The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-20 00:00:00

NAVIGATION-LAWS.

Mr. BERRIES presented a petition from Liverpool,
signed by upwards of 7,000 persons, against the repeal
of the navigation-laws.
MARRIAGE BILL.

Several petitions were presented against the Marriage
Regulation Bill.
RATE IN AID.

Colonel DUNNE presented several petitions from
Carlow against the Rate in Aid Bill.
PUBLIC LIBRARIES.
_ _ _

Mr. EWART presented petitions from Wigan and
other places, pra) ing for an inquiry into the manage-
ment of public libraries.
Mr. SCHOLEFIELD presented petitions from Bir-
mingham is favour of arbitration in cases of interna-
tional disputes.

COUNTY-RATES.
Mr. AGLIONBY presented petitions from places in
Lancashire complaining of the increase of county-rates.

CANADIAN REVOLUTION.

Mr. F. MACKENZIE said a statement had appeared
in the public prints to-day in reference to Canada of a
very extraordinary nature. It was stated that a Bill had
been introduced into the Colonial Legislature of Canada
for indemnifying certain persons for the loss and injury
they had sustained during the rebellion of 1537. It ap-
peared that these persons had been engaged in the
rebellion, and one of the objects of the Bill was to levy
a rate upon the colony to indemnify them for the ex-
pense and inconvenience they bad sustained in under-
taking a voyage from Canada to Van Diemen's Land.—
(Laughter.) It was also stated that a person named
Nelson was to be indemnified for the damage done
to his house during the rebellion by the Queen's troops,
and ho begged leave to give notice that to-morrow he
should ask Government whether it was true that such a
Bill had been introduced ?
Mr. HAWES thought it best to answer the question
at once. No dispatch or communication to the effect
that any such Bill had been introduced had been re-
ceived from Canada by the Noble Lord at the head of
the Colonial Department. No information had been re-
ceived which could enable him to make any other answer
than that there was no foundation for the report.
Mr. MACKENZIE—Am I to understand the Hon.
Gentleman to say that he has no knowledge of such a
Bill having been introduced?
Mr. HAWES—I have no knowledge of any such Bill
having been introduced from any official source, nor have
I any knowledge of the fact at all.—(Hear.)
WINDOW DUTIES.!
Lord DUNCAN gave notice that on an early day he
should renew his motion for the repeal of the window-
duties.
PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS.

Mr. HlTATEga;enotice of his intention to move that
instructions be given to the Minting Committee to con-
sider whether the Parliamentary papers of the House
might not be printed in the octavo form, for the con-
venience of Members and economy to the country.
IRISH POOR-RATES.

