements, made both in and out of the House by the Right lion. Baronet, of the reasons which had changed his opinions on the subject of protection, and he must say, that when he heard the Right Honourable Baronet, in June last, resist the motion of the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton, he certainly did not expect that in the following November the opinions of the Right Hon. Baronet would have undergone so serious a change.—( Hear, hear, and cheers.) But they had had the Right Hon. Baronet's state ment that his opinions had undergone a change, and they were bound to take that statement in the way in which it was offered. ( Hear, hear.) He should be the last person to attribute im proper motives to the Right Hon. Baronet for that change, but he did think the House and the country had a right to demand from the other Members of the Administration their reasons for their change of opinion.--(Cheers.) They had a right to demand this, because it had been currently reported that the minority of the Cabinet had voted in favour of the Right Hon. Baronet.—( Hear, hear.) He held in his hand a paper, con taining a speech of the Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for Wiltshire, which he made to his constituents on accepting the office of Secretary-at-War, in which speech he found the following passage :—" He was not about to excuse himself for his vote upon the corn-laws, because, at the time he gave it he thought the amount of protection was ex cessive. He was, however, mistaken, for h e h a d s i nce dis covered that the amount tiprotection was not larger than it ought to be, and it was, he thought, the opinion of the people, and of the Ministry, that this protection ought to be upheld." Now this was spoken on the 15th of February, 1845, but what would be the Right Hon. Gentleman's reception if he went amongst his constituency, in February, 1846, as a supporter of the proposition of the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of the Government. He repeated that they had a right to demand of the other Members of the Administration the reasons for their changing their opinions which they supported, he would not say in 1842, but which they promulgated in 1845. Mr. SIDNEY HERBERT—Sir, I think the House will agree with me, that, in this stage of the proceedings, it will not be for their convenience that I should now enter at length, and in detail, into the reasons and grounds upon which I have formed the opinion I hold upon the subject now before the House, or to explain the grounds which induced me entirely to change the opinions upon the commercial policy of the country which I have hitherto advanced in this House.— ( Hear, hear.) But this I will, and I hope it will be satisfactory to the Noble Lord and the House that when the discussion comes on in a future stage of this proceeding, I shall be enabled to state explicitly, simply, and undisguisedly, all the grounds which induced me to change my opinions, and to give such an explanation of my conduct as to be perfectly satisfactory to the House. I think it will be more for the convenience of the House that we should not enter prematurely into the whole bearings of this vast and great question, or to put forward at the present moment the many arguments which may be urged in its favour. But at all events I think it more for our convenience that I should not go into the reasons and grounds which have induced me to form the opinions I now hold, because, while entering into those grounds, it will be necessary for me, after what has fallen from the Noble Lord and other Hon. Members to enter upon a discussion of a somewhat personal character.—( Hear, hear. ) I beg leave to assure my Noble Friend, who asks me what sort of a reception I expect when I again go amonst nay constituency, that no man can impute to me any but disin terested motives, or that I changed my views end opinions for the sake of power, and certainly I could not have changed them for the purpose of currying favour with my constituency, because my constituency is a peculiar agricultural one. But ' when I do again go amongst my constituency, I hope they wil so fairly and dispassionately have considered this question, and the many arguments in its favour, that there will be little or no difference between their opinions, and my own.—(Cheers.) Let me further tell the Noble Lord that on my returning to town last autumn, I found the affairs of the nation in such a state as to induce me not to hesitate for a mo ment in making up my mind as to the course I should pursue, and I joined with my Right Hon. Friend, the First Lord of the Treasury, in advising the Council to adopt the. measure which has been brought forward to night, and when proper and convenient time arrives I shall be ready to explain my reasons for doing so, without any reserve on my part. When, therefure, I shall again present myself to the notice of my constituents, I have the firmer conviction that—this question having been in the meantime calmly and dispassionately considered by the country—those who now take the sincerest interest in agricultural protection will think that I have never neglected my duty to them or my duty to the community at large, in giv.ng my hearty, disinterested, and honest support to the measure which has been brought forward this evening.—(Cheers. ) Mr. P. HOWA RD said that, connected as he was with the landed interest of the country, he must be allowed to address a few words to the House, on the important subject which had been brought before them. He had listened to the able and elaborate explanation of the Right Hon. Baronet, and he confessed that the equiva lent the Right Hon. Baronet proposed to afford to the landed interest for the change he was about to make, was much less than was justified by circumstances ; but, considering the suc cess which had hitherto followed free-trade measures, he was prepared to give his support to the resolutions which were to be submitted to them.