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

THE

LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING-,

landed interest suffered. Ho did not expect that tliey
would restore protoetion ; but they were bound to do
something to alleviate the sufferings of the landedin7
terest.—(Hear, hear.) They had an opportunity on the
previous night to do something, but they did not avail
themselves of it. Ho would not say anything harsh ;
hot he roust say that the proposal of the Chancellcr of
the Exchequer to take. the duty off seed as a means of
relief to the agricultural interest was an insult to the
country.—(Hear, hear.) The relief also offered, by
transferring the cost of county lunatic asylums from the
county rates to the consolidated fund, was scarcely a
concession to the lauded interest, seeing that one-half
of the consolidated fund was contributed by the agri-
culturists.—(Hear, hear.) It was stated in
another place that the poor were not sup-
ported more than 7-12ths by the agricultue
rists ; but it did not matter whether the sgri-
culturists did not support more than 7-12tias of
the poor. The Noble Earl then took a review of the
prices ranging over a period of thirteen years, with a
view of showing that the public were greater gainers
under protection than under the present system. This
country, he contended, was not in a condition to com-
pete with France in the production of corn since protec-
tion was withdrawn. In 1849, 1,100,000 quarters of
corn had been imported into this country under free
trade, and last year the quantity amounted to nearly
2,000,000 of money. Conceive 2,000,000 of money
going from England to France for corn.. He asked if
such a system, and such an amount of money abstracted
from British farming interest, did not affect the wheat-
growing counties of Sussex and Devon. He must again
tell her Majesty's Government, that from the moment
they forsook their former policy the country had suffered.
The Whigs were at one time as much Protectionists as
the party to which he belonged, and the only difference
between the two earties on the question of a protective
duty on corn was as to the details. If they had arrested
the progress of the Heinle by preventing it from sweep-
ing away all duties, and put on those duties they bad
formerly proposed, he believed they might have come
into office with a character of dignity, and indeed fur
more of character than they had now attached to them-
selves, and to deserve the approbation of an important
body of the people, from whom they were now dis-
severed. They did not, however, do that,, they forgot
the great principle of import duties; they rushed into
office over the bodies of their discomfited opponents, and
the day of retribution for them had now, he believed,
arrived.—(Hear, hear.) The first ray of admitted dis-
tress originated in the Speech from the Throne, and it
was to that admitted distress he left them to their own
condemnation:

