The Sun.
London, England, 1857-12-04 00:00:00

THE ADDRESS.

TheSPEAKER having read her Majesty's most gracious
Speech from the chair,
Mr. WYKE[IAM MARTIN, in rising to move the
Address, said that, although an old member of the
house, yet he was so little in the habit of addressing
the members, that he needed a greater measure of in-
dulgence on that occasion than those who addressed
them for the first time. They had been told in the
Speech from the Throne, in kindly terms, the reason
for their being assembled at a somewhat unusual period
of the year—viz , the distress of a most aggravated kind
that had arisen amongst a large portion of the
mercantile community, and which, had it not been
for the course adopted by the Government would have
spread to a wider extent. The house would therefore
be called upon to pass an act of indemnity for that which
the Bank of England had done on the responsibility of
Government to check that distress that would otherwise
have occurred, and at the same time they submitted their
conduct to the judgment of the country. The house
was called upon to assent to what had been done
contrary to the Act of 1844 that was passed
for the regulation of the currency, and assimilate the
action of the joint currency of gold and paper. The
policy of that act had been to give satisfaction to
most of the eminent persons connected with the
commercial community ; and though it had happened
that twice in 1847, and now in 1357, its operation had
had to he suspended, he believed it would be found
to have acted beneficially for the country.. The hon.
gentleman then alluded to the paragraph in the
Speech from the throne, relative to the suffering amongst
the labouring population, and then passed on to Indian
affairs, and said he felt sure the house would not be
slow to join their sympathy with the honourable
member for the unfortunate sufferers in this lamentable
outbreak ; nor need he point out to them the
conduct of our troops in that part of the world to excite
their admiration. The names of Generals Wilson, Have-
lock, and Outram—(loud cheers)—Lieutenants Wil-
loughby, Home, and Salkeld, and in humbler life
Sergeants Carmichael and Smith, and Cor-
poral Smith, with the more recent informa-
tion relative to Lieutenant Oehorne—(loud cheers)—
could not fail to strike the heart of every member of the
community, and cause them to thrill with gratitude and
admiration whenever they heard them named. (Loud
cheers.) He traced the hand of Providence in much that
had occurredinths.tceuntry, and he considered it WAS the
duty of the Government to conduct themselves towards
that country with energy and discretion, and he hoped
that at no distant day India would be colonised.
The hon. gentleman alluded to the state of Europe,
and the ratification of the treaty of peace by
Persia, and in passing on to the estimates for the year,
said that he felt satisfied the house would not grudge
what was necessary for maintaining the efficient state
of the country. He congratulated the house and the
country on the promised reform of Parliament. (Hear.)
Notwithstanding the important measures that had en-
gaged the attention of the Government during the short
recess that had just passed, he felt confident that when
the measure was brought forward it would give satisfac-
tion to the people. It would be premature to enter on its
probable details, and he thought it would be im-
prudent, and he for one would be content to wait the
proper time for its introduction to the house. He next
referred to the proposed law returnee, amongst these the
greater facility of transferring lands, and the coneolida-
tien of the criminal code. The hon. gentleman con-
cluded by moving an humble address to the Crown.
Mr. AK RO YD, in seconding the motion, said he did
so feeling confident of the responsibility that attached
to him. The Government proposed to bring for-
ward three important questions ; first, the Bank
Act; second, with regard to India ; and
thirdly, the Reform Bill. As a manufacturer he
should address himself more particularly to the Bank
Act, and the house would not be surprised to find he
should take a different view of it to the mover of the
Address. (Rear, hear.) Ho did not look at the
question in its narrow view that many did relative to
money dealers in the papers, though he had a strong
feeling of interest for them. He considered the house
would take a broader view of the question, as regarded
their commercial interests, and the working classes of the
manufacturing districts ; they, he was happy to say,
were tolerably well off, and he hoped their prospe-
rity would continue, and if it was necessary to
I et list the sympathy
of the house in their behalf,
he would remind them that they furnished men for thit