—( Hear, hear.) He confessed that he would much rather have had the change made less suddenly, and while the period of three years was much too limited, he thought the maximum protection to be afforded in the meantime was no less scanty. There was an alteration, how ever, which he hailed as a boon to agriculture—he meant the alteration in the law of settlement. Only those farmers re siding in the neighbourhood of large towns could appreciate the importance of this change • but nevertheless he begged m ost heartily to thank the Right Hon. Baronet for the con. cession. Mr. EDMUND NV ODEHOUSE begged to ask the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of her Majesty's Government, whether it was his intention to lay upon the table of the House any of the communications he had received from the crowned heads of Europe respecting their opinions upon free trade, because upon that subject they had no assurance ex cept from the Honourable Gentleman, the Member for Bolton ( 1 a D ys r bi . re ß fßo c ro w e r p i t n hE g eß ) * T E IT o P u seEaL formalhoped to e o b n e v e e o n t a i b o l u e d fromin a t h f e e w e r d o a w y u s e t d o heads of Europe favourable to the relaxation of protective duties. —( Hear, hear. ) Mr. GROGAN observed that, as an Irish Member, he wished to state that four articles, to which protection was most essential, would be seriously affected by the Right Hon. Baro net's proposed reductions. The first of these, linen ' was one of the chief articles of home man u f ac ture in I re l an d, and pro tection was to be withdrawn from it. The provision trade was also a staple article of commerce, which would be thrown open to the competition of foreigners. The article of butter was also a main feature of Irish traffic, and although it was one of the items left unaltered in the last tariff, it was now proposed to reduce the duty one half. There was not, he believed, a single article of Irish manufacture which the Legislature ought to be more anxious to encourage than the butter trade.— (Hear, hear.) With respect to corn, the people of Ire land were in the same condition as the people of Eng land, with this exception, that they had no manufactures to . fall upon when there was a scarcity of agricultural em ployment. Consequently any withdrawal of protection from corn would be very severely felt in Ireland. As the Right Hon. Baronet (Sir R. Peel) hrd stated that they were to have on the following evening a schedule. comprising the names of the articles, and. the amount of duty to be reduced upon each, he wished to know whether the schedule would contain an agre gate amount of the reductions, and also to know in what way the deficiency in the national revenue was to be met. Sir R. PEEL, in reply to the Honourable Member, said, he was in hopes that some of the reductions in duty would, so far from creating a deficit, :tend to increase the revenue.—( Hear, hear.) He could show that in the years when there was the greatest importation there had _A( (heoeurg:i)wtiltihe been the best prices. The reduction in duty led to increased various articles demand, nevertheless there had not been any diminution in the quantity of home produce. As several gentlemen ap peared anxious upon the subject, h e would now 7 -( ropi ise d upon remark that it was notueart,hehearir.it)ention of her Majesty's Government to make any proposition great additional a the taxes. produce a temporary effect he had mentioned would revenue, nevertheless he had such confidence in the increased respect to the income-tatn. demand that would result from these reductions, and the addi tional employment that wad be given, that the revenue could reduction which he had p be met without proposing Mr. H. HOWARD expressed . . hope that some attempt would be made to make a reduction in slave -trade sugar. Mr. CURTIS, as the iepresentative of a large number of persons interested the in the cultivation attention of hops, trusted to draw interest. He of the ' ht 11, n. Baronet to that e hoped there would Rig , . be an entire free trade in hops, for if not . it would be unfair to the protection from foreign hops. take away half p He asked, growers, for free in the name of the hop gr° Hon ' Me b trade in hops, and no duty, and called up?l'l the • 1 . 11 er for East Sussex to abject. If the Right Hon B - support him in that etl aronet, had ageneral * proposed with respect to corn, reduction from 6s , he would have given him his support; s but as it was now he would not commit himself, but give his proposition a fair and candid consideration, while he would his uttermost to bring his opinions to concur with those of the Right Hon. Baronet. —(Hear, hear.) For his part he was most anxious to have the question of the corn-laws finally set at rest. Considering the enormous duty that was now paid on hops, he hoped the Right Hon. Baronet would turn his attention to the subject, with the view of repealing the duty altogether._ ( Hear.) Sir R. PEEL observed, that after the very candid speech of the Hon. Member (Mr. Curtis) he ought to make him a reply. If he were in private conversation with the Hon. Member, he would tell him not to encourage the hop-growers to stir this question. Upon a former occasion he (S ir R o bert Peel) had proposed to reduce the duty on h ops from 61. to 4/. 10s., but he had been opposed in such i n t ention. He really thought there was now a ve r y fair protection on hops. Mr. BENNETT remarked, that the Right Honourable Baronet had forgotten the and and the hop s . labouring p opulation who consumed both the malt He did hope that the Right Hon. Baronet, among the other duties which it was his intention either to reduce or abolish would have pro ' posed the total repeal of the malt -tax.--( H ear, hear.) That w u a taz upon the labearin tax, he maintained, g Ptopnlatioe. THE SUN, LOND/)N, WEDNESI)AY MORNING, JANUAII‘ 28 18-16. and should, on that account, be abolished. He was convinced, in his own mind, from something which the Right Hon. Baronet had thrown out as to the oppressiveness of the malt tax, that its repeal would have been one of the boons to be held out to the working population ; and not to them alone but to the whole agricultural interest.—( Hear.) He con fessed he was deeply disappointed that the Right Hon. Baronet had not proposed a repeal of the malt-tax, because, when he heard the Right. Hon. Gentleman professing to do all that lay in his power to relieve the labouring population, ll* expected that he would lave repealed that tax as on• of the boons to the labouring classes. They were as much worthy of the attention of her Majesty's Government as any other class in the community. He knew the country from long experi ence, and knew that wages invariably followed the price of provisions._ c : roer lll :, r e . fte ß hra . nw E khr S iucl C hn OTT eisi esog a ,ethewished,notice ch i e r t , H o l a n os e nt .s eword,ssio Baronetn to . e for reerses havingw his a s ei no eluded in his s c h e d u l e o f reductions the article on Indian one measure more likely to promote the interests of both the farmer and agricultural labourer than the free importation of that article of food. Mr. \VAKLEY said, it was utterly impossible for Hon. Members to have heard the scheme of the Right Hon. Ba. ronet without feelings of the strongest approbation and ap proval. They could not have heard the whole plan as he (the Right Hon. Baronet) had laid it down, without in the main agreeing that the scheme was a good one, and one to which they should give their support. There might be some points of disagreement, of difference of sentiments, which might call forth considerable discussion in their future debates on the question, but when they reflected that at the end of the next three years there was to be a total repeal of the corn-laws, and also a considerable and immediate reduction in the other ar ticles which constituted the food of the country, they must feel and express the strongest approval of the scheme as a whole.