The Sun.
London, England, 1828-05-02 00:00:00

NEW SOUTH WALES.

Sir J. MACKINTOSH moved that an humble address
be presented to his Majesty, praying that he would be
pleased to direct that there be laid before the House
a copy of the report from Alajor-General M'Quarrie,
late Governor of the Colony of New South Wales, to
Lord Bathurst, dated Bth of July, 1822 ; and also a copy
of the letter, dated October, 1822, from Major-General
M'Quarrie to Lord Bathurst, in answer to certain parts
of the Report of Commissioner Byng, relative to that Colony.
Lord F. GOWER said, that there could be no
objection to granting the papers required by the first part
of the motion, but with respect to the second part of it,
he should certainly reluctantly comply, as the letter of Ort.
1822, contained some passages which might give offence to
Mr. Byng, a gentleman at present absent from this country
on his 111.kjesty's service, and as he (Llrd F. G.) felt satis-
fied that the Right Hon. Mover had no wish to hurt the
feelings of any gentleman, and that the object of that Right
Hon. Gentleman was to obtain such information as would
forward his views, he should move that in the latter part
of the motion the word " Extracts" should be substituted

for the word " Copy," He could assure the Right Hon
Gentleman that these 4 xtracts should contain Al the in

formation contained in the letter respecting the colony of
New South Wales.
Sir JAMES MACKINTOSH said he should not oppose
the amendment; as he believed the promise of the Noble

Lord that the " L'tracts" would contain every' thing, ne-
cessary for his (Sir J. M's.) purpose.
The motion, as amended, was then agreed to.
Mr. WELLS presented a petition from a parish - in
Kent, against any further concession to the Roman
Catholics.

Mr. LEG II KECK presented a similar petition from
Lutterworth, county of Leicester.
Mr. A. DAWSON presented a petition from Dundalk,
against the rate for watching, lighting, and paving towns
Corporate in Ireland.
Mr. HUME presented a petition sigi:ed by 8000 inha-
bitants of Upper Canada, Dissenters from the Established
Church, complaining of grievances, and praying for
redress.

Sir J. SHELLY presented a petition from the Con-
gregation of a Chapel in Sussex against any further con-
cession to the Catholics.

A message was brought from the Lords, requesting a
copy of the evidence taken before a Committee of the
House of Commons on the Galway Election.
Mr. 11. GRATTAN presented a petition from the mil-
lers, cornfactors, and merchants of Dublin, praying that
an Act might be passed to prevent the smuggling of foreign
Corn into the Isle of Man.

Mr. MOORE spoke in favour of the petition, which
was ordered to be printed.

SILK TRADE.

Mr. Alderma❑ WAITHMAN presented a petition hum
the Mayor, Aldermen, Sheriffs, and Corporation, and a
number of Individuals interested in the Silk Trade of Nor-
wich, complaining of the grievances resulting from the re •
duced state of wages in that city, and suggesting as a
remedy the appointment of a Committee, composed of
masters anti workmen, for the purpose of fixing an estab-
lished rate of wages. As far as the statementsofgrievances
went, he completely concurred in the statement of the
petitioners ; but with respect to the remedy which they
proposed, it was his decided opinion that uotbing could be
more mischievous. In the course of his observations, the
Hon. Alderman adverted to the following statement :
" Raw, waste, and thrown silk, imported in the last five
years, ending January 5, each year :
Raw and Waste. Thrown.

Total.

1824 2,085,9721bs 346,3141bs 9,432,2861b5.
1825 3,510,910 452,469 3,993,379
1826 3,040,621 548,777 3,589,398
1827 1,963,337 ..... ......280,990 2,444,367
1828 3,759,138 450,119 4,209,257
It appears that i❑ 1824-5-6, exceeds, on the average, the
years 1827-8.
Raw, Waste, and thrown silk, imported from and ex-
ported to France last year:—
Imported. Exported. Excess imported.
Raw and waste 1,133,2061b5. 2,88411e5. 1,130,3221b5.
Ditto Thrown 443,208 F'oreignl,9l6 441,992

