The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-16 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TIASDAY MORNING, FEMVU-AnY 16, 1842.

• was an iota- st to which great importance had been most pro-
( eerly attached by the other side of the House. Now, he would
call the attention of the House to the effect of the present
Corn-law on shipping ; its effect was to throw the va'uable
triffic in corn into the hands of foreigners.—( Hear, hear. )
Three-fourths of it was, in fact, carried in Prussian vessels, and
one-fourth English ; and, owing to these circumstances, the
corn trade was, in fact, a perfect scramble.—( Hear, hear. )
He found upon this part of the subject a most valuable and
important testimony in those papers wh ch the Right Hon.
Gentleman opposite had recently laid on the table; lie alluded
to the opinion of a gentleman who was one of the most
competent witnesses on the subject , he alluded to the
opinion of Mr. M`Gregor, the Consul at Elsinore, a
gentleman to whom the country was greatly indebted
for his negotiations with respect to the Sound Duties. What
Mr. M`Gregor said was in answer to Mr. Meek ; he had
watched the effect of the sliding scale on the shipping interest,
and had thus stated it:—"lf the trade in corn was made con-
stantly open in England, the natural consequence would be,
that the British merchant would tecome the agent for the
supply of corn, and British shipping would be improved to a
much greater extent than it was at present. The English
Corn-law has a tendency to disturb trade, and in this coun-
t, y ( Denmark) it has made the Government persevere in
high duties ; and, secondly, to throw its trade unto the hands
of the Hanse Towns. Ham burgh had become more and more
the centre of trade, and the Dantzie Corn-market is now more
glutted than ever."—( Hear.) He (Mr. Labouchere) was
convinced if a sound Corn-law was established, London would
become the great depot for corn for the general supply of the
whole country. He need not say how much employment and
activity that would give.--( Hear, hear.) it was not true, as
had been stated on the p: esent occasion, that. the mere ques-
tion was to be decided on the merits of' the sliding scale or a
fixed duty. The question which they had to decide that night
was whether they should adopt that which he held to be vicious,
a system of Corn-laws founded on the sliding scale.—( Hear,
hear.) He did not say this to conceal his own opinions ; for
when he was a servant of the Crown, he joined in the proposal
which he thought calculated to sett',e this great question upon
fair and reasonable grounds, and, at the same time, upon a
principle which he believed would not have been inconsistent
with the prosperity of the commerce of the country. He did
not wish to conceal from the House that he was against throw-
ing open the trade in corn ; they had tried the sliding scale
and se n how it worked, and he believed it would be admitted
by all, even by its mest strenuous supporters, that acme altera-
tion was required, and that he considered was a substantial
argumeat for trying the fixed duty. But before he came to
deal with the objection to the sliding scale, he would say a few
words with respect to those who had, and who had not, sup-
ported it. They had heard of the names of Ricardo and others,
who were in favour of the plan they proposed, while Mr. Hus-
kisson had been quoted against them, and part of his speeches
had been alluded to, for the purpose of showing that such were
his opinions. Now, it was a most remarkable thing to those
who, like himself, were acquainted witb Mr. Huskisson, and
who had closely wa.ched him, to see how the mind
of that great statesman was inclined on this subject—the opi-
nions of Mr. Huskisson were far more favourable in his last
year than his first. He was quoted as the advocate of the
present system of Corn-laws, or something like them. Now,
all he could say was, that on the last occasion on which Mr.
Huskisson addressed the House on the Corn-law, he found
that he stated it was his unalterable conviction that they could
not uphold the Corn-law with the present taxation, and at the
same time increase national prosperity, and preserve public
order. He might be told that although this was an emphatic
condemnation by Mr. Huskisson of the present Corn-law,
yet still it was not to be said that he would not suppot t the
present
plan. To those who used such an argument he would
say, did they think after the statement he had read, which
had been made by Mr. Huskisson, that he would support a mea-
sure which contained such slight modifications of the system ?
He did not mean to say that he had a right to claim Mr.
Huskisson as an advocate for an absolute fixed duty ; but he
had a right to say that Mr. Huskisson totally/ condemned the
system of Corn-laws under which we now live ; and that if not
an advocate for a total repeal of those laws, he had a decided
bearing towards the principle of a fixed duty.—(Cheers.)
But having quoted the authority of a great statesman, whom
they had no lot,ger among them, he was about to quote the
opinion of one who was, fortunately, still with them to afford
the benefit of his advice --( Hear.) Now, he was not, gene-
rally, fond of bandying personal attacks across the table of that
House, but there really were some temptations which it was
quite difficult for flesh and blood to endure,--( Hear,
hear, hear.) When he read that memorable speech, which was
addressed by the Noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies
to his constituents at Lancashire, he could not help asking him-
self whether this was really the same Mr. Stanley whom he
recollected in his earlier days, whom he had the honour and
the happiness to sit with in that House—whether this was
really the same Mr. Stanley who in 1828 had expressed such a
different opinion on that subject. But he was afraid that there
was. no doubt: of the identity.e4 Laughter-) He found that in
1828, upon the. occasion when the present Corn-laws were
passed, Mr. Stanley said that " he had yet to learn the reason
which had induced the Right Hon. Baronet to propose the
measure. He was certainly inclined to the opinion of those
who abstractedly supported a fixed permanent duty ; but,
feeling that it was impracticable to carry out such a measure—
( Hear, hear, from the Ministerial Benches)—he felt that the
next best plan would be to adopt such a scale of duties as would
keep the price of corn as low as possible, at the same time giving
the agriculturists a fair protection.—( Cheers and laughter from
the Ministerial benches.) He was quite at a loss to understand
the mirth of Hon. Gentlemen opposite.—( Hear, hear.) The
Noble Lord said that he abstractedly preferred a fixed duty,
and that the only reason why he did not then support it was,
that be was afraid there were not the means of carrying his
own opinions. But now circumstances had altered,—
Turne, quod optanti divum promittere nemo
Auderet, volt enda dies en ! attulit ultro.
He really should not despair if the Noble Lord were to join his
efforts to theirs, in defeating this measure of the Right Hon.
Baronet; and if the House were to come to the conclusion that
at any rate they could not give protection to agriculturists in
the shape of a sliding- scale, he should not despair of finding the
Noble Lord, in the next discussion that took place, en-
deavouring to carry that principle which he had then sighed over
and had abandoned, only because it was not le acticable.--
(Ironical cries of " Hear, hear," from the Ministerial benches. )
They were told that, however fair the principle of a fixed duty
might at first appear, yet there were grave objections which
counterbalanced its advantages. These objections resolved
themselves into two main ones. It was said, that in times of
p'enty, it would be ruinous to the agriculturist ; his answer
to that was, that in times of plenty, the agriculturist would
find a compensation in the quanity of his produce for the di-.
minished price which he could ohtain for it. There was
another abjection, upon which greater stress had been laid.
