The Express.
London, England, 1847-12-16 00:00:00

he Min lofted as the invidious necessity of excluding the
nonnellea Val& •11110Isen. He espetholly addressed lake-
self en SY eireffar es the right hon. gentleman the
Preeklent at the Beard of Trade (Mr. Labouebere),
and to the Tem. and learned gentleman the member for
Liverpool (ffir.C•rdwell) ,• and he assured them that seeking
as he did to re-construct the committee in the least levities*,
and personal manner, he had thought the bast coarse open
to him was to take off the names of those two madmen
on each aide who 'toad lowest down in official rank In the
present and late government. (Hear, hear.) This amide-
ration, and this only, induced him to select, in the first
place, the names of the President of the Board of Trade cod
of the hon. and learned member for Liverpool. In the
same manner, in 'electing the name of the hoo. member
for Stoke.upon-Treat (Mr. Ricardo) for exclusion, he had
done so because that hon. gentleman represented the small-
= manufacturing constituenet. Hs sought to exclude
Sir Wm. Clay, because he thous t that both sides of the ques-
tion should be fairly represented, as it stood in the City of
London, and that, besides the noble lord at the head of the
government, there ought to be a member whose opinions
were not fettered and tied down by being the author of a
work on the currency. The right hon. the Chancellor of
the Exchequer hail observed that if his (Lord George
Sentinels's) proposition was adopted, there would be
on the committee fourteen gentlemen who concurred
in his (Lord George Bontinck's) views, and only five who
agreed with bins (the Chancellor of the Exchequer). Now
he was disposed to take an entirely different view of the
matter. As the list of the committee stood now there were
on it eight members of the late and the present cabinet, arid
every one knew very well that every mother of a govern-
ment going into a committee went with his mind fettered,
and dissembled from exercising his own judgment, but cem.
palled to follow the course pointed out by his leader. Whether
the noble lord opposite (Lord J. Rummell) or the right hon.
baronet (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) would take the
lead in the committee he (lid not know ; but this was certain,
that the other members of the government would abstain
from any inconvenient crome-emmination of the witticism,
and would vote through thick and thin with their leader.
When the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer
spoke of the committee being composted of members of the
put, present, and future governments, he lost eight of the
great distinction between thole who acted independently en
their own judgments, and were bound together in no sort of
way, and those members of the past and present govern-
ment who had "eaten the King's salt." (" blear,"
mad a laugh.) Again, the government, and the right
hon. baronet. the member for Tamiworth, were agreed
on the question—in foot, for all practical purposes,
the right hoc. baronet was almost the government on this
matter. Nothing was done on the subject of removing re-
strictions until the right hon. baronet came up to town, and
had the interview which led to proceedings on the part of
the government of which he had, in his speech the other
a ght, expressed his approval. Would not a jury be dis-
posed from this to think that the right boo. baronet had
himself dictated the letter sent to the Bank of England by
the government in October last? Hence it wsa that his
fundamental objection I. the committee proposed was that
it was overwhelmed by eight place men and ex-placernen,
who were bound together ao one man, while, on the other
band, his (Lord G. Bentinek's) party, the protectionists,
were not committed to particular new' on the various ques-
tions that might arise, and had nme of that union which
belonged to parties who in honour and consistency were
bound up in the maintenance of a bad law. (Hear, hear.)
It was because such a committee would not be likely to
form an impartial judgment that he objected to its proposed
construction. True it was that the noble lord at the head of
the government had consented to break through the
bulwarks of the act of 1844, but not until houses
had failed to tke amount of upwards of 15,000,0001.,
and he had been waited upon by a deputation from Liver-
pool. And now he (Lord G. Bentinck) must take leave to
state, though not exactly in order of succession, the reasons
which induced him to propose the name of Mr. W. Brown
as a substitute for that of Mr. Cardwell. As the committee
now stood there was upon it no representative of the cotton
manufacturing districts ; for, though Mr. Cardwell was the
menthe, for Liverpool, he could net represent the cotton in.
tenets of Liverpool like the member for South Lancashire
(Mr. W. Brown). Besides, the former was attached to the
party of his leader, the rigt.t hon. baronet the member for
Tamworth, and if on the committee would be placed in the
difficulty of having to worship God and Mammon.
(Laughter.) He had still a further reason for urging this
whontution of names. So far as he could leant from the
Imam in the public journals, it seemed that when the de-
=teflon from Liverpool waited upon the noble lord atthe bead
of the government and upon the right hon. the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, though Mr. Cardwell had been dragged to
attend the deputation, he was only there to do the ornamen-
tal work as mutter of the ceremonies, while Mr. W. Brown
was the man who did the working and useful part of the
duty of the deputation. Therefore, as Liverpool had selected
their county member, in preference to the representative of
their borough, to represent the commercial distress which
existed in that town, be thought Mr. W. Brown ought to
be substituted for Mr. Cardwell. (Hear, hear.) But, re-
turning to the present constitution of the committee, with a
prime minister, au ex-prime minister, one Chancellor of the
Exchequer, two ex-Chancellors of the Exchequer, and one
ex-Secretary of the Home Department, upon it—men who
had been accustomed to lit in committees, he begged to ask
what chance would independent memben have &garnet the ex-
rience of such men bound together as one man against them ?
