The Sun.
London, England, 1825-07-01 00:00:00

MESSAGES FROM THE COMMONS.

Mr. Brogden, Mr. Phillips, and others, brought up the
Grants in Aid Bill, the Diary-la-bonne Districts Vestries Bill,
the Garden and Orchards Protection Bill, and several other
Bills. • •

Mr. Henry Gaitskell, from the Privy Council Office, pre-
sented a copy of the Order in Council for promoting the impor-
tation of goods by Mecklenburgh vessels.
Mr. Robinson, rom the Commissioners for Holyhead Har-
bour, presented Ale second Annual Report on the Harbour and

Mr. Tomlyns, froni the Treasury, presented an account of
the quantity of corn imported into this country from America
fora certain time.

Mr. Richardson, from the Commissioners for the building of
New Churches, presented an account. of the expenditure of the
Commission to the 25th of March last.
'Mr. Swhiburne, from the • Commissioners for • Westminster-
bridge, presented the usual account.
The Earl of. LIVERPOOL was •understood to allude to
some PHIS for the reversal of Attainders, which he had intend-
ed to propose to the house, but to which some objection was
hinted by a Noble Lord. It was not, however, his intention
to present those Bills during the present Session and he there-
flue threw out this intimation as a.sort of general notice on the
subject.
THE CUSTOMS CONSOLIDATION BILL. • •

The Earl of LIVERPOOL then moved the Order of the
Day for the second reading of the several Bills before the House,
for the Consolidation of the Customs Laws. As he was net
aware that any objection was likely, to be offered to the.mea-
sure he would not trespass upon their Lordship? time, but he
should not be doing his duty to that House and the public, and
not be consulting the great interests at stake, if he did not
shortly state the grounds upon which he claimed the support
of their lairdships for the present Bill. The first principle;
,which might he considered as the cornet stone of our new
commercial edifice, was to do away with all prohibitions either
on raw or manufactured materials, with the exception of
agricultutal produce and military. stores ; but there was a
traffic in cattle which required some attention, and thiti re-
lated to the importation of Alderney cows. Now it was
well ascertained that the Island of Alderney could never be
able to supply more than five.himdred cows annually, and
yet a gratuitous trade with respect to this species of cattle
was carried on from the coast of . France to this country,
by perjury on both sides,*and hence the number of Alder-
ney Dairies were multiplying in every part of the town.—
Putting aside the question of agriculture, which might be
considered hereafter, and the' question of arms, which must
11e- determined by the chances saf wer, the present Bill
went to do away with all prohibitory duties Whatever. Ile
now came to the great articles of manufacture, in which the ca-
pital and spirit of this country were so abundantly ehewn • and,
here, though we surpassed all the world in our cottons, and un-
dersold the inhabitants of India in their own country, a duty of
10 per cent. ad valorem, instead of the present, was proposed.
It was proposed, in the next place, to reduce the duty on wool
15 per cent. ; and in like manner, the duty on linen to 25 per
cent. Ile wished all rateable duties to be reduced to the amount.'
of 25 per cent. for 7 years. It was necessary to apply this prin-
ciple to other articles, and particularly the mechanical arts.—
Here the first object was the iron - trade, in which it was pro-
posed to reduce the duty, now about 61.. 10s., to, 11. Itts.,-,a
reduction, lie would -undertake to say, most important to the
iron manufacturer. This was particularly feliUt Birmingham,
a town well deserving of the Government in many instances,
where the manufacturer was not able to obtain the rawmaterial
as quickly as it could be worked up, anti a great number of
orders were in consequence lest._ Another great Material -was
copper, on which it was proposed to reduce the duty front 2!.
14s. to 1/. 75., which reduction would go
.greatlY to the relief
of the manufacturer.' The, next article to 'be mentioned was
lead, which had risen most rapidly, from nineteen pounds per
ton to thirty pound's per ton. He believed he had now enume-
rated the details of the present bill: it proposed to lower the
duties on manufactured articles frem 50 to 20 per cent.; and it
proposed, in like manner, to lower the duties on non-manu-
factured articles one half, from 20 to ten per cent. He knew
the question. had been asked, with respecte to these alterations,
what Foreign Courts intended to do ? The answer to this was
siMple, and he hoped English. If it was our duty to change
our system, we bad an undoubted right so to act; and if Fo-
reign Courts, mistaking our policy, should act with gross par-
fiat); in their arrangements with regard to us, the present Bill
left it at the option of the Crown to order an advance of five per
cent. as circumstances might require. He was aware that these
measures went to a complete revision of our system of trade,
but it was not carried-so far as experience might warrant at
another time. The entire measure was one, indeed, to which
he had looked forward for many years past, but the depression
of agriculture, and the obstructions with which warhad embar-
rassed our manufactures, did not permit him to propose it
sooner. It was gratifying to reflect that Parliament would not
close without first having laid the foundation of a most boleti-
; cial regulation with regard to our manufactures, both in respect
to exports and imports, as the present Bill would do away with,
prohibitions most disgraceful to our Statute Book, anti throw
open an entirely new channel of intercourse with the civilized'
world.
The Marquis of LANSDOWN said that he concurred in
every word which had fallen from the Noble Earl opposite, and
especially as to doing away with our prohibitory system in re-
gard to trade. • He could not conceive the enactment of a mea-
sure more honourable, at d, at the same time, more beneficial,
to the country, or more likely to extend the influence of our
manufactures. What, however, he had tieen for was, for the
purrose of. hiving that the Bill should immediately be printed
for the information of the House, as prdviding for most salutary
alterations in our trade.
The several Bills were ordered to be printed forthwith.
Upon the motion of the Earl of SHAFTESUURT, the Bubble
Act Repeal Bill, the Irish Linen Bounties Bill, and the Irish
Public Roads Bill, were severally read a third time, passed,
and messaged to the Commons;
TILE JUDGES SALARIES BILL.

