The Sun.
London, England, 1861-06-01 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS—YESTERDAY.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the woolsack
at five o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Limerick and Foynes Railway, Macclesfield, Shef-
field, and Lincolnshire Railway (Additional Works), Elland
Gas, Banbridge Extension Railway, Portadown, Dungan-
non, and Omagh Junction Railway, Blyth and Tyne
Railway, and Button-upon-Trent Water Bills were read a
second time.

The West of Fife Mineral Railway and Charleston Rail-
way and Harbour Company's Bill were read athird time
and passed.

PROMOTION IN THE NAVY.

The Earl of HARDWICKE, in reference to the debate of
last evening, said that there was a very useful class of men
in the navy called masters, who deserved'consideration be-
fore officers in the mercantile marine. He thought lieute-
nancies might be offered to them more properly than to
persons in the merchant service.

The Duke of SOMERSET thotight it would be advisable
for him to postpone his bill until certain Admiralty regula-
tions relating to it were on the table of the house.

PRIVATE BILLS.
Lord REDESDALE moved that the standing order 185
be considered in order to its being amended to the follow-
ing effect :—" That no provision authorising any company
to raise money, or to subscribe towards, or to guarantee any
money in the undertaking of another company shall be in-
troduced into any bill which is not brought ie by the com-
pany thereby authorised to raise money, or to subscribe, or
to guarantee." The noble lord said, although this altera-
tion was not favourable to Parliamentary agents, none of
them had urged any objection to it.
After a few remarks from the Marquis of CLANRICARDE,
Earl GRANVILLE asked the noble lord (Redesdale) to
postpone his motion, as he thought it desirable to consider
the proposed alteration in order to ascertain that they were
not multiplying standing orders in that house which did
not agree with those of the other house.

The consideration of the motion was postponed.
LEASES, &c., BY INCUMBENTS RESTRICTION

BILL.
On the motion of Lord LYTTELTON, this bill was read
a third time and passed.

SALMON FISHERIES.

The Earl of MALMESBURY called the attention of
the house to the report of the recommendations of the com-
missioners upon the salmon fisheries of England and ales.
The noble lord took the opportunity of referring, at great
length, to the report in question, and said the steps that
ought to be taken to protect the salmon fisheries were to
pass an act of Parliament declaring a certain period
to be called " a close season," that the transmission of
salmon roe should be considered and dealt with as in the
case of game, and that the exportation of fish during the
time they were unfit fur food should be strictly prohibited.
Theirlordships had no conception of the enormous quantities
of unwholesome fish that were exported to France, which.
if it was allowed to continue, would greatly aggravate the
evil corn plained of. In drawing up the bill containing the
enactments he had mentioned, no private interests would
be infringed.

Lord GRANVILLE deprecated any lengthened discus.
sion of this subject until a bill based upon tho suggestions of
the commissioners, which it was the intention of the Go-
vernment to propose, was brought before the house.
The subject then dropped.
THE GROWTH OF COTTON.

