The Sun.
London, England, 1829-06-03 00:00:00

,strength of the kingdom., By the.official returns it
appeared that, in 1827, there were 470,000 fisher-
,. men employed in the fisheries on the coast and lakes
of,Scotland, arid that altogether there were upwards
of 80,000 persons employed in carrying and packing' the herrings, to which were to be added 50,000
sailors emplo3ed in the deep-sea fisheries, and in
• conveyieg them after they were cured to distant parts
of the world. There were 100,000 men to be sacri-
ficed to the doctrines of political economy, of which
Dr. Smith was the father, but ‘vhose authority was
not against a bounty on the Herring Fisheries ; nor
even was that of his commentator, the purest or the
Purists, Mr. M'Culloch, who considered it contrary
to sound policy that these bounties should be made
to cease too soon. Ile besought his Majesty's Go-
vernment and Parliament to avert the impending
ruin of these fisheries, and agree to the prolongation
of the bounties, which only tended to lower the price
of herrings in the home market.
Colonel WILSON seconded the motion.
Sir SCROPE MORLAND shortly supported
the petition), and stated the distress of the fisheries of
Cornwall was spreading and severe.
Mr. BERNAL stated that Norwegian herrings
Were selling at st. Thomas's, and other islands in
the West Indies, and in this country, at 12s. a
,barrel ; arid he believed they might be had even at
alf a.guinea a barrel, for they were sent from Copen-
hagen to the Danish settlement of St. Croix, for
that price, including all shipping charges.
Mr. H USKISS ON was averse to the continuance
of bounties, which had little to do with the prosperity
of the fisheries.
,-Mr. PENDARVES confirmed the statement of
the Hon. Member for St. Mawes, its to the distress
of the Cornish fisheries.
'Mr. VESEY FITZGERALD must, on the part
of his Majesty's Government, give the answer to
the application of the lion. Member for Kircrid-
bright which he had given when the petition was
presented to the Board of Trade. If the petitioners
had anything to suggest for the benefit of the fishe-
ries, it must be of a different nature from bounties—
a suggestion against the principle adopted by Parlia-
ment for carrying on the trade of the country. He
felt it his duty to resist any departure from that
principle.
Mr: W. SMITH argued against the system of
bounties.
Mr. BRIGHT, on the other hand, doubted very
much whether the application of the principles of
free trade to our fisheries would be beneficial.
The petition was then brought up, read, and or-
dered to be printed.
BRITISH CLAIMANTS ON FRANCE.
On the motion of Mr. BERNAL, various Returns
Were ordered to be laid before the House, respecting
the funds provided by the French Government for
the British claimants on France.
PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.
The Marquis of BLANDFORD, in rising to
move certain resolutions on the subject of Parlia-
mentary, Reform, addressed the Speaker to the fol-
-I°wltig effect : Sir, I should observe that in cour-
tesy to former advocates of this measure, I would
willingly have left it in their hands, for it seems
right and reasonable that those who have argued so
powerfully against decayed boroughs and proprietary
lufluence should go on with their own work; but as
theythe seem to have declined the patriotic undertaking,
conviction I feel of its pressing necessity is too
Powerful for me to heed the charge of temerity in
thus presuming to succeed to their office. We shall
now see who are the declaimers, and who the doers,
in the work of Parliamentary regeneration; we
shall now see who are true and steady to their pur-
Poses, and who would wish to give those purposes a
long adjournment ; it will now be seen who are stre-
nuous in their wishes to purify Parliament, and pro-
tect the great interests of the country. The ques-
tion has been now for some time laid upon the shelf;
the Bills and drafts of Bills which have been pre-
pared are now, from long neglect, covered with dust
and buried in oblivion. Hon. Gentlemen, the for-
mer friends and advocates of the measure, may,
if they please, bestow upon Ministers the compli-
tnent of their silence, but I do not feel disposed to
imitate their courtesy. Every day's experience
Proves the necessity of some measure of this sort.