--(Hear, hear.) Now the Hon. Member for Wilt shire (Mr. Bennett) had expressed his astonishment that the Right Hon. Baronet had not proposed a repeal of the malt tax, and he had expressly stated that the working classes of the country would, by his (the Right Hon. Baronet) silence on that head, be deprived of those benefits to wt ich they were entitled. But be that as it might, he (Mr. Wakley) was per suaded that the scheme which the Right Hon. Baronet had proposed would be for the benefit of the millions of this coun try.—(Hear, hear.) It would be for the benefit of trade; and it would likewise be the basis of the peace of the world ; it would advance the social condition of millions, and also create for them markets for their labour.—( Hear, hear.) For his own part he represented nearly 3e0,000 of the inhabitants of the Northern part of the metropolis—( Hear), and he would venture to say that his constituents would express their entire approval of the Right Hon. Baronet's proposal.--( Hear, hear.) He firmly believed that no proposal had ever been made to Par liament as a whole, which would be more conducive to the happiness of the people of this country than the schemes of the Right Hon. Baronet. Did the Hon. Gentleman the Member for Wiltshire conceive that the scheme was not calculated to im prove the condition of the working classes ? Why did it not at once go for the reduction of the price of bread and meat of every family in the kingdom ?—( Hear, hear.) If a proposal had been made for the repeal of the malt-tax, what would have been the conduct of the Honourable Member for Wiltshire with reference to the other branches of the proposal ?—( Hear. ) His (Mr. Wakley's) firm conviction was that it would have met with his decided opposition. He (Mr. Wakley) clearly saw that the next fortnight would be expended in agitation— (Hear, bear), and they might depend upon it that it would not be very peaceful agitation.—( Hear.) He could see clearly enough that an appeal would be made during that period to the passions of the electors of this country, and in carrying on that agitation the Hon. Gentleman on the opposite side of the House ought to bear in mind under what circumstances it would be made. He would wish them to recollect one little fact in reference to it. Let them bear in mind that if they did excite the passions of the electors in the electoral districts, and if their agitation should extend, not only throughout the most remote parts of the kingdom, but also into the cities, the re w ere h un d re d s o f th ousan d s peo ple in the country who were the consumers of food, and not the sellers, and who had no votes at elections. He would wish to ask Hon. Gentlemen opposite if they were prepared to meet the cries of those consumers at every hustings in the king dom? He would beg of them to bear in mind that they were about to make an appeal which, in his opinion, would be one of the most dangerous kind. The consumers of food, who had no votes, would say to themselves, '° Those gentlemen who are merely the sellers of food, have votes, whilst we, the con sumers, have none." They would immediately set about pull ing down the system of class legislation, because they have no voice in making the laws which they were called upon to obey. They would say that they were the victims of class legislation.—( Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Wakley) merely threw out this intimation now, because he was convinced that if the appeal to which he had alluded should be made ; and if the considerable excitement which he anticipated would be made to maintain the principle of protection, the results would be most injurious to the country.—( Hear.) If Hon. Gentle men were sincere with reference to what they said, and if they believed that the scheme proposed that evening by the Right Hon. Baronet, which really interest the public to the extent which they represented, he would ask them, were they pre pared to extend the power of voting to the consumers of food? He would advise them to be cautious, if they were not pre pared to answer that question in the affirmative. They should beware how they excited the feelings and indignation of the millions of the manufacturing inhabitants of this country Believing as he did, that the scheme of the Right Hon. Baro net had beer, propounded in sincere discretion, and for the benefit of the nation at large, without reference to any parti cular class of individuals—( Hear, hear) —believing that it was one of a just character—believing, in fact, that there was no thing of injustice connected with it, he should give it his most cordial support in every stage of the proceedings; and he was sure that if the Right Hon. Baronet persevered in the course which he had proposed, he would be supported by the millions of the people.—( Cheers.) Mr. BENNETT said that he came to that House fettered by no busting pledges, and he would have the Hon. Gentle man who had just sat down to understand that he intended voting on this and all other questions as his conscience guided him. —( Hear, hear.) Agitation had been spoken of, but he wished to know whether, if there had been no agitation through the country on the other side of the question ?—( Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") The Anti-Corn-law League had sent its agents into every town and village of the county which he represented ; but he had much pleasure in saying that the public papers would bear him out in saying that they had met with the unanimous indignation of the farmer s and their labourers, and that, in fact, their attempts at " anti-corn-law demonstrations" had been complete failures.