The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-15 00:00:00

CHICORY.

Mr. ANSTEY wished to put a question to the Right
Hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with
regard to the use of vegetable substances instead of
coffee, by the poorer classes, in consequence of their in-
ability to purchase coffee. Under an Act of Parliament
passed in the reign of George 111., licensed tea and
coffee dealers were not permitted to sell these substances.
He wished to ask the Right Hon. Baronet whether it was
true, as alleged in the memorial now before the Trea-
sury, that in 1844 the Melbourne Administration took
upon themselves, by Treasury order, to suspend the
provisions of that Act, giving instructions to Excise
officers not to regard its clauses or the 501. penalty, but to
permit grocers and tea dealers to serve chicory equally
with licensedidealers in that drug; and whether this has
not been made a subject of complaint on the part of all
the respectable wholesale dealers, and particularly on
the part of colonial coffee growers, on the ground that
ever since the suspension took effect there
had been a decline in the consumption of
coffee imported from the colonies; and whether
in particular, although according to the present re-
turn the quantity of coffee from Ceylon last year ex-
ceeded by 50 per cent. any previous year, the return did
not show that there was a considerable decrease
in the consumption of Ceylon coffee at home;
whether the chicory used in the adultera-
tion of the coffee did not now form a

proportion of one third of the quantity of coffee an-
nually sold and consumed; and whether it was the in-
tention of Government to cause the law establishing the
act to be obeyed by their officers in future? Or whether
it was their intention to propose to Parliament any
measure for imposing a duty on chicory in the
same proportion as coffee ? And, lastly, whether
Ceylon, which had suffered from the causes he had
stated was not the very colony whose depression the
free-traders attributed to—(Cries of " Order, order.")
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER under-
stood that the Hon. Gentleman intended to put this
string of questions on Monday, and he should not be pre-
pared to answer them till then.
Mr. ANSTEY gave notice that he would repeat the
questions on Monday.—(" Oh, ob," and cries of " No.")

were likely to accrue from the establishment of
parochial libraries throughout the country, but he con-
fessed that he did not see any tangible reason whatever
for preceding so desirable an attempt by an inquiry into
the constitution of the public libraries. The terms
of the motion were extremely vague and indefinite, and
he could, therefore, hardly assent to it as it stood. The
Hon. Gentleman had instanced the Bodleian, the library
of the British Museum, and other public libraries ; but
was he not aware that there was already a commission for
the affairs of the British Museum in which the interests of
the library were included, and a second Commission
therefore could hardly be erected without the certainty
of great public inconvenience. The general object of the
motion was good, and he should have no objection to a
Select Committee if those words were struck out of the
motion which had reference to the public libraries now
in existence.

After an observation from Mr. HUME, recommending
that there should be a conference out of the House to
settle the words,

Mr. E WART acceded to Sir G. Grey's suggestion,
and the Select Committee was ordered.
PAPERS MOVED FOR BY MR. HUME.

