The Sun. — London, England, 1845-03-14 00:00:00

NW" - be Ai - -- -- - --. other an free ' trace this vi‘ment in his condition, after so lon tided dis" etit itStv 4 ;Il i so severe a winter, to the low price - o g i is to ill' , pPi' nien u t._ w ( h il ich had prevaile since" its commence ,re bench`'' ,u n ity ,ioi , as the Still -he did not mention this . a - ole. " e:ut, of the improvement. ' But he believed, a ronst. i° l o ot th t at t . ( 0 ) - 11 very great extent. that improvement had been s nom''''.., a, , ed . by the price of food. But why were not the athies y ie e c , ; .ll : - s l s ta b e ci a :u t e re c r l a .en ena better • state?—why ..were they left ‘1, , 11 M ,t with all this improvement, upon 'Ss a week? ' ontenes' ~„tr, It . - c.....had b. en said that the farmers were responsibh for >a t the ~ ,,t4t, _ the of the labourers, but to this he could ' vinaeienttehrsea,oilt: . any means, assent.—(Hear, heir.) In his opin x i i i:ll l , .the L farmer stood entirtly exonerated from any such .f c lover 1 " )1. ..t and itwas to the landlords they were to look t. ,o. f • ' Li i ' l c ill e r v . ' e til u e ltrge ea ' , use of a ll Its the distress which so widely 7n of c ia ki terriblyHardwick, prevailed throughout the country.. I. Ire ° lee land " I ' l. 'o ' sl i -desh_il rdwiek, in his address to the labourers of Hat th. ,.. 4 ,m, had said, " Conciliate Your employers, and i i - f jel l jell diatte,o of that you not perform their duty to you and themselves, yourselves to the landlords . ; and I -assure you ' cultivate I , - Id l i° , lat You will find us ready to urge our own tenants t I 'l c°l' ll° it the rapeen.. fee. , , the proper cultivation of their farms, and consequently ° . ___" v v ery io „ i' o ' a just employment of the labourer." ' To the land _ very . mc then, they were to look for any alleviation that ,nrestreeo alio lxiglit be obtained in the condition of the labourer. The landlords were responsible, the' landlords pnasessed ab ;7„e.elhrgeenSer‘ifill, trou ve power. - They could influence the condition of all that Ild them; and it was to them, and notto the farmers, but ° a f te r i ° , it !ii "*t the c aintry had to look for the remedy for ag • not /11 the ° • ei lkural . • next .. oi. s, 5 „,.. distress. And how did the landlords w towards ould their . tenants and labourers?—(Hear, hear.) ated DP:enty, : 0 le , s.. cite the opinion of the Hon. Member for et t --S fe ed e rrK. hire (Mr. Pusey), as expressed at the meeting of ate to 'l l° l "le' Suffolk A • o p p t i 0 n 't a d pi , t re K.. well, and he knew that there was not a place, from ie i nto g i e s ti soo o: make to Berwick, in which the landlords might not I n ."' improvemente but, when the tenant was short of ehers'oti;o.' to 7 ...... eY s _th e e landlord generally wool I be short of money iiret l bi l° l• f unds, There But he would tell them how to find lire, aid ite ,hire o i l a t gssa! were many districts where there was L superfluity, not only of useless, but of mischievous a tuners , he it ~, to h oe i, 0 1, h e e l er; and if they would cut that down which excluded : tica tv lon and air, and fed on the soil, and sell it, they ey lc' s- i as id eSC I°'ld hen fit the farmer by cutting it down, and . they aree.---,. c a l , „,, e • • ,l o . 00 ; 0 the-uai benefit the farmer and labourer too, by laying out and t h e 0 cs e l T hee Proceeds in underdraining the soil.(Cheers.) 410 e was another mode in which they might find they y r° rOt eCV by your i f ear ee ' , m il e?. He . knew that on some properties a large tit . the e ~e is ek . ~,,,,. Pent in the preservation of game.—(Cheer.) sum Is ha be e ~._._ r all unusual for the game to cost 5001. or 600 L would t' e it', " not at . y . 1 1 1,, " 1 "1 1 ; and if this were given up, the money would icir j e t ist i' . 0 1 , ? i i i" .. Y h one hundred able-bodied' labourers in improving vile are „ et 1,,. , th e ~ iy a r , y erty.—(Chc ers.) This was another df: lavaniaef o i b r iec t ', sh e i far llords of England to benefit the labourers and ✓ oh st o etr ° ;, : ii esneeiZirtsh:t the same_ time." And if Hon. Gentlemen responsibility for the improvemeot of the pres' a ' e u vesa l 1/ r . O e"qitionof v ith ii . . 1 _ f ie, fare_ the labourer was to be ,thrown upon the . ,d, 0 , oS' tte s su rr, they must at least , allow that that improve oket of Vilt o f t ,.'" could only be obtained through an increase in the true ...e , Of „.p oi uce, and by a larger proportionate share .1 r in 4 3 ttei. 's r I r Jan a !de , b o ,rli. produce being applied to the comfort of the la , , 411 11 0 ,01 t crer. Yet he woiVd show them a high authority on : s e fereeiir bye ‘ ,7 t 7 e. o r ther side of the House in what way the farmers Ile ` v it' s heivesf most ewarded for rendering the tillage of th dl e f i t r o la t , he i aros e: 1 , 0 0 , 1 . J.Valtiable. lie (Mr. Cobden) would re id on 91;00" f ts , I. some observations made by the Hon a row a e ~, , j ga o r , ‘ l 4lncolnshire (Mr. Christopher), on the motion m e o m ti l' o e n r I,arie y, P . ott ie i 4" Honourable Friend the. Member for Manchester leep 0. 4 tl,l ei i i7 l eit i . .. Milner Gibson) for agricultural statistics, he said, 41 si; fo rl io, , t etus ‘ i , moat desirable•the farmer to know th year 03.,litts ir 4 , 111,, 41 ‘ quantity of corn grown in this country, as such it , e telliF. teo e e tem.'edge would insure steadiness of prices, which was . 0 $11.), 1 fb, th.ltely more valuable to the agriculturist than flue aen ~, 9 3u.'' 4 - .•-ign •• le pa il vil es !v des el f Prices. But to ascertain this there was extreme They could not leave it to the farmer to make . sworese2.s 0 ! si , 4 t etUr tY. ~ Anti e- a at ~ oof the quantity which he produced, for eitswas l' ir ,Ji T ‘ 1 4 ,72 , r his interest-to do so. If in any one or two years s ( i f th' te ° l° anaav ea f fte e ,to s , t tl yr y Arced four quarters per acre on land which hail ravou s gi o rts e l l at,i . °IItIY grown but three, he might fear lest his land u e filin „ .. . o:i •• a tm I rro . uld say, ' Your land is more productive e To go ° ~ ia l , t en , : imagined, and I must, therefore, raise your . ta i - eit 't 11 30 P . i k !• The -Interest of- the farmers, therefore, •Id 1 v t iait tr e i tt e l e ' si r , r .J . , 4 ,, , ,,,t0, er underrate and •to furnish • low returus." "ou 1.0 0 :i . 1 .. 5 ., ea tn _c e. authority at a meeting of the Colchester Agri • e ar r ! d ee V i a li:t Of r I Association—" That he was aware that a sp . • wet ;f o rte e n n i , t elle 't . 'Provemeot was abroad. Much was said about spirit i s ,:ft:farmers doing more. He agreed they might do e re ho n s i . l e o lr i c i t t ' ri tr j ! .. f i l t i l i ei., ; the soil of the country was capable of greater pro eed o i.e 0 4 4 ,1! k r ,," ;if he said one-fourth mare he should be within „„ i eb te_ff e e ni 'atr„ th e t r .s a is:•—(Hear, hear.) But that could not be done b I ".' we i tfte r e vr e s i ,e, (I,,j i n c nt-fartaer alone ; they must have confidence Y at °„ heitiglyatfcl, )la,,,,,,teers)---it must be done by leases—(Renewed ti ,. er „ I. ei,t. Ail y .. 1 . 7•_ . b y draining. by extending the length of fields, tinßreasiiia ~I es; ( )t e l l ', long down hedge-rows, a l n k i n i d c ‘ l v e h a a ring away trees one , 0, 1 ,01 0 007 ki t e _pow shielded the corn." t said another , o s, I,lo,lSt r i ) 43,: e n i 27. at the meeting of the South Devon Agricultural 4(01! ri e focel 1 )118 MOO ?—". He knew it had been thought that land hear. ? lb d .,0 ,0„ s i, w o ere ready to avail themselves of such ass • ' ' l ed " i s eil 0 „ 0 , ll ilisi te 11 account of the affairs an it afforde he ir lf m. ea t oi;oiraoeno •.. 4 f e _lnto their tenants' , affairs and opening .e " fren 3 t let I s ii t i a c ien; „ s l i t) An instance of this occurred to him at are-' s ye O tto so, he 1 , 4 lil tu t . rnghing-match, where he met a respectable * frol i o ticae:o !oi t) " - ;_ t, whom he well kneW, and asked him if he ag w r a l : - ir , 14 :' t oo i l ‘ i 1%,,,s s_t „Lu so lt He' said no. ' Why?' Because he did to 'l,. , 55i n. 4 3 , 1 0 ,i !Sy . rtr re of such things. This why produced another t h , "' cieo ll ,„,ll , ! ki tit 4 4 1 11,1 the man gave a reason why. Suppose he ge , e a t . h e . r o f !" o Nai cr Y!ough and man, 'with two superior horses, the • , • b r l'ott i r:l ' 1 , 9 °ll rd at once would say, ' This man is doing too well l c li er ,.. l l ' e a P da t . vj, :14,i,, state,' and increase the rent "—(Hear t hear ) . woof „ e in',,, k r "iese authorities, was it a matter of wonder th . e e i ttS' , stir 0 1 1 -, 4, ! „, . tners shotildeonceive themselves . and, as he tho r ugh a t t , be - iirtt io p e o ,.s ol ' eu el v ' 11 4 1 ._ ti o l ta . , .. 6 ,exonerated from any responsibilty for the con lu;tueerf'..tie3.,fif 1,11,10,1 stn labourer ? Was, then, the conduct of the t u „. _ O l u la b? f ,e ~,:see a 2 alleviation of the evil? He would read to ~ R ,I . ro 0 0 J; P.e % document which had been taken from the mantel otestil o f ; 11 3,0 : 4 r1 fi N lT ,, ty o f , ,a , laboarer, residing at Stow-upland, in tl a e res re e ,re ilsi i Stfe ak or Suffolk. It was a certificate from the Wert , a t , d i l e pit: e el:4 i b,, iee stitt. lgricultural -Association, established in 1833, .. 00 001 ,_ .etei 1.. -„,, 1t advancement of agriculture and the encourage .ol.o..kei 7.4 ,,, , e . . 0 , - ee l. 7 industry, and skill, and good conduct among r r t s tie ' ryi v 00:14„.9 th: . l .,l's and servants in husbandry : e , , . resident „ al see „tar . ,, ta s „,r1 0, 5 , the Duke of Grafton, Lord-Lieutenant of . .ole" s a ~ „ex , 4 I,, , rity. t otro' s i:l: 4- 111 wiii:Lnis is to certify . . I ,ber. le a ve . t , eon ~., that a prize of 21. was awarded to :c _ 0 0e tie e h A be ., .-Isureh, aged 82, labourer, of the parish of Stowe :it e the etp ,, e r lot(l e tir,,,iiirtrool it °? o , 4 c h i t in u Wes . t Suffolk, September, -' 25, 1840, for having 00,, , a, . io il I ,_ ‘te ,.... p . nine children without relief, except when 4,,torea tbe y :3o ,. .14. 4 '2. ler ti dear, and ' for having worked on the I3Y 0 tP, c ft rut twenty-eight years. ' a le a i s tio_ d 1 b i! I'l l ; , (Slglit.4l) "B. RUH - BROOKE, Chairman." I poi' to lf r e ise", , et c ' was id a of r e 0 , 1 . the way in which -they rewarded a man who aptis a_ oe. ape; th w ii , , s a b " a i c n g_fi a ir c want. The whole thing together truly it , o f e .t r er a i. e eeer i o , ,ttilatttid provided d r f he fact was they never looked before ,i- . the-ne . eessities of the case. They g-n alv a ,, a nt i ' v e . l a iti d ! 1/11,44',1,iiiii. 'They legislating to make the land a land of we re eat t he P re f , '[., th 's th e • ,' oey is telt d the allotment system, and what 1 _antr y,. i. t be eot y .3 w 44 n _allotment sys teM ? •-a mere play thing, and worse , , but ho ' e w oill ° o s li , 0 4 ,1 , 01 1 q:PlaYtIling. . That . might be' well seen ;h, t 1 ,, s a s is ,qie, - ‘`eil them that had *th to _ ve la e e 1 1% . 4 1 , 4 . o f 1:4 e c ,tiV . 0 b er. own - below theta, the whole country would eat t t e lief. Y rti oi e i i . t ik at uZ this have been in a frightful state of anarchy - i v il fto 16-00,4$ ti1!44,..‘.te state -of Ireland. They had contrived ts; i . he if, ioo , oe S . ', l tv " . P,,,,,1 ; 1 ., h, _right:S . of - property in by the aid of ot o . eto: el ,1,, t! i f ( ipt a ,._ - . Exchequer and 20,000 men. But if the same is eri t ' o e srl i asi .o , Vei l ss ere to occur. in England, what would be the con tr,ade tiedoo/a,,ii; e i sti li the whole population at the present moment? app se rti o e at . il itls !iware that-this might be looked upon as a poli opor _ s t tiella it . kt 'i , l . e, !ittere but he • did not think that that - would be for neast.t. 0104,3 ~, , rie sti, upon as a, merely political matter in the se t ee I_P at iSP,,, t e I. k i lol e ' iii al districts. At the last election tb °1( to e .st eil,, P s tel l f Oeq. i_weight -of the pblitical influence had been e ro, I t t o l' t h s t c i it a: c ° o ,N re4 uY, , t . he action 'in the'agricultural districts. Two 0 ,, ... oe li 1 , t si to th ! s tl ' tk _a!erab.:rs had come down to that House and - aceiit4etlnit s ii i ,, q wei ni, benches behind. the Minister, simply through ely ei l i l ie 0 h Kilt of the agricultural inatience, and he ther'e gAr'tiot l' jo tib to _sc' D , r t) A P,':d that he should succeed in obtaining their t viaig,: re 0 . ,,, fr: s9 oh e iVn, though he feared that he should not ; in ry Fu it cr et eis a . iiiltia done not expeeet to succeed in his motion, but t e t t. „„,. ; as ef sit' thlill ths ', 4l ! his best, and he had no hesitation in telling 5 fi d 3 : c ii o O o n ro til: j o 11 ,1,. l a , ; , 4 _ if they obtained a Committee of that House lie c ee o f cdef°,of ett_ieetioeuuld explode the whole delusion of agricultural , prl r c.