The Sun.
London, England, 1839-02-19 00:00:00

with trade but hind :.:,.ail !ze 'eeeer." The beunty was
tdaert off in 1773 ; but 1773 :led 1774 were the begiening
°C the most reinerkable Cr;a_ and I vvi;i say the proudest
era in the history of tlie ceuriti le The mines of this
country, and of Wales es;:eciaiiy, teaming with wealth,
Ive,'e then first fill/3T explored, you-ing out their
rides to Ethe surface, that not only aggrand!zed their
P")°3sors but were instantly worked up into
innumerable tools and engines nee maahinery of lee most
exquisite and, most vigorous description, by ehieli rocks
tevh,,,nr:uh(li: nstred, and trees felled, eed foreats cleered, and all
roducc worked un into the finest :nanufactures—
the infinite skill, at the same tire, of rae.nufectairioe inge-
fleit-y, exerted to cid the wealth which the bowels of too
earth 'poured out, till by tie spinning jenay, and
trim= most extraordinary feats performed by the new
Power of steam, enlarging the sphere of human potency,
giving man almost a new existence, as well as a new
'dominion upon the earth, the whole lace of nature was
changed by the aspect of art, and this country became
that which she now is—that which God forbid she
should ever cease to be—one large, wealthy, industri-
°es, ingenious, expert, and skilful workshop of the
moat laborious, meat ingenious, and I wilt add, from
intimate knowledge of them, the worthic-t, I '.fishT
"aid add, the wealthiest of mankind. This was the
Period of
manufacturing prosperity-- not blessed with
Peace, but in spite of broken peace, bearing up against a
ruinous war, overcoming by the skill and industry of one
class of men the clients of the fatal—or, but for theta-
Ireelth and'worth, would have been the effects of the pro-
fligacy, of anotherset of men—and during there years,
notwithstanding ten years of one war and ten
Years of another, the genius of Washington,
the successes of Napoleon, and all the competition by land
tted by water to which our rights and our commerce were
elP'eti all this could not tame these wonderful men to
-"oat we owe so much—
Quo% neque Tydides, nec Levisceus Achillis
Non omni domuere decem, non mille carinre.
..My Lords, see the consequences of all this, and from
these these consequences d observing that during
'lc self-same years the price of agricultural produce was
ex''etlY double, esti von have the slightest reason, can
I" have the least iernaining vestige of doubt, that Sir
tv:isttil_ahtrCailLis uld was rightt when he said, it shall never be well
(ntting manufactures), but land. too shall
d•'tosh ? 1 ray, these manufactures were ',he cause of
Anubittnr the value of almost every estate in this realm.
thte'n I ask you to look with what coefidenee and with
'that little dismay you can on the. evidence I am
r:Nly to produce at your" Lordships' bar. The Corn-laws
,zll4,giving wings to these manufactures to fly away that
orceeled in value in the course of 30 or 40 years, in spite
L every landed estate in th 6 country. These, my
t 0 Hear
are. the grounds of my request to your Lordships
ear evidence at the Bar. I offer to prove upon oath
the destruction of the corn. trade by the Corn-laws. I
offer to
prove upon oath the removal of alt security against
tßene by the Coin-laws., I offer to prove upon oath the
leet'antion of all prices at all times by the Corn-lairs. I
utt r to prove upon oath the equalization of prices abroad
" at home, prevented by the Corn-laws. I offer to
l';ave upon oath your manufactures destroyed rather than
7ouraged by the competition ag
1, ainst the manufacturers
dell the Corn-laws create. I offer to prove, by evidence
oath at that Bar, the destruction of the ex-
port trade 'of this country by the destruction of the
farei.
