The Sun.
London, England, 1842-04-30 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

Oiis.—For Olive Oil this week, holders ate firm, and have
obtained 601 to 611 for Gallipoli, and 541 to 551 for Spanish.
Linseed Oil for home consumption and export at 34s 6d, and
for delivery at 34s 9d to 35s per cwt.. Rape Oil at 47s 6d for
pale, and 46s 6d for brown. Palm Oil 311 to 311 lOs paid for
first quality. Cocoa Nut Oil fine at 40s per cwt. Cod Oil
firm at 291 lOs to 301 per tun. Pale Seal Oil at 381 10s to
381 15s; brown Oil at 291 lOs to 30/ 10s per tun. Southern
has met with little attention. Sperm at lower rates.
This afternoon Southern Oil at lower rates—common to
fine pale quality selling at 291 to 311 lOs per tun. Sperm Oil
of British Fishing at 761 to 781 per tun.
TALLOW.—Although the stock of Foreign Tallow is heavy,
and is 3,670 casks greater than at this period last year, still
prices do not give way. 46s 3d to 46s 6d have been the cur-
rent rates for Petersburgh Yellow Candle. For delivery in
the last three months at 48s 3d to 48s 6d per cwt. South
American at former terms. Town Tallow at 45s nett cash.
This afternoon there was little business transacted in P. Y.
Candle, and 46s 3d is the value on the spot ; at auction 115
casks 62 skins Ibrial went at 44s 6d to 45s 3d ; 60 casks
Odessa Yellow Candle 45 6d to 45s 9d per cwt.

COUNTRY CORN MARKETS.

Oats.

Beans.

Peuc.

Per Quarter
Boston
Braintree
ighton
Chichester
Dunmow
Grantham
Grimsby
Hailsham,
Hi tch in
Ipswich
Lewes
Lynn
Maidstone
Norwich ..
Pctworth
Rom ford
Sandwich
Tnetford

a. to $.
35 38
33 38
32 41
29
36 40
26 40
36 40
36 40
30 34
34 43
21 . 30
34 36
28 32
38 40
32 34
3 40
34 31
33 C 9
40 44
31 34
24 31
38 40
April 26
9a. 6.;, to 93 fki
93 9 6
00 0 0
70 8 3
66 7 9
8 6 10 0
27 3 2
2 10 3 0
1000* "u 00
30 9 CO 0
38 4 0
0000 3 6 :4 10
380 40 u
34 0 36
• 30 0 88
40 0 42 0
• 36 0 49 0
48 0 54 0
43 0 49
25 6 27
▪ 8 0 49 tt
• 3 0 36 0
48 0 13 0

b.
3) 48
35 4U
34 37

24 3';
3:2 36

29 32

29 30
33 31
3C St

32 34
3i 38
26 94
38 88
38 41
34 96
26 $2
39 48

a' HOUSE OF LORDS, April 29.
ROYAL ASSENTS.
The Royal Assent was given by Commission, at Fear
o'Clock this day, -to the following Bills :—the SpirA
Duties (Ireland) Bill ; the Corn Importation Bill ; tl o
Edinburgh and. Glasgow Railway Bill ; the Nottingh: m
Gas Bill ; and the St. Austen Market-House Bill.
The Lords Commissioners were, the Lord Chancellor,
Lord Wharncliffe, and the Duke f Buccleuch.
The House then adjourned during pleasure.
The House resumed at Five o'Clock.
Several private Bills wt re brought up from the Com-
mons and read a first time.
SEVERN NAVIGATION BILL.
This Bill was read a third time and passed.
CHARGE AGAINST A. MAGISTRATE.
_ _

