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London, England, 1826-04-19 00:00:00

oes known from every newspaper that there were calf* to their
St
,heat, hear.) Me would therefore recd n.
6`)7,llllMsenolS t.b. llooosable Mover not to increase the excite-
"t"
when • halm world be mote desirable. The inconvenience
v't3:; was the great abjeetionln respect to the reproach that
od
lo ci been cut on hint for nut fulfilling the pledge given last Se,.
hespoulti wry. that be really did not think when 51inisters of
sn. ade such a pmmitte, that they were obliged to redeem
the
hoot any regard in alteration of circumstances. lint
wits;-1-w-as."o7enpledge to- which they were bound so pertinaciously to
that Government would take up the subject,
tt "mit eieM "tnTorsa mation. and in due time. was furnished on the
• :w the infomation had not been furnished, an had been
ant the question could not therefore be brought
81,L•
A,,nri us-di-tem% Immo m- ent of the present Session. He grieved to
eoete than much diners. existed in the manufacturing and other dis.
be mild aid, that if he thought the present motion
tracts; and
:• intatlito---iate the miser,y, he would most cheerfully concur with
It; bat he did not think an; on the contrary. he believed ts intro.
ihrtion st thefiresent period most hootspicinua He was of opi.
lON if the petite of corn were reduced by any human power, an by
Letwature, that the result would be to aggravate. and not
la eveyer calamities were experienced at the present
ofne.
""glii?: wlil
would repast. that the 'vile attendant on the restrictive
nstem eve a MOM serious kind ; but the discussion of sloe argil-
meets on the subjec would only add to the calamity. Any depres.
or the agricultural clam would noon be found to affect
dthe
her Slave of the community. He should not enter on the e-
°its which had been given, is such a proceeding would be produc-
ts He had, however no difficulty in stating, that the re-
tie:ciao of those laws was celled for in miler to prevent the fl uctital ion'
which weeeriond to be so injurious to the country. His wish was for •
pmtecting but not a prohibitory duty. He was not desirous to
p tfei the agricultural interest at the expense of the outer terclasses,
bat 1w thought the adoption of the course suggested in the motion
of the Hon. Member not likely to promote the benefit of the other
(ha. , while it would deteriorate the interest of the agriculturists;
rod, by a natural coincidence, aggravate that misery which it proi
rod to alleviate. Tne 'object was indeed of rare Importance, and
fa that very reason should not be treated lightly, and in a hurry.
Is, difficulties were excessive, and to encounter them in detail
troehl at that period be productive of no good. He knew very
yell that persons more crimne eat than himself would feel them-
selves embarrassed in haedling the subject in such a manner, and
with such precision as to prevent themselves front being under-
stood. A mieutdeltanding of that kind would be prodoenve of
Brest mischief, and ten good could be attained by even an evasion
of that contingency. It would be worse than uncles. to enter on
the rations bearings of the subject. His wish therefore was, that
the quenion shied stand where it did before the motion was
made; and if the House would take his assuralkee, he pledged
himself that in the next Partiament—notwithstanding the laugh
of the lionotirable Member for Northampton—lie assured the
House that he would transfer the redemption of the pledge given
la the last Station to the next Parliament. lie hoped the general
reasons which he had assigned would be sufficient to induce the
'use to potpane the question ; and he trusted that they would
accept his guarantee, notwithstanding the sneer of the Honourable
Member for Northampton (Mr. Philips) When he pre that
awaruce, however, he wished it to be understood that hie pledge
Was rill subject to the same regard to time and circumstances
übe had already exhibited. If the Hon. Gentleman thought that
• shrunk front the difficulties of the question he was match mis-
taken. and knew not his (Mr. Iluskisson*t) feeling+. Ile would
take the fleet opportunity which presented itself in the entitling
Paha:nem to bring forward the subject of the Corn Laws,
b •t he should not be taunted by the Honourable Member for
Northampton with a forfeiture of his pledge, because he did
not urge the mentor* forward in deli vice of the force of cou t.
teivailing circumstances. He begged leave, however, to assure the
lion. Gentleman opposite ( Mr. M'hitmnee) that he declined the
subject at present merely for the general stas.ine assigned, as he
gave him great credit for toe able manner in which he advocated
the propriety of abolishing the restrictions. The lion. seconder of
the melon seemed to be wntequainted with the motives which in.
flueneed Government to admit the liberal system that has been
introduced. He seemed to e'lar,ze the Ministerial side of the House
as meanies to free trod% hut that assertion win founded on i(norance
of the motives which ielleeteed him (Mr. II.) and his colleagues.
