The Sun.
London, England, 1837-05-04 00:00:00

bcpt d that foreign corn intended for manufa.!ture for ex-
porl at on would be kept under lock and key, an not allowed
to .Je mixed up in the general stores of the exporter.
After a few words from Mr. FORBES, who was under-
stood not to resist going into Committee on the subject,the
motion was agreed to, and the House resolved into Com-
mit Mr. -WARBURTON in the Chair.
:Mr. ROBINSON then said that he believed he .Isho&d.
be following- the usual course on such oceas;ins by briefly
moving a general resolution on the sailtje t, which lie would
now do to the following effect That it is expedicat that
the manufacture of foreign corn and grain into flew. for ex-
portation only should he permitted without the payment of
duty, under such restrictions as may be necessary to pro-
tect the revenue from fraud, and British agriculture from
loss or iPjury." He did not think it incutol)ent upon him
in the present state of the proceeding to enter into the tie-
tads of the Bib wlich would be founded upon this resole-
th:n, if it were :oiopted. He should be glad to leave the
conduct of that Bill to his Majesty's Government, and to
acquiesce iii any restrictions or regulations which might be
decreed- expedient.
-Alr. G. F. YOUNG seconded the resolution.
Mr. I'. THOMPSON objected to the manner in which
the Hon. Member had put his motion, and said that the
Member having once put the House into Committee
or. the subject, was called upon to explain in detail the
mit ore of the measure 'which he proposed to introduce.
That was the ordinary course of proceeding. When the
Bon. Member moved for leave to bring in a Bill, it would,
:according to the usual practice, be necessary to state the
nature of it, in order that the House might know what they
had to deal with. His conduct, therefore, with regard to
the measure must depend on the nature of the Bill, and the
extent to which the lion. Gentleman proposed to carry his
resolutions. If his sole object was to allow corn to be
ground under lock, then he (Mr. P. Thompson) could have
no objection to it ; but if it was his object to take corn out
of bond to be ground, and have that corn exchanged for
English corn, involving the whole proposition of a Bill
passed in 1824, which was to be in operation for only one
ar—if that was the Hon. Member's object, then he was
rtepared to oppose it. He thought the more simple way
was for the Hon. Member to state his intentions before
the Committee came to any decision on the motion before
them.

Mr. ROBINSON said, if the intention of the Govern-
ment was to allow corn to be ground only under lock, that
was a course of proceeding which he considered so restricted,
d of so little advantage to trade and commerce, that he
would be no party to it. But if the Government would
al'ow him to bring in a Bill to take a certain quantity of
foreign corn out of bond for grinding, on condition that an
equal quantity of English flour or biscuit were exported ;
or if the Right Hon. Gentleman would bring in a Bill,
and allow him to move clauses in Committee in accordance
with his view, he should be perfectly satisfied. He trusted,
therefore, that the Right Hon. Gentleman would either
. take his Bill, or introduce one of his own.
Mr. HAWES thought the best way would
.be for the
President of the Board of Trade to introduce a Bill, and
allow the Hon. Member for Worcester to make amend-
ments, with a view to improve it.
Sir E. KNATCHBULL thought the subject had been
well considered, on the discussions which had taken place
on the Corn-laws. If the Hon. Momber, however, would
state his sentiments, he could assure him the landed inte-
rest would give them -a fair consideration.
After a few words from Mr. PRYME, who was under-
stoof's to support the resolution,
'Mr. G. F. YOUNG said he was favourable to the
proposition of his Hon. Friend. The plan had been tried
in 1824, on a motion of Mr. Huskisson, and he bad never
heard of any fraud having been practised. The working
of the Corn-laws, however, was very imperfectly under-
stood ; and he would give an instance in proof. It had
been discovered not long ago that biscuit and bread might
be introduced under the head of " Articles not specified,"
at the rate of twenty per cent. duty ; and that was begin-
ning to be acted upon. Biscuit could be introduced from
Haniburgh for 16s. the hundred weight, while it cost 19s.
here ; and he knew that a Gentleman in trade had sent
out a number of ships to Haniburgh to import biscuits for
supplying merchant vessels.
Mr. D. ROCHE supported the proposition of the Pre-
sident of the Board of Trade for allowing Corn to be
ground only under lock.
Mr. HUME said he was ashamed to see the time of the
House taken up in such a discussion, derogatory to the
House and to the landed interest. The whole point was,
whether they should keep out a few pounds in the quarter
of grain, or admit these few pounds at a lower price. He
thought. at the same time, that the Hon. Member for Wor-
cester should bring in his own measure, and not leave it to
others, with the expectation of amending it in Committee.