They were told, that in times of scarcity and high price a
fixed duty would be grievous to the consumer, and that it
could not be retained. He did not believe that under ordi-
nary circumstances there would be the least difficulty in main-
taining the duty, or that it would operate injuriously to the
community ; and he thought, that in extraordinary cases,
they might abandon the duty, and that the only effect of
that would be, to make a present of it to the country. On
that subject he was perfectly prepared to take the same view
as his Noble Friend. That if these fears were the only ground
for opposing a fixed duty, that duty might; in particular cases,
be made to vanish ; and that it would.be worth while to pur-
chase an important improvement in our commerce at such a
rate. The Executive Government might be left to act upon
its own responsibility. The Executive Government of this
country had frequently been obliged to make special provision
for special circumstances. It had done so with regard to the
articles of grain and sugar within the last few years ; and it
must happen in questions of trade, that the Government was
called upon to set aside the law for a special purpose. His be.
lief, therefore was, that they might, with perfect safety, pass a
fixed duty, and leave it to the „Government, under circum-
stances of rare and unusual occurrence, to make a present of it
to the country.--( Hear.) He was unwilling at that late hour
of the night to detain the House at a iy length. He would
only say, that, important as he considered the question of the
Corn-laws, there was one consideration which gave them addi-
tional importance on the present occasion. The Right Hon.
Gentleman had announced to the House and the country, that
in agreeing in that respect with the late Government, he was
not bringing ferward the question of the Corn-laws as an insu-
lated measure, but that he was prepared to follow it up by a
general revision of the tariff, with a view to ascertain whether
the protection v.hich had hitherto been givin to particular in-
terests was consistent with the general welfare and prosperity
ot the country.—( Ilear.) He (Mr. Labouchere) had always
felt that some adjustment of the Corn-laws was necessary be-
fore this revision could take place. He had felt that they
could not make that revision with any
.justice—he had almost
said with any decency, unless they carried out the same prin-
ciple, dealing with the landed interest. He must say that
the measure of the Right Hon. Gentleman, with regard
to the Corn-laws, had excited a feeling of dis-
trust in his (Mr. Labouchere's) mind that one
of two things would happen—either that the other measures
of the Right Hon. Gentleman would be of the same unsatis-
factory nature, or else, that as he had determined to carry out
the principle of recision freely and fairly with regard to the
other articles of trade, while he had dealt timidly with the
question of the Corn-laws, a suspicion might be created in the
public_ mind that the different policy pursued by the Right Hon.
Baronet in the two instances was attributable to the one inte-
rest being possessed of more political power than the other.—
( Loud cheers.) He was the last person to become an alarmist,
but he saw a state of things fast approaching, of all others the
most dangerous to the country.—( Hear, hear.) Englishmen
were now arrayed against each other, not on account of those
mere differences of opinion which must always exist in
every free country, and which, within certain bounds, tended
to preserve the health and well-being of the political commu-
nity, but now factions were banded together, men were
arrayed against each other in a contest of classes.—( Hear,)
There was nothing he deprecated so much as such a contest,
and' he could say for himself and the Members of the late Go-
vernment, that in bringing forward the measure on this sub-
ject which they had proposed, there was no one thing they
had more at heart than, if possible, by a fair and reasonable
compromise, fo stay the progress of this contest.—(Cheers. )
lie would say that if the Right Hon. Baronet had proposed a
measure which he (Mr. Labouchere) had considered calcu-
lated to attain that great object, no party orlprivate considera-
tions should have prevented his giving the Right Hon. Baro-
net his support.—(Loud cheers.) He must, however, con •
fess, that it was with the deepest disappointment he had list-
ened to the details of the Right Hon. Baronet's proposition.
He had no doubt but that it would become the law of the land,
and he hoped it might work well and justify the anticipations
of the Right Honourable Baronet. He (Mr. Labouchere)
must, however, confess, that he could entertain no such ex-
pectations. The Right Hon. Gentleman concluded by thank-
ing the House for the patience with which they had listened to
him, and stated that he felt it his duty to vote for the proposi-
tion of his Noble Friend the Member for London.—( Cheers.)
Sir EDWARD KNATCHBULL explained. The Right
Hon. Gentleman had entirely misunderstood what had fallen
from him
( Sir E. Knatchbuil. ) He had not said a single
word about raising rent or maintaining the value of farms. He
was desirous of correcting the misapprehension into which the
Righta Hon. Gentleman had, evidently unintentionally fallen.
menufaactstueiZtrianicleirsetsi
tpreat
Wtheh t be ( Sir Edward Knatchbull) had said, when speaking of
whole class of persons connected with the agricultural in-
to occupy the
country, and that the
la-
bourers alike, was that it was important that they should be able
ou ht
stat
ions ttlw,grhueiifseehhrertdi
referring
fromtothose landlords, connectedtenants,
andith thea
ley at present maintained in the
the property
Sir lAII4 GI/
they y should be secured in the enjoyment of
tep.ll:3essed, but that at the same time due con-
siderationpaid to the manufacturing interest.
some passages tow
Bight Hortourweal.ose
the i.tiAiu would not have risen at that late
hour to occupy
attentiond of the House, had it not been for
the conclusion of the speech of the
his own expression, flesh
upon certain telpie,
And here he must say t.ttleman, in which ho had touched
in such a manner that to use
foendest respect
eforsthatorders
although he always felt the pro-
and blooe could not resist. —( Laughter.)
peeakerders the House, and for the man-
ner in which th
prese
tendoined obedience to those orders.
opaer): were
seemingly unimportant mattr
y he thoeght th
manner the danger of departing'ehate c.3ettiplififfl in striking
illogical than the courak the what,
he
no protee4iOri from thoee rides in the most
pursuing?u as , could
A ve
Avery
ye
night of this debate, and Here they were in the second
h9and their argumentsl went to show that any
Ihtiatoddie ‘otni
iht odtsrheirtu,
ateyee
7: this sublect, were decidedly
;roue! ne gieen to the
protection, even to the least
just, and ought to be immediately possible largere
amount was un-
But what was the question whiet, withdrawn,—( Loud cheers.)
as now under discussion ?