Viscount DRUM LANRIG moved for a return of the
expense the country has incurred from printing and pub-
lishing and collecting returns moved for by the Hon.
Member for Montrose, from February, 1848, to February,
1849. The Noble Lord disclaimed that he proposed
his motion from any personal motives towards the
Honourable Member; but he could not help stating
that it would be well if he could be induced not to move
for so large a number of papers, many of which were
utterly valueless.
The motion being seconded,
Mr. HUME, who was greeted with loud cheers from
both sides of the House, rose to move as an amend-
ment, to insert after the word " Montrose," the
words " and also by every other Member."
He assured the House that there was nothing that he
did within its walls that he was unwilling to be made
public. He regretted that he had not heard one word
of the grounds on what the Noble Lord based his mo-
tion; only he had selected the papers moved for by him,
and not by every other Hon. Member.—(Hear, hear.)
The Noble Lord fancied that he had found out some-
thing new; but he had to inform him that that was the
third time this question had been mooted. He feared,
however, be was one of those who " did nothing them-
selves, and who found fault with those who did."—
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) Ho did not deny that be
had taken an active part in moving for returns—(Loud
cheers)—but if the Noble Lord would mention
any returns which he had not acted upon or
which had not been ofpublic service, then he would take
all the blame that should attach to him for having moved
for useless returns. But when many had moved for
returns of which, and of the use to be made of them
they knew nothing, he apprehended that they were to
blame, and that he (Mr. Hume) was blameless.
From a paper moved for by him, showing the
number of papers moved for by Hon. Members during
1842 it appeared that in the list from 1 to 50 his name
did not appear, neither did it from 50 to 69; ar d if the
Noble Lord would examine the list he would find that
he had moved for a variety of papers which he conceived
most important, and if he would move the appintment of
a Committee on the subject, and would state before it
the ground on which he made his motion—(Hear)—
he should be prepared to show that all the papers he had
moved for were of the utmost public importance—moved
for mainly to show how the money of the nation was ex-
pended, and he did not, therefore, wonder at
the Noble Lord and ethers objecting to such re
turns, because, perhaps, they were interested in its
reckless expenditure. He hoped the House would agree
to his amendment, and expressed his gratitude to the
Noble Lord for showing the public the pains he took to
instruct them on matters of the utmost importance to
them, and the real object of which returns were not at
all times clearly understood. Four years ago he moved
for a nusober of returns in connexion with tidal harbours
which took two years to prepare, and without which
the Commission appointed on the subject would not hal e
been so effective as it had been.—(llear, hear.) He bad,
he perceived by the return referred to, moved for a re-
turn of pensioners, which had cost 1/. ss. preparing,
which was not a great grievance, considering
that it contained the names of many of the
Noble Lord's friends.—(Laughter.) Many of the
returns he had moved for published exposures of the
mismanagement of public departments, and showed how
the expenditure of the public money could be econo-
mised.—(Hear, hear.) He did not object to the words
of the motion, but to the spirit in which it was made;
indeed, he should be glad to see such a return pub-
lished every year. He found by the paper to which
he had already alluded, that the cost of printing the
evidence taken before Election Committees had amounted
to from 2,0001. to 3,0001., which was only of interest to
a small number of persons. Then those large blue
books, two volumes for any one to peruse, had been
' printed containing the names of slaves, which could not
be interesting to any one.
Sir G. GREY said that the Noble Lord had declared
that he did not propose the motion from any personal
motives towards the Honourable Gentleman ; yet no
motion of the kind could be produced, naming
as it did the conduct of an individual Member.
without implying motives which the Noble Lord had dis-
claimed. No Hon. Gentleman was responsible for the
returns for which he moved, since returns could only be
obtained by an address to the Crown, and it was
competent for any Honourable Gentleman, if he
thought they ought not to be produced, to oppose them.
With regard to the matter of printing, the House per-
haps aware that these returns were always referred to
the Printing Committee, to decide whether they merited
the distinction of being put in print.—(Hear, hear.) He
had no objection to this general return, but he did not
think the return would serve the purpose the Noble Lord
had in view, and he therefore hoped the Noble Lord
would not persevere in his motion.--(Hear.)
Mr. HENRIES also appealed to the Noble Lord to
withdraw his motion. He entirely concurred with what
had fallen from the Right Honourable Baronet,
that it was the House generally, and not individual
Members who were responsible for the charges incurred
in printing returns; but he must at the same time be al-
lowed to add that he thought the Honourable Member
for Montrose had rendered great service to the country
by the returns he had moved for.—(Cheers.) Nor did he
believe that in moving for these returns the Hon. Gen-
tleman was actuated by motives of animosity towards
any department, but rather by an,honest desire to bene-
fit the people.—(Cheers.)
Lord DRUMLARING disclaimed all intention of
making this motion for the sake of reflecting upon the
conduct of the Hon. Member for Montrose, and said he
was quite ready, after what had passed, to withdraw it.
The motion was accordingly withdrawn
COMMONS' OFFICES.

On the motion of Mr. PARKER, the following gen-
tlemen were nominated as a Select Committee on House
of Commons offices:--Mr. Wilson Patten, Mr. Vernon
Smith, Mr. Goulburn, Captain Jones, Mr. Brotherton,
Mr. Cardwell, Sir John Guest, Mr. Roche, Sir Edmund
Colebrooke, Mr. Sotheron, Mr. Thornley, Mr. Parker,
Mr. Miles, Mr. George Hamilton, and Viscount Man-
deville.