The Sun.
London, England, 1857-06-05 00:00:00

litiE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING. JUNE 18K9\

merit of the commerce of the country had been left to
merchants it would never have made any progress ; and
that if the shipowners, for instance, had had the mana-
gement of the Board of Trade, the navigation laws would
never have been repealed until half the markets of the
world had been lost. The hon. gentleman bad correctly
stated that of late years the constitutiou of the Board of
Trade had been attered. Formerly it was consulted Ly
all departments of the Government • although it still
'sand
remained toe great extent a consulting body, many of its
previous duties bad been swept away. The other day he
had to refer a Consolidation Commercial Code froth Malta
to the Board of Trade, as it was importanthe should have
the best opinions on the important mattereitinvolved. He
mentioned this as an illustration of the duty which still
devolved upon that department of the Government. So
far from admitting the principle advocated by the hon.
gentleman, he held to the opinion he bad already ex-
pressed—that the Board of Trade should be managed by
persons entirely unconnected with commerce, and who,
therefore, in that respect, would be entirely above sus-
picion. (Hear.) The right hon. gentleman passed a high
compliment upon Mr. Cardwell in reference to the per-
formance of his duties at the Board of Trade ; and ex-
pressed his regret that he was not at present a member
of the house. With regard to the complaints of the hon.
gentleman that the Board of Trade reported upon pri-
vate bills, he was somewhat astonished at it, for he had
always heard it spoken of as a mpst valuable and im-
portant function of the Board of Trade to report to com-
mittees on private bills on behalf of the public, who, in
too many instances, on such occasions, were -unrepre-
sented. The hon. gentleman could hardly intend, espe-
cially under the circumstances of the present session, to
press a motion for a select committee to inquire into a
question which the house itself could much more satis-
factorily deal with. (Hear.)
Sir J. GRAHAM could not reconcile it to his sense of
duty to give a silent vote upon this question. He bad no
official experience of the particular office to which this
debate referred, but in the language of Mr. Burke, he
had observed the operation of the Board of Trade "on
and off" for a period of 40 years, being the whole period
that he had had the honour to bold a seat in the house.
He had observed the functions of the board in question
as discharged by men of the highest talent. (Hear.) He
was surprised that the hon. gentleman should be the per-
son to bring for ward such a motion, when he could not
take a step in the city which be represented without
having brought to his attention the memory of that'dis-
tinguished gentleman, his predecessor in the representa-
tion of that city—(applause)—who presided over the
the Board of Trade with an efficiency that entitled him
to the gratitude of his country. (Cheers.) lie could
not go into the Exchange without seeing the statue of
tbat gentleman, with an inscription which declared the
great benefits he had conferred upon the city of Liver-
pool. (Hear.) Nor could be behold the docks, which re-
ceive into their bosom-the produce of the world, without
being reminded that they were the work of Mr. Huskis-
son. (Cheers.) The Custom-house, again, was considered
at the time it was erected to be too large, but his fore-
sight perceived (what bad been verified by the result)
that it would be inadequate to the growing reqaireinents
of the trade of Liverpool. (Hear.) fie could not enter
the cemetery where Mr. Huskisson lay buried without
being reminded what shadcwg we are, and wla shadosig
are the objects we contend for, and yet it was the hon.
member for Liverpool that had made the appeal to this
house which they had just heard. The hon.geailernan, in
saying that the operation of the board was not satisfac-
tory, did not confine himself to the present moment. He
paid some compliments to the noble lord who presided
over that board, but he (Sir J. Graham) would not ad-
dress the language of flattery to that noble lord ; he must