Many duties were levied, in order to meet the pubic exigencies.
In order to meet the public debt it was necessary to levy a con-
siderable revenue. Weer.) The duty on timber was laid on, not
for any purposes of protection, but for the benefit of the revenue ;
and toe duty on sugar, one of the largest and moat productive
duties collected, was not enacted with reference to the protection of
any other branch of commerce, bat because of the advantages
which it afforded the revenue. As to the East India sugar, the
protection Wei more nominal than real, as he could easily 'thew if
this was a fit occasion for entering on that subject. There was no
reason why one production of British skill and capital should not
be protected se well as another. The object in all cases was to
put the productions of this country on a lair footing with the like
produetions of other countries. This was done to such an extent
as would countervail the disadvantages to which our own country
wan subject compered with others, and to no greater extent ought
the principle of protecting duties be applied. In the various pro-
position's which he had the honour of submitting to Parliament,
what he had in view wae,not that trade should be fret from all pro-
tecting dune., but that the amount of the protecting duties should
col/ be commensurate to the disadvantages un..er which we la.
bthare in Al "Priillifetflin of' Ay lekticular trtfcte, tomparetr
with other countries, so that there should be sufficient
room to excite emulation. With this view, anti not to destroy
the Silk Trade, the alterations were proposed and made relating to
that important trade. All protection was not withdrawn from that
trade, but such a protection wait continued, as, whilst it destroyed
snuggling, would place the British manufacturer in a condition in
which he need fear nothing, notwithstanding the alarm which pre-
vailed no the subject. Ile (Mr. Iluskisiton) was satisfied that the
protection to the silk manufacturer would be found sufficient, The
changes made in duties, were not from protecting duties, but from
prohibitory and excessive duties, having the same effiect as protii-
bitioos..and the only consequence of which was to promote smug-
ling. These were the description of duties to which the principles
of free trade had been applied. His Hon. Friend said, that he
should begin with corn, when we intended to act upon the prin-
ciples of free trade, but the House would recollect the statements of
Ile. Webb Hall, who stated the protection the manufacturers re-
ceived, and the cry then was, grant only a moderate protec ion to
the manufacturers, and the agriculturist's have nothing to fear:
This was the way in which It was advised to accomplish this moat
i.nportant object, and upon this principle Government had acted.
The cotton manufacture wax liable to sonic duty, not to an exces-
sive duty as the Hon. Gent. had stated.
Mr. PHILIPS (amass the table) denied that be had said the
duty on cotton was excessive.
Mr. IJUSKItiSON resumed. He thought the lion. Gent. had
so stated it. The duty on cotton was 10 per cent, and he (31r. II us-
kieson) thought that a sufficient protection. On other nianubic.
tures the protecting duties were rated according to the peculiar dr.\
emnsterwesconnected with them. So it should be with corn. The
only difficulty was to find the proper standard of protection, that
was the only question, and not whether the British coin grower
should be protected or left without any protection. When circum-
stances should he more favourable, Hon. Members might conic to
the consideration of that question, with a greater chance of doing
Julie to the ioteeetits of ell parties, with more satisfaction to their
own militia, and with a greater prospect than could be now hoped
for, teen by the advocates for a repeal, that the country would be
reconciled to the change. Proceedings which would only tend to
increase difficulties if at present pursued, would then be found to
produce opposite ind advantageous results- For these reasons,
which he had thought it his duty to state fully to the House, he
thaught it unfit to proceed huffier at present on this subject, and
therefore with every respect for the opinions of the Hon. Gent.
who moved the resolutions, he felt himself bound to move the pre-
vious question. The Hon. Gent. concluded amidst cheers and
cries of question.
