The Sun.
London, England, 1834-08-04 00:00:00

STEAM PACKETS ON THE CLYDE

Mr. WALLACE then presented a petition from the Chamber of
Commerce of Greenock, praying for a communication by steam-
packets to and from the Clyde. The Hon. Member proceeded to
detail the inconveniences and delay occasioned by the present mode
of transmitting letters by the Post-office, and stated that the feeling
in favour of a communication by steam was very general throughout
that part of Scotland. He understood that offence had been taken
by the Secretary of the Post-office at some observations which he
had felt it his duty to make in that House. He would take that op-
portunity of stating, that he should he extremely sorry to say any-
thing that would be offensive to the private feelings of any man ;
all he asked for was, that the Post-office would sanction the returns
he had moved for, and give him (Mr. W.) an opportunity of unsaying
or making the most ample reparation in his power. He would
repeat, however, that he believed a great deal of the statements he
had made had more or less of justice in them. He had now to call
the attention of the House to a breach of the privileges of that
House in his person, the particulars of which he was not apprized
of when he had last addressed it. In fact he was only that morn-
ing apprized of it by an Hon. Member, who had given him permis-
sion to mention his name, should it be necessary. That Honour-
able Member had shewed him a large bundle of letters, amounting
to about thirty, which had been delivered to him this morning free
of postage, although all that came to him (Mr. W.) over the
usual number, were charged. On remonstrating with Sir F. Freeling
the answer he received was that he thought the Hon. Member
should be excused, as many of the letters might have been posted
in Dublin on Friday to , suit their arrival in London. He (Mr.
Wallace) had submitted the same case to his Majesty's Post Mas-
ter-General, and the reply of Sir F. Freeling was, that the law
did not allow of the delivery of more than fifteen on any one day.
He felt himself bound to bring this statement before the House ;
and he would again repeat, that in whatever way he had spoken of
the persons connected with the office, he must say that the business
of that office was conducted with a degree of secrecy which had
tended much to induce the feeling he entertained upon the
subject. In conclusion, he would entreat of the Hon. Member
for Northampton, to impress upon his Majesty's Postmaster-Ge-
neral the absolute necessity of abolishing the regulation by which
the postage of letters going to any part of the continent were di-
rected to be paid here, and allowing them to be paid for on either
side of the water. There was no security that the letter would be
forwarded after the postage had been paid, and he feared that many
persons could be found who would pocket a shilling and throw a
letter in the fire. He trusted the subject would be attended to by
the Postmaster-General, as it was one which had excited very ge-
neral discontent throughout the country, there being no assurance
or security of any kind that after the postage had been paid the
letter would be forwarded, as was the case in France and Germany.
Lord W. LENNOX wished to correct an error that the Hon.
Member for Greenock had fallen into. The Hon. Member had
urged the Post-office to adopt the line of conduct followed in
France and Germany. Now he (Lord,Wm. Lennox) entirely dif-
fered from the Hon. Member. Nothing could be worse arranged
than foreign post-offices. But he would not enter further into the
subject than to point out that when the Hon. Member for
Greenock stated that a security was given abroad on letters being
paid, now such was not the case, it was true that a foreign letter
could be insured by paying an extra sum, but if the postage was
merely paid, no more security but that given in England was given.
Mr. P. SMITH said that with respect to the steam communi-
cation urged by the Hon. Member for Greenock, in many instances
communication by land was more speedy. With respect to the al-
teration in the mail from Glasgow to Greenock, the attraction was
advantageous, inasmuch as the letters now passed at the rate of 11
miles an hour, whereas formerly the coach travelled only at the rate
of eight miles an hour. He regretted that the lion. Member, after
bestowing so many compliments on the Post-office Department,
should charge them with giving an exclusive privilege to one of the
Members of that House. If the charge were true it must have
arisen from accident. He was not one of those that wished to ex-
tend the power of franking ; the public were desirous that it should
be diminished.—(Hear, hear.) He did not think that the Hon.
Member had any just cause of complaint, and concluded by express-
ing a hope that he (Mr. Wallace) would not press the resolutions
he had on the order-book that evening.
Mr. F. SHAW said that he certainly had received more than
fifteen letters on a Monday, and he believed that he was not charged
for those above the number of fifteen, in consequence of an applica-
tion which he had made to the Post-office department. Those
letters were posted on Friday and Saturday, and, arrived partly on
Sunday and partly on Monday. When, therefore, the number of
letter days did not exceed fifteen, it seemed fair that he should not
be charged with them, as he would not be if the letters were deli-
vered on Sunday.
Mr. HUME said that, according to the Act of ' Parliament,
Members ought to receive their letters every day in the week.
This was the case everywhere out of London, but in London
alone, where Members might have an opportunity of attending to
them, letters were not received. He had frequently been com-
pelled to pay for his letters on the Monday morning, but always
did so under protest, and considered that he was robbed every
time he did so.—(A laugh.) Every Member ought to receive his
letters every doy in London, and out of it, and the neglect of the
Post-office, in this respect, was a grievance which out to be at-
tended to.

After a few words from Mr. EWART and Mr. SHAW, in expla-
nation.

