The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-27 00:00:00

'UlDfititi •

LONDON, TUESDAY, JANUARY 27, 1846.

The Lords met to-day at Half-past Four o'clock.
Prayers were read by the Bishop of ELY.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool-
sack at Five o'clock.

The Earl of CLARENDON presented a petition from the
Chamber of Commerce of Manchester, praying that the
duties on commerce with foreign states might be removed.
The LORD CHANCELLOR brought up her MAJESTY'S
answer to the Address. Her MAJESTY thanked their
Lordships for their assurances of loyalty and
attachment to the Crown, and relied on their
continued desire to promote the happiness
and contentment of the people.
Lord CAMPBELL laid on their Lordships' table a Bill,
for the purpose of promoting a general registration
.)n land. The measure was read a first time, the
Noble Lord observing that he would not move its second
reading until the exciting measures now to be brought
forward were disposed of.

The Duke of RICHMOND, in presenting petitions in
favour of the corn laws, expressed his hope that Parlia-
ment would not make any alteration with respect to
those laws without an appeal being made to the people.
He was convinced their Lordships would not be intimi-
dated by the hired emissaries of the Anti-Corn-law
League.
The Duke of RICHMOND then, in pursuance of the
notice he had given, asked the Duke of WELLINGTON
the causes that had led to the late resignations in the
Ministry, and their reasons for accepting office again,
pledged to carry out the same measures that bad caused
(heir resignations ?
The Duke of WELLINGTON said that he had received
her MAJESTY'S permission to state what had occurred.
Ile wished, however, to know whether the Noble Duke
had any further questions to ask ?
The Duke of RICHMOND was anxious to know the
grounds which had lad to the late resignations.

The Duke of WELLINGTON then went into a state-
ment of the causes which had led to the resignation of
himself and Sir R. PEEL, and the rest of the Ministry;
the calling upon Lord J. RUSSELL to form a Ministry,
and the failure of that Noble Lord to accomplish the
task. The Noble Duke confessed that at first he was
strongly impressed with the conviction that the pro-
position to open the ports was not necessary, and that
alterations in the corn-laws were not necessary.
Upon the question being brought before the members of
the Government, great differences of opinion existed, and
the result was, the determination of Sir IL PEEL to
resign—a course which he strongly advocated. That
resignation, as was well known, took place. A Noble
Lord had been sent for by her MAJESTY to form a
Government, in which he failed; and upon Sir R. PEEL
being sent for again, he (the Duke of WELLINGTON)
considered it his duty to his Sovereign and his
country, from whom he had received so many marks of
favour, whatever his opinions might be, not to leave
his SOVEREIGN in the predicament of meeting her Par-
liament without a Ministry.

The Duke of BUCKINGHAM thought their Lordships
ought to know why those who had been called upon to
form a free trade Government had failed in their task.

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE did not feel called upon
to enter into all the reasons that had led to the failure
of his Noble Friend, the Member for the City of London,
to form a,Ministry, after the explanation that had taken
placed elsewhere. He had, after great consideration
been convinced that the retaining of the corn-laws in
their.present shape was impossible.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said, that upon being asked
whether he would form a Government upon the principle
of maintaining the corn-laws as they at present existed,
he declined doing so, believing it impossible. He trusted
the House would wait till they had heard what the
measures of his Right Hon. Friend were, and not at-
tempt to conjecture them.
The Duke of RICHMOND, on presenting a petition
from Wareham against any alteration of the corn-laws,
stated that he trusted an inquiry would be made with
reference to the burden on lands; because, if such an
inquiry took place, he would pledge himself to prove
that the landlord who paid 3001. a-year rent paid treble
that which was paid by Mr. COBDEN, who made 30,0001.
a-week.

The Marquis of CLANRICARDE observed that if that
was so, the fault that it had not been made public was
not with the League, but the Noble Lords and Gentle-
men who upposed it. Mr. COBDEN had over and over
again moved for returns of the burdens on land.

The Duke of RICHMOND over and over again denied
that the people of England had been made converts to
the doctrines of free trade, and dared the present Go-
vernment to appeal to the country on the subject of free
trade.

Lord BEAUMONT believed with respect to Ireland that
if they removed protective duties, they would take away
all feeling of affection on her part to England.
The Earl of ABERDEEN said that he gave a cordial
and ready assent to the proposal of his Right Hon.
Friend (Sir R. PEEL) when he proposed his measures
with respect to the corn-laws in November last.

After some further observations from several Noble
Peers, the subject then dropped, and the House ad-
journed.

The SPEAKER took the chair at Four o'clock, and re-
ported to the House that her Majesty had been pleased
to receive the Address, and had returned a most gra-
cious answer to the same.
A new writ was moved for Ripon, in the room of Mr.
T. B. C. Smith, who had accepted the office of Master
of the Rolls in Ireland.

Several peti ions having been presented, among others,
one by Mr. OCTAVIUS DUNCOMBE from the North Riding
of Yorkshire, to prevent the wholesale manufacture of
votes; and various notices of motion having been given,
and certain unopposed returns having been moved for and
agreed to,

u s notbe r
Mr. Cotter, in reply to a question on the subject of
t sufficient captains t
o
the naval retirement, said that the number
had accepted of the retirement Wua
enable the Admiralty to carry out the plan, but that the
subject was still under consideration.
The House then resolved itself into Committee of
Supply, for the purpose of voting a supply to her Ma-
jesty for the navy.
The House having resumed, again resolved itself into
a Committee of Supply, for the purpose of voting a grant
of 513,0001. for public works is Ireland.
In answer to Sir H. W. BARRON, •
Sir T. FREMANTLE stated that it was his inten-
tion to brig; in a Bill in the course of the sseek for
faeilitatin the building of harbours in Ireland and to
propose an additional pat for that purpose.