„ s', „ 0 67,,e ‘:(lsuc`•-•(Hear, hear.) Ho was able to bring for a, p C . 0 107 Op ii,, , 0144 no iminens masa of evidence, such a prepon lie c,i_stt ye . , i ; e o_:, ii,tli aa t - talent, that when the Blue Book was sent is li . iiie ial ii7o L'lN, t r e y could now send it, through their vehicles of ee t: he ce . l 4 t,f' rte. tw ult, that the system of protection should not 3 , 0 e t o ., g er! ce , li t ,D . r ete . 0 years afterwards.—(Hears hear.) That cry . _ 04..4, r,i)ei ,44 il itts, e . t f. i t o , n . had proved a convenient handle for the po „ens -re di ol tu te te jo b ro , t y !,1 1 . r . it carried the counties at the last election, (lo b oo r e o of , i t . It. Politicians gained honours, emoluments and place aeiliosinifta 4 .. ,,c . t ti s b., The old tattered flag was ' tarnished, 'and its e c . t e saeg,r,liipts!;s4 • 1 ,4 4 1 a ' th ia y is . ted still for the benefit of the politicians, or. liel...t'atetil,,e/ 11 1 , i nto ' (eene forward and honestly arid fairly in igri,.'tile 0 i stl,/ 6 tt iry os the.. question ? He could not believe that the ot satS et tio i st l Ots tett necingland would be made mere drum-heads, to ' d o essc . e i , it tl e ' ..h et t is ak. t , r ,by y others, and give no articulate voice of their f tilt 3 ' l . - 1 oca• 'li t titi i t e were the gentry of England who represented ,On . 0 000 la i t s t ,, les, They were the aristocracy . of England. heo.c h lo ol eo ~s r 7 t ,l 4 1 0 f athers 41. !i lzyl‘ led his fathers, and they might still lead, te r ri v r : tt e . f` i i ie o:vote' it i . 4ia rit e oc t t, th: right way) but if they went against at,re, by opposing popular opinion, their 'ri ; t ` Pa l. ll ` e lO til f \i l 3l lie warned t o stio o to P , N it _ th„ , them, were numbered. In other days et osi s‘r , I ' 4 t, '4 the 0 fra L It 7 fiC:(l or the hunting-field, in all the , en ,P, lei IP, 41,4 strife. apy vigour, their fathers were foremost _ A rl ie hel v e , 1 ,01 14 4 keh t ::: • The aristocracy of England were not like . s i. 0 , 0 v.-cello,. eke th racy of France, mere minions of a Court; nor , of ( ps i t o c as k 4iitte aristocracy of Spain, dwindled into mere l' o e o i r tio t i :po i Vrti tt.. t 3. 1 0 1 ;Y _were- Englishmen, and had never shown l e o( aueotio h d e la t qua_ , a ._ ie firmness •or courage when a call go oj , r,kl:,_ th e " 44 u upon them. This was a new era. '• its felt r till lisivianago of improvement—the age of social ad i.e r e_ h o ps rot y , i e tt • ti e s s f tn - - -inot the age of war and Lille fudal sports. They P oio ise , e ti S k i th,. the whole wealth f e 0 0 e o f I,ies th ~n 1, , 0 country was poured 1,, te, advantbyage of commercial rates and feudal pri ;on° at• j n ° I I , %. ' with might as they had done ident'f the s te t es l e g r t f t i a ti°'/ n e ri e ti ii:ei s -setae o , 1 1 aein. q ea e people, and still.remein the aristocrat i ; V or t e er m e a 0 10 , 9 i t a l i ;N tr th e ' re --- ( w H a eat.., hear.) He had no . hesitatio_e iiitel y lin o g f Was e deep rooted, an hereditary prejudice in ~,ct• °l d O' o ti t't tl 4V ° l lr, , itity id, th e se ' , re,,j ud . But they could not keep the benefit of i of ' N , ~. l ee if they opposed themselves to the spirit of a te' 0 1°' A o coi , i t t ' e • lint ' s ad., on, ,di the`,ll. rv____if they if they were indifferent to the . obstructed that progress which was , $) O rb) ' 0 0 t Ni 'ttei t 0 knit tit. 0.10 10 , ,a,5 ,, ,,, , "h t sit commerciallt nations together in the bonds of peace tile th i e 0 , 1) 1 30 , 1 ; e . Z,tbtllthe stream intercoUrae—if they were to fight No' a in e e , ' on e k k , t» he . Sam which had .. almost given life and re a fr, o o ,) _A , N s , it.. sterial nature, and obitruc. that which the 000. o olar e eet s; ti ll ih t le st d s , at large had decreed should get on--then 0 0 „,se il a s he x Vt 4 1 "e' the gentry of England co „ea eo . e e b,, 4 i u,i b, . no longer, and Weedy 00j , esea tea r , ..3 foun-I to take their place ; and he had ese l e , ~. -e s ea en in se , • s t he eio esi th ei o p .„, tl t t . t • there 3mg that he stood in a very critical no _ of im p. (,) ! iti, , i Ni ._ati t ,,,,, , , , wiv, a spreading: enseicion that they boo t f i1 0 0.. 7 , 4.0 ~‘ , 7lit t f , 4 ~.., ... g with the feelings , the Jf'g e et .r att_'", 0 , tot- the etv u sr own organs, mid they would see tlett th s , ---V. - 0 e , e t i; l' ~ 'kit 'ite 'e• Let them then, ail 1,.. 0 i .e fer s , .1,, ,l i , h t rier _ . . 1 b off that they were Lobe t i p , 0 1',., 0 1 0 0 politicians they were supposed to b be. i3oole to te", . ai l , 4 nakedthe them to go into Committee, . and he Sie sn i iJs t ' le' the e them a majority of county Members — e 57 t th e IP e t 5 1 ft; tin! 811 0011 • t bft - 00 1 / 00 ~ . i t .sei st e . i have a majority of the Central Protec -00 oa. 0 voi , co F Q ,, ,l ,ta ar ,er itself on thet Committe .Ho only asked 00 0 1 ag r ie ,,,o . l e ',e 1 .1_11 01) 1 'li st iir e ..- a fair inquiry—into the causes of agricul t ttai)eis Mllellt o , t i, 1 ,, 41,, , t zed to s ta s._and he felt sure the lion. ' Members who o„. , obi F r , re 5,,, 're amendments to his motion, would not Soo' . i sti, 'l. O , e isJ,. ;t 4 , 1 • 7 a mere quibble He only asked for fair in ,feioaffstele•ottijoi ,s 11 1,,, ti Zte, , r wl i Tther it established . his principle, or the rice joe ica l t o -.. iket4 se, d . lon. Gentlemen on the other side of the veor og r o ; ti t , ) e t b 4 id entreat the independent Gentlemen of that a t "e eiti j v 1, 4 ki t . t t heY would not refuse on that occasion to go Ise C • t1: t1 41 %, Sab a x i _ul__l, and an impartial investieation. Olee 3 l4 ; __Y, HERBERT said the speech of the nby 4 ,,w1i0 had just sat down had been distin• wltree of ingenuity and knowledge which • 1 T,. 1, LONDON, PR,IDAY EVENING, hati-but rarely been surpassed. . But at the-same time, he thought the Hon. - Gentleman had lessened' the im portance of his cause by the multiplicity of arguments and facts which he edduced in support of it. The lion. Member it would seem had forgotten that some of his facts were contradictory.—(Hear, herr.) The Hon. Member had stated that the labour of Committees who who had sat upon this suh;ect, had al ways led to im proving the condition cf the agriculturist, and the culti vation and quality of the land. Now, he must say, that he differed very much from the llon. Member—for at various periods Committees had been appointed to in quire into the operation of agricultural protection, hut he did not remember that 'any of these Committees had produced any material change in the system. The Committee which sat in 1815 and 1822, he admitted, came to certain conclusions, which they reported to the House ; but these reports could hardly be understood by persons living in the present day.(Opposition aheers.) Subsequent Committees that were appointed found great difficulty in arriving at any conclusion upon the subject, and, therefore, they declined to make any report to the House, and they laid before the House nothing but two large folio volumes, full of contradictory opinions and facts.—(Hear; hear.) A Committee sat in 1833, and that Committee numbered some of the most eminent man in that House. On that Committee, he be lieved, were the Noble Lord the Member for the City of London, and his Right Hon. Friend the princi pal Secretary of State for the Home Department. That Committee came to a different conclusion to that which the Hon. Member for Stockport had arrived at. In the first place, they came to the conclusion that protection was necessary, and that notwithstanding agriculturists had to contend with great difficulties, and no matter Whether it was in the time of pollee or war, great im provernents had taken place in the cultivation of land.— (Hear, hear.) lie visited Ireland last year, and there he was told, and saw with his own eyes, that the state of agriculture was improving, and in this country he knew from personal inquiries that the profits 'of .the. farmer were daily on the increase. The Hon. Member had said there could be no improeement in the cultiva tion of land, because capital was withdrawn from it. Now, how could the farmer have improved his land so as to increase his profits without cepital.—(Hear, hear.) The Hon. Member said landlords kept their tenants in a etate of subserviency, and they were restricted from making the most of their farms by certain clauses which were invariably introduced into farm leases. But the Hon. Member forgot that those were penal clauses, and, only applied to certain counties.—(Hear, hear.) He would venture, however, to say that these leases did not bear a recent date, because the Hense must be aware that - lately improvements had been introduced into the term ' arid language of farm leases.—(Hear, hear.) In itulen tores of apprenticeship, to this day, they would find early, absurd: and obsolete conditions ; but the Hon. Member must bear in mind that it was the spirit of the instrument that was acted upon, and not the letter. He entreated Hon. Members on his own side of the House not to suffer their sympathy for the prevailing agricul tural distress to induce them to concede the motion, for it was quite impossible that it could be attended with any beneficial result. What would be the utility of the in quiry ? Had they not already sufficient information ea the subject? Surely, after the many discussions they had had upon the corn-laws, and after the often-repeated opinions of eminent political economists on agricul ture and commerce, they had sufficient information to enable them to form an opinion, or even to legislate. upon the subject if it were necessary. But even were. they to geant tho Committee, he did not think it would appease the public mind, or put an end to the Anti Corn-le v agitation. No, nor would the Hon. Member for Stockport, consent to suspend his judg ment on the corn laws and direct agricultural pro tection till they were put in possession of the deci sion of this Committee. Nor would Covent-garden be restored to the muses, or those gentlemen - who there enact tenant-farmers return to their. former occupations. —(Hoir, hear and a laugh.) • Granting the Committee would not either put an end to discussing the question in that House. for he saw that the Hon. Gentleman the Member for Wolverhampton had given notice of his motion for a repeal of the corn-laws.—(Hear, hear.) .He WAS not aware-that the appointment of a Committee would have the effect of inducing him to withdraw his notice. _ Mr. C. P. VILLTERS—I have not given it yet. Mr. S. HERBERT continued—At all events, he did not think if the motion were carried it would put an end to all discUssion on the subject in that House. But Hon. Members opposite admitted that they had no very great respeetior the decisions of Committees, and where then was the use of appointing one?—(Hear, hear.) It would not have the effect either of alleviating the clis tres4; for the appointment of the Committee would have a most ruinous effect upon the landed interest of the country.—(Hear, hear.) All would be doubt and un certainty, and until the report of the Committee were known, capital would be entirely diverted from agriculs tura. Until the Committee had examined witnesses from different parts of the country—until they had taken the opinion of eminent political eoonomists, and until all the doctrines of wages, vocations, and profits had been in quired into, the agricultural interest, indeed the whole of the country,would be in a state of uncertainty. The effect of this uncertainty, there could be no doubt, would be disastrous to the agricultural community, and indirectly, if not directly, tend to injure the trade of the country.--- (Hear, hear.) Now, the Hen. Gentleman hal made some observations upon the improvements which had been made in agriculture. .The • Hon-Member at the same time drew a comparison between the improvements made in agrichlture, and the improVements which had been intreduced into manufactures, which certainly, was very , flattering to the lion. Member himself. Bat the Hon. Member hal forgotten that manufacturers hid a considerable advantage over agriculturists. The' agricilthriii could only turn his . capital once a 'year; but the manufacturer could do it frequently.