The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1825-06-18 00:00:00

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pursued the strict line or a consciencious sense of duty. His object
was to afford the House an opportunity of expressing its opinions
upon the question of his Hon. Friend's services now, and thereby
afford free scope to the benevolent intentions of a generous Sove-
reign in favour of a meritorious subject. (Hear, hear.) If the
effect of his obeervations would be to call forth these sentiments,
and if the result should be the restoration of his Hon. Friend to the
situation he was calculated to adorn, he, for one, would ever feel
happy in having been the bumble instrument of that restoration
which he was sure would be received with approbation by that
House of Parliament and the country. (Cheers).
Ale. LITTLETON expensed hie candid concurrence in the
sentiments of the Learned Member for Caine. It would be both
had taste and bad feeling to revert to what was past, as he was con-
fident there existed no remembrance in that House now of any
thing but the eminent services of the Gallant Officer whose name
had been introduced with such eloquent justice. His restoration
must be received with gratitude and pleasure by that House, and
lie could add, the whole country. (Hear, hear.).
Mr. WODF.IIOUSE expressed similar sentiments. Such an
act of grace to that Gallant Officer, while it must be most congenial
to the royal nature. would he acceptible to the whole kingdom.
Lord W. BKNTINCK, being one of that profession appealed
to, begged to state, that, in his opinion, no individual in the army
had shed greater lustre on the national character, or added more to
our military reputation, than the Gallant Officer in question. It
wan not his intention to extenuate his errors, or arraign the judg-
ment which hail been pronounced upon him. All he would say
was, that he thought his reinstatement would give general sans-
faction. ( Gear. hear.)
Mr. C. CALVERT pronounced a warm eulogium upon his
Honourable Colleague's character, and expressed a hope that the
feelings of the House would meet with a responsive impulse from
the throne.
Sir Al. W. RIDLEY expressed similar sentiments.
Sir R. FERGUSSON could say with truth, that no man in the
British army bore a higher character. He appealed to a distin-
guished Officer opposite (Sir A. Hope) as .the opinion enter-
tained of that officer in the military service.
Sir A. HOPE, thus appealed to, expressed his conviction that
the army would view with pleasurethe restoration of the gallant
Officer alluded to. (Hear, hear.) He at the same time, while he
acknowledged his great talents, begged not to be supposed as
questioning the propriety of continuing the power at present lodged
in the hands of the Commander-in Chief—a power which was ne-
ver, in any country, wielded with more moderation and jus-
tice. ( H ear. )
Mr. MANSFIELD expressed his conviction that the restoration
of the lion. Member to his military rank would give unqualified
satisfaction.
Mr. W. LAMB, said although he had voted against the inquiry
demanded by the Hon. Member, because he thought it right that
a strict ides of discipline should be preserved, yet felt himself
bound to say that he thought 'here was no good reason why he
should not now be restored to a rank it must be confessed he
deserved.
Alr. BROUGHAM expressed his entire concurrence in what
had fallen from his Honourable Friend( Alr. Abercromby) through-
out the whole of the painful transaction which had been adverted
to ; he had been the personal friend as well as the protesaional ad-
viser of his Honourable Friend (Sir R. Wilson.) He knew that
on the occasion of his defence in that House, his Honourable and
Gallant Friend had documents in his possession, which, if he
had produced, would have created a powerful impression. He
(Mr. Brougham) had seen these documents, and he was ready to
bear testimony to the extraordinary forbearance of his Honourable
Friend in not bringing them forward. Throughout the whole of
the proceedings, however. he had the generosity, not even once to
have alluded to them. (line, hear.)
COMMITTEE OF SUPPLY.
The House then resolved itself into a Committee of Supply.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER proposed the In-
sertion of the Appropriation Clause in Committee on Surplus of
Grants BilL—Agreed to, and the Report was ordered to be brought
up on 31onday.
POOR RELIEF (IRELAND) BILL.
After a few words from Mr. GRATTAN, the further considera-
tion of the Poor Relief (Ireland) Bill was postponed to this day
three months.
CUSTOMS CONSOLIDATION ACT.
Mr. HUSKISSON moved that the HouseYesolve itself into a
Committee on the further consideration of the Report on the Cus-
toms Consolidation Act. He was desirous of calling the attention
of the House to the Resolutions which before Easter he had the ho-
nour of submitting to the House. The principles contained in
those Resolutions he was still prepared to recommend to the Com.
mittee, although it had been found expedient to introduce some
changes in matters of detail, which he would take the present op-
portunity of submitting. On the occasion of laying these Resolu•
titans before the House, he stated it to be his.destre to receive every
suggestion, observation, and criticism, from every quarter, that
could bear upon the proposed alterations in our commercial policy. ,
He had given this invitation very generally, and it had been very
generally accepted ; and he mold assure the House that since the pro-
pont of these Resolutions, no ind iv idual had received more numerous
communications upon any subject than had been received by the Pre-
trident of the Board of Trade. This was not a matter of surprise to
him,when he oonsidered the various interests to be affected by the alter.