'I he motion of the Noble Lord was not for withdrawing all
protection from the landed interest.
admitted the necessity, end question the • The motion distiVly
n they were discuiteng

as as as to the mode in which that protection should be granted,
and the amount of that protection; and this question they
were discussing before they had decided the preliminary ques-
tion whether any protection at all should be granted or not.—
( fit ar. ) The Right Hon. Gentleman had alluded to the present
dangerous state of affairs, and to the fact of men being banded
against one another in classes. Allow him (Sir J. Graham)
to ask, who was really responsible for this state of affairs?—
( Loud cheers.) When the Government of which that Right
Hon. Gentleman was a Member came down to that House in
the month of June last, and announced to the people of this
country that the time had arrived, in their opinion, when it
was necessary that the Corn-laws should be revised ;
when the people were appealed to on the question
by a general election, was it possible to imagine that the
question would not be agitated from cne end of the country to
the other? Was it not impossible, to use the words ef the Noble
Viscount, the head of that Government, to suppose but that
the very foundation of the island would be shaken by such
a proposition from such a quarter?—(Cheers.) The Right
lion. Gentleman said, that he and his colleagues, when they
brought forward their measure upon this subject, were
desirous of staying the further progress of this evil
by proposing their measure as a fair anti reasonable compro-
mise ; and he ( Sir James Graham) would say that that was
preesely the nature of the proposition of his Right Hon.
Friend. The Right Hon. Gentleman had asked what was the
object of the present motion. His Right Hon. Friead, in
bringing forward his motion had said that the object of it was
not the injury of some particular class, but that he and his
colleagues would not have brought it forward if they hid not
felt convinced that it was for the good of the
corn nunity at large. He adopted the language of his Noble
Friend, the Colonial Secretary, as it had been quoted by the
Right Hon. Gentleman, that evening. He (Sir L. Graham)
wuuld adopt the view which he ( Lord Stanley) then took, and
would p. oduce this measure as the lowest amount of duty they
thought consis ent with adequate protection to native industry.
The Noble Lord who had brought forward this motion, ar.d who
delighted in the use of antithesis—and, generally speaking, no one
used that figure of rhetoric more than the Noble Lord—had cha-
racterised the measure of his ( Sir J. Graham's) Right Hon.
Friend as one which wouli concede yet not conciliate, would
disturb yet fail to settle. He ( Sir J. Graham) thought the
description more applicable to the fixed duty, of which the
Noble Lord was the advocate.—( Cheers.) The Right Hon.
Gentleman opposite seemed to dissent. He knew not if that
Right Hon. Gentleman had been present at the meeting which
had been held at Leeds about a year ago, and at which these
words were inscribed upon one of the banners—" A fixed duty
is a fixed robbery upon the people."—( Hear, and cheers.)
So much with regard to the principle which is to disturb, and
yet to settle.—( Hear, hear.) He did not know what the
Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of Dublin might say to it, for that
Iligi,t Hon. Member declared at a public meeting that the
fixed duty of Bs. was desirable on this ground, that it was an
instalment, which, if obtained, would lead then to the entire
repeal in six months.—(Hear, hear.) So much for the fixed
duty, which was to settle this matter.—( Hear.) In the ex-
perience of recent years, he (Sir James Graham) bad found
finality, in the times in which we lived, was a mere phantom.
He had been a fellow-student of. the Noble Lord in the
finality-school—(Laughter)—and he thought he had some ex-
perience in that school.—( Laughter.) He thought he
tad experience in bringing forward large measures—( Cheers
and laughter)—and larger measures than were thought prudent
or necessarv—( Hear, hear, and a laugh)—brit such as were
bought forward merely to stay further demands.—( Hear,
hear.) But he had profited by his experience.—(Cheers and
laughter.) He had always endeavoured to fulfil faithfully the
purpose with which those measures were brought forwai el.
But he had not been one of those who, having declared for
finality, brought forward again still larger measures—and
measures larger than were considered necessary.—( Hear, hear.)
In bringing forward the present measure with regard to the
Corn-laws, it was not hoped to put an end to further dis-
cussions of the question, or to further agitation.—( Hear, hear.)
But, throwing aside all views of finality, and all views of per-
manent conciliation, he should be prepared to support on this
occasion the measure which would concede what was slue to
the consumer on the one hand, and preserve what was necessary
to the maintenance of the producer on the other.—( Cheers
from the Ministerial benches.) The Noble Lord (Lord John
ll,lrteitteseletl) had
ion a
an
seenelatshioant freedom
alexee of
exception
nttrde
oathewraus the
le principle,
.New,h a
e nd
had
read a work from the pen of the Noble Lord, entitled "Memoirs
of the Affairs of Europe since the Peace of Utrecht." In that
book he found the Noble Lord's opinions expressed thus :
" That the first rule was general freedom of trade, but it
seemed clear that some exceptions must remain—that it was
clear that when the production of a particular article was ne-
cessary to the security of a State—(Cheers)—and when a pare
ticular branch of industry had been long protected, the pretec•.-
tion must he taken away very gradually."—(Cheers.) The
Hon. Members for Lambeth and Kendal cheered ; but he had
thought that they were free trade a:—(Cheers and laughter, )
'I he Noble Lord, ' however, said in his book, that
he " thought the protection should be taken away
'very gradually, ' lest the people empitiyed in the
protected branch of industry should be suddenly reduced to
want."—(Cheers from the Tory benches.) The Noble Lcrd
in his speech of last night, had not been satisfied with sneering
at the principle thus laid down by himself in his own book ;
but he thought it not beyond him to sneer at the great and
" inimitable invention which was called the sliding scale,"
Now he ( Sir James Graham) had had lite honoor to serve
with the Noble Lord in the Cabinet of Earl Grey •, and he
had had the honour of voting with him in 18(13, in favour of
that " inimitable invention."—( Hear and laughter.) 7 he
Noble Lord ( Lord Palmerston) near him (Lord John
Russell) said that there was something slippery in the sliding
scale. But he (Sir J. Graham) would ask, was there not
something of lubricity in this project of a fixed duty Tory
cheers.) In his opinion there was, for, in June last, the late
Government was distinctly pledged to a fixed duty of Ss. a
qua-ter , and formed a final plan for fixing that duty, with a
view of not disturbing, but of settling the question ; and it was
brought forward as a measure on which the Government was
prepared to stand.—( Hear, hear.) Did it not appear from
that, that the Noble Lord, and the gentlemen wit.)
