The Sun. — London, England, 1828-06-27 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT, HOUSE OF LORDS, THURSDAY, JUNE ta. CATHOLICS. Lord .DUFFERN presented a petition{ from the pariah of Inch, county of Down, praying that no fur ther concessions might be granted to. the Catholics. The Surplus Ways and lifeies: • Bill was read a third time and passed. The County Lunatic Asylum Bill, and the Salmon Fishery Bill (Scotland) went through a Committee, and bath the reports were received. Several measures were.forwarded one stage. • On the motion of the Earl of ROSEBERRY,a Message was sent to , thellouse of Commons, re questing a Copy of the-Report of the Committee of that House, appointed to inquire into Entails in Scotland. Lord CLIFDEN presented a petition from the Barony of Shelburne, complaining of the conduct of the Constabulary Force in Ireland, in misapplying the public money. BLOCKADE OF OPORTO. Earl DARNLEY, seeing a Noble Earl opposite in his place, wished to put a question or two to him, concerning a subject on which it was extremely de sirous that the public should have correct informa tion. He believed the Noble Earl must now be in, possession of the documents which acquainted him with the fact, that Oporto had been subjected to a blockade by the (iovernment of Don Miguel; and he wished to know, on what grounds his Majesty's Government consented to recognise that blockade? The Earl of ABERDEEN.—The Noble Earl seemed to think that this Government had dis avowed the Ambassador sent to the Court at Lis bon ; but this was not the case; his Majesty's Am bassador had suspended the exercise of his func tions, but he was still accredited to his Royal High ness Don Miguel, whatever consideration his Royal Highness's conduct might deserve; and in his (Lord Aberdeen's) opinion it had been most culpable. His Majesty's Ambassador, however, still remained at Lisbon ; but having suspended his functions when the blockade of Oporto was declared, it was not notified to our Ambassador in the usual way; and it was • not possible, therefore, to have, through him, that legd notification of the blockade which Ambassadors were accustomed to give. - He (Lord A.) had therefore made it known ;and he shouid have thought he had neglected his duty to the commercial interests of the country, if be had nct announced the fact, and had not stated,in a regular manner, his Ma jesty's intentions respecting it. He saw manyreasons :.why we, of all people, should respect the blockades instituted by other Governments. It was consistent with the principles we had acted on for many years. With regard to South America, we had respected the blockade instituted by the persons claiming to be the Government of Chili, though we had not recog nised that Government. .We had elso recognised the blockade, declared by the Emperor of Brazils in 3518, he believed of one of her own ports—the port of Baltic. We had also respected the blockade of the ports of Greece, by Greek vessels, and had refused our own merchants' vessels the protection of British men-of-war, when they had violated this blockade. The system of blockade was conducted on regular principles, and they were not limited to any nation or people exclusively. The Prince Re gent of Portugal bad never given up his power—he had been recognized by us; but if he were the greatest usurper whohad ever appeared in history, ,and instituted an effectual blockade, we were, on our own principles, bound to respect it. Ear! DARNLEY was glad to have given the Noble Earl an opportunity of making this explanation. Lord STANLEY, Sir JAMES GRAHAM, and others from the Commons, brought up the Manchester Po lice Bill, and a Bill for regulating Local, Turnpikes. DUTIES ON COALS. The Martinis of DOWNSHIRE rose to present • a petition from the merchants, manufacturers, and others, of Dublin, complaining of the duty on coals imported into Ireland, which they contended had been increased since the Union, directly contrary to one of the clauses of the 'Act of Union. The Duke of WELLINGTON was able to satisfy his Noble Friend by nn assurance that the petitioners would receive relief. But, in graying this be did not think the people of Dublin had any great reason to complain, and he doubted if they would be at all relieved by the removal of the duty. The annual amount of the duty levied on coats in Ireland (we ibelieve) was only 55,000/. per annum. If the ad .4litional duty of Is. 7 id, were taken off, he believed 414 e people of Dublin would no more be benefitted by that than the inhabitants of London were by the reduction of 3s. duty on the chaldron, which seemed rather to have increased than diminished the price to she consumer. He thought, also, the petitioners had -lot much reason to complain when their situation was ,:.ompared with the situation of manufacturers in other places, who had to pay a coneiderable duty, on the coals they used.. If he compared the half-crown duty they paid with the 7s. 6d. duty paid in London, he found that in the latter place the duty was three times tio amount to what it was in the former. In other part; of England and Wales the duty was 4s. a ton, or Gs, chaldron; so that the people of Ire land had an advatitage over them. WI respect to the infringement of the Act of Union, he did not at the moment recollect when the additional duty wai: sniposed, but if it were imposed before that Act bad been pagied 20 years, it was Ain infringement of 'it; if it were passed after the expiration of 20 years, and t had now been passed 2S years, it .wes not an in fringement. Earl DARNLEY said, the additional duty was levied in 1804. Lord FARNHAM said, it was clearly an infringe ment of the Act of Union. The Duke of WELLINGTON.stated his reso lution to apply to the Law Officers of the Crown for t h e i r opinion. - - - The Ma,...qms of DOWNSHIRE expresied his . atisfartion at what had -fallen from his Noble Friend. ;SLAVERY. Earl MORLEY presented a petition from Bod min, praying for the gradua Abolition of Slavery. CLERGY RESERVES .1N CANADA. The Earl of HADDINGTON held in his hand a petition from the Presbyterians in LoWer Canada, which related to the land set apart in that province under the name of the Clergy Preserves, for the maintenance of d pro t es taut Church. It was signed by 4,000 persons, And expressed the sentiments of the great majority of the r inhabitants of that