The Sun.
London, England, 1846-01-29 00:00:00

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.LONDON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 29, 1846.

The House of Lords did not sit yesterday.
The Commons met at Twelve.
weral petitions baying been presented.
GlSNORNEbrought forward the tnotien of which
he had given notice, for an alteration in regard to the
manntel. which railway Bills are introduced to the

House. The object of the proposal was to authorise the
Committee, on the petition for a railway Bill, to report
whether upon any, and upon what, condition the stand-
ing orders in relation to such Bill might be dispensed
with—to enable the House, where any one Member of
the Committee (not being the Chairman) departed from
such report, to take it into consideration, without refer-
ring it to the Standing Orders' Committee, and to enable
the promoters of railway Bills to be heard by counsel
before the Standing Orders' Committee. His object was
to give the people an opportunity of knowing the reasons
on which the Committee founded its decisions ; and
without such knowledge their decisions would never be
respected. He objected to these secret decisions of Se-
cret Committees, and be thought the Standing Order
Committee should give its decision publicly, and should
hear the arguments of counsel as to the matter which
they were called to adjudicate.
Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET opposed the motion, as
one likly to entail great expense on the landed proprie-
tors who opposed railway Bills, and who would have
to employ counsel to appear for them before the Stand-
ing Orders' Committee.
Mr. GISBORNE was sorry to find the motion resisted.
Mr. STRUTT must oppose the motion, as its effect
would be to place the Committee on Standing Orders
and the Committees on railway Bills in opposition to
each other.
After a few words from Mr. GISBORNE, the motion
was withdrawn.

Mr. WonErtousE moved for returns relating to the
poor-rates, highway-rates, and county-rates.
Mr. ETWALL gave notice, for 10th February, of a
motion on the subject of the Andover Union.
On the order of the day for the second reading of the
Public Works (Ireland) Bill being read,
Sir T. FREMANTLE intimated his intention to bring in
a measure to amend the system of valuation in Ireland.
Mr. HUME opposed the motion, because the Bill was

Sir T. FREMANTLE explained that the measure did not
alter the existing law.
Mr. O'CONNELL would not oppose the motion, but
reserved to himself the right of suggesting alterations at
a future stage.
After a short discussion, in which Sir 11. FERGUSON,
Mr. S. CRAWFORD, Sir 11. W. BARRON, Mr. M. MILNES,
Mr. F. FRENCH, and Colonel CONOLLY, took part, the
Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be com-
mitted to-morrow.

Sir J. GRAHAM gave notice that to-morrow Sir R.
PEEL would move that the House, at its rising, do ad-
journ to Monday.

Mr. F. FRENCH reminded the Right lion. Baronet
that Friday was the last day of receiving petitions
against private Bills, &c.

Sir J. GRAHAM promised to consider the subject and
state his intentions to-morrow.

The House then adjourned.

During the desultory and disjointed conversation
which succeeded the Premier's financial, or rather com-
mercial statement, on Tuesday night, an observation
was uttered by the Hon. Member for Finsbury which
demands the most paramount consideration. An appeal
to the sense of the electoral body was the vaunting as-
piration of the Protectionists, and it was in deprecation
of this hazardous and fool-hardy project that Mr.
WAKLEY expressed the opinion to which we refer.
Before these, forlorn and misguided men venture upon
the execution of a scheme which must prove not only
detrimental to their own interests, but must absolutely
place the maintenance of tranquillity among the multi-
tude in jeopardy, they should indeed calculate every one
of the contingencies of their position. They should
bear in recollection the vast majority of the mere con-
sumers of food over the cultivators of the same article :
they should remember that an agitation as prodi-
gious as the present one will tend by necessity
to harass the bulk of those consumers with a
recollection of their having no personal influence
in this great contest—of their being actually
voteless, and voiceless, and scarcely better than political
nonentities : they should never lose Fight of the cir-
cumstance, that a very powerful feeling upon the subject
already prevails throughout every parish in the country
—a feeling which would be strangely fomented lay any
counter-demonstration like the one proposed. And
after having duly pondered over these most important
facts, they should seriously, and soberly, and con-
scientiously ask themselves, whether they are prepared
to encounter the cries for cheap provisions which an
uniufranchised mob will undoubtedly raise around their
hustings ; or, in the language of Mr. WAKLEY, inquire
of their own common sense whether an appeal under all
these considerations " would lead to any other
feeling than that of exasperation, and whether
it must not tend to produce senqments most dan-
gerous to the peere ?" It is infinitely worse than
frivolous for these agricultural gentlemen to close their
eyes against the extraordinary evidence of the popular
will which has preceded, and doubtless in some measure
has dictated, the novel and generalized policy of Sir R.
PEEL : it is worse than useless for them to become
garrulous about the tenant-farmers and the yeomanry,
and at the same moment overlook the legions of
pounds, and votes, and hearts, and tongues raised in
the cause of free trade and the League. They should
never fur one single instant forget, that while they
themselves are restricted to the support of a class,
their opponents are of no class, or party, or nation ;
their principles are addressed to man in the abstract,
and are grounded upon the acknowledged basis of
policy and justice. The question is not one of privilege
—it a is question of sheer prudence ; it is not a struggle
for perquisites—it is a struggle for bread, In enter-
taining, therefore, this rash notion of an appeal to the
country, the Protectionists must reflect, that they ma.
terially enhance their present difficulties ; or, according
to the Representative of Finsbury, that, in addition to the
commotion for unrestricted commerce, they render pos_
sible a revival of the disturbance about " class legisla-
tion." They have but one reasonable alternative,
namely, to submit with dignity to the ordinations of
time ; to sacrifice individual emolument to the public
prosperity.

