The Sun.
London, England, 1814-05-25 00:00:00

CHILD-STEALING BILL.

Tlie Report of the Committee on the
Chilil-
stealittg Bill was agreed to, a clause haying been
added, on the.sugge,ton of Mr. HORNER, to CX-
.cept from the pi ()visions' of the Bill persons claim,
lug to be the fathers of illegitimate children, and
as such . getting possession of them, or • taking
them from their mothers and of another, on the
tnolion of Mr W. Smrrn, exempting Scotland
front the provistons of the Bill, there being in that
country laws existing against the crime this Bill
was inteirled 10 prevent.
The Report of the scotch Creditors Bill-was ordered to be
taker into consideration to-otori OW.
CORN IMPORTATION.

Mr. 111JSKIsSoN moved that the Corn Law Im-
portation Bill be brought up.
Mr. LAscSLLE4 said, in.the present state of the
House it was not his intention to go at large into
the discussion-of the -subject ; but he should de-
: Hare,►that before be could give his assent to the
measure bdore the House, he would be convinced
that things were in such a •t:ate of progression
towards presshot on. the tenants or lands, as to
stew that some legislative measure was necessary.
There nothing in the present state_of things
approaching to this ; hut, on the contrary, from
the year 1805 to 1813, Corn ham risen 13s. 7d.
per bdshel. It was impossible to know what the
price of Corn would be that day.twelve mouths ;
and therefore, considering the long previous pe-
riod during which the price, hy extraneous means,
had been raised above -the ordinary price, no le-
gislative interference was necessary for the pro 7
feetion of the fanner.
Mr. P. Gust:FELL said, it was impossible for.
liim also to consent to the measure, from the utter
want of information before the House. He la-
/milted that :1 measure of such importance should
be hurried on in the present Session, when no
luischief would have arisen from postpone-
- fuent to the next year. The. H.ollbe in general,
was, perhaps, scarcely aware of the agitation•
created in the country by the proposition, and of
the miSconeeptions to which it bad given rise.
The consumers supposed it was intended tU keep
up the price of Corn, and were therefore adverse
to it ; while the farmers also thought it opposite
to their interests, because they conceived it would•
fix the price.ol grain at.47s.
Mr. Ross could not.lose any opportunity of
• expressing regret at the attempt to proceed to le-
gislation with such an utter deficiency of infor-
mation. The Report:of the Committee was such,
that the House would not have proceeded, even
to a Turnpike 13i11, on a similar docutnetst. There
would be no inconvenience to the country to post-
pone the • measure to the next Session, when, if
the country was persuaded of the utility of the
proposition, he should willingly submit to it.
Mr. LustuNGTON regretted that the House was
drawn into a discussion that day, contrary to the
understanding of the House off-the former night,
and in the absence of the Chancellor of the Ex-
chequer, who had not• conceived that any objec-
tion would have been made to the-receiving of the
Report.
Mr. J. SMITH pressed the necessity of delay on
account of the feeling which existed in the coun-
try against, the Bill..
Mr. FINLAY opposed the Bill, and observed,
that it was unjust to shut the door against infor-
;nation, and then to upbraid the opposers of the
measure with their want of knowledge on the
subject.
Sir H. PARNELL wished td repel-the accusation
of precipitation brought against the supporters of
the Bill. How could it be said that the Bill had
been precipitated, when the question bad been
discussed three or four nights in the last Session,
and three or four weeks during the present SeS-
sion, and when it was intended at present to delay
the further discussion •for a fortnight ? It proved
bow little the opposers of the Bill understood the
question, because the Hon. Member for Yorkshire
(Mr. Lascelles) bad asserted, that the artificial
height of prices was a reason against the enact-
ment of the proposed law, when in fact it was a •
conclusive reason in favour of it. The farmers
were in the state of those manufacturers who bad

been protected by bounties on the exclusion of
foreign competition. Would it not be most un-
just in such,a case suddenly to repeal all the laws
which protected men who had vested their capi-
tal-in any particular litre of business ? The farmers,
be was convinced, without some protective mea-
sure, Would not venture .to sow a sufficient quan-
tity of ground for the consumption 'of the
kingdom.
Mr. Ilustusscilc lamented, that in contradiction
to the arrangement which had been made on a
former night, a dise.nssion was now gone into.
No measure, he thought, was less open to the
charge of precipitation than the present Bill. It
iyas a month since the Report of the COmmittes
was received, and it was now intended to post-
' iione to the 6th of June any further proceeding.
The.Honourable .11eniber for Yorkshire (Mr.LaS-
6:iles) had refused to accede to the present
measure, until distress should have fallen on
the holders of hind. When that distress had
arrived,. it was too late. In the next year, unless
some protection were granted to the farmer, the
dec;iy of agriculture would have btgun, and irre-
parable mischief would have been done.
Mr. LASACELLES explained, that he bud not stated
That it would be necessary for him to see the Far-
»er in a state of distress before he could accede
to the measure i but that he w9tildn6t,give his as-
sent until it seemed probable that such distress
would ensue.'

Mr. HOENCR said, that the complaint vas, not

that it had notheen sufficientlyinquired int& To
the Report-of the CoMmittee there was no infoc-
mation. Not a single practical Corn-dealer had
been examined iu order to afford such information
as alone would l satisfactory to persons not con-
versant with the subject ; all that the Report con-
tained being some statistical knowledge respect-
, log Ireland. The proposition of an lion. Gentle-
man (Mr. Bankes) for appointment of a Com-
mittee to inquire into thestilAtet had been reject-
ed, and the House Was withtutt -any intormAtion
evett of the price at which Foreign Corn could be
imported The Right Honourable Gentleman
(Mr. Rose) was the only person who had stated
the piice—(Mr. Rose sa;d acro3i the table '' Con-
jecturally");—but that statement, as the Right
Honourable Gentleman said, was merely con-
jectural, and he might be a 4 ')wed to say
very erroncons—(a laugh)--as he had not'taken
into consideration the exchange. ,The Right
1-Jo:intuable Baroiiet- (Sir Henry Parnell), who
so violently upbraided the ignorance of the op-
,posers of the Bill, wns inconsistent in his re-
marks, as he said that the protection of Parlia-
ment eras necessary to the Farmers,. while he as-
serted that it- would not infh!ence the price of
Corn. The House; he thought, should be indul-
gent to the public feeling, and ;though- no one
should consent to relinquish a measure which he
thought necessary, yet an inqiiiry- *lit be en-
tered into, and the meastire delayed tintif the peo-
ple were more reconciled to it-.
Sir H. PA.RN ELL explained ; and the Report
was then received. •

Mr. Alderman ATKINS 'wished to know whe-
ther it was intended to re-commit the Bill on the
day for which the consideration of the Report'
was to be fixed.

Mr. BUSKISSON said, !u slmuld not object tc
such a recommit...ll, if :my Member wished to intro.
(hire a particular clause.

After some farther conversation between Mr.
HOWNER, Mr.I.II.7SKISSONT, Alderman ATKIN'S,
and Mr. BATIJURST, the farther consideration of
the Report of the Committee was fixed for Mon-
day the Gth of June.
The Reports of the Committees upon the Pensions to Lordi
Lynedoel;, Hill, and Beresfcrd were ordered to be brought up
ou Friday.

On the motion of Mr.ROSEithe Doteh Traile Bill wa►s corn•
mitted, and the Report was ordered to be brought up to•
morrow.

Mr. HUSKISSON brought in a Bill for Repealing an(
Amending the Act of Wm: 9th and 10th with respect to Wool
Read a first, and ordered to be read a second tinic on Thurs.
day.—Adjourned,.