The Sun.
London, England, 1842-08-06 00:00:00

THE SUN% LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING-, AUGUST 6, 1842.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT•

(TUTS DAY.)

II 0 U S E'

OF LORDS.

-
The House met to-day shortly after two o'clock, the
Earl of Shaftesbury taking his seat on the Woolsack; in
the absence of the Lord Chancellor.;
MESSAGE FROM THE COMMONS.:
A Message from the Com Mons, by Sir G. Clerk and
others, brought up the Echequer Bills Bill, the
Consolidated Fund Appropriation Bill, the Canada
Lean Bill, the Ecclesiastical Leasing Bill, the East
India Bishoprics Bill, and the Lunatic Asylum (Ireland)
Bill, all of which were read a first time. and ordered ti
be read a second time on Monday.
A Message also brought up the Bonded Cc.rn Bill and
the Court of Chancery Offices Bill, stating that the
ll.mse of Commons had agreed to the amendments of
their Lordships.
The House then adjourned till Monday at Ten o'Clock.

TRADE OF-I3RADFORJ). IiUD-

DERSFIELD,AIi

-.--
We have this week had the opportunity. of ntkim,
)ersonal inquiries in the towns of Bradford, Hudders-
ield, and Halifax, as to the state of trade. In all of
them we find the retail trades excessively depressed,
dfording indubitable evidence that the bulk of the pop.-
ation is suffering great distress and privation, eilhe'
(rota the want a work or from inadequate remtme-
-ation. Money is very scarce, and we are assure;
that the retail tradesmen find it exceedingly diffi-
cult to obtain the payment of their accounts trots
their customers, even of the respectable class. Th.
unount of money taken in the shops has fallen off to 1.
tery great extent ; and it is certain that the consump-
tion of all commodities (with scarcely an exception)
eankiter neees.sries, comforts, or luxuries, is most
seriously diminished.
The accounts we received as to the state of tin
rent branches of manufacture varied according to th.
wtual experience of the parties giving them. flan}
ssured us that they saw no improvement. But a
;(eater number expressed a belief that trade wa:
a-ginning to mend. In Bradford there is great activity
n the manufacture of figured goods ; some makers can-
tot produce enough to answer the demand ; but there is
very little doing in the plain worsted stuffs which for
uerly constituted the bulk of the trade. These figure:
ire of a remarkable variety both as to material am
pattern ; most of them have cotton warps,. which in
Joule cases are printed before they. are n oven, and
the weft is of Alpaca wool, goats' hair, or other ma-
•,erial. Worsted yarn, made of English wool, is com-
paratively little used, and in consequence the de-
mand has greatly fallen ail; especially for that kind
.ised far warps, namely, the hog wool, which has fallen
in pr.ce compared with the wether wool used for wefts_
The ingenuity of the manufacturers is ever on the
stretch to devise new and attractive styles of goods.
and changes are made so rapidly that a person who
should go out of the trade for a ) ear or two and then
return, would hardly know his business. Some of these
new styles are remarkably successful, and have a great
run ; the makers get large profits ; but very shortly
they are imitated by other manufacturers, and fre-
quently the quality is deteriorated in order to reduce
the price ; and in process of time the profits of the ma-
nufacturer are so far diminished that he abandons
that kind of work and betakes himself to Some new
chasing inventors, so as
design. Thus competition is ever stimulating industry,
oyirs a chief means of perpetual change. This
atiomn dakzci‘isnpgi imitators are atdyreeoir.cinventionstate
l
main-
taining our foreign trade ; for our rivals in other
countries have neither the capital, the machinery, nor
the enterprise to keep up with these incessant changes
and improvements. In plain goods we are frequently
beaten and undersold ; but when our trade seems to be
ruined, it suddenly assumes a new form and regains its
activity. These changes, however, are attended with
considerable loss both on machinery and on stocks of
goods, which is u drawback on their advantages.
In Huddersfield the woollen manufacture is much de-
pressed, but there is an improvement in the departments
of fancy waiscoatings and also of fancy woollens. The
manufacturers of these goods in the villages are well em-
ployed, but the wages are exceedingly low. The Hud-
dersfield market on Tuesday exhibited considerable im-
provement ; and this town has suffered less than most
others from the bad times.—Leeds Mercury.

