The Express.
London, England, 1850-02-01 00:00:00

THE EXPRESS, FRIDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 1, 1850.

this country Weald nailer 000lena to the Tips.,
protective duties ea foreign eon.
Lerd BROUGHAM laseated the great and general Me-
tres, which existed amongst the agricultural classes
H. bad asp elm ca No mind. If he thought he bad acted
wrong. he was pewsd to deelanith If he felt no bias te
Minnie, Die mind be had load no argument to esker his
kailplesat. He lilt that they Were right in 1546, sad
ihet they would be imesessurably wrong it they were
to alter their peliey now. (Olives.) Is the great
emery of. Feanes—that peat agricultural eommunity
was tuffetin,g as deep distress as ever this country
did In the worst of times, and mach more *as this
country was suffering now. He knew In several
districts—in five, taken as en average—it was hardly possible
to imagine greater agriculture' suffering—hate sot paid,
knee thrown up, aed laboaren without employ. These
weep fads he kne This sunning he bad received a letter
leM a friend in a dapsnbeat not far from Paris—the de-
partment of the Gass—who had within the last twelve or
thirteen months, thrown apes his hands tea or twelve brow.
Pres trade there war note la Francs • it wee a eliding seek.
He inquired is bb own neigh bourbeeil whether certain peen
which he NSW Nine from °dens, bat he was told the duty
was so high that they could not get it is. Prance
wee a protection country ; and the want of free trade did not
prodeee a general distress there, and protection did not pro-
vost it. No law they could make, aed no society they could
bead, would ever make the employer of labour pay 4d. a
day when be wild get the work done for 2d. These were
seem of the observations which had occurred to him. He
was net prepared to retrace his steps. He mut tint be eon-
Tiellad of the netwasity of doing so; and this ad being the
We, be could not support the amendment.
Led STANLEY would added' a few words on some
Ivies in the speech from the throne which cep.
peered to have been poised over. He was quite
sure there was no one who would not echo in the
perfect sincerity of their hearts the sentiments of
essiblence to her Majesty on the premature death of the
Quell Dowager. He retained in the strongest manner eli
the opinions he had entertained with regard to the impolicy
of the repeal of the navigation laws. If there could be aay
mitigation of the evils which would result therefrom,
It must be found in a full and entire reciprocity of other
countries. But be believed no country could give us a full
and equivalent recipreeity—(hear, hear); and he believed
that measure would be found to be so ill-judged one. And
here he would correct an error made by the noble earl who
moved the address, when he said it was thought the United
States would be the last to reciprocate, whereas she bad
been the first to do so. The neble earl must have forgotten
that in the discussion upon the navigation laws it was stated
that by the laws of the United States the feet of the bible
tore et this country passim the bill then under dissuades
would entitle this reentry to certain reciprocal advantages.
Ni was grateful to know also from the royal
that we were not at war with foreign pow. n.
e rejoiced is find that they were at peace and amity
with all foreign nation.. (Hear, hear.) They had been
told that they received assurances from all foreign °diaries
of the strongest and domed friendship, and that the most
cordial understanding and friendly intimacy existed between
Great Britain and all foreign countriee. (Hear, hear) The
speech from the throne informed them, and oongratulated
them on the feet, that they were not at war with France,
with Spain, with Prussia, or with Austria; bat he (Lord
Stanley) wished to know if her Majesty's ministers would
venture to assert that Great Britain was oa a
friendly footing with either Spain, Austria, or
Russia ? (Hear, hear.) He rejoiced exceedingly that they
enjoyed the blessings of peace sad order; and be would re
joie' yet more if her Majesty's =misted would take it on
them to state—which undoubtedly they would if they
' eeuld—that they still retained friendly rela'ions with the
peat European countries. (Hear, hear.) As regarded the
neat topic referred to in the speech from the theme, he pre-
seabed some further inhumation would he laid before their
lordships relative to the dilletence that existed between
Russia, Austria, and the Sublime Porte: and it would
rejoice him (Lord Stanley) much to learn this the expla-
nations which had taken place had secured, as was asserted,
the pram of Europe. (Heir, hear.) They were
informed by the royal speech to the effect that
her Majesty had to units her efforts with those of
Franco, in order to brimg about an amicable settlement of
matters. (Laughter.) Now, if an explanation had taken
pleas between the Turkish anSimperial governments, it wss
hardly eel:Sleazy to say that other powers should be called
=lto interfere. He should next approach a point on
he felt bound to reject entirely the address which had
bees proposed as a response to her Majesty's speech ; and
whilst doing so be begged to assure their lordships that there
was no person more willing or m re anxious to concur in an
unanimous address to her Majesty than he was. (Hear,
hear.) It was therefore with &Wears regret that he found
allusions made in that speech, and also in the addreee,
to the condition of the agricultural interests, which
compelled him to dissent trom the address. Set-
tisg apart altogether the names of the gentlemen
who had been selected to propose and second the
oddness in the other hoses of parliament, he could not help

