The Sun.
London, England, 1856-04-05 00:00:00

AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

On the order of the day for going into committee upon
this bill.

The Earl a DERBY said he wished to call their lord-
ships' attention to one or two points in the bill which he
thought very objectionable. It would be in the recol-
lection of the house that on the second reading of the
bill he stated his concurrence in the general objects of
the measure. lie had, however, considerable doubts as to
the efficiency of the machinery proposed to effect those
objects. He had received many communications from
various quarters upon this subject which tended greatly
to confirm him in his impressions. He bad certainly
received letters from some farmers, containing objec-
tions to the principles of the bill, but he thought, how-
ever, that considerable misapprehension was entertained
by such parties as to the operations of such measure, for
be entertained no doubt whatever but that the objects
in view, if attainable, would be eminently beneficial.
He wholly objected to the employment of the poor-law
board in collecting the information. That board, he
thought, was established for a totally different object,
and were unfit for the discharge of such duties. As
some prejudices exi4ed in different parts of the country,
it was of course desirable t o remove everything objection-
able from the bill calculated to remove those prejudices.
He would propose that the information sought for should
be obtained through the petty sessions, whose courts were
scattered throughout the country. Those courts possessed
a peculiar facility for obtaining such information as to the
local circumstances of the various agricultural districts.
He also thought that the measure ought to be amended
in respect to the mode proposed for sending out, for re-
turns, and for their return. He was of opinion that the
Board of Trade should give'due notice of the informa-
tion required by the issue of a circular :at particular
periods of the year. The Board of Trade should give
an estimate of the average crops and their average value.
The schedules also should be more simplified by the re-
duction of columns. They should be as simple as
possible. The noble earl then stated some other ob-
jections to the bill, and said he thought it better to state
his opinions candidly before proceeding to consider the
bill,

Lord SPANLEY of ALDERLEY thought the Poor-
lair Board and the Board of Guardians were the most
Efficient machinery that could be proposed to procure the
information Bought for under the bill. The magistrates
at petty sessions were by no means so well
calculated to carry out the provisions of
the bill as the Poorlaw Board. (Hear.) He was
very anxious to get the returns as early as possible' and
therefore he thought that the Ist of June should he fixed
as the, day for receiving the estimate of the crops planted;
but if their lordships wished be should not object to the
ISt of July being the day fixed on 'which the guardians
should forward their returns to the Poor law Board: He
thought it very desirable that means should exist by
which it could be learned what sort of a crop bad been
o,rown in certain years, and also whether the crop was
light or heavy. If the provisions of this bill were fully
carried out, this information would exist in the early
part of November in each year after the passing of the
act. The noble lord concluded by stating that in com-
mittee he should feel great pleasure in explaining to any
of their lordships the other portions of the bill.
After a lengthened discussion, in which the' Earl of
Hardwicke, the. Earl of Malmesbury, the Earl of Elise-
mere, Earl Grey, Lord Overdone, and Lord Stanley of
Alderley took part, the house went into committee on
the bill.

'On clause 1, the Earl of DERBY moved, as an
amendment, to leame out of the dative the words a Poor-
law Board,'! for the purpose of substituting the, ‘.‘,Board
of Trade." -

Lord FEVERSHAAT should support the amendment,
although he was entirely in favour of the principle of
the bill.

Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY and Lord BER-
NERS supported he clause.
The committee divided upon the original question, and
there appeared—
Contents - ls
Non-contents . .
Majority
The amendment was consequently negatived.
On clause 2, on the motion of the Marquis of SALIS-
BURY, it was agreed that the returns should be made
not later than the Ist of September.
The-clause was agreed to, and dailies 3,4, 5, and 6
were agreed to without opposition.
:base 7, alter a few remarks from the Earl of EL-
LENTOROUGH, was then agreed to, as were also
clauses 8,9, 10, and 11.
Oa clause 12, the Earl of ELLENBOROUGH com-
plained of the expense of carrying the act into effect,
which would not be less than 100,000/. a year.
Lord STANLEY of ALDERLEY said he believed
the expense would-not mad 25,0001. per annum.
The clause was then agreed to, as were the remaining
clauses and schedules.
Adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.--(YESTERDAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at the usual hour.
PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed :
—Doddington Rectory Division ; Lancaster Gas ; Lin-
coln Water ; Milford Junction Railway ;- Weymouth
and Melcombe Regis Gas.
Sir JOHN PAKINGTON presented a petition from
Australia' praying that her Majesty would be pleased to
direct that a postal communication be established be.
tween England and the colony, by the nearest route,
and at a speed of not less than ten knots, or nautical
miles, per hour.
THE EXPORTATION OF IRON.
Mr. THORNELY asked, the Secretary of the Trea-
sury whether, a treaty of peace having been signed at
Paris, the-boat; required to be given at the Custom
Houses oa the exportation of iron, and of certain other
manufactured articles, might not now be dispensed with?
Mr. WILSON—At present he could not answer the
question [ but if the hon. member would repeat it on
another *ening, he would give him a reply.

------ . -- ,
- FOREIGN TROOPS IN ENGLISH PAN-
Mr. OTWAY gave notice that on Monday he should
ask the Under. Secretary of Warithe numerical strength
of foreign troops_ in the pay of this country, and what
was to. be their future destination. - -
• ABSENCE OF HEADS OF'.2DEPARTMENTS.
Sir .t. PAXINGTON complained of the absence of
the Under Secretary for 'War at that hour, which pre-
vented his putting .a question to him orsome importance.
Mr. LABOUGHER-E said the hon. gentleman was
absent in consequence of 'a
domestic affliction.
Sir J." PAKINGTON said the answer of the right
hen. gentleman was satisfactory. " -...
VIE LATE ABDUCTION CASE.
Mr. HILDYARD asked the First Lord of the Tree--
Bury whether the attention of the Government had been
directed to the case of Susannah Evans, a girl of id
years of age, conveyed to Hallberg ler the- purpose of
prostitution ; and whether, in -consequence of the dis-
closures elicited in the investigation of that case before
Sir It. Carden, any correspondence had taken. place be-
tween the Foreign, Secretary and. Colonel Hodges, the
British Consul at Hamburg?
Sir G. GREY said that the attention of the Govern-
ment had been directed to this case. Despatches from
Col. Hodges, the British Consul at Hamburg, relative to
this case, had been received at the Foreign-office, and
had been transferred to the Home Secretary's De-
partment. These despatches detailed what Col. Hodges
had done with reference to this case, and also cases of a
similar . character, though not -of so aggravated
a nature, that had come under his notice. From these
desPatches it appeared that an extensive traffic, for so
it might be called, of this disgraceful character was cat-
.. .