The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-09 00:00:00

4,rt jam--'

LONDON?
THURSDAY MORNING, JUNE 9, 1842.

The House of Commons last night, though the guiding
'master was absent, presented a much more sober ap-
pearance than the night before. In truth, it was engaged
with subjects somewhat of a melancholy nature, which
probably came home to the pecuniary interests of some
of the Members. The larger portion of the evening was
employed in discussing the two important questions of
the duty on cotton wool, and on sheep wool. On both,
one after another, it was proposed by Dr. BOWRING to re-
duce the duty on cotton, as settled in the tariff,
from 2s. 11d. per cwt. to Id. ; and by Mr. WooD, on
wool, from :4d. or ld. per lb. for different sorts, to 18.
per cwt. in making these motions both gentlemen, fol-
lowed by others, drew some lugubrious pictures of the
prese
nt state of our manufactures, and of the effects Of
these duties. Their facts and their arguments were
thrown away. Sir ROBERT PEEL was not present ; and,
of course, his subordinates, the most active of whom
was his man, GLADSTONE, could not make any altera-
tion in his scheme. In both cases the Committee de-
cided by considerable majorities, 53 in the first case and
57 in the second, to do as the absent Dictator bade
them; and, in spite of the strong evidence that was laid
before them, that they were inflicting irreparable mis-
chief on these two great branches of our manufacture
they votei to continue the present duties on cotton wool:
and sheep wool.

On both questions some of the usual supporters of
Ministers went against them. Mr. WILSON PATTEN
spoken in favour k,f the reduced duty on cotton wool,
and Mr. BECEETT strenuously advocated the reduction
of the duty on sheep wool. Mr. C. WOOD proved by a
series of facts and figure, that our woollen trade was
going to decay, and that we were cut out of foreign
markets by the French and the Germans. Mr. BF.CKETT
confirmed this, and emphatically stated that up to this
time no improvement whatever had taken place in
the trade of Leeds. He quoted a case in which
an order for 10,0001. of goods, for, we believe
the China market, had been taken from Leeds and exe-
cuted at Aix-la-Chapelle, which the abolition of the
. .
• duty would haveenabled the parties to execute at

Leeds. Of that 10,0001., he said 2,500/. would have gone
to pay wages. This is only a specimen of what takes
place through every part of our manufactures. High
duties and high prices prevent orders ; the mills aro
stopped, and wages are lessened by several 100,0001. Here
by a single example, Mr. BECKETT taught us the whole
theory of the public distress. It all had no effect either
on the absent or on the present Ministers. It was im-
possible, Mr. GLADSTONE said, that the Government
could spare such an amount of revenue. To give up
these ruinous imposts would compel a complete revision
of Sir ROBERT PEEL'S financial scheme. So he demon-
strated that the scheme was a mischievous one ; and so he
told the suffering people in very plain language, not very
wisely we thought, that the Government and the wants
of the Government were the causes why they can get
no wages, and why they are suffering such deep dis-
tress. Such important questions ought not to have
been incidentally discussed on a Wednesday night, in
the absence of Sir ROBERT PEEL. It is not likely tl_ie
decision of the Committee will be final ; and the Go-
vernment, we believe, will have to revise that part of
tariff at no distant date.

The division lists inform us that Messrs. BECKETT,
BECKETT DENISON, HARDY, LASCELLES, and STEUART
WORTLEY, being connected with Yorkshire, though To-
ries, voted against their party, and for the reduction of
the duty on sheep wool. We regret to add, that their
conduct was dictated by merely local, and, in legislators,
very paltry motives, for every one of them voted to con-
tinue the high duties on cotton wool. They were wil-
ling to ruin the cotton trade, by continuing an injurious
impost on it, -iv hich they haft shown was ruining the
woollen trade. What can the public expect front such
inconsistent, partial, and, we may almost say, personrl
legislation ?

The uproar which the contending theological factions
have been for some time keeping up at Oxford, is stilled
for the present. The Puseyites have gained a complete
victory over the Hampdenites and the Heads of Houses. By
a majority of 115, in a convocation of 553 members of the
University, who had been collected from all quarters, it
has Leen decided not to rescind the statute passed six
years ago against Dr. HAMPDEN. Till another occasion
fur a contest arises, the parties will be quiet. If the
Puseyites suffered a temporary defeat by the rejection of
their:' candidate fur the Professorship of Poetry, they
have now taken an ample vengeance on their opponents.
Then have gained strength by their former defeat, and,
as the Bishop of
.OXFORD in his Puseyite charge said,
the authors of the " Tracts for the Times " have thriven
by persecution. The Puseyites at present hold
the power of the University in their hands. Now,
we may look for vigils, and fast days, and all the
other popish ceremonials which still form a part of the
Common Prayer Book, though neither people nor priests
thought of practising them till the Puscyite revival.
We shall soon have them all enforced, if the people will
submit to them. Perhaps—and we mention this that
our readers may not lose all hope—as the Church
in the south of the island approximates to Popery, the
Kirk in the north may recede from it ; and that betwixt
the two bodies of priests the public will by and by fall
into the flowery and sweet garden of mental inde-
pendence. The contentions of the clerical bodies, north
and south, must in the end have a wholesome influence
on the public mind,