The Sun.
London, England, 1841-08-25 00:00:00

THE ADDRESS.

The SPEAKER having finished reading her Majesty's} I
Speech at five o'clock,
Mr. MARK PHILLIPS rose to move that the
House do present an Address to her Majesty, in re-
ply to the Speech which hs had just read, and
which had been that morning delivered to the as-
sembled Parliament by her M;jesty's Commissioners,
and in proposing the Address he should, in the
first instanee, propose that they should thank
her Majesty ter her gracious tipeeChf and
further, that they should- express their sa-
tisfaction that her Majesty had availed herself of the
earliest opportunity of resorting to their acltice
and assembling the present Parlittiileht at the earliest
possible period after ths dissolution of the late Parliamaiiti
and he thotight the Whole HthiSei*Otild agree with him In
opinion that after the snduen dissolution of 60.1
late Parliament, engaged as it was in the con-
sideratioa of the most important topics, it was
highly expedient that they should, with the least
possible delay, resume the consideration of those topics,
more especially when they considered the crisis in
which the revenue of the country *as placed; He would
farther propose that they should ItSsUrn her Majesty
that they rejoiced to learn that her Majesty emitintted
to receive from Foreign Powers gratifying assurances of
their desire to maintain with her Majesty the
most friendly relations, and that they learnt with
much gratification that the ebjeets for which
the treaty of the 16th of July, 1840, was completed
between her Majesty and the Emperor of Austria,
the King of Prussia, the Emperor of Russia,
and the Sultan had been fully accomplished, and that
they shared in the gratification expritscd iiy
her Majesty in being enabled t,) state that
the temporary separation, which the measures taken in
the execution of that treaty had created between the
contracting parties and France, had now ceased. He
proposed also to state that the House trusted, with
her Majesty, that the union of the principal Powers,
upon all matters affecting the interests of Europe,
would afford a firm security for the maintainance o
peace ; and, if he might be permitted to express
own feelings regarding that pirt of her 11ajesty's
Speech, he could only say, that, holding the positi )n
which he did in that House, as the repr( sentat ye
of one of the largest manufacturing consti-
tuencies) in the salve, was inclined to

value peace more highly, perhaps, than 3 'any
other individual, because he wet aware that the
slightest interruption to the peace of the world
created in those districts the most intense dis-
tress, and was productive of the greatest evils.
He regarded the maintenance of peace, therefore, not
only as the Christian duty of a Christian country, but
he considered that it was impossible to overrate the
blessings of peace even in a temporary point of view.
It was with great satisfaction, therefore, that
he had heard in the Speech that the temporary disrup-
don which had been occasioned by the treaty of July,
1840, in the friendly relations between this country and
France had ceased. He had always considered France
as the natural ally of this country, and had always looked
with the most intense anxiety to anything calculated to
interrupt the good feeling subsisting anything
the two
countries. elle (Mr. Phillips) had always regarded Eng-
land and France as the bulwarks of generafliberty, and
anything which tended even for a moment to
separate their interests, had been to him a
a matter of the moit sincere regret. With re-
ference to the peace of the world and to the re.