z,n market for the manufactures of this country by
fbns'ne Corn-laws ; and with the proposition with which
Z.j,:an I now close my statement, or rather my to der of
'tllenee to your Lordships, that if :all those eight propo-
n, I°'ls I have now stated are refused —if the request I
6renled upon the statement of them is denied me—if lam
not to be allowed to give evidence of all those eight seve-
ral Nopcitiona which I have now illustrated and concluded
_I3Y enumerating—that refusal can only be grounded on one
'tor, either of these arguments—either that you admit them
be true, and require no proof of them—or that
iw°,,,l Say that they all impossible to be true, and that it
tiukl be childish to hear evidence open them—or that
6"eeY are wholly immaterial, and therefore it signi-
haBvettoth ing whether they are proved or not. Now I
v._ shown, that as to the two last propositions
but
are not impossible—that they are not improbable,
"it must be true ; therefore there but remains my first
ground upon which you refuse me, viz.—that you admit
theta all to be true, in which cast I take them to be as de-
eldedly proved as if I had brought forward evidence to
prove them, and. I ground upon that which you admit to be
w!IF on all hands, my said eight several propositions, upon
'ltch my Noble Friend not now hero will:probably move
'erne resolution. I pray your Lordships to pause before
You reject these propositions, unless you are disposed to
reject them with an explicit admission of thetruth of them
aotile way I have stated. For be ye well assured, if you
reject them, the day will come when you will
r ate,
You had better have thought twice when it will be too
te, and when repentance will not supply the place of
Soar
acceptance of the render on this occasion. I know
.120 body of men less likely to be in the remotest degree in-
fluenced by anything like the least approach to, or sem-
blance of, a menace. I never knew a Senate less likely to
be moved by anything of that sort ; therefore what I have
kindly
and what I am going to say is tendered to you as a
I'edly sad as a hearty advice, not a menace. But, my
Lords, I know that that advice will not be lost on you.
I know that you will kindly take it into your candid
and most serious consideration; and I add but one word
t°re to induce your Lordships to listen to the prayer of
~
re-se petitions, their prayer to be heard, not by Counsel,
,°r, You cannot hear them by Counsel, according to your
but by witnesses—and that is, that whatever resolu-
.l" 3.0 u shall come to—suppose you were even resolved
Zyour oven minds to do nothing against the Corn-laws at
~i,troi''God-sake do nothing against the Corn-laws ;
or !:0 them, re-enact them, resolve never to say a word
eutual.""r a word to be said against them, for the
eau ee' but do that after hearing all the evidence that
ue adduced at your Lordships' bar. I protest if I
evert,
the most strenuous advocate of those laws—if I
were d t •
fro. e ermined that nothing would make me budge
tee? theoa—if I were resolved before-hand—though
,ieirvould not be a very praiseworthy resolve—not a
ne't"e. wary deserving of judges whost business it is
if I tie.ludge before-hand, but after a hearing ; but even
t Prejudged tile thing, and had determined not
aGr4o.." it °P. I should deem that so far from being an
stl:""t egainst going into the inquiry, the most
pose
argument to induce me to go into it. But sup-
410e what the consequence of this refusal will be
th:egst mankind, that there was evidence offered at
ti.er bar affecting those eight propositions of fact,
ei% 37 one of them affecting the well-being of corn-
:tier'es-(ilear)—propositions, the importance of which
ttutirinan can deny, and no man can doubt—the
tend of which is solemnly assserted and even
arteeed on
oath at the bar, dolt all these propositions
'rent t° be given away to the wind, put down by the
evere %eloquence of numbers, by the mere force of one
V1°1.1141,7 Parliamentary majority, and that the
People
of England are to be told, Porliament has made
A its Tind—go your ways—go beck to your workshops
tai repair to Your maaufnetories—bie away to your foreign
‘, where in your commerce, you have gleaned all this
inferseati •
Wilt to on you have offered to tell U 3 01 your oaths—we
testin,„ 'l6 of your evidence, we will hear none of your
our ini.ll„Y"--Ire want none of your facta—we have niad! up
afraid to the foregone conclusion, and because we are
shake that your evidence might perchance tend to
we a ,that
determination we will not listen to it, because
aces not run that risk. My Lords, this refusal may be
bet4Panied by such suspicions and such cone-net-As as
• Ise - °lake it a more pleasing task to contemplate the
• ere
Jetta , eets of acceding to it than to have the sub-
which.'" My Lords, I can conceive no earthly event
there would tend more to reconcile the people, if ever
aeoo 4,as been a ft cling on the part of the people at vari-
your with the order to which your Lordships belong, than
Prayer kindly, considerate, paternal listening to the
wide 4, or these petitioners, and show that your opening
on, tl!'e door to the people's prayers, should not be to shut
diet 0..".6 evidence of their distresses, and the mute
my ee''Y Propose. With these matters, I humbly tender
?r, th lit thanks to your Lordships for having granted me
ir,euhe Part of the people of this country so patient and so
oncelfnt a hearing. I commit the case to your hands
tlenej'Ore, repeating that I tender all that important evi-
aeret of great material facts, on the oaths of re-
tii leis and experienced individuals, which I hear-
The he
Teo Pe your Lordships will net refuse to hear.
