Star.
London, England, 1830-05-26 00:00:00

EAST imiroaD DISTILANCHISENEXT lIILL.

The Marquis ofSALISBURY moved the order of the day, for
proceeding with the evidence in the above bill. Counsel and wit.
nesse' were then called in, and the examination was proceeded with
as heretofore, until the usual hour of adjournment.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—Tuzsnty.
BARRIO AND TuR s
Mr. HOBBOUSE presented a petition from the journeymen
bakers of London, and the towns and villages within ten miles round
etropo agaLust "bakiw" on Sunday.
Sir T. BARING and Mr. Alderman THOMPSON supported
the prayer of the petition, and expressed the hope that a bill would
be butt in to protect the Sabbath against profanation.
Mr. HUME said he could not help thinking that any interference
by parliament to controul the trade of the bakers would be wholly
unnecessary, and that the house might be much better employed
than in any such legislation.
Petition ordered to be printed.
Mr. HOBHOUSE presented a petition from Henry Jackson, foe
liberty to run " omnibuses" through the streets of London, to carry
passengers such distances in the metropolis as they might wish to
go. —Ordered to Ile on the table.
Mr. HOBBOUSE presented a petition from Chichester against
negro slavery.
Mr. Alderman WOOD presented a petition from the master
bakers of the metropolis, against Sunday bakings.
Mr. SLANEY observed that this measure, if the house could be
brought to consider it, would be to produce the very opposite effect
of that which was desired, which was the best possible observance of
the Sabbath. By being enabled to send dinners to the bakehouses,
the owners had the opportunity of attending divine worship ' • but if
the regulation desired could be made law, the baker might attend
chapel, if so disposed, while others would be obliged to remain at
home, to cook their dinners, if they desired comfortable meals once
in the week. He thought the contemplated interference to be any
thing but judicious.---Petition ordered to be printed.
Sir E. VIVIAN presented a petition from Stockton, in Cornwall,
against the Sale of Bea BilL—Ordered to be printed.
Sir M. b. STEWART presented petitions from Lanark, Gree.
nock, and Port Glasgow, against the renewal of the East India
Charter.
Mr. KING presented a petition from the county of Corrkiarinst
any increase of taxation in the stamps, or otherwise, in Ie
Sir MARCUS SOMERVILLE presented a petition from S;rreer,
Meath, against the tithe system.
Mr. JEPHSON presented a petition from Buttevant, county of
Cork, against the Vestry Act.
Mr. HUME presented a petition from the ship owners of Perth,
praying that the Bill for the improvement of the Perth Navigation
might not pees into a law without some of their body being ap.
pointed of the Commissioners.
Mr. It. COLBURN presented a petition hom St. George's,
Hanover.square, against the Irish and Scotch poor removal bill.—
Ordered to lie on the table.
SIR JoNAU BARRINGTON.
Lord F. L. GOWER presented the report of the committee,
appointed to draw up an address to his Majesty, on the resolutions
agreed to on Saturday last, respecting Sir J. Berriegton, mean.
mending his Majesty to remove the said J. Barrington hem she
Judgeship of the Admiralty Court of Ireland.
Mr. 1). W. HARVEY contended, that those who condemned
Sir J. Barrington without reading the evidence, would hare send
unjus:ll: and added, that Mr. Lamb, when Secretary, had Ward
the e to retire without any inquiry.
Lord .L. GOWER observed, that as to the evidence, the case
against Sir J. Barrington had been fully proved.
Mr. O'CONNELL compessionated the situation of Sir Jonah
Barrington.
Motion agreed to, and address adopted.
Lord F. L. Gowen was then appointed to request a conference
with the Lords on matters of high legal importance.
TIM MIN atAXUAL.
Mr. D. W. HARVEY wished to know how the sign manual
us to be afixed by the person to be appointed to sign for his Ma-
lirß. PEEL said the honourable member seemed wholly to
mistake the purport of the Message. It was not to 'print a
-ftt.y, but to provide for the inconvenience which his Ma-
jesty hlt at having, during indisposition, to affix the sign
manual. Ills Majesty, he bad the great pleasure of stating,_
was as competent as eves be was in his life to exercise his
own discretion; and therefore no Minister would presume to pro-
say measure that should at all interfere with the Royal dims-
It was never contemplated that any matters should be signed
had not first been submitted to the Royal consideration ; and
be repeated, his Majesty was as well as ever he was to exercise his
Own consideration and reilection.—{Chsers.)
The conversation here dropped. •
Mr. L. KWIC then presented a petition from the clergy of Lei-
cester, against Si proposed grant to the college of ltayneoth.—
Redden ordered to be "printed.
Mr. D. W. RARVIY then pe td a petition from Sir Jonah
Remington, playing for judicial iegidry into his case.—Ordered to
he plated.

