The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-14 00:00:00

they did not know how to ereptoy.—(Hear, bear) Let
him ask the Howe whetle-e the introduction of menufsc:ures into Ire lurid would eot be the greee.t here tit
that ct old he conferred on !hat un'nrtuto
(lle ar, hi ar.) Indeed tb. it n ri existence in that
country had been constantly complained of by
the landed interest of Ireland, because they
knew not how to employ their surplus
population, vvhien could be gte:rid of at once if they could
tie!). intro ‘uee similar manufactoriss to some of these in
England.—( leer, hear.) He came; new to a sill more
exiraer dit ary tee. of tie flute eierelemen's speech. It,
considering what he thought were the especial burdens
of agriculture, he left, entirely out of his consideration the
espec al exewptini:s in favour of that interest, but he
did not see how they could come to a satisfactory con-
clusion on this sot j- et. if they left these exceptions eta
of the question.—(Hear.) He, however, agreed with the
Hon. Gentlemen, that toe legacy duty was not so ex-
clusively confined to personal property as was gene-
rally supposed. He believed by the ;returns made.up to
May last it would be seen, that the duty fell far more
heavily on real than persenal property, or rather, that
real yielded more to the legacy duty than personal pro-
perty.—(Cries of " H, are hear.") But he did not mean
to go into that part of the question now, and he
merely alluded to it in the slight manner he had
done for the purpose of protesting against the
Hon. Gentleman's leaving out cif consideration the
exemptions in favour of agriculture.—(Hear, hear.) Sup-
posing his Committee were granted, how could:a correct
conclusion be arrived at, if the Committee were to con-
fine its attention only to the especial burdens which
pressed upon land? (Hear.) But what were those
burdens? The Hon. Gentleman, amongst others, enume-
rated the Excise duties on malt and hops, but so long as they
adhered to a system of indirect taxation, so lung must
they continue the Excise duties.—(Hear, hear.) Sweep
away indirect, and adopt in its place direct taxation,
and then the Honourable Gentleman might hope, and
not until then, to do away with those Excise duties
which were at present imposed upon agricultural produce.
But he did not think the removal of the malt-tax would
materially benefit agriculture ; but, supposing it would,
that benefit could only extend to one portion of the
agricultural interest.—(Hear.) Ile repeated, however,
that so long as indirect taxation lasted, so long would
these Excise duties remain in existence; but justtlet
him enumerate some of the reductions• which had been
made since 1815 in the duties which pressed heavily upon
agricultural produce. Those reductions amounted to no
less than 1,800.000/, but besides these, the duties had
been remitted on horses, carriages, and shepherds' dogs.
—(Hear and laughter.) Hon. Gentlemen might laugh
at the latter item, but let them remember that it was just
as requisite for a manufacturer to keep a dog to
protect his property as it was for the farmer to protect
his steep; but while the manufacturer paid a duty upon
his dog, the farmer paid none whatever for his.—(Hear.)
Then they were exempted from the duty on the insur-
ance of farm stock. He did not say that this was
wrong, but when the Honourable Gentleman said that
nothing had been done for the agricultural interest, it
was desirable that the true state of the case, borne out
by facts, should be stated to the House—facts which
were easily attainable by any Hon. Gentleman who
liked to take the trouble to collect them. The manufac-
turer wos bound to pay duty on the assurance of his stock ;
nevertheless, he was glad to see the great impetus the
removal of the duty had given to the insurance of stock.
—(Hear, hear.) In 1834 the amount of farm stock
assured amounted to 37,211,000/e in 1838, 47,807,0001.,
and in 1847, 58,192,0001., the premiums paid during the
latter year being 87,000/. The House must surely be
of opinion that the removal of 7,000,000/. or 8,000,000/.
from the taxes formerly paid by the agricultural interest
was some alleviation of their burdens.—(Hear,
hear.) In 1845--three years ago—the Hon. Member
for West Somersetahire (Mr. Benkes) brought for
ward several propositions for the relict of the agricut
tural classes. The first was that the expense of the
rural police should be paid out of the consolidated rate,
but as the payment of the cost was entirely voluntary,
and the benefit of a purely local character, that
preposition was not entertained. Next, that the mane.
