The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-04 00:00:00

KAFIR WAR.

Mr. OSBORNE wished to ask the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman the Secretary-at-War a question with reference
to the Kafir war. He wished to know whether at pre-
sent there were any arrangements being entered into
which would obviate the necessity of his bringing for-
ward his motion relative to promoting the officers who
were engaged in that war.
Mr. FOX MA ULE said he stated to the Hon. Gen-
tleman, at the time he gave notice of the motion, that he
thought the Commander-in-Chief had the services of
the officers engaged in the Kafir war under his
consideration. lie had since had a communication
with the Duke of Wellington, who assured him that for
some time he had been preparing a list of officers to
submit to her Majesty, after Government had approved
of the same for promotion, on account of' rho it services.

—but as they were blunders in favour of the West India
flouters, he had nothing to say against them.,—(Re-
newed iatighter.) The Hon. Member for Westbury
(Mr. \Vison) shook his head. So he had to the other
quarter of a tiu tired blunders in the scheme; and it was
only when the Right Hon. Gentleman the Chancellor of
the Exchequer became convinced of the mistakes that
the Hon. Gentleman became suddenly convinced of them
also.—(A laugh.) The rule for the schedule was to
throw the duties half way between the duties on British
plantation sugar and those on foreign sugar, and the
reason was that schedule 2 comprised the sugars im-
ported from these British ports into which foreign sugars
were permitted CO be imported. The calculations of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer were, however, he con-
tended, based upon false principles. The duty, as it
was proposed for 1848-49, was 175.; it ought to be
16s. 64. The duty for 1849..50 was 15.. Bd., it ought
to be 15s. 3d. The duty for 1850 51 was 14s. 4d., it
ought to be 14s. The duty fur 1851-2 was 135.,
it ought to be 12s. 9d. The duty fur 1852-53 was 12s.
5d., it ought to be 12s. 3d. The duty for 185354 was
Ils. 10d., it ought to be lls. 6d.—(Hear, hear, and a
laugh.) It was not until 1854 55 that the proposed
duty became correct. The Right Hon. Gentleman had
taken a wrong datum line for his calculations. The test

Lick drawing up the schedule ought to be as follows :—lf

1L 6i. 8d , which was the duty on refined sugar in the
foreign scale, gave 1/. as a duty on brown Muscovado, so
ought 11 2.., which was the duty adopted by the Right
Hon. Gentleman, in like mann'r give the duty which he
(Lord G. Bontinck) held ought to have been the duty
fixed for 1848-49, namely, 16s. 6d., instead of that ac-

tually proposed, 173.—(licar.) In fact the Right Hon.
Gentleman seemed to have got into a terrible mist about
his figures.—(A laugh.) The schedule, to be sure, was

of no great importance, and he (Lord G. Bentinck)
would leave it to the House to decide upon its adoption,
with all its errors on its head. There was another

trifling blunder of little importance, except as a
blunder.—(A laugh.) The drawback OR refined
sugar was intended to be Is. 4d. more than on
bastard sugars. The duty ought in that case to have
been 16s. 3d., not as it was proposed to be, 16s. 4d.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER, who
was nearly inaudible, was understood to say that the
Noble Lord was not correct in the grounds of calculation
which he had advanced. The schedule was of very little
importance, but with the view of obtaining for the West
India body a greater degree of protection than they now►
enjoyed—the duty on British brown clayed sugar was
fixed in the same proportion above that of Muscovado
sugar, as was the duty on foreign brown clayed above
that on foreign Muscovado.
The division of the schedule was agreed to.
The third division of the same schedule was agreed to.
On the schedule respecting drawbacks (as we under-
stood) being put,
Lord GEORGE BENTINCK put it to the House,
whether they would incur the shame of sending forth the
scale before them, so full as it was of inaccuracies. The
scheme would certainly do no credit to the House.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that
the amount had been calculated upon the ordinary rule,
and he believed that tested by that rule they were correct.
Lord G. BENTINCK moved the restoration of clause
6 of the Act 9 and 10 Vic., c. 63, viz., " And be it
enacted, that no sugar shall be admissible to entry for
home consumption at the said rates of duty, as being
the growth and produce of any foreign country, unless
the master of the ship importing the same shall prove
to the satisfaction of the officers of her Majesty's Cus-
toms at the port of importation, if required to do so,
that such sugar is bona fide the growth and produce of
the foreign country from which it is imported." The
effect of this clause would be to protect the refiner of
this country from the refined sugar of the Continent,
and the warehousemen of this country from the sugar
warehoused in Antwerp, Amsterdam, and Hamburgh.
He would take this opportunity of contradicting a state-
ment made by the Hon. Member for Westbury as to an
intention existing on the part of the Belgian Legisla-
ture of doing away with the system of bounties. There
was no such project of law before the Belgian Cham-
bers ; and the report of the Minister of Finance of Bel-
gium stated that no intention to introduce such a mea-
sure was entertained.

