The Sun.
London, England, 1832-02-01 00:00:00

Yeovil. It was, thetefore, not French importation, but
competition, which occasioned the distress at Worcester.
• Then the exports to America had diminished to one quar-
ter of their former amount. These were not the only
causes. A general pratrice had been introduced of wear-
ing the articles he had on—white cotton gloves, manu-
factured in other places ;' and he should lay himself open
to the hostility 14 the Hon. Members for Nottingham and
Lticester, if he dissuaded ('-m• the use of them.—(A
laud].) It was well known that a change of fashion
often threw hundreds of thousands out of employ ; and
the practice of wearing cotton glares, the consumption of
which was very great indeed, did much injury to the ma-
nufacture of Worcester beaver ;,doves. If he stated the
consumption at from 200,000 to 300,000 dozen, he
should he below the mark. It was commonly sup-
posed, that if the trade in any article was had,
the consumption bad stopped ; but it happened that
stocks were kept, and when there was an expec-
tation of a fall in the price of labour, or any other
reduction of price, thete was a stoppage of a demand from
the manufacturer. At this season, when purchases were
usually large, they had not been so. He was bound to
state, that there had been for some time a tendency to what
was c Wed a bad trade, and that when the Reform 1311 was
rejected by the other House. it had an immediate effect on
trade.—(Hear.) He was also hound to state, that since
the division in the last month, there had been a great ins-
provement, and be believed it was entirely occasioned by
that circumstance.—(Hear.) He had heard it stated on
all sides, that there was ereat reason to expect great ins-
provement in trade, only as•uming that the Reform Bill
passed.—(Cheers and laughter.)
Mr. SADLER was surprised, if there was qach a de-
mand for the cotton gloves of Nottingham and Leicester,
that so much distress should exist at ,hese towns. He did
not deny that there had been great distress in the country
during the hate war, but there were reasons for it—the or-
ders its Council and Berlin decrees. But we were now in
Cie sixteenth y,ar of profound peace, and th re e as no rea-
snn why the country olauld suffer the extreme misery it
di.'. He hoped he migliTl:e a false prophet ; but he feared,
if some measures were not taken to renew the wasted ener-
gies of the country, we were on the verge of a vortex which
would swallow up its whole wealth. Ott the Royal Ex-
change it would be found, on inquiry, that the wealth of
the country was not half of what it was at the termination
of the war. He (Mr. Sadler) knew that many of the
statements made on the subject of the petitioners' represen-
tations were errors; and if a Committee were granted, he
could show that there had been smuggling of French gloves
to an extent which he was sorry to see his Majesty's Mi-
nisters were ignorant of.

Mr. HUME said, the Hon. Member for Aldbormigh
had laid down a principle, which, if acted on, would put
an end to all trade together. If restrictive measures were
resorted to, which would keep out the productions of other
countries, would not the latter naturally retalia.e, and whs.,
would then become of the manufactures of Eneland ?
Allusion had been made to the system adopted in Americ,,
hut he was confident that that country would soon abandon
her extravagant tariff, and return to her former position.
He denied that the cause of high wages had been fairly
stated. They did not depend on rerrictive or prohibi-
tive measures. High wages had always been, and would
still be, paid, when there was more employment than
there were labourers to perf.rm it. When gentlemen in-
stituted a comparison between this country and America,
they should recollect that the whole expense of the Ame-
rican Government did not exceed 13,500,000 dollars an-
nually, while here the cost of the army, navy, &c., without
including the Civil List and other sources of expenditure,
amounted to 73,000,000 of doll as. He, however,
wished for a Committee, because lief. .re it the fallacy of
the reasoning which they had heard on this subject !night
he demonstrated, and the wr.mg impressions of tho,e
poor people, who attributed all their distress to the
system of free trade, might be removed. It was a well-
known fact that the French had prohibited British gloves,
which showed that they could not compete with us in
that manufacture. To the prohibitory system he was
decidedly opposed. He wished to see the ports of France
open to our manufactures, and ours open to the manufac-
tures of France, for the benefit of all. Not a word bad
been said to-night except with reference to the glove-
manufacturer; no mention was made of the consumer.
And yet it was the imperative duty of the Legislature to
watch over the interest of the consumer, and to enable him
to procure every species of article as cheaply as possible.
He certainly should vote fa. a Committee, and he was ex-
tremely sorry that Ministers refused it. When a large
class of persons applied to that House for inquiry, he con-
ceived that it was right to accede to their request, and
thus to prove to the people that the Legislature did not
turn a deaf ear to their entreaties. It was better, if irri-
tation existed, to allay it by inquiry, than to exasperate it
by what he must call their uncourteom manner of refus-
ing to entertain the question.
Mr. SADLER explained.