lecture of malt for the feeding of cattle should be tree
from duty. The Government had had the difference
between milt and bailey tested, and finding that the
latter was prefersbte, that proposition was net ente r-
taiued. Next, he proposed that a general Inclosure Bill
should be passed. It was acceded to, and the result ha -1
proved most satisfactory, since in 1839 nineteen
Bills were passed tor the inclosure of particular
plots of land; in 1840.14; in 1841, 22, and in 1842, 12
total 67. In 1845 there were 42 applications; in 1846,
90; 1847, 87; and in 1848, 69, making a total in four
years of 288. exceeding the former four years by a large
amount.—(Hear, hear.) This showed at least that agri-
culturists did not despair to the same extent as to the
value of agriculture as the Hon. Gentleman seemed de-
sirous to lead the House to believe. His fourth proposition
was that a general drainage Bill should be passed. That,
he was sorry to say, had not been done, but he believed
the Hon. Member for Berkshire intended to propose a
measure of the kind, which, he trusted, would meet with
success. The next proposition was that prosecutions
should be defrayed by the State. In 1846 his Right
Honourable Friend (Sir George Grey) in-
troduced a Bill by which the whole of
the expense of the prthecutions of criminals was defryed
at the expense of the public. Then he proposed further,
that the maintenance of convicted prisoners should be
borne likewise by the State. In 1847 that was effected
by the passing of a Bill. He found that last year,
public money, to the amount of 348,000/., had been
voted for these purpose.—(Hear, hear.) He did not,
therefore, think that the landed interest had
a right tolsay that nothing had been done for those in-
terested in the cultivation of the land. Then the Hon.
Gentleman summed up that part of his speech by a
strong exercise of his imagination, saying, in effect, that
he was at a loss to understand why such momentous in-
terests had been neglected, that the agriculturists
had been compelled to pay the whole ex-
penses of the country, and in a far greater
proportion than was paid by any other country in the
world. Now, if he would descend from the airy flights
of imagination, in which he was prone to indulge, to the
dull realities of life, he would find that a much smaller
proportion of the burdens of the State of this
country was borne by the landed interest than
was borne by the agriculturists of other countries.
If lie crossed the channel to France ; if he crossed
the Rhine to Prussia, and reviewed the amount
of taxation borne by the agriculturists of Sweden
and Denmark, he would find that the agriculturists
in those countries paid a greater proportion of the
burdens of their respective countries than those
of the same class at home.—(Hear, hear.) Nay, further,
if he reviewed the condition of the Netherlands, he would
find that a much larger proportion was paid by land and
real property.—(Hear, hear.) He (the Chancellor of
the Exchequer) only wished to show that the agricul-
turists at home enjoyed a better state of things than
the Honourable Gentleman wished to be believed.
He now came to what was really the main question be-
fore the House. The Hon. Gentleman put the whole
local taxation, including, he supposed, thelmunicipal
institutions of Scotland, at 10,000,000/. He spoke, also,
of a Midland Counties squire, and spoke of his injuries.
He (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) apprehended
that he was in the habit of going to his
county town in his chariot, rolled over a well
paved and well-watered street, and a brightly lighted
road, for not one of which he paid.—(Hear.) Surely
he did not mean to contend that such a class of persons
were badly used. He (the Chancellor of the Ex
chequer) took the local taxation at 12 000,0001., or, in-
cluding n 11,14,000,000/, one halt of which, or 7,000,0004,
he pruposed to take off the shoulders of those
who now bore it, and in some way or other, which he
really did not understand, to place the burden so re-
moved upon, he supposed, some other class of the com-
munity. He said, it was to be eff.cted by the plan of
increasing the, income-tax, which he (the Chancellor of
the Exchequer) submitted last' year; but the pro-
position was certainly net received with universal
tavour.—(Laughter.) That proposition was certainly
not one which was likely to be received
with favour by the agriculturist interest.—(l fear, hear.)
