The Sun.
London, England, 1826-02-24 00:00:00

I when the party was overwheltned.with .the loss and distress an-
ticipated. The person had lately sent him notice that he had
not Steered at all by that which he considered fatal to his
trade. The Bill Passed in 1824 ; and, during that year, the
Silk Trade went on with unexampled rapidity. In the spring
F 011325 there was such an extent of trading and building that
all were astonished. Silk mills were erected which could not
have cost less than 16,0001. Machinery was put to an extent
i never before known. He spoke with great concern of Maccles-
field, in the state in which the population was placed by the
Right Hon. Gentleman; he was compelled to describe what the
fact was. He was obliged to say speculation never was carried
on to the degree it was in that town. The population in 1821
amounted to 17,746. Between 1821 and 1828 it might have in-
creased to 20,000. In a MacclesfieldPaper of the 15th of Fe-
bruary, 1825,
.there appeared the following advertisement :
" To Overteera, Guardians of the Poor, and Families desirous
of Settling in illacclesfield.—Wanted from 4 to 5,000 persons—
(Bear !)—froirt the age of seven to twenty years,to be employed
in throwing and manufacturing, silk. A great increase of trade
having occurred, it is suggested that this is a ivourable oppor-
tunity for pereons with families, and appre ices, to insure a
comfortable livelihood."—ln consequence of the advertisement,
children and others xesorted to Macclesfield, and they got to-
gether upwards of 5,000 hands. Such was the trade in Noe-
-1 elseafi:itl, and he was not sarprised, after the inhuman proceeding
0' rotting children of seven years of age to the town, to find so
much distress occur on a reverse of trade. The
~Hon. and
Learned Gentleman hail expressed great wonder at finding so
many as eleven children removed to their parishes. Having
called the attention of the House to these circumstances, he
rnigilt say, if there was distress in Spitalfields, the revival of
Prohibitory measures would not relieve that distress. The
manufacturers under the existing law. bad made more progrest
ill ',Peculation than they had ever done before. Vas it to be
wondered at that the silk trade had appeared prominent in the
general distress. .They could ilk alter their system of policy
with respect to the silk trade without altering the whole
%Nein of policy. in the course of last Session lie submitted
to the House certain changes in the general system of policy,
which went to the extent of abolishing the restrictive duties which had fettered trade, and he was sitprised to hear that
tie of experience should impute the distress to the effect of
these beneficial measures. The Right Hon, Gentleman had
heard with great anxiety. Such statements. He had called for
papers, and when they came before the House, it would
!Ifpear what had been the duties on importable merchandise.
On articles of consumption they had derived every advantage.
Ile then came to the gist of the question, namely, whether they
could prevent smuggling and all its consequences in case the
Prohibitory duties were laid on. Ile should contend that re-
,' *Medea' on trade would increase smuggling. The argument
in favour of prohibition was, that they could follow the smug.
glee into the very. pockets of' the people. That might be a
good argument for an ardent Counsellor; an Advocate might
Ineintain that doctrine; but who, taking a liberal view of the
tub, would WWI for the system which led to the pursuit
°L a person 'wearing a I3andama handkerchief. The seizure
of hanilkerchiefS under the Prohibition Laws in one year
amounted to 5,000, whilst the importations under free trade
was 15,000. The inquiry on a former occasion had been
Whether the hatalkeichtefs went to adorn the Ladies's heads,
or the pockets ' of' Gentlemen. No—they were sold at the
i East India CoMpany'e sales. They were then shipped to
lieriburgli, Ostend, Rotterdam, and Guernsey. Then they
came back again. The handkerchief was sold with the duty
for eight shillings, and to sell it for four all the disgraceful
} acts were committed which attended smuggling. Silk handker-
I chiefs did not go to France. A person observed in the theatres
that all the handkerchiefs tied to the chairs were cotton. When
1 informers went to convict a person of wearing a Bandanna
round his neck, the Magistrate who convicted bun often had
°be in his pocket. In short, the smuggling system should be
ravented by removing the temptation. When it was first men-
loned that manufactured silk goods were to be free in both
1l
!louturiee
that corn
they did
aid, if the not believtrae itde was opened, lie would in France. One manufacturer
go and
try whether he try s
could not du better in England. lie came '
OOyer and established his trade, but drew on himself the unjust).
Ilty --,
e persecution of the' English manufacturers. They
1,,"' cinlY said lie wes s smuggler, but that the Board of Trade
„ere parties to his smuggling transactions. The Privy Council
thought the charge ought to be met. The individual was
put on his trial before the Council. The charge of the
Iritia,ll manufacturers was heard. They could not make good
I ode narge, but said if we could get at hie books we conld
rct him. The foreigner, who came with a capital of thirty