Lord 51ILTON expressed his disappointment at the mariner in
which Iliniatera had treated this most important snhject. The
Right Hon. the President of the Board of Trade had only repeated
the arguments used by him last Scission. lie had then pledged
himself to come forward with some specific proposition ; and, re-
it:muttering that pl4ge, what but disappointment could be calcu-
late) fonts the future. The Right libnourable Gentleman talked
• surense, but be (Lord Milton) insisted on the state of suspense
in which the country was kept by the nuomer in which Ministers
The value of land and of every thing else in the
country was left indefinite by the manner in which this subject was
treated. Ministers admitted that the question of the Corn haws
roust be considered, but they wrapt up their opinions in such
mysterious language that there was no penetating them. On the
part of the tenantry he protested against the power left in the hands
of the lamllord. Tbelanded interest was powerful, it consisted of
the 31einbersof the Legislature and those who made Members, and
he trust say it tau not to the credit of Parliament to say,
that it naa considered incapable of entertaining the question
of the Corn Laws. He ( lewd 31 atoll) did not believe that the
equitable adjustment of the Coen haws would prove injurious to
the landed interest. No doubt it would occasion a fall in rents, but
the landed interett would derive other corresponding advantages
raising from the tow price of corn and all the miter necessaries of
life. It could not ruin the agriculturalists, for the agriculturalists
ernild not be ruined whilst the manufacturers flourished. In his
opinion no interest pined by the high price of corn. Certainly the
tenantry did not gain. On an estate near his Mord Milton's) resi-
dence, when the price of corn rose the tenants had notice to quit;
anal this ought to be remembered when Honourable Gentlemen
talked of their anxiety for the agricultural interest, when their
desire was only to protect themselves. He knew his opinions on
this stibject were not palatable in the Hoare. flan. Gentlemen
were generally too mach disposed to listen to arguments which pro.
mote their own interests and to reject all others. He must say,
however, that if there ever was a time when the question of the
Corn Caws should he considered it was now, in a season of great
commercial distress. The Corn Laws appeared to he a great ob-
stacle to our foreign commerce. They shut us out front the Baltic
and from France. though no great trade could ever be driven with
the latter country for corn. The Hon. Getitleman who moved the
resolutions had shown that we were preparing perpetual exclusion
than the commerce of other countries, by persisting in those im-
politic, unjust, and unchristian regulations. Ile Raid unchristian,
because it was unchristian to enhance the price of corn, one of the
tocessariea of life. He felt that on his head there was the sin of
consenting to tnis law. He had done so under the influence of sr.
Insolent. used by the late Mr. Elliot. On this subject the eloquence
et th t Hon. Gentleman bad deluded the House. He thought that,
In the diminished production of corn, he saw the loss of the na.
*mei independent's; but mature reflection showed that the Hon.
a• d eloquent Gentleman had not made out his case. If the Coup
I.laa were not maintained on the ground that they upheld the in.
pendeece of the canonry, they could be maintained on no other

ground. It was the landed gentlemen of England coming forward '
to claim high rents and profits tor tlaenierlres. (Hear, hear.)
That class might to he devoted to the country. willing to sacrifice
their own interest. and reedy to set an esampleof magnanimity.
Vet this was the class which asked other and humbler classes to Sa-
crifice for them. ( Iliac.) If the prohibitory laws were looked to,
it would epitome that they were passed in no instance to taymte a
pluticular class, but because that class had ingenuity enough to
make it appear that the public interest was CO/IMAM. It was now
said that time national dcht .41,1 paid by the high rents; bet did not
other things pay the interests of the national debt besides rents P
( lind not the profits of stock and the wages of labeler pay
the national debt as well as rents? (Hear.) As one of the instru-
ments by which the Corn lotus were inflicted upon the counter, he
felt happy at this opportunity of expressing Ins decided opinion
that those were not founded in justice, in policy, nor in any sound
- . .

-Mr. HOWIE SIIIINER next addressed the House. bat in a
tone so how, that many of his sentences were not Ilearti in the gal.
lery. We understnewl him In complain thitt the landed interest
was placed in a eery disagreeable situation by the manner in whielli•
this subject had been brought( forward. Hr round fault with the
manner in which it had been introduced by the Honourable Mem-
ber for Rrldgetior,li (Mr. Whitmore). and thsvight :hat the landed
Interest had :den been ill treated by the Al embers of his 31Isjesty's'
Government. Last session the question was s no:hered by the
Right Hon. the President of the Board of Trek, and this session
the question hadlieen treated in a like mann( r. The opinion,' he
had heard that night were frightful to the landed interest and to
the country. The unesrtainty in which Sliitisters left the subject
prevented landlords from entering into their engag.mtents.