He proposed to double the income- tax, and to distribute
it in the same proportions as at present. The first
effect of that would be to impose on schedule A an ad-
dition to the amount at present paid under it, of
3,233,000 L, or, in fact, taking so much money out of one
pocket, and putting it into another, for the mere pur-
pose of doing so.—(Heair.) The second effect would be
that the tenant-farriers, whose interests had been put so
strongly forward, would have to pay a much greater
proportion of taxation than they did at present.—
(Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") He said no portion
of the local taxation was borne by the occupying
tenants. He, therefore, would saddle upon the tenant
farmers under schedule B. an additional amount of
taxation of 405,000/. per annum.—(Hear, hear, and a
laugh.) Now to gentlemen who came forward as the
advocates of the tenant-farmers, this was a very remark-
able proposition. He, as a landlord, would not
take the burdens he bore at preient off
his shoulders and place them on his tenants.—(Hear,
hear.) A proposition of this kind made by the followers
of the Duke of Richmond, seemed to him one not very
likely to be received with pleasure by the tenant farmers.
An Hon. Member speaking in 1835 against the
repeal of the malt-tax said, " take care you do
not get instead a comfortable income-tax."
It was not unlikely if the repeal of the malt-tax were
adopted, as recommended by the Hon. Gentleman, that
they would get in return a " comfortable income-tax"
instead of it, since he proposed to double their burdens.
—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) He confessed, however,
that the Hon. Gentleman dealt in many obscurities,
and perhaps he had not correctly understood him, but,
if correct, this was a very serious proposition.—(Hear,
hear.) They paid now 2,750,000/., his proposition would
compel them to pay 9,750,000!. which would increase their
taxation in the same proportion as 11 was to 39. Then,
ugaiu, they could not tax money in the funds unless they
taxed it to the same extent as all real or realised property.
He could not help thinking that a proposition so im-
practicable must have been suggested to his Hon. Friend
by some person not so attentive as his Hon. Friend was
to the claims of a measure of this kind.—(Hear, hear.)
He confessed, even independently of the impracticability
of the plan on so large a scale as that which the Hon.
Gelid, man had proposed, that he could not help thinking
any large transfer of local to general taxation was of a
most dangerous character, and one which he would be
must sorry to see the House adopt. The Hon. Gentle-
man said-
he felt the strongest objection to the levying a
naticnal rate. He said self-government was of the
greatest value in this country, and he (the Chancellor
of the Exchequer) agreed with him.—(Hear.) The
objections, he said, were so strong and so insuperable to
placing the whole charge of the maintenance of the '
poor upon the Consolidated Fund, he (the Chancellor
of Exchequer) was far from denying it, but be must say
the objection remained most strong and powerful, even
with the proposition of the Hon. Gentleman, of adding
one-half to the Consolidated Fund.—(Hear, hear.)
They had bad some experience in that matter, ;hey had

had the half-grant system in Ireland, and that expe-
-1 euce led to the irresistible conclusion that if they wisli,d
t increase the burdens on the public aid on the Exche-
quer, that was the way to do it. lie was squall) coil
rinsed that that transfer would not be a transfer merely
but, a clear addition to the whole burdens of the country.
-(Cheers.) The experiet.ce on that subject led
to the conclusion that the parties who had
only to administer the fund, and not to con-
tribute to it, led to the grea est waste and
xtravagance.-(Hear.) He could not see any means of
exeycisirg an eff.ctual centreul r the local rapt ntii-
ture and managarnent of the pour without a most ntrini-
dable and xpensive machinery.-(Hear, hear.) He
thought the habit of sell-government had led to the sta-
bility of this country-(hear, he..r)-aud we coulii
hardly pay a price too high for it. He said if
they looked on the things going en on the Continent
upon the chances between a blind submission to an officer
of Government. and a revolutionary Committee-if they
sought to undermine what he believed constituted much
of the stability of our Const tution-the habit and prac-
tice of self- governmeNt-he believed they would in
flirt a blow not only on the prosperity, but
the happiness of :this country, which we should
long rue.-(Hear, hear, and cheers) lie would not
trouble the House much longer.-(lronical cheers aid
counter cheers.) But before he sat down he must say a
word or two in reference to the price of agricultural pro-
duce, on which the Hon. Gentleman had based his pro-
position. He believed both the quality and quantity of the
harvest in the counties bordering on the southern coasts
had been exceedingly bad, and that parties who had a small
quantity of agricultural produce to dispose of could not be
wherwise than in a situation ofsome distress. In Sussex and
Kent, where the crops had been very bad, he believed
there was much distress, and he feared there was too
much reason to :apprehend the existence of distress in
the southern counties of England; but he could not think
there was anything like a general distress pervading the
agricultural counties of England.-(Hear, hear.) He
believed the markets had been depressed by the state
of the law, and he believed at the present moment the
price of meat had been excessively depressed. The price
of beef in Smithfield market was ,higher in 1848 than in
1844. The average price per stone in the year 1844
was 3s. 10id., and in 1848 4s. sid. The price of mutton
per stone; in 1844 was 45.; and in 1848, ss. lid. In
1844 inferior beasts sold at 2s. 7d. per stone, and in 1848
at 3s. 2id. In 1844 second class beasts were sold at
3s. 34d. per stone, and in 1848 at 3s. 7id. The third
class were 3s. 34d. in 1844, and 3s. 11d. in 1848. The
fourth class were 3s. 10d. in 1844, and 4s. 3-id. in 1848.