s iy that many men of even greater talents had filled that
post. He was afraid to weary the house, but he felt
bound to bear testimony to the good service the Board of
Trade had done to the country. After the long observa-
tion he had had of its operation he should like to detail
what were the services it had rendered to' the State
within his memory. He considered that the period from
1820 to 1830 was the real commencement of the battle
which terminated In the adoption of sound commerce and
economical principles, the Waterloo of free trade, and
Mr. Huekisson was its champion. (Cheers.) The Board
of Trade, in his humble opinion, bad been the pioneer of
sound principles ; it had cleared the bush, prepared the
soil, and sown the good seed, which had multiplied a
hundredfold. (Applause.) He was grieved to see bow the
errors and slips of great men were constantly brought for-
ward, and their great services forgotten. Truly such men's
faults were written upon tablets of brass, and their good
deeds on the face of the water. (Cheers.) Nothing could
be conceived more disastrous than the want of fuel in
particular portions of the country. These islende were
blessed %with an abundant supply of fuel, but there wore
particular districts in which there was a deficiency, and
in 1820 there was a duty of 9s. 61. per chaldron on sea-
borne coal, passing through the coal districts to the less
fortunate parts of the country. At the instance of Mr.
Huskisson that duty was diminished, and afterwards, at
the instance of Mr. P. Thompson, it was entirely remit-
ted. Again, he thought nothing was more prejudicial
than the system of bounties upon exports. As late as
1829 there was a bounty of no less than 300,0001 on
goods exported to Ireland, but in 1830 that vicious sys
tern was repudiated, and the bounties were remitted,
upon which an immense spring took place in the trade of
Ireland. In 1819 it was supposed by Chancellors of the
Exchequer that articles of large consumption might be
heavily taxed with the certainty of advantage to the re-
venue; and in that year the duty on coffee was raised at
the instance of Mr. Vansittart from 6d. to Is. on the lb.
In 1824 Mr. Huskisson persuaded the Government to
try the experiment of a reduction of the duty to 6d.,
when the imports increased in four years from 7,995,000
to 22,740,000 lbs, and from this reelection of the taxetion
by 50 per cent, there was a gain to the revenue of 20 per
cent. Ile would not dwell upon the question of naviga-
tion, in respect to which Mr. Huskisson had been one
of the tnoet earnest advocates of a relaxation of those
laws as eauly as 1825, and had brought about various
changes; not as much as he desired, but laying the foun-
dation, both in argument and practice, for the progress
which it had been the fortune of the noble lord to pursue
in 1850. Tree great battle was fought by Mr. Huskisson
The battle field chosen in 1826 was the question of the
duties on silk. On one side it was contended that native
industry ought to be protected, while the principal argu-
ment on the other side turned on the salutary effects of
competition. The arguments on both rides were well
stated in two speeches to which he should call the atten-
tion of the house. He did not know whether the hon.
member for Coventry was in his place, but in those days
he was one of the great advocates of protection. He
then stated that in the city of Coventry there were 9.700
looms, 7,500 of which were in the hands of operative
weavers, and were worked by manual labour as well as
by machinery, and were engaged in the manufacture of
ribbon.. These looms were of the worst possible con-
struction. An improved loom was in use in France,
by which five times as much silk could be turned out,
with the same amount of labour as by the English
looms. In Germany, too, there was an improved manu-
facture, by which one man could produce in the same
time 48 times as much as the English manufacturer ;
and "How," the hon. gentleman asked, "could the
E iglish operative maintain such a competition."
(Laughter.) Mr. Huskisson'a answer summed up in a
few sentences everything that could be tersely and beau-
tifully said, in reply to this argument. He said that
