The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-22 00:00:00

herself assayed the ascent, and was told by the good genii at
the foot of the mountain, that if she meant to achieve the
summit, she must go straight forward, and neither turn
te the
right hand nor the left. If the Noble Lord followed this ex-
ample, and listened to suggestions neither from thatside nor
the other, he would not have to return to the old system of
hanging or imprisonment.—(Cheers.)
Mr. DISRAELI at the commencement of his address,s
the
spoke
in so low a tone, that many of his words were inaudible in
gallery, bat proceeded to say, that in the difficult circumstances
in which he had been placed he was sure they would not quarrel
with him for thinking that the combination of events has un-
expectedly put them into their present position. No one could
deny that that was a position attained by no factious endeavours
of their own, and that it was surrounded by so many obstacles,
that no man of common honour, or of generous spirit, would
endeavour to impede their progress by any needless opposition.
The only thought which his Noble Friend, the Noble Lord, the
present leader of the opposition, with those who acted with
him, entertained was, that the measure now proposed should
have been taken at an earlier period. The question, there-
fore, before the House was, not whether thew measures were in
themselves desirable, but whether the Government could have
shown more discretion, prudence, and enterprise, and whether
these measures should not have been sooner proposed to the
House. He would recall to the recollection of Hon. Members
the conduct of the great Convervative opposition who had sat
on those (the Opposition) benches during the long period
when they had been absent from power. During the ten
years not a phrase had been expressed, not a sentence had
been uttered which had not been duly weighed long before it
was delivered. He would not say anything of the hypocrisy,
as he might style it, or of the factious conduct which had ob-
tained the support of some of the present supporters of the
Government, and he could not sufficiently admire that entire
absence of party feeling which characterised the speech of the
Noble Lord who had proposed the measure now under the con-
sideration of the House. That speech had about it that which
became the conduct of a statesman—( Hear, bear)—and
had it not been for the injudicious observations em-
bodied in the remarks of the Chancellor of the Exchequer,
he firmly believed that no discussion whdtever would have
arisen, and that no cavil whatever would have been made upon
the accession of the present Government to power, but that
their proceedings would have been most acceptable to the
whole public of the United Kingdom. But whatever the ob-
jections might be to the policy of the Noble Lord, no charge
could be brought against the prudence of the designs and the
disinterestedness of the views of those by whom he was as
sisted ; nor would any objection be offered upon the part of
his Hon. Friend, or those acting with him in the present exi-
gency. The Honourable Member for Bath had inter-
posed in this debate a tirade on the violent ssesticulation and
the modulation of voice with which his Hon. Friend had
stated his opinions, The only desire which his Noble Friend
had expressed was, that these measures had not been proposed
at an earlier period, so that they might not have interfered
with the commercial transactions of the country. The Hon.
Member for Lancashire had iatimated a doubt as to the pru-
dence of the course which was now pursued, and had expressed
a belief that a total abrogation of the navigation laws would
have been better than a temporary suspension of their in-
fluence. He would merely put it to the House, whether, if
this temporary suspension bad occurred, the scarcity at
Antioch and pressure at Bombay, would not have been obviated.
