The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-24 00:00:00

the consumption of his own countrymen. Now, leaving
the subject of the relative duties, he would press on the
Committee that the duty proposed by his Right lion.
Friend of 11. a head on live oxen was as considerable a
duty as ought to be levied. It was said that his Right
Hon. Friend had only gone back to 1835. Now, with
respect to that, he apprehended that if he had gone fur-
ther, back his principle would have been more correct.
He believed that the means of communication which had
taken place had tended very much to increase the price
of meat ; some measure was therefore called for to check.
the rise in prices. There was another subject to be con-
sidered. Had they not an increasing, and a rapidly in-
creasing, population; and was it not necessary that some
provision should be made to meet it ? Was it, he would
ask, likely that throwingopen the markets to the Conti-
nent would do more than provide for such an increase of
population? He wished he could persuade himself that
there would be a larger importation of cattle from the
Continent. He believed that the proposed measure would
afford material relief, but he doubted whether it would
do more than provide the relief that would be required.
He could not conceive that the tariff could ever produce,
as had been stated, a reduction in the price.of meat of
2d. or lid. per lb. Unless it could be shown that large
quantities of meat would be poured into the country, the
Britishh farmer had nothing to fear ; he believed he
might farly calculate the whole consumption of meat in
this country at about 1,600,000 head of cattle, and was it
to be supposed that the provisions of the tariff would in-
terfere with that ? His Hon. Friend had referred to the
produce of the Baltic ; with respect to that, he would
ask him whether he really dreaded the importation of
live or dead cattle from the produce of the Baltic, when
the expense and charges in bringing them to this country
were so great ? He wished his• Hon. Friend had given
them an estimate of the number of horned cattle that
might be imported into this eountry in five years ; he
had heard that there might be brought over in that
period 80,000; he would suppose that to be a
fair calculation, and then he would ask whether
that number would do more than provide for the in-
crease in the population?—(Hear, hear.) He thought,
therefore, that no ground had been laid by his Hon.
Friend for his apprehensions, as he was sure that the
enterprise and spirit of the people of England would
enable them to compete with the whole world. His
Hon. Friend hail referred to the cheapness of Canadian
meat. Now, what was the result with respect to
that ? Why, the Canadian beef was left in bond, while
the meat of the Continent found a ready sale.
The productive powers of the Continent were inferior to
those of this country. Look to. the breed of horses.
Why was it that the cheap horses of the Continent did
not inundate this country ?—:(Hear, hear.) And was
it not the same with the black cattle.—(Hear.) Were not
these facts and the experience which we had had, suffi-
cient to show that the apprehensions of his Hon. Friend
were founded on fallacy ?—(Hear, hear.) For his part,
he did not think that any great reduction of price could be
occasioned by the measure of his Right Hon. Friend.
He would only allude to one other point before he sat
down. It had been asked, if the whole number of herds
of cattle expected to be imported was no more than
50,000, why was the present state of the law interfered
with ? He answered, that although the importation of
50,000 would only add 50,0001. to the revenue, yet it was
to be recollected that it would add nearly half a million
to the imports, and a corresponding amount to the
exports of this country, which would inevitably cause
(although not at once, yet in the course of years) a con-
siderable increase in the demand for labour.—(Hear,
hear.) The benefit, he contended, therefore, would be
great. The reduction of price to the consumer, although
not great in one particular item, would, on the whole,
be of great advantage, and there was no ground for tips
prehension of any injury to the home producer.—(Hear)
Dr. BOWRING, who spoke amid very great noise
and confusion, occasioned by Members leaving the House,
said that as the state of the laws of importation in
foreign countries had been alluded to, he wished to say
a few words on that subject. The law of France was,
next to that of England, the worst, and the results of its-
operation had been highly injurious to the consumers in
France, as well as to the colonies. The Honourable and
Learned Gentleman, amidst loud and repeated cries of
Divide, divide," read a statistical statement of
the prices of meat in the French markets at various
periods, to show the mischievous workings of the
present customs system in France. The measure of
the Right Hon. Gentleman was • good so far as it went.
It conferred some important advantages on this country,
and-great honour to those who proposed it, and he hoped
they would carry out the wise, generous, and politic
principle still further.—(Divide, divide.)
Lord NORREYS acknowledged that when the pro--
position of the Right Hon. Baronet, at the head of the
Government, was first brought forward he heard it with
very great alarm. But that alarm had been lately ninth
allayed by what he had heard out of doors, as well as by
the arguments and statements which were made in that
House. He had heard it said—" Now that we have
,voted for the Corn-laws, we must do something to ap-
pease the farmers. Let us vote for Miles's motion—you
know we can't carry it"—(Cheers and laughter)—" it
will do the Government no harm, and it will throw dust
in the eyes of the farmers."—(Great cheers and laughter.)
By voting for the motion of the Honourable Member
for Somersetshire, those who had raised the panic, by
their agitating the country all over, would make believe
that they participated in it.—(Hear, hear.) But he
would be no party to such a proceeding.—(Hear, hear.)
He believed that there was no ground for apprehension,
and he would vote against the motion of the lion. Mem-
ber for Somersetshire.—(Cheers.)