part of Ole province. The petitioners, though all Presby .t.exians, were connected with AlitfreKeP:t churches in Europe; one part of them being in egkrinWn.i9P with the established Presbyterian Church of Seo t tlgaid; mother with the Associate Synod of Scotland; and another part being in communion with the Synod of Ulster. The lands for the Clergy had been set apart by the Act of the 31st of the late King; and the petitieners thought their Clergy, beinga p r otestant Clergy, bad a claim, to a share of these tafids. y prayed, therefore, that a. portion of these lends might • be given to their Clergy men for their sapport. Tire Noble Eari con fended that, by the Act 4f • 1791, the lands were appropriated to a Protestant Chqrch, and that the Presbyterian Church was a true Proostant Church recognized,by law. If the claim of the peP;tioners were granted, he thought in all human probahility that all these different classes of Presbyterians would unite under one Synod, thn country would f or m on ly on e body under a clergy moderately endowed, and per:., baps appointed by the Crown, The policy of attend ing-to the petitioners was to be interred from the neighbourhood to the United States, which he did not mention as • an example, but as an illustra tion ; he merely stated the fact ; and it was a fact that in the United States there was no Church Ea. tablishment ; and if this country were to limit the Clergy reserves to the use of the Church of Eng land, it was to be apprehended that what the Ca nadians saw in the United states would not tend to their satisfaction and tranquillity. It had been stated in another place, and he had heard it so stated on a former occasion, by Lord Grenville, the venerable author of the 31st of the late King, that the words " Protestant Church" were intended to exclude the Roman Catholic Clergy; and that they were used with the express intention of leaving it to his Majesty's Government and the Legislature to appropriate those reserved lands;at circumstances might ..ativisedimitif . ig thetn: to -a , Protestant Church. He heci r:nalotitrio6gaying that, this-was the inten tion of the author of the. Act. It was.not his in tention to found any motion on the' subject ; but he begged-leave to recommend the-- petition to their Lordships' attention. The Earl of lIARROWBY—As there was no question before their Lordships but that the pe tition , -be laid on the Table, he would not have said one wesd . en the subject, had the name of Lord Grenville not been mentioned. It happened that he had repeatedly held conversations with idi Noble Friend, Lord - Grenville, on this very subject; and he hid not only learned from him, but had been desired by him to declare, iu the most public manner possible;that the 31st of the late King was drawn up by him, in conjunction with Mr. Pitt; that -they had endeavoured to make it as perfect as possible ; and they thought they had succeeded in manifesting a decided intention, as it certainly was the intention of the Leading Members of the Go vernment at that period, when they intro.!uced the Bill into Parliament, that these reserves were not to be for the exclusive benefit of the Church of Eng land; but that it was to be left to the discretion of his Majesty's Government to give them to any Pro testant Church. The Bishop of CHESTER thought it extraor dinary, if such was the intention of the framers of the Bill, that it should'hot have been mentioned at the time. It was very remarkable that no notice was taken of their Intention at the time when the Act passed. The Prime Minister of that time dis tinctly stated what his intentions were with respect to the part of the Act in question. As it was a matter of some importance, he must think those in tentions should be taken into consideration, as well as the late deelaration- of the Noble and Excellent Lord just referred - Mr. Pitt's words on that occasion were these, " The second clause provided, for the permanent support of the Protestant Clergy, a seventh proportion of the lands to he granted in futtire. The meaning of the Act was, to enable the Governor to endow and to pre. sent the Protestant Clergy of the Established Church to such parsbnage or rectory as might be constituted or erected within every township or pa rish, and to giVe to such Protestant Clergyman of the Established Church a part or the whole, as the Governor thought proper, of the lands appropriated by the Act. He further explained, that this was done to encourage the Established Church, and that possibly it might be proposed to send a Bishop of the Established Church to sit in : the Legislative Council." To this statement, which was evidently made in favour of the Established Church, Mr. Fox objected. He said, that if there was any establish ment, it ought to be either of the Roman Catholic Church, or of the Presbyterian Kirk of Scotland, as being the religion of the largest number of the co lonists. In the House of Lords no remarks were made on the Bill, which itself simply said that the provision was made for a Protestant Clergy. He would only say, what appeared to him on the very face of the Coostitution, that whenever provision was made for a Protestant Clergy, except the Act related to Scotland, it must be understood to mean that the provision was made for the Protestant Episcopal Clergy of the Church of England. There was one other point in the Noble Earl's speech to which he felt it his duty to advert. It was trne, as the Noble Earl stated, that the members of the Church of England were, numerically speaking, Considerably inferior to those of the Dissenting Per suasions; but be had the authority of the truly ex cellent Bishop of Canada for stating, that the Mem bejs of the Church of England out-numbered those of any single persuasion of Protestants. He could not avoid remarking, that it was to him extraor dinary that the members of the Kirk of Scotland, and others who had been solicited to sign this peti tion, under the style of Presbyterians, though they differed so' widely that it was impossible they could amalgamate in doctrine or in discipline in this coun try, were yet ready to unite in Canada as members of the Church of Scotland, if they could obtain a share of the clergy lands. Without expressing any opinion as to the policy of a provision for the Pres byterian Clergy, he would repeat, that they had no legal right to any