The Sun.
London, England, 1826-05-06 00:00:00

THE CORN LAWS.

Mr. Secretary CANNING' moved the House should go into a
Committee of the whole House on the subject of the Corn Laws.
Sir T. LETHBRIDGE rose to 'withdraw any further opposi-
tion to the Speaker's leaving the Chair, In order to make way for
thellight Hon. Gentleman to state in a more Convenient manner
in Committee the specific object which Government intended to
effect, and the means to be milk. that purpose,Teserving to him-
sels perfect liberty to'contot both the principle and the details of
the measure in the Comthittee. . . '

Mr. CALCIWT
.was not indisposed to let the Right Hon.
Gentleman expinin:ht:s objects in a Committee, tho Ugh he hoped
that even there aT deimled "awl' stubborn 'opPosition would be made
to the principle of interference in this nianner by a side-Wind with
the Corn Laws. He felt disposed to meet Ministers .half way, if
they'would consent to back out of the course they had rashly pro-
posed to themselves, and agree to enter into the Corn Laws at
length, and examine the subject in all its bearings.
The House went into a Committee. •

Mr. Secretaty CANNING said, though perfectly satisfied that
he. was performing a. duty imperatively imposed on hiM by his
official situation, still he felt it a matter of greet courtesy that the
Hon. Baronet, and those who supported that 'Hon. Baronet,
should have waived their oppoSition to the Speaker's leaving the
Chair, so as to enable him -to open this question and explain the
objects °flits Majesty's Government in a more convenient form.
Before he proceeded to lay before the Committee the resolution
on which be intended to found that regulation by a Bill which
Was thought necessary to meet a possible- emergency, he shOuld
proceed to clear away some of the objections with which the
measure had been already combatted. The more general objec-
tion to the whole of the promeding might be supposed to throw
considerable blame on the promoters of this measure, and he
therefore' felt anxious in a more than ordinary degree to repel
the • charge levelled against his Majesty's Alinisters of a breach of
faith, as teethe assurance given am the occasion of. the debate on
the proposition of the Honourable Member for Bridgnorth, rela-
tive to the Corn Laws, to which such frequent refereece had been
Made by many Hon. Maenbers Who opposed the modification sug-
gested. The opinion then given by Ministers, that this was not
the Convenient time 14• the Legislature to change the system of
our Corn Laws for some other, was the opinion of his Majesty's
Government still; and if there were any one, reason more strong
than another why the Committee should embrace the Resolution,
it was, that it enabled the House to adopt that which circum-
stances rendered expedient, and at the same time postpone the dia-
cussion on'the generel question of the Corti Laws to another Ses-
sion. Ile admitted that if any thing had been alone by Ministers
to commit
,themselves as to the prevailing prejudices of the landed
inters: ts,- Or any thing which had even that tendency, it might have
been 'considered something approachin3 to a breach of faith. But
his.siocete. opinion was, and he hoped he would be able to induce
many of his opponents to adopt the same conclusion, that the pro-
position had been made with a view to the interests of that class
whielr Was most alermed, at .the change meditated. In
the ,exieftnee of,ettch strew;. persoea,lprejudice, he entreated they
would give hint credit liar a docent intention to consult the inte-
reste. of. table but endeeetly, load in the first, rank, the interests .of
the agrieultaitte. thing Ise was most anxiutas to do, away
with, in, the.fir4 04", vi)ic,4 was, that a change , opinion
had taken place in his Majesty's Government. An allueku toe,
had beem-eneeektoieoolflAPM*Pl which it bid been said escaped
front hisliglittalieitsiffil344WfaClAlf..t.4 a queNtl,94 from, the lion.
Member for Shaftesbury, namely, that the bonded corn was. nut to
:
be rneddled,with4his Session. Of the fact he was not aware, not
being presentelleMgVit Inuetike.4l4litkA that the best manner he
could have :Met themkery, wlnetbot the, Hon, Metnber were a ,:tii-
ated by a blameless curiosity or &Irina tat s.erve those interests he
had espoused, would have been T6' avoid giving an answer either
in the affirinietive or' negative. ISt Hon. Gentleman could not
be so innocent but that he must have known
,that the . result of
an explicit answer, by a :Minister in that house bad been often
known to have enhanced the price . of some important article 'as
much as '5Ol. per cent. 'He had himself witnessed some cases of
that description; and. he must say that in • questions relative to a
large quantity of corn waiting to be thrown into the public stock,
if considered advisable, it would. not have been .the duty of a Mi-
nister, where the answer—Aye, Might depreciate A commodity 201.
per cent., and the answer---Nd, might raise it 201. pet:cent. to have
given an answer, however pressed, conveying any, distinct and de-
finite meaning or information ; anal least of all, if it were probable
that information might hereafter be turned against himself or his
lle had, he now hoped, relieved many who heard him,
from two impediments to the fair discussion of that .resolution
should now propose. The proposition first, in _order before the
House was, to let out the bonded corn at a certain duty. With-
out asseuming that it was right, he Would observe that the ac-
count of the decision of the house, respecting the resolution pro-
posed on Tuesday, had only appeared in. print in the Wed-
neielay in -Liverpool, and letters had been received to-day from
persons of high respectability, not politically connected With him,
stating that already there had appeared.some little imprOvement
in the town of Manchester ; and that in consequence of the news
of the -recent intentions of Ministers, cotton, which had been so
much depreciated, was not to be had under an advance in price
of five per cent. If this measure is carried into effect, nothing,
can occur so clearly to convince us, that Government is disposed
to do every thing which will finally tend to alleviate the distress
now felt. Another letter to his Right Honourable Friend • said,
this account relative to the bonded corn, had altered the aspect
of things, and led the merchants to hope that it must naturally be
sold at a comparatively low price : it had already relieved the
cotton from its depression of price and.must produce good.- This
WAS a flattering result from the first effect of a measure like this
which he trusted would be augmented as 'to its beneficial effect
if the second resolution were adopted to-night. If he were to
infer that the present Corn Laws ought to be the permanent law
of the country, or td argue that in the present state of public
anxiety and excesaive excitement it would be proper to take up
the measure of a broad and general reform, then indeed it might
be said that his opinion had undergone a change. But it was
not changed, nor should he consent to enter into the discussion
as to fixing any permanent principle with reference to the Corn
Laws. Thinking. as he did that the Corn Laws
_must undergo
some revision, , and not hearing any one bold enough to say
that the syetem should remain as the permanent law of the
country, he would ask, would it be wise or expedient that the
system should be acted upon to its. fullest extent? It hap-
pened, from circumstances, that it never had been pushed to its
extreme: the duty of Government then was to devise, at
wine san: period,- asystem which should he less objectionable._
It had been said, why had the change been recommended, as well
might it be asked, why had the facts which occasioned it oc-
curred. -• When the Hon. Member for
,Bridgnorth's motion
ctune, on, there had been by general confession threes weeks con-
tinned rise of price ;
since then three weeks more of rise. The
character of the harvest and its postponement . as to time of
reaping, might be productive of very important changes and •
effects on society, so much so, that this country might by the
lateness of the harvest be obliged to live for fourteen months on
that which was only equal to the consumption of twelve months.
Here were elements which eertainly changed the 'views of his
Majesty's Ministers as to the expediency of -a temporary mea-
sure to meet such a difficulty. The dread of famine entertained
iu 1816 was effected by the change of atmosphere all in one

