The Sun.
London, England, 1845-05-27 00:00:00

to defend the aspersions that had been cast on the
opposition offered by the Right Honourable the Secre-
tary of State. He thought there were arguments
in its defence, which would reconcile the House to the con-
tinuance of the measure. The Right Hon. Gentleman
laboured to prove the great blessing and great advantage to the
community at large, and especially to the labouring classes,
which had resulted from certain restrictions on trade. The
arguments which had been submitted appeared to him to hare
been adduced merely to consume the time of the House. He
believed in no other assembly such arguments would be tole-
rated. For the last seven years, these arguments had
been heard over and over again. The prices were
low, which meant that food was abundant, and
they had the Right Hon. the Secretary of State for the
Home Department as a witness to what were the effects of low
prices. if it were wished to put a witness in the box to speak
to these effects, he knew of no man in whom more implicit
confidence could be placed, and to whose word more could be
trusted, or whose evidence would be more satisfactore, than
the Right Hon. Gentleman. He says, in the first place, the
labouring class are well off. He does not say this as a
progressive improvement, but he contrasts it with the
time when he would have wished it. He gives you
some results, to show what was the effect of low
prices in diminishing misery. He goes through every
test to try the condition of the lower classes. He says,
crime is diminished, and crime is usually the result of
poverty. He says that wages are increased not only in the
manufacturing, but also in the agricultural districts. He
told the House that the rates for the relief of the poor had
been diminished, aid there was less destitution in the country.
He had given the price of provisions, and had said that the
price of meat had been reduced from 7d. per pound to 6d., and
that sugar some time ago was 7d. per pound, and was now only
sd. ; and told us to regard the blessing that had resulted from
this reduction in price. The Noble Lord has said, by the
system we were pursuing,. we were raising the price of
food ulion the community and the labouring classes, and
if they were obliged to pay more for their food,
they would be less able to clothe and educate their children.
If those on the Opposition side of the House succeeded in
raising the price of food, then they were willing to go back
to the law of 1840 and 1841 ; but if •they failed in raising
the price of food, then they cared not for 10s. additional to
the present rate of duty. There was no escape from this con-
clusion, so he would leave them to settle them as they could.
—(Cheers.) The question was, is protection worth having,
or is it not ? The Hon. Gentleman who agreed with the
lion. Member for Sussex had stated they withdrew their con-
fidence from the Ministry, for the injury they had inflicted on
the agricultural interest by their recent tariff,was this the fact.
According to the Hon. Member for Sussex, the labourers in
his county were never better off than they were new. The
labourers were well employed and paid. He had in his own
employment seventy labourers, who were described to be ex-
ceedingly well to do; yet this was at a time when he was
threatening to withdraw his snpport from the Government
who had passed the law under which this prosperity had taken
place.—(Cheers:) He wanted to know if there was any
rational ground or pretence for protective duties at all? The
Noble Lord the Member for London, in the course
of his address, had pointed out with great clearness
and ability the benefits which had resulted from the removal of
protection. He had instanced wool and silk, about which the
greatest cry was raised in both Houses of Parliament at the
time the duties were reduced.—( Hear, hear.) Noble
Lords and Right Honourable Gentlemen manifested the
greatest fears of the bad consequences which would follow,
Yet so far from anything injurious resulting, the
step taken had been attended with great advantage to those
particular trades and the general interests of the country.
There was not one single argument applied to wool or silk,
but what equally applied to corn. The Noble Lord had
shown that wherever the protective system was in existence, the
interest sought to be benefited was invariably depressed.
The Noble Lord had c mtrasted his intermediate scheme for a
4s. duty with the less equivocal measure propounded by him-
self and colleagues. But wherein consisted virtually the diffe-
rence between an insignificant restrictive import, acknow-
ledged to be but temporary, and an immediate free trade?
The principle was admitted, but the mischief retained. For
himself, however, he thanked the Noble Lord for the opportu-
nity he had afforded the House of discussing the question, and
he trusted it would meet with that consideration its interest
and importance demanded.
The Hon. Mr. SCOTT thought it was incumbent upon the
agriculturists of the county to raise a sufficient supply of food
for the population, and without protection were afforded to
that interest it was quite impossible that the object could be ac-
complished. The population of the country, it was admitted,
increased a thousand per day or 365,000 per year, and this
circumstance rendered it necessary that agricultural
protection should be increased in order that the
supply of food might keep pace with the demand.
In his opinion, it was absurd to expect that a repeal of the
existing corn-law would induce corn producing countries to
export their grain, or increase the manufacturing trade of Eng-
land. Prussia had imported the largest quantity of corn into
this country, and yet in the last year Prussia had only taken
201. worth of printed goods, and 1271. of cotton goods. It was
much better, therefore, to give protection and encouragement
to the British agriculturist, and they might rely upon.it, in pro-
portion to the increase of protection, the trade of manufacture
would be augmented.
On the motion of Mr. HOWARD, the debate was then ad-
journed till Wednesday.
The report on the last Committee of Supply was brought up
and agreed to.

