The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-18 00:00:00

Oltentakt

LONDON, TUESDAY, JUNi 18, 1844.

the House of Lords, the Earl of RADNOR
called the attention of Members to the system now
adopted at the Post-office of opening letters, and
moved for a return of*e letters that had been opened
4inee the commencement of the present year.
The Duke of WELLINGTON resisted the motion, on
the ground that the law of Queen ANNE in that re-
spect was still in force. The Secretary of State had
acted in accordance with the law of the country.
After a few remarks from Lord CAMPBELL depre-
cating the exercise of a power which might be sanc-
tioned by the Act referred to, the motion was nega-
tived, and the House adjourned.
After the presentation of petitions, the SPEAKER,
informed the house that he had received a letter from
the agents on the petition against the return for the
Kilmarnock Burghs, to the effect that it was not their
intention to proceed with the petition.
In answer to a questio❑ from Mr. IlAwEs, relative
to the encroachments on Greenwich Park, the Earl of
LINCOLN said there was no foundation for the repot t
about building in the Park.
Sir H. PEEL moved the-order of the day for going
into Committee on the Sugar Duties Bill, and ex-
plained at Much length the plans of the Government
with regard to importation of colonial and
foreign sugar. After perusing his speech carefully,
we cannot see that he threw much additional light
ou the subject, for all the distinction that he drew
between. sugar raised by free labour and by slave
labour is mere moonshine. Sugar raised by slaves
will. be imported into this country in one way or
another. - There is no possibility of preventing it,
and to keep up the farce is only to deceive the West
India proprietors, If the Government are really

serious in discouraging stir thy shoultl forbid
the impottatioti of Cotton, eon wool, sugar, molasses,
tum, cocoa-nuts, hides, tallow; hbrrit tobacco
snuff, cigars, and titnott every imaginable
foreign comroedity that is used by the in-
habitants of the United Kingdom.. TW, of
Lancashire and Yorkshire are kept going solely by
slave labour, One-half of the consumption of the
rountry imported from foreign States is the produce
of slavery, and it therefore is utterly absurd to make
a distinction 'between free-labour and slave-labour
sugar. The only point of interest in Sir ROBERT
PEEL'S speech Wag that the Government would not
yield to tho amendment of Mr. MILES, and that
they would abide by their original proposition. He

accordingly announced that, when the motion was
made for reducing the duty on West India sugar to
203., he should move that it be 24i. the cwt.

The specch of Sir ROBERT PEEL was remarkable
for its candour. lle admitted that the Government
had been defeated on several important questions
during the present session ; that, consequently, little
or nothing had been done ; that Parliament might
be prorogued, and business, as at the close of the
preceding session, remain nearly as when they met ;
that many of his usual supporters had not lent him
their support, but whatever might be the consequence
the Government were determined to persevere in
their course by a gradual, safe, and circumspect re-
laxation of those duties on articles which come
into competition with the domestic produce of the
country. This free trade speech did not seem to
please the Tories, and the Right Hon. Gentleman
sat down amidst cheers rather from his foes than his
friends.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL adverted briefly to the dif-
ferent topics of Sir ROBERT PEEL'S speech, and said
the main drift of it was to make Members on the
other side, the usual supporters of Government, undo
what they had done on Friday, and thereby destroy
their independence as Members of Parliament.
Mr. P. MILES regretted that Sir ROBERT PEEL was
determined to oppose the motion carried by a ma-
jority of 20 on Friday; he regretted also that he was
compelled to oppose the Government, but he could
not shrink from his duty, and must persist in his
amendment.

Sir ROBERT PEEL immediately rose, and moved
that the blank be filled up with 245.
An interesting debate ensued, in which Mr. KEM-
BLE, Mr. DISRAELI, MT. LABOUCIIERE, Lord STAN-
LEY, and many other Members joined, and for which,
owing to want of space, we must refer to the Parlia-
mentary report. The House divided ; the numbers
were, for Mr. MILES'S motion, 233 ; against it, 255 ;
majority for Ministers, 22.
The: other orders of the day were then disposed
of, and the House adjourned at a Quarter to One
o'clock.