Inferior sheep in 1844 were sold at 3s. 2d.
; per stone, and at 3s. 9d. in 1848. Second class
t sheep fetched 3s. 4d. in 1844, and 4s. 2d. in 1848; third
class fetched 3s. Bd. in 1844, and 4s. Bd. in 1848; and
the fourth class fetched 3s. 11d. in 1844, and ss. 114 d.
in 1848.-(Hear, hear.) There was not a single descrip-
tion of agricultural produce the price of which was not
; considerably higher in 1848 than it was in 1844, of
which year the Hon. Gentleman had spoken. He (the
Chancellor of the Exchequer) did not think, therefore, the
; alarm which the Hon. Gentleman expressed from the
introduction of foreign cattle had been realised, or that in
the last four years the agriculturists had any great reason
to complain of the depreciation of farming produce.
He thought that the gentlemen who were connected
with the body for whom the Hon. Member for Bucks
was on the present occasion the advocate were a great
deal too apt to indulge in assertions which had really no
very sound foundation in fact. He had heard the other
day of a gentleman, who was a member of some im-
portance, he believed, in the great society of Bond street,
having gone down to one of the midland counties with
the view to treat there with a farmer for the whole of
his produce. - (Hear, hear.) Well, they met;
the gentleman had some few days before at
a public meeting declared that no British
farmer cculd live upon corn at 46s per quarter. Weil
he went down and offered the veritable sum of 465. for
the crop -(Laughter.) To his pri ffer the reply was of
course-aid it might be ia a somewhat surly tone-No.
475.? No. 485.? No. 49s ? With a shake of the head
still No. 50, ? No, no.: But however he believed that an
egret Went was ultimately come to that the corn should
be taken at 50s. the year round.-(.sheers and laughter.)
Now he really thought that it was hardly
fair of these gentlemen to go from meeting
to meeting and state that which was not
precisely in accordance with the facts of the case.-
(Hear, hear.) It was greatly and very unduly depre-
ciating agricultural produce by these assertions.-(Cries
of Name, name!") He would give the name to his
Hon. Friend seortly.-(Hear, hear, and laughter.) But
he did not think it was tair-(Renewed cries of" Name,
name !" and cries of " Order, order!")-he did not think
that it was in accordance with custom, or that it would
be in any way convenient to give names on all occasions
publicly-(hear, hear)-but he would give it privately
to his Hon. Friend as soon as an opportunity occurred.
The Hon. Member, when ho brought on his motion on
this subject in 1847, had referred to the pressure of the
poor-rates. Now he could not find that such was the
case, but he would refer to the returns that had been
furnished on the return moved for by the Honourable
, Member for Leeds. He would now refer to the agricul-
tural counties in the south of England. He would not
• refer to the north ofEngland at all, where it might be sup-
, posed thepressure arising from distress among themanu-
facturing classes might occasion any excess. He
would take sixicounties in the south of England,:and he
must allow that in the poor-rates there had been for a
certain time a small increase during a certain period. In
1841 the amount collected was 2,128,0001, and in 1847,
it was `2,212,0001, showing an increase of about 84,000/. ;
but between 1834 and 1847, there had been, owing to the
operation of the poor law, a decrease of 19,0001. The
average amount of rating in those six counties was
Is. 24d. in the pound, whereas the average rating for
all England was Is. Sid. in the pound. The weekly
wages of a daily labourer were formerly 12s. ;
whereas, in 1846, they were reduced to Bs. a week.
