The Sun. — London, England, 1842-02-19 00:00:00

are two arguments which every defer whether a cha n g e, the agriculturists not be some claims entitled to coor rations for those they have not r " Hear, hear.") are represented as wit to i bstify tbeal e first authority oh as I would ivolt ;ent day, and who kr character, and )eet. I mean Lord 3e evils which Hon' ." suit of a repeal at eived by him. 1 0 - aw (the Corn- 10) of freedom aßP li r ;, to the trade to, f ur ther, " That the ald only have the grower of core, levying a tax on Lord Granville's the principal nor; most cautious. a n ienting a petition when they, did o l ° , endangering -- rY--(llear hear) sting in the 'City of ble merchants, and d s a Report draw been presented, to Immittee who drew 'ds k. t h e one whes T ted to in order t° uce, the other wh b° b en as less free. 'f the last century s year 1773 to 00 restricticns. contras t the cP: I, during the 6.rs' rat i ve a tagan to to second thero rovement, witheet ic't promote the opinion of a boo/ doing a protectiO Th e Committee whether the bes,t ty did not consist o f the Legislo; e trade in go: refer for an 0(111' is that of Sortie ; and I beg to imable, the . etors, who °- et Lture as a scienc all protectieoej rgest of our la • Yilliam, Lord l'e.l; )atest properti,,,,„/ e system of PO' Tbere agriculture. a ntry or in Scotlay, not come forwsru', tly opposed to th e °thing better ee a been the e gs j 'e recently re-r 9 id many „ a cemmittbe of tb ° the same op de uce ive correspo n de nce me in conseque ll j )jest, I have fell ;ernes against the End when COnn,„l D paper, theif,„ these letters to'!; have acted o°', of the Cor a -10 Now, I will reel' t i s known ',to tile r , bester. I NS ill refe ri d owne r,--(O r' eit to landed inter rk•—(A laugh) Right Non , /331-'°; tainted With 11 ' interest to gri!„; it he states op i n i on is, t h a t rea l intere st be ,afe policy to re prosperous tit rolls of the Io" [ will refer is ei 011.0, L at the landoval: L x ; that it p re io n t o the conclusla; L aws is imeaslP; [e states that 110; of land, and it e )e rendered;llse'ecit because its lf • e it r The more,, ports are PP„ e , ° , • resent he p nt LA ° • the landowner la, n a mo st csetltcos !onclusio n it would be re.. taint' 0° loot nd, coilc rger tion, "Is m ,t, )utter, -1 0 population .le, tnd that the/ ;t0 fit, is of in lll 4 l a `y • quote man a rout Ye give et re not cane 0, Y to two, be.re,,t.'„ht es by the -"'b„4 , myself,,t:eo onet, have ofi, and l o ps, 3lV° l , heir opin ovL want to .1 1 ; i i t ure ed for agri ci vg, • WOlllOOll, s g to fear try- .Is o t h e Coro - I out of 06 affect rell,;et Olt Bon. 1 3 ,„ Ar ',,v , ;tion, 111 r. i.°ll-ere de in corn t 15s. a quart,e,r a appreheneilflvoo d, it shoult-bLre applied to w oe , Lould be th e tr y i n the eoulloe n." l'irhot for M,Culloeho, in rPpeolill" 'e very Bloch sY: nstanc e tlla",tida le and M ti ' i ' 5 ilurope theri or.) e c De character, bra d s oainst free" $ lows us t-°O,OO at . r supp l y Div and the Areeric".oao o hat advice `115,/ rable sess°,ofs ricers Put es • t price, -- 1 ti grl tances, the 014 to let 115 1° 00) 1 ' iculturists 6 Or , use, in 1 ,S3l;plei ked by Sir 5 for tor pr,ie; "fr hest lot exp,eo,l`.ji tja) tsked /01;0 lave latel.Y t ho ren t at , t otet 4 those e 7 ` 10 of 4 the Cori l ' en what rqderr') sts, O° sl hea ho w' , ferred The swer irgs,,Por tba denteou roc' v idenc e anger tc! Cries Of 1103.---( its ho which I intalca food should ,re another es, there are ijie justifffear.) of t l ' itiouanee tho take 0,/),e, his tour i„,ey gn they rthe do it; 0 h ,0 e solo. 40 as a reas °,‘" a , Lws ° f _ a 0 large p or. , u u se ineili",tireS• fe alcd tu t I e Pe °P ot ,o. ve 01of c_onsequen,,iceoto K l to pal . `," t he sequence eit.i :r more for 'tell, Charge il3 re the charges a able to the;e_ public chair, ) pay tbew. ' !oot a-year for i s the fact le °oilers of --( e unty. F 1 e no G tat yOn lot you aro ; her. n o it is e t a propos .A td I tb h e nsehettr' 74 av something said about protection. The Right Honour al3,,l,eßaronet talked of the necessity of protection to '''' ` l e , he at one time called the domestic interests of the country ; another time the native industry of the country ; and again, the great interest of the n i ° ea rit 3% We ought to know what this protection Izitaswoi.whether it is indemnity, or the support of a sYs 'eh cannot support itself. I think it is incum -11 you to show, that if they are entitled to indem nity, that that indemnity ' t: t be . is just. Protection ought universal in its application ; but to pro ttebot t ne landed - proprietor, and not to protect the r, is sheer injustice. You do not attempt to pro :,, the labourer from the improvements in machinery. f 07,7, °then, seek to protect the , landholder ? Why ~, t„r prevent the community from obtaining their I I ,`'` . _ l ,oln .better soils than you yourselves possess habi t tSe i ooking the other day into Humboldt's Travels, „it la mentioned that persons who had been in the and_sitor two centuries of carrying people across . the t T, And es r their backs, had petitioned the Parliamen rra3'lng against the roads ' which were being constructed ace the mountains. • I shall now refer to an extraor kearY argument brought forward the other night by the em ber for Kent it landholders ot the )3 ce e tt r a _trY paid by far the 'w l a ti s ilgest a proportion of the taxes._ i i "re I enter into that, I must call the attention of the ipuse to the petition of a labouring man, who sets forth 3vlat share of the taxes he bears. The petitioner is Wm. f ee ,„ k ; he says he uses per week 2oz. of tea, 2oz. of the ' t ee, Boz. of sugar, Boz. of butter, quartern of brandy ; I,l,lzeepriee of these articles without the Custom-house and etrerlse these would be 2s. 4p. ; they do cost him .how 6d. ' 7 s• 7.1 d., being for taxes ss. 3d. a-week, or 131. k. 13s. :1:: WYoearlrii;rigand this man receives only l ls. a-wee . n f er " e :e are articles of almost necessary consumption 781 and when we see what he pays, l audo Per ~ at re the cent. taxes, let us hardly hear that the ef fo al's Pay the largest proportion of thetaxests country. My object in bringing this House, is to show that there is no ground for that statement. This question has been argued before t a n li° use very fallaciously ; it has been argued as oN;11,11„estio between the manufacturers and the land for l C rs ' --- (Rear, hear, hear.) I , have brought Ir d this • many times, but I never consider tl ' motion ilas h e „„ e I t as a question between those parties. It thisco-- computed that there are 30,000 landowners in tnai titn i l itt rY, and 14 ,000.000 acres of land, and they are . to It ea can that against the interests of the wholecommupity. test e li d e° ! he contended that the farmers are more inte than 11.1 the continuance of the present . law e Ear n , anY other classes of society. There is . th tubes of amongst them as in the various s u b." of this country and their profits, therefore, are l e et to th - ' •_. The Right Ho crab „ e same innuence. tio n. _,7 Baronet said that this was a labourer's ques• the l a b' agree with him in that, and I regret that nee t o not see their own interest in refere eat 511 intOuceostuiriontr.y._T(here is no class who have labourerss? toafastehi,sL crest i n having food cheap as the , nows that th Hear, hear.) Ever condition e labourers of the United States a y re e• i n n t a g be li tter than those of England. And why ? e ue d e e food is cheap. Food being cheap they Ife food Work much, and there is plenty of employment. tlisei t 7„, were plentiful here, it would be pre 4ddea , ' Lie same as though so much land were . f ie, i.o to 1 4 —e Country ; and if land were cheap and plenti- Would ° i ?ae would doubt that the labourers of this country , PO se " e as 'well off as those of the United States. Sup tlina:rnew island were to rise up in our Chan . nel, f an o d , w ouki 8 flocked to it for the _purpose of producing e n d_ Oas s ,,, s° t the effect be to better the condition all the -' the Produce of the island being - exchanged fir ThertleeFessaries and comforts of life ? (Hear, hear.) ou of e tn „l s all argument that labourers will be thrownt all Sho w th ver Y vague. I have already quoted authorities to Iti{4haTa no land would be thrown out of tillage. The , ef the prod Baronet Baronet said the other night that the value ()tight b ee er°d of this country was immense, and that w n e_ % rest to careful how we dealt with so vast an i eoent . i I Covv there were 14 millions of arable land in the And Irii;:willich consumes 22 millions of quarters of wheat, kiiii o ,, au& that no more than two, or at the . utmost four el lan." B wo uld be introduced from abroad if you make es a t ( IN e• r 0 be sure the people would eat l a great hey more bread, if; through having more employment, in that able toraise the standard of living. But I na th . at it will be quite impossible to displace !much . land d Peop te l3 c ountry, the island flo uri , are more fully employed, and if _ If manufactures should revive, if he l a nd; " - s i. how can you kee dov4.-n steal value of jr::l:ifttntdllooupecoapnlzonly do it by a . sliding ce—(He . ar,_ t)lit of the elle ers)—or by oppression, driving y t o h u e rs c . as v i e ta s. l a t • country having to support the people have fair play, who . should have so On tt, eas ° l l to be satisfied as the owner of . the soil ? by ou r other hand, consider what you jeopar e d s i t s i e . niatiY°llr Present conduct. You hazard the 1 44 ° f Yon? countrymen, you endanger the public ar i d e t wis, you force the people to become politicians, the P resent °ll them and the middle classes to think f t t h i a le t majority system is maintained for the benefit of of 4. l rity o f „„,, the Legislature. You talk of the multitudes 13 'l at Ivo llb 'ficed nit repeal of trot orr . i . 'totilllt,r:_ally.j thinksaid h e r t , li s s a e e e w n c ohm° mightnow,yreawlloyuisudffer. !11/ 4 1 ° no the question of the import duties, ba v t e ha el t a y im ou. - - N s w aYs have new claimants ; indeed, you N k ov who were not born when the law passedin 1815. ‘. t.'"th respect to its giving employment to the . poor, ,t telitio n ~_ of monastic institutions was resisted by 1; 4 01"•' argument • it was asked what was to be 0 ` 4 4 ''-'r therelief' cif the poor if they were abo ut.,b t i , _ ~.. D,ogear.) Why that argument was thus met _,. i ll llle . , for their support, and the Poor-laws sprung `e3tr'el c'llse ouence.—(Cheers.) But the agricultural Ite eo l l ,l do not afford constant employment fo l ; the ii p i the . agfi e Vag to the last census, 350,000 pe . rso to n w s 1 % ere notral districts, found employmen t in thr o ,,,, i for manufactures those people . would have bornasovethbaeteinf t here"f c g u aelt for support upon the agricultural districts, tan j 1 1)14 1. , e the system does not givecont t 'ai i ' , is 4t . ---- (1 - lear hear.) I shall now conclude, me .) f n- Le Honourable ' Gentleman who follows 1 t ow , consider them %%vs. isn information on the working . of _these •,-01.1 % . oPpose them because I e filch unsuited to the present state of society. 4iste L n - tilhat we can obtain a sufficient amount of sub an ° l' th, ee n, 1 e xchanging our manufactured products 1 ia„ grleultural products of other countries,. and that I,Nicer,Bllre which prevents that, acts injuriously on our ii, e i*al e a -e • I therefore move that these duties be . now . ) , - ` 4 t , the re When I say now, I mean to mark my opinion ti ° iLte re e t i s Lo ground for their, continuance, and that t'at s Would suffer by their and to show . A ti .eaer s ra Y opinion coincides with that of the peti 'late to this House, for the total and kar t 4 1, 4 ,Y gr re l ea ! Of col; se, if it 'can be shown t a 1,,1ue1i%-h. bare , would be inflicted by their sudde . n if? al f„ r ~ an be no objection to postponing their at i s 4 short time ; but when we see the resistance thinirklade to every kind of change, however gradual, me ßlPr'' the People - would be justly chargeable with . 1 1 '14 1.1.1 l t ta (1 .1 1 . th eir own interest if they did not insist Z ° A k e °Tate justice being done to them ; and I i,ittletatilltiarn-_,ael,l gentlemen who think that the law fo r ' hie it , zt ty to be repealed, however they may differ 1 Illy to . 0 the question of immediate reptal, will vote li oti oti Ii " *OSW • did ALI) said that, in rising to address the House, %aid 1 , Lot h cn ., o ,_ gi de oy 10nlet:,,,Lo say anything that might not be better fo r red th e other Member, but when the House con- I v el hi s a Importance of the subject, he trusted . it would h oalq b Polog o„ j for trespassing upon its atte . ntion. He 4-4,30111eo,„-,7-ever, be prevented from addressing them at a(„t e i, aielater the luminous anddetailed speech in whichthe ..em.— Chr, a?er, who Head just sat down, addressed th at th e new rose for the purpose of protesting the ro an new and crude scale of the Right Honourable t lleb„ore, and all other laws which fettered the free 41. 