The Sun.
London, England, 1840-05-06 00:00:00

LAW OF PILOTAGE,
The Srr.Axrr then Icft Ow. (Trlir, Tarl the ticolF+o wen'.

into Committ, wi,cn
Mr. LABOUCHERE moved for leave to bring in a
Bill to repeal so much of an Act passed in the sixth year
of the reign of King George the Fourth, intituled, " An
Act for the amendment of the law respecting Pilots and
' Pilotage, and also for the better preservation of Floating
Lights, Buoys, and Beacons," as exempts from penalty
the master or mate of any ship or vessel, being the owner
or part owner of such ship or vessel, and residing
at Dover, Deal, or the Isle of Thanet, for piloting
or conducting such, his own ship or vessel,
in certain cases in the said Act mentioned.
His object now was only to ask the House to go into Com-
mittee, as abundant opportunities would occur for the dis-
cussion of its principles.
The motion was agreed to without observation.
DUTIES ON IMPORTS.
Mr. HLTME moved that a Select Committee be ap-
pointed to inquire into the several duties levied on imports
into the United Kingdom : and whether those duties are
for protection to similar articles the produce or manufac-
ture of this country, or of the British possessions abroad,
and to what extent such duties afford protection, or whether
the duties are for the purposes of revenue.
Lord G. SOMERSET asked whether the motion re-
ferred to the Corn-laws.
Mr. LABOUCHERE did not imagine the object of
the Hon. Gentleman was to go into so wide a field as
that referred to by the Noble Lord.
Mr. HUME assented. His object was simply to show
what duties were an undue incumbrance on trade.
After a few words from Lord G. SOMERSET in re-
ply, the motion was agreed to.
CANADA.
Sir C. GREY moved, " That the copy of an Act of
the Legislature of Upper Canada, intituled, An Act to
provide for the Disposal of the Public Lands in this Pro-
vince, and for other purposes herein mentioned,' which was
presented to this House on the Ist day of December 1837,
be printed." The Right Hon. Gentleman, after making
somewhat a tedious statement (about 11 o'clock, in a
" House" of about thirty Members I) of the objects for
which he desired the printing of the Act—startled the
select few from their slumbering silence, by saying,
" There are three points, Sir, for which I desire it"—an
ominous division of the subject, which produced most ax
pressive murmurs, dreadfully anticipative of a long and
heavy speech—the expectation of which was abundantly
fulfilled—for Sir Charles, just throwing in a parenthetical
assurance that he would " not say five words," proceeded to
enter with undisturbed equanimity, and impregnable self-
possessian—with most somnolent heaviness—and with
wearying minuteness—into all the three " heads"—dividing
and subdividing each in torturing particularity ; the best
of the joke being, that, in the earnestness of his discourse,
he was utterly unconscious that the only effect of the
prosy harangue was to set every one (not asleep) a-laugh-
ing. At last, after touching rather irrelevantly on every
conceivable topic referring or not referring to Canada,
lie wound up very welcomely by a recapitulation of his
three " heads," and a confident assertion that his motion
would not be opposed.
Lord J. RUSSELL assented to this, dryly and quietly
observing, that he did not think it necessary to enter into
the highly momentous topics to which his lion. Friend had
adverted somewhat unnecessarily.
SUPPLY.
Mr. B ERNA L brought up the Report of the Com-
mittee cri Supply, which was agreed to.
EXCHEQUER BILLS BILL.
The Eouse then went into Committee upon the Exche-
quer BilJs Bill, 11,000,000/.
On the question that the amendment be inserted,
Mr. WILLIAMS said that, without blaming the Right
Hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of the Exchequer, he
must object to the practice of bringing such Bills into
Committee, and passing them without being printed and
placed i 3 the hands of Members, like other Bills.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER saidthat
the object of the Bill was to give the power of renewing
the Exchequer Bills, which would fall due in June next.
The Bill was then passed through Committee, and the
Report was ordered to be brought up to-morrow.
IMPORTATION OF FLOUR (IRELAND.)
On thse motion of Mr. LABOUCHERE, the Impor-
tation of Flour (Ireland) Bill was passed through Com-
mittee, a.nd the Report was ordered to be resumed on
Friday.
In answer to Mr. JONES,
Mr. LABOUCHERE said that he would not bring on
the thin d reading of the Bill at so late an hour of the
night, c,r without giving due notice to Hon. Members con-
nected with Ireland, who had expressed an intention of
opposing. it in that stage.
The House then adjourned at Half-past Eleven o'Clock.

HOUSE OF LORDS, MAr 5.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack
at a Quarter to Five o'Clock.
Earl FITZ WILLIAM presented a petition for the
better observance of the Lord's Day; and several peti-
tions from Sheffield, for the abolition of Church-rates,
and the liberation of John Thorogood.
Lord RALEIGH presented a number of petitions from
various parts of England and Wales against alteration of
the Corn -laws,

Lord %V YNFORD presented a petition from Canada,
praying i 'or the preservation of the rights of the Esta-
blished C liurch in that colony. The Noble and Learned
Lord pre smted also several petitions respecting the opera-
tion of t no Poor-laws.