lations which existed between this and all
other countries, he trusted that nothing would occur
to disturb the general amity. The advantages of peace
could not be overrated in reterence to that particular in-
terest of which lie was proud to consider himself the re-
presentative. It, would always be a matter of greater satis-
faction to him if, at the commencement of a new Session
of Parliament, instead of congratulations at the success-
ful termination of matters of diplomacy, the Speech from
the Throne announced the completion of a treats,
with some great commercial nation. It was on such
things that he considered the greatness of this country to
depend, rather than on any glory that. might be acquired
by feats or deeds of arms.—(Heaf; Irialtirj—iie would
propose further, that in the Address to her Majesty they
should participate in the pleasure expressed "in
consequence of the evacuation of Ghorian by the Per-
sian troops," and in the circumstance that " her Majesty
had ordered her Minister to the Court of Persia, to re-
turn to Teheran." He was sure that he should have the
feeling of the House completely with him in the expression
of congratulation wherever the good relations which had
been interrupted had been renewed. He proposed further
that they should express their regret " that the negocia-
tions between her Majesty's Plenipotentiaries in China
and the Chinese Government have not yet been brought
to a satisfactory conclusion, and that it has been neces-
sary to call into action the forces which her Majesty
has sent to the Chinese seas," but that with her Majesty
they still trusted " that the Emperor of-China would see
the justice of the demand which her Majesty's plenipo-
tentiary had been instructed to make." With reference
to China, perhaps, the House would permit him to offer
a very few observations, which suggested them-
selves to his mind. He could not but regret and deeply
deplore, on account of British commerce, that the diffi-
culties which had existed with China were not already
brought to a successful termination. But it was
matter for congratulation on behalf of this country,
that in attempting to vindicate the honour of the
country, they had not been driven into any act
of violent or bloody hostility against a nation who had
been distinguished for want of faith in their relations
with England. He congratulated the House that in the
attack which had been made by the English forces
upon China, the loss of life had been remarkably
small, and he trusted they would gain honour in the
eyes of the civilized world from the fact that, instead of
attempting to destroy a city, which was in their power,
they had acted with magnanimity, and shown that they
merely came to demand justice, and not to retaliate inju-
ries. It appeared to him, that England occupied a
prouder •position than ever from the course which she
had pursued in her contest 'with China.—(Hear, 'hear.)
He trusted that, although that nation had shown a great
want of faith, and was so uncivilized as not to pay due re-
gard to truth in the interchange of communications between
her authorities and the Plenipotentiaries of her Majesty,
yet the forbearance of her Majesty's troops and repre-
sentatives would not fail of a good effect, and that
although the trade of this country was for a time.
suspended the ultimate result would be beneficial. He
trusted that our trade would be eventually on a
better footing, and that we should be able
to introduce into the system of the Chinese some
of the commercial usages of civilized nations. A large
portion of the trade with that country was shared with
Great Britain by the United States ; and we should
have the co-operation of America to place the trade of
China on a better system. He trusted that such would
be the consequence of the negotiations which were at
present pending. It would be equally satisfacfory to him,
who did not stand up there to vindicate the trade in opium
and the violation of the laws of the Chinese empire, if,
instead of the traffic, he should see the money expended
upon that pernicious drug coming to these shores, in ex-
change for those articles of our manufacture which would
furnish the people of China with the means of impro-
ving their own condition, and promoting their civiliza-
tion, whereby also the trade would be a source of com-
fort and happiness to a large portion of our own people.
He also proposed that the House should assure her Ma-
jesty that they joined with her Majesty in rejoicing "that
the difference which had arisen between Spain and Por-
tugal about the execution of a treaty concluded between
these Powers in 1835, for regulating the navigation of
the Douro have been adjusted amicably and with honour
to both parties by the aid of her Majesty's mediation."
And here he might observe that whenever the mediation
of her Majesty had the effect of restoring amity amongst
estranged nations, the consequence was to place this coun-
try in a higher position ; and he hoped such would be the
effect in this case also. He proposed also to thank her
Majesty for her communication " that the debt incurred
by the Legislature of Upper Canada for the
purpose of public ' works, was a serious obstacle
to further improvements which are essential to
the prosperity of the United Provinces, and that
her Majesty had authorised the Governor-Ge-
neral to make a communication on the subject
to the Council and Assembly of Canada." He
would further propose that the House should assure
her Majesty, that her Majesty might rely with entice
confidence on their loyalty and zeal to make adequate
provision for the public service, as well as for the
further application of sums granted by the last
Parliament. He would not doubt but that the
confidence which her Majesty reposed in Parliament
would be fairly carried out. He would propose, in the
next place, that they express their agreement with her
Majesty relative to the extraordinary expenses which
the events in Canada, the Mediterranean, and China
seas have occasioned, and the necessity of main-
taining a force adequate to the protection of
our extensive possessions, and the necessity which
arises therefrom of considering the means of increasing
the public revenue'; that they fully participated in the
anxiety expressed by her Majesty, that that object should
be effected in the manner least burdensome to her people,
In proposing that portion of the Address which referred
to this part of the subject, he was well aware that some
difference of opinion existed in the House with
regard to the mode of relieving the people ; but inasmuch
as they were called upon by her Majesty to give
their earnest consideration to the subject* he felt
that the House would not refuse to give their attention
to the matter, whatever might be the result at which
they might finally arrive. With reference to the
import duties, perhaps the House would permit
him to say that with that portion of the mercantile
world with which he was connected the greatest unani-
mity prevailed in favour of such changes as had been
recommended in the report of the Import Duties'
Committee, which sat in 1840. He was aware that in
the last Session of Parliament many objections had been
raised against that Report, and objections were even
made to the description of evidence that had been ten-
dered before that Committee. But it had always ap-
peared to him very singular, that notwithstanding the
objections raised on this subject, those who made the
objection had never asked for a reconstruction of
that Committee, to see whether those allegations
that had been advanced were true or not. He could
only say that the Report of that Committee had en-
grossed a great portion of public attention. Among the
manufacturing community with which he was connected
a deep sense was expressed of the necessity of
some such change as was suggested to be adopted.