.
'The mystery in which the plans of the Minister, for the
abolition of the corn- laws,havebeen so long involved is at last
removed, and the people of the United Kingdom may rejoice
that the fate of protection is sealed, and that the most
obnoxious of all burdens will in three years be utterly
abolished. Since the memorable occasion when Lord JOHN
Russnus. introduced the Ministerial plan of Parliamentary
Reform, we know of no event which has excited one-tenth
part of the public interest, or which will spread such glad
tidings to millions of her MAJESTY'S subjects, as the result
of the scene which took place in the Commons' House
of Parliament last night. Sir ROBERT PEEL had the courage
to hold out against the opinions of the majority of his col-
leagues; like a man conscious of the justice of his measures,
and the infallible victory which they must soon obtain, he
persevered in his purpose, resigned his high station rather
than yield up his convictions, and at last, obeying the general
will of the people, resumed his position in order to gain the
most illustrious of all triumphs—a peaceable reform. He is,
in fact, the author of a great revolution, which will have an
immense effect on the destinies of the country, and astonish
the world by the boldness of its principles, as well as by the
liberal views which pervade every part of its character. The
question of commercial reform we regard as settled. The Peers
and the landlords may for a time rebel, or pretend to
rebel against the Minister, but all the wise, all the pru-
dent, and all the able portion of the aristocracy know that
their efforts are vain, and that in this country no class, how •
ever powerful, not even the first nor the second estate of the
realm, can gainsay the voice of the people. That voice has
been heard from every part of the land. England and Scot-
land and Ireland have demanded, in language that cannot
be mistaken, the repeal of the corn-laws, and our statesmen,
like prudent rulers, have listened to their voice, and granted
their prayers. Neither party can claim peculiar honour
for this great remit, for Whigs and Tories, and Conservatives
and Liberals, and Radicals and Chartists, all have their
share, and the leading statesmen of the two great sections
in the State have alike vied with each other in furthering
this noble achievement. To Lord Joins' RUSSELL, the
brother of one of the first Peers in the realm, who is opposed
to his views, and whose family connexions have so much
interest in the profits from land, '‘very praise is dge, He
prepared the way—at all events hastened the crisis; and by
bLs open avowal of complet*.fmetiom in the trade in corn,
left his opponent no alternative but to dare boldly and carry
out his own firm ponvictions. The Conservative leader
was not backward, and, to his honour, resolved
to offend a second time his party for the good
of the country, and to risk the hostility of
the House of Peers, tha whole landed interest, and every
tribe of monopolists in a cause so just and sacred. But the
conduct of her MAJESTY throughout the whole anxious crisis
ccounatTord only one universal theme of admiration, amt fur
opolfe.the
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Or his aristocratic and selfish successor, with all his GEORGE
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aemanagement,againstnotth ithe
great people, we fear to contemplate. t.T:e :
and with such actors, we can con-
but complete success to the
principles for which The Stun had long con-
tended,Steady, and unyielding advocate. No
and of which it has, for more than twenty years,
been the earnest,
journal has so long and so faithfully exposed the enormities
d injustice of the corn-laws, or kept the grievance
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~tiv berm pie public eye. We rejoice
so constn.....
and far map/ Tears a hopeless, struip,
that, after a tedicilj """ ' " •

victory has at last declared itself, and statesmen of all par-
ties now join in denouncing the obnoxious and destructive
Act of 1815, and in advocating the only safeguard for a great
commercial country—the abolition of all those prohibitive and
oppressive duties on foreign productions, as well as those of
native industry. But this result does not affect the United
Empire only—it extends over the world, and its announce-
ment will excite universal wonder in every civilized state.
France and Russia and America will receive the news with
joy equal to our own, and let us confidently hope that its
effects will be beneficial to humanity, and bind closer the
peaceable ties of friendship among civilized nations.