The Sun.
London, England, 1851-02-19 00:00:00

was, what did their Lordships propose to do?—(Hear,
hear.) Did they propose to destroy cgriculture? Did
they mean to propose a high fixed duty? If they did
not propose a duty that would exclude foreign corn,
they did not protect. He did not exactly under-
stand what would be the nature of the duty
which the Noble Lords opposite proposed, but be con-
cluded, from the speeches which they had made, that
they would propose some. What, therefore, would be
the character of that duty? Would it be a low duty for
the purpose? If it was a low duty for the purpose of
revenue, then they would not exclude, and if they did
not exclude they could not protect. If, on the contrary,
they imposed such a high duty as would ensure pro-
tection and exclude foreign corn, then they would have
an answer for proposing a duty that would raise the price
of food of the whole population of the country, and that
he belietied was an experiment which neither the Noble
Lord nor his Protectionist supporters were prepared to
attempt or to maintain.—(Hear, hear.) He did not be-
lieve, knowing what the Noble Earl was, and how he was
connected, and when he had submitted before his eyes, as
ho must have whenever he went into his own county, the
state of things there—ho did not believe that ho would
undertake the task of imposing the duty of eight
shillings per quarter on foreign corn, that eight
shillings per quarter to be paid by the inhabitants,
in the shape of enhanced prices of food.—(Hear.) He
had too much confidence in the Noble Lord to suppose
that he had any idea of proposing such a tax. His be-
lief was that, whatever course might have been taken iii
.another House, that they should not have any proposal
made for a protecting duty on foreign corn; for he be-
lieved, from what he had collected from reading the opi-
nions of leading persons in another place, it was their
opinion that it would be vain to make such an attempt.
He did not believe that his Noble Friends opposite were
prepared to try this experiment before the assembled
people of England, and he had no faith in any such
attempt were it made. However it m'gbt have struck
the Noble Lord who spoke last, that his Noble Friends
would be very glad to retrace their steps, he (the Noble
Earl) had no desire that their steps should be retraced.
He looked with confidence to the issue of the delibera-
tions of this session of Parliament, believing that what-
ever might be the result to arise on other questions, the
decision on this one would be certain. He did not be-
lieve that if the result of the discussion should be to re-
place his Noble Friend, who now sat near him, by the
Noble Lord on the other side of the House—he did not
believe that even in that event he should see the experi-
ment tried of an appeal to the people of England. On
the question of whether prices were to be raised or not,
he had no expectation of such an issue being joined.
Whatever other questions might arise or be determined,
he looked with perfect confidence to this—that the
present question is not one on which Noble Lords op-
posite would supplant those who now held the reins of
government.
Their Lordships then adjourned at Half-past Nine
o'clock.