--(Hear, hear.) A farmer sometimes had a good harvest and sometimes a bad one. His profits, too, were often re duced in a bad harvest by. the prospect of a future good one, but the manufacturer seldom or never laboured under di-advantages of this nature.—(Hear, hear.) He hoped the Hon. Member for Northamptoa would with draw his amendment. Past Committees upon agricul tural distress had produced no beneficial change, and he did .not think any further inquiry would be attended With a dill-rent result.—(hear.) It had on more than one occasion been stated that - her Majesty's present Ministry took office pleeleed to maintain agricultural protection. The-Government had not, as bad been stated to-night, made promises which they did not intend to keep. The Hon. Gentleman had_ - said the county Members had been returned, on the pledge that they would maintain protection, as it was previous to the last election. For his own part he had stated his views, of the corn-laws to his constituents, and had not concealed that the Honourable Baronet at the same time would preserve to the agricultural interest the protection of the corn law, but would make such modifications of the sliding scale as the altered circumstances of the 'country from war to peace rendered •necessary.----(Hear, hear.) fie believed 'that there was a great - deal of distress,which , was not 'within the reach of legislative remedy. But he thought that nothing could more tend to alarm and dis hearten the farmers than that the House should show them it - was dissatisfied with the present arrangement, and that, at. the instance of a Gentleman: who was no friend to them—(Rear, hear)—and who desired twdeprivethem of all protection. -L-(Hear, hear.) It was going into an inquiry of indefinite length, from which, after some period, a measure of some sort would ari,e, for the purpose of putting an end to the protection which now remained.—(hear, - hear.) - The Govern ment-did not deny that there was - some-amount of pro tection which it was not intended to withdraw.—(Hear. hear.) At the same time he and the Ministers admitted that it was a fair and legitimate subject , of discussion in that House. The Hon. Member for Wolverhampton (Mr. Villiers) had given notice of a motion on the sub ject, on which the whole question would be raised, before they could have any report of the propozed Committee, if it' should be granted. But if they were not in pos : session of - the information for which the Committee was. demanded by the Hon. Member for -StockpOrt, they.. were not , in a condition to • go into'. the discus sion of Mr. Villiers's motion: , If they.:: Were in. a state to go into it, then there was no necessitt to send - to a Committee up stairs fur information which they al ready possessed.e.-(Efear, hear.) If they told him how the Committee would be constituted, so well known was the state of opinion on the question, he could tell them what, would be, the result.—(Rear, and a laugh.) He thotight, hoWever; that the House was 'bound not to accede to the motion, unless it 'was proposed to alter the present law.—(Rear, hear.) It could not be pretended that any information was required,'and the Hon. Gen tleman only wanted the Committee for the purpose of expounding his own views, which he was in the habit of doing with great clearness and ability, and at sufficient length in the House. The Committee would ,t most only create hopes as to the repeal of the import duties, which could not be realised, and increase the dissatis faction and uneasiness which it was the desire of Par , [lament to allay.—(Hear.) He hoped • his Hon. Friend the Member for East Norfolk would withdraw his amend ment, and that the House would negative the Motion. • • Lord HOWICK, who was at first very imperfectly heard, said that the Right Hon. Gentleman who_last sat down had commenced by stating that Committees upon agricultural distress were of no use.. That was a mere doctrine with Gentlemen opposite.(Ree.r, hear.) He remembered when the Governments of.which they were members held Committees on agricultural distress in great estimatinn.—(Cheers.) .Besides that, he denied that Committees of inquiry were of no use.—(Hear.) The facti which were brought out Were of importance. The new views in which they' placed acknowledged facts wo.re also of , importance. • He reminded Right Hon. Gentlemen opposite, that the first step which was made in amelioratinir the• system of protection grew out of a Committee of inquiry into agricultural distress.—(Hear.) A majortty of country gentlemen were induced, in the Committee of Isls, to adopt an able report drawn up by. all-. 11tiikieeon, which made an important step towards improvement of the corn-laws. -- (Hear, hear.) Th e C o mmittees of 1815 and 1833 were the means of bringing together a body of information which tied been immensely useful.—(llear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman opposite (Sir It. Peel) aelepted that report. Bet it did not serve the arguments uga , ,nst this motion. The Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Herbert)" said that Committees of this kind we're of no use, as ie was, not questions_ of detail they had to 'consider, but q6stions of great principles, which might be"consi dered ha the House. He (Lord Howick) had no hesita tion in stating that his opinion was made up.---(Hear, hear.) He did nut want to wait for the result of the Committee to make up his mind, nor .did he think that the appointment of it woeld be a reason. for postponing the motion of his Hon. Friend the Member for Wolver hempton.—(Hear, hear:) But, was there nothing the Committee could do beyoad debating, on the principle of protecting duties?—(Hear.) On the contrary, he thought much valu - tble information could he collected indepen dent of the corn laws and protecting duties.—(Hear.) They invariably found ou..the _one side of the House and en the other the most extraordinar statements of facts.—(Heree-hear.) - Why not go into Committe=e and see oil whiW,Sidb the truth lay, preparetory to the dis cussion- which must eventually come on in the flouse? —(Cries of"./I,:ar, hear.") Was it not desirable to ascertain whether the existence of the laW ihad or not the 'effect of encouraging false hopes in the 'm ads of the farmer..?—(hear.) That it had that effect was as seats.; in that House, and he now assertedahat it was easy of proof if they went into the Comm ttee.(l-lear, hear.) It led the farmers:to expect a certain price for their produce; and, since the peace, that fa'ae expectation had been the ruin of thousands.—(Cheers.) Again, it was material to ascertain what was the effect ofahe price of corn upon wages of labour.—(Cries"Of " Hear, hear.) He heard it repeatedly said . in the • House that the low price of corn produced low price pf labour. But new it was with infinite satisfaction he heard the. Right Hon. Gentleman say that the low :price of food brought on by abundance was a benefit to every class.-e (Hear, hear.) That must be the case in a proper state of the law ; but even in the present state he believed that 'it was so.—(Hear, hear.) But he* happened it that whenever prices were lociered there were the_ most whining complaints on the 'part of-the assriculturists? 7 (Hear, hear.) The Right Hon. Gen tleman said that it was not the IoW prices that caused the present distress but the failure of the crops...He (Lord Howick) believed it was so. But did that account for the language used by the Duke of Buckingham,'which he could only describe, in the words of an old statute, as that of a sturdy .beggar—(Hear, hear, and' laughter.) The Right Hon. Gentlemen opposite reported 'in 1833 the most melancholy statements as to the condition of the tenant-farmers. Their condition was painted in the most gloomy terms—they were paying, the rent out of their capital—and they were then in . a state of .peogres sive ruin. —(The Noble Lord then read .at great length an extract from the Report of the Agricultural Commit-. tee of 1821, setting forth the distressed state of the :far.: mers at .that period.)—lf they took -that report, the low prices which the Right Hon. Gentlemen now- stated to be for the benefit of all parties were the ruin of, the far ' mers. However, the result of all the inquiries had been to take off the protection from other articles.. He should like to see what would the answer of the proposed Com mittee be to the gloomy predictions of the Dulse of Rick; mond as to the importation, of wool since 1837: and of cattle, more recently.—(ilear, hear, and laughter.) The 'House would remember the arguments of the Hod. N,leme bar for Berkshire against the importation of 'pigs irhen that llon..Member said that so many quarters of corn would be imported in the shape i • ef ,pigs„—cLfiughte.r.) Now he should like to ascertain in Committee what had been the effect of the introduction of cattle ? Ile should like to inquire 'for the facts which 'would show that pro teetion was necessary, for the cultivation of wheat and not for flax.—(Hear, bear.) They were told -that the removal of protection would affect the labourer more than the landlord, and would throw land out of cultiva tion. He should like to hoar from a Conlasittee, as merely matter of figure's, whether rent entered - so much into the price of corn that a reduction or rent would enable the farmer to meet a reduction of prices.--(ilear, hear.) There were many of those points on which in formation was easily attained, which would refute the mass of vague, unfounded assertions which were constantly reported in the House, and which in _terfered with the discussion of -this , momentous questiOnee-(Hear,, and cheers.) Suppose they had a strong conviction • that. the Committee would not tend to any practical result. ' Was that a ground fbr refusing the inquiry, when they saw at that moment what was the condition of the tenant-farmer and the labourer?— (Hear, hear.) They might consider the inquiry useless, but their reason for refusing the inquiry .was, to him iii coinprehensible.—(Hear, hear.) The. Secretary at War 'stated that the agriculturists were of,very delicate nerves' laugh)—and if the House were to go into the in quiry,. they would be thrown into a so't. of al irtn, so that they would give up their farms.- . —(Laught-r.) How could such a Committee as the lions Member for Wol verhampton most fairly offered, containing a majority of " farmers' friends," give them such a shock?-L(Hear.) The Right Hon. Gentleman said that, in asking for the Committee; they (the Opposition) expected to put an end to protection. Undoubtedly he (Lord Howick), for one, did so,--(Cheers.) He believed that in the Com mittee it would be shown that the repeal of the pro tective duties would be . a relief to the farmers them selves. It was because he had such perfect confidence in the justice of 'his case, that he asked for inquiry, because he believed that the most irrefragable proofs would ba prodeced of the justice of his case.—(Cheerse) The refusal to give the Committee could he'accouated for on no other ground than that they (the Ministers) had no confidence in their own assertionsee(Cheers.) They would be ready enough to grant the inquiry, if they did not find, in the bottom. of their: hearts, that the vague sophistries which they passed muster so boldly in the House would not bear to bessifted in de tail, and pass through the ordeal of examination up-_ stairs.—(Hear, hear, and cheers.) They knew that they would undergo so complete a refutation that they would be ashamed to repeat them.—(Cheers.)', The only rational ground Or lion. Gentlemen oppo siterefusing to go into dhis Committee was, that they had really no case; and he was the more convinced of this, because, while they refused a Committee, they also refused to grapple with the arguments of the Hon. Mem ber for Stockport against the whole.systeni of protecting duties. If they felt any Confidence in -their case, they might, at least, attempt to grapple with the luminous and able speech of Hon. Member for Stockport, and prove that: the system of protective duties ,was not the cause of "the agricialtiiral distress. The Right Hon. Gentleman the. Secretary at War did : net attempt the slightest answer to those arguments.. He (Lord Howick) would now endeavour to show why.•it • was that he en s tirely concurred in the opinion expressed by his Noble Friend the Member fair Lowden . S9me,time ago, wile said that protecting duties .haeFiniTeed been the bane of agriculture.