— ( Hear, hear.) At one of those meetings which had been called in his own village, there were scarcely 300 present. He would wish to inform the Hon. Gontleman who had last addressed the House, and also all others, holding the same opinion, that the gentleman connected with the agricul ture of the country had deep rooted dislike of all agitation of the kind alluded to. They would, however, on this question, use all the constitutional exertions within their power, and they would take care, in their agitation, to do nothing which might prove detrimental to the interests of any class in the country. If they should become agitators, they would not be agita tors in the cause of mischief.--(Cries of " Hear, hear.") Mr. GISBORNE stated he wished to make a remark upon an epithet which fell from the Hon. Member for Finsbury. He stated that the friends of the Anti-Corn-law League re ceived the announcement of the Premier with " stubborn silence." He stated that he had no authority to speak on behalf of the League. He, in common with others, left the House under the impression that the House did not intend to raise a debate upon the question, and it was only by accident that he heard of this debate. He hoped, therefore, that the silence connected with the League would not be i construed into " stubborn silence." Mr. Newdegate said that he should connect himself with the one question which he had proposed in the former part of the evening to the Hon. Baronet at the head of her Majesty's Go vernment. He would, however, just make one remark upon an opinion of Mr. Wakley. Why did he deprecate ag,itation ? Had he ever known gentlemen on this side of the House en gaged in exciting those feelings ? He would also call the at tention of the First Minister of the Crown to the circumstenco that, perchance, with the best intentions, but with no distinct view, as the Hon. Baronet had himself admitted, of the conse quences of his measure as to the agricultural interests, they might find themselves placed in the position that the yeomanry of England, who now contributed to the preservation of the peace of the country, would, when danger threatened them, be not so ready to afford their wonted assistance. Did the Hon. Member for Finsbury consider that the agricultural interest did not understand their interest,or that they should not appeal to their constituencies? He considered that they had reason to demand time for full inquiry into the matter. Mr. WAKLEY stated that he never attended but one meet ing of the Anti-Corn-law League, and that a parish one. He considered that that body had been of great service to the country, and deserved its gratitude. He did not intend that any expressions which fell from him should be hurtful to the feelings of Hon. Members on that side of the House. Mr. NEWDEG ATE rose to explain. Colonel WOOD said he did rot intend to express his opi nions on the details of the measure before the House. He con sidered the proposition of the Right Hog. Baronet had a ten dency to settle that question which now divided the two great interests of the country—and he hoped that his endeavours would prove successful in the settlement of that great question an I he would give his most cordial and hearty support to the measures of the Right Hon. Baronet. He believed him to be actuated by a patriotic spirit, and he would give him his sup port in consequence. Lord NEWPORT said he could not agree with the senti ments of the last speaker. He thought the supporters of the Right Hon. Gentleman adopted a new policy, contrary to their own convictions and the pledge they gave to their constituents. He considered they ought to appeal to the country. Mr. AGLIONBY said he had sat for many hours in that House, and heard the opinions stated out of doors repeated within. He felt that few Members in that House had any in terest in the agricultural classes, who opposed the measures pro posed be the Right Hon. Baronet the First Lord of the Trea sury. From the time when this measure was first proposed, he saw many Members in that House who were not connected directly or indirectly with commerce or manufactures, conscien tiou,ly advocating the abolition of the corn-laws. A great change had come over those, and he believed a great change had come over their constituencies also.—( Hear.) He believed that the gentlemen of the Anti-Corn-law League had, by their arguments, made very many converts to their cause—a cause which he believed to be a good one, and at present too much a class question. He was of opinion those were wrong who had adopted it as a class question. It was a great step in the cause which he believed to be essential to the free trade of this express a hope that before long of the labouring classes h c h o ec u aarr n : tiy, and he would, :and did, tender him his cordial and comfort; he alluded of this country, which was essential for their Eland see a n t t h h He a r n e t k wa s xo u f r o led r p eal t h e e d p f r o o r po t h s e a s o a k f e s uc h a measure. h — e ( w H o e u a l r d , s ed of or ningferi m or farmers, which they were now unable to do.—( Hear , hear.) On thjse grounds he hoped bef ore to u t l h d e b e t ax enabled up on he would see the malt tax on, repealed. Further than this he could not go now, than to say Right Hon. Barone , and tendered him his thanks for that t to malt. make Inro malt tanoyf injured great step. Mr. IsANKES sai d he was of o p inion that this measure that he cordially appro v e d of the measures p ropounded b y the ought to be decided by the country, and was not introduced in con cluded his speec h said he was glad that the count r y was ob a legitimate manner. The Hon. Member who h a d just taining such a measure of relief, and that it ought to con vince all that the scheme included the interests of the agriculturists; but with that opinion he did not agree. The compensation the farmers were to get was a relief from highway rates, and the payment of medical officers, but he con tended this was no relief, and read a document to show what a farm in his county paid for highway rates. The great land owners would receive no injury at all by this measure, as it would only affect the smaller classes of farmers. —( Hear.) There were three rents paid, it was a well-known fact ; the rent for the landowner, the rent for the tenant, and the rent for county charges. He was sure the Right Hon. Baronet's measure would sweep away the small classes of farmers from this country. They did not desire any compensation if they were not allowed to maintain their right to the existence of those protective duties; as a national right they would repudiate the idea, for they considered if they were not so entitled, they were not