Mr. WILSON opposed the clause, and after a few
words from Mr. Bemur,

The Committee divided, when there appeared—
For the clause
Against it 7B
Majority —47

Lord G. BENTINCK then moved another clause,
making it lawful for persons engaged in refining sugar
in bond for exportation, under the 3 and 4 Will. IV.,
and 8 and 9 Vict., cap. 91, to enter the same for home
consumption under certain regulations.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER opposed
the clause ; and after a few words from Mr. Thompson,
Mr. Barkly, Mr. Wilson, Mr. J. B. Smith, Mr. Bale,
and Mr. Henley,

The Committee divided, when there appeared—
For the amendment
Against it .. .... 73
Majority
.... _

The amendment was consequently lost.
The remaining resolutions having been agreed to, the
House resumed, the Bill was reported with amendments,
and the report was ordered to be received to •morroVr
(this day) at 12 o'clock.
CORRUPT' PRACTICES AT ELECTIONS sta.
On the motion that the House resolve itself into C 001"
mitten on the Corrupt Practices at Elections Bill,
Colonel IBTHURP objected to this measure in tote*
It would be impossible to carry it through during the
present session without great injustice to so many Hon•
Members who were elsewhere engaged in the discharge
of various public duties. He put it to the Noble Lord
whether it was fair, in the present state of the Howie
and of the session, to proceed with a measure of such
vital importance.
Lord J. RUSSELL said ho had thought it had been
understood on the last evening. that there should be c°
discussion on the resumption of the Committee on this
Bill; he therefore should not enter upon any debate.
All he could say was, early in the session he had been
blamed by one-half the House for not bringing forward
some such measure, and it seemed he was now blamed
by the other half for proceeding with the Bill.
After a few word from Mr. ANSTEY,
Sir H. HALFORD said that as the House was about
to legislate for the prevention of corrupt practices at
elections, he thought some care ought to be taken to
provide
against the improper use of Government patron'
age for election purposes. The House would understand
what he meant from a short statement of facts. It
would be remembered that the two late sitting Members
for the borough of Leicester had been unseated on the
ground of having, by their agents, been guilty of bribery'
The facts were these:—On the sth of July last a mail'
coach which went through Leicestershire was disco"
tinued, and a walking messenger was substituted
carry the mail. The parties interested unanimously 0"
pressed a wish to the post-office inspector who had been
sent down to make the arrangements, that a partials'
person in whom they had confidence should be aP'
pointed to the post. The answer returned was by •
letter from the private secretary of the Postmaster:
General, which stated that the appointment had been
placed at the disposal of Mr. Gardner, the Member for
Leicester. Now, at this time, and for three weeks bey
fore, Mr. Gardner had ceased to be Member for thsi.
borough. Now he did not question the right of th;
Government to dispose of its patronage as it trig
think fit, neither did he speculate why the County hingl2-
hers should be in disgrace, but be must say that WI
residents in the county of Leicester felt indignant th
the appointment should have been placed in the hands I`.
Mr. Gardner, a gentleman who had no connexion wit
the county, and was only known in the borough from the
last election. Of course, when Mr. Gardner received
the appointment he applied to fill it up to the very p!,/,,'
sons who had carried his election by bribery. In jotter.,
both to the Government and the House, he felt ban"
to make this statement of facts.

After a few words from Mr. URQUHART,
Mr. BAGG Di' thought some answer ought to be gifelj
by the Government to the statement made by his 1100'
Friend and Colleague.
Lord J. RUSSELL replied that he had not heard Of:
thing of the circumstances just mentioned, and perhoP:
the Hon. Member would repeat the question vilira
some Member of the Government connected with the
Post-office was present.
After a few words from Mr. Elliot, Sir 11. Halford;
and Mr. Newdegate, the conversation dropped, and tb
House went into Committee.
The CHAIRMAN (Mr. Bernal) stated the motio°
before the Committee W 23 that the words " such in;
quiry and investigation to be made on the spot by tin
Commissioners to bo appointed under this Act it tine
end of clause 2, be struck out.
Mr. C. ANSTEY supported the amendment for the
omission of the words read by the Chairman. He shoto
vote for the omission of the words, and he should 1115°
feel it to be his duty to oppose the measure in e'fer.,
,
stage, in doing which he should endeavour to compel h
Noble Lord to elect between the present Bill and th°,„s"
measures that he had stated it to be essential should "-
passed during the present session. hie
Mr. HODGSON should offer all the opposition 10 -
power to the Bill. 1,
Mr. SPOONER said that not one single word A',6„
been offered by the Government in explanation of t";
Bill, and when any Hon. Member got up to lirgilije-
against it the opposite side deserted their benches.
had hitherto supported the measure, but from the COlici
duct of the Government he had reason to believe he had
justly incurred the obloquy and censure of his Hon. 11.11„,
Gallant Friend, as there was an evident want of :I'd
verity on the part of the Noble Lord. The Bill w
entail great expense, and one which would be quite tit.
less, by the employment of barristers as commissio?,e!;"
for it would be necessary to have counsel on both stab,
was, therefore, far better to leave the matter '

hands of the present tribunals.
The SOLICITOR GENERAL entreated Hor. Ger.
tlemen not to enter into discussions not affecting &Pt;
clause under consideration, as that would only Proin°,,d
the object openly avowed by the Hon. and Leareiiiii
Member for Youghal, that, namely, of defeating the
by delay. The present clause had already undergone
discussion of three or four hours, and the chief Or'.
attendant upon adjourning the consideration of P,5,0
ticular clauses appeared to him to be that Hon. A-I"°'- s.
forgot what had been said during former discussioenb.
He hoped the House would permit a division t be
speedily come to, and thought such division would pf
accepted as final with respect to the appointment
Commissioners.
Mr. EIENLEY thought that the question of post•offielle,
patronage, which had been incidentally touched uP°ll,
was one of great importance, as in his opinion Cinveco
went patronage was one of the sources of corrupudid
which the object of the Bill was to put down. Ile
not think the decision of the Committee upon the Prls
sent clause ought to have any effect upon the other pa
Bill.
TNGS supported the amendment, and 1;
subject should be postpon

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