The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-19 00:00:00

Ittning

LONDON, TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 1844,

Lord DENMAN, in a brief speech, called the atten-
tion of the House of Lords to the sentence of death
passed upon an American for aiding in the escape of
a slave. He did not introduce the subject for the
purpose of interfering with the laws of foreign coun-
tries, but solely from feelings of humanity, and
trusted that the expression of public opinion in this
country, would not be without its effect in the
United States.

The Earl of RIPON moved the second reading of
the Three-and-a-Half per Cents. Annuities Bills.
" Lord BRorGnam cordially approved of the Bills,
and took an opportunity of contrasting the conduct
of European-Englishmen with that of their repu-
diating brethren on the other side of the Atlantic.
Lord MONTEAGLE cordially supported the motion,
and the Bills were read a second time.

Earl FITZWILLIAM presented a petition from Glas-
gow, relative to the Established Church in Ireland,
which led to some remarks from the Duke of
WELLINGTON, and the Bishop of EXETER. The
petition was laid on the table, and the House ad-
journed at a Quarter to Seven o'Clock.
In the Commons, after the presentation of petitions,
Sir WM. BARRON moved for returns relative to
Charitable Bequests since 1830, which were ordered.
In answer to
,a question from Sir WM. CLAY, the
Earl of LINCOLN said that most of the ground in..
tended for the .Victoria Park had been purchased.
The greater portion was in the hands of the Commis
sioners, but 83 of the 262 aores remained unpurchased,
and as the proprietors demanded an extravagant sum
as compensation, the Government were compelled to
refer the matter to a jury. He trusted, however, that
the whole property would be in the possession of
the Commissioners of Woods and Forests by the au-
tumn, when the Park would be laid out.
Mr. WARBURTON resumed the debate on Lord
ASHLEY'S motion for restricting the hours of labour
in factories, and controverted many of the state-
ments made by the Noble Lord ; and, after speeches
from Mr. BECKETT, Sir GEORGE GREY, Sir JAMES
GRAHAM, Sir ROBERT PEEL, Lord JOHN RUSSELL,
and other Hon. Members, the Committee divided,
when Lord ASHLEY'S amendment was carried, leaving
Ministers in a minority of 9.
The House shortly afterwards resumed, and ad-
journed at a Quarter to Two o'Clock.

One of the greatest fallacies that mankind ever
listened to, and yet one to which the so-called
" farmers friends" cling with the greatest desperation,
is, that the corn-laws benefit the farm-labourer. It
is said that with cheap bread, lower wages would be
found—that the corn-laws raise and keep up the price
of labour—and that thus the farm-labourer has a di-
rect interest irr the corn-laws, which not only prevent
a-depreciation in bis wages, but sustain in, their pre-
sent position, the weekly earnings of the agricul-
tinist.

Now, what is the fact as to the operation of the
corn-laws upon the farm-labourer ? Shortly this :

they lower the price of the commodity which
he has to dispose his labour ; and
they raise the price of the commodity which
he must buy,—bread. In truth, they sink the
rate of wages, and raise the rate of provisions.
Cheap food is the source of every comfort to the
farm labourer, and, above all, cheap bread; for one
half of the whole expenditure of the poor labourer is
in bread. When bread is cheap, he has less to ex-
pend out of his weekly earnings for bread, and of
course more to lay out in the comforts of life. He
can buy more meat, more tea, more coffee, and enjoy
more of the pleasures of existence than when bread

is dear.
And as to the rate.of wages: when was it ev©r
known, that wages rose with the price of corn, and
that the farm labourer received an advance of remu-
neration fur his work, in proportion to the price of
the corn grown on the land he tilled? Never was
such a connection ever yet formed between the price
of corn and the rate of wages ; the price of corn
never yet had any influence upon the wages of the
labourer, which always have been, and always
will be, regulated by circumstances of a totally
different nature. ;The amount of wages depends
upon the supply and the demand. If the
supply' of agricultural labour be plentiful,