entitled at all. The ground of their opposition was founded on no class right, nor was it by reason of their peculiar burdens that they claimed a continuance of protective duties. They considered that the estimates voted for the army and navy were not so much to defend their corn-fields as to pro tect Oregon, and the sources of their commercial preeperity in which they were so deeply interested. Those were the principles on which they defended protection; they were not narrow and mean, and upon those principles they claimed to go to the country. He would again report, that it was on a great general principle that they defended protection, and not on any principle of compensation. Why, they repudiated the term, and if they did not so repudiate it, they would say the terms were too mean, too paltry. for their acceptance. And again he would say, adopting the words of his Right Hon. Friend at the head of the Govern ment, that this was a question which must be settled by the voice of the nation.—( Hear, hear.) But the vo:ce of the nation was not heard in that House upon that question. The House then resumed, the Chairman reported progriss, and obtained leave to sit again on Monday, the 9th day of February. The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at Twelve o'clock. PARLIAMENTARY BUSINESS. (From the Votes and Pt oeeedings Qf the House of Commons.) MONDAY, JAN. 26. The following Petitions for Railway Bills ►ere presented, and ordered to lie on the table : Ashburton, Newton, and South Devon Railway. Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle Railway. London and Brighton Railway (Dorking Branch). London and Brighton Railway (East Grinstead Brandi). North Kent Railway (City Extension). Blackburn, Chorley, and Liverpool Railway. Waverey Valley and Great Yarmouth Railway. Taw Vale Railway Extension. Blackburn and Preston Railway. Liverpool, Ormskirk, and Preston Railway. Edinburgh and Leith Atmcspheric Railway. North British Railway. Edinburgh and Northern Railway (Newport Railway and St. Andrew's Branch). Edinburgh and Northern Railway (Kinross, Woodmill, and Newburgh Branches). Edinburgh and Northern Railway (Lochgelly and Leslie Extensions). Edinburgh and Northern Railway (Dunfermline Branch). Edinburgh and Northern Railway (Strathearn Edinburgh and Northern Railway (Branches from the Dundee and Arbroath Railway and Tay Ferry Improvement). Edinburgh and Northern Railway (Pettycur and Perth Harbour Branches and Deviations). NOTICES GIVEN AT THE PRIVATE BILL-OFFICE. MONDAY, JAN. 26. North British Railway (No. I)—Committee on Petition, Friday, Feb. 6. Glasgow, Dumfries, and Carlisle Railway—Committee on Petition, Friday, Feb. 6. Ashburton, Newton, and South Devon Railway—Commit ee on Petition, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Edinburgh Land Leith Atmospheric Railway—Committee on Petition, Friday, Feb. 6. Ayrshire, Bridge of Weir and Port Glasgow Junction Railway—Committee on Petition, Wednesday, Feb. 4. Stirling and Dunfermline Railway—Committee on Petition, Wednesday, Feb. 4. Ayrshire and Galloway Railway—Committee on Petitien, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Newry, Warrenpoint, and Rosstrevor Railway—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Belfast :and County Down Railway—Committee on Peti tion, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Ballymena and Ballymoney Railway—Committee on Peti tion, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Irish Great Western Railway Committee on Petition, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Waveney Valley and Great Yarmouth Railway—Commit tee on tetition, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Taw Vale Railway Extension—Committee en Petition, Tuesday, Feb. 3. London and Brighton Railway (East Grinstead Branch) — Committee on Petition, Tuesday, Feb. 3. North Kent City Extension Railway—Committee on Peti tion, Tuesday, Feb. 3. London and Brighton Railway (Dorking Branch)—Com mittee on Petition, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Liverpool, Ormskirk, and Preston Railway—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Blackburn, Chorley, and Liverpool Railway—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, Feb. 3. Blackburn and Preston Railway—Committee on Petition, Tuesday, Feb. 3. The following Members were appointed a Select Committee to consider the mode in which the House shall deal with he Railway Bills proposed to be submitted to the House during the present session":—Lord Granville Somerset, Sir George Grey, Mr. Strutt, Mr. Labonchere, Mr. Estcourt, Mr. Greene, Mr. Ewart, Mr. Colquhoun, Mr. Hodgson Hinde, Mr. Pakington, Sir George Clerk, Mr. Baring, The O'Conor Don, Lord Harry Vane, and Mr. Shaw :—Power to send for per sons, papers, and records; Five to be the quorum. NINAL INTELLIGENCE. PORTSMOUTM, MONDAY.—A court-martial, comprising Captain Moubray, of the Victory, president ; Captain Corry, of the Superb; Captain Chads, of the Excellent; Captain Martin, of the Grampus; Captain Sir R. Grant, of the St. Vincent ; Captain Luabington, of the Retribution; Captain Seymour, of the Carysfort ; and Mr. G. L.Greetham, Deputy Judge-Advocate of the Fleet, assembled this morning on board the St. Vincent, flag-ship, to try, at the instance of Captain Collier, two seamen of the Rodney, named, respec tively Walkingshaw and John Berry, for desertion. It appeared the prisoners obtained leave of absence on the 23d of December, while the Rodney was at Spithead, which leave was extended, on account of Christmas-day, to the 26th, but the prisoners never returned, and entered on board the Scourge, steam- bomb-vessel—Walkingshaw in the name of Fearless, and Berry in the name of Roxberry—then in the basin in this dockyard; but the Rodney, requiring alteration and repair, came into dock, when the deserters, from their close proximity, were speedily recognised and arrested. This was proved by several witnesses. On being called upon for their defence, Walkingshaw said he had liberty from the Rodney to the time stated, but hav ing been in company during that time with other persons than his companion, and having lost his clothes, he feared the consequences, which lie mentioned to his companion Berry, and they agreed to desert. and enter on board the Scourge, hearing that she was fitting out and going imme diately to the Pacific station. He further slid lie did not intend to quit the service, which was evidenced by his enter ' ing on board the Scourge. He threw himself upon the mercy of the Court. Berry said Walkingshaw had expressed his (Berry's) sen timents