—(Hear, hear.) If this Committee were granted, they would' show that the system of protection had been tried' thirty years ago, and that,- notwithstanding all the niodiliCetions which it under went, it was acknowledged to be a complete failure. — (Hear.) The Bill of. 1815 had even , this advantage; that it was concocted according teethe views of the high s' flown adsocates.of protection.(llcar, hear.) But the result was, that in a few years after there was a great deal of agricultural' distress. A Committee was ap pointed; containing a majority .of agricultural Members, who came to the conclusion that 'the Act of 1815 bad failed in its object, but they did not give up its protecting" system. No such thing—they said they, mistook the" way, but they did not give up their favourite notion.' The Committee made a report, and in consequence of that report an alteration was .matlein the law of 1815, and, under the auspices of the Right . Honour- - able Baronet opposite, the law of 1828, which he afterwards destroyed,' became the law of the land. But what was the consequence ? In 1833; 1834,' 1835, and 1836, complaints were made in that House of agri culturardistress. A ,Comnitfro was again appointed,- and the Right lion. Baronet declared that more protec tion wOuld ,notenend the case, and that they had better' wait for better times—for that was the meaniug, shortly translated, of the .report of 1833. What was the cause of that ? There was then no Aati-Corn•law agitation, because prices were so low that the evils of-protection were not then so seriously felt. The Right lion. Gen.; tleman then came forward, and said that there had been a good deal of bungling about rrotection—that protec tion was a good thing, but they had - not gone the right way to work it, and accordingly he passed his C • Bill with a great majority.- Bat they, were now witnease ing the happy results of his experituent,—(Hear, hear.) Under that system. of protection, the progress of agri- - cultural improvement had been extraordinarily slow, as the. Hon. Gentleman the Member for Stockport had shown. If any body loeked at the country he could not fail-to see that the degree of Agricultural improvement was far heron' what it ought to be. Let them compare the improvements which had taken place in agriculture Since the peace, with the improvements which had taken phicc in ether branches dr science, and it would . appear from, the result,' thit while steam navigation and railroad Alevelopmsint, and, in fact, all the arts an I sciences, had . progreased with great regularity, the science of agricul ture had by no meant kept pace. with them.—(Hear, hear.) Although the most beneficial results:might be derived from -draining, draining was scarcely begun in some courrtiea ; and . while farmer's allowed. the best manure at theitOwn doors to run to waste, they imported it At a vast expense from the comet of Africa.—(Hear, hear.) Any person who travelled doWn to Manchester 'must perceive that while .the land in the, neighbourhood of that town, which .was most fertile by nature, and which had an excellent market for milleand butter which it would yield, was grown over with rushes—(Hear, 1143 . 40-eland which required only a few hours to render it' mist productive--that while the land near that town was suffered to lie in such a state, in the town itself every improvement was adopted which . would multiply the means of production, and yield a saving, however small. There was one mode, and only one,' of. accounting for this, namely, that there was no security.•--(Hear, hear, from Mr. Miles.) He understood .the cheer of the Hon. Member for Somerset, and would advert to it presently. The Cause of that difference was to be found, in the first place, in the absence of the stimulus of foreign competi hear)—owing to,which the landed-proprie tors were content to leave the land in such a disgraceful state as it was in at present.—(Cheers.) It was owing again to the want of leases.—(Hear, hear.) Any Gen tleman who was at all acquainted with the subject, must know there was the greatest difference between those farms which were held under lease, and those which were not.—(Hear.) . L-'t a person for instance compare the, agriculture of East Lothian and Buckinghamshire. -=-:(Hear.) But he would tell tho Hon. 'Member for _Somerset, it ' was owing also, and principally, to that want of security which the landlords could not give as long as they kept up a system of security.—(Hear, hear.) He supposed the Hon. Member meant by his cheer that that want of security was owing to the Anti corn • levy League, but he would tell the Hon. Gentleman that there was notany security for the farmers hi•fore the Anti c-rn law League were in existence. Amiss lung as they ware subject to the ebb and flow, which he believed were insenstraille from protection, they would not have se. curity:—(Cheers.) They would. not'finrl it no long as they breathed the sickly air of pritection. It wag this insecurity that caused capital to fi )w out of the. Country and teebe investstt in foreign railways, at the risk of War. E,ven if they rejected this motion, es he expected they would, by a majority of two to one, that would not give that security - to the farmers which the farmers' friends themselves were conscious :was neeessary.— (Elear.) He would now tome to a more serious part of the case, because, after what.had been said by the Hon. Member for Stockport on the former part of it, he (Lord Howie's) felt it would be unnecessarily wasting the time of the House to dwell longer upon it. But he would come to the effect of the protective. systtm upon the labouring classes ; and here also he thought that a strong prima facie case had been made out against protection.—(Bear, hoar.) In t4el. Southern coun ties of Englund particularly, the agricultural labourers were in a - most wretched condition. It was the wonder of every 'on how the agricultural labourer . supported Tiiinsell antTittnily :We' the wages" ho' 'receiVed:-e-(fiettr:) Of bread, he had very fs,:r from sufficient ; of meat, he seldom or ever tasted—( Hear)—his clothing was inade qutte and as to beer, Coffee, and tea, be had infinitely below his reasonable share,—(Hear, hear.) Why any one 'of them could not keep u labouring man and his family for twice the nioney that the labourer could him self support them. How wss this to be accounted for . From one or other of these causes—either that the whole supply of .the nati,n was be:ow the wants of the n. tion, or eke the labourer did not receive a fair proportion.; or else the supply was b-itb tlo small and even of that the labourer did not receive his due proportion. If that were admitted, he would follow up his argument by Showing, that the system of protective duties had diminished the whole supply of the necessaries required for the national wants, and that it els) altered the distribution of that supply. As to the first point, it was too plain to be denied by any one. He would make that out in a short time. He would take an illustration from the sugar duties. He had shown a few nights ago that the same amount of manu factured goods or money would buy 28} tons of Brazil sugar, and only 18i- of colonial sugar. He would state the matter at a disadvantage, because the difference of the price between colonial and foreign sugar was different' to what it was- now.-(flear,) If the duty on sugar was placed upon•a proper foundation they would be enabled to get in the country twenty six t ns of sugar in the place of eighteen.—(Hear.) Now, could it be for one moment doubted, that what was true with respect to sugar, was equally so with respect to coffee and meat?—( Hear, hear.) The first was indirect taxation, and was bad; it diminished the comforts of the poor, -and that was its avowed object and design.—(Hear.) The- protective duties were put on for that object and nothing else.—(Hear, hear.) He thought, therefore, that it was .not only not unreasonable to ask for, but it was the bounden duty of the House to grant a Committee to inquire into the subject. Could any one deny that there was some Connexion between the distresses of the people and scarcity, especially when that scrrcity was occasioned by, the law ? Nov, with respect to the corn-laws, the) deprived the lab.mring man of his proper remuneration ; labour was not protected, and he believed that the cause of the want of the necessaries of life in America arose in consequence Of their copying what had taken place in this country with re spect to the restriction upon the fruits of industry. He did not see how inquiry could be refused on this important subject ; if they refused it, they would go before the country with this feeling, that they were maintaining laws for the benefit of the owners of the land, and fur the Purpose of keeping up rents and aggra vating the distress of the people. Was this consistent with the Divine precept, that " the labourer was worthy of his hire ?"—(Hear, hear.) But what was the fact ? Why, while the wealthy classes were inereas'eg, in their comforts, the poor man's rents were doubled. The hire of the labourer, who reaped and ploughed the .fields, had been kept back by fraud. He did not attempt to impute to any of the Gentle men opposite the maintenance of laws that operated against the working classes—the labsuring classes. They were bound by the most solemn obligations.to neglect nothing to alleviate the condition of their fellow-men—((Tear, hear)—and how, therefore, could they refuse granting {be Committee that was now asked by the Hon. Member for Stockport?---( Hear, hear. ) If they went into Committee he was content—( Hear, hear )_ hut then he would say that they could not be justified in the eyes of God or man in retaining those laws unless they granted inquiry.—( Hear, hear.) He could never believe that an All-wise and Beneficent Creator, who had pronounced upon the human race the curse of labour, ever intended that labour should go unrewarded.—( Hear, hear.) Let them remember that every man among them was as answerable for that share of political power which they enjoyed as Members of that Home, and for the use he made of it in reference to the con dition and;welare of the humble classes, as he was for his coo duct in . private life ; and if therdid remember_this, they would hardly consent to reject the motion. ' Mr. STAFFORD O'BRIEN said he was quite sure that • a suspicion never entered the mind of any Member of that House that the Noble Lord, in quoting that book to which ho hid referred in his speech, had any intention of making a per sonal application ; but ,at the_ same time the House would agree withhim that it was desirable to make allowances for those who, as conscientiously as.the Noble Lord, came to a dif ferent. conclusion.—(Hear, hear.) Now, when they combined what the Noble Lord had said, stating, as he had done, that no other labourers, artiffcers, or manufacturere, were able to com ' pete with English labourers,' English artisans, and English ma nufacturers, and:that there was . more corn grown in England, ''compared with the quantity *of acres, than in any other country in the world exclusive of the Netherlands, he thought they Would 'allow that the case had not been very definitively made out against the system under which such a state of thing. existed. It appeared that there was a little contrariety of epi nion bet Ween the Noble Lord end the Hon. Member for Stock port. The Hon. Meniber for Stockport had said, the other night;that in proportion as they receded from the tall chimneys they found agriculture neglected; while the Noble Lord had stated time evening that, in the neighbourhood of Lancashire, rushes were growing uppn the lands.—( Hear, hear.) If the latter statement were true, instead of going into the agricultu ral districts, the Anti-Corn-law League should look to the vicinity of their own town, where they might find land to be drained, farms to be improved, and rushes to be eradicated. Now, he had himself at a former period given notice of his in tention to move for a committee to inquire into the causes and extent of agricultural distress ; bat he was anxious that it should be entirely a farmer's and farm-labeurer's motion. elf the House granted this moved for by, the Hon. Member, it would be merely a matter for political economists and free traders. Independently of the words of his , motion, the animus of the Hon. Member's speech made him doubt whether he would be justified in 'giving him his supeort. Skilful as that speech was, able in its details,' and unvioleut in its language, when he *Considered the picture' which the Hon. Member had drawn of the tenants-at-will and the tenants-at-lease, he could not help thinking that he made a serious charge without dis tinction of party against the landoweera of England. When he heard bites' say that nothing could be more miserable than the condition of _those classes of persons, . that they were averse to all improvement, that they lived in indo lence, 'sloth; and inactivity, and'were constantly coining to that House for protection, he certainly did feel that it would not be becoming in him, returned as he had been by an agri • cultural constituency, deeply honouring the landowners of this country, and feeling that on the whole they had done their duty, to vote for a metioe which .had been introduced by such a speech.