night, and the hope of a fine harvest on the Monday became a
perfect blight on the Wednesday. Was the conduct then pur-
sued by Government vacillation, or must a change of conduct in
the , present' 'Administration. to meet a temporary difficulty,
though:, it touched no principle, he denounced a vacillation
.in
Sentiment?
.1766, during.. the popular administration of
Lord Chatham and Loed!ceeneelen, Ithee Ministers moved, by a
sincere desire, .to consule.theeseekeelpOlieand avert the danger
of apprehended scarcity,. actually guapended the export of corn.
Parliament, when it met, wasethseene.of violent heat and angry
debate as to the conduit of'Mirtieters,ethough all felt it to be
right as to its object. Ww-the storm of that day to prove no
warning to the Government• of this day? The latter were told
they: should have acted on their reSponsibility as Ministers of the
CroWn, when the alternative contemplated arrived, and then
come down to the Legislature and ask for an indemnity. If Par-
liament had not been sitting, so undoubtedly he would ; but
when he saw with What spirit the proposition, which, after all
was only dependent on a contingency, was received there, and that
it was looked on as a sin against the landed interest, and co cha-
tacterized by the friends of restriction in that House—whet pro-
bability was there of the House, should Ministers have done that
at which they only now hint the poezibility, opening their arms
to his Majesty's Gnvernmentiwith the boon of an indemnity.—
(Loud cheers.)—Were not these indications which ought to warn
Ministers of what might await them in such an alternative ?
To be sure it had been a well.known feet that there had
been a continual rise in prices for six weeks. But that was
nothing, and should, they now say, occasion no apprehension.—
But had they acted on their own responsibility, would not
Ministers be taunted with this, and perhaps asked whether
the rise in price of provisions had not clearly been con-
nected with the distress which might thus have arisen ?
Hence prudence pointed out the only elternative for Ministers
to follow, was to obtain during the Session the sanction of the
House for the exercise of that discretion. After what they all
witnessed to-night was there any doubt that instead of being
heard with acclamations, they would haide been scouted for having
set the Parliamedt at defiance.—(Loud cheers.)—He would now
ask, was there any reason to apprehend, that in the event of their
obtaining an act of authorization, the remedial effect of the mea-
sure would he less prompt or more dangerous. It was .rather a
novelty to hint that a British Minister, in asking the sanction cf
the House, deserved to he considered guilty of a crime ; and
the charge then against Ministers would resolve itself into this,
that they exercised the privileges of the 'Crownieunder the
sanction of an Act of Parliament. There wets no analogy, some
would say; between this case and that of the year 1766. - So,
said Iw, there the alarm had arisen after Parliamene had separat-
ed ; here pending the sitting of Parliament ; ,could not the coun-
try Gentlemen retort this-with peculiar proprietyent the Ministers •
of the preilent 'der, and say, you had the warning before the
recess, why not consult Parliament ?—( Hear, hear!)—lf the
Proposition were rejected, no blame rested with his Majesty's
• Government, and on their heads be the guilt, and let them an-
swer for the possible consequences of tying up Ministers' hands
who may refuse to give the measure their sanction.—(Cheers.)—
The, price of corn might rise perhaps to 80s. ; would the result he
less alarming because the Corn Laws were suffered to go to their
fullest operation before any remedial measure were adopted ?
Would the House then be in a. better temper to discuss the pro-
' priety of Ministers' conduct than now ? Was it not clearly for
the interest of landed proprietone, to interpose between them and
the public at large in such a state of things? With this view he
intended to propose a resolution, ‘! that it appeared to the Com-
mittee expedient that it should be lawful for his Majesty's Go-;
vernment, by an order of his Majesty, assisted by his Privy Octm-
cil, for a time to be limited, to senction the introductien of foreign
corn into these pints, subject to certain duties, to be agreed 'on by
an Act passed for that purpose, 'and subject to certain regulations
to be contained therein." This resolution would have a reference
both to the state of the price of corn, and adopt a limitation as to the
quantity to be imported. He had not lost sight of the objections made,
one of an Hon.Member,who had argued within his mind that 12s.
Was too little a duty to act. us a protection; nor of another, who
argued that the increase was awrong one,aa though that'measure were
intended at all to last ; or of a third still more reasonable hope ex-
pressed, that the duty of 12a. should be the minimum of duty. Now
it was contended by some, that Government should propose that
the import should not be permitted until corn had arrived at
655. per quarter. Now he felt a very strong objection to this, be-
cause it would have the effect not logically, but in the popular
conviction, of fixing the future price of corn at 655. per quar-
ter or thereabouts, which he wished altogether to, avoid.'
Hero the price would not form the sole criterion of discretion to
his Majesty's Ministers. Indeed at a flourishing period of indus-
try and art, it might be found that the labouring
