The Sun.
London, England, 1827-06-13 00:00:00

corrected by such means. In fact, instead of removing the
facility of perpetrating fraud, this clause would actually
create it, by furnishing the motive and supplying the means
for its commission. The effect of the amendment would,
he repeated, supply to speculators in the market that strong
additional motive to raise the averages, by pointing out the
facility of their combining, in one great body, to make
the price suitable to the operation which they were
bent upon accomplishing, instead of being now left
to act as individuals, often counteracting each other
in their speculations, and for the decided advantage of
the public. The proposed clause obviously pointed out
this necessity of combining to bring the price up to that
point, which would let in the rush of the foreign commo-
dity, and thereby expose the home-grower to the constant
elternation between probably very high and low prices,
without his being at any time able to snake a rational esti-
mate of his profits prospectively. He wished as much as
any man could to support the landed interest ; and when
lie reflected upon this question, he had done so with the
knowledge that if lei had made a wrong conclusion in this
disc barge of his public duty, it was one which must sen-
sibly involve his private interests as a landowner, it any
danger arcse to the fair profits of agriculture. It was,
however, the deliberate reoilt of his best consideration,
that the proposed clause would extend all the evils which
it professed to repair; and lie felt bound to warn their
Lordships, that by adopting it they risked the great ad-
vantage of closing this great question for ever, and also re-
moved from their own seasonable control that stock of
foreign corn which was hitherto safely standing for their
benefit under the protection of British law. A Noble
Lcrd had said that it was but just and fair to the agricul-
turist to let him know what he was to expect in the shape
of a remunerating price for his commodity. He wished it
was possible to furnish this valuable piece of information
to the agriculturist ; but every reflecting man must know
they had not the power .of doing so.—(Hear.)—Was it
possible, from any information which either theory or
practice could supply, to secure for any commodity which
was subject to the variety of seasons and the influence of
speculation, any thing like a fixed standard of price ? The
thing was, from the experience of the last 30 years, quite
impracticable ; and the only way open to them was so to
regulate, adjust, and modify, the foreign admission, as to
preserve a fair and steady medium price, and secure the
public in the event of a contingency. That object was
effected as far as wisdom and caution could accomplish it
by this Bill, and the warehousing system was an essen-
tial part of the operating means of providing the benefit.
A Noble Lord had referred to the state of Ireland as
one reason why be approved of the clause, because its
adoption tended to improve the quality of the food
to be used by the Irish people. He (Lord Lansdowne)
wished as cordially as any man could, to see an improve-
ment effected in the food of the people of Ireland, and that
wheat should be consumed in a greater proportion by them
than potatoes. But the Noble Lord in making this allu-
sion, really presumed on that confusion of ideas which was
sometimes specially attributed to the inhabitants of the Sis-
ter Kingdom, when he ventured to assert that the way to
tielp the poor Irish to eet flour instead of potatoes, was to
r line the price of it.—(A laugh, and hear.)--Upon the ge-
neral bearing of this measure, he felt in common with many
others who had given it their attention, that the best way
of affording protection to the agricultural interests, and to
prevent labourers being thrown out of employment, was to
prevent that violent fluctuation in the price, which was al-
ways injerious to the grower and consumer. He voted for
the Bill in its original state, because he most conscientiously
believed it to be the best adapted for the real and solid inte-
r,Lats of the landowner. (The Noble Marquis then went on
to correct the misunderstanding created by a passage in the
letter a the President of the Board of Trade. The purport
of the passage which had been brought into question was,
that Government might probably agree to detain the corn
now warehoused in bond, till the price should reach 665.,
with the understanding, that all corn imported afterwards
should be subjected to the regulations of the new law.)—
He appealed to the House, if this did not differ Coto
colo from the proposition as stated by the Noble Duke
on the cross-benches. Let their Lordships look at the acts
of 1815 and 1822, and they would find that the principle
of the Right Hon. President of the Board of Trade pre-
vailed in both of those Acts. And now, in consonance
with that principle, he proposed 665. •as the price upon
which the corn now bonded should be released ; but that
the importation should turn in future on the pivot of 605.,
the maximum. He pointed out the danger of driving the
profits of warehousing to the ports of France and Holland,
and of compelling those who had already bonded corn in
this country to re-export it, and bring it in under the
lower duty, which they could do with a profit. He
would, therefore, vote for the Bill without the amendment.
Their Lordships ought not, by clamour, to suffer them-
selves to be diverted from doing that which they thought
essential to the public good. But they ought to take
with that maxim this qualification—that it was the part of
a wise Legislature to choose the proper moment for mea-
sures of such great importance, when the passions of the
people were least agitated,—when, as at present, there was
no apprehension of famine or scarcity, and no great agricul-
tural distress. It was no less for the benefit of the landed
interest than for that of every other class within the coun-
try, that their Lordships should assent to the Bill.
Lord REDESDALE supported the amendment, not
because it was a sufficient protection for the landed inte-
rest, but because it was the only protection which they
could hope to obtain, instead of the prohibition to which
they were entitled, after the legislature had gradually de-
stroyed the value of the wool, cheese, butter, and all other
agricultural produce, except grain.
A division then took place. For the Amendment—
Content 85 Proxies 48-133
Not Content 78 Proxies 44-122
Majority ll
On our re-admission to the bar, . _