The country expects, I may say demands, some
statutory provision for the safety of its interests—
tile interests of its agriculture, its trade, its manu-
factures, its finance, and especially the interests of
the Protestant community, against the influx and in-
t'rease of the Roman Catholic party. The whole in-
ternal constitution of this House has been revolu-
tionized. This new state of things requires new en-
actments. An imperious necessity has been super-
ridded,, to the already existing propriety of putting
"own the Borotushmonger and his trade; our rights
!Ind our liberties are in jeopardy as long as majorities
In this House are to be obtained by buying seats and
ng services; and though I may fail on this oc-
easi" establishing upon the minds of a majority
of this /louse a conviction of this truth, I shall per-
severe in ray efforts to expose the corruption, and
proclaim the danger of these practices. Sir, it may
Perhaps
he thought that the magnitude of this
iltlestion, and the splendid eloquence of its former
t..ttdvocates, should have deterred me from rashly em-
Zrking upon the consideration of it. But though I
Or"Y despair of doing it justice, I feel its importance,
t. rather its necessity, too strongly to leave the
f
Htig. unattempted through a consciousness of
on ; and in asserting and advocating my
f peculiar views of it, lam fully prepared
ft the, i
neo —slnputation that those views are er-
ns-thatat my fears are groundless—and that
measures and means of reform which I would
tir°P°se are neither called for by the exigency of the
tles, nor by the existence of any real danger from
ofe projects of the Roman Catholic body. I speak
Slatthat body, Sir, as a large political party in the
tlie* I speak not of individuals—of individuals of
hat body I would say that there is no one in this
011°,,ase more ready than I am to admit their honour
an integrity; but I am speaking of a large class
fur denomination of individuals—a large and power-
Political party of six or seven millions of men—
e. tert.Y acknowledging a common head and centre
rettaelll,l°n, a spiritual Sovereign, and that SoVereign
-ing ill a foreign ,country. Int such a state of
%lts, and under such an intermixtnre •of foreign
it tidnniestic relations, I shall continue to think that
lion the Part of prudence to prevent the accumula-
wh Of Roman Catholic power in this House. Those
liabllllaY be disposed to ridicule these opinions are
Aatner t° he told that they are us ignorant of human
ti;e and the workings of party spirit as they are
tett le energies of the Romish Church. As soon as
iviitiLemen of that persuasion enter the House, they
cori
er found to form a party. That party will be
eetimded by the Roman Catholics of Great Britain
,Ireland as their real Representatives—as the
their defenders of their nights, the vindicators of
their iwrellga, the promoters of their wishes and
other ''Opes. This Roman Catholic party, like all
g e-134111es , both in anal out of this House, will be
11.°48 Of increasing its political strength ; and look •
kiiet: the energy of that body, its union of purpose,
will tet'sive co-operation, lam convinced that they
84cuter the borough market with better chances and
44 ibellos of purchase than any of their competitors.
of, thin this House will be bought up by the agents
slid v_ Wealthy, powerful, and enterprising body,e
addouas
.to their county strength in Ireland will b.
'end burgage lecture strength in this country ,
',eat si the
Whole number of Representatives will pre-
ny 0- well-ordered and compact phalanx, animated
tille sA spurt, and impelled to the same measures by
In% otives and purposes. Let it not be
night, Sire that I am disposed to contend dint any
keratoei.diete danger is to be apprehended from the
if tllttlde of their numbers in this House (though
Pear-,r,eParts which circulate be true, it would ap-
airek4uat the system which I am foretelling has
Ile • made a beginning). But Ido contend, that
Itrill44reowi
ent bound to wait till danger threatens.
etti Proceed to a far moreimportant and inte-
fetii:g division of my subject, and I do so tinder
tletteoBlof less embarrassment and greater confi
veatitt"au those I have experienced while endeai-
g to enforce the view already presented.