MILITARY SAVINGS' BANK BILL.
The Bill went through Committee, and the report was ordered
to be received on Friday.
The remaining orders of the day were then disposed of, and
.he House adjourned at One o'clock.;

RAILWAY COMMITTEES
(YESTERDAY.)

Group E.

IMPORTANT DECISION.

ATMOSPHERIC RAILWAY BILL THROWN OUT.
The Committee met this morning at twelve, Lord Worsley in
the Chair, and immediately afterwards the room was ordered to be
cleared. The doors were re-opened shortly be'ore two o'clock
when

The CHAIRMII4 announced that the Committee had decided
that the preamble to the Newcastle and Berwick Bill had been
proved, and that the preamble to the Northumberland Atmosphe.
ric Bill had not been proved; thus deciding against the Atmosphe
ric principle.

The most intense anxiety was manifested during the time the
Committee was in deliberation, and the lobbies leading to the Corn.
mittee-room were crowded to excess.

NEWCASTLE AND DARLINGTON (BR ANDLING JUNC.
TION) RAILWAY.
This Bill for enabling the Newcastle and Darlington Junction
Railway Company to purchase the Brandling Junction Railway,
and to enable the said Company to make certain branch railways,
stations, and works, and for other purposes, occupied the attention
of the Committee for the remainder of the day.
Mr. TEMPLE addressed the Committee for the purpose of show.
ing the advantages that would accrue to the public if these two
junctions were brought under the control of one board.
Mr. Hudson, Chairman of the Company, and the purchaser of
1,000 shares in both these junctions was examined by Mr. TEMPLE,
and stated that when it was understood that the Newcastle and
Darlington Company contemplated purchasing the Brandling Junc.
tion, the shares were 18 or 28 per cent , thereby showing the confi-
dence they had in the advantages to be derived.

After a short cross-examination, during which nothing material
was elicited, the Committee adjourned to eleven o'clock tomorrow.

Group R.
DUBLIN AND ARMAGII.

The Committee met today at 12 o'clock; Mr. Gibson Craig in
the chair.

The Citatemax said the Committee had been considering the
order in which the business should be taken up; and thought the
best course to pursue would be to take up the two projects first ;
and should their promoters make out such a case as to lead the
Committee to think the preamble of the Belfast Junction ought not
to pass, to call upon the latter to reply to the case of the projects.
But it otherwise, the Committee would proceed to take up the re.
maining lines, deferring the decision on the preamble of the Belfast
Junction till the whole were finished, when a general decision
would be given on all the lines.

The Dublin and Armagh project was then gone into, Mr. M.
Chambers appearing for the promoters,
Mr. CHAMBERS proceeded at once to call his witnesses, reserv-
ing to himself the right to address on the summing up instead of
the opening of the case.

