Star.
London, England, 1830-03-26 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS-TIIUA.DAY.

The SPZAKIII took the Chair shortly before four o'clock.
Col. SIBTHORP took an opportunity of corrrecting a misrepre.
sentation, which had been made in some of the papers, relative to
what fell from him on the motion of the Hon. Member for Shaftes.
bury, for an intriry into the state of the country. He (CoL Sib.
their) had received a letter from a most respectable penes on the
subject. He denied that he had stated in the debate alluded to,
that Mr. Jacob, when he went down to Lincoln, had been roughly
treated. He never said any such thing, What be said was, that
he regretted a Noble Duke in the other House of Parliament had
not possessed himself of more practical information on the subject
of the wool trade than what was derived from Mr. Jacob. He did
not, however, attach any blame to the conductors of the public
press; and whilst upon this subject, he would take the opportunity
of stating that, owing to the absence of a great number of Members
attending the Quarter Sessions, he should postpone his intended nip-
tion for granting greater facilities to the persons engaged in report-
ing the proceedings of Parliament, until Thursday, the 30th of
May next.
Mr. J. MARSHALL presented a petition from the clothing dis-
trict of °menial, in Yorkshire; and also a petition from another
clothing district in the same county, praying that the East India
charter might not be renewed.—Keferred to the Committee.
Mr. A. }:LLIS moved for certain returns relative to the society
for superseding the necessity of climbing boys being employed in
the cleaning of flues.—Ordered.
Mr. H. DAVIS presented a petition from the licensed victuallers
of Bristol, against throwing open the trade in beer.—Referred to the
committee on beer licenses.
Mr. S. WORTLEY presented a petition from the clothing dis.
trice of Wortley, in Yorkshire, praying for a free trade with China.
Referred to the committee on East India affairs.

Sir JOHN WROTTESLEY presented two petitions from Swil.
Angulo and Stoke-upon-Trent, complaining of distress.—Ordered
to be printed.
Sir T. WI NN I NGTON prevented a petition from the county and
city of Worcester, complaining of the alteration of the currency,
and of general distress.
A MEMBER, whose name we could not learn, spoke at some
Philiin support of the motion.
he petition was then read.
Colonel 1) %VIES dissented entirely from the terms of the peti.
deo. He considered that, by the introduction of the question of
Gummy, the petitioners had been completely misled by one indivi.
dual to treat upon a subject of which they knew nothing. He felt
certain not one person out of a hundred present at the meeting at
which the petition was adopted knew any thing of the currency
=Had they petitioned for a reduction in the taxation of
ny, it would have been, in his opinion, mote to the purpose.
Sir P. BURDETT felt persuaded that it was the change in the
illtrency which had caused the present state of distress; but there
mimed to him to be every endeavour practised to induce the
sosiabsn of the House of Commons to shut their eyes against an
Inquiry into the real cause of this calamity. Every practical man
of business, whether in commerce or otherwise, 'hat he had con-
vened with on the subject concurred in opinion as allow this state
gibing, arose. Ihey all attributed it to the change in the currency.
le was useless to talk of a reduction of taxes—no reduction
tweald be made by Government at all proportionate to the ex-
tent of the existing state of distress, or at all likely to produce
efficient relief, or raise the country from its present depressed
state. • (Hear, bear.) He was not one for readily conforming
with the doctrines of any writer upon the currency, however
high his character; he formed his judgment upon different
founds. He did not agree with the principlethat a country
is s becalms it is increasing its currency. This, fa
his prosperous
was hijarious • and that ewrency was the hest
that rested on a mote Seal Principle, neither inereaaing nor dimi-
nishing. To the vacillations in the currency he ascribed the present
state of disaster and privation. It was this that had affected the
farmer and the annuitant, and d minished their income so materially.
He must repeat that it was absurd to suppose that there could be a
reduction made in the taxes to an extent proportionate with this di-
minution of property. He felt gratified by Government taking the
duty off beer, and reducing the taxes upwards of three millions ; and
he tweed to see them do more ; but be did not believe that this
alone would produce efficient relief. The petition, when printed,
he hoped members would read, with the attention its Importance
merited.
Mr. WARBUKTON said, that by the present measures, it was
attempted to relieve one class of persons at the expense of the other.
Sir CHARLES BURRELL contended that the alteration in the
currency was the principal cause of the present distress, and enu-
merated instances of evils arising from this change.
Mr. BRIGHT confessed he was one of those who believed the
'neindpal causes of our distress might be traced back to the impolitic
doors which the legislature had been induced to make relative to
the currency.
ISir MATTHEW WHITE RIDLEY conceived it would only
be fair and just that, as far as a certain class, and a numerous one,
had been displaced by the operation of the change in the currency,
the tun ought to retrace its steps, as far, at least, as re.
=them, as as to enable them again to semi= that station
whence they bad been displaced by the operation of that nice.
lisle
sure.
Mr. EDWARD DAVENPORT said that since the house had
in its wisdom decided no: to make the present and similar petitions,
from bodies, however numerous, mattes of its serious and special
consideration, he had received accounts, on the correctness of which
he relied, from three different counties, confirming, or rather en-
hancing on the statements he had mode, as to the real condition of
the country. From Westmoreland, the account states that sheep
(the staple commodity of this county) bought at Inverness last
August, were now selling under the prime cost. The price of
fat cattle was, compared with last year, as 20 to 28. The
consumption of butcher's meat in Birmingham among the lower
orders, was diminished down to one-third of what it was a few
years ago, according to the report of eighteen butchers., of
their sales on the Saturday, when the poorer classes laid in
their stock for the ensuing week. The rise 'of the tolls was
accounted foe by Acts of Parliament, which had increased
them, but on the Stourbridge road, where the rate MI6 not altered,
the amount was less by one-third than it was. The altered value
of property was illustrated by an extraordinary fact :.-A gentleman,
well-known, near Fawley, last year disposed of property in printing-
blocks, estitnated at 40,00 W. for WOOL to a firm. which failed three
weeks ago, when this identical property, on being resold, fetched
no more than 211. Some 'erasing land in Cheshire. within his (Mr.
D.'s) knowledge, now let for 20 per cent. less than it did two years
ago ; and a farm sithin five miles of Bimringhasn, which let a few
years ago far 243. an acre, now let for I Is. He could add other in.
formation if the house were not anxious to go into other questions.
Lord J. RUSSELL regretted that the Manner of bringing this
subject before the house, or rather the mode in which it was worded
by the hen. mother for Sheasebury, lad pieventail the house
aiming to any division on that qbugasilen which the hen, member
and his Wends-had inipseelsed as the cause d all the distress
in the country. If the bus. baronet the has. memberfer Shelter
bury conceived, as they asserted, that the objections relative to the
alterations of the currency were not Satisfactorily answered, why did
they not move for such men SD would elucidate the subject, and
bring the question of the currency directly under the notice of the
bane. •
After a few words by Mr. WARD, in exphoution of as asser-
tion made on a former night, as to the quantity of the circulating
medium,
Mr. DAVENPORT owed die bone sbe ebalbetse moopffeted
him by the noble lord shield net be Abed in Ws. He would
make the question atlas enuency the ofs dirtiest sod spe-
cific motion as so= es possible. As to aeeetinsle, be abooM take
the liberty et moving fee web se be time toodoeieo as the fur-
ther's., of that inquiry, Tiding eolooling whether it water was
tree 'recoils to the nAlejorL •
Mr. W. MAlLSHAlafafealimaldopoliden has. metals persona
residing in the to
county of York, 'analog dm renewal of the East Ina
Company's monopoly to China and the East taw.

