The Sun.
London, England, 1831-03-23 00:00:00

!ideal oppenents--that they scrupled not to sacrifice the
interests of the public to obtain the accession of men whose
interests they bad themselves declared opposed to those
„f the public. Let us hear then how the charge was met.
Goulburn would only say, " that his Majesty's late
Government was not pledged to make any alteration in the
timber duties. The statement that it was, was not cor-
r. ct ; and he was sure the Right Honourable Gentleman
(Mr. P. Thomson) would bear him out in his assertion."
Mr. Poulett Thomson, thus appealed to, said he should
have been willing to confirm the statement of the Right
Hon. Gentleman, had he been able to do so, but that he
could not confirm it—that, on the contrary, he knew that
tb,a late President of the Board of Trade (Mr. Herries)
was prepared to submit a measure for lowering the scale
of duties. Mr. P. Thomson could not, of course, say'
how far the Government was mixed up 'with the deter.
mination of Mr. [terries, because it might be the
Duke of Wellington's plan of Governing the country
to give every Minister carte blanche in his own de-
partment, so th4.the first knowledge the Cabinet had of
the operations of each other was when, they were before
the ptth/ic. It has been usual for a Minister not to deter-
mine on such important steps as altering the timber duties,
And thereby producing a revolution in the timber trade
tiL)he nuntry, without first consulting his colleagues ;
hut ai Mr. Goulburn says he knew nothing of the deify-
mination, and Mr. Goulburn is a sanctified man, we are
bound to believe MM. Our readers may remember, that
on February 14, when the Budget was brought forward,
and when the advantaies to be reaped from a compromise
with the ship-owners and West Indians had not yet sug-
gested themselves to the imaginations of the late Ministers,
they were disposed to take credit for the alteration' in the
timber duties. Mr. Courteniy (the Vice-President of the
Boa'rd of trade) said, according to the report in the Morn-
ing Herald, " With respect to the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer's proposition as to the timber duties, it had his
(Mr. Ceurtenay's) concurrence, as he always considered
that some such alteration was necessary. The report in
the Mirror of Parliament is—" As to the proposal of the
'Chancellor of the Exchequer with respect to the timber du-
ties, I shall certainly support them ; when in the Baird
of Trade I contemplated some such alteration." Mr.
[terries, Mr. Goullann, Sir R. Peel, acquiesced in this
declaratior. No marks of astonishment escaped them at
a declaration by the Vice-President, of an intention having
been entertained to propose some such alteration of the
timber duties, as, it has now been found, would destroy
the fourth part of our shipping. The new light hail not
broken in on them. Like an evidence at the Old Bailey,
who has not been paid his five shillings for a character,
they could yet say nothing. Mr. Herrin, is a gentleman
on whom experience is seldom thrown away, and where
testimony is of service, it would be difficult to find any
one more ready at a pinch. Let us then bear Mr. Herries.
He ought to he crowntd for his answer—though we will
not say with what. It was a denial that he had any
plan "fir destroying the wlicie Canadian trade. or that
he ever meant to recommend a measure which would put
an end to the preponderance of the Colonial commerce."
These are the exact words used by the Right Hon. Gentle-
man. He added, " had the Right Hon. Gentleman any re-
port? Could he produce any document? Had he any docu-
ment to prove his statement." Let it be seen in black
and, white, that I pledged myself, otherwise " I
claim distinctly to be believed, and I call on the House
to put faith in my assertion." It's God's truth I
speak, as Moses says, when he perceives a lack of
faith from the shrug of his auditors. A mo•e shabby,
evasive, quibbling answer never was delivered in the
House of Commons, and that is saying something. Mr.
Herries was prepared to recommend a measure for bring-
ing the difference between the duties on Baltic and Ame-
rican timber nearer by ten shillings. The plan of Minis-
ters was to bring theM nearer by fifteen shillings in three
years, in:order that the change might not be introduced with
a rapidity injurious to those concerned in the trade. Of
course it is impossible, as we have said, to charge the Go-
vernment positively with this resolution, though it would
be strange if it had been come to without the sanction' of
the Cabinet ; but that he (Mr. Herries) was prepared to
make this alteration is a matter as to which there can be
no doubt. Mr. Herries is aware that there is the evidence
of the Board of Trade for knowing this. But with a
hard unblushing front, that which he dares not meet by a
denial, he endeavours to escape by a subterfuge, worthy of
a first-rate sharp practicer. He never had any plan for
destroying the whole Canadian trade. Why, who says
he had? Neither had Lord Althirp any plan for des-
troying the whole Cmadian trade. But you, Mr.
Herries, had a plan, which, being the same
with that of Lord Altherp, must have produced
the same effects, whatever the effects might be, as
the Canadian trade, which the plan of Lord Aithorp would
have produced, and yet you voted against this plan—you
joined those who asserted of it, that it would destroy the
whole Canadian trade; and put an end to the preponde-
rance of the colonial commerce, you knowing all the
while that it would do no such thing, as your own plan,
which was the same, you say would have done no such
think. We dare not trust ourselves with the expression
' of our feelings with respect to this display. We give Sir
Robert Peel, Mr. Goulburn, and Co., joy of the evidence
of Mr. Herries, and of the light in which it is calculated