Earl FITZ WILLIAM (who at intervals was very in-
audible iu the gallery) said, there wore some things that
had fallen from the Noble Earl who had just sat down
in which he entirely concurred. He entirely concurred
with the Noble Earl in thinking that it was the duty of
those who occupied sews in the Executive Government
to propose remedies for the evils they thought to exist.
The Noble Earl had referred to that part of her Ma-
jesty's Speech in which she now, for the first time,
acknowledged the distress of the agricultural interest.
He was inclined to think that there was some over-
statement in that part of her Majesty's Speech.
—(hear, hear.) lie did not intend to enter into
any dispute as to the statements that had fallen from
his Noble Friend opposite, nor. as to those that had
fallen from the Noble Earl—who had just sat down, but
he believed that these distresses were partial, and might
be accounted for by peculiar circumstances, and that if
the Government essre to attempt a remedy of partial
distress and partial iaconvenienco by any general law,
it would be a remedy that would be entirely inapplicable
to the case with which they had to do. The Noble Lord
who had just sat down had advanced some propositions
in which he agreed, whilst there were others in which he
(lid not concur, or if he did so it was with great regret.
He had stated that they mast not look to particular
prices, hut to the average price over the whole country.
They knew, however, that the average price was
greatly affected by the character of the parti-
cular parcels or quantities of corn sold in the mar-
ket.—(Hear, hear.) At the present moment even, in the
county of Cambridge, good wheat wee now fetching
price of not less in some oases than 425. 4d. per quarter.
He did not wish the Houie to take ..his (the Noble
Lord's) statement; but as the Noble Lord had referred
to papers, he might be allowed' to do the same in reply.
Ho bad not the prices in the market town of Cambridge
itself, but be understood that on last Saturday, which
was market day, good wheat was selling at 425. 4d. The
first place he should mention, quoting the highest and
lowest prices, in illustration of his statement, was that of
St. Ives, where he understood the present price of the
best corn was 38s. per quarter. At Wisheach, the
highest price was 365. 6d., the lowest 245. 4d. This was
the statement of one person, while the statement of an-
other made the highest price 415., and, the lowest 245.
At Boston, Spalding, and Peterborough, the prices were
respectively 395., 425., and 415., while the lower prices
were as low es 243., 255., and 235., whilst the highest had
been as high as 445. 4d. He apprehended that the real
cause of the distress that prevailed in the counties
of Cambridge and Lincoln arose entirely from the bad
condition of the wheats, and that it-was to these they
must look as an illustration of the distresses that pre-
vailed in those counties.—(Haar.) But what was it, he
would ask, his Noble Friends intended to do ?—(Hear,
heat.) The Nobh Earl who had jugs left the House
stated, and he was willing' in a certain degree to agree
with him, that it was the duty of the Executive Go-
vernment, in a case of this kind, to take measures
for the relief of existing distress but the Noble
Lords on the opposite side uo).3t allow him to say,
that when they brought forward it Motion, and raised
a discussion on a subject of this description, they
ought at lead to give some idea or indication of what
the measure was they intended to 'bring in. The
Noble Lord who spoke first had 'ventured to indicate,
however, that ho proposed in some degree to go back
to restriction. It *as to be hoped that this was not
to be the case, for he (the Noble Earl) was of opinion
that to go back to restriction would only be in a
double sense to retrograde. If his Noble Friend
could detach himself from the ranks of protec-
tion, and if he raised his own standard, he would corn-
mend a mighty and influential body; and if he would en-
deavour to impress on her Majesty's Ministers the re-
peal of the tax to which 'he had 'alluded, he would be
happy to give him his best support', 'because ho consi-
dered that it was one of the most injurious of taxes. It
would have been as well if his Noble Friend had endea&
Toured to administer softie more relief to the agrletiltural
interest. He did not at all agree that it was desirable
to press on the Consolidated Fund.: He believed that all
the duties that fell on the come:Utility were better per-
formed by local that they could tie by general adminia,
tration, and he could not help referring to what seemed
to be-an idea floating in the titind'of the Noble Lord
whn spoke last, and whiCh seemed -also to pervade the
mind of his Noble Kinsman—he alluded to the throwing
relief for the poor on ,the oOn'iolidated Fundl He
warned the Noble Lords against 'any measure of the
kind. They might depend' on it that it would lead to a
most extravagant administration of whatever funds were
for the maintenance of the . Pool that it was in the
power of imagination to conceive:--(]lsar, hear.) It
was a difficult administration now, and he was sure that
those who were engaged with kirst in the administration
of the Poor-law knew how much leas care was bestowed
cases than on those which belonged to a particular
on that class of cases which were called establishment
parish. If these cases, instead of failing on the union at
large, were to fall on the.natioe et largo, ho could hardly
conceive a case in which )hate would be a more lavish
distressesic mo
thatthat r 3
xisted, he believed the
cases
were rare in which the distresses of the tenant
expenditureic
uiesanodfpubl
could not be met by fairness ppOle part of the landlord.
—(Hear.) The question was eaaje
y one of rent. Indeed
all these questions of protectiehinere questions of rent,
and it was quite as possible teesejast the rent on there
matters as in any other. Celenlate prices, and it was
as easy to calculate the rent-
.foe
,4 is, as for ads, and for
60s. as 80s., and, to go to the end, of the seale, for 80e,
as for 405.--(B ear, hear.) AxPerience proves that in
carrying out these experimental ,:matters :matters none of them
succeeded. They never had --succeeded under previous
laws or previous experiments. Under every one of the
previous laws the landowner and the land valuer, the men
who took the farm, and the landowner who let the farm,
had all been deluded by the character of the law, Under
the first law they were led to Expect the price at 80s.per
quarter; under another they were led to expect a price
at 635., under another, a price at 565., and under another
at 535.; and under the operation of all these laws) agri-
cultura distress existed, as if to prove that it *as be=
yond the power of man to regulate prices in such a
manner as would bo satisfactore
to the differeet Clams
of the communitz, With tapoJi t„ iordnkje, they 'mete
"MN ktle,t ',tot country was
protected as
much as the agricultural interest in this country was
ever protected under the most stringent of its pteteetive
Weak Pride elf *heat no* in
Frsteco It *if a3inethiog like 8, ea,
per bushel—no
'i-9:11 great encouragement t 0 those
who were desirous of
trying the etpeOcaPnt of eir6lll-iti6a, *CI dotitit fiery
large Unlit:My of corn bad -bkba imported in the shape of
dour. He did not at all regret the importation of flour.
He believed, and be toldlish Noble Lords opposite, who
were no doubt iterate that the machinery for the manu-
factures of flour in kratlce; and the processes connected
with its In that Eatlntty, were conducted tench more
tkilfully and effenttially than
,the? share in England.—
(Rear.) Alms, blililst•etl dintiiiiortfitiot, tbii
7irrencil hour into England would induce the Lb;a
lish Millert to make suhh iniprb*ethehte iii the
enaaufeetnre di flour; g 6 48 id mike thAit te KO a
higher price than was new obtained for bread" flobre
There *AS till doubt that welt d be the case, and if there
*ele proper conipelitioll between the tognek and the
French grower, and the English and the irreneh miller,
he and so much confidence in the weer__
gy of his own
countrymen that lib believed they would be able to meet
the cenipetition of iteforeifine 6°ilnt4: With respett ti
the biiiihbitA th nench farmer, h„, happened hi to
in possession of some papers issued during the Admi-
nistration of his Noble Friend. and from these he could
6611.9 him that the 19Cal.10'°°P Of a,Vreeah ootitiorhe
or denartment was far higher than et.-0
taxation 01 di
English county. If their Lordships would compece
the Oxatiiiii of e 4.`rant. T. de its *jai thA of
an English county) which he (the Noble Earl) bad ntid
an opportunity of doing frees the report of the visit-
ing magistrates Or finande ceintnittee of Southampton,
it appeared enet the *hole local taiation of
a French department amounted to more than the ]seal
county taxation of Southampton. The local taxation of the
latter amounted to llid. per head of the whole :popula-
tion, while the local taxation of a French department.
which corresponded with on English county, amounted
to ls. 11c1.—(Hear, hear.) Then, again, if they took
into consideration what was the relative area or capa-
city of an English county, as compared with a French
department, there really 1 vas no comparison, and from
this he thought they neigh t satisfy thenaelves that there
was no reason for restrietic 'ea on the ground of the Eng-
lish farmer being locally -aura highly taxed than the
French.—(Hear, hear.) A fit': all, the question really