Mr. FRENCH wished to ask the Hon. Secretary for
Ireland a question. On the 6th of February a return
was ordered of the military and police engaged in the
collection of the poor-rates in Ireland, but it had not
yet been laid on the table. He wished to ask when
they might expect to have that document in their hands?
Sir W. SOMERVILLE could not say; but he had
written to Ireland on the subject.
CHICORY.
Mr. ANSTEY repeated the questions which he put
on Friday to the Chancellor of the Exehequer, on the
subject of the Treasury minute sanctioning the adultera-
tion of coffee with chicory. Ceylon, he said, had lost
upwards of 300,000/. in consequence of the order, and
he wished to ask whether the coffee from Ceylon, as re-
turned in October last, was not unsaleable as coffee, and
had absolutely been sold at chicory prices, and whether the
Right Hon. Baronet knew any reason why the Act of
Parliament which had been suspended for the purpose
of letting in chicory in the place of colonial coffee, had
not been suspended for the purpose of letting in the
British leaf instead of China tea.—(Hear and laughter.)
puEbr
oXO
hu t b
the
teEdQ3t Uch
ueEr
andlBos3iat3ied.r3ai4it
twasuu Theauof Coc
luHdffAeAuNc
wtCioEtfbLGcLob
00i
c. t
bht huaett
ory;
a duty was imposed on foreign chicory, whether in its
raw or manufactured state, in the same ratio as the duty
levied upon colonial coffee, and grocers were prohibited
from selling it. The Act also prohibited the
use of chicory in tea—(Hear and laughter)—
but when used in tea, it was highly dele-
terious.—(A laugh.) It was different, though,
when mixed with coffee, and the Act had therefore been
suspended. Chicory, in fact, greatly improved
coffee.—(A laugh.) Honourable Gentlemen might
laugh, but it was nevertheless true.—(Laughter.) Only
two years ago he was informed by a most respectable
firm in London that for a short time the coffee
they supplied to their customers was adulterated
with 20 per cent. of chiccory, but some of their customers
determined upon being supplied with the coffee in
the berry. This request was complied with, and coffee,
was supplied in the berry, but it was found by these
customers that making coffee from the berry produced a
much inferior flavour to the coffee they had before, and
they were therefore glad to return to the ground coffee
which had been adulterated with 20 per cent. of chicory.
He had received the same accounts from other parts of
opinion
of a former Chancellor of
ct that coffee was not only
t
theth e country.
Exchequer
improved by the admixture of chicory, but extended its
use among the lower classes of the people. Since
then a change had taken place. He had And
was theo t
h oep e
re-
ceived from Ceylon a memorial stating that the
planters of coffee had been greatly injured by the great
use of chicory that prevailed in consequence of the low
price, and the loss of duty to the Government. But he
(the Chancellor of the Exchequer) did not believe that
the use of chicory had had much to do with the dimi-
nished consumption of foreign coffee, since there had been
much importation of colonial coffee at the low duty, and
diminished importation of foreign coffee at the higher
duty. During the last four years, it was a remarkable
fact that the quantity of colonial coffee which had been
introduced for home consumption had increased from
20,000,000 lbs. to 30,000,000 lbs., whereas foreign
coffee had fallen off in the same period
from 13,000,000 lbs. to a little under 7,000,000 lbs.—a
falling off of nearly one-half in the consumption of
foreign coffee. In fact, the consumption of colonial
coffee had increased one-half, which would account
for the falling-off of duty to which the Honourable
and Learned Gentleman had referred ' • yet, the
entire quantity of coffee consumed during the
four years had decreased, whilst the consumption
of tea had increased, which could not be
accounted for, except that the use of chicory
had much increased. At the present time, the duty
having been so recently
.introduced, and the experiment
not having been suffictently tried, he could not with
justice introduce any measure which would prevent its
use. On the other hand, he was unwilling to
adopt the course be had felt it advisable
with regard to beet-root sugar—namely, subject it to an
excise duty. Certainly no change would take place in
the law with respect to the use of chicory without due
notice to the parties interested in its sale.
Mr. ANSTEY complained that the Right Hon. Gen-
tlemanthe whole of his queries. He
had not replied to
wished to know if the returns for the year 1848 did net
disclose the fact that about 26,0001. worth of coffee was
consumed below what • was consumed the year before;
whilst the same returns showed that the quantity grown
and imported from Ceylon increased 12,000,0001b5., the
loss being 48,0001. upon the year; and whether the quan-
tity of chicory consumed instead of coffee did not stand
in the same proportion as 12,000,0001b5. of chicory did
to 38,000,000 lbs. of coffee, and whether he would have
any objection to lay on the table the correspondence
which he had had with the Excise-office upon the matter?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER was
understood to say that the quantity of coffee imported in
1848 was less than it was in the preceding year, and that
whilst coffee imported from the colonies was increas-
ing, that imported from foreign countries had been fall-
ing off.
CONVICTS AT THE CAPE OF GOOD HOPE.
Mr. ADDERLEY rose to ask the Under-Secretary
of State for the Colonies for copies or extracts of any
correspondence not already laid before the House be-
tween any Secretaries of State and Governors of the
Cape of Good Hopeon the transmission of convicts to
that colony
; of any remonstrance of the inhabitants
of the Cape of Good Hope, or any documents showing
their sentiments • in regard to the reception of convicts
in that colony ; and, copy of a memorial of landowners,
merchants, and others, recently presented to Earl Grey,
respecting the introduction of convicts into the Cape of
Good Hope.
Mr. HAWES said he must trouble the Hon. Member
to put his question on a future day. Ho did not,
however, undertake to say at this moment that any
particular dispatch or communication had been made to
the Colonial-office. Since the former day on which the
Hon. Member put his question they had received dis-
patches on the subject.
Mr. ADDERLEY would ask the Hon. Gentleman if
he was not aware whether, in the month of February, a
communication had been received from the Governor of
the Cape of Good Hope, conveyinga general remonstrance
from the cob:x*sW apillst the reeeptiou 9f couvicto? ,

Mr. HAWES could give the Hon. Member no other
ens% er to his question than that which he had already
given. However, if the Hon. Gentleman would put his
question 'on the paper for a future day he (Mr. Hawes)
would endeavour to give him the information which he
required. He had no objection to laying on the table
any official or unofficial document on the subject.
POOR-LAW BOARD.

Mr. HUME asked the First Lo;;1 Of the Treasury,
whether any reduction was to be mule in the Poor-law
Board, and its establishments, this year ?
Lord J. RUSSELL said he did not think it possible
that there could be any material reductions made in the
present year.
OFFICERS IN THE ARMY.

Mr. EWART begged to ask the Secretary at War
whether it was in contemplation to introduce any sys-
tem of education and examination of persons applying
to be officers in the army P
Mr. FOX MAULE begged to state that his Grace the
Commander in-Chief had determined to institute a test
of education for officers previous to their receiving com-
missions in the army. It was also intended by his
Grace the Commander-in-Chief to have a second exa-
mination on the promotion of an officer from the rank of
ensign to that of lieutenant, but that examination was to
be entirely of a professional character, with a view
to ascertain if the officer was completely acquainted with
the duties which would devolve on him in his profession
in his capacity of an officer. Then there was to be a
third examination of a subaltern officer before he went
to his company. That was to consist of a mere
general examination on matters of military skill
and knowledge. His Grace the Commander-in -
Chief had instituted that system entirely in deference to
the public opinion, which had been extending for some
time past.
MOVEMENTS OF THE ARMY.
Mr. ARCHDALL wished to ask the question of
which he had given notice, as to whether it was the in-
tention of her Majesty's Government, and of course under
the direction of the authorities at the Horse Guards, to
make any alteration in the disposition of the troops
during the present year?

Mr. FOY MAULE, in reply, said that the disposition
would, as far as it could be arranged, remain the same
during the present year. So far, however, as the cavalry
regiments were concerned, it was intended to keep them
in their quarters, but the infantry would be moved as
usual.

Mr. ARCHDALL sail that he had another question
to ask the Right Hon. Gentleman, and that was con-
cerning the arrangements of the detachments from
regiments, especially those on foreign stations. He
wished to know whether it was intended to carry the
same principle out with respect to them as would be
observed with regard to the army in general.
Mr. FOX MAULE said, that though in some cases
of detachments it might not be possible to observe a❑
universal custom, yet, upon the whole, the same rule
would be observed with respect to them as was observed
in the direction of whole regiments, and this the Govern-
ment thought was one of the best ways of carrying out
the system of economy which they were so desirous to
observe.