The Sun.
London, England, 1849-07-02 00:00:00

STATE OF THE NATION.

Mr. DISRAELI rose to bring forward his motion—
that this House will resolve itself into a Committee of
tho whole House, to take into consideration the

state of the nation. He said, I rise, Sir, to make
a statement to the House on the motion of which
I have given notice. I do so, because in
my opinion great and general distress prevails
in this country—(Hear, hear, hear)—and because I
believe that great and general distress has been
progressive sinece the formation of the present
Government. The Noble Lord and his colleagues
have possessed the Government of this country for three
years, uncontrolled and uncriticised.—(Laughter.) They
have passed all their measures—they have not had to
encounter an ordinary opposition.—(Hear.) No body
' of men have enjoyed the Government of this country
heretofore under circumstances so painful as those that
have been possessed by the Noble Lord and his col-
leagues. That being the case in England, to contrast
the situation of England at the present moment with
what it was at the period when the Noble Lord and his
colleagues assumed the reins of power. I need not recall
to the recollection of Hon. Gentlemen the state and condi-
tion of England at the commencement, I would say, of the
year 1846. In all its relations profound tranquillity pro
veiled throughout Europe, and if any of those criti-
cal conjunctions that will be occasionally occur-
ring in the complicated transactions of great states
did ever arise so great was the influence of England, and
so justly great, that the kindly mediation of
our country uniformly resulted in the amicable
settlement of those questions at issue. At that
moment also our colonies, after suffering great vicissi-
tudes, I will not stand here to say vicissitudes which were
the consequences of our inconsistent legislation,—but
after enduring great vicissitudes, our colonies had re-
conciled themselves to the new position in which
they, were placed ; and great, as some thought,
insuperable as were the difficulties with which they bad
to contend, there had existed in our colonies a quality
which I fear no one can pretend exists at tie present
moment—hope.—(Hear, hear.) At that period,
the commencement of 1846, our export trade had reached
an amount which never before had been achieved
by the people. of this country. At that period, those
various classes that form what is popularly called the
agricultural interest were prospering, not so much by the
enjoyment of what is called high prices, but by being ena-
bled to produce from the soil a greater quantity of produce
than they had for many years, and being sure of a
market where that produce would be disposed of.
At that period the state of Ireland, if not en-
tirely satisfactory to those who were its real
friends, it still it were the victim of political empiricism,
and tius only cure for its evils was still to be
considered, if still it were to be sent mes-
sages of peace, was, nevertheless, compared
with its present state, one only of comparative
happiness.— (Hear, hear.) And, finally, in her
Majesty's Exchequer there existed a surplus
revenue between 3,000,0001. and 4,000,0001. sterling,
The Hon. Gentleman then proceeded to draw a still fur-

ther comparison between the state of the country and
its state when Lord John Russell came last into power.
Notwithstanding all the sacrifices that have been made
by the colonies—sacrifices which no body of men ever
yet before endured, and met with Equal spirit—they
were told that they had to make still
greater exertions. Not satisfied with possess-
ing an ample surplus revenue, and discreetly
administering it, we were told that the tea duty must be
taken off immediately.—(Hear.) Notwithstanding we
possessed the greatest influence in our external relations,
and mainly secured the tranquillity of Europe, that
did not satisfy us. What we wanted to pos
sees was nothing else but perpetual peace and
cosmopolitan tranquility.—(Laugh ter, and cheers.) Well,
Sir, what has been the consequences of these aspirations?
Three years and a half have elapsed and we have upon
this table the most elaborate and most authentic evidence
of the condition of the people. I apprehend that lion.
Gentlemen will agree with me that the best test
of national prosperity is the employment of the great
mass of the working classes—(Loud cries of " Hear,
hear.")—of the working population at a fair rate of pro-
fitable wages.—(Hear, hear.) I mean, by profitable
wages, wages that will leave a profit to the em-
pleyer; otherwise the wages enjoyed by the
employed would have very little prospect of lasting.
(Hear, hear.) The rise and fall of pauperism, especially
when there are great fluctuations, are the Lest test of the
state of the body politic, and especially u hen
we consider the condition of the able- bodicd
poor. (Hear, hear.) Now, when the House
is employed in considering political systems, all sup-
ported by great ability, and when there is such rivalry
of economic theories, we are very apt to pause
and take general views of affairs, we are very
conscious
hourly
ofa theto forget,ehauges or
is
hirashereh
are nuturr
octcohiong
beneath us, and about us, and the alteration is that drawn
to these results until they are realised. If we look to the
state of the able-bodied poor in England at the com-
mencement of 1846, and the condition of the able-bodied
when we have authentic information ' on the
subject, we find a startling result—Bear,
,hear)—
poor in Ehgland, up go the last period

and here I beg to remind the House that I am appealing
to authentic records. In any observation which, with
your permission, I shall make to-day, I shall appeal only
to documents, the fidelity of which cannot be impwed.
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

CRICKET.—(THIS DAY.)
GENTLEMEN OF ENGLAND V. GENTLEMEN OF KENT.
(Continued from our Afternoon Edition.)
The following is the score up to six o'clock:—

ENGLAND-FIRST INNINGS.