were prepared to act with hint, were prepared to slide
away from their former propositions —((lieert`t ) He
thought that. the Hon. Member for the Totter Hamlets abso-
lutely disclaimed the Bs. ditty, and asserted that the Noble 6-141
was not bound to it. 'l he Noble Lord then had slipped away
from that.—( Cheers and a laugh.) " The Noble Lord," said
the Hon. Member for the Tower Hamlets " was at liberty to
hichaitayti,h(taxd,ierieito.,:ehtgiprirtesoudnep,uhrtiyteaheefi duty, upon hearing the el; pore, leo gid
to be equivalent to the burthees of the agriculturists." Sq
much for finality. The Noble Lord proposed that
his duty was to be fixed wipe of
corn rose to 735. or 745, a bushel. That was tp be the duty, I
fixed, immutable and invariable. But yet, when the price
mounted up beyond that, the Noble Lord thought that the (inty
aught to drop to one shilling; —(Hear, hear.) Vjsiniteveti might
be said of the graduated gratis applied a faritori to that propos
sition.—(llsar, hear,) He (Sir J. Graham had been very
much struck with a pamphlet referred to by the Noble Lord,
and written by a gesitlerOMl oanWel Hilbhaffir HP vfilleMbered
discussing that pamphlet with his Right flee. Friend, and he
remembered saying that he agreed with it op to the pint where
the author coincided with the Noble Lord.— Hear, hear. )
Now, it was clear that this argument would be irresistible,
if it could be clearly shown that no foreign corn would be
brought into the home market till that point of price when
the Sc. duty fell to is. should bp, attained; The Hon. Mena:
ber then read the following eistract. from the pamphlet of Mr.
Hubbard, to which he had referred To eitablish a fixed
duty, with a reduction to be made contingent en the averages
reaching a certain price," the very proposal, be it observed, of
the Noble Lori, " would be to foster a grasping spirit in the
holderserinremi
sstoe,oh.fnroes
tcti?iroyl
months
warehouses
rat.
oestshtheoes
etsrpeceer
narsl
iyucwtseaeehsr
imtetahhhni
egedi oafs
might‘rh‘ors,
aatsosv
eante
vroetv; abaaitry: reachedoun gA,O
profitablyhl s; ioatmfe igift
might it
quarter
nnrt
thene
oola prices existing,rig bute
t n i o becauset ai. the l d r , ro el d-
ie such a point that the
the holders
would ket p back their corn until an order in Council kindly
remitted the duty in order that they might exact the utmost
price." Now it would require no combination to effept this
it might be certainly and absolutely effected by a linanitnify at
feelinge
bu tth ein b the dealers,
would
,afioainfinhas disl
tsli
onecolpnoil sonplftiapiem;_neoseirstwneyoss conclusivetwui
edl
hmrei
eaon ttfhtiattasehtahegpatardoliiincotosehwuterseeetnedi4:cieflheoietferrhtiii, it,
of Thithe s
ea?:
responsibility
certain amount, or that which permitted an order in Uouncil
to
urged that sales supremo,:
leo4.,ovaenrdrustiteiantt, Itelioadovbeerenn.
moat ought to exercise a dispensing power over the law, and
satisfied dealtvi tthhtah
te
whoever questionon
wouldits ovenloo k
at responsibility.
the
pa sL d e Nowba
tes he
on
twaslie
Corn-laws, though they would find a great differenoe
the
on other
ldal
Executiveau always be
subjects,
Government
,ov
open
nt
ntteahr,ettyht
ought.
sgouhustl
pdincfloi
ndtooabfeghararevmaitnecyudniformity on
this point. That thitashntesw
bweiethn ilunut(linhlya Pli exercisedwg'hert . If
H o
n;
Gentleman
dietntthlleaamly evdietohue:r :bvheear.dnn Itoeoh
referred,tlonigt delayed, or too soon called into operation.—( Hear,) The '
iii,trryo.
„to HuskissonsAoloir.. e Huskissond,nobnt
over
this
sro ncituitiheosi
question,
fI In
protectiont he last. speech
itself
acisf
orsniun,bejihepeclet.certainly did appear to
he thought with considerable boldness, to the disputed autho-
applied to corn.—( Hear. ) But he would call to the at
s
tendon of the House that the passage, if it , was rightly-
aui
interference
ohe
re
hft,
eh' question ide en
jszeut
sxotenhes
aat
Executive
all others on which
understood and taken in connection with the circumstances I
of the time, they could have no doubt but Mr. Huskiesun re.
ferred to the preference he was disposed to give to the ori-
ginal proposal of Mr. Canning, Mr, Canning made two i
propositions—one in 1827, the other in 1828, and he believed
that Mr. Huskisson referred to the latter of these two plans,
giving his decided preference to the original proposal of Mr. Can-
ning contrary to his plan of 1828. That, however, was a matter
of surmise, and he would now read to the House the opinion of
Mr. Huskisson, not taken at the distant period of 1814, but
when the subject was under discussion for the last time, and I
he believed during the period when he was a responsible Mi-
nister of the Crown. The House would find that on
the 220 of April, 1828, Mr. Huskisson, not indirectly, but
directly, dealt on the question of a fixed duty, and said, " One
of the Hon. Gentlemen opposite had spoken in favour of a
fixed duty ; now, abstractedly considered, this might be well
enough, but when they regarded the circumstances of the
country and the wants of the people, they would see the impos-
sibility of adopting such a principle. If a high and permanent
duty were imposed, then in periods of scarcity the poor would
be. exposed to suffering and misery which no claims of the
home grower to protection could ever justify. When legislat-
ing on this subject, therefore, they were bound to consider the
circumstances of the country and the wants of the people,"
Could any Hon. Gentleman, then, after this, doubt whe-
ther air. Huskisson was for a fixed duty or a
sliding scale, which was his own invention?—( Hear. )
Now, the Hon. Member for Sheffield had asked what would
be the effect of the plan proposed by the Right Hon. Baronet
on the price of provisions ? To answer that question, he
thought it was necessary, in the first instance, to come to an
understanding as to what, in common years, would be the
price at which foreign wheat could be landed and placed in
bond, with all charges paid, in the British market. If that
question could be settled, or placed on any thing like a fixed
foundation, there would be no difficulty in giving the Right
Hon. Gentleman an explanation. To do this, he should not
rely on any evidence taken from their side of the House; but
he should rely on the evidence produced by the Noble Lord
the Member for Tiverton—namely, the Consular returns. If
they would take the column of prices in that return, and strike
out of it only the two items which he should name, the price of
corn at Rotterdam and at Antwerp, which were almost nomi-
ern3r6sas,g. whiche;
price,he %era::
therefore
onabg;
nomi-
nal pricer, inasmuch as they were not ports from whence any
k
isist.oor
ilacteoqt
column
returns,ro,
of the
tihehneo
great supply for England was drawn. If any gentleman would
ose
hsv strike out
ioebuvete
fdtontueloisadet tttshvooebieat
the price of foreign corn. Thep he
rates of freight, and if, in the wipe wanner they struck out the
freight§ from ports at a groat distance, such as Palermo and ,
Odessa, from whence no great supply was drawn, they would
find that, instead of there being an average of 4s. 6d. per
quarter, it would be reduced to between 31. 6d. and
4s. a quarter. On this evidence, he as. I
seined ills Plifl; of cgnn brought . to England to
'Le somewhere about 40s. Now, he would just show what would
be the effect of the measure proposed by her Majesty's Mi- ,
nisters. He should show conclusively that the practical effect
of the measure would be to protect the English farmer up to
the price of 665. a quarter, because below that pri4 fsie
porter could not, if the duty is ataletii, importtelnn isithout in.
caking a tt Bearing niina the fact he had stated, that
the price of wheat in common years would be 40s, in bands he

, would at once show the Hon. Gentleman that between 51s.
