The Sun.
London, England, 1841-05-08 00:00:00

CHINA.

In reply to a question from Lord ELLENBOROUGH,
Viscount MELBOURNE said that it was impoz-
sible for Litu to led what might have been the
terms ultimately agreed to with the Government of China.
But unquestionably they had sent out information that if a
dttinitive treaty should have been conclm!ed according
to the; preliminary articles which they had received, that
it would not be satisfactory to her Majesty's Government,
and that they would not advise her Majesty to ratify
such a treaty. That decision was taken here, and not by
the Governor-General in India.

The Duke of WELLINGTON wished to ask the
Noble Viscount whether the island of Hong-Kong had
been taken possession of ?
Viscount MELBOURNE said that he believed it had.

Lord ELL EN B 0 RO UG H a►ked whetter Chtuan had
been evacuated by the. Briti.h troops or nct.
Viscount MELBOURNE said he could not say; but
orders had been scr.t out to re-occupy that island in case
it had bton cvaniated.
SITE OF SCHOOLS BILL.

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the second
reading of this Bill. The object of the Bill was to allow
in certain cases the sale of property for the Erection of
public schools.
In reply to the Earl of MOUNTCA SEI EL
. _

The •M'arquis of LA N SDO WNE bts:ed that the 13111
would riot extend to Ireland, but %ta..3 confined to England.
The Goverament bad the care of Ireland as regarded the
subjuct under their contiluration.

The Bill was then rcad a second time.
THE CORN-LAWS.

Earl FIT ZWILLI:111 presented petitions from Ken-
(l4l and Halifax, prriyirg for a repeal of the Core-laas.
The Noble Earl slso presented a petition on the same sub-
ject, of which he bad given notice yesterday, from
the town of Leeds ; and considering the great import-
ance, and the station of that town, be hoped their ,
Lordships would allow him to read the petition. (The
Noble Earl then read the petition, the substance of which
was, that the present Corn-laws were based it, the opinion
of the petitioners on the baneful principle of benefitting
a particular class at the expense of the community_
that the most severe and extensive distress had resulted
from those laws during the last three years—that they
had led to an immense destruction of manufactming
capital—to severe plisations on the part of the labour-
ing classes, and to a derar gement of the currency, which
had injuriously effected both public and private credit.
The petitioners also stated that the laws tended to encuu-
rsge rival manufaetorers in other countries ; and they
concluded by praying for a repeal of so injurious a system
of menopoly. The petition was signed by 25,000 persons
which was its fact the entire adult male population of Leeds.
Lord ASHBURTON expressed his regret that the
Ministry had, by the announcement they had made on the
subject of the Corn-laws, stirred. up so much ill blood
and bad fe, ling in the country as would be sure to result
from the agitation of the question, particularly at the pre-
sent period, when the country was already distracted by
divisions on Church-rates and Poor-laws. He should observe
that the agriculturists of this country had not at any time
for centuties 'nett left without some protective laws. At
so remote a teriod as the }est- 1463, the importation of
foreign corn was prohibited, when the price was under
15s. 101 d sufficiently h'gh sum for that flu e ; but in
tiro year 1670 imp: station was prohtbi,,ed until
the price reached 53e. 4d. There was a fur-
ther increase in the protective duty in the
reign of King William, and subsequently at various
periods laws had Leen passed of a similar 'endeacy. The
fact was that it was not protection that was icivelty ; the
novelty would be in wAlidia.sing protection. It should be
remembet ed, tee, that there was no country in Europ in
which there were not some provisions male for the protec-
tion of native agriculture. :j If it were said that other coun-
tries would be ready to open their ports for our manufac-
tures, in case we admitted their corn, he thought that the
supposition was a rnost•erroneous cue. Ile would be ready
to put the whole question on that issue; and if he could
be assured that Prussia or Fl ance, or any other country on
the Continent, would make to us the shghtest concessions
in return fur a re, cal of our Ccrn-laws, be would not
press his opinions on the sul:ject. He was convinced they
would make no concessions ; and it".would be idle to en-
tertain any hone of that nature. If the Corn-laws were
repealed a small country like England could not still hope
to mrtnufac ore for the rest of the world; Other nations
should have their shwe of tradet and the most dependent
of people would be those who looked tj others for their
supply of food. That would Le the most miserable of si-
tuations.

The Earl of WICKLOW observed that the petition
presented by the Noble Earl (Earl Fitzwilliam) was by
no means a petition favourable to the project of the pre-
sent Ministry, of which, however, be believed the Noble
Earl approved. For his part, he thought that when the pe-
titioners became acquainted with the intentions of the
Government they would be ready to agitate' in oppori,ion
to them, as they not want a fixed duty, but a total aboli-
tion of all protection.
The Earl of FALMOUTH expressed his belief that the
question would not be settled even if the Govcrameut
measure were adopted, but thrt that would be but a first
step toss ards a total repeal of all Corn-laws.
TIT Duke of WELLINGTON said that notwithstane-
ing ti.e opinion so often and so confidently put forward
that no one could support the present Corn-laws, he
wished to say a few words on a measure which he himself
had the honour of introducing to their Lordships. lie
thought it too bad that this description of vituperation
against the landed interest should be repca'.e 1 every n'ght,
whenever a Noble Lord had petitions to present. It the
Noble Lord opposite (Earl Etzwilliam) thought that there
was no well-grounded expectation of a decrease of rent
by a repeal of the Corn-laws, he should not be surprised
that the minds of other men were not so enlightened as his
own ; and he might admit that they could base some other
motives for desiring a continuance of those rows besides the
dirty inotivo of self-interest.—( Hear, heir.) The landed
interest was said to be a debtor to ti.e public in consequence
of those laws ; and if so, the Noble Lord was as large a debtor
as any other Member of their Lordships' House. But be
(the Duke of Wellington) did net bel.eve that the Corn-
laws bad ken maintained for the purpose of keying up
high rents and filling the pockets of Noble Lords. They
ban been maintained, in his opinion, for the purpose of
giiing protection to agriculture, and in order to render
this country independeot with re,pect to its subsistence—
(Hear. hear)—in relation to all other countr:es. It was
perfectly true, as stated by his Noble Friend behind him
(Lord Ashburton), that for centuries English agriculture
bad cejojed some form or another of' protection, and the
object of all the enaetmeas on the subject was, he would
repeat, to reneer Ibis country ineedendent of others fur its
supply of food. Thar was the object for whi,:h the sys-
tem of 1828 had been introduced, and it ear upon that
principle on which it had ever since teen supported,
at least it
w"
tlie
on which be would
iTint:iPico continuenwhichi that
t was
ll'rywlai:li: anderfectly true that tl ere was rot a coun-
tryurope in which Corn-laws were not to be found.
slnfitilplieo n supportedlawsrtE.
in England were repeal° I, they acre told of
the quantity of corn they would derive from Russia, Prus-
sia, and otter pars of the w, rld ; • but were there no
Coro-laws is, these countries? Had not tin Nobic Lord met-
_toned a law lately enacted or proclairnel in one of those
' countries, altering ti c whole system of Cern-I xs, and
prohif iting the exportation of foreign corn'? tie wculd
not hien e other nations fir prohibiting !le expectation of
corn either in tine of peace or of war. They might have