Lord GODERICII was understood to waive, in the pre-
sent stage of the Dill, any further opposition to the other
amendments. Accordingly the amendments were carried
seriatim, without discussion or division.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE asked if Ministers in-
tended to acquiesce in the Amendments on the third read-
ing of the Bill, or to oppose them?
After a moment's pause, Lord GODERICH rose and
said, that the question was not regular enough in any case
to require him to answer it; but he would so far inform
the Noble Earl, that be himself must have more time to
consider, before he could make up his mind as to what
course he would take. _

Lord CLIFDEN said, that he was not responsible for
the Bill, nor one of his Majesty's Ministers ; but if he were
one of them, he would advise them to throw away the
Bill at once, and leave all the popularity of such a proceed-
ing to the Noble Lords opposite.
After a question from Earl STANHOPE, as to the time
of the third reading, it was ordered for Friday next.
Adjourned at Eleven o'Clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, TUESDAY, JUNE 12.
The House met for business this evening at the usual

hour.

Mr. CLERK, from the East India House, brought up a
copy of the Resolutions of the Directors, u to Salaries and
Pensions.—Laid on the table.

A person from the King's Bench Prison brought up a
return of the number of prisoners confined in the King's
Bench.—Laid on the table.

TEST AND CORPORATION ACTS.

Mr. PRICE presented a petition from Roas, for the re-
peal of the above Acts. Similar petitions were presented
from Bury St. Edmund's, by Sir W. Rowley ; from Ho-
niton, Devon, by Mr. Guest; from Kirkham, Lancashire,
by Mr. Stanley ; from a Congregation assembled for re-
ligious worship at the High-street Chapel, Warwick, by.
Mr. 1. Wood ; from Southampton, by Mr. Fleming ;
from Kent, by Sir E. Knatehbull ; and from several,places
in Cornwall, by Mr. Pendarvee•
Sir E. KNATCHBULL presented a petition from
Dover, praying that a duty might be laid on the importa-
tion of Foreign Wool.
BOROUGH OF PENRYN.

Mr. DAVIES GILBERT presented a petition from the
Inhabitants of the Hundreds adjoining Penryn, praying
that the elective franchise should not be transferred to
Manchester or any other City, but to the adjoining Hun-
dreds, which the petition stated contained above 100,000
inhabitants. The Hon. Gentleman stated, in support of
the petition, that he knew the Hundreds referred to conl.
tained as many independent gentlemen, as any district of
the same size in England ; and that Cornwall had not more
than its proportion of representatives; for though it sent a
greater number of Members to this Home, a majority of
those Members were in some way e,onneeted with this
County.—Laid on the table.

Mr. LLOYD presented a Petition from the Attornies
of Ireland, praying that their case should be referred to the
Committee Inquiry, to regulate their fees.
Sir NEWPORT had no objection to the
ap-
pointmentir JOHN of IrishNE wi)
ofanew
Commission,
but strongly objected to
burthening the Committee of Inquiry with new business.
Mr. HUME presented a Petition from a person named