The Hon. and Learned Member for Bath, who seemed so
critical on the modulation of the voice or the acting of others,
and who himself exhibited on every occasion training and me-
thod both in mind and voice ; the Hon. and Learned Member
for Bath, so classical in his concepting, so happy in his ex-
pressions, so temperate in all that he conceived, so gentle-
manlike in all that he uttered, whose criticising of a secretary
of state affirmed that he wanted aptitude of expression, who
censured a leader of the Opposition because his voice did not
meet or agree with his own musical gammut ; the
Honourable and Learned Member for Bath, who had always
evincad an anxious impatience, particularly in the present session,
to lose no opportunity of expressing his opinion as if he felt
that there was some impending dissolution near at hand which
rendered it necessarp that not another moment should be lost
in astonishing the empire with the brilliancy of his sarcasm,
the power of his criticisms, or the force of his argumentative
ingenuity, who had this session indirectly informed them that
he was the critic, par excellence, of the House, and who never
lest an occasion for giving them some specimens of his criti-
cal ability, had that night replied to the epilogue of his Noble
Friend by a quotation from the " Arabian Nights." The
point of his Noble Friend might not have pleased the Hon. and
Learned Member for Bath; but then the test he applied to the
point of his Noble Friend possessed no point at all. It was not
thalthe epilogue of his Noble Friend did not contain any. A
great authority had told them that a bad author made a good
critic. That might be a good and excellent rule as applied to
literature, but whether it applied with the same force to poli-
tics he was at present at a loss to decide. At all events, it was
allowed that a bad prophet made a good political critic,
while a little philosopher might ultimately turn into
a monarchical politician. Perhaps the one saying was
a corruption of the other. When the Hon. and Learned
Member for Bath again indulged them with an exhibition of
his critical powers, it would be well for him to recollect that
ethers might be critics as well as those who were the objects
of his sarcasm, and when the modulation of the voice, the
exquisite temper of the character, the sweetness of the silvery
tones, or the softness of manner, were admitted to be legiti.
mate subjects of parliamentary discussion, the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman opened up a field of animadversion upon
himself which he for one had no wish to pursue, and which he
trusted, for the decorum of their debates, the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman would not in future prosecute.—( Hear,
hear.)
Mr. B. ESCOT had listened with great pleasure to the
second speech of the Noble Lord, because in that speech he
did not pretend to say that the measures he now proposed
were the best that could possibly be proposed, nor did he ven-
ture to say that those measures ought not to have been brought
earlier before the Legislature, but he did say, truly, that the
measures he proposed were the only measures which, under ex-
isting circumstances, he could possibly carry out.—(Hear.)
Be regretted exceedingly that the measures had not been
earlier proposed, but still he was bound to admit, that no
others could be brought forward now. He had heard the
_Noble Lord the Member for Lynn and others protest against
Shese measures some short time back, because they were public
de. anions, but, strange to say. the Noble Lord now supported
them on the self-same ground, namely, that they were public
delusions. He did not understand this mode of
reasoning, nor did he understand what was meant by the speech
of the Hon. Member for Huntingdon. That Hon. Member
had said that he did not approve of the measures because they
would benefit the consumer. The Hon. Member, however,
admitted that the people were in distress, and urged upon the
_House to do something to alleviate it. What was this but ad-
ranting measures for the benefit of the consumers. The
Noble Lord (Lord John Russell) had been blamed for not in-
trodueing those measures earlier, but as the famine had pro-
gressea' towards the close of last:session, he thought the House
and not the Government were to blame for the delay.
He had beard an Honourable Gentleman (late Chancellor of
the Exchequer and Member for Cambridge), make the asser-
tion he had done. Was he right in thinking that that Hon.
Gentleman had said that the ports ought to have been opened
in August last? Why, that Hon. Gentleman was one of the
great obstacles to opening the ports. In November,
1845, his Noble Friend the First Lord of the
Treasury was ready to open the ports, and he had
written a letter, for which he mold never be
-too much commended, to that effect.—( Hear, hear.) He
thought that that Noble Lord (J. Russell) had underrated
his powers when he supposed that be would not be able to
,carry out the principles which he then propounded, and he
'thought, that if he had attempted to do so, he would have
toomseeded.—(Hear, hear.) But they were all aware, that
when it was desired to adopt the policy of the Noble Lord,
and diet when the Hon. Member for Tamworth wanted to
etrry the same into effect, and the Noble Lord (J. Russell) was
ready_ to give him his assistance by his influence and support,
the Hon. Gentleman, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and
his party, were ready to oppose them on every point.—(Hear,
hear, from the Ministerial benches.) But now, when the
Hon. Gentleman found that there was a pressure on the Go-
vernment, and that there was more business on their hands
;than they could conveniently transact, it was unjust to accuse
'them of delay. He agreed with his Hon. Friend the Member
fps- Manchester that they should forget what was passed. As
to the other matters introduced into the discussion,
he would dismiss them altogether. The Noble Lord (Russell)
had nciv told them that he was fully prepared to do all that
Parliament would allow him. Coming to another part of the
question, he must say that he thought there had been
too little- said about the sufferings of the people of this
country. Did not the Honourable Member for Lynn
know tha t it was impossible to send a bushel of corn
to Irelancil without depriving the people of this
country of , exactly the same amount of corn ? It was the
greatest blurs der in the world to suppose that the people of this
eountry had ufficient corn. He believed that many of the
'Western parts of England were dependent upon potatoes for
support. Now, three-thirds of that species of food had been
destroyed. And notwithstanding this, the Noble Lord would
enact the part of a great forestaller himself, buy corn to a large
amount, and send it out of the country to Ireland. All
their endeavours had been to procure more corn, and their
policy recommended by the Noble Lord would render nugatory
all their endeavours. Under these circumstances he would
support the motion.