PROTEST of DISSENTIENT PEERS.
-AGAINST THE REJECTION, ON THE SE-
COND READING, ON 4TH AUGUST, 1842, BY
TILE HOUSE OF LORDS, OF THE EARL OF
RADNOR'S BILL FOR THE TOTAL REPEAL
OF TUE CORN-LAWS.
DISSENTIENT.
L i.tvause mere exists great distress in the country,
,rising from the depressed state of commerce and ma-
iufactures, and aggravated by the high price of corn,
vhich would be greatly relieved by the passing of this
fill ; inasmuch as,
Ist. A large quantity of wheat and other corn, now in
would be forthwith released and brought into the
• market, and the present prices consequently lowered; and
2d. Au opening would be thus afforded for the futur,
,terehatvre of our manufactures for the agricultural
produce of other countries.
R. Because, even If the hope which may reasonably
e entertained, that there would thus be brought about a
-vival of commerce with foreign countries were to IN
'isappointed, the immediate operation of this Bill would
,ot full to give a stimulus to the home market, inns-
ouch as the diminished cost of necessary food would
cave to the consumer increased means for the purchase
r other articles, and thus the general fund for the em-
ployment of labour would be increased.
M. Because the repeal of the present Corn•laws is a
measure eagerly desired by a large portion of the people,
chose patient endurance of their sufferings entitles then,
o every consideration, and who attribute to it their dis-
ress, and think that to its repeal they must look for

-elief.
IV. J3ecause I believe that this measure, so eagerly
lesired by the suffering people, would .be highly
Jeneficial to every class of the community. Experience
?roves that this country does not grow corn enorigh for
its own consumption, and as it appears from returns on
the table of the House that from the year 1770, on each
sncceeding period of ten years. a larger supply of foreign
wheat has been required than in the preceding period,
Ind there can be no doubt that this progression, caused
by a rapidly increasing population will continue, a con-
stantly increasing deficiency of food will require to be
nade up by importations from foreign countries.
V. Because it is for the interest of all parties that
this supply should be commensurate in extent, and N.
temporaneons in time, with the demand, and that it
.hould be obtained at the smallest possible cost ; and
while no legislative provision can, by any contrivance,
secure these objects, the sliding scales of the Acts pro-
posed to be repealed by this Bill have a direct tendency
to prevent the attainment, and to aggravate the inconve-
nience, both of a rising and of a falling price, by hold-
ing out inducements in the first case to withhold the
supply, for the purpose of advancing the price, and con-
sequently lowering the duty ; and in the other, to pour
it into an already over-supplied market, to avoid the
hitcher duty consequent on a lower price.
\,'l. Because that which no legislative wisdom can
accomplish, will best be effected by the unceasing vigi-
lance of unrestrained commercial speculation, in the
same manner as the wants of the population of this
great town are, without any legislative provision or
administrative care on
.the part of the Govern-
ment, at all times adequately supplied from different
parts of the kingdom ; so if the arrangements of com-
merce were not interfered with by mischievous legisla-
tion, would the kingdom itself be supplied (always suffi-
ciently, never superabundantly) by the unrestrained in-
tercourse of traders, from other parts of the world, while
the competition amongst the traders themselves would
insure to the country the lowest possible prices, con-
sistent with the true interests and powers of the producers.
VII. Because a moderate price of food is manifestly
for the advantage of all the consumers thereof ; the alle-
gation that a high price is rendered necessary by the
great burdens imposed on the people, cannot by possibi-
lity apply to any but the producers ; and the benefit of a
low price to all others, is undoubtedly net the less for
their having other heavy burdens to bear. Indeed, the
producers themselves have the same interest, in as far as
they are consumers ; and inasmuch as the well-being
and prosperity of the whole tends to the benefit of every
part, I hold that the reaction of the general prosperity on
' the producers themselves, would more than compensate
for any loss consequent on their being deprived of their
monopoly.
VIII. Because it does not appear that the British
agriculturists have ever suffered from legitimate foreign
competition, or need entertain any apprehensions of it.
The periods of agricultural distress have been precisely
those when no foreign grain has come into the market,
and the years when there have been large importations,
have been those of high prices and agricultural prosperity.
IX. Because the sliding scale is fraught with other
great inconveniences. It holds out temptations to inte-
rested persons to influence, by fictitious or fraudulent
1 sales, the averages for their own advantage ; sometimes
to the injury of the public, always to the detriment of
the revenue ; and by the uncertainty which it introduces
into the amount of duty at any particular period, it keeps
out of the market the traders of distant countries, and
especially of the United States of America. Thus com-
petition is limited, the country is deprived of all the be-
nefits to be derived from the intercourse which would
arise from this trade with the people of distant countries,
who are precisely those most able to supply our wants,
and most willing to take our manufactured goods in ex-
change ; and we narrow our sources of supply to the
countries of Europe with which we can more expedi-
tiously communicate. We voluntarily and unnecessarily
deprive ourselves of an ample, and betake ourselves to
an inadequate market.
X. Because it has been found that under the operation
of the late Act there have occurred great fluctuations in
the foreign trade in corn, Sometimes, for several years
consecutively, the importations have been very great; in
others, also consecutively, quite trivial; and the trade
has thus assumed a character of unsteadiness aucl uncer-
tainty, totally inconsistent with a regular exchange of
manufacturea goods. The consequence has been, that
these large occasional importations have caused such a
derangement in the exchanges, followed by a correspond-
ing export of bullion, as has produced an alarming de-
rangement of our currency, to the great detriment of com-
merce, and the imminent dauger of public credit; and to
such an extent, that on a late occasion the Bank of Eng-
land was constrained to apply for assistance to the Bank
of Paris. The Act of the present session, does not, in
my opinion, remove the probability of the recurrence of
this danger.
XI. Because I believe that. the free intercourse in corn
will not permanently or materially lower its price. Uni-
formity of price in every country would necessarily fol-
low, limited only by the expense of carriage from the
cheaper to the dearer country ; and the price in each
will be regulated by the cost of profitable (the only
desirable) production in the dearest.
XII Because the same free intercourse will afford the
greatest possible security against the variation of price in
different seasons. The trade in corn would be no longer
subject to the uncertainties of the present system. And
the foresight of traders, sharpened by interest, and en-
lightened by extensive communications with every part
of the world, would. enable them so to apportion and
' hoard up the superabundance of one year or country for
the supply of the deficiencies of others, as to produce
the greatest attainable equality in every season.
XIII. Because this happy state of things, by removing
as far as possible from every community, and from every
member of each community, all uncertainty of the neces-
sary supply of food, and all uneasiness on that score,
would leave them at greater liberty to pursue each, that
separate vocation, manufacture, or trade, which would
be most profitable to the individual, person, or State, and
consequently most conducive to the advantage and wel-
fare of the whole.
XIV. Because no measure of precaution, no extent of
military power, no depth of diplomatic ability, would
so much as this free, unrestrained, and universally
profitable intercourse, conduce to the stability of the peace
of the world.
XV. Because I see ground for apprehension, that if
the harvest of this year should be abundant, and followed
by a succession of favourable seasons, we shall fall into
the same state in which we were in 1834, 5, and 6. Corn
will become abundant and cheap—manufactures will
probably revive, and, possibly, the necessity of the repeal
of the Corn-laws will be forrotton by those who now de-
mand it ; but on the other hand there will be complaints
of agricultural distress. Corn cultivated at a great; ex-
pense in expectation of high prices, will be produced in
abundance, and will again fall so much in value as not
to remunerate the producers. This again will lead to
a diminished cultivation, and after a few years bring back
high prices, the necessity of foreign importation, and
a renewal of distress in the manufacturing districts ;
and as each period of such distress has heretofore been
more severe and more prolonged than the preceding,
and has been accompanied by a larger importation of
foreign corn, I doubt not the text will exceed any Ititleerto
witnessed. This alternation of suffering and prosp.nity
of the agricultural and manufacturing classes, acmin-
panied in every case by a directly opposite condith a of
the other interest, is calamitous and full of danger. The
well-being of each ought to be dependent on, and con-
temporaneous with, the well-being of the other, and there
seems no reason in the nature of things why the two
interests should not uninterruptedly advance together in
prosperity and wealth. And as I believe that this strte
of things would be best biought about by leaving un-
controlled the free current of national industry, I gave
may cordial support to a Bill, the object of which n us to
leave free and unconstrained the trade in the most: im-
Fortant article of the food of the people.
RADNOR.
BROUGHAM.
KINN.AIRD AND ROSSIE.
CLONCURRY.