He would vote for the motion of the Hon. Member for
Worcester ; and he intreated his Majesty's Government
to take the subject into consideration, and to adopt a more
lit eral course of proceeding with respect to it.
Mr. WALLACE maintained that the landed interest
Ras opposed to the general interests of the country, and re-
gretted that the Right Hon. the President of the Board of
Trade joined with the landed interest. He should decidedly
vote for the motion of the Hon. Member for Worcester.
Mr. CLAY observed that as it was clear his Hon.
Friend the Member for Worcester could not carry the
larger measure, he strongly recommended him to bring for-
ward the smaller 'Treasure, which he could carry. At the
same time he (I‘.lr. Clay) confessed that he could not see
all the force of the Right Hon. the President of the Board
of Trade's arguments against his Hon. Friend's motion.
Sir CHARLES BROKE VERE defended the agri-
cultural ',aterest from the imputations which had been cast
upon Vaem.
Sir JOHN TYRELL would not express his opinion
until he knew what the precise proposition before the
House was.
Mr. P. THOMSON repeated his former statement
end explanation. If the Hon. Member for 'Worcester
wr uld say which proposition he was disposed to adopt, he
(Mr. P. Thomson) would be prepared to say what course
he would pursue with reference to it. That would be much
better than going on with a general discussion which had
eo definite object.
Mr. ROBINSON observed that if the resolution were
agreed to, a Bill must necessarily be brought in founded
upon it. Now, he would rather that that Bill should be
brought in by the Right Hon. Gentleman, and under the
auspices of Government, than by a private individual. If
he (Mr. Rohmson) were to bring in a Bill, he should have
little chance of success. If he were to bring in a Bill it would
be to alleys the taking out of bond a certain quantity of fo-
reign drain, on the condition of exporting an equivalent
gun .itity of flour, and 'biscuit ; under such securities as
should prevent fraud. As a commercial man he could not
bring in any measure which he knew must be inoperative.
If, however, he could not get his own measure, he should
avish to see what measure would be proposed by the Right
Hon. Gentleman.
Mr. P. THOMSON asked the Hon. Member whether
he correctly understood him, that the object which ho had
in view was that a certain quantity of foreign corn should
be taken out of bond on the condition of exporting an equi-
valent quantity of flow end biscuit ?
Mr. ROBINSON replied in the affirmative.
Mr. P. THOMSON said that to such a proposition,
then, he could, not agree ; for experience had convinced
him that an exchange of that sort could not be permitted
without etrening the door to an extensive fraud. The Act
of 1824 eernained in force only a year on that account.
Corn, a hicli yielded above the average quantity of flour,
well be taken out of hoed, while only the average quan-
tity of flour would be exported, and thus a large amount
of duty would be saved. Now, although he was opposed
to the Corn-laws, because he believed that they were in-
jurious to all the interests of the country, the agricultural
among the rest, he could not consent to doing- them away
by a side-wind.
Mr. HEATIICOTE thought that the Right Honour-
able Gentleman had taken a most excellent view of this
subject, and one that d:ele him great honour. Ile thanked
him for opposing the seotion.
After a few words from Mr. Hume, Mr. G. F. Young,
Mr. O'Connell, nod Mr. Collier, the Committee divided,
tt lien there tt.pe%red—
For ;.he motion
AgUi'.st it 43
Majority
LAW OF LIBEL BILL,
Mr. O'CONNELL, speaking front the Opposition
tems'aes, moved the second reading of this Bill. In doing
so he felt it his duty to state the circutustances under
which the measure then tame under the consideration of
the House, as well as the objects and principles which it
bad in view. It was the same Bill that had already been
three times before the House, but as yet had never been
read a second time. It was in the year 1833 that he first
proposed a measure of this description, and at that time
Lord Althorp requested him not to press it forward, but
to abandon it for that session, upon the understanding that
it was the intention of the Government to have a Com-
mittee upon the subject of the law of libel. It happened,
however, that the session was at that time so far advanced
as to render it inconvenient then to appoint the Committee,
And the, subject, as a matter of necessity, stood over till the
next year, In 1834 the then Attorney-General (now the
Lard Chancellor) brought the question under the cons
lideration of the House, and proposed a Committee
to consider the law of libel, and to suggest remedies
for its improvement. The Committee appointed upon
that occasion went fully into the subject, and not only
admitted the defects of the law as it then stood, but
fully demonstrated the extraordinary anomalies to which
it gave rise. He (Mr. O'Connell) wished it were then in
his power to obtain the attention of the House (there was
a general confusion reigning), and to reward it by recapi-