The Sun.
London, England, 1830-04-27 00:00:00

that if ever there was a happy moment for the alteration,
the present was that moment—(Hear, hear)—the interest
on money being at present so very low. The great opera-
tion of the Usury Laws took place in times of pressure ;
and he mutt admit, that the pressure fell upon those whom
they were intended to favour. With these sentiments he
should_not divide against the Bill, though he did not think
. that it was one which ought to pass into a law. Nothing
could be more impolitic than a law like the present Usury
Laws, which cut down all 'the care that lawyers might
take to provide against its clauses ; and, in spite of all the
care, at last slipped into the noose. —( Hear, hear, hear. )
It was not, 'however, necessary to repeal the Usury Laws,
in order to get over this inconvenience. He would rather
that a total repeal of these laws should take place than
that the principle of the present Bill should be adopted.
It appeared to him to be quite an anomaly. It was a Bill
to enable the party to do something which 'he could not
enforce by law. If they did any thing, they should at least
bring it within legal reason, and therefore they ought to
make up their minds whether they would repeal wholly or
Only in part. Another disadvantage of the present 'Bill
was, that it held out an inducement to persons to be care-
less as to what interest they paid, as they would think
that it would always be in their power to stop whenever
they pleased. If there were to be a rate of interest fixed
they ought to meet that question firmly at once, for then
parties would know whereabouts they were. It could rfot
be concealed that this Bill was, in point of fact, an indirect
repeal of the Usury Laws ; for as the Bill was to enable the
lender to take what rate of interest he pleased, the opera-
- tion of that would be, that the borrower would pay what-
ever rate the lender required till he was ready to pay off the
money advanced—the effect of which would be, that the
loan would atop as soon as the excessive interest stopped.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL—With respect to any
question of rate that might be settled in the Committee
with respect to Bills of Exchange, it was very desirable
that a-rate of interest should be fixed. An arrangement
might also-be made as to the term to which any controul
was to extend. He himself had always been an advocate
.. for the repeal of the Usury Laws, as he never could find
any reason why the Legislature should take upon itself to
fix what rate should be paid for money more than for land
or other rent. The consequence of such an interference
was, that the difference was always made up in the shape
of premium; besides which, the system of borrowing
money on annuity effectually counteracted the law as it
now stood. Ile felt convinced that an alteration in the
Usury Laws would prove of advantage to the landed inte-
rest ; and that to attempt to make an alteration for any
other class but that of the landed interest, would prove
greatly injurious to that body.
The House then divided, when there appeared,
a For the second reading 5O
Against it 2l
Majority —29
The Bill was: then ordered to be committed on next
Monday.
SUPERANNUATION ALLOWANCES.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, in rising
_ _

to move for a Select Committee on this subject, said, that
this mode appeared-to him to be the best and most unob-
jectionable one of providing for the old servants of the
public. Till this system was adopted, they were either
obliged to employ incompetent persons, or to keep back a
portion of the salaries of persons as they came into office.
But these modes he thought very objectionable. At all
events, the appointment of a Committee on the subject was
very desirable, as in that case the circumstances would be
looked into by those who were best able to judge of the
matter, and who would propose to the House such altera-
tions as were best calculated to prove beneficial. He would
not, therefore, enter into any details. His object in going
into the Committee would be, to inquire into what ought
to be done in regard to those offices and salaries already in
existence. With a view to regulate those offices which
might be hereafter erected, or those appointments which
might be hereafter made, he had a Bill prepared, which he
would not bring in till after the Committee had examined
the subject. The Committee would then have the oppor-
tunity of examining the whole subject, and, according to
its Report, some permanent system of legislation might be
established. It was not right to enact a law one Session
and repeal it the next ; and it would be equally beneficial
to the public and just to the individuals, to settle the prin-
cipled on which every man embracing the service here-
after should receive his salary and his superannuation.
The Right Hon. Gentleman concluded by moving that a
Select Committee be appointed "to inquire into the
Superannuations and Salaries of the Civil Service, and to
the Half-pay and Retired Allowances, and into what
alterations might be made, having a due regard to the just
claims of individuals, and the benefit of the Public:Service."
Mr. R. GORDON expressed his surprise that the Right
lion. Gentleman had not included in his motion the ques-
tion, whether officers holding Civil situations should con-
tinue to receive their full pay. When the Committee
were appointed, he should move that it be an instruction to
the Committee to consider of the expediency of placing
Full and Half-pay Officers under similar regulations, when
appointed to Civil offices.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he
should oppose the Hon. Member's motion. The subject
he mentioned, though important in itself, had no connec-
tion with the object of the motion, which was confined to
superannuations, half-pay, and retired allowances.
The Committee was then appointed.
Mr. 11. GORDON then moved his instruction as above
stated.
Mr. GRANT seconded the motion, which was put, and
negatived without a division.
Mr. W. PEEL brought in a Bill to repeal the 55th of
George 111., entitled "An Act to procure Returns of
Persons committed, tried, and convicted for Criminal
Offences," which was read a first time.
Sir C. WETHERELL postponed his motion relative to
the Court of Chancery to Tuesday (this day) week.
Adjourned at One o'clock.