portion of these reserves. The Marquess of LANSDOWNE could not hear it said by the Right Rev. Prelate, from whom he had the misfortune entirely to differ, that whenever, in wording an Act of Parliament, the Legislature of this country named the Protestant Clergy, it must be understood that the Protestant Clergy of the Episcopal Church of England was only meant. This was not, as the Right Rev. Prelate had stated, the Legislature of England only connected with the Church of England. It was the joint Le gislature of England and Scotland united together in perfect parity, and not in a state, of dependency, on the part of Scotland, either as ,to her Govern ment or as to her kirk, but on the same principle that was eloquently stated by Mr. Pitt, when he was recommending the Union with Ireland, a perfect union on the principle of- perfect equality. So far frail' its being recognised by the Legislature that because the Kirk of Scotland was established in that country by the Articles of Union it was on that ac count to be considered as limited to Scotland, the Legislature had always acted on a principle directly the reverse. AO BATHURST ngreed with the Noble Marquess, that the reference made to the Protes tant Clergy did not necessarily apply to the Pro testant Clergy of the Church of England alone, but he thought it did exclude all .other clergy than those regularly. ordained by some acknow. l4dged Church; he meant those of the Church of England and the Church of Scotland. The Earl of HADDINGTON complained of the conduct of the Right Rev, Prelate, who had assumed that the only object of the petitioners was the spoliation of the Church, for which purpose he re presented them us.setting . aSide all those matters of coroxience which kept them asunder in this country, and joining in an unprincipled combination. The Bishop of CHESTER. disclaimed, any inten tion of speaking disrespectfully of the Clergy of the Cbureh of Scotland, or of the petitioners. After a few words from Lord o.trplitN and Lord GODERICiff The petition was ordered to lie on the table. The Duke of NORTHUMBERLAND present ed a petition from the Coroners of the count) , of Northumberland, for the Increase of their Fees. Earl GROSVENOR presented a petition from Clieshire, in favour of Small Notes. • THE CORN BILL. The Duke of WELLINGTON moved - that the Order be read for the third reading of I he Corn Bill. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE did not tine tP of,fer even the slightest opposition —nor did he wish to provoke tmy discussion. There was no one of the grounds on whielt the. Noble Duke had recommended the Bill to the approbation 4P( 1 .• adoption of the Housti, iu which he did not concur except elle s i ng l e . ground—that Llf its being entitled to he con s id ere d as a permanent regnlation on the subject. But he must not flatter the Noble Duke, or the House, or which he would be glad to do, by stating his expectation that the Bill under consideration would ultimately prove settlement of this important question. With g; eat deference he thought that the protection afforded by this Bill to the landed interest was less than 'by that of last year, when wheat should be between 525. and 585., and more when the price should be between 625, and 68s. per quarter. •As it seemed more likely that the price of wheat would vary between 525. and 58s, than between 625, .ttid.GBa. per quarter,the protection to that extent was less. Occasions might yet arise when an influx of ' foreign corn would call again for the interference of the Legislature on behalf of the agricultural in terest, and when the oppresive nature of the tax of from ljs, to 18s, if wheat should rise to prim between 625. and 6Ss. would also require its in terposition on behalf of the consumers. He could not therefore support the present as a fixed and perma nent measure, but it approached nearer to a conclusion than any that had preceded it,andevery approximation was so far an advantage. He `could not help okay ing upon the change of opinion in the:House. upon this subject within a single year : the large minority had been reduced to one-third, or . even:perhaPit one fifth of its oriFinaLnumber ; and . numberi bad joined the majority in favour of the Bill, - beeause they were satisfied that the former state o&the law Was highly mischievous arid inconvenient. When he perceived also that-all the alarms from the warehousing system had died away, he could not help believing'that the change corresponded with the general feeling, and he.hailed it as a good omen for the future, if it were found necessary still further to amend the law. The Earl of MALMESBURY said, of all the evils that could afflict the cultivators of the soil, and the class of the community to which be belonged, the most severe was to legislate temporarily on this great subject : the landlord and ins tenant could thus never come to an understanding, never arrange their relative situations, while a large quantity of land would be left in what he might call a state of dangerous uncertainty : no man could safely embark his capital, and the most fatal results only could be anticipated from such a vacillating system. I do - not like to allude (said the Noble Earl) to a topic which may occasion needless alarm ; but I must observe, that the present appearance of the crops by no means affords a prospect of an abundant harvest; it is pos sible that there may be a general deficiency, but there certainly will be a partial deficiency. If such be the case, this measure will he ruinous to that portion of the country where the harvest is deficient, because it must be followed by an influx of foreign corn. Those acquainted with markets will agree with me that this is a measure favourable to the importer: At this season of the year the price of wheat is usually highest ; and but for the expectations from this Bill, at this moment wheat would be from 6s. to Bs. per quarter above the present actual price. It is now from 54a. to 555. per quarter, Winchester, meesure,, and an instance of the same kind is hardly . to be found in any preceding year, and certainly not in 1822. The Dpinion, therefore, out of doors unques tionably is, that we shall no more get 60s.,which has been taken as a remunerating price. His Lordship then proceeded to notice the incidental topic of the Isle of Man, contending that it ought to be put