4 44 ,her 0 t i 0f,,,_ grain—( Hear, hear.) He considered it be /4a,, titan y o ev!er to legislate on the subject.—( Hear, hear. ) p s ; I:if the ~, ,,.do so had hitherto failed,and he believed_tha c. t . th r e . ee„,a•d) . 4 ''iglit Hon. Baronet would fail also. He -l% Pr - i ta t tiai t ;°° ll d on the broad ground that no one class o the Pr e ' ho ti • a .' right to place burdens on the other classes illi.eedin individual a, grandisement.—( Cheers.) Any . such kiltust...,4pe held to be unjust, and as impolitic as it was 110: for t h e e ', hear. ) Monopoly was the robbt of d h n e g believed , th Iti th e n oetietlt of the f..w—(Cheers)— fe r e t , ite ' s tol those who enjoyed undue adv a a n ntage i zer li t t h ic e 1 444,, t h,05 e wound not gain by it. It was as impolitic to L ev _ von fiv''',' gained as for those who suffered H be "d th "e Present law. (Hear, hear.) fey ret en ~ at all „ l e , ' our, , ' the Acts passed, as wit'il i th that ° ; V:hro, bad ended . in disappo ß in a t r m o e n n et t, ri a o n o d ld he m b e e e - t Nin t tke f litstian,` nof the Bight Hon . , Baronet grievously disap hvils, "" la ed _ , He believed it het e ... a nd 10,' ners, while it wouldc w o o ntinuetoin a fl o i d ct m g an re u a_t heard interests!esnd misery, upon the mercantile , ball u lnaily lof the country.—( Hear, th e 41 " -ta r anf,l'A proietors regret the extent o t which the hear.) He had li rite par t o'. this sountry had arrived. He had heard e tte ala c nio _Y, orelare their belief that the people of Great Lei; 4 'hui j o j e ( l more comfort and more happiness before the_ it wev,4 the ~".r c ommercial and manufacturing system. He th e .as sareg;e Individuals weresincere in those statements; but I ., rl tr r!onout,'Y Uteessary to state to that House that they drew thi:e of tithe from false premises, and with a total igno 14onritry w'aci,s. Besides, the question was no . t nowt.whetht he 1 4142 t h/I w as, a , !? become a great commerc t i e a s l t n o a om io m n e — rc li al ce,Z.nuf„turl'inegthreart,jobemg already the g world,our re c a ommerce should . °4l ` l"-e ' t 4 I"'Per, or n sh n ou t ld e be allowed to decline. We ostitaut)dfsttiil,l. We were the greatest workshop for a *i t thtP. " " o r ' ti t° 'ta.te il P r uv " inhabitants of Europe, and we should Prove or ret rcat. Now, it was notnecessary for him liit':'.'loYe r i O a f 1 ept7olteu:ti rh:r (l :• l al t o o ve t ,,, b _ at House what would be the . resiikt _ofwoaur.e.tr.oe telaera.r),. hear.) The evils which_ _ to ld eon i' - i,i...P_Lite....soieLlae Pr society would be too dreadf t u nvanced The principal ar n 1 1q".."ind e C On to the landed interest g :a m s that e it would ~,... did not Pendent, of other nations for oar supply of corn. ",, o lt, wow (' "'lnk that any person who knew much of the sub qldooot Couldtilow great value to t . h tAtior,,4tp he any i) gr greartatcoe ! r a n r d g u m m a e n n ut c t u li r - e m xt m en e t re in a de a pendent of other 4 1 tiee t o e S , I ZP S he might be tol.d that it would be the grossest li e 'eave his ay away all protection from the agriculturists, I , e erith,_,Y protection to the manufacturer.—( Hear, hear.) 111 ' a as ''rea Foncurred in the justice of that . remark. k i , e4 f , ict e , "I i . and he bieved the most enlightened i l'eal f ' Is in this country were reads., with '4 'ieh °. the Corn -la to assent to a d repea o l r of all laws 41144f,resti icted the frewe''' e p tation of every fl'onirtiereet:red article. t i li n s p o o p r i t i a ii t o n :was tha x t the agriculture, ,4,_%48,„,ennd acs ores of the country had flourished,. not 1411e,r, hear) ; trad, t • He believed the mot e freedom that was given he w the more it would flourish. Such being his opinions, t her a ' re ady to concur in _. with ;nigh t i ,_ r i!. rictive duties. He was well aware that there tilt; b7.c.onsiderable difficulty in obtaininc , so desirable a re- w° _ Li t e he did not espair. He trusted that the landowners hf i.thoerAtarayYwthottidhbee ewnassorceodnbvin v ould lee to considerable modification, and for himself he acefdreetthraadt trade in r h o e r s o t . interests t ta r et ri l le e i : s t tv ,: e i th i ituOto7i, as te twhadmitted e i n entitledio (fullyi fttohttebhapete Neatesttpha e petitionsobnd consideration, tdi the ounly, l evva e ri aPoo by pamphlets on the subject of the Corn ittl i had seen su h pamphlets himself, and he the speeches he had l l = Ma n y observed prints ( c if improper description. with praiseworthy moderation, kark Y ed f onandthisrausuubhjeascthewz spected such arguments, he condemned those speeches which had neither moderation for their means, nor he believed, justice for their object. He contended that the great object of the manufacturers was, by cbtaining a repeal of the Corn laws, to secure a lower rate of wages, adducing as an authority, Mr. G. F. Young, and another Hon. Member of that House. Mr. Young stated that he had conversed much with manufac turers on this point, and he had been told that 19-20ths of that class had this object in view. The question for the people was, whether they would have a moderately high rare of prices and high wages, or low prices and low wages. The Noble Lord also read an extract from a work by Lord Fitz williarn, which he considered bore out the same view of the subject. He would refer to one more case e -that of two cities on the Continent, Warsaw and Amsterdam. In the former city, the price of corn was very low, while the labour ing classes were generally in a very distressed state ; whereas in Amsterdam, where the price of corn was high, the labourers and their families were domfortably fed and clothed. Now, such being the case, he (Lord Mahon) wished to know how the theory of the Hon. Gentlemen opposite could be supported ? He believed the supply of corn should be sup plemental and subsidiary. He was much surprised to hear the statement of the Noble Lord the late Colonial Secretary, on the subject. The Noble Lord said, that if we we re d e p eu d• nt onforeign countries for a supply of cotton, that was no reason why we should not endeavour to be independent of them as regarded corn. But, if it were a disadvantage to be dependent on them for cotton, would it not also be a disadvantage to has e to depend on them for corn ?—( Hear, hear.) We ought, then, to aim at independence. The Noble Lord, the late Secretary for Foreign Affairs, said this was a childish idea. He talked of the rich productions of other countries, and then asked why should our miserable laws stand between our people and the bounty of Providence ? (Hear, hear.) This language might do very well for other Members; but how could the Noble Lord, after talking thus, vote for a sliding scale?—(Hear,hear) —for surely all his arguments applied as much to a fixed duty as to a sliding scale.—( Cries of " Hear, hear.") On referring to an annual register be would find that the duty, so much higher t than that now proposed by his Right Hon. Friend, was proposed by the Duke of Wellington's Ca binet at the beginning of the year 1828 ; and if he carried his inquiries further, he would find, however incredulously he might rub his eyes, that Lord Viscount Palmerston was a member of that Cabinet. . It might have been supposed that he would not continue in a Cabinet which could propose such a measure ; but so far from that being the fact, the retirement of the Noble Lord took place some weeks afterwards, and on an entirely different question.—("Hear, hear," from the Minis terial benches.) Much had been said with respect to depend ance on foreign supply. He would advert to two instances in which sucb dependence might have led to the most serious con sequences. First, there was the formidable confederacy of European nations to which England was exposed at the time when Napoleon was threatening her with invasion. What would have been the result had England then been dependent on France, or any other Continental nation for a supply of corn ? Why, even the spirit of the English people, however courageous and determined, would not have enabled them to hold out against the confederacy which then existed.--( Hear, hear.) It was well known that two years ago the Government of France found itself opposed to the Government of this country with respect to the affairs of Syria. If, then, France, when placed in hostility to the other nations of Europe, had been dependent for her supply of food on any other coun try, would France have been able to plade herself in the isolated position she had done, and which she considered to be consistent with, and due to her honour and dignity ?—( Hear.) Many countries would be disposed, by the price of corn in Eng land, to part with their own harvests and subsist themselves on inferior grain. He stated this on the authority of the Hon. Member for Bolton, who in one of his reports stated that the Tuscan States would very probably send the whole of the wheat grown in that country to England, and that their own popula tion would be fed ow corn imported from the Famine. It also appeared from the report of one of our diplomatic agents in Italy that if the English Corn-laws were repealed, the cultiva tion of wheat in the Papal States would be considerably in creased. Thus it was impossible to foresee the amount of com petition to which the British farmer would be exposed. In the year 1830, a high authority, Sir Henry Parnell, had said that in his opinion 100 s. was not too high a price for corn. When Mr. Canning came to deal with the Corn-laws, he thought that 60s. was a fair price, and that opinion was adopted by the Duke of Wellington and the present Administration. There could be no doubt that a fair remunernation would be given to the farmer, and no more. Mr. Sanders of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce said that the rate of freight for corn from the Continent would be from 3s. to 45., and the rate from Ireland to London was higher. This was the opinion of a member of the Manchester Chamber of Commerce. It was therefore indispensably necessary that agriculture should have protec tion. He thought the scale proposed by the Right Hon. Baronet *as fully adequate to this purpose, and he thought it would be received by all as a measure of conciliation. He thought it was better for the agricultural interest to have a less amount of 'protection with the consent of all parties, than to struggle for a high protection against the community. —( Hear, hear.) With regard to the manufacturing classes, he thought the proposed measure would 'be received by them as one of conciliation. But he would express his hope that while the agriculturists were willing to meet them in this spirit of conciliation that the manufacturing classes would come forward with a similar disposition.—( Hear, hear.) He trusted that they would be impressed with the emphatic words of Curran, who said, that in the course of his life he had seen that agitation had made many rich men poor, but never a poor man rich. He did not mean to say that the motion of the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton was founded on agitation ; but they had had annual motions for vote by ballot.—(Loud cheers from the Opposition.) They had also had motions for removing the Bishops from the House of Lords.—( Conti nued cheers from the Opposition.) Bnt he would say without any disrespect to any Hon. Gentleman opposite, whom,ae doubted not, acted conscientiously in advocating these subjects, but he felt assured that it would be a long time before they saw either the removal of the Bishops or the Vote by Ballot. Mr. ELPHIN STONE, who was at first inaudible in the gallery, said the only object for which protection was given to the landowner was, that they were subject to burihens which the other members of the community were not. The rates usually levied 'were the poor-rate, the county-rate, and the land-rate. Now, with regard to the poor-rate and the county rate, it was well known that all property beneficially occupied was subject to these rates, and therefore the landowners only paid their fair proportion of taxes. Now, for instance, he would take a certain parish in which many Hon. Members resided, viz., the parish of St. George's, Hanover-square. He found that in the last year the rates in that parish amounted to 37,0001., of which they expended 12,0001. in the relief of the poor, and the remaining 25,0001. were handed over to the county gentlemen to pay their county rates. With regard to the highway rates, it was well known that the inhabitants of towns and the inhabitants of villages paid very large awns in repairing their own highways and streets, as well as the landed proprietors. He found that in the parish of St. George's, Hanover-square, they paid no less a sum than 25,000/. in repaving the streets ; and these two sums were larger than the county-rates put together. Now, he wished to see upon what this claim of protection tvas founded; because he thought he could show to the House the landed interest were large debtors to the State.