The Sun.
London, England, 1833-08-17 00:00:00

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Lord 'ELLENBORbUGH said that the Noble Lord
bad anticipated him, for he had also intended to move
that this Bill should he referred to a Select Committe .
There was, however. another point contained in the
which ought to induce their Lordships t.s instruct the
Select Committee to extend their inqui'ies, inasmuch as
the point to which he adverted was not only perfectly
novel in its character. hut extremely 'aul'y in its principle.
It Lail long been the custom of their Lordships' House to
wave all inquiry in measures relative to :he imposition oi
taxes or where money was concerned; hut whether that
fortiearancenn the part of their Lordships was always ex
ereised for the tienefit of tie public was a question he wa.
now by no mean• prepared to admit. He did not mean
to propose that they afteuld depart from the custom to
w ice lie had aPmid d except in extra-rd n ity vitae.; hie
insiancea might occur which would render is the hetorden
duty of is cis Lordships to interpose, and oat extreme
cnte happened in tids very Bill. Ou all cases except in
the instance of Judges' fees, at least he was no' aware o
any oti er case, Paliatnent reserved to itself 'he exelosive
power of levying taxes from the people ; but in vile Bid
that•power was placed in the hands of the King in Coun-
cil, without any limitation svhati•ver. By this Bill th
King in Council would be empowered to appoint certain
officers, and, in ord,r to pay these officers their salaries, to
raise certain duties on the tonnage and g rods of all vessels
trading 'o and from China. Now nothing could be more
indefinite than the change which the Bill proposed to
make, and, therefore, for the purpose of ascertaining
whether any example for such a course existed. and know-
ing the line of conduct which their Lordships ought to
adopt, he should move that the Select Committee he in-
structed to search the records of Parliament, in order to
see " whether their Lordships had ever passed a Bill dele•
gating to his Majesty in Council the power of levying
from his subjects such a duty on tonnage or goods as
should be specified by the Order of his Majesty in Coun-
cil." This, he begged to observe, was no trifling matter,
for, according to his calculations, the Superintendents to
be.appoiited under this Bill would receive about the same
amount of remuneration that was given by the East India
Company to their agents at Canton. He could not esti-
mate the expense at less than 27,000/. a year. The
tonnage of the shipping trade to China he calculated at
about 54,000 tons, and the duty which would he im-
posed upon it by this measure would amount to as much
as 10s. the ton. The general average of the vessels
to be employed in that trade would, he 'believed, be
about 300 tons; and the duty to be paid by each ship
150/., which was about the most monstrous and unjust
proposition of which he had ever heard. He rea ly was
at a loss to imagine how such a clause could have passed
unnoticed in another place. By the Bill of last year a
great number of persons connected with commerce and
manufacture had obtained seats in Parliament, and their
Lordships had heard of the advantages which the country
was to reap from the wisdom and foresight of such per-
sons; but here was an evident instance of the value of
their public services. The Noble Lord concluded by
moving that the Committee should be instructed to look
for the precedent he hail mentioned.

Lord- AUCKLAND was not more surprised than he
was on finding so objectionable a clause as this contained
in„the Hill. It was his intention, however, as so.-..n as
the Bill got into Committee to move an amendment for
the purpose of.limiting the power given by the clause to
his Majesty in Council ; and he therefore hoped the Noble
Lord would not press his motion on that occtsion. He
admitted that the Noble Lord was right in his calcula-
tions. The whole expense of the new establishment
would be from 27,0001. t 030,000/. ; but then it should
he borne in mind that this was in lieu of 100,0001., the
amount p iid by the Company to ifs agents.

After some further conversaion, Lord ELLEMOROUGH%
motion was negatived with,,ut a division, and the motion
f r the discharge of the order of the day agreed to.

Lord AUCKLAND then moved that-the Bill be re-
ferred to e S legit Committee up stairs.
The ino,i. n wn4 aeree t to, and the Committee appointed.

SCOTCH BURGHS REFORM BILL.

The Ikl-rquis of LANSDOWNE presen•ed a petition
flop' the Parliamentary electors of the barony of G,,rhals,
within the borough of Ght,gow, praying that the &po,
Burghs Reform Bill might not he pa,sed without s ulau,e
inserted in it enahling 101. householders to vote at
elections for corporate officers as well as for Alembers to
serve in Parliament.

The LORD :3HANCELLOR hre•ent d a similar peti-
tion from the inhabit.nt.ot the same bamy.

Both petitions wer. oral• red he laid upon the tahle.

CHOLERA.

The Aldrqui4 of LANSDOWNE laid upon the table a
Bid for cons nuing the Art of 1,14, se.sion tor the preven-
tion of ch,d.rd —Read a fitst titu ; to b< read a second
t;tue to morrow.

Chi Earl of HADDINGTON •isked whet' er it was
in,end.d also to renew th, Scorch Adt on this subjeet ?
The Mir-pis of LANSDOWNE replird in the tar-

uitive.
SCOTCH BURGHS REFORM BILL.
On the in tion .4 the E.l of sIIAFTESBURY, tl:e
Ruise went into Como.ittee on the Scotcb Burghs Retort')
Bill.
On the question that the prea.i.ble he pmep
The Et•l of HADDING rON -,roposed the omission
Of the whole of the el UM'S of the 8,11, and
tiou of otrer clauses of a iewporary nature. doing away
with the prineip'e of sell election, hut enabling them to
wait the result of tt.e report of the commissioners before
they took any step to form a pertnan-nt borough con-
stitution.
T.ie LORD CHANCELLOR oliketed to the motion.
e atm tv, was neg itived without a tiivi•ion, and
the original motion auterd to.
first clause was agreed to, after a few verbil al-
Clioarti 2,3, and 4 were also agreed to, with a few
verbal atnetidnien s.
The remaioing el ,uses o!. the Bill were also eel*, ed to.
Upon the preamnie iif the 13111 being pr.iposed,
The Earl HADDINGTON said he mum object to
it, as its •i;iegatiiimi we.e not founded in facts.
Th. preamble was aveed to.
The House resumed. and the 13111 is further to be
considered on DI Inlay next.