monopoly bad produced, it was always sure to produce,
indifference with regard to improvement, and that use-
ful zeal which gave life to industry, fostered ingeeuiry,
and incited to unceasing efforts to produce the most
results from a given amount of material, was extin-
guished. The prohibitive system left us behind our
neighbours in the arts of production, and this was a
proof of its chilling aad becalming effects, when no genius
was called into action. An indolent security was the
natural result of of restrictive regulations. If the same
system bad continued, c :tton would have been as sub-
ordinate to woollen manufacture as it was junior in in-
troduction. (Hear.) . The right hon. baronet then
referred to Mr. M'Cullagh, who bad stated that since
the removal of the prohibitive duties on silk, the manu-
facture had made more progress than during the pre-
ceding century. The disparity between our manufac-
ture and that of France had been abated in respect to
most articles, and in a few we were decidedly in ad-
vance of that country. On the other side, goods were
now exported to France to the amount of upwards of
200,000/, (Hear, hear.) He must observe that there
was still a duty upon silk, notwithstanding the battle
that had been fought (and this was about the only
anomaly in our system) of 25 to 30 per cent. He might
mention other articles, such as timber, the duties on
which had been much reduced at the instance of his
right hon. friend the member for the University of Ox-
ford, in 1842, and of the Colonial Secretary in 1851,
but he cool I not pass over one article, in respect to
which the principle of Mr. Huskisson had signally
triumphed, the article of wool. In 1826 the foreign
article was absolutely prohibited, and the export duty
on the manufactured article was very heavy. It was 6d.
per pound, or about 25 per cent. The deity on the raw
material was reduced by Mr. Huekisson, and the export
duty nearly repealed. The price of home-grown wool
never was so bigh as in the present year—(Hear, hear)
—the home grown having all the advantage of the in-
crease in price. (Hear, hear.) He might point out
what in 1845 was done at the instance of the Board of
Trade, when our tariffs were revised. Our tariff pre-
vious to that time included 420 articles. At that time
the duty on all raw ma'eriala was removed ; all prohi-
bitive duties were exchanged for protective, and all pro-
tective duties were much reduced to a standard not ex-
ceeding 10 per cent. (Hear, hear.) The hon. member
for Liverpool said they could learn nothing from the
Board of Trade. Had the hon, member studied the
statistical abstract iesned by that board ? For his part
he thought a more important document had never been
issued by any department. From that abstract it ap-
peared, for instance, in respect to 'silk, on which the
first Experiment was tried, that the quantity of the raw
material imported in 1842, when the effect of the ame-
lioration was only just beginning to be felt, was
3,551,000 pounds, and in 1856 it had risen to 7,383,000
pounds. (Hear, hear.) The quantity of Wool imported
in 1842 was 45,881,000 lbs. and in 1856 it had risen to
116,211,000 lbs. (Hear.) The quantity of flex in 1842
was 1,145,000 lbs. and in 1856 it had risen to 1,697,000
pounds. The declared value of the silk imported in
1842 was 590,0001., and in 1856 it was 2 966 0001. Of
the wool, in 1842, 5,185,0001. ; and in 1856, 9,530,000/.
Of the linen, in 1842, 2,346,000/. ; and in 1856,
4,896,000/. (Applause.) Then let them consider what
had been the effect of the repeal of the navigation laws.
It bad been predicted that it would ruin British ship-
ping, that it would diminish the number of British
sailors, that it would be fatal to the ships and to the
men ; that it would destroy the commercial superiority
of Eegland, and that it would bear upon our naval supre-
macy In the most adverse manner. (Hear, hear, and a
Liu2ll.) What were the facts? Why, that in 1850, when
the change was made, the number of registered British
sailing and steam vessels was 17,892, and in 1856 it had
risen to 19,207. (Hear, hear) The tonnage of these
vessels in 1850 was 3,137,000 ; and in 1856 it bad risea