ellicreehettihionnang
exer-
cised ily
efomrp,l,ooryie,
i couldjene
enot
eafflotersdoieuvtietointowiontuyidatlima
ihtigthheer 5e
Fs
cieed to nothing but the quantity. In the next Session it would
be found that the temporary measure would have effected its pur-
pose without leaving, with respect to the principle of the Corn
Laws, any sting behind.—(Loud cheers. )—There was a 'possibilite,
t to import
liely t5,010)6,090n0,
hqsai;:ai ehhreesrv,ee:r which,via kntelonedt
pftlaoarcene'xliix7a
t might that.the limitation as to quantity would not exceed a permission
recollection,ta
their hi
ei
a 1 suppos-
edfol t e
t4hCiaTticipaied that soon after the warehouses would be
llanrgt-hesilt importation
emptied, they would be again full so as to secure a supply in Case
of necessity. •If the Resolutions were-agreed to, then he should
propose the introduction of a Bill to this effect, " that whereas. by
an • Act !of this . Semion, which had permitted the use of foreign
grain, corn, meal, end flour, in warehpuses, in this country on
the 2d of May, 1826, for home consumption; and whereas it
they be expedient under intense circumstances to procure a sup-
ply of foreign corn, be it enacted that it shall be lawful to his
Majesty, with .the assent of his Privy . Council, to admit the
entry for home consumption of such foreign wheat, meal, or
flour, to home consumption, to an amount not exceeding 500,000
quarterii, provided that such corn should be imported within
two Months of the date of such Order in Council, and shall not
be let loose subsequently .for home consumption after the ex-
piration of two months, or permitted to be imported or en-
tered in the ports of this kingdom, except on payment of such
duties as shall be hereafter specified and agreed to."—(Hear!)
He forbore specifying what that price should be, lest it should have
the effect he wished so much to avoid, namely, that of fixing the
price in future. All that would be required for the security of
the Agricultural interest would be effected by limiting the precise
quantity which might be imported. He had no doubt that by
this means, if necessary to be acted on, there would be always a
supply equal to our wants during the recess of Parliament. He
trusted, that after what had been now stated, he and his col-
leagues would be absolved from all imputation of bad faith. The
nieasure thus also provided against all possible contingency of
scarcity in future, or excessive high price. Whether what his
Majesty's Ministers had done were strictly right and objectionable
he would not contend ; but he must conclude by observing, that
unless they had made this appeal to the sense of the House for its
sanction, • they would not have done their duty to the public, nor
would they in the event of exercising hereafter that power vested
in them by the proposed Bill, be absolved from the serougi.ai respon-
sibility to exercise that diseretion reposed in them with foresight
and a due regaed to circuuistanees. The Right Hon. Gentleman
concluded with the Resolution already detailed in the body of its
speech, and sat down amidst loud cheers.
Mr. C. WILSON supported the motion, on the ground that
some such arrangement was necessary to prevent the possibility of
any aggravation of the present distress. Suppose that his income,
as a landed proprietor, should be reduced for this year—eauppose
even that lie should be compelled to live as his ancestors bad done,
what was the value of that consideration to be placed in Competition
with the subsistence of millions and the tranquillity of the
coun-
try. He felt that he was doing his duty in giving his hearty sup-
port to the inotion.
Sir T. LETHBRIDGE was not satisfied by the ingenious
and fascinating speech of the Right Hon. Gentleman. His rea-
soning was founded , upon probability and conjecture, and not
upon fact. No reason hod been given why the concurrence of
circumstances was probable, whizli would render the possession of
that discretionary power sought by the present Bill necessary. He
could not on these circumstances Consent to give it hie support.
The proposal modified, as be now understood it, to the extent of
500,000 quarters of wheat, was certainly less objectionable than
that to invest Ministeri with an unlimited diScretion. He
-col-
lected from the speech of the Right Hon. Gentlemen that 65e.
was the price at which they would 'feel themselves called upon to
use the discretionary powerethey now sought. ' If this was to he
considered a
lieesti a price which or
taken place since 1822. justified importation,
agn;sder
great
ted change
Mr. PORTMAN, as the Representative of a county entirely
agricultural,' was desirous of expressing his opinion upon this
subject. He professed himself unable ao discover any just grounds
for vesting this discretionary power in Ministers' yet he
could not take upon himself. the responsibility of refusing it.
The Government of England was a responsible body, and he cast
back Upon' them the'responSibility which, they' seemed desirous to
'"transfer to the Landed Interest. He did not think the country
was in it proper state at present for that discussion, which ought
to be pursued with the utmost calinneio and &IN-ration, and
which could lead to ne setisfactory result, unlees introduced under
the sanction and responsibility of Administration.--e(Clieers.) •
Mr. H. SUMNER 'denied the existence of any grounds of
alarm with regard to the supply of food. It was only the other
day that the Right Hon. Gentleman had declared this to be air