He would now read from an extract from one of the
returns what the reductions were which had been
made during the last fourteen years in six
counties which were purely agricultural, and
where manufactures could have had no influence
whatever upon the weight of the poor-rates.
During that time the poor-rates had been reduced in
Bedfordshire 42 per cent.; in Sussex 41 per cent.;
in Kent, 39 per cent.; in Cambridge, 48 per cent.; in
Norfolk, 42 per cent.; and in Suffolk, 40 per cent. He
would now state the number of paupers which were
sustained in the several workhouses in 60 unions,
in the four counties of Cambridge, Essex,
Norfolk, and Suffolk. During the corresponding week
of last year there were 13,511 inmates in the work-
houses, and during the present 13,012, showing
a decrease of 499. During the same week
in last year the money paid for out•dooi•
relief was 6,9831. ; this year it was 6,9471.
showing a decrease of 361. He would then turn to the
midland counties, and he found that the number of
paupers, on an average of twelve weeks, in a similar dis-
trict in that part of the country, was-last year 2,301,
and this year it was 2,010, showing a decrease of 291.
The amount of money granted for out -door relief was,
in 1848, 1,2641., whilst this year it was only 1,161/. So
that he thought he might safely say that the assertions
of those gente men who spoke so strongly respecting the
distress in the agricultural districts were either grievously
exaggerated, or altogether uleounded.-(Hear, and
chess's.) In speaking the other day with his lion. Friend
the Member for the %Vest Riding of Yorkshire, he
had expressed an opinion that the quietude which
had been kept in this country la.t year was owing, to a
great extent, to the relief felt by the labouring classes
from the low prices of toed, and the little duty which
existed upon grain. He did believe that such was the
case, he did believe that that relief was necessary,
but he also felt that it was requisite for the Government
to provide them with the other necessaries of life.-
(Hear, hear.) He believed that there was no prosperity
for one class without prosperity for another. It the
poor suffered adversity, the rich would not be
saved from distress, and, above all, he felt,
even if it were to deprive them of some
of the luxuries which they enjo) ed, the poor must have
the necessaries of life secured to them-(Loud cheers
from all sides of the House)--and that, above all, none
were so interested in providing those necessaries, and
ensuring the security of the country, as the landowners,
who bad the greatest, the deepest, and the most perma-
nent interest in the soil.-The Right Hon. Gentleman
then sat down amid loud and repeated cheers.
Mr. CHRIeTOPHER could assure the House that he
would be very brief in the observations he should make,
in answer to the speech of his Right Hon. Friend the
Chancellor of the Exchequer. His Right Honourable
Friend, at the conclusion of his speech, seemed
to doubt that great distress had arisen, and still existed,
in the agricultural districts. If he (Mr. Christopher)
could coincide with his Right Honourable Friend,
he could assure him, that he would rather
have consented to try the experiment of free
trade than come forward and support the reso-
lution of his Hon. Friend the Member for Buckingham-
shire.-(Hear, hear.) But as he knew that distress in
the agricultural districts was general he felt bound
to support his Honourable Friend's resolution.
To what state, he would ask, was the agricultural dis-
tricts reduced at the present moment? All protection
had of late years been withdrawn from them, and it was
at the present time the only interest wholly unpro-
tected. It, therefore, in his opinion, became
the duty of the House to look into the local taxation of
the country, in order to see how far it pressed un-
justly upon the agricultural interest. He did
not think his Right Hononurable Friend the
Chancellor of the Excheqner had dealt fairly
with the proposition of his Hon. Friend the Member for
Buckinghamshire. He had brought forward his resolu-
tion, not for the purpose of introducing any new
system of taxation, but in order to obtain the ap-
pointment of a Committee in order that the
burdens on land might be considered and redressed. His
Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer
had admitted that the local taxation of the country had
been unequally borne by the land, but he had gone
a great way to mystify the facts stated by the Hon.
