The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-13 00:00:00

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LONDON, THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1845.

The House of Lords did not sit.
The House of Commons sat at a Quarter before
Four, and

Sir G. CLERK took the oaths, and his seat for
Stamford.

Various petitions were presented.
Mr. WALLACE gave notice of a motion, for the
25th, on the subject of the Customs frauds.
The Sergeant-at-Arms reported that an action had
been entered against him, by Mr. T. Howard, and
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL gave notice of a motion
on the subject, for to-morrow.
On the motion that the House do resolve itself into
a Committee of Supply,

Captain HARRIS vindicated himself, and the Earl
of MALMSIBURY, from the charges which had been
brought against them, of having used undue influence
with the Board of Trade, in favour of the Dorchester
and Southampton Railway.
Mr. ROA:BUCK then drew the attention of the House
to the circumstances which had occurred at the last
election in Montreal ; and after stating that he
understoOd that the thanks of her MAJESTY had been
conveyed to the civil and military officers of Montreal,
for the part which they had taken in that election,
asked if there would be any objection to lay the
dispatch of Lord STARLBY on that subject before the
House ?

Mr. G. W. Horn denied that the thanks of her
MAJESTY had been conveyed to those officers. The
dispatch, which he had no objection to produce,
merely expressed the approbation o: the Secretary of
State for their endeavours for the preservation of the
public peace.

1 Mr. HI:13411 thought the House ought to be put in
possession of all the circumstances which had caused
the recent change in public opinion in Canada.
In answer to Mr. CHRIXTOPHER, Sir R. PEEL. stated
that the trustees of the British Museum intended
.111011 ding a meeting on Saturday on the tiubjecc 9f the
obstriptaiga of 4 rctasud Y.

In reference to a letter, which we insert, from
" J. V.," who dates from Stepney-green, we cannot
help expressing our own earnest hope that the Pre-
mier may include in his financial propositions, to.
morrow evening, one for the large reduction or total
repeal of the duty charged on fire-insurance policies.
In every possible point of view, this is one of the
most objectionable imposts which a Government can
levy. It operates as a direct premium on the apathy
or improvidence of some parties—as a most iniquitous
tax on the misfortunes and poverty of others. The
former of these classes are deterred from availing
themselves of that security to which every prudent
man, in a community like ours, resorts against the
mischief and ruin which are likely to be in-
flicted upon him by the calamity of a fire consuming
his property, or his stock, house, furniture, &c. They
look at the large amount of the duty (on the average
about one-third, rather than one half, we believe of
the premium on the insurance), and between the cer-
tainty of having that burden to bear, and the uncer-
tainty of being exposed at any time to the calamity
in question, postpone indefinitely insuring till the
catastrophe occurs, and perhaps in one hour reduces
them from competency—from affluence, even —to
beggary or destitution. The latter class, with every
disposition to insure, and perhaps after putting by,
with many a struggle, out of their hard earnings suffi-
cient money to pay the premium upon the amount they
would cover by a policy, cannot find the wherewith to
pay the further amount, between a third and a half of the
premium, required for the stamp duty. They, too,
may be hopelessly overwhelmed by a similar destruc-
five visitation, but aggravated by the conviction that
but for the tax which a reckless Government had thus
imposed on the exercise of a meritorious forethought,
they might have been no sufferers beyond the mere
temporary inconvenience of shifting their abode.
This domestic and social point of view is not the only
one in which the matter should be looked at. It is
well known that small policies, to a very consider-
able number, and of course to a large aggregate
amount, are effected every year by English house-
holders and others with the insurance offices in Holland,
in order to escape the operation of this most iniquit-
ous and impolitic duty. Sir ROBERT PEEL will de-
serve great credit if he remit it. We hope that an
lion. and Gallant Member, whose political principles
and prepossessions it is not our wont to praise, be•
cause we cannot concur in them, but for whose con-
sistency we can feel every respect, will be at his post
to-morrow afternoon, to urge upon the Government,
if necessary, his old appeal for the remission of the
duty on fire insurances. We allude to the Member
for Lincoln (Colonel SurruomP), whom we have had
so recently to thank for putting certain questions
that have elicited iMportant explanations touching the
working of the new Board of Trade'. Railway Com-
mittee.