•
improper season for the agitation of anyquestion connected with
the Corn Laws, and he knew of nothing that had taken place e
since that time to alter the Right Hon. Gentleman's opinion.
The only change of circumstances was, that the distress which
equally existed when that opinion was given bad since exhibited
itself in acts of outrage. The Right Hon. the President of the
Board of Trade was averse to the principle of the Corn Laws,
and therefore lie availed himself of evezy opportunity to trench
upon them. The manufacturers were not in want of corn, but
in want of employment. If wheat was at ls. a bushel, they
would not be able to buy it. The mischievous tendency of the
proposition was to set the manufacturers and the agriculturists by
the ears.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said, that since he had a seat in Parlia-
ment, no question had ever been agitated in which he felt a deeper
interest than in the present. He declared, that if the subject
which bad been introduced on the 18th of last month by the
Honourable Member for Bridgnorth were rto be decided now,
he should vote again precisely as he 'had done upon that °cos-
aion. With all the additional information he bad since obtained,
with all the experience he now had, with the imputation of in-,
consistency fully in his view, he was so sensible of the impor-
tance of that subject, and so coavinced that the present was not
a season in which it could be adequately or advantageously
dis
cussed, that he would again vote against the settlement of so
important a queetion at the present time. He saw no incon-
sistency in the conduct of Ministers. They, tensible of the pres-
sure which the country now laboured under, and foreseeing the
possibility that contingencies might arise in which the possession
of the discretionary power they now sought, would be essential
to the public welfare, laid the case candidly before Parliament
and appealed to their confidence. The Hen. Member for Dorset
had very properly said that he would cast the resionsibility open
Ministers. They were willing to accept that responsibility. 11"
Hon. Friend, the Member for Surrey, accused them of ineoreis-
tency for bringing forward this pfoposition, after having resisted'
the motion of the Hon. Member for Bridgenorth. What was the
vote he would ask of his Hon. Friend last year, when it was pro-
posed to free the bonded corn then in the warehouses ?
Mr. H. SUMNER intimated that he had not voted for that
measure.
Mr. Secretory PEEL resume,l. At least his Hon.. Friend
hail not resisted the proposal. The. object of that measure .tear
to favour the agriculturists, and to prevent the opening of the
Then helcalled upon the landed interest, in fairness and
consistency, to support the motion. He was not adverse to tile,
landed interest. He was deeply interested in the prosperity of
agriculture. The Hon. Gentleman had advanced an argument
which lie rhtist be permitted to'derieribe as a most extraordinary
one. He said that the price of
_corn was of no importance
to the persons now Suffering diStress, since whatever that price
might be, they had no' money to pnrchase it. Did he then ima-
gine that them were only two chases in this country. That the
country was divided into two extremes—that of affluence and of
extreme poverty? Was there no intermediate class which me-
rited consideration ? But with respect even to those who were
now unable to procure an adequate supply of flied,
,was the price
of provisions of no importance to them ? How we're they 06°
supported? Perhaps by the voluntary contributions' of the Isr-
fluent. But what wretchd sophistry it wes to argue that the
price of corn was of no importance to them, when upon that de-
pended how far these contributions would go? 'He would 84'
stain from any afflicting details, hut the situation of the o'oo'
must have impressed itself upon the feelings of entry man. Vis'u
the same grounds as the House voted the other night for the ad-
mission of bonded corn, they 'were called upon to agree to the
present motion. The duty now to be charged upon the corn au.,
mitted, would furnish no precedent to govern the House when At"
became its duty to establish a permanent system. The duty fired
last year was only 101., this year it was 12s. per quarter. Theroe
could be no precedent on this fluctuating duty. It had been
said that 500,000 quarters was a very considerable quantity;
but the proposition did not go to the admission of that quantity;
If 200,000 quarters or any smaller quantity should be sufficient'
no more than that would be admitted. The quantitY sta.
ed was nota quantity,positively to be admitted. It was the 'll,:cr.
mum quantity that, Diu any circumstances, could be Om'
He now came to the charge that they had been compelled to
nala
troduce this measure as a sort-of conLesssion to the clamours_ of
b.
infatuated mob. (Hear, hear !) • On this he should rotp!lYid
serve, that there were two sees of courage, one vort migh
to consist in refusing to make' i anmpreper Cenceesion, an
d onoe
the
ragefea Govern-
riated mob can do nothing fn influence the measures 0
Wight
140 I OU'et, a moral
tthheercohitis,..p4rineistinem:ng to(dcohlerehn,a.t)Wl;iillgiibeviet, Idioastriaiter what
ment. There was in this country a suPe--- rb force and
But
efunrlerg.
of asiaillii,cifiuenritataetdallimiltimtipestiltoc. pu(ectlllocewrinnttz.hnleoupt.l
he was happy to add,' that the disturbances i
rl here he could not
