The Express.
London, England, 1848-05-31 00:00:00

The house divided—For the previous qu. stion 54
Against it
Majority against sees 1
The house then divided ou the first resolution.
For the resolution 56
Against it
Majority against ministers — 6
WHITSON lIDE HOLIDAYS
In answer to it question from Mr. Huns,
Lord J. RUSsELL stated that it was his intention to
move, on Friday week, that the house adjourn to the Thurs.
day following ii. Whiter week.
LAND COMPANY COMMITTEE.
Mr. F. O'CONNOR rose to nominate the toliowiog cow
mince on the National Land Company Bill
O'Connor, Viscount Ingestre, Viscount Drurulanrig, 16;
Henley, Mr. Langston, Mr. O. Thompson. Mr. S. Crawford,
Mt. Monsell, Capt Peeliell, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Meagher*
Mr. Dee, rout, Mr. Scholelield, Sir U. Strickland, and sir
13. Hall. The hon. member exprested his woloigness to
ausstitute the names of Messrs. Rarer an I Wortley fee
thee, ei mean Meagher and Deyereux, but o',,hited to
re-
moving Mr. Ling-ton (member for Orford borough).
Sir O. GREY said that his only object was to give full
Olen ucy to the committee. lie was elisions that the name
o. Mr. Heywood should bt add, d, representing as he did •
part of the country which was deeply interested in the
matter.
Sir B. 11 ALL complained that the hon. member for Not-
_ tingham had nominated to his committee seven Sou. mem-
F
hers who had never pr, viousiy hat • seat in that house;
t if the house should approve of his (Sit B. Hall's)
appointment as a member, he should use his best widen.
vows to sift the matter to the bottom, and to let the public
know what the eclume of the lion. member really was.
Mr F. O'CONNOR said that the bon. baronet the mem-
o her for Martirone hid pretty clearly shown the animus
with which he would enter into the inquiry, and he need
thee. fore say no m ire respecting the observations which had
fillet, from him.
Mr. .1. O'CONNELL suggested that if Mr. Langston
is should be unable to serve, Si. B. Hall al nub! be nominated
it on the committee.
t Sir G. GREY haring agreed to this, the committee. wee
i nominated aceording to Sir G. Grey's proposal, and the
t_ house adjourned at 1 o'clock.

ELECTION COMMITTEES-7 E,TERDAY.
LEICGSTER. —Several witness.s were examined in
support of the allegations of bribery and corrupti,m against
the sitting members.
DISBLIN.--The day's proceedings consisted of the
hearing of legal argutneuts as to the reception of the poll
books.
- • - -

Vitt (pre .

MAILS.
The mail. for New South Wales, Van Dlentanh Land, and New
Zealand will be made up ou the evening of the 314 M .y.
The mails for the Weer Coast of Africa and Makin, will be wade
up on the evening of the 314 May.
the mar. tor British North America, and the United sat..
will be =we up on the evening of the lltal how.
The west India Mad., 'Mantling Bermuda, Nassau, Haep.
Honduras, New Orleans, Vera Con; Tampico, and Porto Moo, ea
excluding those for Madeira, Jaemel, Carthagen r, Santa Martha.
Panama, West CLAM 01 :oath Ammca, mid St. Juan-des
Nwaragua, will be ensile up on the meaning ut the 2nd June.
The maid for the Brazils, the moor Plate, Monte Video, perna,,,
bum. Bahia, Madeira, and Buenos Ayna, will ae ntade up on the
evening of the 3rd June.
The mails for Vyro, Oporto, Lisbon, Madeira, Cala, and Gibraltar
will be made up ..1.1 the tuorning of the 7th June.
The oyes land clivied marls. rw Marseilles, to. the Mediterranean.
Egypt, Aden, Ceylon, 111.1ia, Hoag-Kong, az., will be made up on the
swain • (the th June.
i tie overland mails tot Gibraltar, Malta, Grecoe, the lotion Wanda.
Egypt, Aden, Ceylon, (long-Kong. awl China, via Southemp.
too, will be made up on the morning of the 10th Juno.

NOTICE TO A.DITE:.;.TISEES.
The number in STAMPS issued by the authorities of the
Stamp-oface, duriug 1847, to the
DAILY NEWS was 3.447.009
This, we belt we, is within eight per cent of the cumber
.ssued to the Morning Beretta, Mornang Oromcle, and
Morning Post, ALL POT TOOETHEK.
In addition the above, issued to the DAILY NEWS,
Morning Paper, there were issued for the• Erenini Edam",
THE EXPRESS 778.714
Which was more, we believe, than were issucii tither to
'he Giobe or Standard, Eveoing Papers.

