The Sun.
London, England, 1842-03-10 00:00:00

EXCHEQUER BILL FRAUD

Lord J. RUSSELL begged to know from the
Right Hon. Gentleman opposite, whether it was the
intention of the Government that the •names of the
Commissioners should be annexed to the Bill; and
also whether it would not be better that the numbers
of the Commissioners should not be increased from
two to three ?
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that the names would be inserted in the Committee,
and he would take the suggestion with regard to the
increase of the Commissioners into his consideration.
CALEDONIAN CANAL.

Mr. EDWARD ELLICE wished to renew the
question which he had put on Monday relating to the
Report of Sir Edward Parry on the Caledonian Canal.
He wished to know whether the Government intended
to adopt the suggestions contained in that Report.
Sir It. PEEL intended to refer the Report to a
Committee.
Mr. E. ELLICE—When does the Right Hon.
Baronet intend to move for the Committee?
Sir R. PEEL—lmmediately, without delay.
TIMBER SHIPS.

Mr. J. PALMER wished to call the atten-
tion of the Vice-President of the Board of Trade,
to the fact that the Act to prevent the overloading of
timber ships would expire on the Ist of May. He
wished to know whether it was the intention of the
Government to renew the measure. He had written
on the subject to the President of the Board of Trade
a fortnight since, and perhaps the Right Hon. Gen-
tleman would prefer giving his answer on some
other occasion.
Mr. GLADSTONE would answer the question
on some future day.
GOVERNMENT BUSINESS.

On Sir R. PEEL moving the Order of the Day for
the second reading of the Corn-Importation Bill,
Lord J. RUSSELL said that, of course there could
he no objection to the Hon. Member moving the Or-
der of the Day for the second reading of that Bill
this evening; but he wished to know if it were the
intention of the Government to interfere with what had
been considered a night appropriated to the discussion
of measures introduced by individual Members, and
to claim Wednesday as a Government night.
Sir ROBERT PEEL said it was not his inten-

_ .....,. ...,„ ........._.--
tion to interfere with what had been considered
the right of particular Members, who choose to take
upon themselves the troublesome task of legislation.—
(A laugh.) He had found the present Wednesday
e
, he had taken it,
whethertherefore, ehfeo rs
should find another Wed-
nesday unoccupied, and certainly the Government
but unoccupied,
h
had no intention of interfering with the rights of
individual Members.

CORN-LAWS.
On the order of the day for the second reading of
the Corn-Importation Act being read,
Lord EBRINGTON rose to address the House,
but the Noble Lord spoke in so low a tone as to be
at times perfectly inaudible, and throughout his
speech it was with the greatest difficulty that we
could catch even the purport of his observations. He
was understood -to request the _House to extend to
him that indulgence which was always kindly
afforded to a new llember. He was aware
that it might be considered useless to pro-
pose any amendment to that measure after Go-
vernment, because it was said the whole was
undoubtedly an improvement upon the exist-
ing Corn-laws, and therefore it would be
right to accept it, some said as an instalment,

others as a permanent settlement of the question.
When the question was about to be settled it should
be settled upon some sound basis ; it should be settled

as to

relieve

the embarrassed

state a

trade, and, if possible, the distress which pre-
vailed throughout the country. It appeared to
him that a fixed duty should be imposed
upon foreign corn, if any duty at all was imposed.
A fixed trade would tend to promote an interchange
of commodities, and thereby prevent bullion being
sent out to purchase corn. A regular trade would
also promote the' interest of tho consumer, and the
profits of merchants would then be kept down
by fair competition. If there was a mode-
rate fixed duty it would be known in the
country when foreign rivals could compete with
them, and when they could not. lle knew that a
large body were opposed to any duty, but he thought
that even they would agree withohim that if there was
to be any duty at all, a fixed duty was by far the
best. Her Majesty's late Government had brought for-
ward a measure for a fixed duty on those grounds, but
upon what ground the present measure was intro-
duced he could not say. It could not be introduced
for the purpose of checking extensive frauds, because
the Rightlion. Baronet had said that no frauds had been
committed, and it was not introduced to lower the price
of corn, because the Right lion. Baronet had said that
the price was not too high at the present moment.
The Right llon. Baronet next referred to the manner
in which the currency of the country would be affected
by the Corn-law Bill, but he did not state how it had
been affected by the present Bill ; in fact every argu-
ment which the Right llon. Baronet employed against
the existing Corn-laws in their effect upon the
currency
degree, to the Bill he now proposed; if one were
was equally applicable, though in a less
unjust in principle the other also was unjust in
principle ; the difference was only one of degree._
(Hear, hear.) lie (Lord Ebrington) could not see
on what principle the Right Honourable Ba-
ronet asserted that his Bill differed from the
Bill of the Noble Lord, the Member for London, only
in detail, and
that they agreed in principle.
duty
lie (Lord Ebrington) wished to see a duty levied on
corn for the purposes of revenue, such a duty as ought
give
lf u pt
hey. the
gaveup to be levied on every article that was im-,
altogether. to
ported from foreign countries. He did not
want
principle ofprinciple
hcustoms ofy
taxing articles called necessaries, it seemed to him
that they very much endangered the whole customs'
duty. Ile did not see what grounds they had for alrn-
doning the old scale and adopting the new one. There