! a d 575. foreign wheat will come into competition with the
home market. At 58s. the duty proposed is 145.,
. and addieg 14s to 405., it would be found that
tkis was the point at which foreign wheat would
come in. o competition with that of the home pro•
ducer. This he conceived to be a great concession
made to the consumers, and' one to which they were entitled.
—(Hear, hear ) Notwithstanding what had been said against
the present system of the Corn-laws, he did consider that
under the shelter of the protection afforded by them, the grower
of home corn had, by the increase of his skill, the
improvements in manure, and various other appliances, so im-
provedpowet of the soil, that a lower price
pricewould
b et h productive
me
ore
remunerative than it would be when the present
law had passed, and he thought it a concession due to the con-
sumer to lower the duty, while it would not, at the same time,
in the slightest degree endanger the home-grower.—(Hear.)
He thought the Right Hon. Gentleman who had just sat down
made a concession, showing that he felt such would be the case.
He said that the reduction in the scale would have the result of
affording a larger revenue to the State, and if that were so, it
would bring more foreign corn to the market—(No)—it
would bring it, when it wes most wanted; and also
whereas, by the present law, a temptation was held out to re-
duce the duty, anti to throw it upon the market at the nominal
duty, the present proposition would give a larger revenue ; and
not only that, but by it foreign corn would be introduced gra-
dually, and not suddenly, as by the pre sent system —( Hear,
hear.) That system had been much condemned lately, but it
should be recollected that the harvests were extremely deficient
during ti:e two or three last seasons. But so far from its being
true that the production of the country was not equal to its
consumption, from the year 18:12 to 1837, the country,
year by year, produc d a larger quantity of corn than it was
able to consume. The evidence of the last four years, he was
aware, went to prove that a considerable quantity of
foreign corn was wanted. That it had been obtained, and
thrown upon the market at a high price, he admitted ; but that
price lasted only for a short time, it had a very sudden fall ins
mediately consequent upon its introduction ; and for the last
three years nearly two millions of quarters were imported into
the country.—( Hear, hear.) Some reference had been made
to the Report drawn up by Mr. Huskisson in 1822, in advo-
cacv of the system of bonding corn, and he (Sir J. Graham)
could perceive no greater advantage, than having a large
quantity of corn in bond to meet the necessities'of the country.
—(
Hear, hear.—The Right Hon. Gentleman here quoted
from the Report a passage, showing the great advantage of
having a supply of corn always ready to meet their necessities,
which would place them beyond the reach of foreign States, even
if they wished to aggravate the pressure from any want of corn
that might be felt at home.) The present system tiad that prac-
tical effect, and without creating any expense or loss to indi-
viduals, it combined all the advantages.—( Hear, hear.) A
great deal hid been said of the speculating nature of the corn
trade. If it turned out to be unfortunate, it was called
gambling ; but if otherwise. it was considered a sign of pru-
dence and of foresight—yet the •speculation was the same,
whether it was successful or unsuccessful. Neither did he see
any unwillingness on the pa.t of individuals to engage in the
corn trade. The trade in opium was also one which
encouraged speculation, and yet he did not recollect to
have heard any condemnation of that trade._( Hear, hear,
hear.) Large profits had been made, and large losses
had also followed the trade in opium ; and, in his opinion,
something worse than losses had also been consequent upon it;
while no opposition had been given to that trade by Hon.
Gentlemen opposite. But against such a system he thought
the present system would be a check, and that the foreign
importer would bring his supply into the market rather than
run the risk of holding over. On the other hand, it would
have the effect of inducing him to import corn largely for the
British mai ket.—( Hear, hear.) Before he should conclude,
he would glance at the evils of a fixed duty. In years of abund-
ance such a duty would be inoperative, and there would be
no need of protection ; and in years of scarcity, if the Govern-
ment levied the duty, what became of their cheap bread, what
became of their protection ?—(Cheers. ) A high duty must be
pro , their the steedieese of their
When the price was mew, and when the
tr•whieiliv‘itapsrydeighyeeapd, seasons, awl
necessity of protection to the horneegrower was greatest, their
protection failed, and the greatest confusion in their social
arrangements must ensue.—( Hear, hear.) His Right Hon.
Frieed the Paymaster of the Forces, was taunted
as if he drew some distinction between the agricnltural
classes and the rest of the WIT enity. Ile (Cs'ir J.
Graham)
h:a.l:-4.1)1 k them if the advantage of the
He believed that a considerable majority
e ,
whole comm -
( unity was not involved in the culture of the soil ?
of the inhabitants of the United Kingdom were directly or in-
directly intefes!pd in the pelt ore of the 0011.--(cliFiere) But
it weFe net sit, he atilt eonteeded Ow no greater ea could
take place than not taking care of the interests of agriculture,
which, if they were net protected, would he fatal to the home
market, and to matitifaetures. The Hop. Mperkbpr for Irieptial,
ghee he thseeksed this
,sobjegt 944
•to it the 'exportteir.
ber ' ed.