—( Hear, hear.) When these taxes were first imposed in 1693, they *ere put on in this way—namely, that the rates should be from one shilling to four shillings in the pound in proportion to the rental of the country.—( Hear, hear.) It was then estimated that the rental of the country was 10,000,0001., and the produce of the tax was 2,000,0001., but land shortly after wards greatly increased in value, in consequence of the trade and commerce of the country increasing, and the landed in terests then pressed Parliament to pass an Act, making the land-tax then levied perpetual, so that while the rental of the country increased from ten to forty millions, the land-tax re mained. Thus were the landed interests indebted to the public to the amount of about 8,000,0001. ' Then, with respect to the legacy duty, it was well known that on the decease of any per son, personal property was heavily taxed, and produced a large revenue to the country. It was estimated that if real property was subject to the same duty as personal property, the revenue would be increased no less than 1,000,000/. a-year, so that these t wo taxes taken together, caused the landed interest to be indebted to the country in the sum of nine millions sterling.—(Hear, hear.) He had taken the trouble to look through various taxes which had been repealed since the year 1815. He found that certain taxes had been repealed, which when levied pressed only on the landed gentry, while the aggregate of taxes pressed on the other classes of the community. Those taxes repealed amounted to no less a sum than 995,0001. per annum, so that with this sum added to the other the landed gentry had con trived to keep ten millions of money in their pockets, while the remainder of the public were paying heavier taxes than for merly. But even supposing there may be some ground for protection to the landowner, in consequence of corn coming from other countries, they had protection in this way — if the y admitted three bushels of corn he believed the estimated expenses would be from 6s. to 7s. • but three bushels of corn we re g rown on every acre of land, and thus would they have a protection of nearly a guinea imposed on every acre of land, and he (Mr. Elphinstone) thought that was sufficient protection. But this subject was inquired into in a Committee on agricultural dis tress, when every witness was cross-examined as to the nature of the burdens imposed on the landholder. The only answers were —" You ought to repeal the window tax and the riding horse duty, and if these two taxes were repealed, it would afford a great protection to the landed interest." One great ob jection to any tax on corn was, that it pressed heavily on the poor, and was not felt by the rich. Take the case of an _ agricultural labourer in the country round Hertford (as we un derstood), whose income was about 261. a year. Suppose the man had a wife and four children. The price of the 41b. loaf in this country was 9d., and 6d. on the Continent; that is to say, on every 41b. of bread that is consumed by the agricul tural labourer, 3d. is to be paid to the landowner. The la bouring man and his family consumed 41bs. of bread every day in the year, at least they ought to do so, and thus the tax paid to the landowner of this country by the poor man amounted to 31. or 41., or 171. per cent. on his income. The Noble Lord who had just sat down had introduced the subject of wages, and expressed an opinion founded on mistake, for he (Mr. Elphin stone) believed that wages in no way depended on the price of food, but depended alone on the demand and supply of labour. For example, he would take the case of Ame rica and Ireland.. In Ireland provisions were very dear, and the wages of labour at almost the lowest point at which life could be supported. They had evidence that wages were so low that the manufacturing popoulation in the north of Ireland were so reduced that many of them had been known to go to the starch manufactories and devour the refuse which was thrown away in this and other countries when provisions were cheap. In America it was just the contrary, they had pro visions cheap and wages high. Capital was employed, and the working man was able to find a master and employment. The Right Hon. Baronet the Member for Dorchester, estimated the price of foreign wheat brought into this country at 403. quarter. Now, let them calculate what was annually extracted from the pockets of the people.—( Hear, hear.) The average price of wheat during the last few years was 575. to 58s. per quarter, this being 17s. higher than the Right Hon. Baronet had computed that corn might be introduced into this country. If they assumed the consumption of this country to be 2 5,000,000 of quarters annually, they had something like 20 ,000,000/. of money extracted yearly from the pockets of the poor, which otherwise might be employed in the purchase of some of the comforts of life. The Corn-laws not only pre vented the labourer obtaining employment here, but their ope ration caused competition to be raised in America with our own manufacturers. They hid it stated by a Commission of Inquiry Sheffield t fo that we w ere l os i ng the markets for our manufactures a b roa d, Germanyradea aund d of to Switzerland we re successfully competing with us. Mr. Ibbotsors, of Sh e ffi e ld, h a d state d t h a t fi ve - e ighths of the ee nawmta out ro st n o e vy a 3 America, the but exr o o r a t i n of g to stt e t e whichCorn-lawsw a th r eii principle s worked up i n A merica into sc i ssors and knives, and thus the trale was by t a t the the continent of E urope. Now,ot n- int w i is of eto their s hrds. his evidence was corro boratedp rts to the different countries of t e p ine , we B e 3 a 3 p o t r b t i s d q t to a ntty Bel gium 18,000,060 lb ; had increased to 23,000,0001bs To Holland, in the year article 200 1830, we exported o f t h e same •, 0001bs and in 1833 it amounted to th e l arge quantity of 11,000,000 lbs. The Right Hon. Baronet, in his speech in had stated the offi c i a l value ofbringing g oods forward the Corn-laws, with exported from this country to Europ e , i n t h e years 1 83 1839, and 1840. He (Mr. Elphinstone) had rea d over the different different estimates, and he found them to differ from that Baronet. He found th a t i n the year stated by the Right Hon. 69,000/ of goods of official val ue , 1833 we exported and had risen to 2,000,000/. (The Hon. Gent. in th i e B n 4 f f thi i s ad su t ni o the exports of 1840 and 1841, but there was r h e er the House that they were not heard in the gallery.)somue noise in in barassment to this country consequent upon the Right rn- Hon. Baronet's measure would b e co , ss - isaiserably aggravated by THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 19, 18.41,. having to export bullion in seasons of distress. The Noble Lord who had just "sat down alluded to the great advantage of having foreign corn when this country sto xi in need of it. At the same time, if countries in the same degree of latitude and longitude were similarly affected, as no doubt tney might be, if the commerce of this country was extended, the probability was that when there were bad harvests in this country, there might be good harvests in other countries, not in the same latitude; and therefore the people of England Would have a better chance of deriving ad. vantage from theist—( Hear)—under every circumstance he felt that the greatest advantages would result to this country from the'unqualified repeal of the Corn-laws —( Cheers.) He considered them most obnoxious and detrimental to the interests of England.—( Cheers from the Opposition benches.) England was al w ays , pre-eminent in science, pre-eminent in indu,try, and pre-eminent in power; if the Parliament now by this measure crippled the energies of the 'people by interfering with their industry in that way, ha (Mr. Elphinstone) feared very much that the country would be deeply affected by it, and fall under the withering blight of a restricted commerce. Mr. G. BEATHCOTE, after some prefatory observations, said that it became the duty of the House to do the best that was possible under existing circumstances, and to do all in their power to promote the agricultural interest of the country, or, at all events, to make th best terms they could, in order that those great and important interests should be as little in jured as possible.—( Hear, hear.) He believed the question mooted by the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton (Mr. Vil liers), was an exceedingly wide one, and he believed that many Honourable Members in the course of the debate, had entered upon the consideration of many topics remotely connected with the subject of the Corn-laws. However, he (Mr. Heathcote) would state his opinions candidly, and he intreated the attention of the House to them before they arrived at a decision of the measure which the Right Hon. Baronet had brought under their consideration. He (Mr. Heathcote) wished to make one observation with reference to his vote the night before last upon the amena ment proposed by his Noble Friend the Member for London. He (Mr. Heathcote) had always expressed his opinion against any fixed duty on corn.— (Cheers from the Ministerial benches.) He looked upon a fixed duty as an absolute injury to the landed proprietors, and, in fact, he considered it a much lower duty than the present one. A fixed duty was always either too high or too low. When corn was law the duty was injurious to one class, and when it was high it offered a most unfair impediment to the introduction of foreign corn, so far as the consumer was concerned; it appeared to him better both for the consumer and the producer if a gradual relaxa tion were adopted than if a fixed duty were imposed. He wished to say a few words with reference to the Right Hon. Baronet. All that Right Hon. Gent. appeared to him (Mr. Heathcote) to prove was, that there should he no alteration at all in the Corn-laws. The Right Hon. Gentleman said that he did not think the alteration he proposed would give any material relief or mitigation to the distress which was unfortanately prevalent in the country, and Lord Melbourne, the head of the late Government, had said the same thing— ( Hear, hear)—in. fact, everything that had fallen from the Right Hon. Baronet in the course of the discussion went to show that inati.ad of any alteration being made in the Corn laws, they should be left as they are.—( Hear, hear.) Howeser it was perhaps useless for him (Mr. Ileathccte) to speak of things which had gone by. The great object of an alteration in the Corn-laws was to have an alteration in the averages. Upon the subject of wheat, probably, there was not so much dissatisfaction entertained with respect to the proposed mea sure, but with reference to barley and oats, he was convinced there was the greatest dissatisfaction, and his principal object in rising to address the House, was to ascertain ' whether something could not be done by her Majesty's illidaters, or some changes made with reference to the duly upon those articles. He was the more anxious to do that, as h;s Noble Friend, the Member for Lincolnshire, had stated that a great quantity of wheat above the maximum stated by the Right Honourable Baronet had come into the market, but the proportions of barley and oats were totally different. Now, the maximum fir oats was only Bs. He found that the quan tity of oats which came in at various periods oSa particular year which he stated was 554,000 quarters at 7s. 9d. a quarter, 193,000 quarters at 9s. a quarter, 467,000 quarters at Bs. a quarter, and 166,000 quarters at 12s. a quarter. Now, the maximum duty was only Bs., and what he feared was the result which must arise from having a large surplus quantity when the harvests were favourable all over the world, would be similar results to those which happened in 1822 and 1823 would arise in seasons of distress. He wished to warn the Right Hon. Baronet of those results, and it was with a view to anticipate them if possible, that he had then called the attention of the House to the subject. In the first instance he wished to call attention to the prices of corn in Denmark. The Right Hon. Baronet seemed to be somewhat aware that when he was replying to the Hon. Member for Bolton, that he was answering too much, and that he was actually breaking a hole in his own case.