The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-26 00:00:00

GLASS DUTIES.

Dr. BOWRING wished to put a question to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer. He wished to know
whether, suppoeing the existing duties on glass were re-
moi'ed, it was his intention to repeal the duties on foreign
glass
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that if the Hen. Gentleman would look to the schedule
that had been laid on the table, he would find that a cor-
responding alteration had been made in the duty on
foreign glass.

SUGAR DUTIES.
Mr. VILLIERS, seeing the Vice-President of the
Board of Trade in his place, wished to put to him a
question affecting the debate of the evening. It had
been stated as one chief justification of the;high differen-
tial duty that those restraints which used to exist with
foreign countries would still continue. It was also
stated that the duty on refined sugar would still con-

tinue as usual.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that the resolutions on the table of the House would
answer the questions of the Hon. Member. It would be
seen from them that it was intended to introduce refined
sugar at increased duties.
MEDICAL REFORM BILL.
Lord HOWICK presented a petition against the
Medical Reform Bill.
BISHOPRIC OF BATH AND WELLS.
Mr. COLLETT rose to put the questions to the First
Lord of the Treasury, of which he had given notice, with
respect to the bishopric of Bath and Wells. He wished
to know whether it was the intention of the Government
to appoint another bishop during the life of the present
incumbent, and whether it was their intention to unite
the diocese with that of Salisbury on the death of the
piasent Bishop.
'Sir R. PEEL could not avoid expressing his astonish-
ment when the notice was first given by the Hon. Mem-
ber. To the first of his questions he could only reply
that the Government had no power to make any such
appointment, and, therefore, his answer was decidedly in
the negative. To the second question he would defer
all answer, at least for the present.
Mr. COLLETT then gave notice that he would move
for leave to bring in a Bill to consolidate the dioceses of
Bath and Wells with that of Salisbury, on the demise of
the present Bishop of Bath and Wells.—(Hear.)
METROPOLITAN GRAVE-YARDS.
Sir F. EGERTON wished to draw the attention of
the Right Hon. Baronet, the Secretary for the Home
Department, to a shocking circumstance which came out
in evidence before a police magistrate. It appeared that,
in some of the crowded churchyards of the metropolis
(one was instanced in the neighbourhood of Clerken-
well) it was the custom to inter the bodies pro tenspore,
and shortly afterwards to burn them. He wished to
know if the Right Hon. Baronet intended to adopt any
measures to prevent this desecration ?
Sir J. GRAHAM had, never heard of the practice
referred to, but the circumstances mentioned by the
Right Hon. Baronet would have his best attention.
SUGAR DUTIES.—SUPPLY.
On the motion that the order of the day for the House
resolving itself into a Committee of Supply be read,
Mr. MILNER GIBSON begged to offer a short ex-
planation of part of the statement he made on the sugar
duties question a few nights since. As it had been sup-
posed that, in his estimate of the cost of producing a
hundred-weight of sugar, he had not included all the
expenses, he begged to say that in his estimate he had
included salaries, wages, taxes, &c,—(Hear, hear.)
Lerd JOHN RUSSELL then rose and said—Sir, I
believe that the House is now about to enter upon the
consideration of a question of very great importance,
brought forward by the Right Hon. the Chancellor of
the Exchequer. It is a motion of great importance,
not only in a financial, but in a commercial point of view.
The Right Honourable Gentleman, in this proposition,
had laid down those two propositions—first, that it is
desirable and necessary to renew the income-tax for a
further limit ; and, secondly, that the use to be made of
the surplus revenue which this tax will create, or
a great portion of it. is to apply it to the relief of
the country from certain other taxes, and to in-
crease the trade and commerce of the manufacturing
districts. With regard to the first of these proposi-
tions, I need not dwell upon it, for the House
has already, by a great majority, agreed to the renewal
of the income-tax, thereby declaring that, if the other
taxes about to be proposed shall appear to this House
to be the best that could be proposed, the House has no
objection to try the experiment proposed in this respect
by the Right Honourable Baronet at the bead
of her Majesty's Government. But with respect
to the second proposition, that appears to me
to
be one of such vast importance as to require
more careful and deliberate consideration, as it would
materially affect certain articles of consumption. And
• the first of these articles is sugar ; and it would appear
to me, though such has not beeen stated by her
majesty's Government, that h
Government are to make sucht anyleawlteerateifon thein
the duty on this article as will place the ma-
nufacturers of sugar in a position that will not
e
them room to complain that those duties had beee
lightly
iv
altered. If that be so, I think this House should take
cure to see that certain necessary and indispensable
con-
ditions should be complied with. The first of those s
to take care that no enactment on the subject should be of
an- inconsistent or contradictory nature in itself ; and
• secondly, that there should not be taken from off arti-
cles of commerce a greater amount of taxes than would
be necessary for the purposes of the revenue, and at the
same time do justice to the West India grower, by gibing
bim such an amount of protection as may be necessary.
The first objection that I have to this proposition is,
that it professes to keep up a distinction which
I hold
to be impracticable, between the produce of
foreign free
and slave labour. That this project is illusory seems
to me a proposition so plain that, if it were not that the
plan of the Government contemylates a contrary course,
I should hardly attempt to detain the House any length