Madrid journals of the sth inst. have been received,
from which we learn that almost the only subject of
conversation in the capital was the expulsion of a
Deputy from the lower Chamber. It appears that at a
ball given by IsisavAzz, some time previous, certain
articles of plate were missing, and there being no
evidence to impute guilt to the servants, a strict
watch was kept at a subsequent ball given, when one
of the guests was caught in the act of secreting some
valuable articles. He was immediately seized, and
turned out to be Senor QUINTANNILLA•Y
MONTOYA, Deputy for Seville. As the affair
had got abroad the Chamber was compelled to
take it up, and in a secret sitting instituted
an inquiry which left no doubt of the Deputy's
guilt, and he was expelled by a majority of 105 to
18. A letter was read from MONTOYA, in which he
admitted that he had the plate in his possession, but
was incapable of taking it for unworthy purposes.
He is said to be a '
man of good family and fortune.
It is also stated in these papers that the commandant
of the fort at Europa Point, Gibraltar, who fired on
a Spanish vessel and sunk it some months since, had
been superseded.

On the sth, the Three per Cents. closed at 32 9-16,
at 60 days ; the Fire per Cents. at 24, the Coupons,
at 26/, and the Debt without interest at 6i, at 60
days.

All interest in the proceedings of the French
Chamber is now suspended till Monday next, when
the debate on the Secret Service Money Bill is to
commence. Both parties look forward to the contest
with hope, but especially the Ministry, who confi-
dently trust that they will have a considerable ma-
jority in their favour. At all events it is to decide
the fate of the GUIZOT Ministry, and should the Con •
.servative waverers hang back and leave their party
.with only a small majority, as in the vote on the
PRITCHARD Indemnity, the Coalition—that is, the
Mons and TRIERS' party—must come into office.
The Ministerial organ, the Journal des Debate,
challenges. the Opposition to a. fair trial,
of-strength, and candidly avows that if they have
only a small majority, the Ministry will at once re-
sign. "If the Opposition be willing," it says, " the
battle will be decisive. • But does the Opposition
really desire to give battle, or will it give itself the
air of being satisfied with its pretended success on the
Address—a success which, however, was confined to
obtaining a fine minority It. little matters to us,
after all. If the Opposition draws back, and abstains,
its defeat will not be less evident to every one. For
our part, we allow, without any hesitation, that,
whilst the discussion on the Address gave the Mi-
nistry the majority, it did not sufficiently decide the
question of the Cabinet. It requires to he known
hether the vote which reduced the majority to eight
is an accidental vote, or one applied to the groundwork
of the Ministerial policy. The Secret Service
Money Bill will clear up this decisive question ; and,
if the trial turns against the Ministry, it will, we are
convinced, retire at once—it will not hesitate one
moment—for a Government cannot be carried on
with a majority of eight. For the last fortnight the
Chamber and the Ministry, the Opposition, and the
Conservative party, have been in a state of crisis, to
which the Secret Service Money Bill must put an
end, one way or the other. We called for this
Bill with impatience, : and we thank the
Ministry for having loudly challenged the
Opposition to the combat. It has assured to
itself, by this frank and courageous manner of
placing the question, a v;ctGry or a withdrawal
from power, equally honourable. We hope for vic-
tory. The Conservative party has united again. The
abuse of M. Taigas' journals, and the threats of M.
BILLATJLT, have only caused them to close their
ranks. They will not fail the Cabinet, for the Cabi-
net only remained in power in order not to abandon
the Conservative party.; and, henceforward, they
cantt:te only.th,eaulcroren;i:uher or be beaten together."
Some of the Opposition journals regard the con-
daect Wide:l;e•rilouct Garrersos:
satnudpidhi, sasfrnieontdts9,
know whet they wie bran. aurrier ,Frqlo3l.