ROCHDALE.—PUBLIC DINNER TO SHARMAN C RAW..
FORD. ESQ., M.P.—On Tuesday evening last the:..e was
supposed to be upwards of 10,000 persons asseinb led on
an open space called the Butts, Rochdale. Mr. T aomas
Livsey, grocer, was appointed chairman, and introduced
Mr. Sharman Crawford, the. Honourable Meml er for
that borough, who was received with cheers- Mr.
CraWford olive a lengthy account of his stewardship and
votes while'p in the House of Commons, and said that at
any time when a majority of a public meeting of the in-
habitants of that borough wished him to resign us seat
in Parliament he would do so, and he would gish; annu-
-1 ally an Recount of his proceedings in Parliament. The
Hon +arable Member gave great satisfaction, and was
unanimously appointed for another year. On Wednes-
day a pubic dinner was given to Mr. Crawford, at the
Commercial Rooms, Tweedal's Hotel, when upwards of
200 of the electors dined with him. After the cloth was
drawn, William Chadwick, Esq., Magistrate, w is ap-
pointed chairman. Mr. Crawford again gave an ac-
count of his votes, &c. Speeches were made by John
Bright, William Barton, and several persons of CI artist
I
principles, and all apreared highly satisfied with the con-
duct of Mr. Crawford as a Member of Parliament.
__ _

We understand that there is a slight revival in the
warp• tatting branch, but to what extent. does not at pre-
sent appear. This extensive manufacture being but ht a
few hands, the masters have every advantage of keepi ug
the actual state of the demand from their work-people.
—Nottingham Journal.