Member for Buckinghamshire. That Hon. Member did
not propose, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer had
stated, to increase the income-tax; far from it, fur
he (Mr. Christopher) had no doubt that he would gladly
come forward and aid the Chancellor of the Exchequer
in putting an end to it altogether. He believed the
agricultural interest would be greatly relieved if Ministers
would retrace their steps, and put a fair duty upon
agricultural produce coming from other coun-
tries ; bid the course that had been pursued
in that and the other House of Parliament had
put a stop to the adoption of such a proceeding. Such
being the case, the agricultural interest wits reduced
to adopt the only course left open to them,
and endeavour to reduce their local taxation:
He denied the proposition that had been put torward
that the public funds of the country -ought not to be
called upon to pay the local taxation, and in support of
that denial he need only allude to the opinion of
great political economists, who stated that the
real and personal property of the country ought

to be a:.res-“A to the poor-rates.—(Har, heir.
Cons;&ting that the r,c,nt e.:romere'al alter ai,;ns bad
rind, almost xele,ively for the hore,fit of the find
hold r, he ought t, take own s:.eu'ders his
porti•ai of the berlehs of ihe cointtry, which the t.gri-
ctilturl, at a former period, was content to bear,
but which, utter the t xisting circumstances,
had become intolet able. Nov,, with regtrd to th tour-
,tens a hick bore upon th.- occup)llig !eithr,T. in the year
1845 the poor-fate,. on the !.-rant amount« d in some
•rt,hes to 17, 6.1. to the poonc'.—(i-lear, hear.) Surely,
the fundholder in,tcht upon hmoself part of
the participatt-d in all the rights and
lib. riics of the kimp:orn• and as the law provided
tle,t every interest should be taxed accordii,g to
its mean, for the support of the,' poor,j surd) it was not
fai to throw all the borat n up,n the farmer, and
exempt his neighbour, the funithteder.—(llear ) At
the present moment the agrieu,tural was tau only in-
terest without protection. and the farming produce of this
c.wuntry had to ..ntk•r into unresrict(-(1 competition with
the foreigner, white many. matiuf,,cturing trades were
protected with duties varying from ten to twenty per
cent.—(Hear, hear.) N,w, was that lair or just ?
The agriculturists did not complain of those inte.
rests being protected. but they had a right to
expt ct that the same jusiicti that was meted
oat to manufacturers would be conferred upon
them—(Elear). The Right lion. Gentleman the Chan-
cellor of the Exchequer, however admitted that agricul-
ture bore an excess of local taxation to the extent of
12,000,0G01, and that he thought was a sufficient reason,
now that the farmers had lost all protection against the
foreigner, that the burdens of thejcountry should be
considered by the House with the view to a more equal
'and equitable distribution of them.—(llear hear.) But
not only had the farmer been deprived of all protection,
but he was prohibited from cultivating his own land
as he pleased. He was precluded from growing tobacco
although it might be grown in many parts of England
as well as in Ireland,—(Hear, hear.) Now, with
regard to what had fallen from the Honourable
Member for Montrose on the first night of this session
who expressed his delight that mere questions of pro-
tection were no longer to disturb the House, he for one,
begged to assure bim, that the agriculturists had never
ventured to ask the House for a greater share of
protection than was enjoyed by any other interest,
and so long as the present uncqualised system of loot
and excise taxation continued he should feel himself
justified in demanding for the farmer the same privi-
leges that were extended to the manufacturer.—(Hear.)
Different scales of taxation prevailed in different parts
of France, and duties were levied upon all corn that
came to that country in foreign ships. The agri-
culture of France, therefore, could not be justly
compared with the agriculture of this coun-
try. Besides, Amrica was an excellent customer.
of the produce of France. Then the country would
not have accepted the income-tax except it had been
proposed as a temporary expedient; nevertheless, seeing
that it saved the poor from many imposts, he would not
be a party to its abrogation. The Hon. Member for
Montrose (Mr. Hume) had come forward in a new light
—as the farmers' friend—since he proposed the re-
peal of the malt-tax and the reduction of the expendi-
ture. The malt-tax was a most odious one, since it Wag
7 per cent. upon the cost of produce, which after all fell
with the greatest weight upon the consumer. But if
similar tax were proposed to be placed on cotton the
whole of Manchester and Liverpool would rise in SOs
aganist it. He considered that the proposition of ille
Hon. Friend (Mr. Disraeli) was far preferable to that o',
i
the Hon. Gentleman the Member for Montrose, who, n'
stead of dealing in obscurities, as the Chancellor of the
Exchequer had imputed to him, made as clear a state'
ments us he had ever heard in that House.
