The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-09 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, August 8.
Their Lordships met at Five o'clock.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE presented a peti-
tion from York, complaining of the unhappy condition
of Ireland, and regretting that nothing had been done
by Parliament to ameliorate the condition of that
country. _ _

The Marquis of NORMANBY was glad that his
Noble Friend had presented the petition, which had
been originally entrusted to himself, but which he had
committed to his Noble Friend, because he did not ex-
pect to be in town to present it.
The Earl of Wicklow, Lord Ilawarden, Lord Redes-
dale, Earl Bathurst, and other Peers, were deputed to a
conference with the House of Commons, on the amend-
ments of the latter to the Art-Unions Bill.

The Noble Lords on their return presented in writing
the Commons' reasons for not agreeing to the Bill as
passed by their Lordships.
A second conference took place on the subject of the
County Coroners' Bill.

OTAHEITE.
The Marquis of NORMANBY presented a petition,
agreed to at a public meeting in Leeds, drawing the at-
tention of the House to the efforts of the Protestant Mis-
sionary Societies for the last fifty years in the island of
Otaheite, and complaining of the violation of the law of
nations by the French naval commander at the island. The
petitioners had no wish for war between England and
France, but they hoped the influence of the Govern-
ment would be exercised to restore the independence of
Otaheite. He (Lord Normanby) could not agree that
the temporary usurpation of the French officer should de-
prive Mr. Pritchard, the British Consul, of his right to
the protection of the Government which he represented.
He was desirous for the maintenance of peace, but he
could not consent that peace should be maintained by
the sacrifice of national honoiir.—(Hear, hear.) Ik
could not say less in presenting this petition, and,
knowing the difficult position of the Government, he
would not say more.
The Earl of ABERDEEN felt it necessary to make
some observations in reference to the subject of this pe-
tition. Their Lordships would remember that, in March
last, he had placed on the table of the House the corre-
spondence with the French Government in reference to
the occupation of Otaheite, and he stated, and the Noble
Marquis opposite agreed with him, that there was no
ground of jealousy on the part of this country towards
the French for extending their influence and colonisa-
tion in the Pacific. He had very recently re-
ceived assurances from the missionaries in Otaheite
that they had nothing to complain of as against the
French authorities.— (Hear, hear.) He would follow the
example of the Noble Marquis and say no more upon
the subject than was abolutely necessary ; but he must
say that he did not think Mr. Pritchard was the less
entitled to the protection of his countrry, because he
had divested himself of his official character.—(Hear.)
That was a matter between Mr. Pritchard and his own
Government. An attack had been made in another
place upon the present Ministry for their foreign policy.
But the attack was of the less force, as the Ministers
had the advantage of a vote of confidence from both
Houses of Parliament. A Noble Lord in the other House
accused the Government of sacrificing the interests
of the country and truckling to France. The same
accusations were made in France against the Govern-
ment
of that country, that the interests of France were
sacrificed and, that the King of the French was truckling
to England.—(Hear). It could not be denied that there
was a war party in France.—(Hear.) But he still be-
lieved that moderation and justice on the part of both
Governments would disappoint that party in France,
and the enemies of peace at home.
The Marquis of NORMANBY said that he had no in-
tention of making a general attack upon the foreign
policy of the Noble Earl, although there were some
parts of that policy which yet required to be tested by
experience. The Noble Earl spoke of attacks made
on him in the other House. Now, it was very
unfortunate that attacks upon the foreign policy
of the Government were generally made in
the House where the Foreign Minister was not.
Under the Government of Lord Grey, the Noble Earl
opposite (Lord Aberdeen) used night after night to make
attacks upon the policy of his Noble Friend in the other
House (Lord Palmerston), who so long and so ably con-
ducted the foreign affairs of the country. With this ob-
servation he would conclude, expressing his satisfaction
at the tone in which the Noble Earl opposite had spoken
of the outrage in Otaheite.—(Hear, hear.)
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE concurred with
the observations of his Noble Friend as to the speech
of the Noble Earl. But he wished to put a question to
the Noble Earl on a very pacific subject—(A laugh)—
he meant the conduct of the Spanish Government to its
English creditors.—(A laugh.) As far back as 1834 a
promise was given by Spain that the debt would be con-
verted, but that promise had not yet been fulfilled.
The Earl of ABERDEEN said that was ono of the
operations of Spanish finance, which possessed at the
time a favourable appearance, and at first promised suc-
cess, but, like others, had led only to disappointment. He
was unable to say that at the present moment there was
any materially greater prospect than there had hitherto
been of realising what was expected from the financial
operation of Count Orono. The Noble Marquis had
most justly described the course which the Government
was called on to pursue in questions of this description.
He had truly said that this could not be
considered as an engagement entered into between
the two Governments—it was one to which, in fact,
England had been no party whatever ; but that in.
fluence which they had a right to exercise on the behalf
of British subjects it might very fairly be expected they
should put in operation, and he might say there had
been no reluctance to use all proper means of producing
an effect on the Spanish Government But the prospect of
success depended much more on the opinion the Spanish
Minister of Finance might entertain, as to what was due
to good faith, and what the honour and interests of Spain
required, than upon anything that could be done by
a Foreign Government. At the present moment he
could assure his Noble Friend that the Finance Minister
of Spain was a man more likely to be influenced by
large, liberal, and just views of what was done
to the honour and interests of his country than
any person who had filled that situation for some
years past, and for that reason, he did look with more
confidence than he otherwise should do to any represent's.-
tions that might be made by her Majesty's Government.