The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-24 00:00:00

The Royal Assent was then given to several Bills.
The LORD CHANCELLOR then riCvanced to the
foot of the throne, and kneeling, presented her Mey'sty
with a copy of the Speech. Her Majesty then prooecf.ed
to read in a clear and beautifully distinct tone the
Speech (for which see our paper of yesterday).
Her Majesty having concluded reading the Speecl7,
The LORD CHANCELLOR said, it is her
royal will and pleasure that the present ParLer,,,nt be
prorogued to Tuesday, the 21st day of September, and
it is prorogued accordingly.
Her Majesty then rose from the throne, and the royal
procession left the House in the same order in which it
entered.

At about a quarter before three o'clock her Majesty
left the House of Lords, and proceeded in state to Buck-
ingham Palace.

The Park guns fired a royal salute on her Majesty's
arrival at and departure from the House of Lords.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, July 23.
The SPEAKER took the chair at One o'clock.
THE NEW HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Lord M. HILL, the Compt roller of the Household,
appeared at the table in uniform, with the reply of her
Majesty to the address recently voted on the subject of
the accommodation of the House of Commons. The
reply was as follows :—" In answer to your address, it
is my anxious wish that there should not be any unne-
cessary delay in providing permanent accommodation
for the Members of your Honourable House, and I will
give directions accordingly."

WE-1' INDIES.
Lord G. BENTINCK said it was his intention, at
the earliest period in the next Parliament, to ask for a
Select Committee to inquire into the state of the West
Indies as regarded their present power to compete with
those countries which have still the advantage of forced
labour. The Nob!o Lord went into statistics to show
that there had been a great falling off in the produce of
sugar and rum from our West India colonies since the
reduction of the duty on slave-grown sugar. He thought
the differential duty should not be less than fifty per
cent., or seven shillings per hundred weight ; and he
was of opinion that it would be much better to appro-
priate a portion of the one million sterling which was
now being expended every year, with a view to the sup-
pression of the slave trade, in obtaining free labourers
for our West India colonies, so as to deprive Cuba and
Brazil of the profit which they obtained by slave labour,
by furnishing free labour on lower terms to the West
Indies ; and thus, by competition, beating down the
profits of the slave holding states. He had been in-
formed, on very good authority, that the value of slaves
in Cuba had increased twenty-five per cent. within the
last year ; 100/. a-head was now given for every male
slave as soon as he was landed. They were forced to
labour eighteen hours out of the twenty-four, and the
number of suicides that occurred was beyond all imagi-
nation, whilst the average life of slaves in Cuba was not
estimated to endure beyond five, and in Brazil beyond
six yews. His object was, to enable the %Vest India
planter, with his free labour, to supply the sugar market
at a lower price than the slave-owner, and thus abolish
the infamous traffic in human beings. The Noble Lord
concluded by stating that he should move for a Com-
mittee on the subject in the next Parliament.
Mr. lIAWES said the Noble Lord evidently wished
his statement to go forth to the conntry to be made use
of at the coming e!ections ; the public, however, would
see that the policy of the Government was to reduce all
the first necessaries of life as much as possible, whilst
they would clearly understand that the motive of the
Noble Lord was to revive the old doctrine of protection
in favour or sugar with a view to increase its price. The
petition which the Noble Lord had presented was from a
single parish in Jamaica, and its demands had been
csrefuliy excluded from the House. The ,noble Lord
wished to keep up a differential duty or fifty per cent.,
whilst, the petitioners modestly asked that they might
have the privilege of sending their sugar free of duty
altogether. When the Noble Lord talked of any por-
tion of the sum paid for the suppression of slavery being
put into the pockets of the planters he must have for-
gotten that the country had already paid 20,000,0001. to
those persons, and that there was nothing to prevent
their obtaining as great a supply of labour as their
capital could procure. With reference to Jamaica,
however, that was the only colony which had interfered
by its own act to stop the supply of labour. When the
Noble Lord moved for his Committee on the subject, it
would be for those in power to determine what course
they should adopt, and there would be no difficulty in
showing that the law which had recently been passed on
this subject would be most conducive to the increase of
capital, and the ultimate happiness of the people.
After a few words from Mr. BOKTIIWICK, the sub-
ject dropped.