The Sun.
London, England, 1850-04-17 00:00:00

•

WEDNESDAY EVENING, APRIL 17, MO.

publication of the most instrnetive and rational nature,
and the most highly conducive to good government that
ever appeared, because he was bast out of the market by
a publication in Holywel!--oreet, which exceeded his in
circulation, and which was dedicated to the most inde-
cent and blasphemous purposes.—(Llear, hear.) Since
the Chancellor of the Exchequer has declined relieving
that interest whose sufferings entitle them to relief, and
as he has not adopted the alternative of reducing, on
a general scale, the great taxation of the country. can
we do bitter than assent to the first resolution of the Hon.
Member for Manchester? In my opinion it is a prudent,
a politic, and a beneficial motion, and ought to be as-
sented to. Are we to be prevented from assenting to a
resolution so justified by circumstances, so practical
in its character and beneficial as it must be in its
results by the ensanguined phantoms of a eevolu-
tionary republic conjured up before us, and the pale
bible catastrophe indicated in Delphic sentences?—,
(Hear, hear.) We should not fear any misfortunes of
that kind. The very argument of the Noble Lord, that
the people of England is a population educated in politi-
cal knowledge and public liberty—an observation most
just and true—is the best security at all times for the
conduct of the people,—(Hear, hear.) After all that we
have seen of this somewhat eventful session, especially
as regards finance—after all we have seen respecting the
African squadron, to which, from motives of delicacy I
intend not to allude, and which, from the uneasiness ex-
pressed on that side of the House whenever the subject
is referred to, has thrown a shade of darksome tint over
the Liberal benches—after all we witnessed last night,
and all we may witness in future, I trust the House will
not be frightened from taking that course which is jug-
nfied by circumstances—a course which is consistent
with the state of the Exch.- quer, and in accordance with
.public opinioe. Lot the House support, as I shall pre-
sume to do in the present instance, the first resolution
of the Right Hon Member for Manchester.—(Cheers.)
The House then divided on the first resolution—
For the first resolution ... 89
Against it ... ... 190
Majority against the first resolution --101
The second and third resolutions were then negatived.
On the f,urth, viz., that as to the repeal of the
en stoma duty on foreign booke,
Mr. ROEBUCK wished to know what objection the
Government could have to the repeal of a duty which,
whilst it prevented the poor man from enjoying the
benefits of reeding a work imported from France, Ger-
many, or America, yielded bat a very slight addition to
the revenue of the country.
After a few words from Mr. HUME condemnatory of
this duty,
The 4th resolution, like the 2d and 3d, was negativech
INDUSTRIAL INVESTMENTS.
Mr. SLANEY then rose to move for a Select Com-
mittee to consider and suggest weans of removing ob-
stacks and giving facilities to safe investments fur the
savings of the middle and working classes, and for
affording them the means of forming societies to insure
themselves against coming evils frequently recurring.
The richer the person and the larger the invest-
ment the less did it eost in proportion. Now,
taking a man possessed of 5,004. as representing the
richer class, he might invest that Sum in land at a cost
of only 21. los. per cent., or 1251. A man possessed of
only 5001. might represent the middle class, but the in-
vestment of that sum in land would cost him 10/. per
cent., or 501.; whilst a man possessed of only 501. could
not invest it fir less than 20 per cent., or 101. That gave
the humbler classes a stror:g claim to relief being afforded
to them in some other mode cf investment. It might be
said they could invest in the public funds; but they
might invest when the funds were high,
and be obliged to sell out when the funds
were low, and thereby lose a part cf their capital.
There was already an example for what he proposed.
The other day a large leegiagehouso for the humbler
classes had been established in teia metropolis, in shares,
yielding profit, and he believed that the Noble Lord at,
she headr of the Government and the Chancellor of the
Exchequer, as well as the Noble Lord lately at the head
of the Woods and Forests, were partners in it. A char-
ter had been granted to it, and it was being carried on
by joint capital. But the local improvements which he
proposed could not at present be undertaken without a
separate Act of Parliament in each case. He asked,
then, only that the same principle should be applied in
this case as was applied for the landed gentry a short
time since for the enclosure of commons, at a compara-
tively small expense. He did not ask the Government
to give anything, but to afford to the humbler classes the
means of a safe investmeet for their small savings. If
the Government thought his motion was too extensive,
ant refused it, he trusted they would consider the sub-
ject, for he felt confident that, for the encouragement of
the middle and humbler classes, and attaching them to
this country, nothing was of more consequence than to
give them every facility fur the safe investment of what
they had obtained by their labour and diligence.
Mr. LABOUCHERE had great pleasure in stating
he did not feel it necessary to oppose the motion of his
Hon. Friend. No one could doubt that the object of his
Ilan. Friend was of the utmost importance, and he
thought it probable that the Committee might obtain va-
luable information on various topics connected with it;
at the same time some cf those topics were of great dif-
ficulty. He agreed with his Hon. Friend that it was of
groat consequence for industrious persons among the
humbler classes to have greater facilities than they now
possessed of investing their savings in an easy and safe
manner, and ho should be glad by every means in his
power to remove the obstacles to carryiug out that ob-
ject. The inquiry, however, would involve serious