in the year 183 whet 'e s
He apumed the effects pf the Coin-lay from the deficiency of
our exports. He re".e rn
with reepeet to the exports
were low, he discussed the 'quritl4fi, and Hen. elentleitiep
conseihted to repeat' the
9"cPollr.geo:.iattiteb,,,s4ustrit4ah'tehbaptt';'iSll ilce o'Pfirfcrpthi!e•pen;,loPonfitinsildY be losyereti, arid the effect
would be to raise the general level of prices. Bht this was net
Statistieill returns proved
had inereesed, The that
ytohneilny
hpcoeorniilladd(r,terrewtt.lhaosarit.t
oc 0
uStirey
attributed to the deficiency
in &annul in the home market. A quotation had been made
front Adam Smith ; if the Noble Lord would just reeelleet,
the doctrine laid down by Adam Smith was, that the most
valuable trade which could be carried (411 Was the trade carried
on between tepee and emiptry. He lajd down theoctrine ti'
the borne market was, after all, worth all the ee„,, e
markets put together, Oir James G"aLoTis therefore
•
hoped that the Legislature would usethe utmost caution in
taking any steps whatever in changing so important
a branch as the agriculture of this country. When a deficiencytook place in the home maelces.4 i 4 would aggravate that de-
ficiency by reietese the large branches of our productive
i tot ry, Ile wee elmest ashamed et that hoiir to trouble
the House with informatifiri in detail, yet he thought it was
his duty vgry sl141•11Y 14 ieeell upon the point to which this
knaresborourgh, with much pain, had
voted to, viz., the effect of machinery in di4ikac'ing
as one of the causes which led ln i'ise pie sent dietrese of the'
working classes,—( 11
\ le lgeld in Lis hand a re-
;Jut, cßnte from inupteetienalde authority, and which
he had laid fin the table “f the House in the coarte pf that
day, It was the report of Mr. Horne, inspector of mine and
sijk anti woollen manufactures in the 'petmly of Lancaster,
and the West Riding of Yerkshiee.
I=o (Sir lames Graham).
begged to call the aSterition of the Howie to certain facts con.
taimil ill it: 4n the first place, there were under hie inapeo-
eion 1,541 mills employed in the four branches of reenufectures,
to which rte ( Sir James Graham) hail referred, Of these
1,541 mills, 87 per cent. Were werkede 79 per cent. were
worked full time, and 10 per- Ciint, had a various amount of
time for week ; and of the Whole number 1,541 in the four Irrepehes of trade, there were opt-, Now this
Y 13 not at es-ork
quantity would show the enormous increase which the power of machinery hint oh,
to the power of
production. He I,eferqd th
only to the article of
cotton-hose merle far home consumption. In 1837
it erneuitteil to thirty-six million pounds wei
ght I in
185,3 it was forty one millions ; in 1839 it wee thirtyeight
millions; in 1840 it was forty-five millions and in 1.8e411 it
Was forty-three nsilVons of pounds, She
consumption of 1841
was thus greater than that of 18:37 by • •
seven millions of pounds,
and it appeared that the total consumption of Great Britain in
181.1 at the close of the war was only seven millions; there-
fore, the quantity of manufactured cotton wool by mills in 1841
was greater than that which was produced even as lately as
1837, by an amount ceeetsilinis -
the whole produce of all the cot •
ton mills of OW Britain at the close of the war—that was,
it had so joie eased within the last few ears, exceeding
the whole produce of the cotton mills at' the close of the
rreneh war. He ( Sir James Qraltews) would rot then go
into the cause and effect, but In the last four years, under these
Corn-laws, which were pick t
he so fatal to the manufacturing
interest, and to have taken place during four years of great
trial, because those four years were four years of de6cieut
liar-
ve•ts, and they well knew that no human power
could avoid or prevent a bad haveit—( Cries of "
hear")---he (Sir James Graham) had only looked
at the increase in manufactures, but they (the Opposition)
would say these were the old mills, and it was impossible that
tile improvements should not increase. labour. But what would
the Hen Gentlemen say when he (Sir James Graham) told
them that since the year 1839, when there w: s a large impor-
tation upon the principle which was so objectionable, the gra-
duated scale, that within the last two years the new cotton mills
were 110 lesll, than ninetv-one Those mills worked
3,331 horse-power, end eislculatine
flue persons to each
horse-power it would give 16,751 persons. Had anything been
dme to locreas. the old mills, he would ask ? He had no
means of knowing the power of the old mills, but he knew
that in one of the mills, in 1841, one person produced 2,700
pounds in a mill, while in the old mills it took six persons to make
900 pounds. Thus had manual labour been superseded in every
department of cotton manufaoture by machinery. He would
next refer to a large mill in Manchester. ( The Right Hon.
Gentleman then read an extract from the report he held in his
hand, but in so low a tone of voice as to be qu to inaudible in
the Gallery.) He could read several more extracts, but he
would content himself with reading to the House, one which was
an extract taken from the
.wages book of a large mill. On the
12th Jan., 1837, in that mill there were four hundred and
eighty seven persons employed, who received in the
course of the week, 330/. wages, and they wrought 2,313 lbs.
weight of cloth per week ; on the 14th January, 1841, in that
same mill, which continued to be the property of the same
individuals, there were, instead of 487 persons, 354 persons
employed there, and instead of 330/. paid an wages, there were
only 227/., and instead of 2,313 lbs. weight of cloth, there
were 2,339 lbs. weight wrought In 1841. Thus there
were 133 fewer persons employed in that mill, and 1131. less
paid in wages, while the produce of the mill was
much larger. lie (Sir James Graham), was not
one of those ++h° considered that improvement did not
confer benefit upon the working classes, but he did contend
that the effect of great improvement in machinery was a dis-
paragement to manual labour, particularly to that of adult
labourers, and that that disparagement Inflicted a great hard-
ship upon the working_ classes of this country.
Mr. BBOTHERTON wished to ask the Right Honourable
Baronet (Sir James Graham) what were the usual number
of hands employed foimetly—Mr. Horne had stated, in his
report, that 91 mills had been erected, and in his statement he
had given the full number of hands employed,
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said he did not know,
but he haul
already read Mr. Horne's aecount to the House. The Right
Hon. Baronet then stated thatnheehfiad rrveln his support to the
proposed inepure becase,
ih
nexts larCeac7; it
gave a high
scale of protection, and, u
in thet p
, e conceived that
it would diminish frauds in the agricultural productions of the
country by the only mode by which It could be diminished.
He thought that the measure proposed by her Majesty's Minis
tern was consonant to the Wants and wish es of t ose persons
who are opposed to the existing 1 Ws, and at the same time
lie was convinced that tire proposed measure would give such
a protection to the home-grower, as
would be not only conducive
to his interest, but to the interest and advantage ,es the nation at
large. lie was convinced that that measure would have the effect
of securing the most permanent advantages, and it would secure
an increased supply of home-grown crrn at a cheaper rate than
other countries;
it could be procured from ehe therefore preferred
it to a fixed duty,
which he looked upon as
of the country.—dangerous in the
e
extreme to the best interests kCheeis. )
On the motion of an HON. MEMBER, whose name we could
not learn, the debate was then odjourned.