Mr. G ALLY KNIGHT (who rose amidst loud cries
of ". Divide ") said, that he would not be one of those
who wished to keep up a groundless panic for the purpose
of keeping up the semblance of consistency ; but on the
contrary, he would do his best to allay it.—(Hear, hear.)
It was the absolute duty of the fiouse to supply the peo-
ple with food as cheap as possible.—(Great cheering from
the Opposition.) It was their duty to do so as far as was
compatible with causing no great disturbance of agricul-
tural interests.—(Cheers, laughter, and cries of Olt,
oh," from the Opposition.) Gentlemen might cheer and
laugh, but that was what he. always meant by " food as
cheap as possible."—(Renewed cheers and laughter.)
It had been said that there was danger of this country
being inundated with cattle from Holstein, but when it
was considered that that small district had the consider-
able towns of Hamburgh and Altona to supply, it
plain that the source of danger to our agriculturists
must be looked for in a larger area. Was it in France?
—(Hear.) Why in France the meat was so inferior
that they did not dare to exhibit it in the shape of joints
—(Laughter)—and whenever he saw it at table he was
reminded of the caricature, in which the entrance of an
English sirloin of beef at the gates of Calais is hailed
with mingled admiration and surprise.—(Laughter.)
He was convinced that the national roast beef would
still continue to maintain its superiority. He should vote
against the motion before the House, because he felt
that by doing so he should best consult the interests of
the community at large. He looked on the Right Hon.
Baronet at the head of the Government as the friend
equally of the agriculturist and the manufac-
turer,—(Hear, hear.) He believed that his desire
was to adjust the conflicting claims of both parties. He
had a confident assurance that the Right Hon. Baronet
would nut throw overboard, as some seemed to suppose,
the great agricultural interest. He believed, that in
adopting the principles of free trade, the Right Hon.
Baronet would carry them out wisely and moderately.
Nothing could be more dangerous in his opinion than a
strict adherence, under all circunistances, to abstract
principles, however just they might.be ; and no charae-
ters were more dangerous than purists. It was not free
trade that the Conservative party were afraid of, -but'
Radicalism, and extreme doctrines. These were the
things which they were afraid of, and not sugar or
coffee.—(Laughter.) They did not want to be pressed
by the heavy hoofs of the advocates of endless change.
He thought, however, that it would be wise to make some
concession to the wants of the people ; and he should
therefore vote against the motion then before the House.
Lord ALFORD opposed the motion. He felt assured
that if cattle were imported to a large extent under the
proposed change, they would be of a very inferior de-
scription.
Mr. 0. STANLEY thought that the principles of the
Right Honourable Baronet were not fairly carried out ;
and that they did not do justice to the agricultural in-
terest. He could not, therefore, support the measures
of the Right Hon. Baronet. He believed that some mis-
apprehension prevailed on the subject then under the
consideration of the House ; and he felt assured that in
Tuscany, for instance, cattle could be reared which
might compete in quality with the finest in this country.
He should vote for the motion then before the House.
Lord J. RUSSELL said that he really hardly knew,
after what be had heard in the course of that debate,
whether it was to be treated as a serious proposition.—
(Hear, hear.) In the first place, the Hon. Gentleman,
the Member for Oxfordshire, had informed them that he
had been advised to vote for the motion, because it af-
forded a good opportunity to please the farmers without
carrying the proposition or damaging the Government.
He had thought that a very singular notion ; but the
lion. Gentleman, the Member for Nottinghamshire, who
had followed in the course of the debate, bad told them
that Hon. Members on his side of the House, had never
held opinions upon free trade -that had differed from
theirs (the Opposition's). and that they voted on coffee
and sugar, but that they had meant Radicalism.—(Hear.)
How a plain man could deal with the question after these
communications, he was really much at a loss to know.
He must own that the embarrassment was much increased
' by the course which both the proposers and the opposers
of the motion had taken on this and on previous occasions.
He should have thought that those who proposed that
cattle should be admitted at a moderate fixed duty,.would
have shown that great benefit would thereby accrue to
the people of the country ; that the cost of subsistence
would be diminished by the importation that would take
' place ; and that meat would be procured by the labouring
classes at a more moderate price. lie should have expected
on the other hand, that those who opposed the motion
ewould have. shown the fallacy of supposing that any
such supply would be afforded ; that it was a mistake
that any country of the: Continent could aflbrd such a
enpply, and that the price of meat and the cost of the
subsistence of the people would remain, after such an •
enactment. exactly the saute as bee*. Cut the urge,.
meets bad been exactly the reverse of what he had ex-
pected ;
those who opposed the motion came forward
and showed that the comforts of the people would be in-
creased, while those in favour of it argued that no such
reduction would take . place.— (Hear, hear.) If lie
could believe all. the arguments of the Honourable
Member for Somersetshirc, he, should think it the most
convincing speech he had heard in favour of the propo-
sition. He told them that in various parts on the Con-
tinent places of depot would be formed where cattle
would be fattened, and that they would be sent over
here at a moderate price ; he said that in certain cases
they would have beef here at 4-,}d. per lb. If that were
the case, he should say, let them by all means adopt the
proposition.—(Hear, hear.) What were they sitting
there for ? Were they sitting there to prevent the
,people from having cheap food?—.(Hear, hear.) Or Air