The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-20 00:00:00

legislation from beginning to end, and that it was so in-
tended to be.—(Hear, hear, and a laugh.) One ground
on which they had advocated free trade was that it
would benefit the poor. Well, he apprehended that the
poor would be allowed to be pretty good judges on that
subject themselves; and, even when he had been trying
to persuade the labourers that it was better for
them to have cheap corn than dear, he never
got any other answer from them than this—
"lt was always best for us when corn was dear."—
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) What they meant was that
when corn was dear they could be more certain of em-
ploymmt.—(A cry of " No!") An Hon. Member said
" No," but he asserted that when corn was dear more
labour was employed on the land than when its price was
few.—(Hear, hear.) Some lion. Gentlemen seemed to
think that a farm could be shut up or worked for three
days in the week, like a cotton-mill.—(A laugh.) But
this was not the case. Land was deteriorated and far-
mers suffered, because when prices were falling the far-
mers did not hold up, but let everything go to ruin; and
when prices rose they did not lay by money against
what was called "a rainy day," but they bought arti-
ficial manure, or exchanged a bad horse for a good one.
and sit the money they made in favourable years was
invested in the land.—(Hear, hear.) The consequence
was, that when any violent measures of legislation were
adopted, such as those which had recently been sanc-
tioned by Parliament, the farmers were unprepared, and
they were of necessity ruined, because they had nothing
to fall back upon. lie would assert that free trade had
deprived the labourers of employment. When Hon.
Gentlemen opposite were asked what they wanted, they
said they wi,bed the taxes 'upon advertisements to be
taken off. Yes; they wanted to be puffed in the news-
papers.—(Great laughter.) He insisted upon it that the
tax upon beer should be removed, but Hon. Gentlemen
opposite said " No." When a poor labourer, who got
wet through in 250 out of the 310 working days in the
year, went home, instead of a glass of ale, they would
give him a newspaper to read.—(Loud laughter.) This
was their love for the poor :—(Renewed laughter.) This
was the way in which free trade benefited the poor man.
Last year, when the Hon. Member for the West Riding
was recounting the great advantages of free trade, he
said, among other things, " See how cheap preserved
fruits are—one of the luxuries of people in genteel life."
The Hon. Member meant to say that the manufacturers
had got their sugarplums cheap.—(A laugh.) Every
foreign trade employed foreign labourers, and not Bri-
tish labourers; and he (Mr. Drummond) contended that
they ought to put a duty upon every article coming from
a foreign country. He insisted that every Englishman
should have a right to use his barley as he pleased, and
to pick the hops off his hedge, and use them as he chose;
that the people of Ireland, of Lincolnshire, and of East
Yorkshire, should be allowed, where they could, to grow
tobacco—(Hear)—and until this was done there would
be no peace. Hon. Gentlemen opposite thought they
had settled the question of free trade, but he would tell
them that this was but the first skirmish of the battle
between capital and labour, between wealth and life—
(" Hear" and cheers.) He found it said in a publication
of the Manchester school—" We are not an agriculture'
country; it is manufactures that give us our wealth,—
our population." Wealth first and the people after.
wards!—(A laugh.)

“Rem;
” Si possis, recta; si non, quocunque modo rem."
It was our manufacturers who made this country weak,
—who were ready to sacrifice everything for money.
Why, did they not last year recommend the people of
England to risk the burning of all the towns between
Portsniouth and Plymouth rather than have a fleet for
their defence?—(" Hear," and a laugh.) He would sup-
port the motion of his Hon. Friend the Member for
Buckinghamshire, but this was nothing to what they
meant to have.—(Loud cheers, amd laughter.) They
would have the excise done away with. The old cry of
"faith with the public creditor" had lost much of its
tore-.—(A cry of "Oh, oh!" fromlan Hon. Member on the
Ministerial side.) Whenever he saw gentlemen with
white waistcoats and brilliant eyes, he knew it was quite
impossible to control them.—(Laughter.) They had
heard the cry of " faith with the public creditor," and
they ha I been told that they would rob the widow and the
orphan ; but he; would ask Gentlemen who raised that
cry to think cf the widows and orphans of farmers and
yeoman.—(Hear, hear.) So far from wishing to do
anything that would be a violation of public faith, he
was perfectly ready to support any Government which
would place taxation ;directly on the property of the
upper classee, so long as they gave the right to the la-
bourers to make their own beer, to manufacture their
own bricks for building their houses, and to grow
whatever they chose on their land. For his own part,
he did not care for any insults to the land, fur land was
as superior to manufactures as an oaken cudgel was to a
cotton thread.—(Loud laughter and cheers.)
Captain PELHAM believed that if they were to
have a revision of the poor-laws they must reconsider
the whole question of the liability of property. It ap-
peared to him that if the relief of the poor were to cease
to be a charge upon the land there must be a general
property tax fir defraying its expense, and that it could
not be placed upon the Consolidated Fund. It they as-
sumed that the expense of maintaining the poor
amounted to 5,500,0001., and if they took the number
of parishes to be 5,000, thy would find the poor-rates
to be about Is. Gcl. in the pound. But, the property and
income-tax would do more than defray the expense of
maintaining the poor. Though they might still maintain
their system of local government, it would be quite
practicable to relieve the landed interest by means of
ur-ti,n settlement and anion chargeability. With respect
to the motion of the Hon. Member for Buckinghamshire,
he did think that that motion ought n( tto have been
based on the mere fact cf agricultural distress. Why
did ho ohj, ct to the basis on which the motion rested?
It was for this reason that he believed that distress to
he a temporary distr.( ss. He ehould not support the
f the Ilor. Member for Buckinghamshire, but
he hoped that upon some future occasion the gentlemen
opposit3 would coma firward with more statesmanlike
measure-, aid that they would introduce those measures
by going into the whole question. _ _ _

Mr. to ['AFFORD then moved that the debate be ad-
journed. Il.• prtposcd to adj,uru it to Thursday, un-
derstanding that to be the time suggested by the Noble
Lord.