*tsars that he had heard midi regn t and surprise the tone
and temper adopted In their lordsripe house, and he coati
sot separate the language of the speech i• sell from t►e feet
of the mover and seconder of the address being selected by

the government from the strongest supporters of those free
trade measures, whic's, if they had not destroyed, had at
lout aggravated the acricultural distress in the country.
(Hear, hear.) Drawing a wide distinction bet ween the tone
a.lopted between the mover and seconder of the address, he
should say that if it were the intention of government to
peavoke discussion and to all forth an amendment, that
asenesity would be found in The comments of the noble earl
who prpond the address. (Hear.) How was the agricultu-
eel distress that prevailed entered to in the royal speech ?
It was said that' her Majesty with regret had observed the
osnaplainte that in many parts ofthe kingdom had proceeded
teem the owners and occupiers of land." Now, in the first
place he (Lord Stanley) ghoul l say that that was not a tan
statement. (Hest, bear.) The complaints that had been
heard were loud and general, and proclaimed that the dis-
tress was great and grievous. (Hear, hear.) It wee not
confined to the owners and occupiers of landed property—
(hear, hear)—it reached far beyond them. (Hear, hear.)
It reached primarily a class more humble, more dependent,
and more helping, than the owners—namely, the lsbouren
on the soil, together with the mechanic, the artisan,
and all those numerous classes who were not owners
or occupiers of the land, but who, nevertheless, were all
dependent on the well-being of the owners of the soil, gad
who, consequently, were the first and severest sufferers uader
the distressing state of affairs brought about by such legisla-
tion. (Hear, hear.) Therefore, be (Lord Stanley) repu-
diated the assertion that the complaints proceeded from the
owners of the land, because they were general and wide
spread amongst all claws in the community. (Hoar, hear.)
The next paragraph of her Majesty's speech expressed " the
source of sincere pleasure her Majesty felt at the cheapness
and plenty bestowed on the great majority of the people."
(Cries of " Hear, hear," from both sides of the house.) He
hoped he would not be mi,understood as wishing to depre-
ciate or undervalue the blessings of plenty and
cheapness to the great body of the people. (Hear,
hear.) But he would prefer that cheapness and
abundance which resulted tetra the productive harvest
ot 1896, which, whilst it gave abundance to the community
at large, also enabled the proprietor to employ the labourer
in the tillage of the soil at remunerative wage*. (Hear,
bear.) But be feared the government had fallen into en
error, or rather, had been leo into one by that clogs of per-
sons who, because they made a great deal of noise, fancied
they were the entire country—that they were the great
body of the people, and that all opposed to them were a
miserable faction that should succumb. (Hear, hear.) He
(Lord Stanley) escorted that the great body of the people
were not to be invidiously set down in contrast or oppraition
to the landowners, as was the can in the royal speech.
(Hear, hear.) He should say, as regarded the great
claw of parsons whose Interests were involved in the culti-
vation of the soil, and who, heretofore, were considered
primarily a portion of the people, that cheripneee, afforded
by foreign importations,. had not given them as great a com-
mand over the nectarines and comforts of life as they had
been led to believe it would. (Hear, lieu.) He would
venture to say that the wages of labour in the sgricultural
districts had fallen from lls. to 95., from 9s. to 75., and from
7s. to th.; and that men were obliged to work three days in
the week for half that NM, on the roads or en other works,
in et;er to sane themselves from the union, and that
their employers might keep down the poor rate. His
noble friend, Lord Brougham, had made allusions
to France, where, he said, there was no free trade,
but protection, yet ell classes were sunk in distress.
Now he (Lord Stanley) should thank that protecting Pro-
vidence that had saved them Iran the wars and convulsions
which that country had experienced. His noble friend had
told them that the tenure of land in France was far different
from what it was in Eogland. The difference was, that in
France there being " liberty, fraternity, and equality," the
land wee subdivided amongst a elms of persons, some of
whom were too poor and wretched to be able
to cultivate it properly, and yet one of the objects of
declamation with the party in accordance with whose views
the government sensed to be acting, was to seek to
reduce the gnat landed proprietors of England to
a similar position. (Hear, hear.) They might
rely on it that the question at bottom was not one orf=
but whether the weight and Importance of the ter
aristocracy of England should be reduced, and the le=
tinned out, as in France to an humbler clam of
(Hear) But let thorn understand, If they took that step
towards breaking down the landed aristocracy of the coun-
try, the days of the country's happiness and independence
were numbered—(hmar, hear)—evil days would be upon
them, and ones let the landed or tenitenal aristocracy be
doomed, and the days of British monarchy .ere numbered.
(Cries of "Hear, hear," from the opreltion benches.)
It was laid down se a principle by the advocates of free
trade, and wax acted upon by them, that no person would
give more for a thing than it was worth ; but be was glad to
say that this principle was not acted nu by the - itlemen
'He v. hear