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There is a ship called the Brunswick now in
the London Dock, with nearly 200 men, women, and
children on board, emigrating to New York. These poor
people are most of them from the neighbourhood of Dies ;
they are chiefly agricultural labourers.
By an account of the duties paid on timber
and wood imported from the British provinces of North
America, it appears that these duties amounted—
For the year ended sth January, 1828, to £213,749 IS 4
For the year ended sth January, 1829, to 224,108 12 9
For the year ended 3th January, 1830, to 232,799 17 0
Had the same articles been imported from the Baltic, the
duties would have amounted--
For the year ended sth January, 1828, t 0.... £1,251,922 13 4
For the year ended sth January, 1829, t 0.... 1,494,867 4 1
For the year ended sth January, 1830, t 0.... 1,580,795 9 4
The object of imposing the higher rate of duty on timber
front the Baltic was to encourage our own North American
Colonies, the timber of which is of an inferior quality.
For this boon we hope they are grateful.
Yesterday a handsome piece of plate was pre-
sented to &maim FAvEr..t., Esq. on the occasion of his
retirement from public life, by 230 members and officers
of the Corporation of London. The presentation took
place at the Common Council Chamber in Guildhall.

BENVENUTO CELLINI.—A manuscript by
this celebrated artist has just been published at Venice,
under the title of Raceonti, or Tales. It was extracted
by M. GAMBA from a treatise on the art of working in
gold, now in the Marciana library at Venice, which be-
longed to Cxuma, and in which he inserted a number of
notes and observatious.—Literary Gazette.
Galicia is infested with robbers, who make it
their special business to Strip Monks and Priests, these be-
ing the only travellers that have any money. This, we
think, shows a very business-like discrimination in the
robbers.

ADVANTAGE OP ALLOTTING LAND TO
Pooa Eastmizs.—A very decided proof is afforded in the
borough of 111almesbury of the system of allotting portion.
of land to poor families. That borough contains one
parish and part of two other. ; that of St. Paul being
the most extensive, having five tithing. or hamlets without
the borough. There is in the vicinity about 700 acres of
corporation land,
these ten 500 acres of which was, until within
years, heath or open common land. About
eight or nine years since Joserx PITT, Esq. M.P. for
Cricklade, and the then High Steward for Malmesbury,
kindly interested himself for the inhabitants, and pro-
cured an Act of Inclosure. The 500 acres were con-
sequently enclosed and allotted to 280 families being free
burgesses of the corporation, with the exception of BO
acre., which have been let for the purpose of raising
funds to make gond roads and keep them in repair.
Many of these free burgesses are poor men with large
f'rnilies, having about an acre and a quarter, or an acre
aad a half of land each, the produce of which enables
t_eutgreater part of them to live without parochial relief.
Li of the 700 acres, at least 600 were dug by the
of the
The consequence has been, that the expenditure
,11 parish, which in April 1, 1819, amounted to
2,0711., has been
ending April 1 R. 4 gradually reduced, and for the year
being a decrease i
' it ann4unted to no more than 1,424/.
although the population h
n eleven ears of nearly 30 per c:Lnt.,
vas tl y
time..— County Chrortic/:8 increased in the iatne