The other Orders of the Day disposed (It, and
the House adjourned at One o'clock . were then

observe this. Doubtless there are
fvr:are,thic+.er
yield something, and unless a large
with the the Corn.laws!"—
►STRIKE witu,g THF IRON IS HOT --All
tqlTiertiot}:3ol4'll:tortance, but the Corn.law just now
should be deemed the questiim of questions. The monopolists feg.
themselves compelled to
mand be made upon them, and that by he and
voice
of
the
people, that something will be recig4s litho, All classes should
cry out with one wriversgl Wee, "Away
TAf Mrgggios
. - -

One of the keepers of the Royal forest of La
iu
... - .
Blanque, near Montpellier, was returning to
-.Faun, 4 44w Sys
lawfully cut in the forest. 1-Iv,i,nsC4Aer UPoll them to lay down
ago, when he met five men carrying faggaOks2_, xv4i,,,,,,,..i.
their loads, lie was isz aiaggered by a blow from a large
elii4litY tsiey had un-
:tone t.th-n4 of Efil by one, and then struck down, and severely
skoMitiod by another with a hatchet. Being left for dead, he lay
all night on the ground, but was found next morning and caArifid
to the hospital of St. Puns, where he still is 10 4 oii,iiva.,:atatv., wwo
men are in custody on sulti.AcAt

PROVIDENT LIFE OFFICE.

1 A General Meeting of the Directors and Proprietors of the
Provident Life Office was held on Friday at the Offices of the
Company, Regent-street, for the purpose of receiving a state-
ment of the accounts, and of declaring a dividend.
Sir JOHN OSBORN, Bart., was called to the Chair.
The SECRETARY then read a statement of the accounts,
from which it appeared that the balance from the last states
ment, the interest upon stock and mortgages, &c., amounted
in the whole to 1,130,920/. 11 s. 2d. As soon as the various
items of the account had been gone through,
JOHN AUGUSTUS BEA UMONT, Esq., the Managing Direc-
tor, rose and said--Having so recently laid before you the
statements of our accounts upon the last septennial division, it
may appear to be unnecessary that I should trouble you with
many remarks upon the present occasion. But 1 am gratified
to be able to state that, although only six months have elapsed
since our last meeting, the fact of our having on that occasion,
not only continued to declare a bonus to the insured, but to
preserve the same progressive increase in its amount, as on
the four previous divisions, has made its due impression on
the public, and our business has proportionally increased. The
extent to which life assurance business is now entered into by
the public, and the immense interests which are at stake
in the profession, render it incumbent upon an office which like
this carries on its operations solely for the benefit of its policy-
holders, not only to declare in general terms the state of its
accounts, but to render that statement, as far as can be, intelli-
gible to all parties interested in its welfare. This principle
must be my excuse for endeavouring to show by a comparison
with other offices what we have effected. '1 hat comparison has
within the last few weeks been called for by the Secretary to the
Norwieh Union, at the recent annual meeting of that Company.
It will be in the recollection of the present meeting that that
office in the year 1809, having a surplus profit of only 44,000/.
declared a bonus of 300,000/., and that upon the following sep-
tennial meeting in 1836, their surplus was, as might have been
expected, so trifling, that they were unable to declare any
bonus at all. An equally surprising fact was the admission
that 7,000/. per annum might be saved in the future manage-
ment of the office. The implied unnecessary expenditure to
so large an amount for a number of years upon a single
item of the a ccount, naturally gave rise to serious alarm.
It now appears they are about to declare a bonus upon the
last rive years' transactions, which has doubtless been arrived at
with a stricter regard to correctness than that of the year
1829. I will now state the effects of V.,e comparison between
ourselves and that office. The amount of their fund in
hand, is barely equal to half of our similar fund, in pro-
portion to. our respective liabilities. This is the point
to be borne in mind, in estimating the prosperity of a life-
office.—(Hear, hear.) As to the gains of each office
no one has ever disputed the large amount realized by the
' Norwich Union ; they have probably been of an amount eon-
' responding to the
.vast business which was formerly secured
by the active exertions of the Managers, but the complaint
has been that those gaiins, arising from the extensive confi-
dence originally beets-owed egssai the office in question by the
public, have not realised that benefit to the policy-holders
hich they were entitled to expect. With respect to
our divisions of profit among our policy-holders, we need
only reler to the fact of our having from the Arst esta-
blishment to the present time secured a bonus of no inconsi-
derable amount at each of the five septennial periods, while the
Norwich Union has made threw only, (if we except one,
of which at the time of its boing made they had barely a
seventh part of the amount in hand.) Our surplus profit was
on the first division, in 1e.13, 20,000/. At the second division,
in 1890, it was upwards of 90,000/. Upon the third division,
in 1127, it was 215,000/. Upon the fourth division, in 1834,
apeards of 300,0001., and at the recent division, being tte
fifth, 415,0001. We have no means of showing the amounts
of the similar items in the Norwich, excepting for the years
1829 and 1836. Their surplus profit at the first of these
periods was 44,0001. ; at the second, 14,00 N.„ cis was proved
upon a strict examination into the affairs of the offiee, instituted
by the poliey-helders, the result' of which was published
on tlip 6th '1"19,Y60.6.: 101. 1 state these facts only
in answer to the questions contained in the speech of their
Secretary at their late general meeting, and 1 think it doe
to the memory of our late Managing Director, fhii Vssusider of
this Office, that such a statement of factsihenld he made on the
present occasion. The 9op,,,parison might be carried out to
other poin, etild tt4l 10treeilve 'lesson to the public derived
fromtite p',-oc.eedings of the office in qtteetion as detailed in
their printed Report, and at their late General Mut;r.,i, but I
fear to trespass too far upon your atteistisp. lam enabled to
state that bonuses declared by two oiher offices, viz., the Hope
anti the Eagle, o4.cei are of similar date with ourselves,
4-whi'eli failed to declare a bonus in the sessr iisi33, are
ail times less than those shichhave been cleclareny this office.
—( Hear.) 'I hese facts I sujl,lo warrant me in congratulating
the members of nn the success which. has attended
us, aiiti in 14ing before the public our clainss," to, their confi-
denee. I may assert, without fear a eonteadietions that no
office can have realised g-seater henefits to the ins4ted titan our-
selves. Tt,a 4901,419,N, though they in,e liable for a capital
ttl thp amount of 250,000{., have subscribed 0, tenth part only,
and the profits taken by them are confined to the interest
won chg seh,scrilied ailment, the whole profit of the
besii-less Wang divided mots the policy-holders, and all the
expenses of the (lake being kept upon the lowest possible
scale.—( Hear, hear.) The accounts you have just heard •
have been carefully considered, and upon them •
will be submitted to the meeting. The - resolutioa
lend to the Shareholders mas then P.- .semi ion of a divi-
Three geetlsisyks, were iv. r• 4 and carried.
of tlifteLlirectors, elected Directors, in the room
H. B. ....n Kent out by rotation,
L Esq , was elected Auditor in the room of
Esq.