The Marquis of NORMANBY said he was now about
to ask the question of which he had given notice to the
Noble Lord opposite, respecting the case of a gentlemen
named Biddulph. The charge was one which would
'press hard against an individual, and therefore he (the
Noble Marquis) would not make it unless he were.
obliged by the strongest feeling of public duty. It
would be recollected that in the course of the last Ses-
sion a Noble Earl, not now in his place,
made a motion, impugning the conduct of the first
of the three Juries who tried the case with which Mr.
Biddulph was connected. lie (the Noble Marquis) then
said that the Solicitor-General had approved of the
conduct of the Jury. Some time after a letter was
read from Mr. Biddulph to the effect that what
he (the Noble Marquis) had said was not accurate ;
upon which he wrote to the Solicitor-General, who sent
an answer which confirmed what he (the Noble Marquis)
had said of the Jury. Another fact was, that in the
month of July a Jury said to have been dismissed for
disagreement was dismissed because one of them became
Suddenly ill. The conduct of the Crown prosecutors was
best proved from the fact that those who were to be tried
on a capital charge were admitted to bail. Now he
(the Noble Marquis) would draw the attention of the
House to the conduct of Mr. Biddulph with respect
to this case. He had evidence in his hand, fur-
nished by two newspapers of opposite parties, which
gave a report of the cross-examination of Mr. Biddulph
and his servant, and from this report it appeared that
between the two trials Mr. Biddulph did endeavour to
make the two prisoners fly from justice. His steward,
Castles, said, that by desire of his master, he went to the
father of one of the prisoners to induce him to persuade
his son to fly ; and when the old man said what will be-
come of the bail, then Castles' answer was, "I dare say
the Government will not look after the matter." Now,
if this report turned out to be true, it certainly behoved the
Government to inquire into the case. Here was a.
Magistrate employed to execute the law, acknowledging
upon his oath, and confirmed in his acknowledgment by
the oath of his servant, that he (the Magistrate) had
endeavoured to induce persons bound over to take their
trials for a serious offence to fly from the country. Mr.
Biddulph's notion might, perhaps, be an amiable weakness,
but what would have been the result if his advice had been
taken ? Why, that the prejudice raised against the
former Jury, which he had assisted to establish by his
communications to that House, would have been confirmed,
and it would have been impossible to convince
the public that that Jury had done its duty.
The facts were notorious, and were made public through
the medium of the newspapers; and he must say he was
much surprised that the attention of the Government
had not been called to this matter, and it must have been
the duty of certain parties engaged in this affair to call
the attention of the Government to it. When the
former Ministry were in office, it was customary at the
conclusion of every assize for confidential reports
to be made to the Attorney-General of everything
remarkable which took place during the assize.
If that plan had been followed out in this case, he
thought this matter would not have been allowed to go
on. . He wished to know whether any communication
had taken place between Mr. Biddulph and the Irish
Government.
Earl DE GRY said, that when the Noble Marquis
gave notice of this question, he (Earl de Grey) stated
that he knew nothing of the case, but that he would en-
deavour to ascertain the merits of the case ; and as the
matter had been commented on in a very unjust and un-
truthful manner, he should wish to say a few words upon
it. Mr. Biddulph's offences were tried at throe assizes ; at
the first there was no verdict ; at the second a Juror was
taken ill ; and at the third the prisoner was acquitted.
Their Lordships would know that a person in office had
a good deal to do beside looking into the newspapers ;
he might see them or he might not, and he (Lord De
Grey) could truly say that last year he was perfectly
ignorant of the matter, and he knew nothing at all of
it till within the last week. Every Government must, of
course, act through its accredited agents, and with
respect to the present agents he believed that no change
had taken place, and the very same gentlemen now filled
the offices at the assizes as filled them previous to his
entering office, and as no orders had been given theni, he,
(Lord 1)e G.) believed they had not altered their practice.
If anything occurred in assizes on the part of the Magis-
trates, the Judge takes note of it, and communicates his
observations to the Government. The Judge upon that
Assize, Chief Justice Pennefather, had made no communi-
cation to the Government on the subject. It was true
that ho was ill for some time, and that might be the cause
of his silence. But the fact was, however, that no peti-
tion, memorial, or other communication on the subject
had reached the Government. He would not undertake
to say that it was not the duty of the Government
to read the newspapers ; he could only say if
they did so it would be very laborious.—(Laughter.)
If they did so they would find a great deal of advice as
to who was to be dismissed and who was to be promoted.
He had written to Ireland, but had not yet received the
answer of the Lords Justices, who would, no doubt,
take every means for ascertaining whether Mr. Biddulph
had acted in the manner of which he was charged. The
Lord-Lieutenant of the County, who was unquestionably
a gentleman of vigilance and impartiality, had made no
communication to the Govermnent on the subject of Mr.
Biddulph ; but he was no snore bound to read the
newspapers than was the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland.
He had only to state the case so far as it affected the
Government ; he had given instructions to have the
case inquired into, and would do his best to have justice
done with every impartiality.
The Marquis of NORMANBY thought that, from
the state the matter appeared to have reached, it would
be improper for him to press it further. As to its being
no part of the duty of a Lord-Lieutenant to read the
newspapers, if no other reports of trials at the Assizes
appeared they were the best available.
Earl FOUTESCUE trusted the affair would have the
effect of rendering their Lordships less ready to lend an
ear to the impututions so frequently thrown out against
the conduct of the Irish Juries when a verdict of
conviction *as not immediately given.
BOROUGH MAGISTRATES.
The Marquis of NORMANBY presented a petition
from the Town-council of Gateshead against the late
addition to the Magistracy of that borough. In Bath
the number of Conservative Magistrates had been
increased, and in Chester there had been eight Magi-
strates, four of whom were Liberaleand three Conserva-
tives ; and six Conservatives have since been added.
He wished to call the attention of the Noble and Learned
Lord to this fact, us he (the Marquis of Normanby)
considered that his question, on a former occasion, had
not been fully answered, viz., that additions had been
made without reference to any public body, but upon the
private responsibility of partisans.
The LORD CHANCELLOR was quite sure the
House would not much like this subject being intro-
duced night after night, and he had no doubt it would be
equally irksome for their Lordships to hear him on the
subject. He admired the nonchalance with which his
Noble Friend had brought forward the subject. The Noble
Marquis, after thren or tour weeks' examination, had dis-
covered one or two instances in which he supposed that
the appointments had been made for the purpose
of turning the scale in favour of the Conservative inter-
est. In the case to which the Noble Marquis had par•
ticularly referred, and of which notice had been given,
he trusted he should be able at once to give satisfactory
information. Had the Noble Marquis given notice of
his ietention of bringing Bath and Chester under the
consideration of the House, he had no doubt he
should have been able to have given an explanation
equally satisfactory ; but it was really too much,
out of 142 boroughs, to call upon him, without previews
notice, to give an account of the newsier in which the
appointments had been made in one or two cases
setected for the purpose. He trusted be might
be able to give a satisfactory explanation
with respect to Gateshead. Before he did so, perhaps
their Lordships would allow him to state the po-
sition in which they were placed when they first came
into office. There were in the county of Durham five
very populous boroughs. Gateshead was one, Sunder-
land was another, Stockton. on-Tees was a third, Dur-
ham a fourth, and lastly the populous borough of South
Shields. Would their Lordships credit it without
the evidence, that -at the moment they came into
office in these five boroughs, populous as they were, and
with so many Magistrates, there was only one
Conservative Justice of the Peace.—(Loud cheers.)
Three of these boroughs were boroughs under
the Refoern Bill, and the whole of the boroughs were
almost exclusively governed at the period to which he
had referred by Magistrates of the same politics as the
Noble Marquis. Having stated this, he would explain
the particular case of Gateshead. It was an extremely
populous district, and when they first came into office, there
were, as the Noble Marquis had stated, only six Magistrates,
only one of whom was a Conservative, so that they were five to
one. Now, he would point to a single circumstance connected
with Gateshead. They must know that in boroughs the livens-
ing of public-houses, was a very important con,id.ration with
respect to returning Representatives to Parliament. By the
contrivance of the friends of the Noble Marquis, they took care
that the Conservative, who was a very respectable man, shoot,'
have no authority te.act with respect to the liven.:-
This gentleman was by business It brew-- system.
t
had been selected: as he oeine of _
that busine
and, therefore,
had no he
power tO aci in granting 'teens
ss,
es. This was the
case the Noble Marquis had hro ht before
But then GatesheN hild.guliy Malg strates,an2eberilultiliscel;
was no,t. f9F. its large population, so the Government
acicHi 9, TWO'. YfoAlci Ve found to make the total number onlyn
eqH
.1 to life number of Magistrates in other towns of
P49,41a1i0t tlAt of the six Magistrates one resided
41so,at itsve4 miles gut of the town ; and after all it would be
foglid this there was an equal balance between the Conserve•
tivos and the Whigs. But there was another important n pos t Gateshead was divided from Newcastle by a river, as South-
wark.
was from London ; so that if a disturbance took place on one side of the water it must extend to the other, and therefore
you could net consider thQ klagiatrates on one side without
considering those oq t.hc„ okhcr. Now, what was the state
of tie a~Awc size IVezytracy ? The Conservative partad a y
n?.,ajori,ty Of tinc, on the Gateshead side, but on the New-
ekstlg and One. Conservathe and ten Whigs ; so that if you
4,(Lio LuAhz,49s Conservative in Gateshead to the one in
u
Nprcastle, the Whigs would have a majority of more than two
to one,—(Laughter.) Now he (the Lord Chancellor) knew
that the Noble Marquis was a consummate actor—(Laughter)
—and it was therefore to be wondered that his Noble Friend
did not calculate on the effect of these disclosures. He re-