—( Hear, hear.) He had the high authority of the Right Hon. Gentleman the Member for Edinburgh, for de claring that the deasiOn with reference to a motien fur a COMmittee was in 'a e great degree to be determined by the animus of him who moved for • it.—( Hear, hear.) On the wbole he was very sorry that the Government had chosen to reftise this Committee.—( Hear, hear.) He regretted that his Right . Hort. Friend, speaking the sentiments of the Govern ment, had . feli it his duty to recommend him to withdraw his amendment. He knew very well what was the meaning of tha' • advice. Though it Was given with all that agreeableness and gooanature which rendered everything that fell from that gifted gentleman ,so undisagreeable—(Laughter)—softening do*Uthe refusal of elle negative as much as possible, it was st;11 tantamount to saying " If you divide on your amendment, you will find yourself in a miserable. minority."—(No, no. ) Now there were three parties in that House in reference to this CoMMittee. There were the free traders, who were anxious fora Committee to blow up the country gentlemen. There was the Government, which 'refused this. Committee, for the old official reason, that to grant it would create excite ment, and raise unfounded expectations.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) The third party was himself, who earnestly wished the inquiry, from a belief that_ so far from exciting it would ' tend to soothe, and that so far from unsettling it would tend to 'tranquillise the country.—(.Hear, hear.) He could tell Hon. Members, that if th e y thought agricultural distress war local they were completely, is the wrong ; and as he was not to have the opportunity of bringing these farMers there to speak for themselves, he tsusted that the House would permit him to read some extracts from the speeches which they had made When they had met together.— ( Hear, hear.) . If they had often exaggerated, that was one reason in favour of allowing theM to come before the House, in order that mistakes might be removed. He would begin with a meeting at Market Harborough. The Ron. Membo, then read a resolution, to the effect, that the admission at foreign corn at the preseet low rate of duty was unexpected and uncalled. for. The Hon. Member next read a petition Durham, stating that the agrietilturists had been greatly injured by the late alteration in the corn-law, the tariff, and the law with respect to Canadian corn. The Honourable Member then read resolutions passed .at meetings in. IJeionshire and in Lincolnshire, couched in similar language. A, resolution passed a,t, a meeting in Shrop shire, recommended the imitation ,of the spirit of union ex hibited by the members of the Anti Corn law League. The Agrieniturat Protection Societies of Rutland, Leicestershire, Essex, and Staffordshire, all spite in a similar ten', all declared that' distress existed equal to that he had read. Therefore, vvheii the Right lion. Member for North Wiltshire said the distress was local, he muse inform him that he did not speak the sentiments of the farmers. The distress of these farmers was exaggerated by the feeling that the Government was either not aware of its extent or pressure. Had one-half of the distress existing among ' the farmers, existed in the manufac turing districts, there would have been no end to the clamour raised in their behalf,—( Hear, hear.) He did not say that in that case he should blame the manufacturers—he did not say that in such case. he should blame the farmers. He should not, on the one hand, charge the manufacturers with being too clamorous, nor on the, other hand would he accuse the farmers of being too supine.. But. he begged the House to remember that the characteristics of the two classes were, essentially different. It , was the habit of one class to unite—of the other to endure in isolation. Therefore, *hen the questiiM - of . kid - cultural distress came before the House, both that House and the Government, what ever might be its political complexion, ought to remember the characteristics of these two Plasses, and be careful how they neglected the Claims of - the agrimilturists. he Right Hon. Member for - North WiltShiet bad Said he did not wi-h to see agriculturists come whining to that House for protection. He (Mr: . Stafford O'Brien) should hiinself 'be sorry to see the bold yeomen of England come whining to that House, or else-. where.. 'But he was sure. the Right Hon Gentlem in did not mean to say that if any portion of her Majesty's subjects felt that they Were in distress; and that any legislative enactment would remove that distress, the farmers, if they came before that House, and spoke by petition or through the voice of their representatiies, ought to be charged . with whining. lie laid a stress on this, because he knew well how eagerly every word uttered in that House by the Government was watched, and because he was anxious to do away the effect of an expression which seemed something like unkindness or inconsistency towards them. The Noble Lord the Member of Sunderland had referred to the duties on wool, cattle and flax, and had In stanced these as three cases in which the repeal of the protective duty might be considered as advantageous. He could not but think that if the Noble Lord had permitted him. self to consider for a moment, he would have found that no three articles could have been more injudiciously chosen. The Noble Lord, skilful as he was in other things, would not be considered as a practical grazier, if heThought that the effect of the tariff, wi h respect to the importation of cattle, would realise what was expected from it at the end of three years. With respect to the duty on flax, the repeal applied not to flax that hasi been grown, but to that which was yet to growl and whe ther flax Could be grown at all without a protective duty re- Maimed to be proved. lie hid spoken m E withhagflaarna. (l me.r_oritiliea. and' this point, and he had said, " If they co ov u rd li r l y g h e l t si a a p r r g o u t e e d et t i h ve at d . fl u t a y x o h n:l d ier b , ee h n e believed r. without t couldfTh a e protective Noble gorbolwe il e duty, but he 'denied that towns ex tent this had been the case. Flax was not grown in England. Ireland," from several Hon. Members on the Opposition benches.) He was aware of that fact, but the Noble Lord was not speaking of Ireland, and whether flax could be grown in England without a protective duty waJ an experiment that yet remained to be tried. The Noble Lord alluded also to wool— he should recollect that when the repeal of the wool duty was nroposedthe agrieultutrh them fair creditainterestdiil tintfor some oppo de sei gre of ~ tanillr .: therefore, might give doro when they opposed the reduction of the duty on corn. It showed - that they could discriminate—that they were able to judge which duties might be repealed sod which might not. They were not misled and blinded by any theory to declare that every kind of restriction was mischievous, nor did they from the other extreme wish to retain every protective duty in operation. They applied their minds to the question of re striction and that of-the removal of restriction, and they might claim ..equal:marit for.that.whioh-they -had the wisdom to refuse and that which they had the wlldom to retain. He was sorry •MA RCH 14, 1845. that the Government had chosen to refuse this Committee. He was returned to that House to support. ,the system of protection. lie was returned on protection principles, and from those protective principles he was not aware that he had ever swerved.—( Hear, hear.) He had been too long in that House to commit himself blindly,)ey any pledge against those changes which must occur in the "re volution of ages," as his Right Hon. Friend the Member for Newark had stated. But, as far as he could judge, Image* to reason to shrink from the advocacy of these principles, and because he believed them to be true, therefore he believed they would bear inquiry. —(Cheers.) He was not going to say that in that House it was prudent to grant every inquire that every man might propose, at his own time, on his own terms, End for his own purpose ; but he did say, that when they had heard the Right Hon. Gentleman the Secretary of State for the Hsme Department get up and introduce his Bill on the law of settlement, and tell them that one person out of' every ten was receiving parish relief—when, in addition to this, he was able to bring forward statements from the whole country of the extent of agricultural distress—it seemed to him that the time had come when there should be this inquiry. It might be said, that the questions to be proposed to these farmers would be beyond their understanding. It was ex tremely common to say that questions were beyond the under standing of common men, but, unfortunately, they were not iseyond their misunderstanding.—( Hear, hear.) They were fregeently misunderstood, with danger to themselves and to the country. He did hope that the Government, before this discussion closed, as they were to have no COmmittee and no inmegy, would do him the justice of saying that he had not shrunk from bringing forward the cause which he believed to be that of the agricul turists; he hoped they would be able, -and he saw the Hon. Member for Manchester opposite, to give them some intima tion that they had taken steps towards the furtherance of a matter which was brought forward last session—he meant the Obtaining of more exact statistic knowledge with respect to the agriculture of this country. He did not wish to re-estab lish the board under Sir John Sinclair, but he did wish the Government would announce that they had taken the matter into their serious consideration. The Right Hon. Member for North Wiltshire, and he believed the Hon. Member for the West Riding, had been pleased to be very mirthful on seeing the Hon. Member for Stockport conferring with him (Mr. S. O'Brien); he said it put him in mind of the entente cordiale which the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of the Government supposed to exist, when he (Mr. S. O'Brien) pledged himself to move for this Committee. This mirth might be again excited, n w that he again appealed for that Committee. But he thought from whatever side or party a motion was made favourable to agriculture, no distinction of political opinions should induce him to withhold his support from it, and let him tell the Government it was not the union of any individual Members on either side of the House, but it was that while the benches of the House were distinguished, and the two sides preserved, the political principles of ime side were carried into effect by the legislation of the other. The lion. Member fur Stockport had alluded in in eloquent manner to the aristocracy of this country. The aristocracy had ever stood by the people, and, he believed, would stand by them still. While they were determined to maintain an agricultural peasantry—while they thought that the greet .nerit of agriculture over manufactures was that if any evils arose in connexion with agriculture they could he brought home ind traced—ho was certain they would belie the history of the past and their experience of the present—they would belie all they had read, and all they had seen of them, if they refused, at any time, however large might be the majorities in that House, orehe preponderance of interest, to take into their serious and anxious consideration the great question of the food of the people. Mr. BRIGHT said if he had any doubts of the propriety of voting for the present motion, they would have been dispelled by the speech of the Hon. Gentleman who had just sat down. He had never heard a speech from an agricultural Member so clear and explicit, or so easy to be underatood.