The Sun.
London, England, 1830-03-02 00:00:00

'UNDO() WIDOWS.

The Duke of DEVONSHIRE presented a petition from
the females of the parish of Ilkeston, in the county of
Derby, praying that a stop might be put to the practice
of burning Hindoo widows. His Grace presented a similar
petition from another parish in the county of Derby.—
Laid on the table.

The Earl WINCHILSEA had to present a petition
from a number of owners and occupiers of land in the
county of Kent, complaining of the distressed state of the
agricultural interest, and praying for relief. Being on his
legs he wished to ask the Noble Duke whether it was the
intention of his Majesty's Government to renew a Com-
mittee which had been appointed two Sessions ago, for
the purpose of inquiring into the finances of the country ?
As to what had been done in the way of retrenchment, he
would at another time declare hi■ opinion. At present, he
would content himself with asking, whether the reduction
proposed to be made in the establishment had been carried,
in the opinion of Ministers as far as they properly could ?
He trusted that the Committee to which he had alluded
would be allowed to renew its labours, and to inquire mi-
nutely into the expenditure of the country. He was per-
fectly convinced that. either the taxes must be greatly re-
duced, and with them the expenditure of the country, or
that some effectual mode must be adopted, to enable the
distressed population of this country to meet the pressure
of those taxes.

The Duke of WELLINGTON admitted the necessity of
reducing taxes as far as possible. He agreed in the pro-
priety-of that proposition, but he could not be expected,
at a moment's notice to enter into a discussion on the sub-
ject of the reduction of taxes and of expenditure. The
Noble Earl had asked whether it was the intention of his
Majesty's Ministers to revive the Finance Committee. On
that point he had only to answer, that Ministers had no
such intention.

The Eatl of DARNLEY said that in the county with
which he and the Noble Earl were connected, and he
spoke more particularly of his own more immediate neigh-
bourhood, it appeared, from whatever cause the circum-
stance might arise, that there was no want of work. The
labouring population were tolerably well employed, and
the poor rates had not increased very much. In some pa-
rishes which he bad visited they were only 4s. in the
pound. lie admitted, with the Noble Earl that there was
great distress, very deep distress indeed, in parts of the
county of Kent ; but he did not think it was so great as it
was supposed to be; and he believed that, generally
speaking, though wages were low, there was no want of
employment.

The petition was laid on the tahle.
EAST INDIA.

The Marquis of LONDONDERRY, in presenting a pe-
tition from the merchants of Belfast against (as we under-
stood) the renewal of the East India Company's Charter,
took the opportunity of asking a quest'on which, as be
conceived, was nearly connected with the honour of this
country. In 1828, his Majesty's speech to Parliament
announced, " that his Imperial Majesty the Emperor of
Russia had consented to wave the exercise in the Mediter-
ranean Sea, of any rights appertaining to his Imperial
Majesty in his character of a belligerent power." Such
was the declaration of his Majesty, in February, 1928 ;
but, in October following, they were informed, by a letter
from Lord Dunglass, a nobleman holding a situation in the
Foreign-yfice, that his " Imperial Majesty intended to
establish a blockade of the Dardanelles, which blockade
would be limited to the prevention of vessels bound to
Constantinople, and laden with provisions, or articles con-
traband of war, from entering the Straits ; and that, in
the opinion of his Majesty's Government, such commercial
enterprise of his Majesty's subjects, as might have been
already undertaken, upon the faith of his Majesty's decla-
ration in Parliament, would not be liable to be affected by
that blockade." Non', nothing could he more inconsistent
than this. Individuals were first induced to act on the
assurance given in tho Lords Commissioners' spouL, and
then came this letter, declaring that a blockade was in-
tended. This was a most extraordinary instance of a
rapid change of sentiments.
The LORD CHANCELLOR—WiII the Noble Mars
quis allow me to suggest to him that there iz na motion
before the House ?

The Marquis of LCINDONDERRY wished to ask the
FAerictary of state for the Foreign Department, whether
he was willing to lay before Parliament the correspondence
growing out of this transaction which had tAen place
with Russia, in order that he might 'ne enabled to judge
whether the power ;nd 464 of Great Britain had been
properly upheld on that occasion.
The Earl of ABERDEEN assured the Noble Martini:
that he should receive the most ample informatic,n on the
subject.
Lord HOLLAND withed to know, art there appeared to,
be a final settlement with icspect to Greece, whether tile
Noble Earl, in consequence of that final tiettlentolt, would
he ready to lay before tho House 4t ay, early period the
documents connected with ;t,
The Earl of ABERDEEN feared those documents
would not he ready so soon as the Noble Birou or as LI
himself wished.

Lord HOLLAND—I suppose 1 may exiled them on
the Greek Calends.—(A laugh.)
Sir A. GRANT and other4l4.cim the Commons brought
up the ConOidaled I:und Bill, which was read the first
and ordered to he read the second time to-morrow.
--Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMQNS—(LAST NIGHT).
Sir T. EARINO reported from the Cork Ele.:tion
cv"pkttm that William Russell, E. 'Member for Dur-
ham, was aln.ent from thv Collin444v far one hour this
.day ; conseckuentl/i tinkt 6 e coamittee did not sit: the

Mr. Alderman THOMPSON said the Bill had been
printed more than ten days, and to the beet of his know-
ledge all persons interested had received copies. The ob.j,ct
of the Bill was simply to enable the St. Katharine's Dock
Company to borrow a sum of money ; it conferred no new
powers upon them. If the second reading were post-
poned, several days would be lost, and the p4rties put to
much inconvenience: he must therefore decline acceding
to the suggestion of the Hon. Member for Southwatk.
Mr. WARD confirmed the statement of his lb.o. col-
league ; the Bill was only interokd to carry into effect
powers already possessed by the Company, upon whom it
conferred no new powers whatever.
Mr. C. CALVERT would not diside the House.
The Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be e0n...-
mated.

