The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-12 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT
HOUSE OF LORDS, May 11.
ROYAL ASSENT.
The Royal Assent was given to-day, by Commission,
to the following Bills: —The Customs Duties Bill, the
Portland Harbour of Refuge and Breakwater Bill, the
Cornoaons Inclosure (No. 2) Bill, the Prisons (Ireland)
Bill, the ilarbours, Docks, and Piers Clauses Bill, the
pile Piers Extensions Bill, the Ipswich Gas Bill, and
the Cheltenham Waterworks Bill.
The Lord Commissioners were the Lord Chancellor
the Marquis of Clanricarde, and the Earl of Shaftesbury.

The LORD CHANCELLOR to. k his seat on the Wool-
sack at Five o'clock.
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS.
Messengers brought up Bills from the Commons.
THE FACTORY BILL.
Petitions in favour of this Bill were presented by Lord
Stanley; Lord Wharncliffe, signed by 14,500 merchants,
factory workers, and others; the Bishop of Oxford, from
master manufacturers and factory workers in Bury and
Preston ; and by Lord Brougham, from a number of
factory workers in Lancashire.
IMPERFECT FRAMING OF ACTS OF PAR-
LIAMENT.—LIBERTY OF THE SUBJECT.
Lord BROUGHAM said he wished to call their
Lordships' attention to a subject on which ho had
often before addressed them—namely, that nothing could
be more slovenly, or a more fruitful source of injury to
the community, and to suitors in courts of justice, than
The imperfect mode in which many statutes were framed.
He referred as well to public as to private Bills,
and intended to move for a return on the
subject, owing to some circumstances which
had recently come to his knowledge—that
there lurked in corners of local Acts clauses giving
power to impose penalties of a nature which would never
have been tolerated if they had not been inserted in the
Bills under cover of darkness. One of these objection-
able clauses gave a constable power, if he found any per-
son in the street of any town, whom he suspected
either of having committed, or having any
intention to commit any offence, to take him into custody
and to imprison him for forty hours, and if a policeman
thought that he (Lord Brougham)--(Laughter)—was
going to commit an assault by seeing him merely hold-
ing his hand up—(Laughter)—he might take him into
custody and imprison him for 40 hours. Now that would
be a great puishment for such a slight off sc-_.—(H, as)—
and if he was found out after sunset and before eight in
the morning—and he might be out walking before seven
o'clock on a summer morning—if he was found loitering
about—(Laughter)—he was equally liable to a similar
term of imprisonment.
After a few words from Lord DENMAN and Lord
CAMPBELL the conversation dropped.
QUANTITY OF WHEAT IN THE COUNTRY.
Earl HARDWICKE said that he wished to put a
question to the Noble Marquis (Lansdowne) of which
he had given him notice; and however the Noble Mar-
quis might please to answer it—if he should answer it
in a distinct manner it would be of great service to the
country—and if he should decline to answer the ques
tion, he (Earl Hardwicke) should inter
to
from his silence
that the situation of this country in reference o its
supply of food was a bad one. He had been induced to
Put this question to the Noble Marquis in consequence
of his feeling a very strong impression on his mind that
the quantity of food in this country was not sufficient
to sustain the population, at the present rate of con-
sumption, until the next harvest came on. He was led
to that conclusion by seeing the very rapid decrease of
wheat, and finding that in the markets of this country—
in Oxford, Cambridge, and other places—that the com-
petition with the farmers was so great as to raise the
price of wheat during the past week from 965. per quarter
to 120 s. Upon further inquiry, he had placed in his hand
a document to which he begged to call the attention of
the House, for although it was not what is usually con-
sidered an official document, for unfortunately it was
nothing of the sort, still it did appear that there were
some persons who had endeavoured to ascertain, as ac-
curately as they might., the state and condition of this
country; and these persons had written to ail the coun-
ties in England, for the purpose of ascertaining what
was the state of the country, and the quantity of corn
in it. From that statement, to which he now begged
very shortly to refer, he collected the condition
of the counties in the worst state, and he could
assure their Lordships, that those who were not in the
worst condi i n were still very badly off. Two-thirds
of the year since last harvest had already passed, :nal
there were still tour months to run before corn could be
brought into the market, and one-third of the produce
which ought to remain was not here. Ile had commu-
zreatioLs from a Mr. Playfsir. in Scotland, on the sub-
subject. (The Noble Lord here read extracts from re-
turns which he had received from several counties of
England, Scotland, and Wales, with the object of
showing that the supply of grain now was much under
the usual quantity at this period of the year.) The
usual quantity was about one-third; whereas in all the
counties referred to, with the exception of one, the
quarter's supply was about one-fifth, and, in a great
number, the supply was not more than an eighth, and in
some scarcely any at all. Under these circumstances,
he thought it was necessary to call public attention to the
matter, as he considered there was not a sufficient
amount of food for the population of this country till the
coming harvest. He wished to know if the Noble Lord
opposite (the Marquis of Lansdowne) whether he was of
the same opinion, and whether he expected there would
be a sufficient supply from foreign countries. As far as
he (Lord Hardwicke) could collect information on this
head, on the continent of Europe there was little to be
had. Poland, and the countries en the banks of the
Danube, had but very limited stocks; the same was the
case in the countries on the Mediterranean and Black
Sea; their only hope was America, and there the proba-
bility of a supply was very small. If this were so, the
prospect was very dismal for this country, and he hoped
the greatest economy and care would be practised by all
classes, in order that the country might be carried
through this trying period. It behoved all classes to cut
down every useless and superfluous luxury—that the
wheat would be ground up as a whole—and that n
starch would be used. He trusted, also, that the linded
gentry, would use their influence in their respective
counties, so thet measures rnight be taken to keep the
corn from leaving the country.