—( Hear.) It was a speech entirely to the question, and contained a large number of statements from several of the counties of England, of the amount of agricultural distress. But at the same time it con tained many paragraphs of a see-saw character, as if the Hon. Gentleman was vibrating between his Hon. Friend the Mem ber fcr Stoekport and the Secretary at War. At the present moinena ho could acarcely tell whether the lion. Gentleman .ntended to vote for the motion or not. He had, however, cer tainly done himself more credit on this occasion than he did last year, when he occupied two entire hours in reading extracts from the speeches of gentlemen connected with the League, which were not much to the point. He hid spoken out boldly; he had told the Minister that there was some remnant of independ ence about them. He could not see how they could refuse this committee, having g-anted committees of inquiry into the came-laws, and even into dog-stealing. The speech of the Right Hon. Secretary. at-War was the usual stereotypedofficial answer which was always made to every demand for an inquiry. When the Right El••n. Gentleman (Mr. S. Herbert) was making his speech at Salisbury, near his own residence, there were able-bodied labourers who were picking stones from fields at the rate of Bd. a day. The farmers were in a state of the utmost dismay at the ravages which were being committed ay game on their farms. Did the Right Hon. Gentleman give leases? He might or might not, but he (Mr. Bright) very much suspected that he did not, and from the state in which the Right Hon. Gentleman's estate was at present, he (Mr. Bright) was quire sure that the Right Hon. Gentle man could not do without every high degree of protection. No doubt this Committee would be refused in consequence of the prejudic' which existed in favour of the corn-laws. This prejudice he believed was founded in mistake. The agricultural was not the most prosperous class. There was not another class from whom protestioe had been withdrawn that was not more prosperous than the cultivators of the soil, and more prosperous than before protection, was withdraw.—(" No," emphatically from Col. Sibthorp.) Let them take the case of the iron trade. At one time that trade was very highly protected, and when the Government proposed to abolish that protection the iron masters were as much opposed to its removal as the landlords were with respect to the corn-laws.—( Hear. ) They stated that if the protection were removed, they would not be able to export any more iron, and'they would be inundated , its this country by foreign iron. Now what had been the fact? Why, instead of the exportation of. English iron diminishing, it had increased ten or twenty fold. The iron-masters had now almost a natural monopoly in the supply of iron through out the world. Let them take the case of the ,ilk-trade. The increase in that trade sines, the trade had been thrown open, had been mote ' than two millions of pounds in ten years. There could be no doubt that the abolition of restrictions with respect to agri culture would be attended by a large increase in consumption. —(" No, no," from Colonel Sibthorp.) The case ' of wool 'tad that night been alluded to, and he need not advert 'o it further: With respect to the linen trade, the Hon. Member fur Dundee would bear his testimony to the fact that the opening of the trade had largely increased it. The protec tionists had first come to that House blustering, but now they came in a more supplicating manner and asked that pro tection might be continued. They came down to the arena aefore the public, but they did not come forward fairly to the tight. Why did they not come and have a fair tight in the committee-room? Witnessesmin each side could there be pro timed. Those who asked for this Committee were not party• men. Why, if it had not been for a few of them, those on the other (the Ministerial) side of the House might have keen put to great risk and expense by another election last year. they must recollect the shout, he would not say of approba tion, but something like execration, with which some Members of that (the Opposition) side were hailed when they came in from the lobby. They had never been party men in the coun try. If they got upon this Committee honest free traders and aonest protectionists, without having any mere politician, they might fairly settle this question. The farmers would be greatly disappointed if the Gentlemen opposite did not vote for this Committee. He did not allude to the Treasury bench, because they were the politicians of whom he had spoken. The farmers had sent the Gentlemen opposite to guard their interests. Those Gentlemen had, however, allowed the Right Hon. Ba ronet to pass measures which were not wise. Their tenants told them that those measures were not wise. At their meetings they told their tenants that those measures were not wise. The Gentlemen opposite had come to that House as the farmer's friend, and yet they refused to go into the examination of this question. Now, this was to) had. There were those on the opposite side of the Houss rho had not scrupl.ed to leave their party for their principles. They, on the Ministerial side, had not yet left their party for their principles. Some fifty years ago, he now spoke from what he bad read in history, the country gentlemen, as they 'were called, were very important Members of that House. They fre9nently read of some of these country Gentlemen of great weight having got up- to propose certain resolutions for or against the Gore: timent. Nobody expected flashes of oratory or flashes of wit, but everybody expected common sense and honesty of purpose. Their independence was confessed by all, and their influence was felt by all. That party had now tilen into decrepitude and decay. bow, he was not an enemy to the c iuntry gentlemen. Although he hail spoken severely of them, they certainly had had satisfaction out of him. He had said nothing harsh of them that they hail not replied to over and over again. It had been said of Charles the First that he could see if he would, and of James that he would see if he could. If Gentlemen opposite could see pro tection as he (Mr. Bright) did —(Laughter)—he meant with respect to the national go ,d, and not as respected private interest—they would not continue this law against millions of their countrymen who were crying out. Ho thought the Right Hon. II ironet exercised a little too much influence in turning Hon. Gentlemen opposite. Those Hon. Gentlemen displa: el a great deal of courage at the Freemasons' Tavern, in t when they met their agricultural constituents they really stoke most valiantly. But they did aot do so when in thaaliouse. tine infleenem of the Right Hon. Gentlemin put him in mind the manner in which the Irishman tamed his horse. Did those Hon. Gentlemen recollect for what they were elected in 1841 ? It was to keep up the price of wheat. Wheat was then 70s. a quarter. Would the farmers have supported them then, if they had declared that they intended to support a measure which would brine wheat down to 45:—(11ear.) Bat really this subject was too, serious for joking. A Cem mission was going about the counties of Dorsetshire, Wilt shire, and Hampshire; and from that Commission a report had lately been made. From this report . it ap?eared that the agricultural labourer expended about 30s. a year in articles of manufacture, and that included making. ' Now the manufacturing population were increasing, and the agriculeural population were increasing.—( Hear, hear.) He had spoken to the Representatiyes of agricultural districts, on the other side of the House, and he would ask them, why .hould they not concede to. this proposition ?—( Hear, hear.) He would say to them, " Now, do be advised by the course we suggest."—( Laughter.) It had been said that they, at hil side of the House, knew very well what it was already— perhaps they did—( A laugh)—but there might happen to be a few who did not—(A laugh) —and, in the meantime, who could tell but that the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of her Majesty's Government, would come forward with some new proposition en free-trade.—( Hear, and a laugh.) But now to .put an end to this joking, he would ask the House to take into consideration the state of the tenant population of the country.—( Hear, hear.) He did not speak of them or their condition in any feeling of anger towards the Government; but this he would say, that when it had been well known throughout the world that this subject would be brought for ward before the Legislature, he felt fully justified in making the few observations he had.—( Cheers.) Mr. WODEHOUSE said he did not rise for the purpose of making any reply to the comical parts of the speech of the Hon. Gentleman who had just sat down —( A laugh)—but at the same time he should say that his mind had been made up on the vote he should give on this question.—( Laughter. ) He had heird of the speech made by the Noble Lord the Hon. Member for Sunderland, and that allusion had been made to it by the Hon. Member opposite; bathe (Mr. Wodehouse) wou'el say, that that speech *as worthy of the days of Cromwell.—(Laughter.) Strong remarks had been made on the state of the lam in respec to corn is former times; but he would ask Hon. Members to re collect the state of the country at that time. —( Hear, hear. ) In a speech of the Hon. Member for Wo'.verhampton, on this subject, it had been stated that when prices vtere low. agricultural property was at its height ; yet in the years 1835 and 1836 such was not the case.—( ar, hear.) then again, the Nuble Lord lied said, that in the years 1810 and IE4B, the same argument applied, but there was no competent record of the kind that could be referred to. As to what had been said about, the state of the law in 1835, in reference to this subject, in that .year a gentlemen, name' Mr. Senior, published a pariiPhlet, in which that gentleman had shown clearly that the wages then paid were less in proportion to the receipt of the farmer.—(Hear. hear.) Then, with regard to what had been Said by Mr. Deacon Hume, he would but say this—when .Mr. Hume was asked by Mr. Chapman (it having been said that there was a great article of expenditure in the navigation of ships) could he make any suggestion whereby this onerous Charge might be reduced—he was asked would any remedy he could suggest produce any effect in bringing the same rate of wages paid in British ships to that paid in foreign ships, :%Jr. Hume said it wool I be impossible to say, because there was a great variety of foreign ships, and a great variety of rates of wages, and a great difference as to the quality of food in foreign ships, but that the price of provisions in the ships must be cheaper, and the wages less. He hoped this juste milieu Government would take notice of these remarks of Mr. Hume. Wages were the very marrow of the whole question, and the Government should give Mr. Hume's evidence their m_st serious consideration. He knew he ought to sit down. —( Laughter.) Noihlng enuld give him more pleasUre than to know that he would never I)? called upon to open his lips again.—( Renewed_ laughtcr. ) It had been his fate, and.it. was still his fate, that currency should be the great stumbling block between him and the Right Rol. Baronet at the head of the Govemm , nt, and he verily believed that currency had more to do with the question than anything else. He would give a decided negative to the motion of the Hon. Gentle man. The farmers, from top to bottom, would be thrown into despair—( Hear, hear)--and it would entirely unsettle men's minds on a subject already the cause of so much dissen sion and excitement. Mr. WILLIAMS said the Hon. Member who had just sat down began by reflecting upon the speech of the Noble Lord the Member for Sunderland, and skid it was characteristic of the days of Cromwell. Without saying whether he would agree with him, he would observe what he considered the Hon. Member's eech was characte r i s ti c o f—the present day and no other.— (Laughter.) The speech was characteristic of the class to which the Hon. Member belonged. If the Hon. Member would excuse him from expressing his opinions freely, he would say, that he represented the decline and decay of his class. The Hon. Member for Norfolk must not be offended with the remark that he was about to make. Air. WODEHOUSE—Not a bit.