The main body of the house was only represented by one
gentleman, an ex-cabinet minister. It would therefore be a
most unequal match in quality, if not in numbers. Then
there were six gentlemen who were stated to be " Peelites "
—(laughter)--and eleven strong whiga, making in all seven-
teen of one way of thinking. (Hear.) In this number he
did not include the hon. member for Montrose, who, he un-
derstood, declined to serve on the committee. In the names
he had proposed there was only one gentleman who held the
same opinions as he did. For Scotland, the Chancellor of
the Exchequer said be had awned the hon. member for
Perthshire, es one who had not taken en ache part in
politics. But on this question the feeling of Scotland was
very inadequately represented by that gentleman, whose
views were rather in opposition to it. He had ventured to
propose Mr. Pattison, as one whose opinions were entitled to
much weight, and also that the Bank of England, being now
put on its trial, might be represented by one conversant with
all the transactions between it and the government,
Without the presence of this honourable member,
it might have been imagined that there was a
perfect accord between government and the Bank es to
the mode of action of the latter; while, in fact, the Bank
hod been made the scapegoat of the government by the
right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The commer-
cial interests of London, which had, at the last, prevailed
on government to relax the restrictions, ought certainly to
be represented. Former deputations, from Liverpool and
Birminghanathad waited on government in vain ; the first were
told there was no hope ; the second that government would
not say whether they would interfere or not. When the
London deputation waited on the noble lord, they found
him unprotected by the Chancellor of the Exchequer ; and,
Meer a little reluctance, be had yielded to their request
leniently, tens of thousands of bank notes came out of tens
othousands of tin-boxes ; and there was an end of the panic.
Mes City of London having been mainly instrumental in
'tug this about, it was duo to that community that the
gift of Mr. Palm should be added to this committee;
ihr the hem. bang (Sir W. Clay) whom he proposed to
wen is bpd down to the opinions delivered in the
look he had that he could not be said to enter the
amesaittee Wand, The hon. member for Stoke-upon-
TeletA (Mr. ItionalOweis said to represent the interest of the
-deellearekent—ma WOO which was not looked on with
amiffighear ht tie ennatry; be was besides hereditarily
nftffilnite the steenplet opinions on the currency—opinions
wdlli Std einme Wen proved erroneous ; for the late Mr.
Ilissis W Teetilirea di* opinion that the act of 1819 would
net prance a greater depreciation than three per cent.
(Boar, hear.
Mai WALLEY thought the resolution for appointing this
earliallfteorght to be rescinded. Out of doors it was the
emieemild that it had been proposed, merely Mahal's
the faceilry end prolong the operation of the Bank Charter
Act. (Hear, hear.) Tele right course would be to rescind
the resolution and appoint a committee of 'practical ex-
perienced men, to inquire into the operation of the act of
1841. (anse9 The Chancellor of the Exchequer had had
a moot diffieft took. It was difficult to prescribe for such a
dimmer el the easay bad recently suffered from ; but the
right !ea, geWasen had had to select the doctors ; and he
had esteMd then who had already prescribed, and had
elan* killed the patient. (Laughter.) Some said that
esneilideg wee wreag with his head ; othersthoughtthe seat
(lithe disease was the spine or the stomach ; and others
kennel eftething was the matter with the circulation.
(Orme latahesr.) The doctors woAd doubtless continue
their old premelptkas, the consultation being a seas form.
Why this waste of time ? What could the country gain by
it ? An old hen sitting in a farm-yard it nix
weeks would add more to the property of the
tamer than this committee would increase the
of the esuithey if they sat for six months. (Great arligreirt.i
It was ridiculous to take up the time of 26 gentleme.n for
each a purpose. When would they come to the Bank
Charter ? Perhaps in next June, or perhlei in June, 1849.
(Hear.) Only one of the radical party had been pro reed
on this committee—Mr. Home—and he had declined to set.
In his place he would propose Mr. Muntz, a gentleman well
=painted with iron, and who bad a hard head.
(Laughter.) Having a great regard for the health of his
boa. friend the member for Moatrose, he thought this duty
ought not to be impo eel on him a' his time of life. (Hear,
hoer.) The hon. member for Birmingham ess more ro-
bust he was beside" a commercial man, and one who under-
stood the question of the exchanges, which was said to be
undenrood only by one oan in the house besides the right
hon. baronet the member for Tamworth. That one man
was said to be a very rich man, and to be desirous of in-
creasing his wealth • and a rich and avaricious man was the
last who ought to decide on a question of this kind. That
gentleman was not in this house, and be hoped the legal
expenditure would not be incurred of obtaining bin a eat
here. (" Oh, oh.") The men who were needed ware *see
who had the wages of labour to provide every
night, and who knew the difficulty of doing so. VII
The hon. member for Birmingham had at first objeeleabe
serve on the committee, but had since cop seated to ae
and he hoped the country would have the benefit of his oz.
=thee knowledge and experience.
Mr. HUME said he did not shrink from any duty that
the house or the country might impose upon him. He was
confined to bed on the day when the resolution amid for
appointing this committee, otherwise he would have raised
an objiction to it. For forty years the legislature had been
attempting to regulate monetary affairs, and they might as
well try to regulate the modems of the :heavenly Wits.
(Rear, hear.) And now it wep proposed to hand over the
to a set of gentlemen elle were identified with the
ardent. (Hear.) Zeselight hon. baronet the
It Teatwortk bed certain merchaate who
eirio==gyon credit, but, in the
ofiallithment of the
• '