(.11r. Hoime Sumner) did not say that the principles of tree trade
bait been improperly applied to any of the branch., of trade to
which it wasamdiesi, hut he was sure those principles would pro.
duce irretrievable ruin if applied to corn. If a particular trade
WAS injured, there was a disposition to find a new supply of
panel : but this could not he the ease with agriculture. A Noble
Lord had said that landlords were only atiroeving their own in-
terests. This het Mr. Stunner) disclaimed on the part of the land.
lords. (Hear.) The estate mentioned by the Nahle lined watt a
a particular case, not creditable to the individual concerted,
and was In no degree an example of thet conduct of the land.
lords of England, whose conduct was always; in the hivitest
degree honoutable. (Hear, hear) If the advocates for )he
Corn haws mite,' to take off the sic millieenrof poor rates, the
two mitllimr 4 land tee, anti the other heavy burthens that
pressed peculiarly heavy upon the landed interest, they may main.
fain their proposition with ntore plausibility, and propose a reduc-
tion of the protecting duty on corn. The years of high prices
were years of prosperity, and the years of low prices were years of
distress to the farmer, the labourer, a..d all classes. Whilst he
he remembered this. he must hear something stronger than has yet
come before the House, before he could concur with the Hon.
Gentleman who introduced the subject.
Captain 3IA HERM:" rose amid,t cries of "question.' Ile
objected to the course pursued by the President of the Baird of
Tiede. The Right lion. fientleman's arguments would apply to
any time or any subject. (Hear. hear.) He might mould his ar.
(fitments to suit any time Hr now said Parliament ought not to
interfere because of the general distress, and last Session he said
Parliament should not interfere because of the general prosperity
(lies .1 This was blowing hot end cold. (A laugh.) The Right
/lon. Gentleman cook, not he held—

.• Quo teneam 'Mitts mutantem protea nod° ?"
Ile eluded- the groan. An to Mr. Jaeoh'a evidence, if it was
not laid before the House it was the fault of Ministers; there
had been time enongh. It was rather hard upon him and Ilia
Honourable Friends on that (the Opposition side of -the Howie)
that after having been called upon last Session to pitsrpone the
discussion of this question, on the ground of the country being
in such a general state of prosperity it was not necessary to enter
at that time upon it. It was rather hard, he thought, that the
Right nonourable Gentleman (31r. Huskivion) should now
turn round upon them, and throw into their teethe the
evidence which had been adduced by Mr. Jacobs, but which had
not yet been published, and urge it as a reason far further postpon-
ing the decision of this important question. IVith regard also to
the general election, anti the probable advantage it might occasion,
the Right Hon. Gentleman (Captain Maberly) would say that the
Where
might be settled before the general election came on.
Where was the inconvenierce of settling it during the present
Session ? The Right Hon. Gentleman scented to have involved
himself in a great fallacy. lie had said that suppose the manu-
facturer got cheap corn, what good would it do them since the agri-
culturists were the consumers of the produce of the ntanufaciu-
errs ; and, therefore, if the agriculiarists did not obtain a high
price for Corn they could not purchase of the manufacturer, who
would consequeutly be rather injured than benefited by any Filch
measure as was now proposed. But the fallacy of this reasoning
was obvious, for if Corn were admitted to be imported, romething
must go out in return. Ile would not now go into the question.
lie would merely say that he objected to the present state of the
law because it created such excessive fluctuations in the price of
corn, which were equally prejudicial to the interests of the manu-
facturer and of the agricu:turalitit, whom the law was said to benefit ;
and because. unless some change were made, the principle of pro-
tecting parties would o.mtinoe to go on, without any assignable
limits; every rear more land would be thrown into cultivation, the
expense of which would demand a higher protecting price to secure
a remunerating price, the consequence of which system it would
be Impossible to foresee. What had Wendy been the ease ? In
1775 the price was —, in 1791 it was 49a,, in 1814 it was Rs.,
and at the present moment it was ; and if the course now pur-
sued were nut altered at no distant period the House would be
called upon to nass a law to increase the remunerating price to a
still higher point than it was at present. The alarm of the agri-
culturists at the prospect of importation of corn at a !neer price
was altogether absurd. In enncluaion he declared his most cordial
concurrence with the motion of his lion Friend, and he entreated
his Majesty's Minsters to relieve the country from a system which,
in his conscience, he believed operated as a severe check to the pros-
perity of the country.