districts were nearly at an entl-'--(chears)—afu erpeatione
pass over those runroura in the newsoPers °
the 'ce oral
listurbed districts,
to him to send military assestarce into
and of certain censures on the would their alleged' -
the
refusal to supply that Imiganee. wlEit
is r e,„ie
House think when he said, that nit such epplleatior fo 'r
House
not wantes
litary aid were ever made to him—in fact it seas
, cite
for he himself, induced by an observation ef the cotiort
i,rittino,
cuntstances and en appreherision of distrees, and co
:Int fge.c)tri ring
had, four mouths before that period increased the
!Iv' so that he
in those districts to a number double that of last edits or re.
could boldly say that no such applientione were (leg "
fused.—(Hear.)—For as to the succeesful outrages of
ve that a
tude against power-looms, the House would easily pereel
eeae.
very few persons might in a few minutes be ablest() desttrYT', fee.
tity of that sort of machines,- (which is made of castero )s,ceie
devernteent fe,r,
miles distant from Military station. If then the House 1.r,,t
think proper to pass the Resolution of his Rt. llon.Friend, let it pot
be thought for a 'Moment that they did it under the influeure
intimidation. But let it also be known, that though they we
solved to brie gto trial and justice the criminal promoters of riot,,slll,l
thatleir
and all the power of the Government, still also ready to pitY
ready
to suppress such tumultuary violence, with all the rigour of 13
, hors
acknowledge that the
.great majority of the people base
eve
privations, and to relieve their necessities—and equally
their severe privations with the most admirable patience.--(u the
ing.)—For iustauce, in the cloth manufacturing distrieteeerer
pressure of want has been very urgent, yet in those places w
.le3ere
heard of no disturbances of public tranquillity: Though let
may have been partial excesses in one quarter of the country,
us not be deterred from our, resolves by such a consideration ,upr
us `be-hold enough to execute them, against unfounded 'impeta;
m
—(Cheering.)---His Hon. Friend,' the Member for Svtirre
eat
said that the admission of foreign grain, by redwing the r he
of corn, would tend to increase the poor rates. I‘l°l',„et
should rather think, that it would tend to reeluce the 3m•th
of them. The poor rates were, in truth, encumbered ‘vitlay
much of their burden in consequence of the present system' lo-
measure that can affect the increase of the Poor Rates, is s leo
ing to the poor, and relief to the country ; but, etrid higed 00
Friend, you have no facts to sum-Sort' yin our etteuree—Y°°;e eons
mere contingencies--true, they wished to provide against t their
tingencies of the future, but in doing; -so guided by state-
experience of the past.—(Cheers.)—lle held in his hand a rem.
mcmt of the prices of a great many ditfereet articles lest Y6ltateed
pared with their present: prieesee',:sFrom this shwa-rept it 14Pl'eee.
that corn was the only article which ,bad not.undergooc 411°1.00
ous fall. This appeared to him to be aim indication that therrivi"reeee
a superabundance aeons in the country. August 18115'_teci'd. to
of cotton was from pirle to 12d., per lb., it, was now from.
_col a
sd. ; Pernambuco was then 18d. to feol. ; it had expel;:eras
decline of 100 per cent., and.. was now pd. to 10d. ; Vita failea
then 84s. to SGs. per cwt., now,. :484. to Us. ; talloe
from 70s. to SOs. ;, rum froof 28,24. per gallon to Is..
from 445. per cent. to 325. ,Whilst, this great redueti""eete of
price of all other_ commodities,_ wbe*lter Produced by the
the currency, or by
,whatever cause, was going on, 6'relleoee
fallen but little. The prime( wheat poet: 'e'er was 67% al!_. a ei-
it• was 60s. • Other descriptions of ,'rain fwd only fallen itt), eat
miler proportion. This he thought was a proof that 0 aim
abundance of corn was in the eountry . meaeure
anticipatiou of a twine, it w a
as to guard gain,t sarisa Pos"'we
theou•
vance of price es might greatly agg,ravate the pree,tge Iwo-- law,
try. It was a great delusion to suppose that, under the Free. I.(ite
foreign corn wasadiniseible whenever the price of sot, old
to 80s. per quarter., It might rise to 100 s. or 120 s. per quarteri,l2 ee
foreign corn not yet he atimiseit le, It de a pareled upon ..ituu,in,t,
avers es which would not be ascertainol till 'Ti" 15th oL:og
There was no Etta to the price of cc.ro -miring the iniTe a
time. The object of tie: proposed luesetue then seas to Keeesion
curity which the Corn Laws did not give. lie saw an exP ieb
on the countenance of Hon. illetitlier for Northampton
,vnt,tnce
he `had just e.xpreeeed thr the purose of urp.jug the tritia not
led him to cenjeture that would avaiThimSelf of the-
sideration of the main question of the Corti Laws. ewe:A& to
anticipate that intentien if it existed, :ss be thought it lee,xr!'eeyo
keep the present subject entirely separate from that moor
subject. If, however, the consideration of that large
oeeie'beri-oe-
ant question sh,!;!;lbn pretsied upon the liaise, be'Sll.lll7, of the
'any thing ebill4 c.usure
Pared to resist it, end still 'to' maintobt- the poet
d e"
l'eeratioo. :
minor and temporary ittrangerift`nt'"v Tin -er crnis!' 'on
t,
be the
year on the -great gnestion of
adoption of the prt,seut measure. It Was the duty ()I Guyer
cons 0
if they saw a prebability of such a rise in the price for 0.4
a fair'
athn64' (')oltrtt"L'irwsteitthwgeuoussidi
would produce great public distress, to apply to Parham
ent