—(Hear, hear.) The fact was so, and though the Right Honourable .Baronet had fairly stated the report, he had not stated the entire of the circumstances. He (Mr. Heathcote) found, by the papers which he then held in his hand, that the prices of corn in Denmark were so extremely , low, that he hesitated to think they were correct ; he could not think that there could be such a disparity of prices as he found in those papers. In his opinion, it would have been better if the prices were taken not for several years, but a series of prices for several parts or dis tricts of a country ; and now, as he had the authority of the Right Hon. Baronet for stating that those papers were correct, he would state to the House their contents as bearing upon the present subject. He found that the average price of corn in Denmark, for the last twenty-five years, was very variable ; and, as he was upon that subject, he might then observe, that, though the freight of corn from that country was between 3s. and 3s. 6d. In fact corn could be had from Denmark as cheap as from any place else .on the opposite shores. Now the average price of wheat there for the last twenty-five years was 28a. a quarter ; barley, 14s. a quarter ; and oats only 10s. a quarter. He had also found that the average price for the last seven years, so far from being 28s. a quarter for wheat, was only 255. a guarter.— ( Hear.) He thought 3s. difference in the average price of corn within that period, if Hon. 'Gentlemen would only make a calculation upon it, would destroy all the calculations and Ce ductions made upon the other side (the Ministerial side), and throw them into a dilemma out of which it would be utterly impossible for them to get.-(Cheers.) There was no great difference in the average prices for the last seven years except that barley was Is. cheaper than for the 25 years, and oats were something about the same thing. In 1824 he found that the price of wheat in Denmark was 16s. a quarter, barley Bs. a quarter, and oats only 6s. a quarter. In 1825 wheat was 17s. a quarter, barley 9s. a quarter, and oats 7s. a quarter. Would aay one say that that was an accidental or a casual circumstance? In the seven years that followed 1821 he found that the average price of wheat in Denmark was only 18s. a quarter, barley 10s. a quarter, and oats only Bs. a quarter. Now he would take this opportunity of asking the Honourable Baronet opposite whether he had calculated those averages ? whether he had anticipated them, and was prepared to deal with them? If the Right Hon. Baronet had not done so, the measure he pro posed certainly required revision.—( Hear, hear.) When he (Mr. Heathcote) looked at all those things, he felt himself fully justified in hesitating before he gave his acquiescence to the Right Hon. Baronet—(Hear, hear)—still, more should h e hesitate to support his Noble riend, the Member for London, and a thousand times more should he feel himself justified in. giving all the opposition in his power to the motion of his Hon. Friend, the Member for Wolverhampton.—( Cheers. ) Thirty or forty years ago the labourers of this country eat the blackest and coarsest barley and rye bread ; now they eat the best wheaten bread. The Honourable Member for Yorkshire the other day stated the same fact; he (Mr. Heathcote) heard with pleasure the Honourable Member for Wigan confirm the statement, and he was delighted to think that even in Bucking hamshire this state existed. He (Mr. Heathcote) believed that the people of England were not in so bad a condition as had been represented. He would wish Honourable Gentlemen to take care then how they meddled with the people's condition. If they lowered their rents the master manufacturers must take less profits.—( Hear, hear.) They must not enter into a com petition by low wages with the manufacturers of the Continent. He thought they should look more to America for a supply of corn than to the northern nations of Europe, because we could export much manufactures to America, whilst they exported very little to the north of Europe. For this statement he had the authority of Mr. Van Buren, the late Pre sident of the United States; and Lord Melbourne had since repeated it in his place in the House of Lords. Besides, with regard to America, he did not see how it happened that they were afraid of the manufacturers of America, when they (the Americans) paid such high wages. It was natural we should buyl where we could get things cheapest— that we should, therefore, go to America for corn ; but we should take care how we reduced our own growth of corn, and depended too much upon foreign nations for supplies ; otherwise, ere the meanest person in the kingdom could get a morsel of bread we should have twice to cress the Atlantic. In America the .price of corn had been sometimes higher than in England —and what was to happen in the case of war ?—and he (Mr. Heathcote) feared that there were parties in America who had not the best feelings towards England—they would have nei ther cotton to spin nor bread to eat.—(Hear, hear.) And with regard to Odessa, we should have plenty of corn thence when we did not want it, but when we did want it we should not get it, and he believed the same thing would be the case with the nations in the north of Europe ; they would not allow the exportation of corn in a season of difficulty. He (Mr. H.) arrived;therefore, at the conclusion, that the cheapest corn would be that which was grown at home.—( Cheers from the Tories.) How were we to accomplish the grewth of suffi cient corn, however, with an increasing population? He did not think Hon. Gentlemen opposite were aware of the great improvements which bad lately taken place in England.— (" Hear, hear." from Ministers.) And not only that, but the agriculturist himself had greatly improved ; to the sound prin ciple and firm integrity of his fathers, he adds intelligence.— (Hear.) And he (Mr. Heathcote) believed—he would say it, though it might appear strong language—that there was hardly a field in the country which did not produce more food, and produce for man, than it did fifty years ago.—( Hear.) He thought, therefore, that this country would still produce plenty for the population. —(Hear, hear.) Mr. LEADER commenced in an inaudible tone of voice. There was one remark of the Hon. Gentleman's speech to which he would allude. He said that agriculture had so much improved of late years that we had no idea of what land would now produce. if that were the case he (Mr. L.) thought there was less pretence for protection to land.—( Hear.) He agreed with the Hon. Gentlemen who had just sat down only in one point, viz. in his opposition to the fixed duty of Lord John Russell. He (Mr. Leader) was much amused by the speech of the Noble Lord the Member for Heriford. One of the Noble Lord's authorities was George Frederick Young. Certainly when a Member of that House, a very respectable one, but one who was never considered a very certain autho rity on any subject, and it must be remembered that he some times voted on one side and sometimes on the other side of the House.—(No, no.) 'I he Noble Lord had also quoted from a speech of Lord Fitzwilliam's, delivered 25 or 26 years ago, and referred to what Sir H. Parnell had said 36 years ago.— (" Hear," and laughter.) The Noble Lord should have quoted what had been said by these Hon. personages lately, now that their judgment was matured by experience, and he should not have quoted from what they said when they were young men. He (Mr Leader) had also been much amused by what he said of the Noble Lord the Member for Tiverton, telling us that in 1828 he had voted against the Corn-laws. This only showed that that Noble Lord had be come a convert to a sound principle, and he (Mr. Leader) wished there were a few more of the same sort.—( Hear, hear.) Hon. Gentlemen opposite were much mistaken as to the wishes and feelings of the people with regard to the Corn-laws. They fancied that because the people had interrupted certain public meetings, and wished to obtain _something . previous to the Corn-laws, that they were in favour of the Corn-laws. He (Mr. Leader) did not believe this. He knew, from his own experience, that they were decidedly and most strenuously opposed to those laws.—( Hear, hear.) he le y g b is e l l a i t e i v o e i t ' l that th e y s h ou ld soon d s h e e r e d d these getes e ar Ti l ie t y he c y on w si i whi c h were the result of class ricl then get f p g r et o ht c ar e ti e d s . l oedf first, h f r bo o se m ec aeuvsiel classlawst legislation. He believed the working men h a d t oo much sense, and knowledge of political economy, to have fallen into the error ascribed to them. He believed they knew well what had been stated by Franklin, seventy years ago, that al Acts passed for the restriction of trade, had been either enacted by political plunderers, or were passe d by individuals for private objects, instead of from princi ples of public good.—( Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Leader) was not present when his Honourable Colleague spoke the opinions of Westminster. He (Mr. Leader) was sorry , he was unable to attend ; it was out of no disrespect for his lion. Colleague, I prevented the Rghsto ;Hoynby ill-heath. Hi s Hon.. Baronet m i g h t b e suroe 1 but Colleague S I entabteedthat - of the support of the respectable and substantial constjtueney ~ of Westminster. He (Mr. Leader) begged to assure the Right Hen. Baronet, that if he took this opinion he would form a very incorrect idea of the people of Westminster. He (Mr. Leader) grieved to say that his Hon. Colleague had a right to speak for one-half of the constituency; but though he might claim monopoly on a great many points, lie could not claim a monopoly of the constituency of Westminster.— (Cheers.) Of those who supported him (Captain Rous) he (Mr. Leader) believed there were many who did not ap prove of the Right Hon. Baronet's plan, whilst - of those who supported him (Mr. Leader) he believed there were very, very few, who approved of it at all. Out of a prpulation of 200,000 in Westminster there were only 10,000 electors ; and of that unrepresented mass there were very few indeed but would condemn the Right Honourable Baronet's plan, and support the proposition of his Honourable Friend the Member for Wolverhampton. There had been a great deal said on the other side in blame of the agitation that had been used against the Corn-laws. He (Mr. Leader) shold like to know w h et h er Hon. Gentlemen condemned it only on the ground o f ag i tat i on, or because it happened to be agitation against their favourite syste m ?—(H ear .) B es id e , he would ask, what h a d t h e great body of unrepresented peitP' pie to do but to agitate? The counties were almost entirely in the hands of their opponents, and in towns the same was the case, owing to the immense prevalence of bribery and corrup tion. He did not mean to say that bribery and corruption were on one side of the House only; but he meant to say that money and property generally carried the election.—( Cheers. ) Ihe petitions of the people were not fairly treated or listened to.—(Cheers from the Tories.) He was glad Honourable Gentlemen opposite cheered at what he had stated. It only showed that the people having nothing left them, could not but agitate. But was the agitation all on this side? Had not Gentlemen opposit e b een agitating against the ma nufacturers ?—(Hear, hear, hear.) For his (Mr. Leader's) part, he had never heard a more fierce, inveterate speech than the one made by the Hon., Gentleman the Member for Knaresborough against the manufacturers.—(Cheers.) That Hen. Gentleman always spoke as if he were actually in earnest and he (Mr. Leader) like to hear a man speak as if he were in earnest ; but really he would ask that Hon. Gentleman if he, were seriously in earnest in the positive charges he brought against some of the manufacturers the other night?—(Mr. Ferrand—Entirely.") Then if he were in earnest he (Mr. Ferrand) was bound in honour to prove it, either by way of Committee or other satisfactory manner. It was against ma nufacturers generally.—(No.) Ho would ask were all these ma. nufactures blood-stained and,bloodthirsty ?—(" N o , no ," f rom Mr. Ferrand.) He would ask Hon. Gentleman opposite how they liked the assertion of that Gentleman? He should think the Right Hon. Baronet would rather have had his vote with out the „speech which accompanied it.—(Hear, hear.) He (Mr. Leader) would thank the Hon. Gentleman the Member for Knare,borough and the Noble Lord the Member for Dorchester to look to the state of the agricultural la bourers in the south and south-west of England, where they would find them starving on 6s. a-week. He mentioned this, however, only to show that if th e Anti-Corn law people had agitated against the agriculturists, they (the agriculturists) had done the same thing with regard to manu facture, s.