The I fis.hop of LONDON presented petitions from the
Church' vardens: of Islington and other parishes in London
and its:vici nity, praying for increased means of suppressing
Sunday trAing. The petitioners stated in consequence
of the altered valv.e of money since the passing of the Act
of Charles IL for the suppression of Sunday trading, the
fines provided by the Act were too insignificant to operate
as a check..

The Bishop of LINCOLN presented a petition from
Lincoln a gainst any further grant to the Popish College
of Alaynth 3th.
The Bishop of EXETER, presented petitions in favour
of Church Extension,Jrom the clergy and inhabitants of
various pl aces in Northumberland, Cornwall, Somerset,
Chester, ; 3uffolk, and Gloucester.

The Bi shop of LL AND AFF presented a petition to
the same !fleet from a place in Glamorganshire.
The Earl of WINC HIL SE A presented a petition
from a p Lace in Yorkshire, against any further grant to
to the College of Maynooth. The Noble Earl also pre-
sented pa titions against the Irish Municipal Bill, and
against the Canada Clergy Reserves Bill, from places
which we could not learn, in consequence :of the low
tone in we ich he spoke.
The: Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition from
a board of guardians in Middlesex against rating stock in
trade, vaying their Lordships to revise the law on the
subject. Also a petition from the solicitors of Banffshire
against t ;he Law of Evidence Bill. Also petitions from
Aberdeen, and a place in Inverr,esshire, against the intru-
sion of dinisters to the Scottish Church. Also a petition
from the guardians of the Eastbourne union, praying that the
establish resent of Assistant Poor-law Commissioners might
be hems fter dispensed with. The Noble Duke, however,
did not saoincide in the object of that prayer.
Earl G AL LO WA Y presented a petition from a place
in Scotlai id against the intrusion of Ministers.
Lord A SHBU RT ON presented a petition from From e,
we believ c, against the trade in opium. The Noble
Lord said that the subject was one on which the
opinion o f the country was much divided, and he
wished 1,0 direct attention for a moment to it.
Of course, it was well known that an expedition was fitting
out again it China, but he believed that never before was
there an t xpedition of such a strength, or one in the;result
of which the public mind was more interested, and of
which so little information had been afforded by the Go-
vernment. He was quite ignorant, and he believed the
public also were as ignorant, of whether that expedition
was to a 'mist of 1,000 men or of 10,000—of one
or of ms my ships of wzr. Upon those points he
would mu&?h like to have some information from the Noble
Viscount opposite. It might be probable that the Noble
Lord wind d think it inconsistent to give answers upon
these pc iints;, but there was one subject which it was most
desirabl.e to have some information upon, and, as it could
be giv en without any detriment to the public service, he
truste d he would receive an answer to his question
from the Noble Viscount. It was well known that
that axpedition must be armed with the power of institut-
ing Courts for the condemnation of reprisals, as also with
a poser to carry on difficult and nice negociations : he
wan' .ed to know under whose guidance that expedition
was to be placed ?
!L.,ord M E LBOURNE—The general conduct of the
ex pediticn would most undoubtediy be placed in the hands
of the Noble Lord the Governor-General of India.

Lord ASHBURTON—WiII he accompany thc expc-
dit ion ?

Lord MELBOURNE—No, no.
The Earl of RIPON—WiII the Noble Lord act under
i nt;tructions from the Home Government?
Viscount NIEL B OURNE—Of course the Noble Lord
kill act upon instructions from home, but he will also act
ander the circumstances as they arise, and as may be
necessary without waiting for instructions from home.
Lord ASHBURTON—My question has not yet been
answered—Was the expedition to be under a single Corn.
mander, who would also conduct the negotiation?
Lord MELBOURNE—The naval officer will conduct
the negotiatimi, I apprehend.
Lord ASHBURTON—AdmiraI Elliott?
Lord MELBOURNE—Yes.

The Earl of STANHOPE presented petitions on the
subject of Socialism and in favour of Church Extension ;
a petition from Southampton, deprecating the war with
China as likely to be productive of calamity and dis-
honour. Also petitions from Down, in Ireland, and La-
naikshire, in Scotland, praying that measures might be
adopted for the suppression of the growth of opium.
Earl FITZWILLI A M had a number of petitions
to present on the subject of the Corn-laws, and
there was one in particular to which he wished to
call the attention of their Lordships. Ile knew not, in-
deed, whether some technical objection might not be
taken to it, as it bore the signature of a Noble Earl who
had been taken from that House by the hand of death.
The petition was from the Chamber of Commerce of Pk
mouth, and was signed, among others, by the late
Earl of Morley as Chairman. It prayed for the
total and immediate abolition of the Corn-laws.
He had also to present similar petitions from Doncaster
and Market Harborough, which proved that the desire
for an alteration in these laws teas not confined to manu-
facturing districts.
The Marquis of SALISBURY would suggest to the
Noble Earl the inconvenience of discussing a question like
the Corn-liws on every occasion.—( Hear, hear.)
Lord A SHBURTON made a few observations which
were inaudible in the gallery.
Earl FIT ZW ILIA AM said his notice stood for TUC3_
day the 26th, tut he confessed it would be more conve-
nient to himself to postpone it till Thursday the 28th, and
as it might be convenient to their Lordships to know
what the terms of his motion would be, he would state it.
He would move, "That it is expedient to reconsider the
laws which regulate the trade in Foreign corn:"
After a conversation across the table the Noble Earl
again rose, and said that he understood Thursd:y, the