exactly, and he also threw himself upon the mercy of the Court. The COURT, after due deliberation, found the prisoners Guilty, and sentenced each to receive fi ft y lashes on board the Rodney, and to be each imprisoned for two months and kept to hard labour in the county gaol of Winchester. A seaman named Main, a deserter from the Grampus, was then put upon his trial, and, after very conclusive evidence, convicted, and sentenced to be imprisoned for three months, and during that time to be kept to hard labour in the Win chester gaol. The corporal punishment in this case was re mitted on account of five years' good character in the ser vice which the man had previously borne. The Comet steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander 'William Pretyman, arrived last evening from the eastward with su pernumeraries for the Grampus and Janus. She left Wool wich on last Saturday week, but the weather was so foggy on reaching Gravesend that she was obliged to anchor. She started at one P.M. on Sunday, and anchored at Sheerness the same night; left the next day at eleven, anchored in Margate Roads the same afternoon in consequence of a gale blowing from south-west; at eight o'clock next morning started again, but was compelled to anchor in the Downs from the extreme foulness of the weather, where she re mained three days, during which time she encountered wea ther which would have compelled less experienced officers to abandon her and take to the boats. On Friday morning at five o'clock she started again, and at nine madefast in Dover harbour, where she took in coals and water, the wind still blowing a hurricane at the time. Here an extraordinary instance occurred of the truth of the adage that "drunken men and children have charmed lives." A man named Robert Braxton, ship's corporal of the Grampus, was comng to the Comet from the shore, when, in walking along the pier to the vessel, he lost his equilibrium and fell over into the dock into a boat, a distance of 85 feet. He was taken up insensible, but the prompt and skilful at tention of Dr. Babington, assistant-surgeon of the Comet, soon restored him to consciousness, and he was sufficiently, well next morning to answer his " muster," the only injuries he appeared to have received being a few bruises. The Comet left Dover at 8 o'clock on Saturday morning, the wind having somewhat lulled; she went along then exceedingly well until 4 o'clock yesterday morning, when she was abreast of the Ower's light, at which time a perfect hurricane was blowing, and an awful sea running. She was obliged to haul off the land, and stand to the southward, when a tremendous sea struck her on the starboard side, carrying away her stern-boat, and staving in the starboard paddle-box, sweeping fore and aft. At noon she bore up, and ventured to make the land, the master (Mr. Braddon) being convinced land was in sight, or very near, although the weather was so very thick nothing could be distinctly made out at any distance from the ship. At 1 P.M. yesterday she made the land, which proved to be Dungeness, and about 5 o'clock entered this harbour, a fter having been eight days in making the passage from Voolwich to this port. S will now have to be docked and repaired before she can be . sent to sea. The Comet is a fine old cra ft, the first man-of war steamer ever built. TRH IRON TUADR.—AII branches of the iron manu factures of South Staffordshire continue in undimished acti vity, and it is expected that a further impetus will be given to the trade before the expiration of the present quarter. During the past week contracts for 120,000 tons of iron rails for the Great Western Company have been taken, a large proportion of which has been contracted for in our own dis trict. This immense order—which, it must be borne in mi n d , is only a small portion of those that may be looked for from the railways which are all but certain to pass in the present session—is required for the Great Western main trunk and its numerous branches, including the Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton line, the operations of which have already commenced at various points. Of these 120 000 e tons, 45,000 are taken by the Colebrook Dale Company 40,000 by the Plymouth works, Glamorganshire ; 20,000 by Messrs. Malins and Rawlins, of West Bromwich; lve and 15,000 tons by the Chillington Iron Compan understand that these contracts have been regulated subject y to the r fluctuations of trade, but at the present prices they account rhetatriee large than 131. per ton. Taking, therefore, into sup plies which will be required to meet the demand f a or rg l e 3ri. railways, and the orders which may be looked for from the Continent, to compl e t e t h e great lines under contract, we may, without indulging in any very sanguine speculations, safely conclude that the present price of iro:i will, under any circumstances, be fully maintained. There is net now, we are informed, a single ironwork of any description in South Staffordshire which is not in constant operation, or if not fully employed, the circumstance is attributable to the want of the raw materials of manzfactare, coal and ironstone.—Bir mine/tam Journal CALAIS, JAN 23.—Mr. Marshall, the British Consul here for the last twenty-four years, died early yesterday morning, after several days' illness. tie has left a widow and a large family to regret his loss. lie was much respected in his situation. FOIVIGN MAILS.—The following notice was issued on Monday at the General Post-office, St. Martin's-le- Grand :—" The next mails for Gibraltar, Malta, Greece, the lonian Islands, Egypt, Ceylon, India and China, will be dis patched from hence on the morning of the 3d of February, to be forwarded rid Southampton. By the overland mail to India, &c., rid Marseilles, on the 7th February. West In dies.—The next mails for the West Indies, Mexico, Hon duras, Havannah, New Grenada, Venezuela, and Madeira, will be made up on the morning of the 2d of February, to be dispatched by the Forth steamer, rid Southampton. Next mail due February 7th. British North America, Bermuda, and the United States, on the evening of the 3d February, by the Cambria steamer, Lid Liverpool, Halifax, and Boston. Next mail due, the Hibernia steamer, February 15. Braz. ,l ! , Buenos Ayres, Madeira.—Due on the 27th February ?y'; Majesty's brig Express, at Falmouth. 