—( Hear, hear.) The Bill of the Right lion. Baronet would not, it appeared, effect great alteration in the corn trade, nor would it, as the Right Hon. Baronet had himself said, do much good to the people. He was not eain g to read long ex tracts, nor to quote from blue books , that had been so well done already, that it was not necessary for him to do so, he did net require much to know what suffering existed in the country. A great deal of this misery must be attributed to our enormous tariff, with its tremendous, interesting duties ; and it was kept up on the basis of Potection of the landed interest, and the effect was, that we could not take that from foreign countries which they could supply better than ourselves, and they would not take what we could supply better than they. The consequence was, that foreign nations made their tariffs more exclusive every year. Were Hon. Members opposite aware that the Spanish Government had published a new tariff a few weeks ago, by which 50 per cent. additional duty was placed upon manufactured goods sent from England ? He (Mr. Leader) went with several other gentlemen to wait on Lord Ripon, to ask him if there were any chance of anything being done to relieve the distress of the country ? They were received by the Noble Lord with great courtesy and attention. In fact he received them with as much attention as the Mem bers of the Cabinet had received the Ten Hours' Deputation Bill. But he feared the result of the interview with Lord Ripon would be as unsatisfactory as that of the Ten Hours' De putation. 'I hey were trying to make commercial treaties with France, and Belgium, and Spain, but how could it be exrected that those countries would enter into treaties with them, when, they impeised such high duties on the productions of those coun tries ? How could they remonstrate with those countries, or how could they speak to them of commercial regulations? Would they not tell us to look to our own tariff, which was the highest in Europe?—(Cries of " Hear, hear.) He did not think the Spanish Government over wise in impos ing duties on our manufactures, and they would be deceived if they cxi 'eted 'o obtain any revenue thereby. The effect would be -uld raise an army of smugglers. He was greatly sin - leeches of Hon. Gentlemen opposite, who expri test dissatisfaction at the measure of the Right He could not imagine what they would be already got a large majority in the House of they had a large majority in that House—t' ion enough— more than enough--b' the Bill of had a Min — DY In. Baronet.— (Hear, hear.) They Noble Lord, who sat near him, once remarked, le to dress up a statement for the House, an, ,resent occasion, was able to persuade Hon. Ger sve that some good would result from the Bill w. uced to the House.—( Hear, hear.) He could not say if 'the S. landed gentry were pleased, but he knew neither the manufacturers nor the people were.—( Hear. ) He thought one good, however, would result from that Bill, becalse it would cause the middle classes to unite with jot e working classes of the country.—( Hear, hear.) . The working classes seeing there were no expectations of jus lice from the present Parliament, would form a junction wills the middle classes, and he hoped the latter would unite with them in procuring a system of representation which would free them ftorn the dominion of the landed interests—(Hear)—and save thefn from the evils of class legislation.—( Cheers.) He begged to thank the House for the patience with which they heard him, and be would give his best support to the motion of the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton.—(Cheers.) Mr. MAIN WARING. who spoke in so low and hesitating a tone that it was impossible to hear him distinctly, was un- derstood to say that lie rose for the purpose of defending the landed interest from the attacks of Hon. Gentlemen opposite. The Hon. Member then referred to the state of his own neigh bourhood, and the distress existing there, but we could not catch the precise application of his remarks. He believed the Bill of the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton would be ruinous to the country, and he would give him his most strenuous oppo sition. He did not think the people in general were in favour of the Corn-laws, and most of the petitions presented to the House came from Dissenting congregations.—(Cheers from the Opposition.) Mr. 11ROTHERTON said, that if some of his poor con stituents were present at the debate in that House, they would be much surprised at the alarm felt by Hon. Members lest they should have cheap bread.--( Hear, hear.) The speech of the Hon. Member for Lincolnshire hail convinced him there was no necessity for a Corn-law. The improvements in agriculture had been so great that, according to that Hon. Member, they had the means of raising corn as cheaply as any other country. The Noble Lord, the Member for Hertford, had said that the people had no grievances; but he (Mr. Brotherton) would ask would they petition that House in such numbers if they had no grievances to complain of ?—( Hear, hear.) He spoke of the danger of exciting one class against another ; but he (Mr. Brotherton) recollected he was once amused at hearing the Hon. Member for Oxford stating " that he preferred quiet error to unruly truth ;" and he supposed the Noble Lord was now in some similar state.--( Hear, hear, and laughter.) The Noble Lord stated that the Corn-laws were not productive of evils, because corn was dearer at Amsterdam than in this country. But, if he took a period of twenty years, he would find the average price of corn in Amsterdam at, 30 per cent cheaper than in this country.—( Hear, hear.) The Noble Lord also alluded to Denmark, and the price of corn there, but corn was cheaper by 30s. a quarter than in this country, and if that were so, had not the people of England cause to complain ? He was much surprised at hearing Hon. Member's complaining of the cheapness of corn in this country.—(Hear, hear.) They !mew that in the manufacturing districts the merchants were bankrupt--the manufacturers all but ruined ; that trade was paralysed, artizans unemployed, and great numbers of the population starving. That state of things had been admitted by the Right Hon. Baron e t at t h e head of the Government; but, from the various speeches he (Mr. Brotherton) had heard from other Members, it appeared to him to have been doubted ; and he, therefore, wished to bring forward a few facts to show the state of the particular district with which he was connected, knowing, as the Noble Lord (bed Mahon) t h e M em b er f or Hertford had said, that one fact was worth a dozen assertions. He would therefore beg leave to state that there was an investigation in the Boroughs of Manchester and Salford in the December of last year, and at that time it was found that there were 5,492 untenanted dwellings, 681 untenanted shops, and 116 mills, and other places unoccupied, making in all 6,289 places un occupied, which if occupied would have produced a rental of 100,0001. There then was a fact that must convince any one of very considerable distress exist• ing in that district. ' But let them consider what had been said by Hon. Members, and compare with those statements some facts respecting the depreciation of property. It was said that mill-owners were very prosperous. In one case that he knew of, there was machinery which cost 50,0001. ; it had been worked upon an average about seven years ; it had been valued in July, 1841, at 21,5641. 19 3 . ; an d it had been sold in De cember, 1841, and January 1842, for 5,0001.—( Hear, hear.) There was another case in the neighbourhood of Man chester, where property, which cost 120,0001., was sold for 36,0001. A third instance was that of a mill valued at 21,0001., and sold for 7,0001. Another case was where a mill and machinery which cost 40,0001. was sold for 10,000/. Those were facie which proved, what had been indeed abutted by most persons, namely, that . property had decreased in value more than 30 per cent. Now what had been the case with re gard to the poor. The expenditure on the poor of Manchester was in 1836, 24,2611., in 1841 it was 38,9381, in addition to pri vate subscriptions. The poor.rate of Salford was in 1636, 5,2021 in 1841 it was 17,4011. Again let them see what the effec, of poverty was upon crime ; in 1831 the number of prisoners New ilaipleleynwtyas; 11 n 0W the ; - y in ear lB l 3 B 6 4l it , to take their trials in the a year . °f Thus, from the'year 1831 to was 1,031 ; now that was the number increased to 1 , 99 e• 1836, years of plenty, t h e increase was but 31, whereas • other years in ain re t s o pee sh ti o n - g e nearly double. years the , increase was the effects upon trade, there . had been an inquiryA g B29, their receipts the receipts of shop-keep s 1 making a decrease of in their customers was llosit S o al l. f 3 o l rd ,o were 198,0001., in 113411hreerifei n 67,0001 ' The higher clas-es not among the middle or classes Of but among the now bought only one penny-- members of the poorer f the community. a loa Those who used to buy worth of tea, and a worth of bread, a penny-. penny -worth of I b took ab sugar. The o poor eole on out two-thirds ofTh the bad een accustom e d t amount of provisionspthepytake. at was the state in which the manufacturing • districts were. Let them compare that with matters appertaining to land. They found that every quarter rents were rising and th e value of land increasing. Much had been said with respect to the cause of the exi s ting distress.in It had been stated that it could not be attributed any degree to the operation of the Corn-laws. The alarm of war in Europe— the emigration of labourers from the agricultural to the manu facturing districts—the increase of machine ry I — over-productiop —Joint-Stock Banks and specu st' ions—these were said to bfb the causes which produced distress in the manufacturing dis tricts. The Right lion. an . Ilan:met seemed to thi n k t h ose might have been the causes of the.. d istress; y e t th ey f oun d their exports were greater now previo us years . I t could be clearly proved that Ifalling off was not in our exports to foreign countries, but in our home trade: In order that the House might see the enor mity of the injustice done to the Brit is h peop l e i n compelling them to erg much more for f oo d th an they ought, he would read another document, with regard to the quantity of foreign wheat imported into this country for home consumption. Since July, 1828 , the number of quarters were 14,866,000, and on an average the duty paid during those thirteen years was ss. 7d. per quarter. From 'that he inferred one important fact—namely, that there had not been a grain of this wheat entered for home ncnsunintion at less than 70s. per (matter. Now, what was the price of wheat on the Continent during that term of years ? It was only 40s. Fourteen millions of quarters , at 17. e. pee quarter, was 51,803,8101., and if they had a free t rade in corn the arneunt would have been only 29,601,7124 The average price . of wheat for the last ten years had been 57-s a and the -general cost. 5 13,000,000 a If wheat had been in this country during those ten years at the saine price as it had been on the Continent the amount would hate been 312,000,0001., thus making ,a to the consumers in this country during ten years of 171,000,0001. He (Mr. 13rotherton) could therefore account for the Corn-laws producing the present distresse - It• was owing to the people having to pay so much more for their food than they would have to pay if they had a tree trade. Instead of the distress being attributed to the various causes to which it had been assigned by Hon. Gentlemen opposite, it was really to be attributed to the high price of food caused by the Corn laws. If the grain exported had yielded as much to the spinner, Merchant, and artisan, for their labour as they did in 1815, it would have amounted to 12 ,340,6471.; whereas, the sum actually received was only 3 ,084,098/. The manufacturers had 2s. Id. per pound for working, after deducting the raw material in 1815, and in 1841 they had only bid. In calicoes, what cost 15s. in 1815, could be purchased in 1841 for ss. 6d. --( Hear, hear.) Here, then, was the cause of the distress which existed in the manufacturing interest. But what was the fact with regard to the agricultural interest ? Since 1815 there had been many improve ments in the land, which. had greatly increased its power of : production ; yet there had been no decrease in the price of bread. Thus the nsanufactura's gave three pieces of calico in 1840 for the same quantity of wheat whitc they obtained in 1815 for one; and while all the improvements in agriculture were applied for the exclusive benefit of the agricultural interest s , all the improvements in machinery were ap plied for the benefit of the public.—(Hear, hear.) \\T he, then, to consider that the i mprovements in machinery had inflicted an injury upon the country? By no means; although the price of manufactures had been so much lowered, their declared value was three times as great as in 1815; and a much greater number of persons had been employed notwithstanding the reduction. Hon. Mem bers had supposed that the destruction of machinery would be an advantage to the country. Let them look to Ireland,— ( Hear, hear. ) In that country corn was much cheaper than in England ; but beeause manufactures were not in a thriving condition, and wages were low, the people were not benefited by the cheapness of corn. In Ireland. too, there was plenty of competition for farms, but there was not sufficient employment for the people. He would ask, then, what they meant to do with those who could not obtain employment ? Did they mean to starve them to death? Did they mean, like Pharaoh and Herod, to kill the people.