The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-24 00:00:00

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LONDON
THURSDAY MORNING, FEBRUARY 24, 1842.

We are afraid that the public will learn with no
satisfaction that the debate was not concluded last night,
though Sir 11. PEEL spoke, and did what he could to
bring on a division. He even at the close of his speech
expressed very emphatically a hope that after the division,
and after the motion was negatived by a large majority,
the House would proceed as quickly as possible, with a due
regard to proper deliberation, to pass his measure into a
law. He urged this beeause commerce would not be
settled till it knew what those other. measures were
which her MAJESTY'S - Government were prepared to
bring forward. We are not ourselves convinced that this
is not a proper wish.
It is now quite clear, we are afraid, that from the
Parliament nothing more is to be got than the measures
proposed by the Government. Success must be obtained,
not by proceedings in Parliament, where right prin-
ciples are deserted by the Whigs, but by proceedings
out of Parliament ; and probably the sooner attention is
now diverted from that assembly to the means by which
public sentiment can be brought efficaciously to bear on
the aristocracy, the nearer we shall be to the attainment
of justice.

Besides, whatever of settlement and improvement
the measures of the Ministers can give to trade,
should as speedily as possible be brought about. We

are, therefore, more inclined to adopt the view which
the Times took of the scheme yesterday. That
Journal, after showing that it was without any jus-
tification whatever, concluded by . expressing a hope
that it might, as speedily as possible, become a law.
Delaying it may add to the distress, passing it
can have no such immediate effects, and, there-
fore, probably the best plan will be to look, in
the first instance, beyond the Parliament, to obtain that
justice which the Parliament steadily and obstinately
denies the people.
Sir ROBERT PEEL'S was the great speech of the
evening, and though we cannot now examine it, we
must say that it made out no defence whatever for the
existing law, and showed no good reason why it should
not be repealed. In fact, Sir ROBERT PEEL
has • come completely over to our opinion,
and admits that the law has done no good
to agriculture. We have stated more than
once, that the growth and success of manufactures con-
stitute a greater stimulus to agriculture than all the
laws that ever were passed since the days of MINos. We
stated that expressly, to show that agriculturists had no
reason to dread the abolition of the law. To our sur-
prise, and to our infinite satisfaction, we heard Sir R.
PEEL almost use our words last night, and say, th.at
the growth of manufactures was of more importance to
the success of agriculture t,hitn any Corn-laws. By that
he gives up the whole question in dispute. There is
not the shadow of a doubt that the Corn-laws injure
manufactures ; by injuring manufactures they must in-
jure agriculture. In fact the stimulus, as we have
before said, given to agriculture by the increase
of population, and the growth of manufactures, is
so great, that the influence of laws, however contrived,
is as nothing compared .to it. Under the shadow of
manufactures, then, and not under the shadow of the
law, have the great interests involved in agriculture
grown up. As they are not caused or even protected by
the law, to repeal it, which would increase manufactures,
would also stimulate agriculture, and be the best means
of increasing and protecting its complicated interests.
Sir ROBERT PEEL boggled • indeed at the effects
of the law, and concluded that it must be
beneficial, because the Legislature passed it for that
purpose. lie inconsistently said he would not repeal it,
while he admitted that it does no good. We can assure
him and his party that he has given up the whole case
in stating that manufactures are more useful to agricul-
ture than a Corn-law. ~
We shall return to Sir ROBERT PEEL'S speech,
which was a mere piece of special pleading be-
tween manufactures and agriculture, if the
whole community consisted of cotton lords and