upon the same footing as the rest of the kingdom, in order to guard against illicit importations under fraudulent certificates of origin. Lord ELLENBOROUGH—It is satisfactory for me to be able to inform the Noble Earl, that the measure he suggests regarding the Isle of Man, will be brought forward at the earliest, possible period. Great difficulties have been found in de claring the Isle of Man a part of the United King dom ; but arrangements for that purpose are in pro gress, although the Bill cannot be " brought in this year. In the meantime, certificates of origin, in the same way as they are required with produce from Guernsey, Jersey, Alderney, and Sark, will also be required from Man, and the utmost caution will be used that frauds may not be committed. As to the general arguments of the Noble Marquis and of the Noble Earl, the former stated, I think, three rea sons why this was not likely to beapermanent mea sure. Of those three, two—relating to the state of the currency and of our foreign relations—would apply to any plan that .might be brought forward; and on the point of our foreign relations, I may ven ture to assure him, that there is nothing more un likely than that any thing should arise out of •our connection with Foreign Powers at the present mo ment to affect. the Corn Laws. He also, seems to think, that tie protection given to the agriculturist is not enough when the price of wheat is between 525. and 585., and too much when it it between 625. and 68s. Hence he apprehends that it may be ne cessary, at. some future time, to make another change in the law; but lie will recollect, that before the Committee it appeared that at all prices above 58i. the protection is greater in this Bill than in that of last year, but that at 58s. and below, the protection would be complete. At 58s. the duty would be is. Bd.: and from a memorandum I made last year, at a time when, it might be supposed I was not very favourable to the Bill, it appears that at .58s. about 500,000 quarters would be impOrted. It is true, that of this about 150,000 quarters would be of the finer quality of wheat, bearing a higher price than the rest by Bs. or 103.; but that I hold to he an ad vantage, inasmuch as it is important to the grower to have a certain portion of the best wheat to work up into flour with the inferior sorts. On the other hand, the 350,000 quarters would be perhaps ss. or 6s. below the average price of this country, and would operate the other way; so that I ap prehend there will be no necessity for making an al teration in this Bill with a viewto greater protection. On every occasion when I have spoken on this sub ject, I have given niy reasons for thinking that no Corn Bill can be permanent, and that none ought to be permanent with a view to equal justice. lam far from thinking, however, that there are any cir cumstances in the present prospect which will oblige Parliament at an early period to make an alteration. The Noble Marquis has expressed some surprise at the altered opinion of this 1-louse upon this subject. It seems to me that the circumstances of the country are very, very materially altered. Last year, let us remember, we were told that something was to be conceded to the manufacturer and something to the grower, and I looked at this declaration with great alarm and suspicion, for at the same time we had repeated announcements of the adoption of free trade. We had denunciations from some quarters, and open threats from others.; and I felt inclined to make a stand where I could, to maintain principle and to maintain price, when I feared that by grant ing the Bill I was placing a power in the hands of a Government which did not pay that attention to the interests of the grower of corn which I contend every wise Administration is bound to pay. Cir , camstances are now greatly changed ; and I am sure the Noble Earl (Malmesbury) has the fullest confi dence that it is the determination of the present ad ' visers of the Crown to support the agricultural in terest. It is impossible to form a Government which is more strongly convinced of the fitness and necessity of doing so. Besides, I apprehend there has always existed in this House a strong disposi tion to endeavour to come to some accommodation or (I may say, though I dislike the word) compro mise upon the subject. That accommodation is to be found in the Bill which it is now proposed to read a third time. The Earl of DARNLEY believed that the Noble Earl (Malmesbury) had taken a more gloomy view for the future than was warranted by present ap pearances. The Earl of ROSSLYN stat2d his intention to move an Amendment, altering the descending scale below 58s. to 2s. duty, instead of one shilling duty. He should, however, only make one single remark, viz. that, men found that the general production of corn was diminishing in proportion as . the general state of the population was rendered worse; and it, therefore, became the duty of a Statesman, and of those who wished to g ive encouragement to an increased pro duction of this country, to afford security for the em ployment of capital, rather than to do any thing that would climinisli the confidence of the agriculturists in the proceedings of the Legislature. His great ob jection to this Bill was, that it would have a great tendency, not only to discourage the application of capital, but would produce an apprehension on the part-of the tenantry of the country, that might greatly diminish the amount of the production. — This would place them in a most awkward state. — He should now propose the same clause relating to the warehousing system which he had proposed to introduce into the Bill of last year. He was still of opinion the duty on warehoused corn should attach on corn eccording to the price declared upon impor tation, which, as their Lordships knew, was an average ascertained by the receipts. The Dnke of WELLINGTON wished to say a few words upon what had just fallen from the Noble Earl. As he had rather taken that part of the Bill upon which the most unfavourable impression was to be made, than on any other point which was not cal culated to produce such an impression—he meant that part which related to the duty between lft eight shillings and fifty-two shillings imperial nith4' sure. He agreed that this Bill, if it was not one' which would encourage agriculture it was fit 'that;.'it.should be amended. It was his opinion that it would encourage the agriculture of the country, and particularly of Ireland; and he firmly believed that this Bill would be a check to the speculations in fo reign corn, and that hereafter, if there were specula tions of that sort, they would be rather upon British than foreign . corn, and the duty would be high enough to prevent those enormous gains that had been made in speculations of that sort, and, in con sequence, we should have speculations and trading in home corn. That was his opinion. He should now advert t o the effect of the duty between .its. and 58s. The latter duty was higher than in the Bill of last year. The Earl of ROSSLYN said, it was the same as in the Bill of last year. The Duke of WELLINGTON.