Sir R. HERON gave notice for 'Wednesday of a motion
for copies of the warrants by which the Hon. Robert
Dundas wes appointed a Commissioner of the Navy-office,
and the Hon. W. L. Bathurst, a Cummivsioner of the
Victualling Department for the Navy.
Mr. R. DUNDAS prevented a petition from the
Chamber of Commerce of Edinburgh, against a renewal
of the East Indit Company's sharter.—Referred to the
Select Committee on East Lunen affairs.

Sir E. KNATCIIBULL presented a petision from
Canterbury, complaining of alistrem, and praying for the
remi.sion of the duties on malt and beer.

The Hon. Baronet presented seven other petitions to the
same effect, from various places and par6hea in Kent.
'WOOL 'TRADE.

Sir E. KNATCHBULL also presented a petition from
certain inhabitants of Romney Marsh, emaplaining of
great depression in the wool trade, and praying for the
imposition of duties on the importation of foreign wool.—
The Hon. Baronet observed, that he could testify, from
his own knowledge, that the depression of the wool-trade
was ♦ery considerable, and that peat losses had been sus-
tained by the growers, in consequence of the low price of
that article.

Sir C. BURRELL said, when the Duke of Rich-
mond brought forward a motion on the subject of the wool-
trade last Session, he was met by an assertion of the
Noble Lord, to the effect that the distress was not general
but partial. At the very time this statement was made,
it appeared that the price of long wool, which used to he
Is. Bd. and 2s. a pound, had fallen in the midland coun-
ties, and in the north of rngland, to Sd. and Od. It Wild
not extraordinary that, under such circumstances, there
should be great agricultural depression and considerable
loss to a previously falling revenue; between 400,0001.
and 500,000/. being thrown away, which used to he levied
in the shape of duties on foreign wool.
Mr. IRViNG observed, that foreign wool wax neces-
sary to the prosperity of our manufactures, and if we laid
heavy taxes upon foreign wool, we excluded our manufac-
tures from the foreign market.
Colonel SIBTHORP said the farmers had been fed on
hope so long, that they had become skeletons, and were
now nearly starved to death.--(Laughter.)
Mr. H. DAVIS was opposed to laying duties upon the
importation of foreign wool.

Sir E. KNATCHBULL was afraid that the Noble
Lord, alluded to by his lion. Ft iend the Member for Shore.
ham, did not always obtain the best authority fw hio
statements.

The petitios was ordered to be printed.
LABOURERS' WAGES.

Mr. LITTLETON presented th:ce petitions from Staf-
ford,hire against the payment of labourers' wages other-
wise than in money. The first petition was from the
Chamber of Commerce iu tae Staffordshire Potteries,
stating that in their district not fewer than 50,000 per-
sons were employed in the manufacture of china and
earthenware, and that the depression arising from other
sources was much augmented by the practice of payiug
wages partly by truck. The sesond petition was front
the shopkeepers and traders of the Staffordshire Potteries;
and the third came from the same class of persons in Wal.
sail, in Staffbrdshire ; both complained that the profits of
the petitioners and their means of maintenance were con-
siderably impaired in consoquesoo of .the arum com-
plained of.
The petitions were laid on the table.

Coloitel SIETHORY postponed his motion for the re-
peal of tke Standing Orders, relative to the non-admission
r.....
of strangers to the gallery of the House of Comm
far as regards the reporters of proceedings in the -
and for the accommodation of the same, from the -to
the 12th of March.

Colonel SIBTHORP moved for an account bf the
number of passports granted to persons to go abroad in
1826, 1827, 1828, and 1829, specifying the number
ioued in each year, the names of the parties, and the
countries for which the passports were made out. The
Hon. Member took occasion to complain of the evils of
ab.enteeism, and expressed his conviction of the propriety
of imposing a tax upon absentia*,

Lord LOWTHEiI said there were only two quarters to
which application could be made for the returns desired by
the lion. Member,--the liome.ollice, and Foreign Em-
bassies. Supposing the accounts to be obtained from the
former, he was not aware upon what principle we could
tax the courtesy of the foreign ambassadors to furnish this
species of information : over these parties Ilse House had
no power.

Sir M. W. RIDLEY said, that not one out of 20 per-
sons going abroad went to the Foreigu-office, since the
Ambassador's passport was more sheep and more effectual.
Mr. PEEL said, that to call for the names of all persons
who had gone abroad during these four years, was, in his
opinion, a most unwarrantable interference with private
affairs.—(Hear, bear.)--He had no objection to a return
of the amount of fees received et the Foreign Office, and
of the total number of pasaports granted; bbt, to a return
of the names of the pereons, he decidedly objected, not for
any public reason, hut because it was au interference in
private affairs—(Hear, hear)—which could not be justified
unless It conduced to the attainment of Rowe public benefit,
Sir C. BURRELL hoped his Has, Friend (Colonel
Sibthorp) would see the justice of the Right Hon. Gentle-
man's objection, and not press the motion.
After a few words from Sir G. Wneenitran and Col.
SIETHOtt Pp the motion was withdrawn,

Colonel siBTHORP presented a petition frcnn a hun-
dred in the county of Snffalk, complaining of universal
distress, and praying for us inquiry into the causes thereof.
—To be printed,