to 4,156,000—an increase of nearly 20 per cent. The
number of men in 1850 was 3,137,000, and in 1856 it
bad risen to 4,150,-000. It bad been predicted that the
increase in the nuinher of foreigners serving in EnWhili
vessels would be very great, but the ab-tract showed
that in 1854 the number was on!), 13,200 ; in 1855, it
fell to 12,927, and in the early part of the present year
it was but 13,350. It was also said that the number of
apprentice boys would diminish. Well, at first there was
a reduction. In 1852 the number was only 11,105 ; but
in 1853 it increased to 13,826: in 1854 to 18,523 ; and
in 1855, the last year to which the number had been
made up, it was 22,082. (Hear.) Since 1842,-up to the
present time, about two millions of Customs had been
remitted, but the Customs, which in 1842 were
21,025,0001., and in 1845 were 20,196,000/., had in 1856
increased to 22,370.0001., a larger amount than when
these changes were commenced. The Excise duties in
1842 amounted to 12,517,9001., and increased in 1845
to 12,585,0001., and in 1856 to 17,357,0001. The
Character of the board had certainly changed
of late, and it was less a consulting body
than formerly ; but it was more an executive
body, and very considerable executive duties had
devolved upon it in consequence of recent changes.
The right hon. baronet then referred to the changes in
the Merchant Shipping Acts, which, he contended, had
been beneficial; and though that word "centralisation,"
so often made a bugbear, and so little understood—(a
laugh)—had been applied in this case, the fact was,
that the power still vested in the local magistracy.
Men of eminent talents had filled the offices of State
which the hon. meinbr r opposite wished to get rid of,
and the right hon. b. r met, in support of the continua-
tion of the present Board of Trade in all its integrity,
enumerated the various beneficial changes that bad
taken place connected with trade and commerce during
the last five years that had emaeated from the Board of
Trade, such as the repeal of the navigation laws, the
suppression of crimping, the survey of passenger steamers,
a regular offici
al inquiry into the misconuct of the
mastersofvesial in
sels, and numerous others, having parti
cular reference to the shipping interest and the protec-
tion of seamen, -and all of which had been attended with
salutary effects. During tho time Mr. Cardwell held
office be was no idle man, for he introduced the Mer-
chant Shipping Act and carried it, an act containing
400 clauses, and which was a complete consolidation of
the whole code of shipping laws. (Hear ) By it fifty
statutes were repealed and embodied in it, and he (Sir
James Graham) was not wrong in saying that, after all
that bad been said about consolidation of the statutes,
that was a :solitary instance of consolidation on a large
scale. There were in that act facilities for the transfer
and mortgage of ships, and it was a model for imitation
when the house had to deal with the question of facile-
tin,g the transfer of lend. (Hear, hear.) That gentle-
man also succeeded in inducing the Trinity House to
give up their charter of Henry VIII., and become
under the control and regulation of the executive govern-
ment, which bad had the effect of remitting in
two years 170,0001. worth of shipping duties levied for
the maintenance of lighthouses, whilst the old ones had
been efficiently maintained by the Government, and new
and improved ones had been erected on various parts of
the coast. (Eiear.) Another great benefit obtained by
the Beard of Trade was the control of the pilots in the
Thames, Cinque Ports, and other places on the coast.
He hoped the Government would firmly resist the mo-
tion fur a committee, and maintain the existence of this
department of the State in its present integrity, the
value of 'which was so apparent to the trade and com-
merce of the country. Any alteration that could be
made for the benefit of the country with reference to its
official capacity he should have no objection to see
adopted. (Hear.)
Mr. BENTINCK did not agree with Mr. Horsfall in
all his statements, but was in favour of the motion for
inquiry.