~

eating and corrective power, rather than to wait till the emer-
ency actually arase,..and then exercise an unwarranted and illegal
uthority. An .Honourable ,Gentletnan had said that the case
f 1766,'t0 'which: his:Right .Honourable Friend had referred.
id not apply to the present circumstances of the country.—
iothing, is it appeared td- hint; could be more strictly.
pplicable. Every point of the case seemed.,to correspond.--
Parliamentwas dissolved in June-of Ithtstryear, and called
ogether again' in ..November. The speech' i made by the King.
exactly such a speech as might naturally have been expect,:
rem his presett Majesty in the Meeting of the next Parlia-i
vent, if Ministers, :not having.-
_applied for this power to
'arliament, had been compelled by circumstances to suspend
he Corn LaWse, The. King .said to that. Parliament, that the
:rest price, Aral .dthe: short supplies., of. grain, 'together with
he -large exportations to the Continent, had ' induced him
o call them together to. advise on, a subject so important to
he poorer classes of his subjects, and that by the advice of his
L'rivy Council he had in the mean time laid an embargo upon the
he exportation of corn. Now he (Mr. Peel) was convinced that
f Alinisters io the, present day had acted upon much a principle,
hey would have been threatened with .an impeachment. The
peech of the King, which he had just read, had been generally
scribed to Lord Mansfield. But he would now read a passage
rem a speech of that Noble Lord,, in which he maintained with
;reat eloquence principles entirely adverse to those which had
;tutted the conduct of Government upon the occasion to which he
lad just referred. The Right Honourable Secretary then read a
(mg passage front a speech of Lord. Mansfield, which consisted of
in eloquent declamation against 'a dispensing power being exercised
iy the Ministers of the Crown, and concluded with the words
.hat the enemies: of the country were the proper objects of bold-
itlS, and not the Constitution." The Right Hon. Secretary cone
auded by saying that, as a sincere friend to the agricultural inte-
yst, he .deprecated the rejection of this measure, as tending to pre-
udiee the future consideration of the general question of the Corn
Laws.

Mr. H. SUMMER explained.
Lord .ALTHORP objected to the measure on the ground,
that it placed. the .price of the produce of,every man's lam at
Lie mercy of Ministers. He would therefore strongly press upon
the How the ,expetlieney..of entering upon the general discussion
(1 the c,or; 4.4c5, in preference to investing Ministers with this:
'angerons and unconstitutional power.
CoIut4DAVLF,i, , although he voted on Tuesday. night for the
other proposition, would vote.against,the Present :Ipqtien.
Mr. ',8,81N ET T expressed his determination ,to oppose the
motion... •
Sir W. W. WYNN said a. few .words iii., support of dst:clear
sure.
Mr. W. WHITMGRE said, that be would claim the, atten-
tion of the House for a short time betanse,:the subject which he
ventured to introduce to their consideration„ and himself indi-
vidually-, had been the objects of attach during, the present *-
bate. If he wanted a justification of the course he then took,
he should ,lind it in the measure now before the House-, He
was amazed at, the incopsisteney of the, Government. He knew
of nothing ',which rend-ded the qucstion unfit to be investi-
gated in April, that
.did not now exist, He should haVe
preferred, as an agriculturist, to have a full inquiry into the
question, to the medsure now proposed. He thought the
conduct of Ministers was so inconsistent that it could not be de-
flnied. He was conscious of nothing which deserved the odium
that litul been cast upon hips for bringing forward the question.
Having Said:so much in justification of him Self, he wished to ask
Whether the Government did not intend to explain how they meant
t', use this enormous power which was to be placed in their hands.
He thought it likely to produce a fall of prices ruinous to the agri-
culturist, if the measure were left in its present naked state.
He lamented that the law had not been altered ; and in objecting
to this measure, he was contrasting it with one which must have
beett preceded by dicussione, and fixed by limitations that would
have given security to the agriculturist.
Mr. Secretary CANNING assured the Hon. Member for
Hridgnorth that he was quite mistaken if he supposed that he
(Mr. Canning) had blamed hips for bringing forward his motion.
He never said that he blamed him, although he did feel the incon-
veuience, and certainly should b'ave wished him not to bring it
forward. . .

Lord MILTON agreed with his Hon. and Worthy Friend (the
Member for Denbighshire) in approying the change which had
been Wade since the postponement of , the. measure. He hoped
the Hon. ,Baronet (the iiltiob.l for Sometsetithire). would now be
convinced that the landed interest was neither unseen nor unfelt
i 4 that House. If Geutlennn would turn their minds to the whole
question as he bad done, he was convinced they would see that
there was not that danger in it which they so much apprehended.
The true sense of the question was to promote the commerce of
the country. Let 'there be commerce—let there be industry
:Ttouraged, and then they would be sure of general prosperity.
'flat was the true sense of the question, and it was not by main-
tqning a irinnopoly, and favouring one class at the expence of
others,. tliw the true interests of the nation were consulted.—
(Hearin4ut althengh he thought the landed interest had not
been by the Government, ho thought that House, as a
branch of the Legislature, had been greatly misused by their nut
adhering to what they had first .proposed, and upon which they
ought to;have made up their minds before they brought it forward.
Air. CANNING—" Then, what is the use of discussion?"

• Lord MILTON thought that the measure ought to hove been
discussed before the Right Hon. Gentlethan brought it down to
the Howe. If not, be knew not what was the use of holding,
Githinct Councils. He was of opinion
,that the whole
.question
ought to have been inquired into during the present Session.
Mr. CALCRAFT contended, that what the Right Him. Gen-
tleman called a modification of the measure first proposed, was a
witluir4wal of it.
C°lo4el TRENCH thought the change which had been made
in the measure of the Government bad taken the sting out of
the scorpion's tail. He, was surprised that during the whole of
these discussions, the state of Ireland had never been mentioned.
Mr. T. WILSON saicithat he had come down to oppose the
measure, but that the alteration was so great as to change his in-,
tention. He witggested that it would be better to provide that the
earn should only be admitted at two distinct periods, in quantities
of 260,000 quarters each.
Mr. IL Suxxxxa end Mr. CANNING mutually explained.
Several of the last Speakers , had been heard with the utmost
Impatience by the House, and the call for the question now be-,
4.uttio overpowering, and strangers were ordered to withdraw.
111.! Gallery was cleared for a division, but the Resolution was
'"gtcut to Withont dividing the House.
~„ •
the Ixtotiou of Mr. Secretary PEEL the . Aliens' Bill was
read !lk third time, and passed. , The Gardens and, Hot-houses
ill was also read a third time, and passed.
The Yorkshire Elections Bill was read the third time.
The Irish Prison Laws Bill' was read a third time, and passed.
The PFellSing of Ale Houses Bill was read a second time and
committed for Monday.
Pther Orders of the Day were disposed of, and the House
aftlmirned Half-past -Twelve o'Clock to Monday.