Colonel THOMPSON said be never was Teri
strong upon accounts, but he wished to know froto
Honourable Gentlemen opposite what compensation
they intended to give Honourable Gentlemen on 0315
side of the House for the twenty years' existence 01, the corn-laws, which he, for one, should be glad to
have in the form r; a rent charge. He always considers'
that the malt tax pressed heavily on the owners of hind'
and was prepared to remove it; but, in the meantime, b°
wished to have his conscience cet right upon the matte'„
ne had mentioned.

The Earl of MARCH said he was prepared to prole,
by official returns, that the wages and the burdens of ille
people had been augmented by the passurg of the repeal
of the corn-laws—that when corn was cheap, that
the poor rates were highest, and when the
Pe")
was high, that they were much lower.—(Hear, hear;)
There was 10,000,0004 more of charges on the sgi:
cultural interest in the seven years when the pric.;
of wheat was low then in the seven years, when 1
was at the highest price. (Hear, hear, foto
the Protectionists). He thought that with that evideace
.
before them they were not quite justified 1„
';
taking the same view of the case as the Chancellor
of the Exchequer. With regard to the use of
roads he entirely disagreed with the statement made
the Hon. Member for Montrose, when he stated that n°
only the making but the repairing the roads were s:
great a benefit to the land that on the
hand only should that taxation fall. In the Isle °
Wight, where there were no turnpikes, the
highway. rate was a shilling in the pour
He believed that was a charge which Wil
not fair upon those upon whom it was charged, and
it ought to be got rid ot. He believed it would be prone" that the land had burdens to bear which were not bob
by the other classes of the community. PI
wished to put a case to the Honourable Member
for Montrose. A. has an entailed estate assessed
5,000/. a year with a mansion, and he has a mansion is
London also assessed at 4001. He had to pay in dire%
charges as follows: the poor, county, and church-rates s_
35. in the pound was 7504, the land tax was 794, theincon
tax upon the actual rental of 4,600/. was 13814 1'11.4
tenants' property- tax on farms above 3001. a year 04;
96/., making, in all, 1,0631. The house in Laall°..,
was assessed at 60/. on a rate of three
in the pound, making a total of 1,1234 Where.,
A, who was entitled to an entailed estate in law,
subject to taxes to the amount of 1,1231,; B, who -/
ceived his 5,0001. from the funds, paid only It;
a year.—(Loud cheers from the Protectionists.)
,r,
considered the Chancellor of the Exchequer was POl
fectly right when he said he was not a prael'"4
farmer, for when he said that the price of agricultai,
produce was so high this year, he should have elf
dered that whatever was the quality of the produce, Ito
farmers in Sussex have recently not been able
get any price at all for Prot
pared their wheat. He was
ot
pared to vote for the repeal of the malt-tax, but wasLr
prepared to vote for the proposition of the Hon. Mein'-
for Montrose.--(Cheers.)
On the motion of Mr. MILNER GIBSON the deb-ate
.40
was adjourned a few minutes before Six, and the
rose.

THE WEATHER.—Since our last, we have had one of
two frosty days; but succeeded by cloudy skies, and 'Orb;
rainy weather. On Friday evening, there was a sli,go
fall of snow ; on Saturday more snow tell ; there "0
a sharp frost in the morning, and the day through Iv,
bright, with a keen biting air. Sunday was cloy ;I',
windy in the afternoon. and rainy at night. Both 11°0
day end yesterday were chaly, with occasional shefl.oo
on Monday; but yesterday was fair. The folloal
returns from a considerable number of places,;.
electric telegraph, yesterday morning, show the es
riablaness of the weather, with the predomieevb
of cloudy skies :—Glasgow, S.W. fine; Edinburg ;
W.S W., fine; Newcastle, fine; Leeds, N
fine; York, S.W., very fine; hormanton.