Mr. Blacker, agent for the Earl of Gosport, was first examined.
He knew Armagh well. He thought the inland line was much
preferable to the coast line. He knew the country on both lines
well. His reasons for thinking the inland the best were, that it
wag on a much lower level than the other, there being 236 feet
difference between the two, and that it would afford much greater
facilities for the carrying of produce from the interior to the sea.
ports along the coast. The produce that would be carried along the
line would be grain, flax, pork, butter, and eggs, Immense quanti.
ties of which were taken to the ports along the coast, more espe-
cially to Belfast. According to the Belfast Junction, the people of
Kells and Navan would have to go round by Drogheda to get to
Dublin. The feeling at Armagh was decidedly in favour of the
inland line. He had attended several meetings in which this feel-
ing was very strongly expressed. There were not so many towns
in direct connexion with this line as there were in the coast one,
but there was a larger agricultural population, and he believed it
was intended to connect these towns with this line by means of
branches.
To Mr. Mortenv—He could not tell who were the projectors of
this project. He came forward at the Instance of the
solicitor of it. He was not there to answer as to the parties
who composed the Company, but as to the merits of the
line compared with the other. He was not acquainted with the
promoters of the project, but he had no doubt, if the line was
favourably entertained by the Committee, there would be, in his
opinion, no want of money or supporters to carry it out. He
thought the Dublin and Drogheda line very good, as connecting the
towns on it, but not as a national undertaking. He thought
the line from Drogheda to Portadown better than the former
in this respect, but still not what a national line of railway
ought to be. Such a line ought to be more inland, and he was
of opinion the Dublin and Armagh line was decidedly the best for
such a purpose. This line would not be serviceable to the coast
without branches to Drogheda, Newry, and Dundalk. He thought
it would be of service to have a line from Drogheda to Dundalk,
and that the Dublin and Armagh line would not be of service for
tuch a purpose, but he supported the latter, because he held it
was better adapted for the wants of the whole country.
The CULIRMAN—WouId not passengers in going from Drogheda
to Dundalk, and from Dundalk to Newry, have to go up frog,
each place along a branch to the main line, then along the tnain
line, and, lastly, from the main line down a second branch to the
respective terminations; in fact, to have to pass along three
sides of a square. Most undoubtedly they would, but he thought
ten or fifteen minutes extra in passing between these towns of little
consequence, compared with the general interests of the country.
Mr. Paton said he resided its the city of Armagh. He had a
pretty good knowledge of that part of the country. This line,
taking into account general purposes, was to be preferred, as it
would take in the whole interior of the country, and by branches
accommodate the leading ports on the coast. He knew there was
a line proposed to be carried forward to Portrush, and the inland
one would be decidedly preferable, to accommodate those travelling
from Armagh along that line. He had heard Mr. Blacker, and he was
not aware that there was any point in which he differed from him.
S4veral meetings had been held in Armagh, at which resolutions
were unanimously passed In favour of the inland line There were
a great number of flax mills, corn mills, and bleaching grounds in
the neighbourhood of Kendy ; in his opinion as many as at Port
down ; all of which would be accommodated by this line. The
length of the railway from Drogheda to Dublin was either 32 or
33 English miles, and considerably further than the mail road.

tie had seen the section of the Belfast Junction at Newry, and
thought it would be very inconvenient, on account of the elevation
above the quays. He did not think the people would be satisfied
with it.

To Mr. MURPIIY—He did not mean to compare the Portedown
district with the Kendy one, if the former was extended to in.
dude Tenderageer, Lurgan, Banbridge, and Guildford. He did not
know whether there was a market at Kendy. He was not aware
of any company being formed for this, neither was he in any way
connected with it.
To Mr. Bone—He believed that If the coast line were rejected
by the House of Commons, the inland line would be immediately
taken up, and a company formed for its execution. The length of
the inland line we understood to be eight y.five miles.
Mr, W. Kirk said he had not curie to town to give evidence on