:A 'Correspondent says, , that from the result of Par-
liamentvcry and other inquiries, there appears to be upwards of one
mallow members of Friendly Societies, and that these, for the most
part, are held at public houses, and the members obliged, whether
present or absevit, :to contribute a certain sum to be expended in
! The nteetings 'ate weekly or monthly, and the " spend-
ing looney') -waits • from 24. to 6,,1. ; presuming, however, the
number to be amnillion, the average amount to be 3d. each, and
the Mectioga but 12 in it year,-and furtker, supposing that the
members • never spend More, thing the allowance, the gross sum
will tome out 150,000/.-per annum, enough to supply a three-
penny loaf .•of bread: per day constantly to thirty thousand indi-
viduate. This Is something like an argument against conducting
Societieft as,publie houses.
I ' enqUired of Patrick what age he was. "I am
only twenty-six;" he answered, "hut I ought to be twenty-seven,
for my nuither miscarried the year before I was born."
Cervantes, the celebrated Spanish writer, was born
at Madrid, in 151.2. Of his early life very little is known, but
he served under Colonna, and lost his left hand at the victory of
Lepanto. In 1574 he was taken prisoner by a Barbary corsair,
and was ransomed, after five y&trs slavery, by a religious society.
On his return to Spain, he had recourse to his pen for a subsist-
'ore, but he seems to have gained niore. fame than profit, for' he
wrote, the. first part of his inunortal work, Don Quixote, in pri-
son, where be WAS confined for debt. 'He died in 1616.
A young Lady, residing at Bromley, lately sent a
servant to a circulating library' at Sttatford, to procure How's
7'4les. • The servant by the way forgot the name of the book,
4,11' was greatly perplexed what to do; but, after some cogitation,
8" thought 'she had hit it, and asked for " Pigs' tails." The
41411 of IRAs stared, and said she had mistaken the place; she
1U" go to: the pork-shop next door. " This reminds us," says
It l'`•Aittw of, the Leeds.AfercurY, " of a circumstance which
''aPpened. in the. North Riding. of Yorkshire. A lady having
gone: into A. bookseller's shop, to order a book, entered into eon-
verantiurt with thst master of the shop, sail among other things oh-
'ez:ve.l) 4 That shebad just got Crabbe's Tales, and thought the in
excellent' A lady, who was present, and 'heard the observation
With :evident astonishment, on the departure of the speaker, went
atA to the bookseller, and with a very grave face, asked ' If he
tnuld tell her how the crabs' tales were dressed, as she was very
ceirbus of tasting them.'

be n.

LONDON,
SA7'U.RDAY EVENING, MAY 6, 1826.

The Resolutions
.proposed by his Majesty's Mini-
sters relative to Foreign Corn were, with some modi-
fications, carried unanimously in the House of Com-
mons last evening: and we congratulate the Country
on this triumph of liberal policy and justice, over the
selfish and narrow-minded views of the Country
Squires. It is another and a striking proof, that the
.Constitution of the House of Commons, notwith-
standing the defects attributed to it by modern lie
formers, works well together for the public good ;
and that its elements are so happily blended, that the
particular interests of one class of persons can never
prevail over the general interests, of the people at large.
We shall not weaken the force of Mr. CANNING'S
arguments by
.abbreviating thein here, but must refer
our headers to the report of his powerful and bril-
liant speech, the effect of which was complete; and at
once annihilated the hopes of the Landed Interest,
to prevent the adoption of measures, the expediency,
and necessity of which could not be:denied.
To lessen, however, the unnecessary alarm which
these Gentlemen felt at the consequences of the dis-
cretion proposed to be given to the Government, to
open the, ports during the recess, Sr. CANNING
suggested the restriction of this discretionary.power to
the 'admission of 500,000 quarters ; and that the
amount of duty.to be paid 'on Corn so adMitted into
consumption, should be left to be determined by the
Ministers, when the necessity of its introduction should
arise, instead of being at this time fixed at 12s. per
quarter. These modifiCations, and the irresistible
arguments in favour of the measure, overpowered all
opposition ; and the Country has been thus secured
by the wisdom of His Majesty's Government from
any alarming rise in the price of the most essential
article of human sustenance. It is not anticipated
that any further serious opposition to these measures
will arise in either House of Parliament.

Our Renders will observe by the proceedings in
the House of Peers, that Lord LIVERPOOL last even-
ing, in moving the consideration of the amendments
introduced by the Com Mons into the Bill for regulat-
ing Co-partnerships, commonly called the Bank Char-
ter Bill, announced the important fact, that the Bank
of England' had decided, after a laborious examination
by ,a Committee of its own Body, that they would
establish Branch Banks. As yet, neither the details
of the measure, nor the places at which these Branch
Banks are to be established have been settled. His
Lordship also stated, that Joint Stock Company
Banks were forming ; and expressed his opinion, that
this measure would be productive of very beneficial
effects upon the state of the Country.
In this ()pillion we to a certain extent coincide ;
but being convinced, us we have stated on a former
occasion, that the recurrence of such evils as have
arisen out of our former Bankino- System would be most
effectually prevented by the establishment. of Chartered
Banks, we cannot but regret that an arrangement has
not been made with the Bank of England at almost any
price, to surrender its exclusive Privileges at the present
moment, when the whole system of our. Currency is
under revision. A few years only will elapse before
those Privileges expire, and the abandonment of them
at this moment, at a fair remuneration, would have been
worthy of the high reputation of the Bank, and of
a liberal sacrifice en the part of the Nation.
It will be observed, that Lord LIVERPOOL
stated, ,in answer to a question put to him by the
Marquis of LANSDOWN, that the Bank advances to
the manufacturers on ,Goods, have not amounted
to much above 870,0001:

Joint Stock Cornpailio are daily droppu. 1g to Eteces,
and happy the man whose character, suffers frothing in
the general wreck. The squabbles which arise out of
the numerous failures, arc annising enough to those
AO have not lost by speculations in the (rolden months
of last year, but hundreds paid dearly for their fortune-
hunting freaks, and now mourn the loss of credit,
capital, and character. In the public meetings which

are held day after day for the, arrangement and wind-
ing up of affhirs in these bursting bubbles, one leading
feature pervades the business-.the abuse of great
men by greater knaves. Persons of rank have been
worried into
.oflice as Direetbrs, and the prospects
of gain induced the mob to solicit Shares, and to
traffic without limits all who sold at profits served
their turnsi but those who overstood their market, and
now hold at the depreciated value, waste all the terms
of scurrility: upon the Founders and' Directors. That
many disgraceful transactions have been brought to
light, cannot be denied,,. but this, perhaps, is the
strongest reason that can be urged for discriminating
between the good and , the bad, and who is there so
indifferent to the subject that must not feel disgust at
seeing men running about from meeting to meeting,
levelling the same charges at all Directors, holding
out the same threats to personsof all ranks, and intimi7
dating better men than themselves, by ,submitting to
their view all the hmors of a Chancery suit, instituted
by crafty disappointed jobbers ? We have watched
more than one defaulter, or technically speaking,
" lame ducks" from meeting to meetuag—fellows,
whom we know to have pocketed the profits half a
hundred times by traffic in Shares, and supported the
system through thick and thin, whilst advantageous to
theinselees, but who are very ferrets wherever their de-
preciated Shares give a colour to their right of attend-
ance, but more of these persons anon;—in the mean
time, Directors should know, that none but persons
to whom shares were originally given live the slightest
right to attend'a meeting, unless previously admitted as
Proprietors by the consent of the rest ,of the Partners;
nor can such persons establish tither a legal or an
equitable. claim to a participation in the division of
funds, and Shareholders who have signed Deeds, and
complied with necessary conditions, should be aware
that by admitting • these disappointed Speculators to
a part even. in discussion, they increase the number
who must share the :" remainders," and thus lessen
their own proportion of, the funds. We trust, how-
ever, that we shall be found at, all times as ready to
expoSe the misconduct of a guilty Director, as we are
Willing to protect respectable men from the indiscri-
minate abuse of unfortunate Speculators, and disap-
pointed jobbers in Shares, for there are: no men so re-
gardless of common decency in language and man-
ners as knaves over-reached.

In allusion to a charge that the Ministers had
brought forward the measure of Corn Importation,
from niotives of fear, Mr.- Peel took occasion, in his
speech, to repel the insinuation, with a dignity and
force, which will not be soon forgotten by hia oppo-
nents—his manly declaration that be would relieve the
unfortunate to the utmost extent of his power, and
fearlessly bring the leaders of tumult to justice, must
have the best effect on the misguided offenders, and
make a lasting impression on the public.

We have inserted in another column, a statement
of the Forces which by the latest accounts were as
sembled before Bhurtpore, and also those which are
stationed in Cutch. We have before mentioned the con-
fident expectation entertained in the best informed
quarters, that the next arrivals will bring accounts of
the successful operations of our Army in that part of
India, and the high state of efficiency in which it is
said to be, encourages every hope that these expec-
tations will be realised.

Our accounts from all parts of the manufacturing
districts are, this morning, very favourable. The ebul-
litions of popular feeling have, in a great measure,
subsided, and every thing now betokens a return to,
peace and tranquillity. We subjoin the following
from Manchester :

(FEO.NI OUR OWN CORRESPONDkNT.) -';
• ?MANCHESTER, MAY 5,1826. ‘,l
Half past • eight (yesterday. )
" Peace and order are at length re:demi; but whether we shall•
have a Continuance 19 (1011)a111-,-ethp liktne spirit I fear prevails,-
but glare not chew itself; the militiry. dbree is. very strong tlivt
continues to increase.' - •
"'There has been a serious riot at IBrsulford—tle particulars
have not reached us at present ; beveral, ind many dan
gerouttly wounded:"

it 211T411 dcLocr.

" I have opened the letter at the Post Office, in consequence of
having this moment seen a gentleman from Buryall is quiet."

The French Papers of Wednesday contain at ac-
count of the defeat and death <of IBRAHIM before
MissOlonghi; and the sub oined extract from the
Allgemeine Zeitung, of the 29th April, bears out
the probability of so desirable an evenL

AUGSBURG, Arm 28.

The Diaria di Roma has a letter from Corfu of the 28th
March, which says, " A report is just spread that Gouras, with
5,000 men, having come over almost impassable mountains, had
suddenly appeared before Missolonghi, beaten the Egyptians,
wounded Ibrahim, and retaken Vassihuli. Though this news
nee& confirmation, one thing important must necessarily have
taken place, for 3lissolonghi was reduced, to such a melancholy
situation, that either it must have fallen into the hands of ties
Egyptians or the latter have been beaten."