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

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, March 3.
The Earl of SITAFTEISBURY took his seat on the Woolsack
at Five o'clock.
RAILWAY SURVEYING.
• Lord PORTMAN presented a petition from a magistrate in
the West Riding of Yorkshire, complaining of the aggressions
- which were made by projectors of railways, whose surveyors, not
contented with taking levels, cut down ornamental timber'
r•'and in fact took upon themselves all the powers given by
Parliament to the Ordnance and Geological surveyors. The
petitioner begged to suggest to their Lordships, that as parties
poachin were liable to transportation, so individuals trespass-
es ing in an illegal manner should be equally liable to the same
•-• punishment. He (Lord Portman) might not go that length,
but he certainly thought that the subject was worthy the atten-
tion of the railway committees, and should this be out of their
province he thought their power ought to be extended.
- The petitioners prayed that the House would take measures to
reform this abuts.

CORN-LAWS.
The Duke of RlCHNlONDlpresented 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 I'sIONTEAGLE presented a petiti n from thel pro-
jectors of the Wexford, Carlow, and Dublin Junction Rdltaiewnsaey,
praying that in their case the standing orders might be isp d
esent
with. The Noble Lord said that the occasion of the p
petition was, some of the agents of this Company,
served
in ignorance
of the standing orders of that House, having
Sunda some o
the notices on Christmas-day and dy.•
it
was
soon as the mistake, however,
wtarseshdiscloivoetirce.el, which
rectified by the issuing
though not in strict complianee woifth the standing orders, still
give the parties so served ample notice. He believed a Noble
Friend of his had a motion on the subject, which 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 which 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 Nt oolsack and the Noble
Duke opposite.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said it wou:d 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 Lordships'
attention the fact, that as much capital had been laid out in that
county in the improvement of the land, as the fee simple of the
land was worth—in 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, &c., of the land.
They had been able to export from that part of the country
alone, through the port of Wisbeauh, a larger amount of pro-
duce than had been sent from any other county in the king-
dom. With reference to the remaining part of the county, he
had taken from the papers of the clerk of the peace a statement
of the great improvement in it. Since the year 1626 no less than 16
parishes had been enclosed, and in consequence of that the
value of the fee-simple of the land had been increased more
than 50,0001., and an increase of M),000 had taken
place in the population. The belief of the population
was, that the protective duties had caused the im-
provement that had taken place in agriculture, and
they stated that protection and improvement went hand in
hand.. The prayer of these petitions was universally the same
over the whole of the country. Their Lordships would
recollect that there was a measure now in pro-
gres through the other House of Parliament. Their
Lordships would do as they had always done—they would
take this measure into 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 den.
beration would be a correct one. He understood
the principle ens 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 hail 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 he 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 pursuing, 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 House was trampled under foot)—as
the protectors of the liberties of the people, he trusted that the
deliberate resolution of that House would be 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 Lord 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 Kinnaird) regretted that that
measure was not 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.) He 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 groat importance to the lauded interest that
the qsuestion should be settled at once. If they had three
years delay, the agitation would continue, while every evil
that might arise in connexion with agriculture, would he
attriouten to the alteiati,..
Landlords 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 LONDON DERRY 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 had ascertained from quarters of
the highest authority that the Anti-Corn-law League was a
most unconstitutional body. —( Cries of 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 thiCassion before the House of Commons. But he would
ask what would Ise 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
bpw 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 ) ears. He
~Raspy! an advocate of , free trade during Lord Grey's Govern-
. spent,
,he was-he did not vote for it. It was understood
that Mr. Fitzwilliam's motion was to be opposed by the Ca,
bineetben ; and did his Noble Friend vote for it ? Lord Mel-
_ .:,',l4aaje'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-
sloa:di Sib.ehltie9 came bite pewerr turn round on all their
priactples; and be' the• first td lead the attack against their eon-
, ,atipienta. He was not surprised that the measure in the House
of Coinmons 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 -cheek it for a short time,
they'shonld do so, brit he believed that such a step would hake
-,A.better result, for protection hid still many friends. Nottingr,
hiam hid behaved nobly ; it had returned a protection Member
• fur each of its divisions; Dorsetslaire supported the principle ;
I"Westsaitister had chosen a- Radical sooner than sone who had
changed his principles.
The Earl of WICKrOW said thit he wished to say a few
words in reply to some observations that had fallen from his
Noble Friend.. It had beets regretted by some of the Member sot
the 110,a,
of
t4Coomblmons, that the measure was not pat
• fore and by the e Lords on the opposite side, one of the
grourids on which
have come fromr, the
tveent wish
with was founded was, that it would
Melbourne's a better grace. When Lord
fixed duty
of eight
was asked whether the
tection, the answer was
was for revenue or pro-
Protection was the object in" distinctly for protection.
change had now come over the minds
auy case, but a total
was with surprise that he hid seenitiof men, and therefore it
reported that influential
men had risen in their place in the other House of Parliament,
stating that they wished the rceawsourrie
moreh d
on
brought for-
thanatother subject,
for-
ward by the opposite parry. One
alluded to by a Noble Friend of his own oti's'
House. He stated that it was universally understosoiClieth'ali the
.Anti-Corn-law League was an unconstitutional body. islnhae,
be was bound to say that that was not his belief. He believest
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 intende3 to take the same
course which he had hitherto adopted on ti:• motion of the No-
ble Lord connected with Yorkshire, and that was, to say nothing.
What made him trouble their Lordships on the present occasion
was tq express his opinion with respect to the Anti-
Carn taw- League, and its being an unconstitutional body.
-He ( Lord Brougham) had never held the opinion last it are
• "an unconstitutional body; on the contrary, he held they vier('
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 obtaining votes be the purchase of freeholds.
That was his opinion ; still they said that they only encouraged
persons to purchase freeholds. Now he (Lord Brougham) did
not see how they could have placed t 2,000 electors on the roll
of freeholders by this system of encouragement, unless they had
also
assisted in finding money fur the purchase of these freeholds.
The practise of parties going from one county to another in
order to procure votes was a course of which be did not ap-
reve.—(Hear, Hear.) ..
MANUFACTURING COUNTY VOTES.
The Earl of REDESDALE said he did not rise to speak on
the subject tbr had just engaged the attention of their Lord-•
ships, but to mike an explanation, in justice to a Noble Duke
(the Duke of 13edford). of something that fell from him ( Lord
Redesdale) a few evenings ago, in reference to a former election
in the county of Huntingdon. He id stated that in order to
secure the return of Lord John Russell for that county, the '