—(Laughter.) Me. VILLIERS—The Hon. Member said he bad exagge rated and misrepresented in some former speeches, and animad verted to a speech made by him in which he stated that in 1797 the agricultural classes were depressed. He presumed in that assertion still, although the Hon. Member for Norfolk said that at that time were very well off. Mr: WODEHOUSE—I did'not say any such thing? Mr. VILLIERS said he understood' the Hon. Member to say they were very ill off. That was the year when country Gentlemen tested the scheme of making other people pay the wages of the agricultural labourers. lie would now again state that there was no period when the price of food was high that the labouring classes were not seriously distressed. • Mr. WODEHOUSE-182'2. Mr. VILLIERS—It was precisely in that year that a Noble Lord, in the other House' of Parliament, spoke of the distress of the labouring daises in the agricultural districts. The statement of the Hon. Member for. Stockport was clear, full, forcible, and lucid, bat how was it answered ? He stated what the condition of these districts was, he desired investiga tion, and challenged contradict ion=he called upon the farmers' friends, but they did not adduce a single argument against what he stated. The Secretary at War affected to treat the question with great indifference, but he could assure him that it was one in which the people of this country felt the deepest interest, ar.d he bitterly complained of the mode in which the Legislature had treated the subject. He really thought that the Right Honourable Gentleman had treated the House with indifference, if not with neglect and contempt. Could the Right lion. Gentleman deny that Protective So cieties were in active operation in all parts of the country, ex pressing their opinion on the agricultural depression and distress? Was net that an evidence of general distress? He (Mr. Villiers) thought that this was evidence of great importance, and a proof that the distress which existed was both general and great,and he thought that it supplied a sufficient reason for inquiry. Yet it was said that committees were of no use, and he thought that the Hon. Member for Wiltshire (Mr. Sidney Herbert) had treated the House with disrespect, for he had asserted that if they would tell him who sat upon the Committee, he would easily draw up the report. What was the inference to he drawn from this ? Why, that Committees were of no use. Now, he would defend the House before the country from the assertions of a Member—from the assertions of a Cabinet Minister, and he would venture to tell that Right Hon. Gentleman that Com mittees had been of the utmost use. He would venture to as sert that no great measure had been brought before that House without a previous inquiry.—( Hear, hear.) The Municipal Law, the Poor Law, the Reform Act—all the great measures had been preceded by inquiry—(Cheers)—and he really thou : gist that in making that assertion the Right - Hon. Gentleman had treated the !Luse with great contempt. He (Mr. Villiers) was of opinion, that his Hon. Friend had chosen a very opportune period for bringing fenteard his motion, and that it was entitled to deference and great con sideration from the House. He could not for his own part un . - derstand on what principle the Government granted or re fused these Committees. They had granted a Conatnittee on the game-laws the other night ; they had not refused inquiry to the shipowners last year, and , why not then grant a Com mittee asked for by nis Hon. Friend. The motion stood pre cisely on the same footing, and was equally entitled to inquiry as the motions to which he has . referred.—(Hear, hear.) A meeting hod been held the other day at Warwick, where the Earl of 'Dartmouth was in the chair, at which speeches were made and resolutions passed declaratory of the conviction of those assembled. That the measures of the pre sent Government went neither more nor less than to confiscate property. —(Hear, hear.) They said, that their measures would eonfiscate property. The Earl of Dartmouth said so, the meeting said so, the resolutions said so : and he thought that it wes a very great shame that those assertions and resolu tions should go uncentradieted. Let them grint this inquiry, and they might summon the whole of these parties before the Committee, a• d make them state the grounds on which they made these assertions.—(Hear, bear.) It should be recol lected that this meeting we attended by a great number of country gentlemen, and that they would go home end diffuse these opinions.—(Hear, hear.) Now, it should be recollected that the opinion of these Lords and Squires was accounted as gospel much more than that which the clergyman preached.:--( Hear, and great laughter.) Now, he did not believe these nsiertione,- bttt • yet they had calm of complaint. They complained that wheat was very low, and he did not believe alt these assertions of the conse quence of the loW_ price of itheat,—(Laughter. ) But he found that that there wee another meeting held at Stafford three days ago, in which the speeches of those who attended the meeting, and especially,ef the Secretary of the Society, charged the Right Hon. flaroaet with all sorts of defalcation of prin. ciple.—( Hear, hear.) Now ho really thought that all this Iva., calculated to do a great deal of injury to the country.— ( Great laughter.) And ha was very sorry tor it—(Laughtsr )—and he thought it ought td hi reuinied. The Hon. Member for Northampton had adopted a curious rhrase. He said that the agricultural mind was much agitated.—( Great laugh ter.) This was a new phrase, but perhaps it was understood by the Hon. Gentleman who used it, as be was the librarian or secretary, or something of .a literary capacity of the Central Protection Society—he could not say what, but that was no matter. But he thought that the best method of sorehing the agricultural mind was to accede to the request of His Honourable Friend. It was upon these grounds that he should most cordially support the motion. Mr. G. BANKES said, at that late hour of the night, he did not intend to oceupy the attention of the Rouse for more than a very few minutes. He should confine himself entirely to the question that was really.before the House, the question being whether or not they should have a Committee to consider the distress, and causes of the distress prevailing in the agricul tural districts, b •cause they had been informed by the Hon. Member who last addressed them that the motion which he annually brought before the Mouse would not be denied them, whether they had the Committee or whether they had it not. They knew, too, that another motion stood for to-morrow on the subject of agricultural distress, and, at no d stant day, he hoped to bring in a measure to remove such local taxation as pressed upon farmers. He should, therefore, have ample op portunity for discussing the general principle which attached to the question of agricultural protection, and this induced him to confine himself to the question immediately before the House. For his own part, when the suggestion was first made by the Hon. Member for Stockport, he met it with a most unhesitating denial, and had his lion. Friend the Member for Northampton made the Fame suggestion he should have met it in the same manner. He must beg to offer to the Hon. Member for Stockport his ex pression of gratitude for the candour with which he had made his proposal, but certainly the agricultural in terest could net enter with any satisfaction upon an inquiry in a Committee which was proposed by the Hon. Member for Stockport. But he could not see the advantage of withdrawing a discussion from that House into the more limited arena of a Select Committee, and leaving to he con sidered by fifteen Members what well deserved the delibera tion of the whole House. The existence of the distress was denied by no one. What then was the use of a Committee? The cause of that distress, he ventured to think, arose out of their having departed from the principles of protection. As far as he was himself concerned he had no desire for this Committee, because he had nn doubt about either the existence of the distress or the cause of it. Then with regard to the remedy, it was quite clear they could come to no ami cable conclusion in a Committee. The members of the Anti- Corn-law League admitted that they owed no allegiance to the soil of England. They could carry their wealth to foreign climates and still be in the same favourable circumstances, but landed proprietors could not do this. They were forced to remain on the soil of England. He had listened with great attention to the speech of the Honourable Mem ber for Stockport, and he could not but observe that there was a remarkable omission, and the same omission oc curred in the speech of the Noble Lord the Member for Sun derland. They had omitted to say what they were to do with the surplus population of the country. This was a question which. lion. Members who advocated free trade always avoided. If we imported the quantity of corn that could be, and (if the protection were removed) would be sent from countries where it was cheaper grown than here, and where it was of a superior quality, it was quite clear that a great portion of the landonust be withdrawn from cultivation to a vast extent. (Hear, hear.) No contradiction could be given to that by any Committee, sit as long as it might.—(Hear.) But , with the enormous weight of committee business that pressed upon the House—upwards of two hundred railway committees—( Hear) —and the Patna Committee, on which he had the honour to be associated - with the Hon. Member of Durham, he was satis fied that they might for this year at least dispense with the Committee. He did not say that there should riot be a Com mittee upon the subject. Neither did he think that the House , of Commons was the fittest place for such an iquiry. At the same time he admitted that when there was a question of doubt and difficulty, inquiry by Committee was desirable.— ( Hear, hear.) In this case there wan no doubt or ditficulty—( Hear, hear)—and he did not see a neces sity for a Committee.—( Hear.) He did not believe that any information could be obtained beyond what they had at present. There was another objection to the motion. 'There had been no petition for inquiry, although the Hon. Gentleman the Member for South Staffordshire had presented a petition com plaining of the present sliding scale as affording inadequate pro tection.—(Hear.) With all passible respect for the Member for Stockport, who moved for the Committee with so much ability, he should give the motion a decided negative. Lord INGESTRIE said that the Noble Lord who presided at the meeting at Wolverhampton, referrer% to by the Hon. Gentleman opposite (Colonel Anson), was no Lord Lieutenant of any county. The petition from that meeting only complained of the present sliding scale as not affording adequate protection. Colonel ANSON rose amidst loud cries of " Question," and said he would not detain the House five minutes. He wished to explain an error into which he had. fallen. lie had received three petitions to present, complaining of inade quete protection - - one from Wolverhampton, another from Lichfield, and the third from Stafford. The resolutions agreed to at the meeting of the Agricultural Protection Society at Wolverhampton was sent to him with the petitions, and it was by a ton hasty reading of the resolutions he had fallen into the mistake that the petition IT as against the sliding-scale. The Hon. Gentleman then proceeded to read the petition in which the petitioners stated that the distress of the tenant farmers required the consideration of Parli irnent.--( Cries of "Divide, divide.") He was the represwritivive of an important county, and he felt bound to refer to those petitiores which had bazn placed i n hi s h an ds.—( Hear, hear.) He did not vote for an immediate repeal of the corn-laws, but he thought that a fixed duty would give confidence to the agricultural interest, and be had supported his Noble Friend behind him in his view.' upon that subject. He did not approve of agri cultural s ;cieties, for he thought they did more harm than goyl.—( Hear, hear.) He thought that amore steedy price would be maintained by a fixed duty than under the present system. He would support the motion of the Hon. Member for Stockport, because he did not think the agricultural jute ; rest need be in any .fear from inquiry. 7 Lerd WORSLPY rose amid loud cries of " Divide, ; divide." He iait he would• nit detain the House for ' I any length of time, hut he thought he ought ' to exp'ain the reasons which induced him to vote against the motion of the Hon. Gentlemin the Member for Stockport. He was a member of a Committee which sat in 1836, on the subject of agricultural distress, and though they had heard evidence from April to June, they were not a bl e t o come t o any conclusion.