the Noble and Learned Lord concluded by moving that
Petition be referred to a Committee of the whole House.
al,y , 6 Duke of BUCKINGHAM would not trespass at
speeq'agth upon their Lordships' time, after a very able
he eh of the Noble and Learned Lord, for whose talents
eieaerri ttertained a very gre...t respect. It was perfectly
om, 0 him that the whole
gist of the liable and Learned
the Speech was nothing more nor less than a repeal of
is tCorn-laws._ The Noble Lord had asked for witnesses
foe.:.h.°ard at the Bar of ,he House, but it w:is impossible
• self-,‘,..41 (the Duke of Buckingham) to disguise from him-
Ai.,3l;uvefact that the ultimate'obje et of the Noble Lord was
hi a 1 of those laws of which he honestly acknowledged
not to' 4 firm and strenuous advocate. It was impossible also
the
.0 Perceive that the agitations now going on in all
alontZlitrY. was for the sole purpose of creating dissen-
atid.,„• Shen
the inanuincturer and the aerieulturist ;
his .."en 'he heard from the Noble Lord opposite what
0 1 °Pinion
—l3 Were he could not but recollect the
who 4.3 or Noble Lords and others in another place,
Tl3enlY avowed their intention of repealing the
•of aws• lie would take the earliest opportunity
farts
.Per,essing his diss,nt from those opinions, and his
04, 4yberance to those laws which lie considered. were.,
• sol::lttst Protection to a large class of r Majesty s
thedy class which, when in distress and difficulty
any la"ealed to both Houses, had done so in vain,
NA ;cad still borne with perfect temper the distresses
Oone verses to which the had been subjected. He
ever Yak" the manufacturer3s, for whom he entertained
3 Pessibl
toryinet_ -c respect, how were the English farmers to
teke'n
oun.with foreigners if these protecting duties were
would It was iinpossible they could do so, and he
sehont aPpeal to the Noble Earl opposite (Spencer),
liewouais_, 4 practical farmer, and he was satisfied that
lawa agree with him, that if they repealed those
n u,
farwier took away all protection from the English
Could4would be impossible to compete with those who
,With w their grain under such superior advantages.
sir ro„eeru to the consumers, it appeared to him that a
loteeesrs,onerating price would not interfere with their
ient
tsivehdil.e the great manufacturing interests of the
t"i utlytr •
fairly 3 would receive that protection to which they were
. What alarmed him upon the present
influentialques-
ja°4ewa! the difference of opinion which was said to exist
(No:1 oqarrs, and he should have wished that a
POrtioil
of
r. that sort, affecting the interests of a large
en c,uel.the community should not have been made an
hers ehe ',LiOo by the C;:tinet, or one upon which its mem-
tinlevsfl(Ril bold divided opinions.—( Hear.) All parties
Miaisterse ditlieulty and danger look to her Majesty's
ds
bathe
ra ulsmt s,2avy.
mth:tt.
u:ll)(;.°;_t:ll:3,a,inrsaqii°itfierstPtriou, tne,,tche apricultural classes of the country could
T leek to One
arlia-
,Cal ths 1r friends in buzi,
fro vial
the exertions they would make in their own
There was another point to which