—( Hear, hear, from.the Opposition, and suppressed laughter from the Ministerial Benches.) They could not employ them in agriculture because the improvements in agriculture tended *ether ti increase than to decrease the agricultural population.—(Cries of " No, no," from the Minis terial side of the House.) He affirmed on good authority that such was theieinevitable tendency. A great deal had been said about machinery having the effect of displacing a great number of hands. That was a complete fallacy. The population of Lancashire in 1779 was about 350,000 per sons, in 1841 it was 16,677,334. In 1770 not more than 60,000 persons were employed in the cotton trade ; in 1836 it was computed that there were 1,600,000. It could not therefore be contended that the effect of machinery was to diminish the demand for labour.—(Hear, hear.) Far different, however, was the effect of the improvements which had taken place in agriculture. Every improvement there must tend to decrease the necessity for employing labourers. He was one of those who believed that agricultural prosperity and manufacturing prosperity were closely allied, and that they could not destroy the one without destroying the other.—( Hear, hear.) The manufacturers had greatly increased the value of land. Manu- facturers had never made a fortune for themselves without making greater fortunes for the landowners, without any labour whatever on their part.—(Laughter.) There was no doubt about that fact.—(Continued laughter.) When the Corn Bill of 1815 was proposed, enlightened men op posed it ; and on that occasion the late Sir Ro bert Peel showed clearly that it was only by en couraging trade and manufacturers, that the prosperity of the nation would be secured.—( Hear, hear.): He had shown that the present distresses of the country were to be attributed :to the Corn-laws ; but even were it otherwise, he would oppose it because he believed it to be unjust.—( Hear, hear.) The landed interest claimed a right to tax the rest of the community for their own advantage. lie denied that they had any such right. Sln 1740 and 1750 there were exported from this country eight million quarters of grain, and 1,500,0001. was paid out of the Treasury as a bounty upon exportation. If the claim which had been set up, to supply the country exclusively, were a just one, the manufacturers would have had a right to object to the exportation which occurred at that period.—( Hear, hear.) Tie measure of the Right Hon. Baronet was spoken of as a concession to the manufacturing interest, and yet they, were told at the same time that they were not to expect to derive much benefit from it. He denied it was a concession ; it was only a part of what they were en titled to. The manufacturers had never asked more than was just. He had shown that they would receive nine millions less this year than they would have received in 1815.—(Hear.) Since that period the manufacturers had had the pleasure of giving cheap goods in return for dear corn.—( Laughter.) The agriculturists told them that they were their best customers. It was very true that they gave them a good deal with one hand, but then they received something back with the other. There was a simile which was not very inapt in reference to this point—namely, that if a man came to a draper's shop, and robbed the till of a shilling, and afterwards came back to spend (id., he could not be considered a very good customer. That was just the case with regard to the agriculturists—they robbed the manufacturers of a large portion of their earnings, and then came back and laid out half the amount with them, and then called themselves their best customers. The agricul turists say that they have a right to this protection, be cause they have laid out and invested their capital in improve ments in land, which had the effect of employing a great many labourers, but they took care never to say a word about rents—all was for the benefit of the farmer and the labourer. Now, he did not believe that much land would be thrown out of cultivation by the repeal of the Corn laws ; but even if it were so, and if amass of labour was thrown out of employment; he would rather see .them paid by a direct tax, and then they should know what it cost. But he denied the right to protection. Let him ask this ; suppose a person erected a mill in this country, and ex pended a great deal of capital in machinery, and a foreigner were to invent a machine that \las far better than his own, and in a degree superseded it, what would be thought It the manufacturer came to Parliament, and asked for protection against the foreigner, ?—( Hear, hear.) If he produced any thing superior to theirs, they must bear the competition—they had no remedy whatever ; they could not come to Parliament, and ask it to pay their bills. If they borrowed money on their mills, they must pay the interest on it themselves. Brit if the landowners involved themselves in debt, if they exceeded their annnal in come, if they had large mortgages on their estates, they said they must keep up their station, and come so Parliament and get an Act to throw the burthen on the rest of the people. A Noble Lord had referred to the prints which taught the people the nature of the Corn-laws; but it was necessary that they should be taught that, they were made for the benefit of the few rather than the many. He would compare two persons in the same village, one who had served his apprenticeship to a car penter, or a shoemaker ; he enters into life and has to support himself; the squire comes to an estate of thousands of acres of land; the poor man has nothing but his labour ; but the squire wants to maintain the dignity of his station, and what does he do ? He consents to an Act of Parliament, that will take, under false pretences, one-third of the earnings of that poor man to support it.—(C r ie s o f " Oh, oh.") He contended that it was true. He had stated what millions of money it cost them to get their corn more than it ought, and who was taxed for it ? The poor man ; and he was taxed 20 per cent., while the rich man was only charged 1 per cent. —(" No, no," and Hear.) The tax was unequal and unjust to the labouring millions of their population. The repeal of the Corn-laws might affect the interest of the land owners to a certain extent for a time ; but it was stated that the reason why they were continued was the particular burdens the land bore. If the land did bear any special burdens he should like to see them removed ; he knew of no burdens but the poor rate, the highway rate, and the county rate, and these did not amount altogether to six millions a year on the land. If they took the quantity of corn grown at forty-five railliors of quarters a-year, this would not amount to more than 100,000 quarters. With what face could the continuance of these laws be asked? Why were the landowners afraid of removing a tax so unjust ? All the rest of the people paid their taxes for the good of the community in general ; if the landowners threw their burdens on the manufacturing and the labouring classes, they might depend upon it they saw through the whole mystery, and would not long bear it. With regard to the question of wages, he would not take up the time of the house —( Cries of " Hear, hear")—but at any rate, on this point, they had facts to oppose to assertions. They all knew that when corn was cheap, wages were better than when corn was dearer. Nay, the manufacturers got no wages at all when corn was dear ; while corn was cheap, it was evident to common sense that they had something to spend on manufactures. It had been asserted that the manufacturers wished to reduce corn, in order to lower wages. Now, if the wages of the operative were only half what they at present were, if corn was half its present pra t e, he wou ld b e b atter off. The price of labour depended, like all other things, on the supply and de mand. In this country the population was increasing at the rate of three or four hundred thousand yearly ; they could not employ them in agriculture, but they might employ them in menu factures. Let them extend their commerce, and take off the restrictions on trade, and they might be assured that the people were industrious, and of a disposition that did not seek to reverse the order of things. They were told that as they " sowed so should they reap," and as their work had been, so should be their reward ; but now this pre cept was reversed, and all the provision was given to the idler, and the industrious was left to starve.—(" Oh, oh," and Question.") He had never been one - who trespassed on the House—(Hear, hear, and a laugh)—he was not favourable to the custom of making long speeches—(Laughter)— but he had wished to state some facts which he thought important, and as they would tend to enable the coun try to judge of this measure, he trusted that he had not uselessly trespassed on their time.—( Hear, hear.) He had not intended to notice the cbservations of the Member for Knaresborough, if he had not repeated that evening that all he had said was true. He did not knew whether it would be Parliamentary or not, but he would tell the Honourable Member, that if he was to judge of its correctness by what he knew to be true, he should not value its correctness very highly. Some }arts of it lie knew to be totally destitute of foundation. The Hon. Member had said he had made it his business to inquire, and he had stated that the Honourable Member for Stockport had worked his mills night and day, and had made a large fortune by this abominable cruelty. Now he begged to state for the information of the Hon. Member, that the lion. Member for Stockport never had a mill in his life !—( Cheers. ) He had spoken also of the manufacturers making their ledger their Bible—their counting-house their Church, and Mammon their God; and that having amassed large fortunes, they had retired, and now had the hypo crisy to pretend a wish to ameliorate the condition of the working classes. With regard to himself he might say that he never professed to be rich ; his riches consisted in the fewness of his wants—( Hear, hear, and cheers)—and if there had been nothing in him superior to the considerations of the property he possessed, he never should have been returned to that House in the way he had been. He gloried in this, that the town with which he had beers connected for forty years, had returned him to the House four times without his spending a shilling.—(Cheers.) If he had been a wor • shipper of Mammon, perhaps they would not have that respect for him. With regard to machinery, lie considered it had b'en the cause of the prosperity of the country, but it was capable of being beneficially regulated. When he (Mr. B.) was in business, and the late Sir Robert Peel brought forward his first measure, he was au advocate for re strictions, and aided him in bringing about the measures which he thought beneficial. They had been beneficial and so far from the cotton trade being an injury to the people of the dis trict, under proper regulations it would tend to the health, comfort, and well being of the great mass of society. Before the Hon. Member for Knaresborough became the advo. cate of the poor, lie (Mr. B.) steed oat against the body of manufacturers in insisting upon measures he thought due to the working people.—(Cheers.) He knew th a t t h ere had been opposition on the part of manufacturers to measures which they thought would interfere with their interests ; still a speaker ought not to single out individuals, and say that they were unjust, because they were prosperous.—(Cheers. ) For his (Mr. Brotherton's) part, he was not ashamed of being a cotton-spinner —why should he be ashamed, when the Prime Minister of England was the son el a cotton-spinner ?—( Great cheering.) Having made these observations, he (Mr. B.) would conclude by stating his belief, that a repopl of the Corn-laws would be a great benefit to the country at large. He wished to see manufactures and agriculture prosper together, but if the Corn-laws were not re pealed the drstruction of manufactures mnst ensue ; and that must be followed by the destruction of the prosperity of the landowners, for the pauperised population would be thrown on the land.--( Cheers. ) Mr. FERRAND, amidst considerable interruption, rose to explain. The Hon. Baronet, the Member for the Tower Hamlets, had given him some intimation of the attack that had been made upon him. Ile had been charged with saying what was untrue. lie had authority for saying that the Hon. Member for Stockport worked his mill day and night. The letter he (Mr. F.) had now in his hand stated—" I beg to inform you that the cotton print works near Chorley are worked night and day, and I hare heard that others are similarly engaged."—( Cries of ." Name.") He declined to name his informant, but he trusted the House would see that he had not made the statement without authority. Lord 7. MANNERS said the speech of the Honourable 'limber for Salford was highly creditable to the speaker, and most pleasing to the House, which it was to be hoped would be exempt from these little feelings that the discussion of this question unhappily excited out of doors.