Mr. lICSKISSON rose to explain. With regard to the come
munications made by Mr. Jacob to the Board of Trade which th-
Honourable Member (Capt. Maberly) seemed to think had been
unnecessarily withheld from Honourable Members, he could only
say that no time had been lost on his part in having it transcribed
and laid before the House. At to what had fallen from him

last year, when this question was brought forward, he could
only say that lie had not made the prosperity of the country
the plea of postponement, but he had witted that as he was in
expectation of receiving information from abroad as to the state
of the continent. He thought if it were postponed, he should
be able to proceed at the commencement of this Session to
the consideration of the question, when he did not despair of
being able to propose to the House a revision of the Corn Laws;
but he had not add one word about the prosperity of the country.
nor did he Intend to urge that the distresses of this year were a
reason fur its postponement. [lt was with great difficulty that we
could catch the import of the Right Hon. Gentleman's observa-
tion', in consequence of the impatient calls of the House fur the
question.)
Mr. PHILIPS explelnel.
Mr. CURWEN rose amidst continued cries of question. We
understood the Hun. Member to say that he did not rise for the
Purpose of entering into a discussion of the subject, but to rebut
the opinion that had been stated, that the prenent laws were sus-
tained with a view to gratify the sotalid interests of the landed
Proprietors. Title was an aspersion which was most unjust. If
it could be shown that the measure proposed was for the advan-
tage of the working classes of the country, he would be the last
man to oppose it. But lie would venture to say, that if the plan
were to be carried into effect, the consequence must be to lower
the condition of every member of the working classes of thie
country; and that, instead of producing comfort anti happiness to
the people, it would produce the very reverse. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. WOCIF.HOUSE thanked the Hon. Member for Bridge.
north (Mr. Whitmore), for having made out so good a cave for
his (Mr. Wodehouse's) side of the House. (The cries of
"Question!" were here so loud and Incessant, that we could not
here another word that was spoken by the Hon. Member.)
Sir FRANCIS BURDErT rose, but the continued cries of
question prevented us from catching his first two or three nen-
meets. lie differed so much from the Right lion. the President
or the Board of Trade with respect to the advantages or dinadean.
tagee of disesission on the present occasion, that he (Sir P. Burdett)
thought there never was a subject brought before the Howie,' and
especially at this particular period, that wanted more of discussion
and one which would certainly gain more by discussion than the
subject now before it ; and whatever might be the ultimate result
of this debate, he should think that the discussion it had produred

would be of great benefit, and be wished it might still produce
more, for he was anxious to hear the. opinions of ell par-
ties; but he was confident that it was a subject of that
kind that required to be discussed without any angry feel-
ing, and still less of say unkind insinuations as to
the nu.tives of the different classes of people, which was a
course ill adapted to the consideration of a question of this nature,
and one which he thought it must be the wish on the part of all
to avoid. (Ileac, hear.) In specking on this subject. he could not
agree in feeling with his Hon. Friend (.Jr.l Gurwen); he did not
pretend to be so totally disinterested on the subject, which he
seemed to think was necessary in order to a person's being properly
qualified to enter upon its discussion. As a gentleman of England,
and as a person possessed off anded estates, could he believe that it was
detrimental to the interests of the country gentlemen to alter the pre.
sent law, he confessed he was not so great a patriot as to maintain it
againatlhe station which his property entirled him to hold. But be had
the consolation to know,that while hews maintaining his own inte-
rest in that station which his property gave him, he was also main.
taining the interest of society itself. (Hear.) He was in
a singular preificainent, being about to Tote for a motion with-
out at all participating in any of the views or motives of the
Honourable :11ember who brought it forward. He did not trdieve
the measure. if adopted, would produce any of those effects which
that Honourable Member anticipated = nor did he think it would

be attended with thriqe results which iiiiopponewit seemed to appre.

!lend. But he was about to support the tnotion, because he was '
persuaied that the interests of the Landed Gentlemen of this country
were as much consulted in its proposal, anti would be as much pro.
moted by its adoption as those of any other part of the community.
With respect to the Noble Lord ( Lord Milton) who had I
addressed the House in support of the motion, in a speech
replete with feeling, patriotism, and eloquence, though he con.
ceived the Noble Lord to be mistaken in the conclusions he had
come to, yet be could not hut admire the moire which prompted
his exertions. The lion. Member who seconded this motion (Mr.
Philips) had set out by stating one or two things with which lie
(sir F. Burdett) fully agreed, and he had also stated one or two
things from which he (Sir F. Burdett) was compelled to differ with
him. It was, he would agree with the Hon. Member, an object
of all society to employ as many parsons iu protinctive labour as