1 576,1141b5. 4,8001b5. 1,572,3141h5.
It appears that not an ounce of British thrown was ex-
ported.
Amount of silk manufactured, imported from, and ex-
ported to France, in the year 1827 :
Imported from, 420,000/. ; exported to, 5,120/. ; ex-
cess of imports, 414,8801.
Official amount of the whole of the imports from, and
exports to France, in the year 1827 :
Imports from France, 1,225,7041. ; Exports in British
and Irish produce, and manufactures, 426,195/. ; in foreign
and colonial produce, 656,077/. Gross 1,082,2721.
It appears that there is an excess in the gross amount of
imports of 143,4321., and over the amount of British and
Irish produce, and manufactures exported, of '799,509/.
It appears also by official accounts, that the whole
amount of British manufactured silks, exported to all
parts of the world, were—ln 1825, 95,0151. ; 1826,
57,483/. ; 1827, 53,016/. ; 1828, 72,786/. ; 20,000/.
only above the former year, and 22,000/. less than 1824.
And the amount of manufactured silks exported to all
the States of Europe last year, was only 12,193/. ; and to
all other parts, 60,5311."
Mr. WODEHOUSE had a similar petition to present;
and he trusted the House would pay the attention which
was due to so important a subject.
Mr. BERN AL had also a petition to present to the
House on the subject. The present state of things de-
manded the most serious attention of Parliament. He
strongly urged the appointment of a Committee to inquire
into the subject.
Mr. FYLER also had petitions of a similar nature to
present from Coventry and Spitalfields. He deprecated
the pressing of abstract principles of policy in cases in
which the general interests of whole cla-ses were concerned.
What the petitioners wished for was not any legislative
standard or regulation of wages; but that a Committee
ahould be farmed of masters and men, to meet from time
to time, and arrange what appeared to them the proper
rate. If by granting that request the persons now com-
plaining were pacified, a great step would be gained.
Mr. W. SMITH, while sensible of the grievances under
which the petitioners laboured, was quite as adverse to the
proposed remedy as as the Hon. Alderman by whom the
petition was presented.
Mr. C. GRANT thought that the present was not a fit
opportunity for the discussion of the subject, though he
could not refrain from acknowledging that he felt a lively
interest in the fate of the petitioners, to whose character
and conduct he was willing to bear the tribute of his
praise. He thought the House ought to look at the peti-
tion with essay favourable feeling, though he could not
support the doctrines advanced, nor could he altogether
agree that the petitioners were in so distressed a condition
as some had represented. Since the year 1803 several
Committees had sat upon the subject, and they had all
agreed upon the impracticability of settling a minimum of
wages by any legislative enactment. Every Committee
had unitOrmly agreed that this measure was not only im-
practicable, but that, were it practicable, a recourse to it
would be attended with the worst possible consequences.
The Right Hon. Gentleman then read various extracts
front the Reports of Committees, in order to support his
previous assertion,. lie felt convinced that, had Parlia-
ment formerly fixed, or attempted to fix, a minimum price
of the wages of weavers, the cotto❑ manufactures of the
country could never have been carried to their present
condition.

Mr. FYLER explained.
Mr. MONCK was of opinion that it was the duty of
Parliament to interfere iu all such cases of distress and op-
pression as that pointed out in the petition. Parliament
ought to be studious to keep the people at the highest stan-
dard of existence, and that could be effected only by high
wages. Where wages were high, the revenue might be
great, and the people would be more moral and happy.--
Ireland and Scotland were proofs of the truth of his posi-
tion. Ireland, with a population of between six and seven
millions, paid but little more of revenue than Scotland, the
population of which was only two millions. This was,
because in Ireland wages were reduced to their nummt7n.
—lf the manufacturers Of England were to compete with
those of the Continent, it would be impossible for the la-
bourers to get much higher wages than were paid in other
countries. But it was desirable that the price of labour
should be raised as high as possible without injuring
trade, or bringing the goods of this country into a dis-
advantageous competition with those of other nations.—
He was of opinion that the present Corn Bill was a most
ruinous measure to the manufacturers ; and he might add, •
that nothing could be ruinous to
i the manufacturing in-
pon the wages of
terests that did not prove equally injurious to the agricul-
tural classes. He thought the immense weight of the
National Debt ought to be made to fall more equally upon
the shoulders of the different classes of the community.
iTabhoeutraxes
tznatuip,ornesteli:et
if,,e,l!d,moorreupotthe , heavilyie
profits of trade.
Mr. J. WOOD thought that a Committee ought to be
appointed, in order that its report might be used to clear up
the delusions under which the manufacturing poor laboured
with respect to fixing a minhnum of watts by law.
The petition was then brought up, and ordered to lie
upon the table, and be printed.
Mr. Alderman WAITIIMAN presented a similar peti-
tion from certain Weavers of Norwich ; and petitions of
the same description were presented from the Weavers of
Kidderminster, by Mr. Bernal ; from the Silk Weavers
of Coventry, by Mr. Fyler ; from the Silk Weavers of
Spitalfields, by the same gentleman ; anal from certain
Weavers of —, in Norfolk, by Mr. Nlrodehouse.