The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-04 00:00:00

CORN-LAWS.

The Duke of RlCHMONDlpresented a petition numerously
signed from Cornwall against the Government measure.; also
from the counties of Banff and Devon to the same effect.
THE DRAINAGE BILL.

Lord MONTEAGLE presented a petition from the linen
merchants on the river Bann, in the county of Antrim, against
the Drainage Bill.

RAILWAY STANDING ORDERS.

- _
Lord MONTEAGLE presented a petition from the pro-
jectors of the Wexford, Carlow, and Dublin Junction Railway,
praying that in their case the standing orders might be dispensed
with. The Noble Lord said that the occasion of the present
petition was, some of the agents of this Company, in ignorance
of the standing orders of that House, having served some of
the notices on Christmas-day and Sunday. As
soon as the mistake, however, was discovered it was
rectified by the issuing of fresh notices, whieh
though not in strict compliance with the standing orders, still
give the parties so served ample notice. He believed a Noble
Friend of his had a motion on the subject, whisk would be
submitted to their Lordships' consideration that night.
Lord STRANGFORD remarked that from the time the
Standing Orders' Committee discovered the errors in question
there was ample time to correct them.
Earl GREY, in reference to the motion of whiek he had
given notice, said that he was induced to take the step he had
in order to assimilate the standing orders of the House of Lords
to those of the House of Commons, and in that course he had
been encouraged by the Noble Duke opposite and the Noble
and Learned Lord on the Woolsack. Subsequently, how-
ever, he had not received the support which he anticipated.
He had been induced to withdraw his proposed resolutions, be-
cause he did not anticipate that support which he at first ex-
pected from the Noble Lord on the Woolsack and the Noble
Duke opposite.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said it would have given him
pleasure to support the resolutions, had they not been con-
trary to the practice of the House.
THE CORN-LAWS.

The Earl of HARDWICKE presented petitions from
several parishes in the county of Cambridge against the pro-
posed measures of her Majesty's Government with respect to
the corn-laws. Their Lordships must be aware, that of all
other counties in England, Cambridgeshire was, perhaps, the
most agricultural; and ever since the year when the protective
laws were passed, more improvement had been made
in agriculture in that county than in any other
part of England. He need not recal to their Lordship'
attention the fact, that as much capital had been laid out in that
county in the improvement of the land, its the fee simple of the
land was worth—fu fact, he might say, that within a very short
number of years more than half a million of money
had been laid out in the drainage, &e., of the land.
They had been able to export from that part of the country
alone, through the port of Wisbeaah, a larger amount of pro-
duce than hal been sent from any other county in the king-
dom. With reference to the remaining part of the county, he
hart taken from the papers of the clerk of the peace a statement
of the great improvement in it. Since the year lB2s no less than 18
parishes had been enclosed, and in consequence of that the
value of the fee-simple of the land had been increased more
than 50,000/., and an increase of 5E1,000 had taken
place in the population. 'I he belief of the population
was, that the protective duties had caused the im-
provement that had taken ',Lice in agriculture, and
they stated that protection and improvement went hand in
hand. The prayer of these petitions was universally tke same
over the whole of the country. Tacir Lordships would
recollect that there was a measure now in pro-
gres through the ether House of Parliament. Their
Lordships would do as they had always done—they would
take this measure in'o consideration with a view of benefiting
the labourer, and continuing the well-being of the people
at large, and he felt that the result of their deli-
beration would be a correct one. He understood
the principle or, which the Government had been dissolved,
but he did not understand the principle on which it had been
reconstructed; and until they did know the principles on which
it had been formed it could not be expected to carry that
weight to which every Government measure should be entitled.
The House of Commons also, and be trusted that he was not
out of order in speaking of another branch of the Legislature,
the House of Commons he thought, by the course they were
at present put suing, were to a considerable degree losing the
confidence of the country. The measure coming up from the
other House under these peculiar circumstances would be con-
sidered in reference to the points he had just enumerated,
and he believed that that House, as the great pro-
tectors of the people—(and they' all knew that the
liberties of the people were never invaded until
the authority of that Howe was trampled under foot)—as
the protectors of the liberties of the people, he trusted that the
deliberate resolution of that House would bo to affirm the
justness of the prayer of this petition, and to reject a measure
which would be attended with so many evils.
Lord KINNAIRD said that the Noble Lerd had alluded
to the pleasure which some Noble Lords on that side of
the House, who were the advocates of free trade, might
feel if their hopes were realised by the passing
of this measure. He (Lord Kitinaird) regretted that that
measure was nut to be immediate in its operation, and in this
opinion he coincided with a Noble Lord on the cross benches
( the Duke of Richmond. )—( Laughter.) Ile considered that
it would be to the advantage of the farmer and of the agricultural
interest generally, if the question were thus settled, for they
might depend upon it that agitation would not be allayed
while protection was in existence. It would
be of great importance to the lauded interest that
the question should be settled at once. It they had three
years' delay, the agitation would continue, while every evil
that might arise in connexion with agriculture, would be
attributed to the alteration of the protective duties.
Lanrllorda would be:pressed for a reduction of rents and combi-
nations would take place among the farmers. Besides, by
the immediate settlement of the question they would get rid
of the Anti-Corn-law League and its interfer-
ence with the registration, as he could solemnly
assure their Lordships if the corn-laws were at once
repealed the League would be immediately dissolved.
Their Lordships could not amend the present measure of the
Government without throwing it out altogether. He, there-
fore, hoped that their Lordships would answer the prayer of the
country by tendering to the measure an immediate adoption.
entirely ignorant of the shape in which it would come up to
that House. .

