The Sun.
London, England, 1839-08-22 00:00:00

particularly as the duties required were such as any
country gentleman ought to be ready to execute.
Mr. P. HO WARD thought the proposition a very
reasonable one. At present, measures affecting counties
were much longer being understood than in towns.
Sir C. BURRELL considered it extraordinary that this
measure should be introduced by Gentlemen who had ob-
jected to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's bringing for-
ward the Irish Bank Bill, on account of the lateness of the
Session. Taking the whole circumstances into considera-
tion, he felt it to be his duty, if his Hon. Friend the Mem-
ber for Somersetshire divided on the subject, to vote with

him. •
Captain PE C HELL hoped the Bill would be printed
for the information of the public, as the time had now
arrived when they were anxious to have some sort of
control over the money that was raised from them.
The principle had been recognized in the Bill which had
been introduced on a former occasion, and there could be
no reasonable objection to its introduction. He knew not
what machinery the Hon. Member contemplated in order
to give the rate-payers some control over the funds, but
the system was one which the House must approve of,
more esrecially at a time when the rates were increasing,
and further demands were being constantly made upon the
rate-payers. He hoped the House would allow the Bill
to be brought in.
Mr. HUME replied. The principle of representation
and taxation which be contended for was recognized in
every municipal Corporation in the kingdom, and the
object of the Bill was to extend that principle to counties.
There were some objections urged on former occasions
with regard to the frequent elections of the Councils, and
the appointment of auditors, which he bad remedied in
the present Bill, and all he wanted was that time
should be given for properly discussing its merits.
He hoped the Bill would not be opposed, several had been
introduced within the last month for the mere purpose of
being printed, and why his bill should not be so, he did not
know. If it was objected to, of course he must submit, as
in the then state of the House, it would be worse than
useless to take a division, but he hoped the Bill would be
allowed to circulate throughout every county.
Mr. T. PARKER was in duty bound to oppose the
Bill. In the county with which he was connected the
accounts were made up yearly, and the county was in
general satisfied with them. He must oppose the intro-
duction of the Bill.
Mr. GRIM SDITC H said the title of the Bill ought to
be " a Bill to establish county confusion."--( A laugh.)
He would give every opposition to the Bill in his power.
The motion was then negatived without a division.
EAST INDIA TRADE.

Mr. HUME then rose to move for a copy of any con
tract or agreement entered into by the Board of Admiralty,
or any other department of her Majesty's Government,
respecting the conveyance of the mails to the West Indies
and America; stating whether the same has been agreed
to by private contract or public tender ; and stating, also,
the terms or offers made by merchants of Bristol or other
parties for the said contract.
Mr. C. WOOD said the only reason why he should
object to the motion was, that it would be impossible for
him to comply with it. He was ready, however, to make
an explanation ; and, as that would probably answer the
purpose of the Hon. Gentleman, he would do so at once.
The first contract in point of time was the one for the con-
veyance of mails to Halifax. The Government certainly
had called for a public tender for the performance of that
service. The lowest tender for the performance of that ser-
vice once a month, and that was a very unsatisfactory tender
with regard to the mode of carrying it out, was 45,0001.
a-year, but the Government had entered into an engage-
ment with an individual for the performance of the service
once a fortnight at 50,000/. ; so that, at an increase of
5,0001. they would get twice the service done, including a
communication with the St. Lawrence and a conveyance
from Halifax to Boston. In consequence of some further
engagement, an additional expense was rendered necessary
by the employment of another vessel. They bad contracted
for the conveyance of mails to Halifax once a fortnight;
for the conveyance of mails from New Brunswick to Quebec
once a fortnight as long as the river was open, and the convey-
ance of mails from Halifax to Bolton for the sum of 60,000/.
a-year ;so that, at an increase of 15,000/., they had more
than twice the service done, for which the lowest tender
was put in, in this country, which was 45,0001.—( Hear.)
With regard to the conveyance of mails to the West
Indies, no contract had been entered into. It was done
by private tender. His conviction was that neither in
North America nor the West Indies would it be worth
while for any one to undertake the service who had not,
foam their interest in the colonies, a much farther interest
in the performance of the service than the mere sum paid
by the Government. A number of gentlemen deeply in-
terested in the welfare of the West India colonies, had
come forward and offered to perform certain services
for 240,000/., and this had been agreed to. He
would now detail the services performed. At present
there was a communication by sailing vessels twice a month
to the West Indies, and once a month to Mexico. The
communication with the West Indies was, therefore, im-
perfect, and the inter-colonial communication was ex-
ceedingly bad. With all the foreign islands there was no
communication at all. There was no communication be-
tween Havannah and the English islands, and the conse-
quence was that if the Governor of Honduras wished to
write to the Governor of Jamaica, the letter must come
round by England. If specie was wanted to be sent from
Mexico to the West Indies there was no mode of sending it
except by sending a ship of war for that purpose ; nor was
there any communication to be depended upon between
the West Indies and the United States of America.
These deficiencies would now be supplied in the following
manner two steamers of 400 horse power each would cross
the Atlantic every fortnight to the West Indies, from these
branch steamers of a similar power would go to the dif-
ferent islands, steamers would likewise proceed to the dif-
ferent colonies of Guiana, Demerara, and Berbice, to the
Caraccas, to Panama, to Honduras, to the Havannah, to
Vera Cruz, and the south-western parts of the United
States. In addition to this, steamers would proceed from
the Havannah to New York and Halifax. The number of
steamers to be employed would amount to fourteen, and
by this means a fortnightly communication would be
opened between this country and the whole of the
West Indies, the northern part of South America,
the southern parts of the United States, Mexico,
and the western coast of the South American Continent.
This would be carried into effect early in the summer of
1841, which was as soon as the necessary arrangements
could be effected. With respect to the terms, the more he
looked at them the more was he satisfied with the arrange-
ments that had been entered into—more particularly when
he considered the enormous expense of providing these
boats, and of sending out coals from this country. He
could assure the House that no propositions had been made
to the Government by any party. It was true the terms of
this arrangement had been made for ten years, as persons
could not enter into any contract for a less term, but it had
been made an article in the contract, that if, during the ten
years, any great improvements should be made in steam
navigation, the Government should have the benefit of them.
Mr. HUME wished to ask if any prospectus had been
issued setting forth the duties to be performed, and calliper
for tenders, and also whether the Hon. Gentleman was able
to state if the parties were now in a condition to carry their
agreement into effect, or if it would not be necessary even
now to form a company for that purpose?
Mr. C. WOOD was understood to say that no pro-
spectuses had been issued ; he had no hope of a better
tender : considering, too, that the parties would have to
build at least fourteen steam-vessels of 400 horse power,
it could not be expected that they would be able to com-
mence for some months.