'lhe next malls wn!! in The be made up on the evening of the 4th of Feb mails for Sydney, New South Wales, Van Diemen Land, and New Zealand, will be made up on the evening the Abel by of Satur day next, the 31st it to be forw arded Gower, Lid Gravesend." COURT CIRCULAR. The Queen will hold a Privy Council at Buckingham Palace On Friday afternoon. The Queen mid Prince Albert took their accustomed early walk yesterday in the royal gardens of Buckingham Palace. His Royal Highness Prince Albert afterwards rode out on horseback, attended by Colonel Bouverie, Equerry in Waiting. Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice, accompanied by the Dowager Lady Lyttel ton, were taken an airing in a carriage and four yesterday. His Royal Highness Prince Alfred was taken an airing in the royal gardens. The 'Marchioness of Douro has succeeded the Viscountess Jocelyn as the Lady in Waiting to the Queen. The Earl of Morton has suc ceeded the Marquis of Ormonde as the Lord in Waiting to her Ma jesty ; and Major-General Sir Frederic Stovin has succeeded Admiral Sir Robert Otway as the Groom in Waiting to the Queen. The royal dinner party yesterday evening, at Buckingham Palace, included the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch and the Earl of Aberdeen. The band of the Royal Horse Guards was in attendance at the Palace during dinner, and performed the following pieces : March (Midsummer Night's Dream)—Mendelssohn Waltz---`‘ Luneley Rhein Klange"—Strauss Duet—" Donna chi sei" (Nebuccadonosor)—Verdi Introduzione al Overture a Coro (Antigone) —Mendelasohn Cantata—" Adelaide"—Beethoven The Duke of Cambridge ♦isited her Royal Highness the Duchess of Gloucester yesterday, at Gloucester House. Charles Fitzroy had an interview with the Right lion. W. E. Gladstone yesterday, at the Colonial-office. Count de St. Aulaire, the French Ambassador, and the Duke de Sotomayor, the Spanish Minister, transacted business yesterday at the .Foreign-office. Sir John Pelly, Mr. Hutt, M.P., and Mr. J. A. Street, had inter views yesterday with the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstone, at the Colo nial-office. r. Dean, Chairman of the Customs, and Mr. John Wood, Chair man of the Excise, had interviews with the Chancellor of the Ex chequer yesterday, at his official residence, in Downing-street. Dispatches were received yesterday at the Colonial-office, from the Governors of the Cape of Good Hope. MONEY and COMMERCIAL NEWS. (From The Sun of Last Night.) The business done in Cotton at Liverpool yesterday amounted to 7,000 bales, all to the trade. The market though steady was dull. 900 Egyptian sid. to 7%c1., 150 Pernams 6 1 % s d. to 6%d., 700 Surat 2icl. to 3 1 4 d., and 5,250 American 34d. to 5Md. There was a very quiet market for shares, but prices gene. rally were steady. The ship William Stoveld furnishes papers of August 21, from Port Phillip. The squatting question was still that to which most attention was directed, and it was doubtful whether any regulation could be made satisfactory to the pastoral interest, if due allowance be not made for the privations they undergo in fostering the real advanc emen t o f th e co l ony , w hil e promo ti ng their own. The revenue returns for 1844 appear to be less than those of 1843, b u t thi s was met b y a re d uct i on o f ex penditure. Wheat at Sydney had risen to 14/. per ton. Accounts of N ovem b er 13 from Graham ' s Town state that it was found n ecessary to keep the troops up to a strong num ber in the C?l es b erg di str i ct, so disaffected were the farmers still. The Lieutentant-Governer of Natal, it is stated, would soon have very few but natives to rule, for trekking had commenced among the farmers. The American advices conti nue t o b e to l era b ly favourable in respect to trading matters; but no one seems to like the proceedings in Congress. It is true there are many of our merchants who :Still contend that " there will be no war," but it is quite impossible, we must contend, that all this furious declamation, and voting of precipitate measures, should go on without leading to serious results. The Public Securities have not been affected to the extent anticipated by the American news, probably because some parties anticipated as much. The market. however, is not buoyant, and there is more disposition to Bear than to ape culite for a rise. Consols have been 94% %, but are now 944, ; Consols for the Account from 94X and 95, have dropped to 94%. Exchequer-bills have been 20s. to 225. premium ; Bank Stock has been marked 206 to %. Spanish Three per Cents have been dull at 39, Mexican at 30k, Chilian at 99k, Brazilian at 83, and Dutch Two and-a-Half per Coats 59i- to 60. The railway views of Government are all against new scrips, and they are generally lower. The registered shares will support their ground better. ONE CLOSING BRITISH FUNDS. O'CLOCK. PRICES. Bank Stock .. 206% 2063 Three per Cent. Annuities 95% 94% 94% Three per Cent. Consols Annuities 943( % % 94% New Three-and-a-Quarter per Cent. inns. 96% 97% 9636 96% Long Annuities, Expire Jan. 5, 1860 .. 10% 7-16 5-16 10 5-16 Ditto, 30 years, Oct. 10, 1849 .. 10 3-16 India Stock .. .. 258 258 India Bonds, 1,0001...........28 South Sea stock .. 106 Ditto, New Annuities .. 94 Bank Stock for Account 2063( Coned. for Account .. 94% 95 94l Exchequer Bills. 1 fi d. 1 1,0001. 20 22 pm. 19 19 Ditto, Small • . 22 —— pm. 19 ONE CLOSING FOREIGN FUNDS. O'CLOCK. PRICES. Brazilian Bonds, 5 per Cent .. 83 Ditto, New Bonds, 1829 and 1839 .. 82 Buenos Ayres Bonds, 6 per Cent .. 40 Chilian Bonds, 6 per Cent .. 993 Mexican Bonds, 1837, 5 per Cent .. Ditto, for the Account . 20 3( Peruvian Bonds, 6 per Cent.. .. .. 40 Russian Bonds .. Spanish Bonds, 5 per Cent .. Ditto, Passive ?Wilda 6% Ditto, Deferred .. .. 17 Ditto, Three per Cent .. .. 39 Dividends on the above payable in London Belgian Four-and-a-Half per Cent . Dutch Two-and-a-Half per Cent Ditto, for the Account .. Ditto, 4 per Cent. Certificates 60 5914 10b% 94 2041% 947 40 09% 30% 40 113% 6% 94% PRICES OF RUSINESS CLOSING RAILWAY SHARES. PAID. DONE AT PRICES., ONE O'CLOCK. Birmingham and Oxford Junction 2 .... 3 .. 3 Buckinghamshire 425. .... %14 p p Caledonian .. • • • . .. 10 .......... Ditto New .. 2%.... 3% 4 ........ Ditto Extension .. 2% .... 8 .......... Chester and Manchester .. 425. .... 1 dig ...... Cornwall and Central Devon .. 2% .... 1% .......... Direct Manchester (Rastrick's) 514 .... Dublin and Belfast Junction .. 5 .... 6%.......... Dublin and Galway .. .. 4 .... -- Easters Counties .. .. 141. 168. .... 22 1 4 21% .... Ditto New .. 6/. 16s 3% 3 1 dis 1% 3% 6% 21% 71ip Do. l'erpet., 5 per Cent. .No. 1.61 13s. 4d. % p......... %p Ditto, ditto, .. .. No. 2. 61. 13s. 4d. % p ........ % p Edinburgh and Glasgow .. 50 .... 77 76 77...... 77 Ditto % Shares .. .... 