Mr. 'l'. P. COUR TENAY should vote against the
motion, on the grounds stated by the Noble Chancellor of
the Esc/ equer.
Mr. HUNT had not heard a word from his Majesty's
Alinisters th it justified them in refusing a Committee.
The Committee ought to be granted, and an attempt made
to show the petitioners that their opinion was erroneous,
instead of driving them to a state of desperation by refus-
ing inquiry.

Mr.SANFORD said, that after the able statement of
his Gallant Friend, and the answer of the Right lion.
President of the Board of Trade, the debate had diverged
entirely from the original question, and had become a dis-
cu,sion on the general question of free trade. Under
these circumstances, he feared being a young Member,
that he would have been considered as unnecessarily ob-
truding himself on the House if he had attempted to bring
it back to the original question. lie therefore had re-
mained silent, nor should be, even aow, have addressed
the House, but for the personal aqusion that had been
made to him by the lion. Member for Preston.
Colonel DAVIES briefly replied. The last and only
hope of the complaining parties, he observed, was in Par-
liament ; and he should be extremely sorry if, by the de-
feat of his motion, they should find that hope deceived.
The House then divided, when there appeared
For the motion l6B
Against it

Majority against the motion... 55
On our re-admission to the gallery we found
Lord ALTHORP moving that the order of the day,
for the House going into Committee on the Reform Bill,
should be read for the purpose of postponing it until to-
morrow (this day.)
Lord STORMONT complained that no notice had
been given in the course of the evening of the Noble Lord's
intention to postpone the Committee until Wednesday.
The consequence was, that several Members who would
otherwise have gone away had remained, and he hoped the
Noble Lord would not persevere in his motion.
Lord ALTHORP really had no expectation that the
debate, which had just concluded, would have continued
till such a late hour, and that was the reason that he had
not given any notice of postponing the Committee on the
Reform Bill.

Mr. CROKER had never opposed the Bill through
factious motives, and any delay that had occurred in its
progress through the means of the Opposition had been
productive of good, as their suggestions had, generally
speaking, been adopted by his Majesty's Ministers. He
did not, therefore desire to interpose any delay in its pro-
gress now ; he was ready to go into Committee on it on
the first reasonable occasion, and at the first fair hour, but
he did hope the Noble Lord would adhere to that propo-
sition to which he had originally pledged himself, and,
by passing over to-morrow, avoid a Wednesday, which day
the Noble Lord had already intimated he would rot fix as
one for taking the Committee on the Bill.—(Hear.)
Lord MILTON observed, that if to-morrow were
passed over, there would be probably but one day more
for the Committee on the Bill this k, as Thursday
would be occupied with a motion on foreign affairs.
After a few words from Sir F. BURDETT, Mr. CROKER,
and Mr. fruNT,
The Order of the Day was read.
Lord ALTHORP then moved, that the Committee
should be postponed till ti-morrow (this day.)
Mr. CROKER would give a decided negative, grounded
on common sense and a common understanding, to that

motion.
The motion was then put, and agreed to.
On the motion of ;Mr. W. BROUGHAM, the Contempts
in Equity Bill was read a second time, and was ordered to
be committed this day.
Mr. BERNAL brought up the report on the Sacra-
mental Test Bill.
The Nisi Prius Court (Ireland) Bill was read a se-
cond time. To be committed on Friday week.
The other Orders of the Day were then di.posed of,
and the House adjourned at Half-past One o'clock.

It is reported that his Grace the Duke of
WELLINGTON, in a conversation with Mons. ZUYLEN,
remarked that it would be well for the King of the NE-
TIIERDANDS to recognizt, the independence of Belgium.
his Grace is said to have added that, if the treaty should
he ratified, if he were to return to office he should be
bound to enforce it,.-.Everting Paper.