The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-29 00:00:00

raised the duties upon woollen manufactures from 30 dollars.
to 50 per cent.?
Sir IL PEEL said he deeply regretted to say, not merely
for its commercial effect, that he had reason to believe that the
accounts with respect to the French ordinance; were founded in
fact. The accounts which had been received were extremely
brief, but they were in conformity with those which had ap-
peared in the public Journals. It was not true, he believed
that the Prussian League had raised the duty on cotton wool ;
at least he earnestly hoped that the reports on that subject
were entirely without foundation.

Lord NVOILSLEY said that if it had been intimated at the
last election that the present Government would act upon the
principles of free trade they would not have received such ex-
tensive support.. They had gone much further than the late
Government, and they were supported iu their measures by
those who had formerly opposed free trade.
Mr. M. GIBSON said the great
,principle after all—and it
was that principle for which the late Corn. law League contended_
was that they should be allowed to buy corn and all other
articles at the cheapest market. He had been a good deal
amongst commercial men, and he had found a great progress of
opinion on this subj,ct. He believed that great progress had
Ewen made, and would still be made, by the assistance of lec-
turers to be sent into different yarts of the country.—(" Oh I
oh !") No man conic! subscribe to a mere useful ohject than that
of sending lecturers throughout the country, to impress upon it
those principles upon which the Riglit Hon. Baronet at the
head of the f,:overi,ment, and the Minister of their choice, bad
founded his measures. He would assure the House that the
events of the last few months had given great encouragement
to the Anti-Corn-law League.
The SPEAKER then put the question that the Bill do pass,
which was agreed to.
BRITISH POSSESSIONS ABROAD RILL.

On the Order of the Day for the third reading of the British
Pcssessions Abroad Bill being read,
Mr. L A BOUCHERE rose to move, pursuant to notice,
"to continue the exemption from duty on wheat-flour im-
ported into Canada." He said he would not detain the House
at any length. The law, as it at present stood, allowed the im-
port of all articles duty free from the United States into
Canada. That law had been introduced by his lamented friend
Lord Sydsnham. One of the advantages arising from it wag
the reduction of Customs' establishments on the borders of
Canada. He was, therefore, much surprised, when he
found that the present Bill, which was generally
a Bill of relaxation, proposed that the law which
had worked so well should be altered. lie did not
ask the House to make any new law, but all he
desired was that the House should not sanction a new
law in the direction of restriction. He hoped Honourable
Gentlemen would attend to the one argument urged by
the Government, and that the House would 'agree with him
that an exemption which continued for ten years ought not to
be done away with. The Right Hon. Gentleman then moved
that the exemption from duty on wheat flour imported into
Canada be continued.

The clause was then brought up, and having been read a
second time,

Mr. GL ADSTONE said that the House would not expect
him to go at length into the subject after the decision to which
the House had already come. With regard to the argument
which the Right Hon. Gentleman thought so little of, he eon-
sideted it was valid so far as it went, though it was not one of
practical importance. The rules which applied to their colo-
nies ought to be carried out equally and impartially, and it was
an important consideration in itself that those rules should not
be relaxed for particular purposes. To adopt the clause of the
Right Hon. Gentleman would not only be a hardship upon
Newfoundland, but on all the West India Colonies. if the en-
trance of flour into those colonies was taxed, and if at the same
time exporting colonies were allowed to receive. it duty free,
under the cover of differential duties, it would be, great hard-
ship on those colonies. He should therefore oppose the clause.
Mr. HUTT considered the Bill of the Right Hon. Gentle-
man would tend to establish a Corn-law in America. It
was not proposed for the purposes of revenue, but for the
purposes of excluding flour from Canada, and if it were pro-
posed to devise some means by which the population of a colony
could be made extremely small, and by which its local and
economical relations would be most disturbed, those objects
would be best secured by the present
The House then divided, when there appeared—
For the clause
For the amendment
Majority against Mr. Labouchere's motion --77
On our re-admission to the gallery, we found,
Mr. MILNER GIBSON on his legs, moving the omission
of the clause, imposing a ten per cent. ad valorem duty on
foreign sugar, refined in bond, and exported from
England to any of our colonial possessions. The
Right Hon. Gentleman had distinctly stated that it was not his
intention to place any duty on articles imported into the colonies
into the produce of which British labour entered. The British
Parliament had no right to lay duties on articles imported into
the colonies for the purposes of revenue, but merely for the
purpose of regulating commerce. The Right rlon. Gentle-
man had laid down that principle, and acting on it, he had re-
pealed all the Acts imposing duties on artieles of British manu-
factures imported into the colonies. Now, sugar refined in
bond in this country was undoubtedly an article of British
manufacture. The imposing this duty was acting contrary to
the spirit of the Declaratory Act. It would, besides, be pre-
judicial to the West India planters, who would not be able to
replace the sugar sent to this country at so low a cost as he did
at present. It would, moreover, be very injurious to the sugar
refiners of this country; for these reasons he should move that
the clause be struck out of the Bill.

Mr. GLADSTONE did not consider the Declaratory Act
alluded to at all affecting the question. 'I he duty of twenty per
cent., which, under the old law, was only a nominal protec-
tion, would be, under the prapesed law, a real protection. All
the parties with whom he had communicated, and who were
connected with the sugar refining trade, were satisfied with the
proposed arrangement.
Mr. HUME considered the Government proposition a new
tax, for which there was no reason, and he therefore would sup-
port the proposition of his Hon Friend.
Mr. LABOUCHERE did not see that the proposition of the
Right lion. Gentleman opposite ate all altered the condition of
the British and colonial refiners.
After a short conversation the House divided, when the num-
bers were—
For the clause
Against it
Majority
The clause was then agreed to, and the Bill read a third time
and passed.
POOR-LAW AMENDMENT BILL.

The Committee on this Bill p,as postponed to Thersday next.

NEW SOUTH WALES BILL.
The Report on this Bill was brought up and received.
Third reading on Thursday next.
STOCK IN TRADE BILL.

The Stock in Trade Bill passed through Committee.
Report this day.
The District Prison Bill went through Committee, and was
ordered to be reported to .morrow.
LOSS OF BANK NOTES.

Mr. WALLACE postponed his motion for the return, which
shows the loss of money, bank notes, bills, &c., when entrusted
to the Post-office, and to move resolutions accordingly till next
Session.