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

Mane; and that It therefore ought not to be permitted ? (Hear.)
The It4rlit Hon. Gentleman the stattcretary for the Home Depart-
' meet adopted a similar line of argument, until Inquiry became in.
dispensable, and then he advocated an Inquiry that would last at
least two seats—an inquiry in which there should he one hundred
and eighty, or one hundred and eighty thousand question., he
knew not which. in short, he wished for an inquiry which would
not touch the delays of the Lord Chaocellor. (Hear, httar.) " (Me
me smelt a cuminiasion," exclaimed the Right Hon. Gentleman—
"a committal m of inquiry, where the Noble Lord will preside as
his own Judge." (Hear. hear.) So that atter the House had
struggled against public opinion, and been vanquished and when
in fact, it became necessary that an inquiry should be instituted,
the Right Hon. Gentleman, by a dexterous mameitvre, brought
nut of his pocket a Commission, and from that Commission there
had issued a voluminous and multitudinous Report, which he
firmly believed no person whatever could have the patience to read
perfectly through. (liear, hear.) it appeared, however. that the
evils, the acknowledged evils, appertained rather to the office than
to the person. lie confessed that it appeared to him to be nothing
short of marvellous that he should hear it at last agreed
to in that House, by general acclamntion, that the Court
of Chancery was a nuisance—a stanuing grievance—a curse to the
people. (Cheers.) He cared not whether the expression which
had been thrown out by his lion. Friend behind him (Mr. Hume)
were monosyllabic, of whether hit attack had been in a dechuna.
tory style, the result of previous arrangement ; but in either case
he could suture the Right lion. Gentleman t Mr. Canning), that in
his belief the Noble Lord at the head of the Court of Chancery
would quit life and office at the game time. (Hear, hear, and
laughter.) He said this much in order to guard against the im-
pression that anything which might be said either in the shape of
praise or attack upon that personage could at all influence hint to
resign his situation. (Hear, hear.) lie had not sty intention of
troubling the House with his sentiments upon that occasion, or he
could have been prepared to whew, by entering into its details, that
the pretties of the Court of Chancery was eminently mischievous.
Whether it would be remedied by the hundred and eighty questions
and answers in the report, be knew not ; but this he knew, that at
present it was in such a predicament as totally to deprive persona of
small.fnenings of the slightest chance of justice. It in short centre.
dieted that principle which formest the basis of the charter upod
which British freedom was fotinded,
" To none ought justice be denied or withheld."
The Honourable Gentleman sat down amidst loud cheers.

Mr. Secretary PEEI. then rise and said, that the Honourable
and beamed licntlentan had ridiculed the Report of the Unninis-
sionen of Inquiry, because of the number of questions which they
had thought it incumbent upon them to have answers to; but, he
would ask, whet would the Hon. and Learned Gentleman have
said, if the Commissioners bad disked only seven or eight questions
'weed of IMO? Would he not then have ridiculed it, and per.'
haps with justice, for the wain of information which must neces.
wily be conspicuous upon the face of it? (Hear, bear.) The
Commissioners, however, had gone through the whole course of
the proceedings of the Court of Chancery ; ail now, in the most
extraordinary manner, the Han. and Learned G•intleman attempted
to run them down—and why ? because of the extent of the reenlist I
which they thought it necessary to pmpon ! (Cheers.) Another
objection started against the Commission was, that the Report
was on voluminous teat no person could have the patience to read it
through. Of all other objections which the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman could have made, thin was really the most extraordi.
nary ; because, the fact was, that it had been made voluminous at
his own suggestion. (Much cheering.) In the course of last Sea.
Sinn of Parliament, did not the Hon. and Learned Gentleman my
that he trusted the House would not have a meagre Report?
(Hear, hear.) Did he not express a hope that, in justice to the
country, the whole of the evidence would be brought forward
(great cheering), and that nothing short of the whole evidence
would satisfy the country (immense cheering)—the whole, without
mutilation or curtailment? (Tremendous cheers.) Ministers had
acquiested in the suggestion—the whole of the evidence had been
laid before the House without curtailment or mutilation • and such
was the spirit which actuated Hon. Members in that that
now Ministers were turned round upon and told that the Report was
en voluminous that nobody would hare the patience to read it.
(Immense cheering.) bong before the House had met, his anxiety
that the subject should be fully understood by the Members was
such. that he asked permission of the Speaker to place it in the
hands of the Printer to the House of Commons. He obtained that
permission—the Report wan placed in the hands of every Honour.
able Member. and this was the return that he met with fur the
candour of his proceedings. (Immense cheers.) Why, he would
ask, was the Report voluminous ? Because every man who had
any complaint to make against the Court of Chancery was invited
to do so—and every solicitor, whose information might be calcu-
lated to throw light upon their proceedings, had been examined—
and then, after all their exertions, they were charged with present-
ing to the House a Report too voluminous.. (Hear, hear.) He
would entreat the House to suspend its opinion upon the petition
until the statement of the attorney upon the other side could be ob-
tained. In the meantime, lie had nn hesitation in stating that he
did not believe the allegations it enntained. ""he petition described
legal terms technically. 'The Hon. Gentleman admitted that the
petitiosetad been drawn up by a solicitor, and he would ask any
Hon. Member of that House if a solicitor ought to have putt into
that petition such a statement as that relative to staves and blutl.
