The Express.
London, England, 1850-05-28 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL DISTRESS.

The Marges of SALISBURY, pursuant to notice, pre-
vailed a petition coinpninlag of agricultural and penal
distress, and praying for a return to protection. The noble
marquis was all but inaudible in the gallery. As far se we
amid tallow him, we ut.der:tood him to enter into an ar-
gument to show that the number of paupers had increased
sines the repeal of the COlll laws, and that the great increase
of paupers in 1849 was the immediate cense of the existing'
agricultural divines. He proceeded to show that the pros-
putty of the manufacturing interests had not tended to
pauperism;lewn wages is the manufacturing districts had
fallen ten per erne lower than they were in 1840, whilst in
Manchester only two thirds of the artisans were employed,
the remaining one-thud being idle. He had always been
taught that the prosperity of a eoustry depended on high
Irmo. He hoped the duration of the act of 1846 would be
limited, and the ukases amongst the agricultarists, which
had been so install, admitted, relived.
Z el GREY said the act passed in 1846 did not contain
any clause limiting its duration, and ha had never heard the
remotest intention expressed in say quarter of making any
alteration in it.

---11teEarToThIALMESBURY sail big noble friend had
obtained • similar answer to that which he got from the go-
vernment • sheet time age. If the noble earl meant what he
bad just said, he was better Sued for the incited empire of
the Medes and Persians than to be • minister of this
country. In the lint the years pauperism hod increased
to the extent of 130,000 persons in England and Wales.
Now, he did not want to exaggerate. He merely wished to
get at the truth of the matter, aid to see what connexion
then was between the experiment of npealir g the corn-
laws with this incrieue of pauperism. He naturally looked
at what the average price of wheat was is 1846, when there
was a diminished number of paupers, sad he found it to be
64.. In 1830, when their number was iscreand by 125,000,
the price had fallen to 38s. (Hear, bear.) On. of the great
promisee nude at the time the con law was repealed woe,
that pauperism was to during. In feet, two promises bed
then been mad*. One was, that reciprocity would be esta-
blished, and the other, that a positive advantage to the
lower classes would ensue. But reciprocity had not
been established, and how eould it be said that
the second promo* had been fulfilled when there were
123,000 paupers more at present than then had been when
the old can law wee repealed? (Hear, hoar.) He had
expected to glad • greet increase of pauperism in the mei-
miltural districts, sad he had mark.d towns of thrills
shimmers in the Mune already laid upon the table of the
bore. Ia Cheltenham, which was souse an agricultural
ace a manufacturing town, but which was very much visited
there were 990 paupers and 1,800 its
)1154.6115ir verpool, is 1846, there were 12,200 paupers;
in 1960 there were 17,800. In Manchester, in 1846,
thus were 13,900 in 1860 there were 29,000.
In Pesetas, In 1844_, there were 3,021 ; in 1860
there were 6,187. The same result w.s everywhere
al.. observable. In Ponies, in 1846, there were 3,200
psalms; now, then were 6,000. A noble lord behind him
wished refermos to be made to Newcastle, a town with
which the sable earl (Grey) was doubtless well arquaiated.
Well, what was the return for Newcastle la 1816 there
bad been 4,900 paupers in that %Ain ; at present there were
7,966. It was impossible with such results as these before
the house to argue that the change made in our policy is
1845 had been beneficial to the lowest CWWW of the people.
What clue, then, had bee. Useatod ? (Hear.) Is
1843, when the old eons law wits la full levee, 5,700,000
quarters of wheat had been maid is England sad Wales;
whereas, in 1840, the quantity sold was 4,500,000 quarters,
showing a durum is sales sa those two years com-
paratively of 1,200,000 quarters. Either, then, fru
trade had diminished the Um* sales, or there most be
a large stock in store. He believed, however, that
from these and similar returns, it was manifest that
all the promises made in 1846 had feed, that reciprocity
had set been established, that low prices in England did not
check importations from abroad, and that a return to pro-
tection was the only means of promoting prosperity.
Earl GREY said that no practical result was likely to be