Lord J. RUSSELL wished to proceed with tbe debat,
on the earliest possible day.
Mr. DISRA.ELI hoped it might be closed on
Thursday.
The (lobe," was then adjourned to Thursday.
PARTY PROCESSIONS (IRELAND).

On the order of the day being read that the Party
Processions (Ireland) Bill, as amended, be considered,
Sir W. VERNER moved, pursuant to notice, that the
words from the word " symbol," in page 1, line 12, to
the words " or who shall be," in line 14, be omitted;
and, ako, that the words from the word " music," i❑
line 15, to the words " shall he," in line 17, be omitted.
lie was glad to be able to give his assent to the mea-
rure with merely the omissions which he suggested.
Ilia ct, and that of those who thought with him,
was not to rn4intsia the Orange Society in opposition to
tl e law, but to sue really unconstitutional associations
suppress. d.

G. GREY said it was gratifying to know that all
political parties concurred in this Bill. The amend-
ment propoied by the Hut. Baronet would, however,
render persons liable to be indicted for misdemeanour
f•r having tanners or music of the most innocent cha-
rm:tor. lie trusted the Hon. Baronet would not press
his amendment.

bar. GROGAN supported the amendment, which had
f)r its object to put an end, at once and for ever, to party
processions, and thereby to secure the peace of the
c )untry. Ho did not wish to prevent the innocent pro-
cessions to which the Hon. Baronet had adverted, but he
viished them to take place on the responsibility cf the
parties who licensed them.
The amendment was then withdrawn, and the clauses
of the Btil were agreed to.
The House adjourned at Half-past Twelve o'clock,
untd noon this day (Wednesday).

CITY COURT OF SE WERS.
THE SALARY OF THE MEDICAL OFFICER.

Yes!trday the Commissioners assembled in considtr-
able numbers for the purpose of discussing the motion
fur increasing the salary of Mr. Simon, the medical
(lacer of htal-h to the City of London; Mr, Deputy
Pt acock in the chair.

Mr. Deputy HARRISON introduced the subject of
which ho had given notice at the lust Court, and moved
tht.t tLe salary cf the medical officer of health be 8001.
a• ar,

:11r. Deputy EAGLETON seconded the motion.
Sir PETER LAURIE moved an amendment that the
salary of the officer of health be 6001. a-year instead of
800 L a year.

Alderman LAWRENCE seconded the amendment.
Aft, r considerable discussion, the amendment fixing
the salary cf the medical cfficer at 500/. a-year, was
agreed to by a tns,jority of 27 to 20.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT WAPPING.-0n Monday
night shortly after 8 o'ole ck,a fire broke out in the premises
cf Messrs. Brewer and Co., the ship chandlers and sail
makers, carrying on business at 310, `yapping High
street. The building, which was exceedingly lofty, was
of proportionate width, and extended from the front
street as far as the water aide. The place being filled
with ship stores, some of a most combustib!* character,
great fears at one p-ried were entertained for the safety
of the contiguous houses. With all possible expedition
about nine land engines belonging to the London bri-
gade and that of the West of England Company attended.
An abundant supply of water was soon obtained from the
East London mains, from which several engines were set
to work, under tie direction of Mr. Braidwood. The
tire by that time had pined a fearful ascendancy, it
having penetrat d the flooring over the shop, and rushed
up the staircase is one complete sheet of flame, doing
some daxage to every room in the spacious building.
The firemen,,uy e,}nvoying the hose of three or four
engines into tae front warehouse, and of two or three
int ) the private entran-e, were enabled to cut off the
furCier progress of the flames; but nearly three hours
clap e t before the fire was wholly extinguished. The
damage done is very considerable, but fortunately the
firm was insured. How the fire began could not be
aseertaieed.
Oa Monday last an elegant banquet was given to
Mr. Alderman Copeland, M.P., at the London Tavern,
to cuaiinemorate the anniversary of his election to the
office of Alderman, twenty-one years ago. The chair
was taken by Mr. Thomas Baring, M.P.; and amongst
tl,e company we noticed Mr. Mastermag, M.P., Major
More, Mr. Kirkman, Mr. Hodgson, Mr. Harnell, Mr.
Stewart, Mr. Salmon, Mr. Lane, Dr. Ramsbottom, Dr.
Frampton, and the Rev. D. Russell.
MANCHESTER TRADE REPORT, FEB. 19.—The
market has again been very"' quiet without any quotable
decline; prises have been in favour of the buyer, and
the opinion generally is that if purchasers had been in-
clined to make even lower offers than were current last
week, they would have been.
tinue to hold aloof. accepted; but buyers con-