The_ Marquis of LONDONDERRY deprecated in the
extreme the speech which had been made by the Noble
Lord upon the question, when their Lordships were
The Marquis of SALISBURY, in the course of a few
observations, which were most imperfectly heard in the re-
porters' gallery, said that he heel ascertained from quarters of
the highest authority that the Anti-Corn-law League was a
most unconstitutional body.—(Cries,ef Hear," and .‘ No, no.")
The Duke of RICHMOND said that the Noble Lord op-
posite had given him and the House very good advice ; bat he
begged to assure the Noble Lord that he (the Duke of Rich-
mond) was in the habit of taking advice from friends and not his
opponents.—(Laughter.) However, he would not now enter
upon the merits of a question which was at that moment
under discussion befere the House of Commons. But he would
ask what would be the result, if those Members who voted for
this measure were to go again to the country? The result
would be, that every one of the ninety-seven Members would
be turned out of the House of Commons.—( Laughter.) They
would be treated as men who run away from their colours, as
he had no doubt they would have done had they been engaged
in the war in India.—( Laughter.) He could not understand
how men would make pledges at the hustings, and vote in direct
opposition to those pledges in the House.—(Hear, hear. )
He was one of those who would never believe that this
measure would pass until it did pass.—(Hear, hear.)
It seemed that there were advocates of free trade in the
House. His Noble Friend who had spoken has been an ad-
vocate for free trade for only about half a dozen years. He
was not an advocate of free trade during Lord Grey's Govern-
ment, and if he was he did not vote for it. It was understood
that Mr. Fitzwilliam's motion was to be opposed by the Ca-
binet then ; and did his Noble Friend vote for it ? Lord Mel-
bourne's Cabinet was not a free trade Cabinet. No,
it was for a fixed duty of Bs. That party altered
their opinion while they were in opposition. They did
not change their opinion when they came into power. They
did not tell the people one thing from the hustings, and after-
wards when they came into pewerr turn round on all their
principles, and be the first to lead the attack against their con-
stituents. He was not surprised that the measure in the House
of Commons 'had a majority, but he should be very much
surprised if the measure passed that House. If by going
'to the country they could only check it for a short time,
they should do so, but he believed that such a step would have
a better result, for protection had still many friends. Notting-
ham had behaved nobly ; it had returned a protection Member
for each of its divisions; Dorsetahire supported the principle;
Westminster had chosen a Radical sooner than one who had
changed his principles.
The Earl of WICKLOW said that he wished to say a few
words in reply to some observations that had fallen from his
Noble Friend. It had been regretted by some of the Members of
the House of Commons, that, the measure was not pat
form and by the Noble Lords on the opposite side, one of the
grounds on which the wish was founded was, that it would
have come from them with a better grace. When Lord
Melbourne's Government was asked whether the
fixed duty of eight shillings was for revenue or pro-
tection, the answer was distinctly for protection.
Protection was the object in view in auy case, but a total
change had now come over the minds of men, and therefore it
was with surprise that he had seen it reported that influential
man had risen in their place in the other House of Parliament,
stating that they wished the measure had been brought for-
ward by the opposite party. One word more on another subject,
alluded to by a Noble Friend of his own on that side of the
House. Ho stated that it was universally understood that the
Anti-Corn-law League was an unconstitutional body. Now
he was bound to say that that was not his belief. He believed
that the League was a constitutional body, established for con-
stitutional purposes, and though no Member of the League
himself, nor likely to become a member of it, still he
felt himself in justice bound to say that their friends ought to
congratulate them on the extraordinary success which, during
the short time they had been in existence, had attended their
exertions.
Lord BROUGHAM said that he intended to take the same
course which he had hitherto adopted on the motion of the No-
ble Lord connected with Yorkshire, and that was, to say nothing.
What made him trouble their Lordships on the present occasicn
was to express his opinion with respect. to •the Anti•
Curn•law League, and its being an unconstitutional body.
He ( Lord Brougham) had never held the opinion that it wa
an unconstitutional body ; on the contrary, he held they were
a loyal and constitutional body, embodied for constitutional
purposes—namely,_ to obtain an alteration in the corn-laws
by means of Parliament; but what he had stated was that their
proceedings were unconstitutional, although they themselves as
a body were perfectly legal—he meant in collecting a fund for
the purpose of ob'aining votes be the purchase of freeholds.
'Chat was his opinion ; still they said that they only encouraged
persons to purchase freeholds. Now ho ( Lord Brougham) did '
not see how they could have placed 2,000 electors on the roll
of freeholders by this system of encouragement, unless they had '
shd, eoarpa
assisted actit,eizsdoe ci nu ofr fiepnvadori
trtieassgmoney for the purchase of the se freeholds.
wu a going from one
of one countywhich hteo
daid,otnhaet ap
rin..
P eTY Hear,N
he Earl o
of
Hear.IaFEAC3 l 1E).
sUDRAI
EG
saidCO hUaNT didYnriseot VOTES.
ta
speak on
the subject this had just engaged the attention of their Lord-
ships, but tc a .ke an explanation, in justice to a Noble Duke
(the Duke of isedford), of something that fell from him ( Lord
Redesdale) a few evenings ago, in reference to a former election
in the county of Huntingdon. Ile had stated that in order to
secure dap return of Lord John Russell for that county, the

Noble Duke had been a party to persons going from his pro-
perty in Bedfordshire, in order to secure votes. He (Lord
Redesdale) believed that a number of friends of Lord John
Russell did go into Huntingdonshire for the purpose named, but
in justice to the Noble Duke, and to the Noble Lord, he be-
lieved they were not concerned in the transaction.
PROTECTION.

The Marquis of SALISBURY presented thirty-six pe-
titions from Huntingdonshire against the Government mea-
sures relating to the corn-laws.
SEE OF BANGOR AND ST. ASAPH.

Lord POWIS presented a petition against the anion of
these two sees. _