attained on tat subject until the noble lords on the opposite
beach,* explained what their object really was. No duds.t
motion seemed to be brought forward. Some wanted the total
repeal of ths primmest law, and others wanted a qualllsid re-
peal, bet noose noble lord had stated distinctly whether ha
wished the home sad the country to go back to the old state of
the law or not. Wu it meant to repeal the act of 1828, or
W return to the rata of things existing in the agricultural
diarists in 1836 sad 1836? In another plea, very high
authorities bad given different opinions on this point. One
said that what was deiced mesa fixed duty of 84.—• measure
which had been offered mad scornfully rejected in 1841.
Another gentleman had elsewhere said that maritime for
CiWINS was plunder and not protection, and that what he
wairmil was an alteration of the incidence of various 'me-
dals es land. Taxes, local or general, were again de-
Bounced by high authority as nugatory and delusive.
What, then, was wanted? Wm a fixed duty wanted ?—or
was a sliding scale, or was an alteration of taxation ? Let
noble lords say what they wanted—what change in the ex-
isting policy of the country they meant to propose ;
and, when that was known, ha believed there would
be no difficulty in producing good reasons against
the adoption of the proposal. (Laughter and cheers.) He
believed that to the alteration made in 1846 we owed it,
under Provident*, that this country had paned through a
unexampled for the extent of its distress. (Hear,
reerairl Let hiss advert to one or two points in the address
of his sob!, friend opposite (the Earl of Melmesbury.) His
r.ble friend had referred to the number of paupers receiving
relief in England and Wales at present compered with the
year 1844. and had eontrairbed the prices of corn then
and is 1850. It was true that there wa an increase in
the number of paupers now as compared with 1846, but then,
according to the schedule from which the return had been
made, the year 1850 showed • teductios is the amber of
paupers upon every 3en exeept 1846. Poe instance, the
total ',pitmen relieved its England sad Wales in 1844 was
ii 90,000; is 1847,980,000; in 1848. 993,000; and in 1849,
943,000. Compariag 1846 with 1860, however, there were
eircunistithoes quite tndepesdeut of the prime of corn which
would account tor the duYenau in the amber of paupers in
those two roan. The very height of the railway mania was In
1846—(hear)—when 7,000,0001. were expended in employing
11011 in the construn'the of the various Uses. At present
there were not as many thousands of pounds expended in
'employing able bottled labour on lines of railway as there
bod at that time been utilities. (Hear.) Then, again.
MOOS VW, all the consequesom of the tunas in Ireland had
to be encountered--a famine *hint had been the suns of
introducing many Irish peepers into the manufacturing
towns and districts of this country, thereby lacrimal the
extent of pauperism in EagLusd. When Se (Foil Orey)
looked at our great seats of commerce, and at the general
state of this country, he could ant discover the shakiest
remote for attnbuting those effects to the measure of 1846,
which noble lords opposite Ware in the habit se
(Cheers) In the course of the debate it had been °burred
that there was a falling off of 1,200,000 qnsitors in the
quantity of urn sold in England and Wales in 1849,..
compared with 1846 But what did the return for 1849
show ? Why, it showed the sales of the crop of
1848, and everyone knew that the crop of 1848,
in the south of England especially, had beta
one of the most defective mope we had had for
many year.. (Hear, hear.) He believed that the agricul-
tural &stress, now so mach, and, he admitted, so justly com,
plained of, had much more to do with the defective crop of
1848 than with the repeal of the corn laws. lint, since the
harvest of 1849, there bad been a very largo lacrosse in the
amount of corn sold in England and Wales as compared
with the last six months of 1848, commencing with October,
181$, and ending with March, 1349. He believed, however,
that this wee far too extensive a question to be argued upon
cosiparianse of this kind. It was a question upon which
opinions must ha lamed by general principles and
coneideeatione.

noble lewd BTANLET said he w
owee noteurprised to find that the
earl, who had jut eat dn, wu fully convinced of the
merits of entire tree-trade. Ti. noble earl was of opinion
'bat every Wow* was proem* to IA lIIIOTILOILI