to place them before the country. It is pleasing, however.
to find that this policy of the Joseph Surfaces and Judas
Iscariots, the shitifiers and tricksters, is despised as it
ought to be by bonne minds. Alt.. Courtenayt the late
Vice-President of the Board of Trade, acted an honourable

part on Friday night, by voting with the Government on
the timber duties yilestion against his former colleagues.
It must have given lam pain to vote against his former
friends ; but there is a line betwe.n honour and dishonour,
which, as it appears, it would have given him still more
pain to pass. Perhaps Mr. Goulhurn and Sir Robert
Peel cannot understand these niceties.—Morning Chron.
In the Hoase of Lords, last night, the Lord Chancellor
(having first presented several bundles of petitions in
favour of the Ministerial Reform measure) mentioned his

plans to effect those improvements in the Court of Chancery
which he bad heretofore generally described to the House.
In doing so, he adverted to the Bankruptcy Court Bill,
which he postponed in consequence of Lord Lyndhurst's
alrsence on Circuit, and s.:lded, that the receipts of the
Commissioners of Bankrupt, and the savings that would
result from reducing the lists, would be greater than he
had before imag;ued. The expense of the Commissioners now
was upw ,r mss of 63,000/,—(it had in former years reached
as high as 100.0000 ; the cost of the system which he
proposed for adoption would be 34,,000/. ; but if he de-
ducted, for diminution of the Lord Chancellor'e salary,
7,000/., the expence would not exceed 27.0001. That
would consequently effect a saving of 86,000/. a year. The
proposed measures would also considerably change the con-
stitution of the Masters' offices, and the mode of paying
their clerks, and the R gistrars' department. The results
to the country would staid thus—
, Masters and Clerks, present expence £51,000 Savings.
Proposed expence
£13,r00

Registrars' Department present expenee 34,1'00
Proposed ditto 16,000
18,000

Bankruptcy Commissioners 63,000
Proposed expense
36,000

Proposed savings by the three Bills
If the Lord Chancellor's salary of 7,000/. were continued,
then the saving would be 60,000/. After lin extended
and interested conversation, papers were ordered respect-
ing the present expense of these departments. In the
Mousse of Comm:ins many more petitions in favour of the
Ministerial plan of Reform were presented. Admiral So.
iheron, on the presentation of a petition, said be was in-
structed to support it; but he regretted to be obliged to
state that he could nut comply with such request ; on the
contrary (though he had intended to vote for the Bill), after a
speech that he had heard on Monday night, he could nut now
einseientiously give the Bill his support. This declaration
was received with immense cheering. Afterwards, on
Lord John Russell moving the ord,r of the day, many
Members desired its postponement for a short time, to
allow the presentation of petitions against, as well as for,
the Bill; and the demands for the delay, and the oppo.:
slion to it, occasioned 4 good deal of confosima.
Calcraft eventually suceei!ded in allying the storm, uy ex.
pre-sing a hope that the request would be complied with;
for though he intended to vote in favour of the seeond
reading, he should he sorry if ample. opportunity were
not given for the presentation of petitions on both sides
of the question. The declaration that Mr. Calcraft in-
tended •to support the Bill was hailed with as loud
cheering by the Ministerial side as had distinguished
Admiral Sotheron's declaration against it. Mr. North
inquired why the Bill for Ireland bad not been pre-