. I'ousand pounds said,—" My books—you shall see them. Let
!n officer go with me in a coach and bring them." It was done,
In_ d the officer found the names of persons who to a man were
working for him in Spitalfields as described in the book.—
% Crta )—The silk found on the premises of the accused per-
p4 WAS described to be smuggled ; 37 pieces seized out of se.
anal hundred all proved to have been made in Spitalfields and
_tcliester. This transaction disgusted the Government. All
Zh? knew the facts regretted that a foreigner, who had ern-
eltrked his capital to promote the trade of this country, should
;:,re been used so harshly. An lion. Member had stated the
1r ber of workmen in this country to be on an average 500,000.
wages
would ask that Hon. Member if lie knew what were their
aeles at per mans Did he think less than shillings ? lie could
:'Wore him that they were Many of them boys and girls from
Leage of seven to eighteen, who received but Is. rid. per week,
"IYI he doubted it' there were any workmen in France who re-
elared less. To earn even this paltry sang they were obliged to
commence working at five o'clock in the morning. This showed
:to what an extent the distress of the bilk trade was arrived at,
hen, i from the smallness. of their profits, the manufacturers
ri'd only give that pittance to their workmen.-. 4 Hear, hear 1)
tank to the value of 15 raillionsaterling were imported into
.11111 country, it would produce an increase to the Revenue of
Pr Millions, which increase, he thought, wasatot to be consi-
;Fed as a matter of trivial import. He was afraid he had en.
red, at too great length on the subject, but he could not sit
quietly and hear several Hon. Members say that monopoly,pro-
-4 awns of free commerce, and Spitalfields Acts were con-
tiSive to the interests of the country. These differences of
Pinin put him in naiad of what happened during the fierce
earnes at the time of was to
Question. The printum
Z!l___e of that question WAS to determine the standard of our
eui7neY• He had in his possession no less than one hundred
lass of pamphleta on time subject, and. he had collected no
"tact absurd fifteen different opinions. Some of them were the
absurd he had ever heard. One of them was that it consisted
unitsterling abstract--(A laugh.)--Another that it was an ideal
hue le (A faugh4—A third stated it to consist of a certain vit-
ae, fuVllYinent as related to commodities.—(A. laugh.)—He
the LiZconvinced, he said, that if he were banished to
instantl i of Laputa, and produced these documents, he would
the ~_, be Placed at the head of the Mint, and the charge of
_ Fitterent banks of that island Placed entirely In his hands.
a.;;:iutigh.)—lf the House were disposed to revert to the old
ra tines of selfishntaw, and restrict every thin that was he
would v_FI,I or exotic, he , could not certainly pre event; but he
,Z,?_1(1 protest against a prohibition of free commerce. lie had
Feevioiseut of doors appeals which were not only painful to his
Cour' but also extremely unjust to his character.—(llear !)
eie
~ any man suppose, for an initant, that he was less sensi-
....tartan others to the distress which prevailed in the country.
4u4,1,,,e, had, however, his duty (and it was sometimes a painful
1 eel`crel to perform us a Minister. lie had to propose a measure
had
itewould prevent a recurrence of those misfortunes which
r°ollutr en
so latelY. experienced by the commercial part of this
tv., r• Countries, he said, were not wanting in Europe, nay
roily;
or the opposite side of the Atlantic, who were desi-
promoting the stability of their commerce. And why
ithheo_uld this country be backward in following the:example set
p,fl bY others, • when, lie would ailirm, its whole source of
I,79frty depended on its conimerce.--(Hear!)e-The time
1,4, come, and he hoped it was not distant, when they would
Istar to that period, when mutual confidence would be re-
jaeq, and every one would regard his neighbour's undertak. '
hr as the only source of national security.—(Hear !)—lie
~,„N1 that he should live to see the day, (whether he held a
rmolie • • ,
la „ or private situation) when the country Would rejoice at
, rep prosperity, which prosperity it had attained by an asille-
ee,,, to a system which contributed to the best interests or the
cle'e4rY• The Right Hon. Gentle Man sat down amidst the
1,4 of the whole House, which lasted fig some time.
tiee‘;;;BARING rose amidst ' loud .cries of " Question, ques-
toe„ Order, order 1"--and after`waiting some time, ceded
Al. general call of the Muse.
later: Secretary CANNING was of opinion that a subject of
till h ItnPortance to the country could not cc discussed at so late
Houser of the night, without considerable inconvenience ttethe
~ jot:: j. and he therefore moved that the debate should be ad.
11°Lite d' e other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and the
• it Journedatt ONE O'CLOCK.

%tow said that Mr. ErrcouaT, the new
; 41''ber for Oxford, was not, at the time of his
Cane °rning a candidate, actually a member of any
e
g or Hall in the University.

teve ore RooE When Commodore was at Paros,
kill lurkish widows, whose hasbands had been
ed at Corinth, were brought on board the
co4th Carolina; by the Greeks, for sale. The
ti,„4'madore generously paid their ransom, gave
(A`4l their liberty, and sent them to Smyrna.-- n Paper).