questions connected with the law of partnership, upon
which point be would refer to the evidence given by many
of the most eminent men in the mercantile world before
the Committee of 1837. But he would suggest to his
Hon. Friend the propriety of altering the terms of his
motion, as the latter part of it was not very clear. The
first part of it was for a Select Committee to consider
and suggest means of removing obstacles and giving
facilities to safe investments for the savings of the mid-
dle and working classes, and so f.r was clear enough;
but the latter part of it, " and for affording them the
means of forming societies to insure themselves against
coming evils frequently recurring," was obscure. The
Hon. Member had better omit the words.
Mr. P. HOWARD hoped the Committee would direct
its attention to the removal of the difficulties with which
building societies had to contend.
Mr. SLANEY said he might defend the phraseology
of his motion by high authority—" Coming events cast
their shadows before;" but nevertheless he would omit
the passage which bad been objected to.
The tnotion, as amended, was agreed to.
LEGAL APPOINTMENTS IN INDIA.
Mr. SAI)LEIR rose to move for " a return of all per-
sons in India receiving salaries, pensions, pay, profits,
fees, emoluments, allowances, or grants of public money,
by virtue of any direct or indirect nomination, recom-
mendation, or appointment by the President of the Board
of Control over the Affairs tit India alone, or by virtue of
any arrangement with the Board of Directors of the East
India Company, and th© dates of each such nomination,
recommendation; or appointment respectively, from
the Ist of January, 1832, to the Ist day of
March, 1850, excepting the judges of the su-
perior courts of law in India; stating the t )tal amount
receivel by each individual in each year, and distin-
guishing the sources from which the payments are
made." His object in moving for this return was to show
that in the appointments to judgeships in Win members
of the Irish bar were unfairly passed over. Since 1825,
no member eof the Irish bar had been made an Indian
judge. Indeed, be might say that during the last twenty-
five years the Indian bench had been filled up three times
from the English bar exclusively, and by barristers, too,
who could not boast of great practice or long standing.
It was true that during the period stated an Indian
judgeship was offered to Mr. Richards, now Baron Ri-
uha-ds, the judge who presided over the Encumbered
Estates Commission. Mr. Richards, however, had then
been twenty-six years at the bar, was leading counsel in
the Rolls' Court, and was in the direct road to a seat on
the Irish bench; and, under these circumstances, ho re-
fused to go to India. The Right Hon. Gentleman had
failed to tulfil his pledge of last year, that whenever a
vacancy occurred on the Indian bench the claims of the
Irish bar would be fairly considered. If information
were furnished as to the administration of patronage by
the Right Hon. Gentleman in other departments, the
same partiality, as regards England and Scotland, would
be demonstrated.
Sir J. 110BHOUSE observed, that if he did not
give so satisfactory .an answer as he could wish it
would be because the
_return had reference to all pa-
tronage, with the special exception of judicial patronage,
to which alone the speech of the Hon. Gentleman re-
lated. With every inclination in the world, it was im-
possible to give the information sought in the return.
The pledge of last session was, that when a vacancy
took place in India the claims of the Irish bar would be
fai,ly considered; and a week had not passed when a
communication was made to Lord Clarendon, asking
him whether there was any gentleman he could recom-
mend. He (Sir J. Hobhouse) had recommended two
judges for Penang. When the Recordership of Penang
again fell vacant he again wrote to the Irish authorities,
, and, in consequence, a member of the Irish bar came to
London, but that gentleman discovered that it was a
penal settlement—not because ho was himself to be sent
there for punishment—(A. laugh)—and he refused to
accept of the Indian appointment, worth something like
4,0001. a year, and certainly no disgrace attached. He
then wrote again to the Irish Government, and the re-
sult was that a member of the Irish bar was at this mo-
ment Recorder of Penang. He had had the satisfaction
of offering, he thought five times, places on the Indian
bench to Irish barristers, and he had also bad the satis-
faction of being refused on 'every occasion. Indeed, he
could assure the Hon. Gentleman that he laboured
under a great misconception if he thought that they
forgot the Irish bate It was impossible to forget them;
they would not allow it.—(A laugh.) He had no lame
tion of doing so, but if he had it was out of his power
to blot out from the memory of the moment all they did
and all they suffered.—(A. laugh.) At any rate. during
his time at the Indian board, whether long or short,
pledge to the Hon. Gentleman,
aned, o
wheneverul d repeat
an n his
opportunity occurred, would fulfil it
hw
most honestly.—(Hear, bear.)
Mr. KEOGH said the question before the House was
not as to the importunities of the Irish bar, with respect
to which the Right Honourable Gentleman bad
been kind enough to raise a smile, but simply
whether a statute basing teen passed prior
to the Act of Union, which entitled the members
of the Irish bar to a share of the Indian patronage,
they had enjoyed that share ; and he took leave to think
that the Right Hon. Gentleman had most distinctly
evaded that question. C rteinly during the last quarter
of a century not one Irish barrister had held a judicial
appointment in India with a salary of 8,0001. a-year. The
fact undoubtedly was, that since the establishment of
the Br tish empire in India, and since the formation of
the Supreme Courts in the three presidencies, not more
than three members or the Irish bar had filled judicial
appointments there, and those three had been appointed
between the years 1800 and 1825. He saw nothing ex-
traordinary in the ;terms of the motion, and thought