ations he intended to propbst. He stated it, not as a matter of corn-
plaint, but as a ground of apology for not having brought forward
the subject at an earlier period after the recess. The delay arose
from a desire to give the fullest attention to the representations
made to him, and to attend to those representations as far as his
duty to the community generally would allow him. It devolved 1
upon him now to proceed to a statement of how far he would pro-
pose an agreement to what he had before submitted to the Corn-
mittee,
and to point out In what respect he would propose an ad-
dition to the former resolutions—ln what respect a modification of
them, and in what respect also a further reduction of duty. The
suggestions of the parties particularly affected by the proposed
changes had been duly attended to; but their representations were
naturally received and entertained with some degree of suspicion ;
between him (Mr. Huekisanti), and. them, therefore, there were, if
he might use a legal expression, two issues to try—one an issue of'
statement and the other an issue of expediency. On cotton goods
it was not his intention to propose any alteration, and on imported
woollens, it was his intention to continue the present ad valorem
duty, such as he had before stated in the former resolutions ; at the
same time that he would hold out the prospect of a gradual dimi.
notion of the duty. On metallic substances he would not propose
any further reducuon of duty beyond what he had already sub.
misted, except as far as related to lead. From the present high
price of that article, and from the great demand for it in building
and in various other purposes, he would propose that there be no
protecting duty upon it. On earthenware articles it was also his
intention to propose a further reduction of duty. On linen
manufactures the duty was proposed to be twenty-five per cent.
After having heard all the parties concerned in this important
branch of manufactures, and in consideration of what was due to
the manufacturing interests, generally—he would now propose
that the reduction be gradual and that a reduction to the extent
which he hail formerly stated be not forthwith adopted. This
formed an important branch of industry in Ireland, and he hoped
to see it prosper there, where it had hitherto been retarded by the
want of capital, and by the employment of manual labour in ma.
nufactories ; whereas, elsewhere, there was a greater facility in the
manufacture from the superiority of our machinery. But he
hoped that ere long, both in capital and In machinery, Ireland
would be able soon to compete with any other country in the pro-
duction of this important article. The principles which he recom-
mended on the anicles of manufacture to which he had already
adverted, were those which were formerly recommended and en.
forced by a once distinguished Member of that House (Mr.
Homer.) On the article of glass he would propose a still further
reduction of duty: this article had a peculiar claim to a re_
duction, as besides the Custom duty it was also subject to a duty
°lF:seise; for this reason he would propose a reduced ad valorem
duty upon it. In this, as in other branches of 111woufactures, the
diminution which he would propose would be a gradual, not a
sudden one. The next article to which he should call the attention
of the Committee was that of paper. lie would not speak of the
raw material, as that was comparatively unimportant, and besides,
in some instances, its importation from the Continent was prohi-
bited. But the regulations which he would propose related to
paper in a anufactured state, by which he meant when it was
made up intA books. Great ineonvenienee had been felt in the im-
portation of books from the Continent to this country. Now to
remedy that incouvenience, he would propose that all books which
were printed twenty years ago should be admitted on a reduced duty
from the present duty of 61. Ws. to I/. This should be understood,
however, with this limitation, that the reduction would not extend
to books which were imported into this country for purpose', of safe,
but was intended to allow individuals to possess those classical and
other literary works of merit on tht Continent which it was so de-
sirable to possess in the formation of a library. Or books printed
within the period he had specified he would propose as a general
sole of duty, that it be altered from 71. to 51. It was not his inten-
tion to go through the whole of the items on which he would re-
commend an alteration. He would, however, advert to a
few of them. On flax and tow he would propose a still
further reiuction. As to harilla lie had proposed a reduction upon
it; but he had since understood that there was an understanding
that the present duty should continue for five years from the time
of its imposition. Although his opinion was that the reduction
would be expedient now, yet as a pledge had been given that it
should continue for five years, for the preservation of good faith
he thotaght it better that the reduction should not take place until
the expiration of that period. On a very important duty to which
much attention had been directed, and on which he had received
many representations, the only measure he would propose was
one that -would not so much affect that rimy in lot amount, as it
would correct and prevent the recurrence of a fraud which had been
practised in the payment of that duty. The present duty on tim-
ber was fifty-five shillings per ton, according to the cubic measure.
There was a duty also of It. Ids. on one hundred and twenty-five
planks; the latter though shaped so as to evade the higher duty,
were made to answer all the purposes of building, &c., to which
the former were applicable. This was he thought a manifest fraud
and called foe correction, u it was equally an injustice to the
fair dealer and an injury to the revenue. There were various
other minor articles, such as dying materials, Re-, into the em-
endation of whirls lie would not enter, on which it was his
intention to propose a reduction so as to make the duty
merely nominal. These would in a great degree be found bene-
ficial to the West Indies, the consumption of whose products he
was motion% to encourage by a diminution of duty as far as was
posslhle. He had now stated the principal alterations and changes
which he proposed in the Resolutions submitted to the House, and
the Committee would bear in mind that throughout he had kept
the principle of reduction of duty constantly in view. The dimi.
notion to the revenue from these changes, making a liberal allow.
once for the increased consumption, in consequence of a reduction