Sir G. PECHELL also complained of the officioue
meddling of the Beard of Trade with the commerce of
the country.
Mr. LOWE said that he had come down to the house
fully prepared to argue the question raised by the mo-
tion of the hon, member for Liverpool, as to whether
there ought to be an alteration in the constitution of
the Board of Trade, but not to answer every possibly
case that might be brought against the Beard of
Trade in the absence of papers and books to which to
refer to. If the hon. member wished to raise the
question on all the statements he had made to the
house, he (Mr. Lowe) would be happy to consent to the
production of the papers and enter on the charges.
(Hear, hear.) The hon. member having entered so
fully into the history of the establishment and con-
stitution of the Board of Trade, had, he (Mr. Lowe)
thought, disposed thereby of one part of his mo-
tion. The right honourable gentleman the Vice-Presi•
dent of the Board of Trade then entered into a
comparison of the duties of the board in the time of
Burke and in the present time, remarking that grave and
he.svy responsibilities rested on the board for the protec-
tion of the public. He thought that if the Board of
Trade had too much to do, it was no argument for an
alteration of its constitution, but rather of its being re-
lieved of some of its burdens. It was the fault of that
house that the board had so much to do, because every-
thing that required investigation and inquiry was handed
over to the board, so that if any one was really to blame
it was that house for imposing such a multiplicity of
duties on that department. It was in consequenes of
the information obtained by the Board of Tiade that
it might be said to be the cradle of free trade, for Mr.
Huskisson at one time held the office of Vice-President
of the Board of Trade, and iu 1840 Mr. 11. J. Deacon
Hume came forth with his valuable evidence relative to
the import dues. (blears) Replying to the charge
brought against the board by the gallant admiral (Sir G.
Pecbell), the right hon. gentleman said that the strin-
gency of the order connected wills the oyster fisheries
would only have reference to the oysters being taken up
during the months that hed been rosined for eating, but
liberty would be granted under it for taking up the
oysters for transplanting. The right hon. gentleman de-
nied that the Board of Trade were the enemies of local
self-government. Their duties were to stand forward as
impartial arbitrators between great interests and the
people and the Board of Trade would ever do it, it it
were necessary, with integrity and impartiality, and not
allow errors to be pa,sed over by well meaning friends.
(Hear, hear.) The charge of interfering with local self-
government bad reference to the Liverpool Local Marine
Boar I, established in 1854, under an act which gives an
alternative tribunal for inquiring into wrecks at
sea By that act parties could go before the Marine
Board, composed of seven shipowners on the spot,
four named by the Board of Trade, or before
magistrates, assisted by Board of Trade asses-
sors. At Liverpool many of these had come
before the magistrates, from its being thought more de-
sirable than to go before shipowners, who had generally
a very tender regard for brother shipowners. Much hail
been said about these proceedings, but no single case
had been brought before the house of injustice on the
part of the board. Tnero had been 190 cases in which
the Board of Trade had withdrawn their certificates to
seafaring men, 58 of which hail been renewed, and it ap-
peared very strange if the Board of Trade had acted with
injustice, that not one case could be brought against
them out of so many. (Hear.) The board might have
erred in judgment, but they had never been guilty wil-
lingly of an act of injustice towards any party. (Hear.)
They bad withdrawn 116 certificates for drunkenness,
20 for loss or damage to ships, and 59 for other offences;
there had been 96 cases tried by the local marine board,
and by naval courts of law on complaints 57, and 48 by
magistrates and assessors; the number of certificates of
competency that had been withdrawn, were 71 ; and for
service withdrawn, 124. Another complaint made
against the board was their interference in asking ques-
tions in cases of wreck relative to the insurances, and
were the board to abstain from doing so they would not
be doing their duty, especially as the committee of 1837
called attention to the prevalence of wrecks from that
cause, and it being known that ships had been wilfully
run ashore where they had been insured ab )ve their
value. One complaint against the board was with refer-
ence to advancing an officer's salary 501., and the ques-
tion arose whether it was to be considered as salary or as
a gratuity. The board contend the latter, and the Ma-
rine Board the former, so that rather than give way the
independent Liverpool Marine Board all resigned. (Hear )
One of the duties of the Board of Trade, and which
appeared to give the hon. member for Liverpool some
offence, was to examine all private bills. That was
a matter of great importance to the public, and were
it not for the vigilance of the Board of Trade, the
greatest injustice would be inflicted on them, and, in
illustration, he referred to the city of London obtaining,
during the railway period, power to collect the coal-tax
on all coals brought into the metropolis, by land as well
as by sea. Had these bills, then, been referred to the
Board of Trade, such an injustice would not have been
permitted by Parliament. The right hon. gentleman de-
fended the Board of Trade from the charges that had
been brought against them for interfering with the eon•
struction of docks at Liverpool, remarking that all the
Board of Trade wanted was for the people of Liverpool
to comply with the terms required in respect to these
docks, and keep faith with the Board. In the case of
the guano, the Board were charged with default, because
the Government of Peru charged a high price for that,
article. They were charged also in reference to Koorias
Moeda Island guano with not remitting 2s. a ton on
that product. The Government bad declined to do that,
because as it was not proposed to reduce the price of the
guano of those islands below the price of Peruvian guano,
the Government thought they might better have that
amount of duty than to allow it to go into the pockets of
the lessees. Although Liverpool proposed that the
guano should be imported in vessels of all nations, the
truth wag, that the proposition, in effect, restricted the
importation of that guano except in Liverpool ships, in
as much as the lessees claimed to issue permission to load
with guano from those islands. In relation to the mana-
gement of railways, they were charged that a viaduct on
the Manchester and Sheffield Railway had been delayed
for three months eight years ago, by the Board of Trade.
That was not the case, for at that time the inspecting
ofo Tfficrearde. He
of railwaysw
waso
would not
say teat
not under
Liverpool had been personal, but he certainly had been
tahte
tchoen
hon,trol ofm theem Boardmember e
for
very local. (Laughter.) If there was a department of
the Government which deserved well of the country, it
was the Board of Trade. (Laughter.) All the acts
complained of had taken place before he (Mr. Lowe)
had had the honour of being connected with it,
The honourable gentleman then read an opinion of
the hon. gentleman the member for the University for
Oxford, as to the value of the labours of the Board of
Trade. Of late years the Board of Trade had been in-
strumental in instituting savings banks for seamen ; of
establishing a department to take charge of the wages
and effects of deceased seamen, and distributing them to
the friends and relatives. In the year 1856 there had
been collected and distributed without expense, 33,0001.