though he admitted that winker* was sear:Hag a trifle ; It
ersosetemprisiag, therefore, to hear him say that if the
preteetieniele woeld tell tom what it was they were ping to
he was satisfied he could fensish eery geed MOM
Bak prepesitioa. (A keel%) TM soaks west had
eimpltheei that disemsiems ef this quietism were
at peeme while, prier to the re.
peal el theretZews, see etjeat woe akar
and Me (Lord illealey) weehl Ma tie
setae lesi iat this iatenteen if the peetessienisle ors Nam
mew te wise* had bola pereimete WM repel Mthe ems
law—lt MSS le billrge UM Mber @dais
usek by week, sad deyelle:, bes.
eperadem awl lateedneed by the
sa▪
tire remission el duties the . egrillidtlial
cgoure. (CM.. trues the se) He wadi ass
at meant whet view it might be Omagh% right to
propels—(hw, hoer, ham the maisisteridiste)—hut this he
wield say that he believed a cheap was coming ever the
*Me mind. He did sot ripest it to was over the Wad
Of the ruble old ; far be it from him to entertain any such
exgge bad expectation. (A laugh.) Bat thus who were
swirly frees the program o' events wen begianiag w epee
their eyes to the reel *Lieu of the system of so sailed free
trade; they were watching the progress of that exwimemt
—• moot dmigwoem sad fearful experiment—ead thq wire
gradually arriving at the esetration that on sherries
mast be made la that system, sod that a rummies
to the of petunia must sine be made. (Hear.) The
peoMntisaiste had been promised immense prosperity, SM..
venal omploymeet, high wages, increased eensamption ;
and they found now that these promises had not hem fel.
filled, and that the noble earl wee compelled, not to past
triumphantly at their accomplishment, but to discover
reasons why the former prediotioes bad not bin a verified. '
(Hear.) The noble earl's answer le the increased pan/mien
in 1850 over 1846 au, that that thereon was not so apparent
in 1847. 1848, and 1849, as compared with 1850; bat then
1847, 1848, and 1849, were all so an of fru trade, and moss-
queenly of hes importations of corn. It must also be recol-
lected that the mode of making oat the returns of pimpernels
sow diff, red from that formerly premises, emaese at priest
only a limited number of a family was counted—so that a re-
turn of those now and heretofore treeiviog relief dia sot
give a correct comparative amount of the pimpernel existing
in the country, and toe cons. pone, of ths new practice was,
that the real increaser of pauperism was greater than the
tables indicated. (Hear.) Bat, if the government denied
that the present state of things arose from free trade, the
poverty of the hone market, and the inability to oonearee,
then let then (the government) say from what it was it
proceeded. He would call attention to our exports. Great
credit was taken Lr an increase, between 184.5
and 1849, apparently of 5,000,0001. is the declared
value of oar exports; but for the first time were introduced
into these papers now, additional articles &notating to
2,500,000, which did not exist at all in the papers with
whisk they were compered. (Hear.) But her admitted the
exports bad Inetresed ; still, important as that trade was, it
was unimportant as compared with the amount of dm
home trade which had declined. The imports of cotton, for
example, for the three first months of 1849 were 547,000
bales: for the three first months of 1850 they were
488,000. The consumption of cotton at home foe the same
period in 1849 was 432,500 balm; for the like period in
18.50 it had fallen to 388,000—• diminution of about 2l per
cent. The exports of cotton wool were 22,000,000 lbs, Mine
an increase of 4.000,000 lbs. Of that there were exported
to foreign countries 1,745,000 lb.. ; and one of the happy
results of free trade was—that, while we exported to all
titres countries 1,745,00 C 1b.., the ezpere to three slave.
trading ports exceeded 2,000,000 lbs., while the exports to the
oth.r countries showed en actual dimiouthn to the amount
of 335,000 lbs. (Hear, h Sr.) Toe consuming power wee,
therefore' dirainishieg, and the onus of showing to what
that was attributable, rested with the overnment. (Hear.)
The return of the quantity of corn sold in England was
moved for by the noble marquis (Lowdown.),
most probably for the purpose of showing that
these sales had not diminished under fres trade.
Those papers, if they proved anything, proved directly the
opposite of that which the noble marquis intended they
should prove when he moved tor them, tor, although the
amount of corn sold in 1849 was greater than it was in 1848,
if the noble marquis would refer to the returns for the four
first months of 1650, wh.c.l, of course, referred to the pro
dune of the harvest of 1819, he would find that, with the
single exception of the four fret months of 1849, those
boasted large sales of corn in the British markets, had been
lower this year week by week, and, upon the whole, than
in any one of the years included in the table contained in
the paper the noble marquis had moved for. (Ch. en ) But,
independent of corn, there were certain articles which,
though they might in some degree be regarded as luxuries,
yet had entered haply into the consumption of thou who
were removed jut beyond want, and the diminished eon•
tampion of which proved clearly the shifts they were
obliged to make and the petty economy they were obliged to
exercise in order to make both ends meet under this entree-
silly prosperous system of free trade, of which her Majesty's
government were so proud. He would t five or six arti-
cles of ordinary common consumption—cocoa, coffee, i:ried
fruits as fiis and raisins, unrefined sugar, and tallow—in all
of which he would show there had been a considerable
filling off in the cossumption during the last three years.
In the firs: three months of 1843 %hassles of cocoa, for home
consumption, had been 977,000 lbs.; in the corresponding
period of 1849 they had amounted to 92.',000 lbw. ; and in
the first three mouths of 1850 they had fallen to 724,000 lbs.
Of coffee, in 1848, the first 3 mouths, the quantity entered for
home consumption bad been 9,900,000 lb*.
1849, the first 3 months 9.386,000 lb..
1850, the first 3 months 7.465,000 lbs.
Comets-1848, first 3 month,. 73,000 own.
1849, n
18450,
Figs 1648, PO 4,746 „
1849,
1850,
Ravine-1848, 19
1849,
1850,
Unrefined _ _ _

