The Sun.
London, England, 1827-02-22 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

Mr. Sherwood, from the Court of Common Pleas, presented a
list of the number of causes tried and fines levied in that Court
for the last seven years.—Laid on the. table, ordered to be printed:

Admiral HARVEY brought up the Essex Gaol
Bill.—Read a first time..

Mr. LESLIE FOSTER presented a petition for
the Improvement ofDrogheda Harbour.—Referryd to a, Committee.

CORN LAWS.

Sir W. INGLEBY presented..two petitions from
Owners and Occupiers of Land in certain Hundreds of the
County of Lincoln, against-any alteration in the Corn Laws.

Lord CHANDOS presented a petition from
Owners and Occupiers of Land in Newport ravel, against any
alteration in the Corn Laws.

Mr. KING presented several petitions from Owners
and Occupiers of Laud in the County of Cork, against any altera-
tion in the Corn Laws.

Mr. DUNCOMBE presented three petitions from
the Clergy, Owners, and Occupiers of Land in certain parts of
Yorkshire, against any alteration in the Corn Laws.

Mr. LIDDELL presented a petition against any
alteration in the Corn Laws, from the Owners and Occupiers of
Land in the Northern parts of Northumberland, praying fur pro-
tection to the Agricultural Interest. The petition, he said, was
very numerously and respectably signed. The Agriculturists of
Northumberland formed one of the most valuable parts of the
population of the kingdom. The county exported grain to a
very considerable amount, and the Agriculturists would.be,most
materially injured, unless protected by an adequate duty against
the overwhelming competition of foreign corn. No foreign wheat
ought to be admitted, till the price at home reached 665. or 70s.
per quarter. This, -at least, was necessary for the protection of
the British Agriculturist. Foreign wheat might, he understood,
he imported at 38.. per quarter.

Mr. BELL bore testimony to the respectability of
the petitioners, and fully concurred in the prayer of the petition.
-All these petitions were laid on the. table; and ordered to be
...... . . . :
printed.
Mr. KEIMD,Y presented three petitions from
persons- praying for assistance to enable them to emigrate.--Laid
on the table. - • ' -

Lord-CLEMENTS presented a petition from the
Roman Catholice of Ireland, praying for Emancipation. —Laid on
the table.

MACHINERY.

General GASCOYNE presented a petition from
the operative sawyers of Liverpool, against the use of steam ma-
chinery. In this prayer he could not concur, but the petitioners
in these times of distress, deserved the sincerest sympathy of the
House, and he wished that some other less objectionable means
than the destruction of steam machinery might be found for their
relief.

Mr. HUME that the course followed
complained
by the Right-1ton: Gentleman' opposite (Mr. Peel) was calculated
to encourage the delusion that prevailed amongst the working
classes with respect to the injurious effects of machinery upon
their condition. The course to which he alluded was that of re-
ferring their petitions againif the use of machinery from, the
Home Office to the Board of Trade, and they were thus in-
duced to suppose that some, result favourable to their wishes would
be produced. •

. .
Mr. Secretary PEEL expressed his astonishment
that it should be imputed to; him that any act of his had contri-
buted to support the delusion to which the Honourable Gentle-
man alluded. The petitions that were sent to his office, on this
subject, were referred, as a matter of course, to the Board of
Trade, to whose province they related ; but he denied that any-
thing had ever been done by him that could in the slightest
degree encourage the delusion. Quite the contrary; in the
only instance in which a deputation had waited upon him—that
from Frome—he had endeavoured to convince them that they
were altogether mistaken in their views of the subject. Their
notions did not extend to the entire abolition of machinery.
They wished only to have that kind of machinery prohibited
which was within the power of great capitalists. They had no
:objection to tolerate that which small capitalists could use. He
was, satisfied, however, and so he told this deputation, that it
.was the true policy of this country to encourage mechanical
skill in every, department to which it could be applied, and to
the utmost extent to. which it could be carried. These were
':the doctrines which he had always. maintained. If he had not
,gone out of his way to satisfy every body of petitioners against
machinery, that they were wrong, he trusted, that considering
the number of petitions of that nature, which had been for
warded to his office, he should still be held free from the im-
putation so unjustly cast upon him by the Honourable Member
for Aberdeen.
ME repeated hiS opinion, that the Right
Mr. nu
Honourable Secretary, when he referred the petitioners to the
.Board of Trade, should at the same time, do something that
,would tend to relieve themirom the delusion they laboured.under.

.111 r. Secretary PEEL stated, in reply, that, when
an opportunity offered, he had alwayS told the petitioners against
machinery that he could bold out to them no hopes of success.
He had transferred their petitions to the. Board of Trade, simply
because that was the proper department for receiving and consi-
dering them. •

Air. J. WILLIAMS objected to the hard-hearted
manner in which the distressed operatives were dismissed by
the Political Economists of that House. If relief could not be
given to them, at least they should be treated leith compassion,
which was strictly their due.
The petition was ordered to be printed.
FREE TRADE.
General GASCOYNE gave notice, that, on .I,MOn,
day, the 22d of March, he would move for the appointment of
a Committee to inquire into the present state of the Shipping
and Coinnierie of Great Britain, and to report their opinion of