lie would not enter at large into the subject, be-
cause he knew he should in that case trespass too
much upon the t:." " of the House. But he should
observe, that it appear...!. to him that it had
ti from the. Throne,
been truly stilted, in the Speee..
w.
,ashe mode
)gush a very
that there were were many articles upo-
small revenue was collected, but which, _. erties
,
of collection; operated most vexatiously upon the
who were called upon to pay ; while at the same
tints tilt( auk:tent of the revenue was so trifling as to
render them of little importance to the national re.
sources. lie therefore loqAtell earnestly to a change in
the mode of levying the 'duty upon those articles. He
*itg anwitinced that what the country wanted at
the rife3ent rtiOnient was an extension of its markets
--{Loud cries of " Hear, hear")—which would re-
lieve that distre4a in which the people were now Un-
fortunately plunged, which lie could not consider as a
mere accident, and which he did not look upon as the re-
sult of a passing pressure. But it appeared to him that
there was something at the root of our present system
Willett was at variance with the prosperity of the country.
--.(Hear, hear.) He did not entertain a party view of the
sitbjecti and be did not think that the question could be
entl &Wed In siteli a light. He trusted the House would
proceed in a spirit of fair inquiry to investigate the pre •
sent state of' our import duties, and he felt persuaded
that the more the matter was inquired into the stronger
Naduld be the Wittietions on the mind of Honourable
Members, that what he was now advocating
was but a measure of reason and justice
towards the community at large. He could not allow
the opportunity to pass by without recording Isis opi-
nion as' strongly as words could do in favour of an
alteration in some of the leading colonial articles
imported into this country. -With respect to sugar
he begged to state, that from inquiries he had:made:he
found that the quantity of sugar taken in for home con-
sumption, and on which the duty had 'been paid, at
'Liverpool, since that question had lately been discussed
in that House, had been less than during the
corresponding period of last year, although there had
been a fall in price, and although the consumption last
year was far beneath the average.—(Hear, hear.) Such
a circumstance appeared to him distinctly to in-
dicate that the power of the people to purchase
was diminishing from year to year, instead of increasing
as it ought to do with the- increase of population. It

appeared to him that unless they made some reduction
in the duty upon foreign sugar, they would lose their
trade with one of the most important markets
of this country. He believed that when the treaty with
the Brazils expired they would not be able to renew it
upon Vie same favourable terms on which it rested.
—(Hear.) It was not his intention to occupy the
attention of the Honse, and he merely' pointed out
that circumstance as a matter for their consideration. He
wad"' propose, in the next place, that the House should
humbly state to her Majesty, that, " in obediene to her
Majesty's express desire, they should proceed to consider
the law which regulated the trade in corn"— (Hear)—
in order to determine whether the law did not aggravate
the natural fluctuations of supply ; whether it
did not embarrass trade, derange the currency,
and altogether by its operation diminish the comforts
and increase the privations of the great body of the
community. Since the last dissolution of Par-
liament the question of the Corn-laws had been
brought under the special consideration of every
Member sitting within the walls of that House. It was
' a subject which had been discussed at the late general
election.—(Hear, hear, from the Opposition benches.)
It had been a subject of discussion among men of all
! parties, and he believed that there ha not been
a single election in which it had not en-
gaged a large portion of public attention.—(Renewed
cries of " Hear, hear," from the Opposition benches.)
