Star.
London, England, 1830-12-15 00:00:00

COAT. DITTIES.

Lord 11'ARNCIAFFE rose pursuant to notice to proem p petition
from the City of Lordon, for a repeal of the duties on seaborne coals.
This was a subject which had occupied the attention of parliament near
two centuries. lie had no hesita.ion in saying, that no tax had
operated worse than the tax on sea-horne coal. Coal was not n.cr'.
ly a necessary of life to aarm an indtridual, tut almost ern,- oper-
ation in manufacture required the us,- of fire. It was then a tax
on a great iteces:ary of life.. It fell partially on indisidt: ,1.. It
mess also an uneipoi ('.':ti conic g to London and the south of
N. wcaatle paid du:y, and coal going to Scotland paid none. Why
that distinction was made he could t.ot conceive. The inequality of
the duty was admitted, hot %WI they sail if they took off the coal tax
some tither must be substituted to prevent combination. lit' come rded
there was no 1, ar of the public suffiring by combination and monopoly.
The object was to regulate the price. The noble lord called or. the ge-
vernment to consider whether they could not relieve the country by the
abolition of this tax. The coal owners were ready to farm the dut upon
terms equal to the dutics,if government would consent to such an ar-
range:nem, first lowering the duty. There was another circums.aace,
namely, the enormous Increase of price in coal during the convey.
ance front the pit's mouth. It was a remarkable fact that the public
paid more for conveyance of coals to the cellars of London than th, teal
coat at the pit—a timber-ship front Quebec, arriving in the river
Thames, might be cleated for 101. and a ship with coals from NCIVC:111.
tic could not he cleared for less than 201.—Ins hope wax that ministers
would not be unmindful of this tax. The petition, which was front
the Lord Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Council of the City of Lon-
don, was then laid on the tahle.
Earl OREV paid, the noble lord had made a clear statement as to
the impolicy and partiality of flail tax- on those heads be had not much
difference with his noble trietal ; but he was obliged to say as he had
said before on other subjects, that during the short time he had been in
office he had not had time to look to it—it was a question of immense
importance, and he should feel it his duty to examine the circumstances
of those disadvantages, of which the petitioners complained. With re.
spect to the tax the noble tad was disposed to relieve the country at
once; but under the necessity which existed for collecting a large re-
venue, they could not come to a hasty decision. All he could ray was,
that he consideted it a subject for consideration, and tlt..t government
would do their duty.
Petitions to the same effect were then presented front Whit' y and
Grimsby.
The LORD CHANCELLOR brought in a bill for regulating the
sale of agricultural produce in the public marke a of Scotland.
The Colonial Validity Acts Bill on the demise of the Crown ass read
a first time.

The Marquis of CLEVELAND moved for ekrain returns connected
with the importation of foreign had and lead ore.
After a few words from Lord AUCKLAND the motion was agreed to.
The Earl of GLENGALL moved for a return of the number of
Bishops' Courts in Ireland, with a list of suits decided is them during
the last par.—Ordered.
Their Lordships then adjourned at a Quarter to Seven o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Die. 14.
ITERNAM-BRIBERY ♦ND CORRUPTION.

Mr. DYSON presented the evidence taken befcre the dee ion cont.
mince on the Evesham petition.
Ale. DUNCO MBE observed that it had appeared before the Commit.
tee that there were 426 voters for the borough, and that the electors had
presented one entire mass of corruption. lie was not the advocate of
sweeping reform, but he could not hesitate to declare that ouch e. erupt
boroughs as this one had proved to be, must be forthwith disfranchised.
He regretted and complained that a new writ for this place had been
issued ; it ought to have been suspended till further inquiry.
TheSPEAKER obscry d that as there was no special report front the
Controittee for the suspension of the writ, the coulee of stepping it was
without precedent since the passing of the Grenville Act.
Mr. WELLS reminded the house that corruption had bear I •oh.d
against 22 electors only.
Mr. NIADER IX remarked that the suspension of the writ had not
been recommended by the Committee.
The Marquis of CHANDOS contended that the writ ought to be res.
pended.
Mr. ELLICE said the discussion ought to be postponed till Thurs-
day, when the matter was to be consudaed.
Mr. BULLER considered that the suspension of the writ would have
been recommended had they deemed it advisable, but he thought there
was no ground for it.
Lord G. LENNOX contended that the writ ought to have been sus-
pended. The place was most corrupt. One elector had told him that he
would not give his vote till he was paid the 101. due for the vote of 18.6.
That waaa proof of the state of the borough. Ought such things to con.
tinue ? Ought a writ to be issued under such circumstances ?
Mr. Alderman THOMPSON expressed his astonishment at the In-
difference of members un this subject, after they had declared them.
delves friendly to referm.
Alf. ELLICE said he did not cate any thing about the horce)gh, or
the writ; as a question stood for Thursday, he thought it wu aid be
better to postpone the discussion till then.
The SPEAKER reminded the house that the suopens4ns of the writ
or aupersedras would come on more naturally and orderly on Thursday,
there being a question on the report fixed for Thursday.
The report was then ordered to be printed, and the further eonverea-
tion was postponed till Thursday.
The Marq ;is of CHANDUS gave notice that on Thursday he would
move that the writ ice Evesham be suspended.