Alr. Cit Wit:BILL, in returning thank., said that the affairs
of that office were conducted in snob a manner as to render the
office of auditor almost a sinecure. There was one point to
Which he, as a member of the legal profession, would allude, and
that was with regard to the law expenses of the office.
The amount for law expenses for the past year was per-
haps less than in any other Insurance-office. It only amounted
to 7:3/. This evidently showed that great care was taken to
avoid disputes by the parties connected with this establishment.
lie most heartily thanked them for thehonour they had done him.
sVsiDitew Maciew, Esq., proposed a vote of thanks to the
Managing Director, Mr. Beaumont, and at the same time
passed a warm eulop,Mai upon the talents and integrity of
the late Manag'ing Director, whose constant exertions were
directed to the welfare of all parties who had identified
theseselves with the Office which he had conducted with so
much success.

Mr. lAEA U3IONT,iu returning thanks, said he was extremely
proud of the confidence paced in him, that he considered the
,ffice of _Manager of a prosperous Life office one of the highest
honour, seeing that the interests of so large a portion of the
community are entrusted to his care, and that he should ever
feel most deeply interested in the suocess of an establishment
%%inch owed its origin and prosperity to the exertions and pru-
dent measures of his lamented father. He begged leave
to take that opportunity of expressing his thanks to the Di-
rectors, who had rendered great service to the Office by their
constant attention to its affairs.

The meeting thee separated, after expressing their thanks to
the Chairman for kis attention to the busing of :he day.

THOUGHTS AND DETAILS ON LIFE IN-
SURANCE OFICES. By .I. A. Beaumont.

This little publication, which is addressed in the shape
of a letter to the Shareholders and Insured in the
Provident Life-office, Regent-street, contains a great
deal of useful information on subjects which interest a
large portion of the community, and many hundreds
will regret that it was not published some five years ago.
Had the fitithful warning which it conveys been coin-
municated in time, the West-Middlesex Insurance Com-
pany, and another Company little less flagitioUs, though
less injurious, wouid not have thrown so many families
into distress and hopeless ruin. One observation in the
pamphlet ought to make a deep impression on persons
who wish to guard against the insolvency of Assurance-
offices, namely, that the period which tests the soundness
of the principles upon which an Insurance-office is con-
ducted, is front twenty-five to thirty years after its es-
tablishment. No office, the author considers safe, unless
it hits been subjected to this term of probation, and he
thus snakes out his argument :
There is no Life Insurance Company, on whatever principles it
may he constituted, that may not buoy itself up with every external
show of prosperity for at least the first twenty years. If by repre-
sentations, however delusive, it can succeed in getting business, it
may during that period declare handsome bonuses, and even pay
them, and thus strengthen its apparent claim to public favour. The
policies of the few that may annually drop off', may be punctually
paid to the surviving claimants out of the accumulated and incom.
ing funds, The very claims thus arising, enable them to sustain
and strengthen their teputation, as the prompt discharge of them
is thus turned to good account.. But, in the progress of time,
a period arrives which wholly alters this state of affairs. The
lapse of between twenty and thirty years has brought those
early insured, then In middle age, to a somewhat advanced
period of life. The candles have been all burning together,
and they consequently go out at no distant intervals. The
deaths begin to multiphy fast, and the claims to press rapidly on
each other. It is now that the rough current sets in, and it is this
crisis which tries the solidity of the concern. If the system is one
of collusion, its whole machinery will be brought to a stop; the
Company will now be broken up, and the proprietors will decamp
with the funds, setting the claimants and the law at defiance. If,
on the contrary, an establishment at the end of this period of pro-
bation remains still solvent and trustworthy, discharging all its
claims with the same exactness and promptitude as at first, it has
given the best grounds for presuming favourably both as to the in-
tegrity of its dealings, and the stability of its funds. The evi-
dence is not in all cases conclusive; but better ground of reliance
can hardly be desired, and the moat cautious may prudently act
upon it as the best that cau be obtained. It has the great advan-
tage, too, of being - mealy procured, nothing more being necessary
than to refer to the date of the establishment of th a office."
This statement is fully borne out by the history of the
Provident Life Office. During the first seven years, says
Mr. Beaumont, the gain was very considerable ; the
receipts exceeded the claims by 70 per cent., but towards
the end of twenty-eight years the claims multiplied so
rapidly as to leave but few lives on the list of those early
insured. " This effectually tried our strength." This
account is so consistent with truth and experience, that
we should look upon every periron as mad who insured
in a new office (unless under good guarantees) if
it were not a well-known fact, that one half of man-
kind daily commit acts which the other half re-
gard as decided proofs of insanity. The publi-
cation then refers to the different companies es-
tablished for life insurance, and of course the author
prefers his own, but of that the reader can judge fi)r
himself. "My only object," he says in conclusion, "has
been to prevent, or rather to assist in preventing, the
recurrence of irreparable misfortunes, by furnishing such
materials for consideration as may put the inexperienced
on their guard, and I would fain hope that they may
not be wholly unprofitable. Those only who are prac-
tically acquainted with the subject have the means of
doing this. In my present attempt to effect .I have
only carried out—l feel how imperfectly—the intention
of our deceased founder., to whose office I succeed, and
whose loss, unaided by his guidance as I now am, I:have
daily occitaion to deplore."

ANTI-CORN LAW CONFERENCE
The Executive Committee appoir4l by the Conference, at the
close of its sittings on Saturday last, assembled yesterday at
Brown's Hotel, Palace-yard. Several of the Deputies present com.
municated intelligence of the feeling of indignation and disgust with
which the Government measures were received in the country, and
the determination of the people, in the ♦arious localties to
1,,;,1 upon the recommendation of the Conference. It was
also resolved that the Committee should hold an open meeting
at twelve o'clock to.day, and each succeeding morning for
the transaction of the impoi taut business, which must of necessitl,
occupy their atteutica during the discussion of the, great question
in the ii,Ause of Commons. As the press will have an owortunity
o' attending these meetings, reports of the procc.44ings will no
doubt appear in all the Liberal daily papers,

The Caen papers state that the inquiry set on foot
with regard to the bytii,ng of the house of detention at Beaulieu
shows it to I,iiye 4i;iwn from the imprudence of one of the officers
iPlPifle4 in the establishment. This person accidentally let a
,-;.3.440 fail in one of the workshops, and the inflammable materials,
baying instantly broken out into a blase, he I ost his presence of
mind, and did not give the alma till it was too late,