flue; Hull, S.W. cloudy; Bradford, windy. fine; SkiPV,
windy, fine; Liverpool, N.W. cloudy; Holyhead, J'Ave.
fresh breeze; Manchester, N. unsettled; Derby, W. -10:
Rugby, N.W. cloudy; Leicester,; boisterous; LiecLe;
W. tine; Rotherham, W. fine ; Chesterfield, W.
Nottingham, %V. fine; Crewe, N.W. cloudy ei Hertleeor,
W. flue ; Brandon N.W. cloudy; Birmingham,
,
cloudy ; Gloucester, W. fine ; Chelmeford,
cly ;
cloudy ; St. Ives, W. fine ; Yarmouth, N.W. eleticiv ;
Lowestoft-1, N.W. cloudy ; Norwich, N.W.
Detehaw, S.W. cloudy ; Cambridge, N.W.
Manchester Guardian. At
CHEESEMONGEES' BENEVOLENT INSTIToTIO,•""ter
the annual meeting of the friends of this charity, Yesweg
day, Mr. Edward Corderoy in the chair, a report tire
read, stating that since it was instituted in 1835, for err
relict of decayed master cheesemongers and tdsf
widows, 59 pensioners had been admitted on the fossesy that the expenditure during the subsequent 13 txcl
amounted to 5,747/., and that 7,0101. had been ieve,,6oo
in the Three per Cents. The number of pensi°4-trir
now on the funds was thirty-one, who were. or
ported at a cost of about 50/. a mono!,
roo
about 60C 1. per annum. To meet this g.ob'
outlay, however, instead of an increase in the
fifer
scriptions, there had been a considerable falling ° _ate
the last two years, so that in the previous year they ;iv
obliged to sell out stock to meet their increased litiTbe
ties: but that had not been necessary this year. sotr
subscriptions for the year were 4551., donations re'
and interest on stock 204/., making the amount of
oero
ceipts 1,026/. The amount expended on the peos`°del
for the year was 578/. 13s. 4d., which, with st1"0,
small expenses, made the disbursements 7401. 39,i se'
leaving a balance of 286/. ss. 7d. The report att
ye
counts were adopted, the office-bearers for the
that
were re-elected, and the chairman announced 017 "jr,
result of the ballot was the election of the widow °ford'
Baker, of the late firm of Baker and Co, et,
street, and Mr. John Evans, late of Silver 5-
Golden-square.
CP;
NOVEL COMPLIMENT TO A JUDGE.—Mr. awe,
nald, marble-mason, Monkwearmouth, who wastienc"
eti
on a charge of felony preferred against him at the r 0.00"
Durham Assizes, for blowing up au erection ;off
powder which the prosecutor, Mr. Allison, the " oas
claimed as his, but which Macdonald contends,,oieg
built upon his ground:, took a novel way of inset: ;of
his gratitude to Baron Alderson for directing tii_liere
to acquit him. Ou his arrival at his own holee!„.";e0s,
his triumph was greeted by a great number of his free
he had a large flag stretched across the front °f life
house, bearing the following inscription:—“ 14°1 The
to Judge Alderson, the friend to truth and justic..eshos
exhibition attracted hundreds of spectators.—Ga/
Observer.
AD.'"
REPORT ON TUB CALEDONIAN CAN—
__A off
Walker, civil engineer, has surveyed and reporte"aiy
the damage to the works of the canal, caused by thea, co-
astrocurateuss
ttd,shoef the
repair24th
of and
the 2 sbtrheaocfhe
breaches
Januarywill C 511.ieboo tit;
10,000/. for additional security, Mr. Walker pros't the
raise the embankments and the upper lock gates Biker
end of such of the reaches es require it. Mr. the
contends that the canal bad nothing to do withtliff
damage done to the town of Inverness. If this , b e
no
case, [he commissioners of the Caledonian Colo
be liable in any expenses.—Scotsman.
ievrtb
Governor Sir George Anderson had an intervin..,oiear
Earl Grey yesterday. Mr. Blyth had also an.
01,0.
with the Noble Earl yesterday at the Colonial- 31"'