16%.......... 16% Exeter, Dorchester, & Weymouth 425..... 1 I dis Goole, Doncast., and r heffield, &c. 42e..... I% 1 p Grand Union (Nottingh. & Lynn) I% .... 1% Great Southern & West. (Ireland) 15 .... 21% ..... 21% Ditto, Extension 12% • 16%.......... 18% Great North of England .. .. 100 ....216 .... 216 163 91 19' 36% 105 I% Great Western T. • . —163 Ditto, Half Shares .. 50 .... 92 $1 Ditto, Quarter Shares .. 5 .... 194 Ditto, Fifths .. 20 .... 37 364 Hull and Selby .. .. 50 •• .. 105 Ipswich, Norwich, and Yarmouth 2 .... 14 ...... Lancaster and Carlisle .. .. 30 .... Leicester and Birmingham .. 225. .... dis ...... dis Leicester and Bedford 225. % p % p Leicester, Tamworth, &c. 425. Liverpool and Leeds Direct .. 2% .... 2 Liverp., Manch., & Newc. Junct. 2 .... 34 ...... • 34 London and Birmingham ..100 ....224 Ditto Fifths .. 2 .... 23% NI% London and Blackwall .. 161. 13s. 4d. 9 1 A .......... London and Brighton 60 .... 674 .......... 6 734 London and South-Western.. 411. 6s. 10d. 784 .......... 7 6 34 Ditto, New ........7.... 18 % .•.. . • 16% London and York .. 24 .... 4%4 . . Manchester and Birmingham .. 40 .... 77% • • ........ 774 Ditto, Quarter Shares 4 .... 11 .......... 11% Ditto, New Quarter Shares .. 2 .... 9%. . Manchester, Buxton, & Matlock 425. 1% 0% 1% 0 p p Manchester and Southampton .. 2 .... ........ 24 Midland .. ..100 ....153 Ditto, New .. 12 .... 29 2114 2934 .. 2934 Ditto, Birmingham and Derby 109 ....1 . 22%.. 122% Newcastle and Darlington Junct. 25 .... 60 59 ..... 511 Newcastle and Berwick .. 10 .... 214 21 22.... 204 Newark, Sheffield, and Boston .. 2% .... 2%% • • ...... 2% North British.. 171 i ••••• • • • • • Ditto, Carlisle Extension .. 114 .... 32% .. • ... 2% Ditto, ditto .. • • 5 •• • • 3% ••••• • • • • • North Kent and Direct Dover • . 2% .. • • 3 •• • ..... 8 North Staffordshire .. • • 425. •• .. 3% 3 p...... p Northern & Southern Connecting 2% .. Norwich and Brandon .. 18 .... 2I lA 25 Ni Northmpton,Banbury,&Chelthm. 2 .... 214.......... 214 Oxid.,Worcester, & Wolverhmptn. 12% 15U . .. 15 Portsmouth Direct .. • • .. 3 - 5 U Scottish Central .. 7% .... 14% 14% Scottish Midland .. .. 5 .... 5% .......... 3 % Shrewsbury and Birmingham .. 2%.... ........ 3% Shropshire Union .. 425..... 4 p dis. ..! % South Midland 425..... 2% 1% P• ••• 2 P South Eastern and Dovor U . • Do., New (do. 331. 69.8 d.) No. 2. 10 .. •••• • • • • Do., New (do. 301.) .. No. 3. 10 .... 12 ....... Do., New (do. 181.) .. No. 4. 2%.... %• • ... South Wales .. 5 •• • • l x % %•••• • • • • Taw Vale Extension .. • • • • •- • ....... Trent Valley and H o lyhead Junc. .. 14 Waveney Valley ••_ • • • • 2 1,‘ _ 2.... • ..... Welsh Midland • • • • • • • • York and Nora+ Midland .. • • • 15 38 • • Ditt o , Extens ion • • • FOREIGN RAILWAYS. Boulogne and Amiens .. •• .. 10 •• .......... East Indian . • • • • •• •• Grt. North. of France Constituted 5 .... 14% 18 1414.. Great Indian Peninsular .. .. s s. . J ama ica seuth Midland Junction 1 .. Luxembourg % .. •• • ntie:r:on"s:) 20 • 2 1 • • Orleans and Bordeaux 6 .. 1140:4 ••••••• farts and a a n n d d slttorausennn MINES. Real del Monte, 'Unregistered 11% 1% I,ti 1 2 1 39K .... 4 JO NT-STOCK BANKS. London and Westminstel .. .. 20 26% National Provincial of E ng l an d 35 .... •• •• • • • " • • •• •• 36 COURSE OF EXC Ei AN GE.-(Y ESTERDAY.) Amsterdam ......C.F. 12 914 Gibraltar Ditto, at sight ..... 12 5} Leghorn . Rotterdam .... •.2 U. 12 10 Genoa .. ...... Antwerp .............. 26 15 Milan liamburgh .... —ll.ll. 13 15 Venlee.....• •• •• • Altona . Paris, 3 days' sight .. .. 25 75 Palermo, per 0z........ 119% Ditto, 3 months. ... 26 Lisbon. Marseilles .. .. ...... .. 26 10 Oporto Bourdeaux..... ..... .. 26 10 Rio Janeiro . 24% Frankfort on Mains 122% Petersburgh, 3 U 5.... • • Berlin .... • • ...... • • •• Vienna, effee.flo•• •• • • 10 8 Trieste, ditto.... lO 9 Madrid •• .. •• 36 Cadiz • • • .. : 36 Barcelona •• Seville.. • • Bahia Buenos Ayres . ..... New York, 21 days' sight Philadelphia . PRIM OP BULLION, PER OZ. Foreign Gold in bars.. £3 17 9 Portugal Gold Coin • • 5 17 5 New Doubloons ...... 0 0 0 New Dollars •• • • 0 4 9% Silver in bars .. .... • . 0 4 11U RAILWAY SHARE MARKETS. YORK, JA N. 26. STOCK EXCHANGE.—The sales are—Newcastle and Darlington Ex tensions, 11% --York and North Midland Extension, 39—Ditto, New (East and West Riding), 10%—Newcastle and Berwick, 20% North British, New, Carlisle Branch, 3—London and York, 4% — Grand Union, 11. 188.—Lancashire and North Yorkshire, 21 19s. — Leicester and Bedford, 2—Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, and Mid land, —Welsh Midland, 2%. HULL, JAN. 26. STOCK EICIIANGL—The sales are —North British, Ctrl l l e • 3—Ambergate, Nottingham, Boston, &c., 3 —Axholme. 2%-t7f.tr and Gainsborongh, 21s.—Grand Union, 3.ss.—Great .North and Wales and Worcester, ss. 6d. —Hull and BarnslAr —Lancashire and North Yorkshire, 21. den an d York. 1% orth —Manchester, Buxton, and Matlock, 4 —N orth vre,stern, tonl7end Staffordshire, 51. l7s.—South Midland, 41.17 L mingham, 3%. Junction, Ms. ba, JAN. 26 . SHEFFIELD. G r imsby and Sheffield Exton. t eed__ Dit , to li:a z t i e te tle a ld sion an . %ri l l.. land, 21. 19s.—Sheffiel d and _ .. __. . 1. 6. . i o S n r , o 2 c i . x is E . x_c i n t A i 11 :7 , 4 . — ...r t r a : d e . rrsi sales oatil uth j a s : e 2 i r . , —South Yorkshire Co ItiTr.lfs:j s. 2 ''''l,,,, nn — London and Croydon, 2214 c. _Th e ea TOM EICHIANri.ed.4 sixteenth Shares, 11)4 p. — Sheffield and _lauch"ter,, and Shares, No. 1, 6—East Lancashire, No. 2 (late manchester. -.IT O —Great Grimsby and Sheffield, 10 —Ditto, Extort , rum) 1 ,6 .-* Acc.' n c . - r ,' Huddersfield and Sheffield, 22—Le eds and Bradford, Won. , '—'. o a nd Dewsbury, New Share s , 3% P.—North British, 5 c•—Leeds Carlisle ranch, 31. ls. — Watefield, Pontefr ac t, an d Goole, New 7 4 p. —London and York, 434 — Liverpool, Onnskirk, and Pre s . i i ;; , 4% —Nest Riding Union, 6% — Arnl%ergate, Nottingham, and Boston, Bs. p.—Bradford, Wakefield, and Midland, 1111. dia —Clithe roe Junction, 27 4—Grand Union, 10s. p.—Lancashire and North Yorkshire, 17s. p.—Leeds and York, 7s. 6d.dis.—Leeds, Wakefield, and Midland, 108. p. — Manchester, Buxton, Matlock, and dlaxid,, 1/. 17s. p.—Midla n d an d Thirsk Junction. 18a. dis.—North d and Lancashire Junction, 15s. dis.—North Western, 2%-811i1tpoldre Union, h. p.—South Midlind, 2% p. , ‘••l t, '. - \: , ::: .•-.e .., - -f. tv....- , • --:-. • `..f, --11 0 , •„1. - ,*'-.- -, *- \ • •..... s ' 1 1:&i 4.,, , ..:. 1 t, 1 ".11-4 , S. V:* *IIVZ- 1. 4. ,• , \ IL- - • .s,st.o- v . , , i fi ito.