The present House of Commons bad already
earned, in dealing with the Factory question, an un-
enviable celebrity for the facility with which it could
be brought to unvote to day what it had voted yes-
terday ; to affirm, absolutely, to day that which it
shall as fully and distinctly retract to-morrow. But
the flexibility of purpose which it betrayed last
night, has scarcely been paralleled by any Legislative
Assembly since that which was summoned, in the
dead of night, to meet a Roman CXSAR in solemn
Council, and then and there did gravely advise the
Imperial Majesty on the most eligible mode of dress-
ing a monster turbot. On Friday night last, as our
readers will remember, the Commons, by a majority
of 20 votes, in a House of 462 Members, exclusive
of four tellers, decided that the words in the first
clause of the Sugar Duties Bill, introduced by her
MAJESTY'S Ministers, which charged a Customs
duty of "1/. 4s. per cwt."—`,: in respect of sugar the
growth of any British possession in America, and
imported from thence," SHOULD NOT stand part of such
clause. And inasmuch as this question arose on the
" amendment" proposed by Mr. PHILIP MILES, to the
effect that the duty in respect of "sugar the growth
of any British possession in America, and imported
from thence," should be 1/. per cwt., the Com-
mittee, in the ordinary course of things, would
doubtless have gone on, on Friday evening, the
amendment being next specifically proposed from the
table, to affirm it by the same, or very nearly the
same, majority. Ministers, however, legged for time
to consider the course they should take in the matter,
after the adverse vote against their original clause.
Last night Sir R. PEEL, at the close of one of the
worst and most tedious speeches ever delivered by
him, announced that Government were determined
to adhere to the original clause. The wonderful
consequence was that, upon the House resolving itself
into Committee on the Bill, after a short debate, Mr
Mims's amendment was lost, and was negatived by a
majority of 22 ; namely, Noes 255, against Ayes 233.
Thus the majority of Friday night of 20 against
Ministers, was converted into a majority in their
favour, last night, of 22, on virtually one and the
same question !
We have no room, this evening, for an analysis-of
the two divisions, or for further commentary on them.
Mr. WILLIAM BAGGE, Sir HOWARD DOUGLAS, Mr.
CHARLES GORING, and Mr. C. TURNOUR, we
observe among those whom new lights, illu-
minated between midnight on Friday and midnight
on Monday, had induced to become opponents of the
amendment they had previously supported. It has
been, altogether, after allowing for the fact that
twenty-four more Members voted last night than on
Friday—one of the most extraordinary " crosses " (in
sporting parlance) ever got up on the Parliamentary
course !

An important public meeting was held yester-
day in the Town-hall of Birmingham, on the subject
of Ireland, when the warmest sympathy was express-
ed for that aggrieved country, and a solemn protest
was recorded against the prosecution, trial, sentence,
and imprisonment of Mr. O'CONNELL and his co-de-
fendants. A few, among many of the reasons, which
induced tlw meeting to record this protest, are con-
tained in the following significant passage :—"l3e-
cause the prosecution has been characterised by cir-
cumstances exhibiting an unfair influence over the
right administration of justice; the suspicious disap-
pearance from the jury-list of the names of a number
of Roman Catholics, whereby the jury, instead
of being composed of twelve creditable men
who were neighbours to the fact, and unexceptionable
to the parties concerned, was constituted exclusively
of the religious and political opponents of the ac-
cused; the marked bias against the defendants of one
of the judges who presided ; the conflicting opinions
of the Court on several points of law during the
trial ; the vague and undefined nature of the imputed
offence ; and the refusal of a new trial, notwithstand-
ing the judicial decision of Judge PERRIN that the
traversers were entitled to it." These are weighty
reasons, which will be sure to make an impression on
the minds of all intelligent and impartial English-
men. The language in which they are conveyed, is
calm but forcible and decided, and proves that
the men of Birmingham entertain the strongest
feelings of sympathy for the Irish State pri-
soners—feelings which we may observe, by the
way, are fast spreading among English reformers of
all grades, and will tend seriously to increase Sir
ROBERT PEEL'S already numerous catalogue of Minis-
terial difficulties. It is high time, indeed, that Eng-
land's voice should be heard on the subject of Ire-
land's wrongs, and the Premier be told that, if he
cannot make up his mind to adopt a more enlightened
and conciliatory system of policy towards the sister-
country, he must make way for those who can and
will. He has had quite a sufficient trial; the utmost
forbearance has been manifested towards him ; and
there is no longer the slightest excuse for his delay
in acting justly towards Ireland. It is now four
years and upwards since he took the reins of power,
armed with an authority which no Minister has
wielded since the days of the second PITT. He had
but to command, to be obeyed. The sister-country—
generously forgetful of the past misgovernment of
'Toryism—was willing to hope for the best, and accept
an instalment of the heavy debt so long owing to her, if
she could not obtain the whole. Sir ROBERT PEEL'S
Smooth constant professions of good-will encouraged
these hopes ; and the diminished strength of the
Orange party, which was besides distracted by in-
ternal feuds, gave him the finest possible opportunity
of realising a portion, at least, if not all, of his pro-
fessions. But session after session came and went,
and still found nothing but empty professions
bestowed on Ireland. Not one of her admitted
grievances was removed—not o en an attempt was
made to remove them—the old inveterate spirit of