—( Hear, hear.) He opposed the motion, be.. cause he thought that Committee would come to no conclu sion. He thought it would only do mischief, that it would hold out false hopes to the tenant-farmers and labs , urers, and upon this ground he thought it unwise to appoint a Committee. He would not seek popularity by holding out hopes to the agriculturists.--( Hear. ) Mr. COBDI:li replied. All were agreed as to the cause of the distress that existed—(Hear, hear)— and yet they would not agree to any inquiry on the subject.—.(Hear, hear.) In short, there was not a single motion put forward by the benches opposite which was not a source of laughter-- which was not considered a sham. If Gentlemen opposite would only separate .themselms from the Governtnent, they Might do anything they pleased. • strangers were thea ordered to withdraw, and the House divided, when there appeared— Por the motion .... Against.it Majority against the motion —93 The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the House adjourned at a Quarter to One o'clock. mom PARLIAMENTARY .DIViSIoNS. (From the Totes and Proceedings of the Nome of Commons.) THURSDAY, MARCH 13. AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS. Motion made, and Question put, " That a Select Committee be ap pointed, to Inquire into the causes and extent of the alleged existing agricultural distress, and into .the elects of Legislative Protection upon the interests of Landowners, Tenant-fanners and Farm iabourers." The House divided : • MINORITY—AYES, 121. Ainsworth, Peter Ewart, William Palmerston, Viscount Aldan', William Ferguson, Colonel Parker, John Anson, Colonel Forster, Matthew Pattison, James Bannerman, A. Gibson, T. M. Pechell, Captain Baring, F. T, Gill, Thomas Philips, G. It. ' Barnard, E. C. Gore, Robert Flumrldge, Captain Bellew, It. M. Grey, Sir George Ponsonby, C. F. A. Berkeley, Craven Ilallyburton, Lord Pratheroa, Edward Berkeley, H. F. Hamner, Sir J. Rawdon, Colonel Bernal, Ralph Basile, Archibald Ricardo, J. L. Blake, M. J. Hawes, Benjamin Rice, E. R. Blewitt, R. J. Hayter, W. G. Rlss, D. It: Bouverie, E. P. 'Lindley, Charles Rambold, C. E. Bowring, Br. • Holland, Robert Rnssell, Lord J. Brockleburst, J. Horsman, Edward Russell, Lord E. Brotherton, Joseph • Howard, C. W. Scott, Robert Browne, W. Howard, E. lIL ScrW," ci. 'P. Buller, Edward •Howick, ViseOnnt Sheridan, R. B. Busfeild, William • Hume, Joseph Somerville, Sr; W. Childers, J. W. Hutt, William ' . Stanstleld, W. R. C. Clay, Sir W. Johnson, General Stewart, I'.M. Colborne, W. R. Labouchero, Henry Stuart, Lord J. Collett, John Larnbton, H. Stuart, W. V. Cowper, W. F. Lan,_rston, J. H. I Strati, Edward Currie, Rail:es . Lascelles ' W. S. Tanerel, H. W. Dawso 1, T. V. Leader, J. T. • Thoruely, Thomas Denison, J. E. Macaulay, T. B. Towneley, John • Hermiston'', J. Mangles, It. D. ' Trelaw'ny, J. S. Divett, Edwarl Marshall, Wiliam Villiers, 0:a - les Duff, James Marsl. n 1 , ll,nry • Vivian, J. H. Duncan, Viscount Martin, :otin Walker, Richard Duncan, Cl:'orge Maule, Fox Wall, C. B. Puncaneon, Lord Mitce"fe, Henry Warburton, Henry I)uncombe, Thomas Morris, David • War% H. G. Dundas, Admiral Mor:sm, Garen' Wawn, John T_ Dun las, Frederick Mintz, G. F. Williams, William • Enringtin, Viseount Marray, Alex miler . Wi"shore, W. Ellice, Edward Nafier, Sir C. Ellis, Wynn OVonnell, M. J. TELLERS. Eszott, Ilickham Osborne, Ra'ph Cobden, Richard Etwall, Ralph Paget, Col mei Bright, Jot n Evans, William Paget, Lord .1. MAJORITY—NOES, 213. Aeland, Sir T. D. Tellowes, Edward Neeld, Joseph Acland, T. D. Termii, W. B. Neeld, Jotin- A'Court, Captain Titzmourice, W. Neville, It a'ph AAlnitrixo'bts,Pidniund I l l t ) zr veg, Sir J. . NNecZidne)grt4,te\''ltisco. N. Arbutnnott, 11. Forbes, William .Nicholl, John Archtlill, - Captain Tortilla, T. S. Norreys, Lord Arkwritslit, George Fox, S. L. ' Oswald, Alexander Astell, William Fremantle, Sir T. Packe, C. W. Bagge, William Fuller, A. E. Pakington, J. S. Begot, William Gaskell, J. M. Palmer, Robert Bantle, Joseph Gladstone, W. E. Palmer, George Bailey, J , Jun. Gladstone, Captain Peel, Sir Rolert Balllie, Colonel Gordon, Captain Peel, Jonathan Bankes, .George Gore, Montagne Plumptre, J. P. Baring, Thomas G wing, Ch tries Polllngton Viscoant li.trivi--W. P. Goulbirn, Henry Powell, Colonel Barrington, Vireo:int Graham, Sir J. Pracil, W. T. Beckett, William Granby, Marquis Pring o, Alexander Bell, Matthew Greenall, FeTtr - litany, Philip Benbew, John Greene, Thomas "Reid, Sir John itentlnek, Lord G. Grimsditch, T. Rendisshans, Lord Beresford, Major Grimston, V scount Repton, G. W. J. Blackstone, W. S. Grogan, Edward Rolleston, Colonel Boldero, H. G. Hale, R. IL Round, C. G; Itorthwick, Peter Halford, Sir H. Boum!, John Botileld, Berialt Hamilton, W. J. Roos, Captain Howley, Adm'ral Harcourt, G. G. Rwthbrooke, Col. Brareston, T. W. Harris, Captain Ryder, G. 1). Brisco, M.l Hayes, Sir E. Sanderson, Richard Broadwood, 11. flowage, G. H. W. Seymour, Sir H. Brace, Lord E. Henley, J. W. Shaw, Frederick Bruce, C. L. C. Hepburn, Sir T. Shirley. E. J. Brages, W. 11. L. rlerbert, Sidney Shirley, E. P. Busk, L. W. 'dolma!, W. A'Court Sibthorp, Colonel Buckley,-Edmund Hope, Charles Smith, Abel I Buller, Sir J. T. Hope, G. W. Smith, T. 8.C.. Bun'itary, Thomas Hussey, Ambrose Smyth, tir If. Barrel, Sir C. Hussey, Thomas Smythe, George Burroughs, H. N. Ingestrle, Viscount Smollett, A. Campbell, sir H. Irtoti, Samuel Somerset, Lord G. Cardwell, Edward James, Sir W. C. Somerton, rs.ount Charteris. Francis Jerinyn, Earl Somes, Joseph Chelsea, Viec Amt. Jocelyn, Viscount Sotheron, T. H. Chetwode, Mir J. Johnstone, Sir J. Stewart, John Christopher, R. A. JO'llffe, Sir W. Stuart, henry Clayton, R. R. Knighth•y, Sir C. . Stun, 11. C. Clerk, Sir G. Lawson, Andrew Sutton, Henry Clifton, John T. Leg'', G. C. . Ta!bot, C. It. Ceehrane, A. Lennox, Lord A. Tennent, J. E. Codringt on, Sir W. Lincoln, Earl Thesiger, Sir F. Colvile, C. R. Lockhart, William Thornhill, George Compton, M. C. Long, Walter Tollemache, John Copeland, Alderman Lowther, Sir J. 'Tower, Christo; her Courtettay, Lord Lowther, Colonel Trollope, Sir J. Darby. George Lygon, General Trotter, John Deedes, William Mackenzie, T. Tumor, Christopher Denim% E. B. Mackenzie, W. - F. Villiers, Viscount Iflek, Qulntlit Ilaelean, Dimiald Vivia,n,J. Ennis Dickinson, T. H. 31`tleachy, F. A. Waddington, M. S. D'lsraoll, B, APNeill, Duncan Walsh, Sir J. B. Dodd, George Manners, Lord C. S. Wellesley, Lord C. Deu;las, .7. D. S. Manners, Lord J. Wodehouse, Edmond Dagdale, W. S. March, Karl Wood, Colonel Duncombe, A. Worsham, Viscount Wood, Colonel T. Du Pre, C. (1. Martin, C. W. Worsley, Lord Easinor, Viscount Marton, George - Wortley, John S. Eaton, R. J. - Maunsell,. T.•P. Wyndham, Colonel Egerion, W. T. 3leynell, Captain Yorke, E. T. Egerton, Sir I': Mildmay, 11. St. John TELLEas. Entwiale, William Mlles, Will:ant 'Young, John Farnhant, E. B. Morgan, Octavius Baring, Henry COURT CIRCULAR. The Queen and Prince Albert walked yesterday morning in the royal gardens of Buckingham Palace. The royal dinner party at Buckingham Palace yesterday included the Duke and Duchess of Buccleuch, the Marquis of Granby, the Earl and Countess Delawarr and Lady Mary Sackville West, the Earl and Countess Rosebery, and the Hon. and Rev C. Leslie Courtcnay. In the evening the following-had the honour of joining the royal circle:—His Royal highness the Hereditary Grand Duke of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, his Serene Highness Prince Edward of Saxe Weimar, the Earl and Countess of Jersey, and the Ladies Clementina and Adela Villiers, the Ladies A. and L. Primrose, Viscount Cantelupe, the Hon. Mortimer Sackville West, the Hon. Francis and Lady Anne Charteris, ,Mr. George Edward and the Hon. Mrs. Anson, Captain Hamilton, and Captain the Hon. James Murray. The Hon. Miss Stanley and the Hon. Miss Hamilton have succeeded the Hon:Miss Paget and the Hon. Miss Kerr as the Maids of Honour in waiting-to the Queen. The band of the First Life Guards was in attendance during dinner, at Buckingham Palace on. Wednesday, and performed the following pieces : Sinfonia, No. 2, G minor Polka, Ohnutzer Potpourri—Don Pasquale Donizetti. \Valzer, Lebeus Pulse Launer. Quadrilles, Le Druid P01ka.... At the Queen's Levee, on Wednesday, in St.. Jpmes's Palace, the Marquis of Werstreinster was presented to her Majesty on succeeding to hi,! title, by the Earl of Wilton. His Royal Highness Prince Albert honoured Mr. Thor burn, with an audience on Wednesday, at which the por traits of her Maj-sty and the Prince of Wales were sub mitted for his Royal Highness's inspection. Mr. Thomas Brigstock had the honour, by the Queen's command, of attending at the Palace yesterday. to exlkibit to her Majesty and his Royal Highness Prince Albert the full length portrait of General Nett, G.C.8., painted by Mr. Brig-Stock, for the Town-hall, Carmarthen. Hcr Majesty was pleased to express her approbation. Her Royal Highness the Grand Duchess (Stephanie) of Baden visited the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenburgh Strelitz, on Wednesday, at Cambridge House. Yesterday their Royal Highnesses the Duchess of Glou cester, the Duchess of Cambridge, and the Hereditary Grand Duchess of Mecklenbargh Strelitz, paid visits of congratula tion to the Grand Duchess (Stepanie) of Baden yesterday, at the Duke of Hamilton's residence in Portman-square. A Deputation of the Hull Dock Company had an interview ith the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Vice-President of the Board of Trade yesterday. Sir Edward Codrington and a Deputation had an interview with Sir George Clerk yesterday, at the office of the Board of Trade. IM3patches for the Governor of Gibraltar were sent off from the Colonial-office on Wednesday evening. Mr. Wickham, Chairman of the Stamps and Taxes, had an interview yesterday with the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Mr. Ricardo transacted business yesterday at the office of the Board of Trade. THE HISTORY OF THE CONSULATE AND EMPIRE OP FRANCE UNDER NAPOLEON.—We understand that the publication (so long expected) of this important historical wo:k, written by M. A. Thiers, the late Prime Minister of France, and which forms a Sequel to his celebrated History of the French Revolution, is announced to take place during the present month. Mr. Colburn, of Great Marlborough- street, has become the p urchaser of the so l e and exclusive right of prior publication of the work in Great Britain, and his translation has been made under the express suction and appio , ..al of the author, by-1). Forben Campbell, Esq. The first and second vol umes , price ss. each with illustrations, may be received in the country on the 20th of March, by being previously or dered ; aad an edition is also to be issued at the same time in weekly shilling parts. The period embraced by this work forms decidedly the most important era in the History of Modern Times. On the qualifications of the author it would le superfluous to descant. If the cha racter of M. niers, as a statesman,weie not well-known to the wholo world, the merits of his preliminary " His tory of the French Revolution" would irresistibly claim the pablie favour in behalf of this now production, which becomes inNeited with a deeper importance to us the nearer the history approaches to our own times, and the more British interests are involved in the events which it records. ARE LATE LAMAN BLANCHAILD'S FAMILY..—The Committee of the •Itoval- Corporation of the Literary Fund, at its meetin; on - Weancsday - , unanimously voted 1001. to wards the fund now raisin.. for the benefit of the family of this talented and laraenteil gentleman. The committee of distribution thus testified theit're. , ,pect for Mr. Illancli,ard's memory and their commiseration P.m- the circeniatances in which the'ae tlependent on his literary exertions wete left by his premature death. We believe this is bat the second in stance in th4tidtory of this truly munificent society in Which so large a sum has been voted to au individual case. Never can the exception to the general rule be mon fully justified by - the committee, nor more warmly commended by the sub scribers, than by the affecting circumstances which combine to take this case out of the rule which applies to ordinary elaimi upon the Literary Fund. The Baron D'Arnheim ancl. suite arrived at Lou don bridge wharf from Ostend, by the General Steam navigation Company's steam-ship • Earl of Liverpool, 1. airy this moping.