The 'Earl of LIVERPOOL moved the Order of the Day for •
the third reading of the Judges salaries Augmentation Bill.
The Marquis of LA NSDOWN said that had he been present
on a former evening he should have saved their Lordships' time
on this occasion.. When the salaries of the Judges were to be
generally augmented, he could see PO reason why the salary of
the Vice.Chancelloi Was to be overlooked ; and be should cer-•
tainly have felt it his duty to move an ameuchuent, that instead
of 6,000/. his'Honour should have 7,0001. a-year. The office of
Vice-Chancellbr was one of high respectability, and ought not
to rank beneath that of the Master of the. Rolls. The better way
to ascertain itr value would perhaps be by a Commis'sion of In-,
quiry : if it were found•good, let it be continued; it it were
found of no.benefit, then abolish it.at once. But as long as this
office was permitted to exist at all, the Vice-Chancellor ought
to be enabled to live in a manner suitable to his rank.
Earl GROSVENOR thought that the Chief Justice of the
King's Bench would still have an opportunity of filling up
blanks, by the appointment of Clerks, under the Bill.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, if any blanks were so filled
,up during the recess, it would be for Parliament to deal with
thein afterwards as they thought tit.
EAST INDIA JUDGES 1111,L.. _

The Marquis of LANSDOWN rose, upon the motion for
the third reading of this Bill, not meaning to oppose the Bill -;
but he could see no reason why, becauSe the salaries of the
Judges were to be taiteA in England, they should also be
raised in India. He was aware that it was now too late to pro;

, . .
pose.. such alterations as lie -thought desirable in the -Bill,
by way Of amendthents,, but he could have wished to have in-
trodticed some clauses for regulating the jurisprudence of
India. It was desirable, from .all the information' he had
received on the subject, that persons -who belonged to
what was called the ". half-caste," . in . India, should• be
raised in the' social scale. Why should • not -this poiiion:of
.the , natives be permitted
.t.o • serve on Juries ? 'ln another
state of sOciety,, he hoped not -far distant,-they would be called
to serve; and their present exclusion from all civil duties, and
from the offices of the GovernMent in that country, tended: to
any thing but the improvement of society there. Itwiis object-
ed that some question was entertained as to the legitimacy of
these people, a question at least as doubtful as 'the solution,
while, by their intelligence and integrity, they appeared to'he
well fitted to serve in all civil offices; and he believed that the
same opinion was entettained.bv persons at the head of the Go-
vernment Of India, and he hoped that the subject would be con-
sidered at another time. Twelve or fourteen years had now
elapsed since the natives of Ceylon were summoned • to serve on
Juries, which duty they-were allowed to have perfbrmed with
great Credit to themselves, and it was for the House to consider
how far the same priviledge might with safety be extended:to
the natives'of India: Whenever this was done, he was aware
that it must be.cautiously and gradually done; but, upon the
principles of British justice, it was mast desirable. Ile had
thrown out .these hints for the consideration of the • Noble Earl
opposite, but without meaning to oppose the present Bill.
The Earl of LIVERPOOL, in explanation, said that he
agreed with the Noble Lord respecting the great importance of
the topics which he had introduced to the House. But whe-
ther the present Bill were right or wrong,• this was not the
proper time to consider them. The measure no before their
.Lordships must stand upon its own grounds ; and it could have
no concern with a step which, once taken, could not easily be
recalled.

The above Bill was then read a o;ird tine, passed, and mes-
saged to the other [louse.
scomi :SHOOTING AND STABBING BILL.

ViscOunt 11l LIX ELLE - moved the Order of the Day 'for
the third • reading this Bill, which he observed, extended
the Act commonly called Lord Ellenborough's Act, to Scot-
land, and applying the principle to the offence of throwing
vitriolic acid on persons and clothes. This offence had lately
been in practice to an. alarming extent, which it sues neces-
sary to check. The provision of the present Bill would ex-
pire in five years, when, if the, offences ceased, the law might
he altered.
After some remarks form the Earl of LAUDERDALE, who
proposed to leave out the clause relating •to vitriolic acid, his
amendment was negatived, and the Bill passed.
The illarquia of I4ANSDOWN moved :the-second reading
of the Irish Church Pates Bill, which was accordingly read.