The Express.
London, England, 1847-01-20 00:00:00

THE ADDRESS.

The SPEAKER then read her Majesty's speech (for
which see the Lords' report).
The lion. C. HOWARD then rote to move the address.
After claiming the indulgence of the house, he said he hoped
none of his observations would be of en irritative nature, or
such as would disturb unanimity. The house would
doubtless join with her Majesty in the expression of regret at
the dearth now prevailing in the north of Scotland and Ire-
land. The circumstances of the latter country were of so diffi-
cult and dangeruue a character that he should shrink from en-
tering on them,were not the house so familiar with the details.
But a mere allusion would be sufficient to excite sympathy
and call forth the warmest efforts for relief. (Hear, hear.)
He would not go into a detail of the measures by which
government had attempted to remedy this distress ;
it would be for them to say what measures they had taken to
relieve the people and give them employment,—the facilities
they had held out to proprietors, and what they had contri-
buted in aid of local subscriptions. Notwithstanding all
these efforts, he could not disguise from himself the truth
that the distress was not checked ; the country was still in a
most fearful state. He doubted not that her Majesty's govern-
ment intended doing all in their power to afford still further
relief, by taking off any duty which might impede the intro-
duction of corn into that country (hear, hear), and by ap-
plying sugar to the distilleries of this country, and thus ren-
dering available for food the grain which would otherwise
be consumed there. Still he could not suppose that the per
manent condition of Ireland would be affected by these
palliatives; therefore, he wee glad that government intended
to take the whole subject into consideration, and to endea-
vour, if possible, sot only to remedy the present mischiefs,
but to cure the permanent evil. (Hear.) With reference to
the destruction of the indep. ndenee of Cracow,
he could not but express surprise that such a
violation of the sanctity of treaties should have taken place.
(Hear, hear.)
Mr. RICARDO said he should not anticipate any
opposition to the address, which he rose to second; for,
were anything either of insertion or omission deemed
desirable by any party, they would be slow in offering
obstruction to government at a moment when so large
a portion of their fellow-subjects were looking furwiuvl
to their measures for relief in the midst of their extremity.
One mode of relief was distinctly pointed out in her Majesty's
speech,—the admission of foreign corn by removing the duty
upon it, and by relaxing the navigation laws as far as
regarded the importation of grain. (blear, hear.) So natural
and necessary was the first of these measures, that it had
been the subject of universal discus.ion ; and but two objec-
tions had been started against it. The first was an extraor-
dinary one,—that no larger a quantity of corn would he
admitted under a free import than if the present duty were
retained. But surely no objection could be made on this
score ; for, at all events, if the measure did not let in any
grain, it was impossible it could shut any out. (Hear.) The
other objt ction was, that a compact had been a ntered into
between parliament and the agricultural interest, which it
would be unfair to disturb or derange. Even if any party
were willing to take upon themselves, at a moment
like this, the responsibility of adding a single farthing
to the price of had to satisfy such a punctilio as this,
he did not believe any party was to be found who
would be willing to accept such generosity. In order
to procure the great, et facilities, however, of admission and
transmission, they should, in the first place, do away with
the corn laws, and in the second place, they should relax the
nay i,at ion laws, He was free to confess that
when he considered that this was on island kingdom, with
island colonies, whose shores were washed by every sea; that
their fellow-subjects were thickly scattered through the four
quarters of the globe; that their sailor; were working for the
cause of humanity in the torrid gone ; that their maeufac.
turers were the twst customers in all markets; that their in.
duetry and ingenuity could not be surpassed; and that
their capital and resources were etch as to enable them
to construct a sufficiency of ships to save the people from
starvation, it was folly to adhere to the miserable remnant of
a law made in other times and under other circumstances.
which failed when it was made, and was the main cause of
separating them from a portion of America, which now
earned the source of so much discontent. (Hear, hear.)
There was another portion of her Majesty's speech which iss-
commended them to adopt measures which would cause the
use of sugar in breweries and distilbriee, as a substitute foe
core He did not wish to ahnse the inelnleentse of the Maim
by making any remarks on so intricate a subject which may