The Sun.
London, England, 1848-07-04 00:00:00

POOR-LAW.

Lord MORPETIf presented a petition against the
present Poor-law ; and also one from several officers of
poor-law unions, praying that they might be entitled to
superannuated allowance.
GUERNSEY.

Mr. OSBORNE moved for a return of all notes fur•
nished by the Governor of Guernsey, Major-General
Sir W. Napier, to the Commissioners appointed to in-
quire into the institutions of the Channel Islands, con-
taining Sir W. Napier's observations and suggestions on
the powers of the Royal Court of Guernsey, and its ad-
ministration of the criminal law, dated September 19,
1846.—Agreed to.
MEDALS TO SURVIVORS ENGAGED AT THE

SIEGE OF ST. SEBASTIAN.

In answer to a question from Colonel DUNNE,
Mr. FOX MAULE said that a principle was laid
down by the Government with regard to the distribution
of medals, that such should only be given to individuals
positively engaged, or to the survivors of such persons
where medals had not been granted in the first instance.
In the case of St. Sebastian no medals had been granted,
but it was proposed to give such to the parties actually
engaged in the trenches, or who had been of the storm•
ing party.

SUGAR DUTIES.
The House then went into Committee on the Sugar
Duties. A preliminary discussion arose as to whether a
motion of Mr. Bagshaw or that of Sir John Pakington
should have precedence, and it was ultimately decided
that Sir John Pakington should move his amendment first.
Sir J. PAKINGTON then rose to move the amend-
ment of which he had given notice, which was to the
effect that from the present time there should be a dif-
ferential duty of 10s. in favour of the produce of the
British colonies ; and he proposed to effect this, not by
raising the duty on foreign sugar, but by lowering it on
British. In making this motion, he thought he had
a right to complain of the statements that had been
made by the Noble Lord at the head of the Govern-
ment, who had stated that the course he (Sir J. Paking-
ton) was pursuing had caused embarrassment and delay.
__(Hear, hear.) He admitted that there had been
some embarrassment, but he thought the delay rested
with the Noble Lord himself.—( Hear, hear.)
The Noble Lord ought to have seen and known that it
would be impossible to discuss a subject like the pre-
sent without some considerable delay ; and as to the em-
barrassments, he believed them to have arisen from
the vacillation of the Government.—(hear, hear.)
His plan would not increase the price to the consumer,
nor would it endanger the revenue, and he thought, as
it was essential to the welfare and prosperity of the
colonies, it ought to be readily adopted. But considera-
tions of revenue ought not to influence their minds upon
this subject, when it was borne in mind, that by in-
creasing the consumption of colonial sugar in this country
they were practically checking the horrors of the slave
trade, and he hoped the exaggerated accounts of the
Chancellor of the Exchequer as to the loss the adoption
of this plan would inflict upon the revenue, would not
deter Hon. Members from giving it their support.
The CHANCELLOR or the EXCHEQUER said the
adoption of the plan would involve a loss of 960,0001.
Sir J. PAKINGTON contended that the loss would
fall very far short of that sum, but when they were
legislating for purposes of humanity, they ought not to be
influenced by revenue considerations. He maintained
however, that the loss to the revenue which would result
from the adoption of the plan would be 182,0001., as com-
pared with the year 1847, instead of 960,000!., as esti-
mated by the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite. lyith
regard to what he proposed to do when his plan expired,
he must refuse to give any answer whatever. He can•
didly confessed that he was not prepared to do so.
No man could pretend to predict as to what the duties on
sugar ought to be in the year 1854. He could assure
the Government that if they persevered in their line of
policy, they would ultimately drive the estates in the
colonies out of cultivation, and so give the producer of
slave-grown sugar an almost exclusive monopoly of the
British market. It was on those grounds that he
proposed the motion, arid, if it were the pleasure
of the House to reject it, would be some satis-
faction to him to have put on record the
just and reasonable demands of the colonies, and all