—WeII, then, supposing it to be the same, he would take the cal culation from that price, because that price was the , point at which the duty was lowest. Even then he should say that the interests of the agriculturists were protected. In what he was now about to say, he should proceed on the information received upon the subject of the Bill of last year. He believed that on that subject they had acquired all the infor mation they could. It appeared on the investiga tion before the Committee that the best wheat could be imported from Dantzic at the price of 31s. There was a great variety of places from which corm could be imported at a lower price---;.at some places even for 235., but in many for 2.55. • But he should take the price of corn, such as could be introduced into the British market, at 355., and he did not con clude that any quantity would be introduced at a price lower than 31s. T. that sum must be added 295. Bd. as the amount of duty, which would bring it to 60s. Bd. That was what was called the pro tecting price for the agriculturists. He did not mean to say that it could not be sold at a higher • price in the markets of England, but that was the price at which it could be imported, and the seller must have a profit upon it for - Isis risk, and the advance of his capital. It might be taken at a lower price, but he would take it at the average. The duties were made up at low and at high rates of prices. In all probability the 'corn itself would be at first purchased abroad at a low rate, but then it would have to pay a- duty made upon that average. Surely under these circumstances the sum of 60s. Bd., which was made up at the lowest rate of duty, gave a full protection to the agriculturist. If it was below .575. the duty was then sufficient to afford protection. At the prices of 31s. Bd., 325. Bd., 335. Bd., and 31s. Bd., there certainly must be a sufficient degree of protection afforded by the duty. They did not want it more than sufficient. On that ground lie should contend that there ought not to be a change in the amount of duty. In the discussion of last year, it was said that higher up, at 645, or 665. Imperial measure, sufficient protection was afforded ; and he again asked whether they wanted more than sufficient ? He would now say a few words in answer to what had fallen from his Noble Friend with respect to the duty on warehousing corn. He supposed that the importations from the Continent would be made at a price that would enable the men who speculated in them to pay the expense of importing either into this Country or to any part of the Continent. They knew well that the cost of transfer from Holland to this country, or the oppo site coast, was 2s. Gd. or 3s. Now, suppose that the importer, who was bringing corn into this country, found that the price was very low, and the duty on" corn warehoused here very high, he would be naturally inclined to take it to the opposite coast. If he only waited there till the price was raised 25., he would be a gainer by doing so. He would gain 2s• by the increase of price, and 2s. by the diminu, tion of duty. Thus, by going to the opposite coast, he would gain all the expences of the transfer. That was the objection which he (the Duke of Wellington) had to lay a duty on corn warehoused in this country. The Earl of ROSSLYN explained. His object in proposing a duty on corn warehoused in this country was to prevent too great an influx of foreign corn at a moment when the price was very low here. Earl STANHOPE said, there was an opinion, in which lie concurred with those who thought that this Bill was not and could not •be the final adjust ment and arrangement of this matter. If there was no other ground of objection to it, he should oppose it on that account. The Noble Marquis had told them that lie would support this Bill, though he did not believe that it was a .permanent measure. He would recall to their recollection what had .been said by a Right Hon. Gentleman, who, to the infinite glory and satisfaction of the country, was no longer President of the Board of Trade. That Right Hon. Gentleman had said (and it should be recol lected that at the time he made the statement he was one of his Majesty's Cabinet Ministers), that it was not a permanent measure, but that it was only a step, until the minds of men were prepared for a more important change. However, to do justice to his Majesty's Government , that declaration only afforded a view of what was intended to be done by one side. But still it was a link in the chain, and, connected vita the other acts of that Right Hon. Gentleman and his party, it showed their feelings towards the agriculturists. It had been remarked that the minority of last year on the Bill then pro-; posed amounted to GO, but that the minority of the present year was 20.. He was not called on to de fend the minority of last year. He would not in quire why some Noble Lords were absent altogether . from their duty in that House. He would not ask bow it was that some of those who voted for the se cond reading of the Bill, founded professedly on the same principle as this, now voted against this. He would not enter into that inquiry; but lie was at a loss to understand how the Noble Lord, whose avowed opinion at the beginning of the Session had been in - opposition to the Bill, should now have formed part of the triumphant majority that sup ported it. If their Lordships should pass the pre sent measure, he should .submit to his Majesty's Government whether there were not two other mea sures which honour and equity, and a consideration of what was due to