—( Hear.) He had the happiness also to say that he had never heard a more temperate speech than that made by the lion. Member for Wolverhampton in introducing his motion ; but the Hon. Member for Salford was rather too severe in saying that no manufacturer made a fortune for himself without making a larger one for the agri culturist.—( Hear, hear.) He (the Noble Lord) was deeply sorry for the distress now afflicting the country, but he thought that without referring to the Corn-laws, some ex planation of it would be found in the recent state of Europe, Asia, and America ; and he would also remind them that when the manufacturing districts were at the height of prosperity six years ago the present Corn-laws existed.—(Hear, hear.) Even if the Corn-laws were forth with repealed disappointment would ensue. Look at the Re form Bill. When it was in agitation there were held up to the people, as the consequences of its passing, visions of beef and plum-pudding. The Bill passed, the visions had not been realized; and now the Corn-laws were substituted for the grievances of Gattou and Sarum.—(Cries of " Hear, hear.") In conclusion, he trusted that the measure proposed by her Majesty's Government would meet with the sanction of the house. Sir CHARLES NAPIER regretted very much that his Honourable Friend, the Mem'ber for Wolverhampton, had brought forward his amendment that night ;. because he thought it must be evident to all that if the House would not consent to the adoption of a fixed duty, it could not be expected that it would agree to no duty at all. —(Hear, hear.) He thought it was a great waste of the time of the House to have brought the subject forward.—( Hear, hear. ) He was the advocate of a fixed duty of Ss., because he thought it was as much protection as the agricultural inte rest ought to expect.—( Cheers.) He was convinced that if they got a duty of Ss., they soon would have no duty at all.— ( Great laughter.) He was not, in the abstract, for the imme diate repeal of the Corn-laws, because he thought sudden changes were dangerous ; but, as he preferred the repeal of the Corn-laws, to the sliding scale of the Right Hon. Bart., if his Hon. Friend pressed his motion to a division, he should give him his vote.—( Cheers and laughter.) He agreed with the Noble Lord who had spoken the other evening, that the sliding scale was unjust, and he believed that as long as it ex isted, no party would run the risk of sending corn to this coun try unless he got an immense profit by it.--( Hear, hear. ) The Vice-President of the Board a Trade made an assertion the other night of so extraordinary a nature, that he (Sir Charles Napier) began to doubt whether he had crossed the Atlantic ocean or not.—( Hear, hear, and great laughter.) He had said that corn sent from America would arrive here in six weeks. Now if he could calculate properly it would arrive in fifteen days. Ile would suppose an Arne ' ican merchant about to send corn to this country ; the first thing he had to do was to purchase his cargo. No, he first gets his letter and then he reads it.—( Great laughter.) Then he sets aboutpurchasing hiscargo, and after that he freights his ship. But before this he has to look out for a ship. Now to do all this, he (Sir C. Napier) would give him 12 days, and allowing 15 for the voyage, that would be 27 days, so that in stead of six weeks it would not take more than a month. The Right Honourable Baronet admitted that a sliding scale of 20s. was a prohibition to the importation of corn. He (Sir Charles Napier) felt sure that 18s. amounted to a prohibition. and thcrefere the Right Hon Baronet need not have gone as high as 20s.—( Hear, hear.) if the Right Hon. Baronet had given them a sliding scale at 10s. he should have voted with him ; but as he had begun with a scale so high, he mu.t vote against him. The Right Hon. Baronet had said that he never wished to see corn higher than from 545. to 58e. He ( Sir C. Napier) believed that the landowner could go on very well at that price, that the farmer might go on, and that the agricultural labourer would not com plain. But if bad weather came, then up would go the price. Now, if the agricultural labourer could only live when corn was at 585., how much must he economise when it was 80s. Why, the only thing he could economise was his own stomach, and the stomachs of his children.— (Cheers.) And when the sliding scale went down, and bread was cheaper, he must then slide a gt eat deal of bread into his own stomach and into the stomachs of his children. If the Corn laws were repealed, the landowners might have to give fewer dinners, and to drink less wine, hut in the present state of the law the poor men had nothing to do but to starve and to die. Captain BERKELEY said he represented an agricultural town, arid all his property was vested in corn land—(Hear, hear)—and he did not think that the Right Hon. Baronet op posite (Sir E. Knatchbull) was right in saying that the sup porters of a reform of the Corn-law were all inimical to the agricultural interest.--( Hear, hear.) At the same time, he must admit that Right Hon. Baronet spoke the sentiments of the greatest part of the landed proprietors, but certainly not of the whole. He remembered (as we understood) that when the Chandos clause was introduced into the Reform Bill, the Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary for the Home Depart ment opposed it, as calculated to give too greatinfluence to the landed interest. He (Capt. B. ) supported it, but if he had known what its effects would have been upon the operation of the Re form Bill, he would have preferred to lose the Bill rather than support it.—( Hear.) On the present question he was desirous of supporting a measure which would give a fixed protection to the agriculturist, but as the House had rejected that, he would vote for the motion of the Hon. Member for Wolverhampton. On the motion of Mr. HARDY, the House resumed, and the Chairman reported progress, and obtained leave to sit again on 'Monday. DUCHY OF CORNWALL BILL. The Duchy of Cornwall Bill went through Committee. PARISH PROPERTY BILL. Sir E. KNATCHBULL obtained leave to bring in a Bill to regulate the sale of Parish Property. Mr. HAWES wished to ask the Chancellor of the Ex chequer when it was his intention to bring forward his motion on the subject of the Exchequer Bill fraud. The subject was most important, and it was extremely desirable that the House should be informed when it was the intention of the Right Hon. Gentleman to bring forward his motion on the subject. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said it was his intention to bring forward his motion relative to the Ex chequer Bills case as soon as the House should have disposed of the debate on the Corn-laws. Should the debate be dis posed of on Monday, he would bring forward his motion on Tuesday, Should the debate be disposed of on Tuesday, then he would bring forward his motion on Wednesday. He would bring forward his motion on the first vacant day. Mr. H AWES would remind the Right Hon. Gentleman that Wednesday was rather an unusual day. Was he to under stand the Right Hon. Gentleman as saying that if the debate on the Corn-laws should be finished on Tuesday, the Right Hon. Gentleman would bring forward his motion on Wednesday. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER would in that case bring forward his motion on Thursday. Sir R. PEEL—As soon as the debate on the Corn-laws is at an end.—( A laugh.) The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the House Adjourned at Twelve o'Clock. LATEST FROM THE UNITED STATES. LIVERPOOL, FRIDAY. The South America, Captain Faber, arrived at our port this morning after a remarkably swift passage of sixteen days, having left New York on the evening of the Ist inst. We have received by her papers from that city to the day of her sailing inclusive, but they contain no political news of importance. The com mercial intelligence is not, however, devoid of interest. Great excitement existed throughout the day of the 29th regarding the Pennsylvania Bank, which maintained its payments to note-holders, until the bank closed; but on the morning of the 31st, the Di rectors received a notice from David R. Porter, Governor of the Common-wealth, directing them not to pay any monies, as he had appointed a receiver to take charge of all the assets, in order to secure the public monies deposited in the Bank, and to see that justice was done to the interest of the creditors and debtors of the institution. The rate of Exchange on England had advanced, and Bills on London were done at 1081 to 109. There was no alteration in Cotton. Flour was firm, and prices had a tendency to improve. Tho advices from Texas are of a more gratifying na ture than those previously received. It would appear that the prisoners taken in the Santa Fe expedition had been well treated, and that the accounts of their cruel treatment were altogether false. The Caledonia steam-ship has just arrived here. Advices from New Orleans state, that the assets which were lately assigned by the Bank of the United States to trustees, and placed under the charge of William W. Frazer, Esq„ agent for the assi g nees, were seized at New Orleans on the 28th instant, by the arshal of the United States, under the judg ment obtained against the Bank of the United States, for da mages on the French Bill. NEW YORK, MONDAY NIGHT.—The unfavourable accounts which have been received relative to the Girard Bank, Bank of Pennsylvania, and other Philadelphia Banks, have had a ten dency to depress the feeling in the Money Market very ma terially. New York Stocks remain firm, and we notice an im provemcait in the stock of several of our City Institutions. Exchanges in Pennsylvania and Virginia have advanced. In other Southern Funds we have very little alteration to notice. PHILADELPHIA, JAN. 31.—The Directors of the Bank of Pennsylvania held a meeting last evening, which did not ter minate until a very late hour, and then without deciding) the course tolpursue. They re-assembled this morning, when the subjoined letter from his Excellency David R. Porter, Governor of the Commonwealth, was laid before them, and a resolution immediately passed that th e d oers o f th e banking house should remain closed:— " Merchants' Hotel, Jan. 31, 1842, 7 o'clock Monday morning. " President and Directors of the Bank of Pennsylvania— " Gentlemen—l directed the Attorney-General, on Satur day evening, to adopt proper legal measures to secure the public monies deposited in the Bank of Pennsylvania, as well as the interests of all who are in any way creditors or debtors of that institution. That officer will apply to the Supreme Court at the earliest possible moment this morning, for an in junction, and the appointment of a Re ce i ver t o take charge of all the assets of the Bank. You arc now apprised of that fact, and directed not to open your doors thi, morning, nor pay out any of your money, or transfer any of your assets, for any purpose whatever. When the same are placed in the custody of the law, the rights of the parties will be fully guaranteed. " Respectfully, " DAVID R. PORTER." Resolved —That in pursuance of the direction of the Governer the Bank is hereby closed. JOSEPH TROTTER, President. Monday morning, nine o'clock, Jan. 31, 1 , 42. The intense excitement that prevailed on Saturday has par tially subsided, although heavy and repeated drafts were made on most of the banks, they were all promptly met. The Illoy amensing was pretty heavily run upon, but sustained itself and continued to redeem every thing that was presented, and con tinued open to meet any demands that might be presented before four o'clock, P. M. _ _ _ But very little was done at the Exchange Board, sight drafts on New York 8 per cent. premium ; Baltimore 3; Girard notes 115 a 30 ; United States Bank 3 ; Girard 4. There was no sale of Pennsylvania s's; Camden and Amboy 75 a 80; Wilmington Railroad 14 a W I . (Correspondence of the Courier and Inquirer.) WASHINGTON, JAN. 30. —The events of the past week pos sess a much greater amount of interest than those of any simi lar period of time since the conireencent of the present ses sion of Congies s . The defeat of the repealers in the Senate is itself a subject of deep joy and thankfulness. I do not speak without fall and satisfactory information, when I say that Mr. Clay intends resigning his seat in - the Senate, before the close of the present session of Congress. sodden iaennd4 mysterious i n li t a Ile will be succeeded by his former colleague, Mr. Crittenden, w u h d o d s n s k im ru i p ia t r h n e g e b , ' la t w o thhaatvwe h u i n e d h er h g u one a f a . feeted Mr. Morehead. It. is probable that an effort will yet be made to postpone the Bankrupt Law for some specific period, for the evident purpose of entirely destroying it. Such an effort may be made in the course of a few days, but it is presuuted that it will be insl- _ fectnal. The principal matter of debate for this week will be the re -solutions censurin g Mr. Adams for th e presefitatiou of the me asking the dissolution of the Union. There are ' twq sets of resolutions on this subject. ~ SALES ON MONDAY AT THE STOCK EXCHANGE. 