Sir W.W.WYNN presented a petition from certain inhabitants
of Denbighshire, complaining of agricultural and manufacturing
distress.—Both petitions were read and ordered to be printed.
Mr. LAWLEY presented a petition from thegunmakers of Bir-
mingham, against the abolition of the proof-house for the manufac-
ture of small inns in Birmingham, and the assumption of tbe manu-
facture of small arms by government on its own account.
Mr. Alderman THOMPSON supported the petition. The ma-
nufacturers of that district had brought the fabric of small arms to
the greatest possible perfection, owing to the competition which was
crested, to supply Government on advantageous tenni for the public.
Enormous capitals had been ombarked in the manufacture of small
arms, and the district lying so very conveniently for a supply of both
iron and coals, he thought it was not possible Government itself
ever could more effectually, cheaply, or speedily procure a supply,
than a body of expert and enterprising competitors in this branch
of manufacture, who, from the year 1883 to 1815, had certainly ma-
nofactured at reduced prices 3,277,000 stand of arms.
Mr. LITTLETON stated his opinion, that it would have been
a considerable saving to the country had government abolished this'
establishment 18 years since.
Mr. W. SMITH protested against government attempting, even
with respect to articles subservient to purposes of warfare, to in.
terfere in any branch of our manufactures.
Air. HUME hoped the bon. member for Warwick would bring
the question before the house shortly.
Mr. PERCEVAL begged the house would suspend its opinion
on this subject, which would properly come on along with the Ord-
nance Estimates, accompanied by a statement from that board as to
the propriety of continuing or altering the present system of supply
of small arms. Until that period he begged to be allowed to re-
frain from making allusion to the subject.
Mr. Alderman WOOD supported the petition.
Mr. DUGDALE could not see, whilst government had. as it
was confessed, a million stand of arms on hand, what chance the
manufacturers of London or Birmingham had of receiving orders for
more.
The petition was then read, and ordered to be printed.
CRIMINAL LAW.
Mr. WARBURTON presented a petition from Bridport, in fa.
your of the immediate reform of our criminal law.