justice, would oblige •them to pass. They knew—every body knew—the power of a contract, that, like the engagement of marriage, bound the husband and wife to keep together for better for worse, for richer for poorer, and nothing could authorise or require them to act contrary to its spirit. It was true that, as in cases of marriage, the state of the contract might be ren dered such as to make it impossible to continue it, and the state of the parties might be such as to ren der it necessary that they should separate, and to justify that House in pronouncing a divorce between them. So it was unquestionably true,andhe should contend, that in justice to the parties interested in this measure—in justice to the numerous and suffer ing class of persons who might be. prejudiced by it —that whether it affected the sewn or. the menthe tures,of the country, if they passed a measure which it was impossible to bring into operation without violence to one or other of these parties, they were bound to relieve both from tie contract, and to leave them at liberty to form a fresh engagement. There was another observation, which, considering the affairs of the times, gave him considerable satis faction ; and that was, that under the Administration of the Noble Dike (he said this without any inten tion of eompl.iment, but merely in justice to him) — under the Administration of which he was at once the chief and the ornament, which was the object of the admiration and veneration not only Of this coun try, but of the whole earth, and which would be the pride, not only of the present age but of the latest posterity—the inclinations of the Cabinet would be more favourable to the agricultural interest than any other, even than that of the Noble Earl of whose services the country had lately been deprived. They had heard from the Noble Baron, and in an other p lace, to w , e_would not allude, and to which ti4ew ' e to allude in any terms of praisii'otoictrittdit.dat there was a spirit of 'Twin'fate.:Sittinst !tlie - tilturial interest. It had :boeli said; that thei' • •%erty was a fair object of iiiieliationl—ihat the heir estates, not even as triniteee for the'flettblie •f others, but at the caprice of any who might - ehoose to despoil them 'of their property. They had been represented as fair objects for political experiments; - and in - that- case; it' was` said, there was no.right to exhaustthe capital of the country, but to make the burthen fall upon the agri cultural interest. Such being the state of things, and judging from the' eiperience'Ofthe past what would be the condition of ',the future, he thought it would be but just and . reasonable; if a general Art was brought in , allowing the trustees of any persens entitled to landed property, to go before the Lord Chancellor, and obtain a decree from him enabling them to sell that property while it did continue sacred (and such woulal not much' longer be the case, if the opinions of the men he had alluded to were adopted), and to invest the proceeds of the sale - in mortgages, or in purchases .of freehold property in other countries, subject :to the same trusts as the lands had been which they had previously disposed of here. They all knew,. and had heard with alarm; this call for spoliation. He urged them to 'take measures to prevent that call from acquiring greater strength. He again 'entered his solemn protest . against the principle of this Bill, and the conse quences likely to result from it. After the question of the third reading had been Moved, he, should pro pose those Amendments which' he thotight indis perisible, claiming for himself . the indulgence of a reply in ease of necessity. Viscount GODERICH would not now have troubled their Lordships a second time with hit opi nions, had it not been for some observations that had fallen from the Noble Lord who had just ad dressed them. That NOble. Lord had expressed his unqualified confidence in the Government as now constituted, and had thought proper to impute to the Government, which immediately preceded that of the Noble Duke unfavourable feelings towards that particularinterest. As far as this` question had any thing to do with the matter, the Noble Earl should have recollected that the measure which he (Viscount Goderich) hid had the honour to intro duce last year, was determined on, not by that Go vernment of which he was then 4 member, but by that of the Earl of Liverpool, of which 'the Noble Duke at that time formed a part, The Noble Earl had referred to a statement made, he' knew not where, and to vague absurdities uttered by he knew not whom, to show that the - principle of that mea sure was hostility to the agricultural interest. .He would defy that Noble Earl to fix any such charge on the GovernMent to whiCh he had affected to refer these charges. Lord STANHOPE said, that with respect to what he had said, be had done so because he knew the expressions that had been uttered by a great political economist on a former occasion, when„ he used the words—the memorable ' and emphatic words—" the landed interest must be pot 'down, and I will sound the tocsin of alarm whenever the opportunity arrives." But when a contrast was formed between the Government which now existed and•that of which the Noble Viscount (Goderich) had been the head, it would be unnecessary for him to undertake the description : nor was the .contrast itself matter for .surprise, when it was recollected who were the parties of which that Government consisted. Mr. Huskisson, Mr. Grant, and a whole party of political economists, had belonged to it, and therefore let the Noble Viscount say what he 'would about reprobation and calumny, he would re peat what he had said, and that he was at,ill times ready to defend it. Lord; GODERICH, did not exactly understand what the Noble Lord had just said about wlittt had been uttered by a person to whom the Noble Lord had not yet given a name, but left him quite in the dark,. with the idea' thit it' was some eminent poli tical economist. He ,(Lord. Goderich), however, remembered, that last year the same expressions had. been cornmented upon, and that he had 'given the same answer on that occasion which he would do now—and that was, that he had never heard any such expressions used, and he did not believe that any one had been fool enough to say so.