Lerd GEORGE BENTINCK hoped that there was no
spirit of vituperation in any part of the speech he had addressed
to the Hoisse, for such was far from his intention.—( Hear. )
He stated that if he had had his way, he would have prevented
the late Government from carrying their measure on the corn-
law, and the sxensequence would have been that when wheat
was 455. a qumshor, the grain would have remained in bond
said an opportunity would thus be afforded Government of
Using a large qua.ntity. And he also stated, that if this grain
had been purchased and sent to Ireland, it would have pre-
vented all the calasniSies that had occurred there. He denied,
as had been stated by an Honourable Gentleman, that
he had accused her Majesty's Government of murder.
Alf he had said was that her Majesty's Government
had come into office through the instrumentality of his
( Lord George Bentinck's) party, and that he believed that
the present state of circumstances was induced by the late
measure, as td that the present Government would not be able
to get rid of their meal and other provisions. He believed
that he had mow exonerated himself from the charge that had
been made up tui him.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. ESCO:r T offered a few words in explanation.
Lord J. R Ut!Lt3ELL quite
Ike
in the statement of his
Hon. Friend (11 fr. Escott). He agreed also in the opinion of
the Noble Lord ; but he confessed that he was rather surprised
at the position b e had assumed, having so many commercial
men attached to his party. He was rather surprised at his
Noble Friend's dc mtrines, because he thought he was making
Progress in coins aercial knowledge. —( Hear, and laughter).
and that partied any after the panegyric he had passed on
certain Hon. Mem hers of this House.—(Continued laughter.)
't Was quite mine( annary for him (Lord John Russell) to take
,LarlY
_further notice of the speech of the Noble Lord, because the notices
it F •
nend, the Member for Lancashire, had given
rel I.ly, and here he would beg to say
char haute 14°,„,
fold that they had obtained such a
valuable
as they had
accession to their wisdom received through thss; t gentleman. (Hear.)— aura to move that,He would ven-
ds% r the discussion, the chairman should
report the resolutions the House, and that the Bill should
be ore
h a first time and tint' lie would move to-morrow
that th ss standing ordsrati, ouldbe suspended, and that the Bill
should be carried through s,'l its
przmisito-morrow.
After strew words from 11j=,,
The CHAIRMAN reportet: progress, the House resumed,
and on the motion of
aLord .JOHN RUSSELL, the Bill was brought in, and read
first till le•
The. C.IHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then ms
that t be ',Bill to suspend the Navigation Laws be read -i-Z•st
time. '
Mr. -.THYME said that he mast confess that be was rather too
hard u port the Noble Lord for not bringing in at once more
compissnewsive measures, seeing the opposition which was ma..
saifested by the other side.
Mr. B. 0, %BORNE begged most emphatically to deny the
Judie-It of any imputations which had been cast upon the con-
duct of the landlords, they were invariably' reducing; their
establishments, /and, in a majority of cases, supporting the
p~eeoople in their c istricts. He repeated that Ministers should
have adopted mo. re comprehensive measures than those which
were ceded to the people of Ireland by all the Members of that
lfous e out of sympathy to the Irish people, The Government
were meraid of offer ading the two great classes of the country—
She agriculturists a isd the ship-owners, or they would have done
so before. He den ird that the Irish nation were "a nation of
beggars," al td would; not trust himself to characterise the con-
duct of these ph9 1144td that they were. The greatest blame

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