Bugar-1848
1849 1 469,000 ir 1 494,000 „
~
1850 ir 1 413,000 „
(Cheers from the protectionist benches.) The can of tallow
was still stronger. la the first three months of 1848 the
imports for home consumption had been 292,000 cots., in
the correeposdiog period of 1849 they were 313,000
and in the first three months of 1850 they had been only
194,000 cots. (Hear, hear.) And this diminished consump-
tion in the horn: market had been coincident with a con-
siderable export is the sbsp r of candles and soap, which in-
cluded a large portion of the raw material taken into the
returns of the cocsamption of the home maim, and conse-
quently added so much to the decreased e resumption of the
people of this country. Tone facts, taken in conjunction
with the increased pauperism and diminished employment—
(and he believed the noble earl would not deny that many
stills were working short time in the manufactunog districts,
or that wages were falling, and mast a retinue to tall, in the
agricultural districts)—with these facts before them, and
then proofs of the diminished power of consumption on the
part of the people tinder free trade, they (the pro-
tectionists) could not congratulate the noble lord on
the success of that which he (Lord Stanley) would
still call an experiment-(bear, hear)—nor would they for-
bear pointing the attention of the government and the coun-
try to the practical working of that experiment, leaving it
to them to justify their perseverance in that policy to
its fall extent notwithstanding the failure that had attended
it. (Cheers.) True, we do not (said the noble lord) bring
tory d any specific Tonsure upon the subject, but if it will
be any satisfaction to the noble earl to hear again the de-
claration made by me to an important and influential de-
putation that waited on me, and to which he bad referred,
I here repeat my opinion that this country will never be
restored to prosperity until parliament not only deals with
the stunt' and unjust taxation under which certain interests
of the country are labouring, but until we return to a mode-
rate, a just, sad an equitable system of import duties for
the protection of all descriptions of British industry. (Loud
cheers from the protectionist peers.) I am satisfied
that that is the policy which In the long run
will prevail (hear, hear) —and as confidently as
the noble earl asserts the success of the experiment, eons I
confident that its failure is becoming more and more
manifest every day, and that before long he will have to
retrace his steps, and that parliament will hen to retrace
its steps and return to a just and moderate system of pro-
tsetioa. (Cheers.)
Earl GREY had heard with great satisfaction the last
observations of the noble lord, in which he declared his
desire to return to a moderate protection for British industry,
for it was evident now that the noble lord himself gave up
altogether the sliding scale of 1842. (Hear, hear.) That
act wee at all event; henceforth abandoned by the noble
lord and the noble lords who acted with him. (Ministerial
cheers.)
Lord STANLEY wished it to be understood that his
intentions and thou of his friends won not to be judged by
the construction the noble earl might atoms to draw tram
his (Lord Stanley's) observations. (Hear, hear.)
Earl GREY-1 am quite satisfied. (Cheers and counter
cheers.)
The petition was then ordered to Ile on the table, sad
their lordships adjourned at seven o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-MONDAY, MAT 27.
TIN ElrsAmia took to Asir at 4 o'clock.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

CHESTER AND HOLYHYAL RAILWAY BILL
Was read a third tins atter oonsidsrahls discusion, and
two divisions upon peolowsd &woodman..
The River Los Trust Bill was tin and a woad Um.

BUSINBSB..