--(dear.) Lord REDESDALE could not believe that the measure of last year was the measure: of Lord Liverpool ; and in the measures that that Noble Earl had introduced, he thought he could trace that much of them was owing to the colleagues with whom he had been associated. One of those measures had been a Bill for the importation of corn, for the purpose of relieving the distressed manufacturers, who bad -amounted.to one hundred thousand. But what was the measure after all ?, It allowed the importation of corn; 'but in reducing the price for twelve millions of people the effect, must have been, ' that it would not have saved a shilling a man to the whole of the hundred thousand manufacturers. Wlien he considered these things, and how one Minister was involved in the opinions of his colleagues, he could pity the situation in which 'Ministers might be placed. He was old enough to remember the time when Mr. Pitt. was called Prime Minister, and when there was .what was ct.; ed small Cabinet—he believed ~the expression was, a Triumvirate; but if any one supposed that in that Cabinet Mr. Pitt had every thing his own way, he, would be much mistaken. The Triumvirate became, by degrees, a Decemvirate, and the' consequence at last was, that the Administration was dissolved; not that Mr, Pitt resigned--=No; as he had heard the expression used by one who knew the c i rc umstances —he was dragged out I--literally dragged out t It had been said that corn was dearer here than in Poland. Why was this t",te case ? Because We'had an army, a navy, and large establishments to support, and because luxuriand indulgence 'had more or less extended themselves to the very lowest classes of society : all Of which tended to make the value of money very different in this country from what it was in Poland. But if the present state of this coun try was compared with its former state, he would venture to say,. that corn was (proportionably speak ing) dearer in the time of Charles H. than it was now. The real truth of the case was, that the high taxes and vast expenses of the country necessarily rendered the corn dear •• and until that s y sten i of taxation was altered (wh ich, by the bye, he did not wish to see altered,because he thought that the poor would be ten times worse off than they were now), they could not have Torn in pounds, shillings, and pence, at a lower price than now. The true principle of the present Bill was to let those who had large, capital go about speculating, to find in what country' corn was cheapest, giving them every opportuoity to import grain till at last the whole country would be chiefly supplied by importation, and:the corn trade, be brought to the same low ebb as the present state of the wool trade, when almost every wool grower in the kingdom had two or three years' produce still lying by him. But then, who was it that ; bought, this corn ? The corn-dealers.; and he would yens tore to say, that for eight .months in the year the' markets were supplied by the speculators in ; corn ; such, for instance, was the case in this immense town, the population of which' had, within his ecol lection, increased from five or six hundred thousand to a million and a half. Under these circumstances, be slid not think that any Bill could be introduced into Parliament that was likely to prove a permanent One : at present all the calculatione, were founded on the average price of 605.; but if the corn trade sis to be injured us the wool. trade had been (and this seemed likely enough), what ,would become of that average ? What he wished was, that the subject , should be left alone, because he considered that the effect of the present law would be to work quietly to the result that corn would never be, a shilling higher than it was at present. He was confident that the cultivation of the country had already suffered by these measures. He had constilted several peisons well acquainted with the subject, and he had not met with one who had not said that almost every farm was under stock ; and that a great many of hem were not more than► half stoaked. If the could not receive his money, the produce , t country must necessarily grea tly di m i n i s h, pi length the whole country would have to be plied by foreign corn. He had heard a re°, about the increase of tents, but-ha could tie that any such increase taketitplate;•:•: ,l lll os that lands now were 'cultiyated 'which befall left waste, and that in spaiticular spats the land had increased in la r ge tO7ps, such d ininghani and Man Chest er springing up 00l therii . ; but if Lordships wouldl old estates,. where no incidental altereitio o , taken place, they would find th a t th e ren ts increased. There was one estate of which be . _AO the history,' the rent of which, in 1620, nnf 531. a-year, and it was - now no :trnega ; .tharl d , a-year, from which there was to be deducted 80 10 for land tax. In fact, almost all the grass, Joa o at the same rent that it did 100,yeareago, jle .g eluded by stating that he was decidedly eppo the Bill.—The Bill was then read a third -tint Lord STANHOP.E, proposed an Juno' the effect of WhiCh was to prevent im portation this country- at too lOw . a rate of duty, such I° o corn as had been previously imported iup the • 'Guernsey; 46.1 Hersey, ' 4rd ELLENBOROUGH said, that the Man 'would soon be placed on the same footint the rest . of 'the erepire; and as to the,-other their privileges ought to be preserved to them, inconvenience to this country wOuldnot.bonlo Lord. REDESDALE suggested, that the 0 mode would be not to allow - the people of tbe ) o of Man to. export into this country any CO) their own, and then there would be, no dorif their expornag corn - at Into, This eotintrY, did not grOw enough for their own COniumptio o The 'Amendment tees negatived.. . The Earl of ROSSLYNpraPosed for the purpose of altering the Nirsireiaiiisint SYj - Lord ELLENBOROUGH. said, that the i t Proposed by the Bill was the. - hest 04.. cork adopted, as by thiS 'system. 0 . ! - e'eprn : waiteborl, this' country would . be always under Ore:contra . the' Government. 