The Sun.
London, England, 1824-02-14 00:00:00

RECIPROCAL DUTIEg

On the motion of Mr. Husiassoisr, the House resolved into
a Committee to amend the reciprocity of Duties Act of last Ses-
sion. (4 Geo. IV. c. 77.)
Mr. HUSKISSON, in the Committee, explained that by the
Act of last year, it was competent for the king in Council to
impose duties upon foreign shipping, of equal amount with
those imposed by Foreign Powers upon British shipping, and
vice versa to reciprocate the conduct pursued by other Powers,
where the duty was taken off British shipping. Notwithstand-
ing the amicable footing upon which the United States of
America agreed to place British shipping in 1822, it appeared
that they imposed an additional duty upon them, different from
that which affected the American shipping. This duty upon
the shipping from the West Indies to America was at the rate
of 94 cents per tonnage, and 60 cents on the value of the cargo.
New a doubt arose whether the Act of last Session affected the
cargo as well as the tonnage, and it was to explain that doubt
that he meant to propose a resolution on which to found a bill.
He knew that there were many difficulties in the way of a mu-
tual adjustment upon the shipping-question between Great
Britain and America; they were partly colonial—partly re-
specting the navigation-laws—and partly relating to their North
American trade ; the subject was still under discussion in an
amicable way between the two Powers, and every thing was
conducted with a becoming spirit of harmony between them ;
nevertheless, he thought it necessary that a resolution should
be adopted to remove all doubts respecting the meaning of the
litcbonecludedby moving resolutions to
adverted.
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to which
Mr. ROBERTSON expressed himself to be hostile to the
resolutions which the Right Hon. Gentleman had proposed,
and which he confessed had excited in his mind no small asto-
interest was daily
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the resolutions
were agreed to.
ordered to be received on Monday.
Lord A. HAMILTON rose to put a question to the Right
Hon. Secretary for the Home Department. In the last Session
of Parliament an Act had been passed, by which the inferior
Commissary Courts of Scotland had ceased to exist on the Ist
of last January, and their business had been transferred to the
Sheriff of the several counties. Now he wished to know,
whether certain arrangements, which were mentioned in the
Act, and which the Noble Lord detailed, but in so low a tone
of voice as to be inaudible in the gallery, had been carried into
effect or no. A court had been abolished in every county in
Scotland, and, as far as he could learn, not any had been sub-
stituted in its

PEEL' replied, that to the best of his belief all the ar-
rangements which the Act required had been made. He could
not speak certainly on the point at present, but would make the
requisite inquiries in the office, and would give the Noble Lord
a more detailed answer in the course of a day or two.
Lord ALTHORP moved for leave to bring in a Bill to
alter the Act of the 56th of George 111., cap. 83, in so far
as it applied to the distraining on growing crops in Ireland.—
The proposition which he wished the House to adopt was, to
exclude from the operation of that Act all farms which did not
pay a rent of 101. a year, leaving the landlord at full liberty
to distrain for his rent upon all cattle and other stock which
might be upon the farm. He trusted that the alteration which
he proposed would appear to the House to be necessary,
as an act of humanity to the lower orders of the peasantry
of Ireland. One of the principal evils by which that unhappy
country was inflicted arose out of the frequent subdivisions of
con
farms ; and h,
perha
conceived this alteration would have some ten-
dency, ps, not a very great one, to diminish.
He
ht
that the House would not refuse to give
leimeneylatvhg
thereforeeotouintroduce a Bill, to effect the improvements which
he contemplated.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT seconded the motion.
Mr. °MILBURN would not oppose the motion, because he
considered it calculated to aftbrd some relief to the people of
Ireland. He desired, however, that it might be distinctly un-
derstood, that he did not at
inpresent pledge himself either to
support or to oppose the Bill question. He would suggest
to the Noble Lord, whether the benefit which he proposed to
give to the people of Ireland might not be safely extended to
the people of England also.
Mr. GRATTAN understood the great object of the Noble
Lord's Bill to be this—to prevent the keeper from being sent
upon the growing crop, and so increasing the expences which
the tenant had ultimately to pay.—Leave was then granted to
bring in the Bill.
ENGLAND AND SOUTH. AMERICA. _ _

Sir J. MACKINTOSH rose to give notice of a conditional
motion of a very extensive and general nature. He did not know
when he should bring it forward, but he believed that it would be
on an early day in March. It had reference to the relations exist-
ing at present between this kingdom and those countries in South
America which had formerly belonged to the throne of Spain,
and which had now, and indeed for some time past, become
independent. He was unable to specify what the nature of his
motion would be, or on what day he should bring it forward._
He should therefore allow his Majesty's Ministers further time
to make their arrangements ; and should be happy to be re-
lieved from the necessity of making his motion at all by their
taking some salutary measures on the subject in the interim.
At the request of Mr. GOIJI.BIJRN, Sir J. NEWPORT with-
drew his motion respecting the population returns of Ireland.
The House then adjourned at HALF-PAST FIVE O'CLOCK.