11.Yrd PRUDHOEpreaented a petition from the " bounty of
Northumberland, against the Income-tax.
DUTY ON APP.I
The Earl of WINCHILSEA
owners of five thousand _ presented a petition from the
Kent, against
acres of orchard plantation in East
-
thous +. ..,e alteration in the duty on foreign apples. lie
that those people who had embarked all their
property in the cultivation of fruit, on the faith that the Go-
vernment would protect them against the foreign produce,
ought tiot to be exposed to a foreign competition which would
utterly ruin them. It was not honest for any Legislature to
withdraw' suddenly a protection which had been fur so long a
time held out as an inducement to the people to invest their
capital in the production of a particular commodity, agricultu-
ral or manufacturing.
The Earl of RADNOR said that since protection had been
taken off apples, the price had considerably risen. He had a
paper which had been extensively circulated, and from which it
appeared that the price in 1824, was 12s. ; in 1825, 10s. 6d. ;
1826. Bs. ; 1827, 7s. 3id. He would not trouble their Lordships
by
going over the whole years, rip to the time the protection
was taken off, but the price had decreased proportionably until
the years 16 the year 36 and 1837,the protection was reduced,
when the price was 2s. 4d. Therefore, the protection had been
an injury to the apple-growers. A friend of his, not a Mem-
ber of that House, who had lately returned from Holland,
said he was riding one day, when he met two gentlemen, who
entered into conversation respecting the tariff. One said he
could not understand the prinCiple upon which it was formed,
for duty was taken off some articles and heavy duties put on
others, and he instanced the case of apples. The other re-
plied thzt there was a gentleman in the Ministry of the name
of Knatchbull, who lived in a part of the country where a great
many apples were grown, and this was the reason the duty on
apples had been raised. He (the Earl of Radnor) could not