Since the subject had been last discussed in that House,
he regretted to say that the privations of the people had
considerably increaset:—(Cries of " Hear, hear," from
' the Ministerial benches) and that this condition
had become materially worse. He had in his possession
in May last a sufficient number of communications to
co wince him that the people of this country were
suTering! 'from a state of extraordinary distress ;
an l from all the communications he lad since received,
and from the inquiries he had made during the short
period he had spent in the manuitteturing dis-
tricts, ho could tell the House without any
exaggeration,—for he, had no need to exaggerate—that
tue utmost amount of distress and misery was now felt
in the borough with which he was connected,
and its entire vicinity —(Hear hear.) He could
state from his own knowledge the distresses of
a.large body of the manufacturing population. He could
tell the House that in many districts in Manchester persons
were unable to obtain the very necessaries of life. It
had been ascertained that 102 individuals lived each
upon 13:1d. per week, or little more than one penny
per day.—(Hear, hear, hear.) He was informed
that many of the clergy stated their unwillingness to
attend the sick, from their inability to relieve the
wretchedness and the distress which they were sure to
witness. Such was the state of things in Manchester
and the surrounding districts. In Bolton matters
were, if possible, still worse. It had been stated
to him that many families there pawned their
clothes during the night that they might
release their bedding, and pawned their bedding again in
the morning that they might release their clothes.
In the shops, transactions instead of being
carried on in pounds were carried on in ounces
and other small weights. Such a mode of pro
ceeding necessarily led to a considerable loss on the
part of the unfortunate purchasers. The distress extended
to every trade. The number of tailors now employed
was less by more than half than it had been a few yeari
ago. The trade of shoemakers and carpenters had simi
larly declined • and one of the largest machinists in
Manchester informed him, but two days ago, that though
the rate of wages paid to engineers had not undergone a
reduction, yet that, such was the want of employment,
that one-half of those employed in making* ma;
chinery had emigrated during the last year!
With respect to the operation of the Corn-laws on those
classes of the community, it appeared to him, that so
long as they were prevented by any laws from finding a
full scope for their industry—(Cheers)—so long as they
were unduly pressed upon by those laws—(Cheers)—
so long as they were unable in consequence of the nature
of those laws to earn an honest livelihood by the exer-
cise of their industry—so long must the country be con-
sidered in a state of danger, for the institutions of the
country could not be considered as based on a firm footing
so long as this pressure upon the energies of the people
existed, so long as the people thought themselves un-
justly dealt by, and pressed down by the monopolies ex-
isting in the country.—(Cheers.) It was with extreme
disgust that the inhabitants of the manufacturing dis,
tricts had, just previous to the late election, seen it
stated in certain journals which were the or-
gans of the party seated on the benches
opposite, that if the manufacturing towns were to be en-
tirely destroyed, and the ploughshare were to pass over
Manchester, the country would not suffer in consequence ,
of such an alteration, and that it would be better for the
country if they had no existence. He hoped that none
in that House would be found to respond to such
sentiments.—(Hear, hear.) Yet he must confess
that it appearel strange to him that such articles should
have appeared, if they did not represent the sentiments
of some of the leaders of that party.—(Cheers.) He
would ask the believers in those articles what would be
the condition of the landed interest on the morning after
such an occurrence ? • How would they provide the ma-
terials for their breakfast tables? How would they provide
their tea, their coffee, or their sugar?—(Cheers.) All
these articles were brought from other countries in
exchange for our manufactures.—(Cheers.) And if our
manufactures were destroyed, the only article the landed
interest would have to exchange would be wheat, and if
they carried their wheat to foreign markets, lie
asked if they would be able to induce the foreigner
to give them three times the value of a quarter of
wheat in exchange? He knew they would not.—(Loud
cheers.) He trusted that the trade in commerce, of
agriculture, and manufacture, would never be treated I
lightly by that House. Manufactures and agriculture
were dovetailed in each other—(Opposition cheers)—
and whatever was for the interest of one was for the
advantage of all.—(Cheers.) They should endeavour to
work together.—(Opposition cheers.) He had seen the