NIGH WATVII A? LONDON 11)111t(tt.
Ton it•T—stetaLtso.l, met Altsmetse. ..tt east O.
to-uossow—ltarelsg,l4 magma I; ifteliMOM.

LONDON.II7 EDNESDA Y. MA Y 31. i
THE protectionists are sadly at a loss to find some
one to protect, at least some interest that is sensible of
the benefit of such protection, and zealous as well es
grateful for it. But in this respect they are much in
the condition of an old-school naval commander,
who never can get a crew of volunteers, and who is
compelled to have recourse either to large bounties,
or to impressment, in order to complete the number
and give himself the authority of a following. •
Who, in fact, wants to be prceected? the colonies
have lost all the protection they cared for, and are
anxious to get rid, in fairness, of the remainder,
which is purely onerous. The merchant is clamorous
against restrictions and difficulties thrown in the way
of his trade, for some supposed interests of tee British
flag. The British consumers, that is nine-tenths of i
the population, demand, in the name of common i
sense and common fairness, that these restrio
Lions should disappear. The government, find-
ing no extensive interests zealous for the gap-
port of the navigation laws, while good
is to be done, and popularity gained by their repeal,
come forth w.th a very salutary measure for that
repeal. And they are obstructed and opposed—by
what ? Not by large commercial interests, but by a
political party trading in old prejudices.
If the repeal of the navigation laws were proposed
to an assembly of the men of property or of the class
affected by them, the hands that would be held np
against that repeal would be really too few to Reed
counting. '
Bid the word protection has power, for it is a stan-
dard from which many privileged classes still hope fox
support. Even those who have lost all interest in
the thing, cling to the name from vindictiveness to
opponents. And those who have but a most
diminutive and fractional interest in the country,
have a powerful and pernicious preponderance us
the legislature. Political and party reasonsnot
those of political economy and commercial wealth
eal real
prompt the House of Lords to reject all
completion of free trade in the navigation laws.
The difficulty is to find law and pretext ing
out. The Lords have opened their usual bureau for
the collection of arguments and opinions on behalf of
their chosen opinion. They have had a committee,
and have published the evidence of some thirty per-
sons. The evidence of almost all tells in favour of the
repeal of the navigation act, or at most they are in-
different about, or ignorant of it. They have not
studied the question, or not examined particular points.
Vain efforts are made to elicit from West Indians an
expression of indifference to the navigation laws, and
from Australian traders some fears that the pre-
sent measure would deprive the colony of the means
of shipping its exports. No staunch witnesses gave
the desired protectionist replies, save and except
shipowners, and old tars like Mr. Wntrwett of
Bristol, who respect the navigation laws as they' do
impressment, for having been the wisdom of our
ancestors.
We are, however, no longer in the dark as to the
use to be made by the protectionists of their collected
I testimony, and as to the line of defence which they
have revolved to take up. Of the three principles
laid down in these laws ;—the compelling the trade
with the Asiatic hemisphere to be a direct trade,
excluding British vessels; the prohibiting the trade
with Europe to any save British vessels, or vessels
belonging to the particular country producing the
article of export ; and the monopoly of colonial utter.
course: the two first are given up boa Mr. Henning.
The exclusiveness of the long yage trade he
abandons by permitting produce from beyond the Cape
to come to England from an European port. That of
the European carrying-trade he also abandoned by the
admission that it may be given at the price of reci-
procity. The present bill empowers the government
to demand this price—an useless provieo. For in
fact we shall be altogether deprived of any chance
of such a trade, unless we begin by showing a gener-
ous example. And the moment is both critical and
opportune, when every country in Europe is under-
going a new birth, which cannot to
faiil endowlf. each
with a vigour of jealousy, and prejudice and sewill
which the taste of freedom cloth but increase.
The protectionists, in fact, under tho command of a
of the
Mr. HERMES withdraw from the wide ari
navigation laws into the citadel of ecoonial inonopoly.
There they entrench themselves,hoist tee drawbridge,
and defy assault. And thus they narrow a great
principle and a vast question into the poor, little, ‘ld
dispute of purely West India interests, with which it
seems those of our navy are considered to be bound up.
And for this they have not ever the support of the
West Indians. To preserve colonial monopoly dee:
pite of the colonies, despite of an iitteUlget.ce and
every material interest abroad or at houte, such Is
the forlorn hope that the protectionatie hose taken up.
The main argunient against c peel ng ti i ecolowal trade
is that the Americans would profit uy A. It iii clear