The:Marquis of T WE EDDALE, in presenting petitions
from the millowners of Manchester and Glasgow, in favour
of encouraging the growth of cotton in India, took occasion
to cay that, in his opinion, the question where were they for
the future to get the supply of the raw material from, was
one of the greatest possible importance in the present criti-
cal state of affairs in America. The two countries were so
intimately connected, that whatever injured the trade of the
one acted prejudicially to the interests of the other. Look-
ing, therefore, to the the unhappy civil war in the United
States, he was not at all surprised to find the merchants of
Manchester and Glasgow take the alarm, for their trade de-
pended upon the supply of cotton. It was his own belief
that the Government of India had done everything in its
power to promote the improvement of the cotton plantation.
there, and if their lordships referred ;to the blue-books,
they would find that already considerable improvement had
taken place in the quality of the cotton grown in India.
The fibre was longer, and otherwise of an improved quality.
and there was also a considerable increase in the quantity.
grown. Still the supply in India was not equal to the de-
mand, and there was a considerable difference of opinion
with respect to what had been the cause of that state of
things. The first alleged cause was the defective state of the
land tenure in India, the bad state of the roads, which pre-
vented the grower bringing his produce to market, and,.
lastly, the unm vigable state of the rivers. However, when.
he was in India, he came to the opinion which he still re-
tained, that if the millowners would send out their agents
among the Indian growers to tell them the description of
article they required, and assuring them of a market for it,
this country would soon be independent of having to look
elsewhere for a supply of the staple, which was already
raised there in sufficient quantities to clothe 200 millions of
people. No doubt the best cotton was at present raised in
America, especially in the Mexican territory, between 30
and 31 degrees of north latitude, where such showers fell
by night upon the crop as gave it a strength which no arti-
ficial irrigation could impart to it. In India, however, the
pod was frequently attacked by a destructive insect, and
the three month season of hot and dry wind generally
destroyed the exotic plants. Of the indigenous cotton,
however, the ryot was able to raise two crops in the year ;
and to show the encouragement which was given him, he
might mention that in 1852, under the express order of the
Court of Directors it was determined that in the collection
of the land tax no excise should be exacted from him, on
account of any improvements he might have effected on his
property. His lordship, having explained the nature of the
land tenure in India, proceeded to say that, with respect to
facilities of transit, it was gratifying to know that since
1848 there had been opened in the Madras Presidency 643
miles of first-rate roads, and 2,400 miles of ordinary road,
and in India generally the number of miles of road which
had been opened since the date to which he had referred
was 11,800 miles. There were also several large railways
in course of construction, which could not fail to promote
the growth of cotton and other goods likely to find a mar-
ket here. Surveys had also been made of several of the
rivers, and the Indian Government had last year subscribed
three lacs of rupees for the improvement of the navigation
of the Godevara River. This year they were to subscribe
four lacs additional, and next year they proposed to do the
same thing. He hoped Government would, with as little
delay as possible, comply with the prayer of the petitioners,
and take care to promote the improvement of cotton in
India. There were in this country three or four mil-
lions of persons dependent for their livelihood upon
the 'supply of cotton, and if, by any chance, it should
be cut off, the whole of those people would be with-
out employment. It appeared to him that Government
ought to be supported in making new roads in India, that
the cotton might the more easily be brought down from the
fields where it was grown to the port whence it might be
shipped to this country. India was now, he considered,
taking a high position, as warranted by her soil, her climate,
and the skill of her manual labour. With industry it could
raise enough of cotton to supply all the wants of the mill -
owners in this country. The subject was one well worthy
of their lordships' consideration, and it was his belief that
if the merchants of England would create a market for the
raw produce of these ryots, they, in time, would become
large consumers of our manufactured goods.
Lord HARRIS believed it would be very impolitic to in-
terfere with the system of land tenure in India. It was, he
knew, a favourite idea with some to colonise India with
Englishmen, who would carry out all the improvements in
the culture of the land, but it would be altogether impos-
sible in that country to give the colonists any land without
infringing upon the vested rights of the natives. (Hear,
hear.) There might have been delays upon the part of the
Indian Government in bringing forward certain reforms,
but the delay had been occasioned, first, by the war, and
after that by the mutiny. He knew, however, of his own
experience, that the navigation of the rivers was b:oinugrstemoi
im-
proved, and that large irrigation works were Thr: Indian rail -
progress, and he believed that they, an
ways, would be good security to those who advanced money
for their construction.
Lord BROUGHAM considered the house was deeply
indebted to the noble marquis for bringing this all-impor-
tant subject under their consideration. The course that
ought to be taken to secure the improvements in the growth
of cotton in India, was to send persons among the ryots
who would assure them that, if they grew a better article,
they would
liavea
measure, market a
sf otrhteh the
lamentabledisposal o of
d.
deplorableT hat wa s
a precautionaryevents which were now taking place in the United Staten
___if they could still be called United States—cut us
off from the present supply. No doubt the Indian growers
laboured under many difficulties, for their climate was
much inferior to that of America, and whereas their cotton
obtained in the market only about sd. per lb., the American
cotton commanded prices varying from 10d. to 14d. per lb.
There was, however, nothing more certain than the capa-
city of the West Indies to produce large quantities of the
finest quality. There were instances, he would not say of
millions, but hundreds of thousands of acres quite fitfor the
cultivation of cotton. There was also there a sufficient
supply of hands to be used in its cultivation, for although
the free negroes objected to work on the sugar plantations,
both on account of the exposure to the sun, and also because
it was slave labour, they could have no such objection to
being employed in the cultivation of cotton. It was the
same with respect to Demerara and Trinidad, into which
colonies they were, by permission, inviting the immigration
of labour. At present the supply of cotton from India was
about 1,700,000 cwt., whereas that imported from America
was eight or nine millions cwt. The great reason for this
was the difference in the quality of the two articles. He
believed, however, that in India, the West Indies, and
Africa, we had the means of raising a supply of cotton
which will render us independent of America.
The Earl of ELLENBOROUGII concurred with his
noble and learned friend in thinking that their lordships
were deeply indebted to the noble marquis for his state-
ment. For himself, he looked upon cotton as food. (Hear,
hear.) If the supply of it failed, there would result a state