'The amendment was negatived. Earl STANHOPE :th e n proposed, that tre', additional towns ix Scotland and Ireland ahoy added to those from which the averages were taken. • • 'The Duke of WELLINGTON objected to •, Amendment, riot on the ground of any. , abstract ciPle; but because' it would alter'ibe.basia on the averages had been formerly taken. The P' at these places varied so much, that , the of the Amendment would make a difference oft' per cent. in the State of the averages; aid it v i be better to increase the scale of the . duties. _ _ sceo: hain sidere y d i pelf in dite tits - antis, Mainler .4peatnana with what .Vith,reap 'Th•Portupl, — Mr- Se • ,erplapittio dully` jtisti thit the n '• pliorto CIPICS wl • Great 'akd the oil cm two cc . . Lord ELLENBOROUGH also said, that quantities sold in the Scotch and Irish towns subject to' enormous variations, which would 0 : the averages' in a manner which it was desirable avoid. . The Amendinent was negatived. Earl STANHOPE then stated that the f el Bill proceeded on the same . mistake as had Per': the Bill'of lasi. year, and that was, the two 4 ' 9 ' things—the average and the value—were founded, and he proposed an Ainendment to 00' the defect. This Amendment was alqo negatived. The Duke of WELLINGTON ther k. propo o Amendment in the schedule, not for thq pure t o altering, it, but in order to render it more des' distinct. The Amendment was, that - wlie ll 6 # *ice of wheai,Should be above 636. and 'Oile r d the duty should be 11. 38. Bd.; when' the price 5j be' above 645. and under 655., the duty show& 1/. 2s. Bd.; when the price, should be above 0 and,under 665., the duty should.be 11. ls. e so on, the scale of duty decreasing with the price. The Amendment was agreed to. N r. }l i, t O lie P p E u . rp th c r op p t r , o h p 4 ;l th s e o ,n me ev o t The • 0 1 Amendments were negatived, and then • o iV n M E t ehafireld Journals. Se . , ~. . , Dill was passed.—Adjourned at Ten lA, ieek. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Jong 26. ok Lord ALTHORP presented a petition frt° l i iiri town of Notthampton, against the burning of doo widows. Il a Mr. MOORE presented a petition froai i ? Chamber of Commerce; in Dublin, against.the Prinnissory Notes Bill. ill Mr. CROKER obtained leave to bring jo s o r to repeal the Acts constituting the Board of L ° tulle. Alr. G from Wo Mitnadv( tonseque 1 , 14 4 parti "Ltd been Dr. PHILLIMORE brought in a Bill for P e lating the office of the Registrar of the. PI:, gative Court of the Archbishop of Canteibut;'' The Bill was read a first time, and ordered g° ' read e second time on Monday next. Sir H. PARNELL' presented the third repo rt the Finance Committee. Mr'. N. CALVERT brought in a Bill, fo r s , franchising franchising certain electors of the borough °L o y Retbrd. The Bill was read a first time, and or o t, to be road a second time on the 10th of July r A copy of the Bill, and a notice of the intenti° t r read it a second time on the 10th of' July, wu l ir y dered to be served on the individuals whom it i s posed to disfranelthe, Afr. W. SMITINI presented a petition from individuals, being 'the Deputies of Congreggit / i oi Protestant Dissenters in and near London, sP the Bill for erecting additional Churches.-- kitersm Paanufaci It appeal i ltas alum !It the to in this ci 'lumber oaly in horne t . Phtees is . thrown t Was con fore,"pre !he Pao Inflicted The gre; 4 ltoo#, t tuaterial, tinfactur •,,,, % ,t u , 6 l. e i rl . er b la s 7 o Bl. Sir R. W B lL LO SO CK N A w D i E sh O ed F to o a P s O k ß ee T r o sii . im 4 RS cony respecting the present state of Portugal* . s ll ,;: 11' 00' !tide - NV particularly respecting the blockade of 1 -' l)° ,o , Its loss i The Right Honourable Gentleman *PPlitil : Misery v (Mr. Peel) will recollect that a Nohle /I d Was likt (Lord J. Russell) in alluding to . ;this Subject al tladed 1 nights since, stated that Don Miguit . 44 assn ik .kstter . quAestigi teas the title of Majesty, and allowed himself tahe, l ). Priticiph dresSed*by that title. That he had also convoked al to 4il t d al r ly fiv i ancient Cortes, which convocation was a brea c 'e , The r that compact under which he held his B OW, sa wn , i and the Noble .Lord then asked whether Or r ot Protectit tions with Don Miguel had ceased, and w hether Ambassador. had received directions to return t ° 6 o l 'Mr; - 1 country. The Right Honourable Gentlema n jo l t the petit that our diplomatic relations were - suspe n e is ties of I and that our Ambassador was to continnoitt Portugal, or return to this country, upon 4e jir (1 1QTVB contingencies which it . would not be thenc e , t he den erect to Mention. 'The Right. Honourab l6 , t heit Sir F tleinari, in , speaking ,of bon Miguel, use 0 1 lhatition wordS, ‘‘ the person exercising the . Gover! rt oP l app ly ' e . of, Portugal." These words were most jolt? ' t e colt in.reference to transactions which had sineP lor . . 01 Intry, place. It appeared to the House; from the OP/ *jilted . b t G i a o o i a. o edr f on rm the‘evnßatsiegnxlolistt longer..H i ng on i . n G pi ueenrttu. communication t It t h w a i, : itivthii :criineof.coiiiie: .‘i i rit ai h e n i o ie u d m t a o ll , L su i r o p i r d is ,s e , tfOi6hiinin our Foreign E. r W gigu .),. a s gi e r eree ,.. - t : i : . is ex ir e th ep e t t i . to - the - etitire"Metrotiolis, that they saw a noPri — t e isrly :i n I.oi:d Aberdeen, and_ signed by ,his Under.Sec re 40 etinnt Lot•d'llungla s , tti.the following effect :, .- t4 e Ciro] " BLOCKADE. OF OPORTO. . i .jo , ' 'j e tted. ' " Foreigneoface, June 24, . 1 " to f i 4 0 n . , ``.la..-1 um .directed by the Earl of 'Aberdeo„ tee I i . 4 1rej: quaint you, for the information of.'the Comula, .ije ,tl i • "c, Lloyd's, that intelligence has been reeeived.it.tbis il 44 4 thl that an effective blockade of the bar of the city of 1) . g i it e 4 had been declared by his .Royal. Highness the Priocc"l I li Was c .of Portugal.—l au), Sir,,.your's, .&c. Ste: ,- ' ' i, , d.to this (signed) _44 DUNG" mm eeti b "To the St Ore tar y of Lloyd's." - . ' ifn , r.'ol ci ° Now _the first question which, he (Sir R. t Ple to fro wished. to put, was whether 'he was to infer d it 'ys Al t the appellation of his Royal Highness bei n g / t • Tra plied to Don Miguel, that ' his authority j co ° Atti c ; revived, and that the functions' of our Ambas' t ioc t to k)ret in Lisbon were renewed. The second . que'.die * Net, Was, whether the notification of the blockade rri,A h. through our Amb assa dor, or if not, through " o ff . P,etitia r other source 'it was received ; and tio, toi PAree whether supposing it was nut noti fi to 14thrant4 ni Mg , . w i i our Ambassader, whether thet blockade howl