Mr. HERRIES said he could bear testimony to the excellent
manner in which the Post-office was conducted.—(Hear.)
At the same time there seemed to be a want of some regulations
respecting the delivery of letters on Sundays and Mondays. In
his mind the course that ought to be adopted was obvious—they
ought to consider the number of letters received each day, and if
they did not exceed the number of 15 for each day, to deliver them
on Monday free of postage.
Mr. BERNAL agreed in the law laid down by the Hon. Mem-
ber for Middlesex, that Members were ectitled to receive on Mon-
flay thirty letters free from postage, provided fifteen of them ar-
rived on the Sunday. They must at the same time bear testimony
to the active and faithful discharge of his duties by the Secretary of
the Post-office, who always discharged his duties to the very
letter-4A laugh. )
Mr. WALLACE replied. He said that there ought to be a
delivery of letters on Sunday to every man who chose to call
for them, and if they were not delivered after this session, he would
make a demand for them. He did not want a delivery in the
streets. With respect to the mail-coach from Glasgow to Greenock,
that had been given up as a matter of economy ; and at the sug-
gestion of the contractors. He was aware that an immense sum
was paid upon foreign-letters, but he hoped such a system would
never be introduced into this country.
The petition was then ordered to lie on the table.
Mr. LUAS the new Member for Monaghan, took the oaths and
his eeat as Member for that county, according to the amended re-
turn made by the Committee upon that election.
Sir B. VYVYAN presented several petitions from Gloucester-
shire in support of the Church. Also a petition from the land-
owners of the West Riding of York in support of the alterations in
the Beer Bill.

WEST INDIA COMPENSATION BILL.
The HON BARONET then said he had as important petition
to present from the House of Assembly of Barbadoes upon the sub-
ject of the grant of twenty millions of last year, made to the West
India planters. The petitioners stated that the sum, however
large it appeared, was utterly inadequate to compensate for the value
of the property they were required to surrender. The petitioners
also ftrongly objected to the mode in which this sum was distri-
buted, and prayed for a different, distribution, namely, that it might
be distributed pee capita, as there were 80,000 slaves in Barbadoes
of whom full one half were unattached. On these grounds they
claimed a full and just participation in the grant.
Mr. S. RICE said that however just this particular case might
be, it would be an act of the grossest injustice to reopen the ques-
tion, at all events any consideration of the question in the present
session would be entirely and completely futile, and would only
place the colonies in a dangerous state of uncertainty. He con-
sidered from the magnitude of the sum voted by this House that the
petitioners would rather have approached the House with expres-
sions of thankfulness than with anything like a complaint.--( Hear,
hear.) As to the irresistible enactments of that House compelling
the colonists to agree to the measure against their will, he thought
that they would soon perceive that their own local interests
would induce them to fall into the arrangement with pure and un-
mixed satisfaction at the change.
Mr. P. STUART expressed his regret that such a petition
should be presented at a time when the work of emancipation was
but as it were in its infancy, and denied the allegations contained
therein.--The petition was then laid on the table.
Mr. 3IORGAN O'CONNELL presented a petition from the
county of 3lerth against tithes.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from Lower Canada, signed by
upwards of 1,800 persons, expressive of their concurrence in the
resolutions passed m the House of Assembly, and praying for a con-
sideration of the said resolutions.

J. S. RICE said that there were undoubtedly some diffe-
rences between the American colonies and the mother-country.
He was most desirous to see those differences reconciled ; and he
should be glad to hear from the Hon. Member that there was an
equal disposition on the part of the Canadas.—(" Hear,
bear," from Mr. Hume.) The Committee up stairs
had declared that such had ever been the object of the
Home Government. He thought the resolutions alluded to in the
petitions were founded in misconception, and did not do justice to
the Colonial Government. It should be his earnest care to put a
speedy and satisfactory end to these disputes without respect either
to a British or a French interest, but pointedly to the interests of
the Canadas. —( Hear, hear.) He could have wished the same
temperate language had always been adopted on this question as
was used in the present petition. A letter had appeared in every
paper in the country written by the Hon. Member for Middlesex,
in which he called the Caradas " to awaken the crisis of the baleful
domination of thel English Government." Such language could
only increase the difficulties of those who wished to relieve the colo-
nies and add to the irritation existing there. He spoke more in
sorrow than in anger, but thought that such a course could not be
pursued without danger both tothe mother-countryand the colonies.
Mr. HUAIE did not believe one word of the statement of the
Committee up stairs.— (Hear, hear, hear. )—The complaints
of Canada had been restricted for years, and restricted in vain,
As to his letter, it had been garbled in the Times and other pa.
pers. In writing letters he wrote off hand, and without that pre-
caution which some men used ; but there was not a part of that
letter which he was not prepared to defend.—(Hear, hear.)
The Honourable Member then read the letter, which,

he observed, was written under great excitement produced
by the ungrateful conduct of an individual, who came
over from Canada, and without his assistance would not have been
.able to succeed in his mission, coupled with the behaviour of the
late Colonial Secretary. He had given expressions to the same
sentiments frequently in that House, and he repeated that
if the system of misrule was to continue, which had
existed for so many years, a separation would be inevitable.
Mr. RICE repeated that the language was indecorous and dan-
gerous, and read a letter from Upper Canana, deprecating its spirit.
Mr. P. STUART explained.—The petition was then laid on
the table.

It being three o'clock, the SPEAKER left the chair.

COURT OF CHANCERY-(THIS DAY.)

COMMITTAL FOR OYSTER DREDGING—WICKHAM V. SOUTH.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL stated that he was instructed to
apply on affidavit on behalf of the plaintiff (now Baroness 'Wenman)
for an order of committal of two fishermen named Jackson and
Gower, for a breach of the injunction of this Court, winch had
been issued in the month of April last, prohibiting the defendants
from dredging for oysters in the Milton Fishery Grounds. The
fact of the breach of the injunction was clearly made out, and
notice has been given of the present application, but the Learned
Counsel believed no one appeared on the other side.
The LORD CHANCELLOR directed the order for committal
to issue.