from that source. Through the instrumentality of Mr.
Cardwell the Board of Trade had altered the doctrine of

salvage, and made it payable for saving life as well as
for saving property. It bad also, by an improved mod

of inquiry into the caures of- shipwrecks, very much
diminished the lass of life from that cause. In 1852,
920 lives were lost ; in 1553, 689 ; in 1854, 1 519 ; in
1855, 469 ; and in 1850, only 521. C,insidi.ririg the
largo increase in shipping, those figures r ere most gra-
tifying ; and the hon. gentleman (Mr. Cardwell) was
entitled to much credit for having inaugerAted the im-
provements he bad specified. Great improvement in
the organisation of life-boats had also taken place, from
the application of large sums out of the mercantile
marine fund to that purpose. The Board of Trade bad
al,o received from the Trinity B::ard the management of
lighthouses, and remitted light dues to the extent of
170,0001. Having heard both sides of the question, he
submitted to the committee that no board hal better
fulfilled its functions than the Board of Trade. NJ
board had been better served by its officers, and he sub-
mitted that it was rather strange that the right bun.
gentleman opposite should came there to make a
formal complaint of that board, not based on /try
great principle, but on a single instance of miinonduct,
which be had carefully culled up. Ho had made a
great many charges, occurring at different times and
in different places, but he (Mr. Lowe) thought he had
succeeded in answering every one of them ; but
if he had not done so, that might be a reason
for objecting to the management of the Board of
Trade ; but it would be no reason for breaking up
the eonstitution of the board and entrusting it to the care
of any body of gentlemen who would go there to repre-
sent particular interests. If that were permitted, the
effects would be precisely what it had always been in
the case of guilds. Unjust rules against the interests of
the public would be enacted, opposition would be roused,
and the guild would be overthrown, and the principle of
freedom of trade would again triumph. The Board of
Trade had fallen into no inch error. They had concili-
ated no interest at the expense of the public, but had en-
deavoured so to discharge their functi me as to do their
duty to the people That, he believed, would be the
opinion of that house, and they would by their vote, if
the question came to a division, very unmistakeably ex-
press that opinion.

Mr. BASS Wag grateful they had such a department
al the Board of Board. He thought, however, they
ought to be grateful to the hon. member for Liverpool
for having brought forward the question. He was of
opinion that no statistics which that board had compiled
would be so valuable ai those they might prepare in the
shape of agricultural statistics. He believed it could be
done if the proper means were taken, and he much re-
gretted to have gathered from the speech of the hon. gen-
tlem tn that he had no intention of cewidering that im-
portant subj

• Mr. JOLIN EWART agreed that the mode in which
the Board of Trade had been conducted by Mr. Huskis-
son was everything that could be desired, but since that
time he believed that many of the acts of that depart-
ment had been most oppressive, and for one was desirous
that the inquiry into its present constitution and working
shout i take place,

Mr. HADFIELD c mgratulated the Vice-President
of the Board of Trade on his conduct in reference to the
question of 1)cal dues during the last session of Parlia-
ment. With that question still unsettled this was not
the time for any change in the Board of Trade. Let it
exercise its influence on that great question, and thus
earn the thanks of the northern towns of the k'ngdom,
by freeing them from the oppressiveduties levied ontheir
goods by Liverpool [time, time, and question ]
Mr. HORSFALL in reply said he had made no attack
on Mr. Cardwell. During the time Mr. Huskisson and
Mr. Canning were members for Liverpool, he had con-
sistently supported them, when the hon. baronet oppa-
site had not.

Sir J. GRAHAM dissented.
Mr. HORSFALLL continued—He had not sneered
at either the noble lord at the head of the department of
the Board of Trade or at the Vice-President. He would
promise that if the committee were granted he would
bring forward many cases of injustice. Bat whether that
was the case or not, there was a feeling that the mercan-
tile marine were not tried before a proper tribunal. That
feeling existing, and the opinion expressed Ly petitions
was a sufficient ground for the Government to cor cede
the inquiry sought for. There never was so absurd an
argument as that, because tho lessees of the guano
islands resided is Liverpool, they theref,re desired
to monopolise the trade. He had not brought forward
the grievances of any other port than where the occur-
rences hal occurred under his own eye ; but the ques-
tion was not loyal, it was a national one, an i whatever
might be the decision of the house that night, it would
not be allowed to rest there. His arguments had not
been met by any of the speakers ; but a good case had
been made out for the inquiry. He had never suggested
that any one connected with commerce shoelcl be placed
at the head of the Beard of Trade, although he certainly
did think a person with experience in commercial
affeirs would not be misplaced there. He hoped the
house would grant him the committee he had asked for,
when he had very little fear of being able to establish
his proposition by a sufficient number of the cases
of injustice, the absence of which had been remarked.
Tne motion was then put from the chair, and ulti-
mately negatived without a division.
SOCIAL CONDITION OF THE WORKING
CLASSES.
Mr. SLANEY moved for the appointment of a stand-
ing committee, or unpaid commission, to consider and
report from time to time on practical suggestions, free
trem party differences, to give facilities for improve
went in the social condition of the working cases. The
rapid increase in our industrial population and the dense
aggregation of human beings caused by the development
of the manufacturing system, had, he maintained, re-
sulted in serious social evils among those classes of the
community, which required constant vigi'ance and legi,-
lative interference for their mitigation. Phis duty be pro-
posed to assign to a permanent board, whose chief
duties be outlined, but wool I not underteke the reepor.-
sibility of nominating the members of which it should be
composed.