Total
KENT-SECOND INNINGS.
H. Norton, Ecg.—b Fellowes
J. Traill, Lq.—b Fellowes
Hon. E. Bligh—c C. Ridding, b Craven .
N. Ft bx, E,q.—not out
A. Mynn, Esq.—not out ...
b 2, n b 1 . .

... 85

... 3
... 0
... 4
.. 0
... 3

... 3

Total

... 13

DEPARTURES AND ALTERATIONS OF
THE FOREIGN AND COLONIAL MAILS
FOR JULY.

The following are the dates on which the foreign and
colonial mails will be made up at the General Post•oflice,
St. Martin's-le-Grand, during the ensuing month of
July, and when the return packets will be due at
Southampton, Liverpool, and Falmouth:—
West Indies, &c.—For the British and foreign colonies
in the West Indies (except Honduras, Nassau, Bermuda,
and Havannah), Venezuela and Jaemel on the morning
of the 2d and 17th, Bermuda, Nassau, New Orleans,
Mexico, Honduras, and flavannah, on the morning of
the 2d only; Madeira, Grey Town (San Juan de Nica-
ragua), New Grenada, Chili, and Peru, on the morn-
ing of the 17th only. The Trent steamer for the mails
of the 2d, via Southampton; next packets due on the 7th
and 22d.

Madeira, Brazil, and Buenos Ayres, on the evening of
the 4th, by her Majesty's brig Penguin, from Falmouth,
due; her Majesty's brig Crane (over due); her Ma-
jesty's brig Linnet, due on the 25th at Falmouth.
(From August to January icclusive the packet touches
at Pernambuco and Bahia, on her outward passage to
Rio Janeiro, and the other six months on her home.
ward.)
United States, &c.—For British North America and
the United States on the evening of the 6;h, by the Ca-
ledonia steamer, via Liverpool, Halifax, and Boston; on
the evening of the lath to New York by the Europa
steamer; on the evening of the 20th to Boston by the
Cambria steamer; and on the evening of the 27th, to
New York by the America steamer. Next packets due
at Liverpool—the Europa, on the 4th from Boston; the
Cambria on the 12th from New York; the America, on
the 18th from Boston, and the Hibernia steamer, on the
26th from New York. (The branch packets for New-
foundland will be dispatched from Halifax on the arrival
at the latter port of the homeward packet from Boston,
and the branch packet for Bermuda will be dispatched
from Halifax on the arrival at that port of the outward
packet for Boston.)
Mediterranean, India, &c.—For the Mediterranean,
Malta, Egypt, Ceylon, India, Hong-Kong, and China on
the evenings of the 7th and 24th (Mauritius on the 24th)
by tiae fortnightly overland closed mails via Marseilles,
due on the 2,3; Gibraltar, Malta, Greece, the lonian
Islands, Egypt, Aden, Ccyfon, Mauritius, India, and
China on the morning of the it3th,- by the Oriental
Steam Company's packet from Southampton due on the
28th at Southampton.
Peninsula, &c.—Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon, Madeira, via
Lisbon, Cadiz, and Gibraltar, on the mornings of the
7th, 17th, aid 27th, by the Peninsular Steam Com-
pany's packets from Southampton. Next packets due
on the sth, lsth,and 25th, at Southampton.
Sydney, New South %Vales, Australia, Van Diemen's
Land, and New Z'alsnd, by ship letter-bags, which will
be forwarded by vessels sailing from London and other
ports of the United Kingdom. Newspapers to these co•
lonies must be prepaid one penny each, or they will not
be forwarded by these bags.
France, &v.—Twice daily—morning and evening (Sen..
days excepted), by her Majesty's mail steam-packets, via
Dot er and Calais, due daily.
Belgium, &e. (and countries through Belgium, Prussia,
and Ge rmany, ilamburgh, Turkey, Moldavia, Walla-
chia, Servia. &e.)—Every evening (except Sunday), by
her Majesty's steam packets via Dover and Ostend; due
daily.
Ilamburgh, &c.—Tuesday and Friday evenings; due
Tuesdays and Saturdays.
Holland, &c.—Wednesday and Saturday mornings;
duo Mondays and Thursdays, by the General Steam
Navigation Company's packets, via the Thames.
Sierra Leone, &e.—Mails will be made up on Monday
evening, the 2d of July, fur Madeira, San Nicholas (Cape
Verd Islands), Sierra Leone, and the idand of Ascension,
to be forwarded by her Majesty's ship Ranger, ap•
pointed to sail from Devonport on the evening of the 3d.
Letters to Madeira and Cape Verd, ls. 10d. per half.
ounce; newspapers, 2d. each, which must be prepaid.
Sierra Leone and Ascension—Letters, ls.; newspapers,
free.