Lord CAMPBELL said the c msequsnce of the course
taken by the Noble Earl would be ti excite what veers
called meal mobs in Scotland.
The Earl' HARDWICKE meant to do no such thing,
but he thought it his duty to bring the matter promi-
nently before the notice of their Lordships. The Nolo!e
Earl sat down by asking the question whether the Noble
Marquis could state the supply of fool in the country,
and also what was the quantity that might be expected
from foreign countries ?
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said, in answer to the
Noble Earl, who had no doubt felt it his duty to bring
this subject before their Lordships, that Noble Earl
would admit that he (the Marti 115 of Lansdowne) would
exercise a sound discretion it he abstained, both on the
part of himself and her Majesty's Governmen
from asserting anything like an opinion,th
which would have the effect of misleading
e
people or the trsder. The Noble Earl had said ) trul -
that the Government had no organised machinery 1
which they could become acquainted with the amount
cop] is 03 country. Every individual has the same
means of collecTing information as he himself had or as
her Majesty's Government possessed on this matter, and
perhaps no one was a more likely authority on such a
subject for extensive and accurate information than the
individual to whom the Noble Earl had alluded. He did
not feel it proper to give any opinion on the sufficiency
of the amount of corn at present. But thus much he
might say in answer to the Noble Earl, that since the
end of harvest lest year there had not been brought
into this country very much more corn than was im
posted during the c irresponding period last year ; so
thet unless last harvest was short there must be a
considerable quantity of the corn of last harvest
still in the country. Yet, for the satisfaction
of the Noble Earl, he could state to him the enor-
mous amount—the increasing amount up to to this mo-
ment of importation of corn into this country. Up to
this present moment the importation of corn was, for
January 661,000 qrs.
February
March
April
thereby indicating that in proportion to the increased
amount of demand. and the press of that deficiency of
which at the early part of this year the people of this
country had but little warninss there had been a cor-
responding amount of importation to meet that dee
cieccy. The same average amount of importation con-
tinued throughout the year would make an annual
importation of 9.000,000 of quarters. There was ano-
ther source of satisfaction to the Noble Earl, showing
the complete command of the market of the world which
this country had enjoyed ever since men understood
that no interference would take place with the course of
trade. Since that an increasing and unceasing action
had been kept up, and since that. it had been well
known that other countries had laboured under the
same evil—that in these large countries there had been
taite inereasins, demand, so that the exports from the
Stetest to the whole of the world was 2,170,000
quartedra, and of that amount no more than 500,000
wieners found their way into the rest of the world,
leaving to this
had
dottry more than four times the
amount which h
—(Hear, hear.) And, whilst sent to the rest of the nations.
n he made this statement,
he might add that he hafl
was
oarearn to apprehend that
that supply from America
to diminish ; but,
on the contrary, it was the onLitkeie.:lli those most likely
should we ensure the
to be well-informeds that noConlQnsw
ticith had been des-
receipt of all the corn ie Amewriecyam.
ensure a
tined for this country, but
portion of the corn which had origingallyoanbsi;n intended
for other countries. These were the
which he thought it his duty to make any
t t coy
mmunication
to to their Lordships, and he would only
Of. the markets and the suite of this country were statesueh
as ro render it imperative on all persons, so far as their
influence, power, and authority extended, to inculcate as
a matter of feeling, as well as a matter of policy,
prirciples of the strictest economy with rrgard to the
consumption of fool.—(Cheers..)
Lord ASHBURTON said the question was of the
greatest importance in every point of view, but the reply
of the Noble Marquis appeared to be less satisfactory to
hirifThan it did to the Noble Earl ; for the additional
supply of food to which he had referred had had little
or no effect upon consumption, upon demand, or upon
prices. Ttie Indian corn crop was gathered-late, and
therefore .there might be some quantity yet to come
'here, but lief feared that the same observation would not
. apply to thP wheat crops of America ; and the northern
nountries;of Europe were in a little better condition than
ehite emetteey boll with regard to the potatoes and green
creile.—(Heer.) He called there Lordships' attention
to these things in eeier that they might see the exact
nature of the state of the country, and in order that
they might know the exact nature of the calamity with
which they had to deal. Evidence of the high price