Si-r. G. GREY admitted the importance of the sub-
ject, and recognised the benevolent intentions of the
proposer, but on practical grounds chjected to the ap-
pointment of a standing committee. Q iestions rel►tir.g
to the social condition of the working elassei could be
best decided in detail as they arose, and many of the
most important were, he observed, already under pro-
cess of consderation and settlement by measures now
before the house.

Mr. SLANEY, after a few words in reply, withdrew
his motion.

THE LICENSING SYSTEM.
The house then resolved into committee on the mo-
tioa of Mr. ATHERTON, to enable him to move for
leave to bring in a bill to explain and amend the act to
regulate the granting of licenses to public•houses. This
bill he proposed to be a declaratory act. The act
for granting licenses vested the power in the jus-
tices. He desired to make the law plain, and in
boroughs not having quarter sessions he proposed to
vest the power of licensing in the borough justices.
There were no less than 77 boroughs having sepa-
rate jurisdictions without separate quarter sessions. At
present there was a doubt whether the borough justices
were the licensing justices, and it was to remove that
doubt that he wished to introduce his bill, If the doubt
which at present txOited with regard to the licensing of
borough justices were well founded, then all innkeepers
who held licenses from such justices were liable to be
proceeded against for penalties, and therefore lie asked
leave to introduce this bill to declare the law with regard
to the licensing by borough justices i❑ boroughs having
separate jurisdiction. He cancluthd by moviug for
leave to introduce the bil!.

Sir G. GREY said he had no representation made to
him upon the subject. He should not oppose the iutro
duction of the bill.

Leave was then given to introduce the bill.
BURIALS.

Mr. HARDCASTLE obtained leave to bring in a bill
relating to burials in consecrated and unconsecrated
grounds. . _

MARRIED WOMEN.

Mr. MALINS moved for leave to bring in a bill to
enable married women to dispose of reversionary inte-
rests in personal estates. He bad successfully introduced
such a bill in 1855 and 1856 ; but last ycar, when taken
to the House of Lords, no noble loaf was found to move
the second reading, and therefore it remained a dead
letter on the table of that house. He had now, however,
obtained the promise of a noble lord to move the second
reading, and he believed the merits of the bli would
secure its passing. What be proposed was to enable the
wife to deal with reversionary personal estate the same
as she could with regard to real estate.

The ATTORNEY GENERAL said the public would
be much indebted to his hon, and learned friend, if be
should succeed in carrying this bill, which was to re-
move an anomaly in our law.
Leave was then given to introduce the I id.
DUCLIY OF LANCASTER.

Mr. CONING HAM rose to move for a select commit-
tee to inquire into the statements set forth in a petition
from Mr. Francis Robert Bertolacci, praying for an in-
quiry into the proceedings of certain functionaries of the
Duchy c,f Lancaster in preventing him from exercising
the rights, powers, and privileges of the office of auditor
of the Duchy, and in superseding him by a near connec
tion of the Receiver-General, to audit that officer's ac
counts, such committee to consist of fi?e, members, to be
appointed by the General Committee of Selection. He
had brought this subject. forward on public grounds, and
all he required was a full investigation into the state-
ments made in the petition of Mr. Bertolacci.
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Tha motion was agreed to.
HOP DUTY.
Mr. RNATCHBULL-HUGESSEN moved to add
the name of Sir Brooke Bridges to the committee on the
hop duties.
Mr. FITZROY opposed the motion, as he objected to
the number of committees being increased at a time when
so many committees were sitting.
After a short conversation between Mr, Hugessen,
Sir John Shelley, Mr. Stafford, and the Cisaneellor of
the Exchequer, who opposed the addition of other names.
Mr. HUGiSSEN declared his intention to divide the
house upon the motion.
The question was then put, and the house divided.
The numbers were—
Against the motion
For the motion
Majority against it 77
BURIAL ACTS AMENDMENT BILL.
This hill went through committee pro forma, to be
reignited will) amendments.

SHEEP, &a., CONTAGIOUS DISEASES PRE-