The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said the subject was
of the deepest interest to his constituents—( Hoar, hear)
—and there were one or two points to which he
wished to call the attention of his lion. Friend. He
could not claim on behalf of those whom he had the honour
to represent, that the consideration of their interests
should weigh with the Government or with the House, to
induce them to forego the advantages of ste tm, if steam
were (as he believed it via,,) more expeditious for the
transmission of correspondence than sailing vessels. But even
on this point he begged it might be recollected that the
packet service, being a branch of our naval establishment,
presented a laudable object of ambition to those desirous of
entering the navy, and who might otherwise be unemployed ;
thus was it a nursery for British seamen, and answer..d
ends which would not be effected by a contract system.—
( Hear, hear.) Supposing, however, that the Government
bad taken an unalterable resolve, he yet would especially
entreat them, they might believe with no ill will he did so
—(A laugh)—to make the change with the least possible
injury to a poi which had been for a hundred and
fifty years the port of communication across the Atlantic
—( Hear, hear)—with the least possible injury to the
—he would not say vested rights—but the valuable
interests of those who had laid out large capital,
employed in extensive establishments at Falmouth,—
( Hear, hear.) And what he suggested was, that it should
be made a part of the contract—as to a certain extent he
trusted he might say it had been—that the establishment
must to some degree be fixed at Falmouth. He said
this, because he believed it was admitted, that there
was no port in the United Kingdom from which
vessels cculd start more advantageously for the
stations across the Atlantic, as Falmouth, there being no
wind with which vessels could not sail thence. Another
consideration, in which the public, the landed public espe-
cially, were interested, was this :—The letters that came
from Falmouth came partly from London, but that was not
the greatest proportion—the greatest proportion came
from the North, from Glasgow and Ireland ; and unless
the letters were taken in at some of the western ports, they
would be delayed. Unless, therefore, these packets were
bound by their contract to take in letters at the extreme
ports, there would be great delay. What he was now stating
was not chimerical, for during the last three or four weeks
no less than three packets had been delayed 67 hours in
consequence of not being stationed at Falmouth. He
trusted, in conclusion, that the sense of the House would
be manifested in favour of his view of the case, in order
that his Right Hon. Friend might see the propriety of
adopting it, which it was his belief he was
inclined to do.
Mr. F. BARING hoped the House would express no
opinion with respect to the propriety of placing the packet
stationeket
station at Falmouth, or elsewhere. If he was in the situa-
tion of his Hon. Friend, standing up in that House as
the advocate of his constituents, he should advocate
the station heir', at Portsmouth. The Treasury were
.de-
termined to fix' upon that place for a . packet. station
which was most beneficial to the public
.service, and
not to consider the interests of any parties in particular..
He
able
ev
ehtraondcmogennrfeet
,ar great gratification in reflecting, that while his
Rightu Hon. Friend was at the head of the Treasury, the
inwthiecthognri
had afforded yto trade. (ies upon the commerce
communication by steam of the country euantcetsitonadSvvaitnhtat,he
.Admiralty, had been
During the last few years a weekly
tharne
had
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England
de Grdeciand.lslan s—a t
now they had secured, by that lataastnndarrra'
communication between England
nightly steam communicatiownhiclahe
was
tnhigeae—lnWae
North America, and
arrangement,
fortnightly
a Indies,
ffort-
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Mexico, and that coon ry, great. importance
in the present state of their Colonials of
hear.) Ile could not but believe that .—(Hear,
would be productive ofgreat ultimatebe.nefitto the commerce