disadvantage of protection in the manufacturing interest,
and he only asked the landed interest to do that justice
which he was prepared to grant. He asked for no pro-
tection for the manufacturing interests, for he was con-
vinced that protection was altogether useless. If they looked
back to the period when the Corn-laws were first
proposed in 1815, he would direct the attention
of the House to a protest against them made
by certain Noble Lords in another place. That
protest appeared to him to have been dictated
by sound wisdom, and in it he found an anticipation of
all the ill effects resulting from those laws which at
present existed.—(Hear, hear.) By permission of the
House he would read the first three protests, and when
the House heard the names of the noblemen by whom
they were signed, he was sure that those names
would command respect in that House as they
had done wherever they had been mentioned. •
These parties thus stated the reasons for their protest
against the Corn-bill of 1815. First, because they were
averse in principle to all unnecessary restraints on
commerce, and thought that the public prosperity
would be best promoted by leaving uncontrolled the free
current of national industry. Secondly, because they
thought that the great practical rule, of leaving all
commerce unfettered, applied more
ce peculiarly, arcs
on still stronger grounds of justi as well as
of policy, to the corn trade than to any
other. Irresistible indeed must be the necessity which
could in their opinion authorise the Legislature to tam-
per with the food of the people, and impede the free the existence of
sale of that article, on which depended
so large a portion of the community. Thirdly, because
they thought that the expectations of benefit
from this measure were false and delusive. They could
not think that the'law would ever produce either plenty, or
steadiness of price. Monopoly was the parent of dear-
ness, of scarcity, and uncertainty. To close against
themselves the cheapest market for their commodities,
would be to enhance the price at which all the necessaries
of life could be purchased, and thus to refuse to their
countrymen the supply which Providence had in-
tended for man. This protest was signed by Fre-
derick Duke of Sussex, William Frederick Duke
of Gloucester, Wellesley, l'ssex, Torrington,
Chandos Buckingham, Montfort, Ring, Carlisle. To
show that the opinions of commercial men were in unison
with those to which he had referred, he would read an
extract from a speech delivered about the same time by
Sir Robert Peel, the father of the Hon. Mem-
ber opposite. The Honourable Member then read
the extract, that the agricultural and commercial in-
terests would nut be oppc6rd to each other ; they wtro
in enlightened policy
was the
same, and the success
the other. Inasmuch as the
or ruin of the one
country generally
enriched by eufactures the
were - e •sale of the me.. e
•se It had
S received success, or ruin of
their share of the bench.
landholoei, the
been the wise of former Governments to kets"
price of article,' of stt..l-‘sistence as low as possible. Upo..,
itinploeneysttfiecr err Pitt had But if the resolutions
manufacturers tritisiredho in preisceont shape,ht thebe
grown, but paupers isteekl be it could be
Still, with respect to' the manufacturers,
destroyed,
'on'T; eu:110 miner's"; for it.
shown that they were during ya,tvearosf of
difficulty apparent
in
prosperity really approaching
time operation of those
laws. It was not a mere qestion of overtrading
which they were now placed by
ttohetitmewost
loss of valuable market. But it
or the tempi.erary
• 1
was a period of alarming eto all the in-
terests of the country, which it would require the
greatest energy on the part of the Legislature to avert.—
(Hear, hear.) In his opinion there had been no
overtrading since 1826. It was true that, in 1834,
1835, and 1836, there had been very extensive credits.
It was true that in those three years the extension of
credit was in some instances improper, but was it to
be supposed that the manufacturers who borrowed '
money to build mills and increase their works would have
done so had they not belieied that there was a ovulation
ready to work them. Could it be supposed that they would be
o insane as to raise the market against themselves if they did
not believe that they would have a full and profitable
employment ?—(Hear, hear.) They had now the same
population, but far less means of employment, so that
there was a large mass of our people scarcely able
to subsist. So degrading was their condition that
it was the duty of the House to ascertain by what means
the industry of the country could be relieved, whether by
those fiscal regulations to which he had referred, or by the
adoption of a more liberal system, and the abandonment
of monopolies. By the latter they would find
markets ready and open to • receive their
commodities in exchange. Her Majesty had alluded to