500 Dols. New York of F ives '5B .................. 76 - 1,000 Ditto Ohio Sixes of 'O6 70 3,000 Ditto Corporation Six per Cent. Bends of '43 gal 40 Shares Mechanics' Bank 6 Ditto Bank of America BB 20 Ditto Delaware and Hudson 956 50 Ditte ditto ..... ...s 10 ds 93 16 Ditto Bank of Commerce Scrip 14 Ditto ...ditto • ' 75 Ditto Mechanic3 'Banking Association 50 Ditto ditto 40 Ditto Farmers' Life and Trust Company 25 ... 40 Ditto Ohio Life and Trust .............. s 60 ds 52 25 Ditto North River Fire 58 10 Ditto Mohawk ... 50 Ditto...ditto 50 Ditto Phenix Bank 50 Ditto Manhattan Bank 350 Ditto Harlem 50 Ditto...ditto 50 Ditto Stoni ng t on 50 Ditto Long Island s 10 ds 5 2 i 300 Ditto ditto i 50 Ditto Ca n t on 14,000 Dols. Indiana Bonds .. 5,000 Ditto ditto 2,000 Ditto Illinois Sixes of '7O st w 201 3,000 Ditto ditto s I() 21 1,000 Exchang e on Philad e l p hi a SALES AT THE SECOND BOARD. 100 Shares Long Island 50 Ditto ditto 2ds 531 35 Dittb Mechanics' Banking Association -11 6,000 Dols. Indiana Bonds .. snw 21 5,000 Ditto ditto sn w 2t ~I.s 30 cis 6411 70 s9O 55 ....b 30 7l MURDER IN WESTMINSTER. A long investigation was yesterday gone into before Mr. Gell, Coroner for Westminker, assisted by Mr. Higgs, at the Red Lion, Princes -street, Westminster, to inquire concerning the death of Mary Reid, aged 55, whose death took place in the Westminster Hosp.tal, on Wednesday evening, through. injuries she had received by the violence of an itinerant hu man and razor-grinder, on Monday last, named James Roberts, alias Featherfoot, living at 34, Old Pye-street, Westminster. William Keen, 34, Castle-lane, Westminster, deposed that the deceased lived at the Fortune of war beer shop, in York-street, Westminster, with her husband, who is a mason. On Monday, about seven o'clock, as he was sitting in the beer-shop, deceased came is and asked if s ome one wou ld go out and drive away a man who was at the door, but no one took notice of the matter, and de= ceased herself went to the door, when witness heard a noise as of a heavy blow, and deceased staggered back to the settle, bleeding profusely from the back part of the head. Witeess then went out, and saw a man with a grindstone in his hand, holding it up by the spindle that went through it. It was stated by persons outside, that he had struck the deceased with it. He was shortly after taken to the station-house. George Francis Crow, 54, York-street, Westminster, stated that he was standing in the front of his shop on itlowlay even ing, and saw Roberts coining along with a grindstone and knife in his han I, insultinr , two females by using ind ecen t lan guage towards them, and pushing them off the pavement. shortly afterwards the deceased was coming the same way when, the prisoner accosted her in a similar manner. She said that had her husband been there he (the prisoner) would not have dared to do so. Roberts then raised the machine he held in hie hand, and struck at deceased, but she warded off the blow by a pair of men's shoes she was carrying. She then ran towards the house in which she lodged, which was only two doors off, and Roberts followed her. She went into the house the front way, and Ro beris waited outside, using the most dreadful imprecations, saying he would beat her brains out before he went away. itness desired him to go about his business, when he threa tened t.) serve him the same. In about three minutes deceased was coining out of the door to go to the entrance of her own apar,ments by the side of the house, when the villain rushed towa de her, and struck her a dr e adf u l blow on the head with the grindstone. The poor woman fell back in the house. The p, rpetrator then attempted to go off, but witness detained him till a policeman came, who took him to the s t a ti on -h ouse . Mr. Reginald James, house-surgeon, at Westminster Hos pital, said deceased was brought in on Monday evening last, in a state of insensibility, with a severe wound on the left side of the head, and contusion of the brain. She never rallied, and died on Vl', d iesday evening. The injuries were sufficient to cause death. William H. East, 58 B deposed. that he took the prisoner into custody on Monday evening. The prisoner told witness on the following morning that, if he had known that deceased would have given him such a cold berth, he would have killed her at once. This was said after being in the station-house all night. Other evi/ence corroborating the above was given; after a few remarks fro n the Coroner on the case, and in about a quarter of an hour, the Jury unanimously returned a verdict of " Wilful Murder " against James Roberts, and the Coroner issued a warrant for his committal to Newgate. MIDDLESEX SESSIONS. (Before Mr. Sergeant ADAMS, Chairman.) Mr. John Trehearnc, a toaster baker, residing in Cleveland. street, Marylebone, was indicted for an aggravated assault up on Nelson Jones. The defendant pleaded Not Guilty. It appeared that the complainant called at the defendant's shop for the purpose of purchasing a half-quartern loaf; but, upon its being put into the scale, the complainant said It was short of the proper weight ; upon which Mrs. Trehearne called t►im a good.. for.nothi»g vagabond for saying so ; and the defendant came out of the parlour into the shop, and said the complainant was a d—d liar for s aying it was short weight. Jones, upon this, observed, "Ifl am a d—d liar, I will have it weighed again;" whereupon the defendant seized him round the waist, and forced him towards the door, which was open. Complainant took hold of the door toaave himself, and the defendant then forced his band through the glass, and made him loose his hop t. Trehearne next took him in both his arms, and dashed him into the street, and his head came in viia. lent contact with the wheel of a cart that was standing at the door. The complainant fell under the horse, which trampled on his back, and injured him severely. He was much bruised about the body, and his head was laid bare to the bone. He was taken up in an insensible state, and conveyed to Middlesex Hospital, and upon the .‘23d of November it was deemed necessary by Mr. Rawlinson, the Magistrate of Marylebone Police Court, to take the deposition in writing of the complainant in consequence of the dangerous condition he was then in. The complainant stated that he was confined to his bed for eight or nine weeks, and did not believe that he should ever properly recover, as he felt the injuries he had sustained up to the present day. John Mansbridge, 22 E, stated that he beard Mr. Vernon call " Police." Upon going up he saw blood running down the corn. plainant's clothes. The blood came from his head, and he appeared to bo stupified. He conducted Jones to the Middlesex Hospital. After some further evidence, the Chairman having summed up, the Jury found the defendant Guilty. The CHAIRMAN then addressing the defendant, said the Court were very doubtful if they ought not to imprison him, for it was a gross case. However, he_was fined 201., with liberty to speak to the complainant. The defendant speedily settled with the com plainant, and was fined a shilling and discharged. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MAI?LBOROUGH-STREET. Yesterday Mr. Joseph Bond, the proprietor of the Junior St. James's Club House, St. James's-street, appeared on a summons, to answer the complaint of Mr. William Facon, for an assault. The complainant stated that he was formerly secretary to the defendant, at a salary of three and a half guineas per week, a great part of which, and other sums, amounting in the whole to between 2001. and 3001., were still owing to him. On the 4th instant he called on the defendant at the Club.house, to ask for a settlement, and had an interview with him in the coffee-room, where the defendant got into a violent passion oa his urging his claims, and struck him with his clenched fist a violent blow in the face ; a scuffle ensued, and the defendant seized the-poker and attempted to strike the complainant over the head with it, but the servants of the Club rushed in and prevented him. After an angry recrimination between the complainant and the defendant, the latter, in answer to the charge, stated that the complainant had first struck and then spit in his face, and called him a liar. These were provocations, he thought, hich wouldjustify any assault. Mr. HARDWICK, however, thought differently, and after imposing a fine of forty shillings on the defendant, which be immediately paid, ordered him to enter into his own recog nizance in the sum of 1001. to keep the peace towards the com plainant for the ensuing six months. • FALLACIES OF THE FACULTY.—The app. thecaries have reason to denounce this volume; the Chemists on the contrary can afford to praise it. If we may believe the Ifest. minter Review for January, " the book is almost as entertaining as a novel, end the reader must be proficient indeed who will Dot derive much useful information from it. Tail is right in saying it " has at last been fairly praised and abused into &me," for a French translation has just appeared in Paris, and the Revue de Versailles tells us the doctrines contained in it have already set the continental medical men by the ears. Dr. Dickson is a bold man—very Me.,srs. Simpkin and Marshall, the London pub lishers of the " F.alaeics of the Faculty," expect to be prepared with the foreign edition in a week or two. The bureaux of the Chamber of Deputies, after eight days' deliberations, have concluded the examination of the Budget for 1843, and have constituted the definitive Committee of the Bill for the necessary credits. In the Ist and sth bureaux discussions have occurred on the additional sums required for the creation of several new Consulates. In the 6th, M. Denis ob. jected to the paltry credit of only 50,000 fr., allowed for the purchase of presents for Chiefs and Dignitaries of State in the East, and pointed out the great pecuniary sacrifices which, he said, were made by England and Russia for In. curing their influence in the East. In the same bureau, M. H. Passy warmly defended the policy of the Minister of Finance, with regard to the late loan, which, he con. tended had been eoncluded in as favourable terms as could be expected. In the sth bureau, M. Thiers expressed his opinion that the conduct of Government, in giving renewed sup. port and encouragement to the clergy was highly proper, and thought that the Court of Rome should be conciliated. He was for elevating rather than for lowering the position of the clergy ; he approved of the credits demanded for them, and he wished that the Municipal Council of Paris had decided on continuing to pay the annual suns of 15,030 E, as an addition to the Arch. bishop's incotr e, according to its former practice. M. Vavin, in the same bureau, expressed his surprise that Government did not give a subsidy to the Theatre de l'Odcon as well as to the French and Comic Operas and the Theatre Francais.---M. Lacave La. piagne has been elected President, and H. Felix Real, Secretary, of the Committee. The plim,,t, Mars may now be seen every evening in tho West, of a dusky red colour, if clouds do not intervene, from :ibout half-past five to about lf-past eight, and will so c.:ntinue till about the middle of June. ... ...... SIR -1 ENNY MORGAN, THE BUCCA N EEII:—. Perhaps there is nowhere else to be found in authentic annals suck a "strange eventful hi s t o ry" as that of the great English buccaneer, Sir Henry Morgan —so fearful a display of crime and passion, con. nected with so stirring a detail of incident and adventure; and though all this, and its still snore strange results, in the public honours, appointments, and wealth heaped on the perpetrator of crimes and outrages unheard of before in the history of human Wickedness—happened only a century and a half ago, it is almost as little known to the ordinary reader as if it belonged to the an nals of China. The subject is an admirable one for a romance, and especially suited to the powers of the laic air.tii Howard , belove ofw who hats worked it up into a narrative as striking for its truth as it is stirring for its almost incredible variety of strange and exciting ad venture. the daeaded of entire nation s , d • The Paul Joneses of the sea must henceforth sink into vulgar vit. lains besides the brilliant Sir Henry Morgan, the honoured of Kings, an , in short, the very beau ideal of a " Bo:d Buccaneer," xpeeted to obtai that they would r trprised at the ape res' . ;the great. t 'Baronet. at. ', e4ad'a Lori ' a ow they h i pr ectii if the ight Hot it nister lo t ` 'the !, was I,bv ble nd who, at' apt ntlemA to:belief thick he intredu