geniis, which were only the nuel terms of a declaration in case of
ejectment ? ( Hear, hear.) It was a proof of the fact that the pe-
tition was got up for a specific purpose; and he confessed, under
those circumstances, that " M requireth that charity that believeth
much" to place any faith in its details. (Cheers.) The petitioner
stated that he offered the 3001. which had originally been borrowed
upon the property, but that the party refined it, because of the
cuts of suit which ought but dill not accompany the tender. Surely
there was nothing unreasonable in that. Besides, there was no
evidence, other than the assertion of the petitioner, that the pro-
perty wan worth 11001. at all. He hoped his Hon. and Learned
Friend (the Solicitor. General) would ascertain what were the facts
of the case, according to the statement of the attorney on the other
side; and, in the meantime, he entreated that the House would
suspend its opinion until it had before it both sides of the question.
(Much cheering.)
Mr. G R E SPE LL explained.
Mr. BROUGHAM said, that in one tinned the word the Re.
port might indeed be too long; but notwithstanding that, it
might be, in another sence, too short. A Report of eight nag:*
might be too long, while one consisting of eight hundred pages
might be too small. In seine points it appeared to him that the
Report contained omissions:so palpable as to attract the notice of
the most cursory observer. In many instances questions were
asked, the answers to which so naturally suggested others, that a
person is absolutely astonished that the inquiry has not been fol-
lowed up; instead of which, however, the answers are left int.
perfect. The cases were numerous, but he would only then al.
lude to one, as it was not his inter tion upon that occasion to enter
into a discussion of the subject. One gentleman was asked if
three persons could not, by assiduous attention, get through the
business of the Court of Chancery ? To which he replied. that
three angels could not do it. Another gentleman was asked if
any one man could get through the business of the Court by de-
voting six hours every day throughout the year, in constant appli-
cation to its despatch ? lo which lie also replied in the negative.
Would the House believe it that the question which this answer
clearly suggested, was never inked. No such thing; no person
thought it worth their while to ask whether any person ever did at-
tend six hours a day throughout the year to the duties of that
station. Sea that the impression would gn forth to the public, that
in fact Judges had bent their niincle to the despatch of the business
of that Court for six hours each day throughout the year, which
certainly was not the case.
After a few welds from Mr. B. Sanyo and 31r. HUME, the
petition was ordered to be printed.
CORN LAWS.
Mr. WHITMORE said be felt the weight of responsibility
which any individual would take upon himself, who should bring
before the House a subject of such great importance as that to
which he had now to tali their attention. Ile rose for the purpose
of bringing forward the motion relative to the Corn !Jaws, of which
he had given notice on a former night. Ile knew the great in-
fluence he had to contend with, the prejudices he had to combat,
and the unfavourable impressions which existed on this subject.
He knew the extravagant hopes which were entertained by one
party, and the exaggerated fears which were anticipated by another.
It wits difficult to steer between two such opposite parties. The
impnrtance of the subject pressed itself upon hint, (Mr.
Whitinere), then he reflected that this was a measure which
was to pmeide for the fond of the poor. Such If enusideration
worthy eitattemlon, and should not, In his opinion, be passed lightly
hy. Ile was not Indeed ignorant that a change had taken place in
an important branch of the policy of the country. He did not did.
approve of that policy in principle, but he complained of the pre-
sent imperfect state of the Corn Laws. Ile thought it a subject
deserving the strongest reprobation of that House • and he had
brought his motion turward, because lie thought a change in the
system adnptei with regard to those laws nor ght be effected
with considerable advantage to the interests of the country, and be-
cause he thought the time for that change had now come. He would
briefly state to the House the grounds upon which he had formed
that opinion. The subject was one which embraced so many and
such various interests, Mat he felt it would be difficult for him to
compress within ordinary limits what he had to state to the House
upon the subject which was offered to dietr consideration. It was
his wish that the question should be viewed with reference to the
principles of free tradearhich had been adopted and acted upon. He
would ask the House was then any thing that could justify a partial
adoption of that principle? If they applied the principles of free
trade to the manufacture* of the country, and withheld them from
the corn trade, they wculil render themselves ridiculous in the eyes
of foreign nations, and become the laughing stock of Europe. If
they did not extend the principle of free trade, which they partially
Adeline% what, he would ask, would they say to the silk weavers
and glovers, who were unable, in consequence of this liniitation of
the principle, to compete with foreigners ? They would discover
the consequence of such a system to be moat injurious ; a great
deal °rifle machinery which was used in the manufacture of articles
of exportation would become useless and of no value, because
foreign nations would not stand still, but would advance in im-
pmvement, which would have the effect of throwing the manufae-
wring people of this country out of employment, and of involving
them in the most ruinous and dreadful distress. When by the ope-
ration of the present system they hail reduced things to that issue,
what could they say to the silk weavers and to the ',lovers, who
would call on them to extend the principle of free trade, so as to
correct the evil. which fell so heavily upon them? would they reply
it was for the public good that they withheld the extension of the
principle ? Then would these men say, with great justice, " You
will then immolate us on the shrine of national advantage." But
he could not suppose the House would adopt such a
line of policy. Ile conceived it was pledged to pursue
quite an opposite course, Ilud to extend the principles of