' Sir J. BRIDGES presented a petition from Coleraine against any
increase of taxation in Ireland; alto one horn Coleraine, against the
duty on coals.
- -

CONFERENCE OX THE XIMAGE.
Lord F. GOWER and other members were appointed to draw up
the address and manage the conference on his Majesty's message,
presented yesterday.
The conference then left the House to ge to the House of Lords.
Lord F. L. GOWER (the commons members for managing the
conference having returned) stated that they had communicated the
address to their lordships, and had left with them a copy thereof.

DUTY OS LtAD.
Sir J. GRAHAM presented a petition, signed by several thou-
sand persons complaining of distress, and particularly of the mea-
sures for the regulation of commetee of 1825. They particularly
complained of the fall in the price of the lead, it was 50 per cent.
and the distress of that trade was increased by the discovery of Sp-
lAA mines. The petitioners asked for an increased protecting
duty. The present duty was 12 per cent. while copper was 28 per
cent. Tin also was much higher than that on lead. The peti-
tionen were prepared to prove that the one on the Et OA mines
was of a superior quality to that of the Sw,nish ranee. Besides,
there was hardly any product which called forth so much manual
labour and so little machinery. The petitioners ahm argued that the
corn was protected to between 20 and 90 per cent. w:nle lead was
protected only to the extent of 12 per cent. They, therefore, con-
tended that they were entitled to increased protection. Ile had only
done his duty in representing the opinions of his constituents who
were amongst the petitioners; and he trusted that the case would
meet the attention of the house. The petition was from the Lead
Miners of Annandale and Holston, in Northumberland.
Mr. LIDDELL supported the prayer of the petition.
Mr. HERRIES said it was unnecessary to discuss the petition,
'because, at the present moment, the whole of the subject was under
the consideration of ministers.

A firs a few words from Mr. WARBURTON and Mr. Husztssow,
Lord MILTON said, that the taxes on corn, amounting as tht7
did to fifty per cent. on that article, was the principal evil which
pressed upon the labourers of every description throughout the
country.
Lord WILLIAM POW LETT complained that lead had at all
times been less protected than any other article. Copper was pro-
tected nearly 100 per cent. while lead had only a protecting duty of
15 per cent.
Mr. BARING said that he thought no case of peculiar hardship
had been made out on the part of the lead minets of this country, or
at least no case that those gentlemen who supported the petition
could shew, admitted of any remedy. (hear.) The lead miner
had already a monopoly in this country, and if the Spanish miner
could undersell him abroad, he did not see how the government
could enable the British lead miner to compete with him. (hear.)
Mr. HUME said, if one interest was to be protected, it would be
an Injustice not to protect others. It was necessary that our manu-
factures must find a market abroad, or they must fall off, and a
market abroad could not be found unless the addition of 30 per
cent. to the price of food were abated. The great evil to the mama.
facturers was the corn laws, which, while they disabled them from
entering into foreign competition, recoiled also upon the land.
holders, by flinging thousands as a burthen on the land, who would
be otherwise enabled to support themselves. The only relief that
could be given to the lead miners was, that of taking off the corn
laws.

Mr. P. THOMPSON said it was impossible to grant the prayer
of the petitioners by giving a protecting duty, which could not in any
way conduce to the relief of the petitioners themselves. Great milt.
chief had been entailed on ti'e country by consenting to the repre-
sentation of the lead-miners three years ago. At that time the duty
was raised from 10s. per ton to 245. and the year prior to the rise of
duty 4,670 tons of ore were imported into this country to be smelted,
after which they were again exported, but giving employment to a
great extent to the people of this country. Subsequent to the rise,
however, only eleven tons were imported in one year ; thus showing
how dangerous it was to attend to the representations of interested
and ignorant individuals. He trusted, therefore, the right hon.
gentleman would not pay too much attention to such r‘presen•a-
does, and when he came forward with his new scale of duties, that
he would reduce this duty to its former amount of 10s.
Sir J. GRAHAM said that the term ignorant could not be justly
applied to the petitioners on the present occasion.
Mr. P. THOMPSON explained.
The petition was then ordered to be printed.
Mr. O'CONNt.LL presented a petition from the inbabitans of
Cork, complaining of the abuses carried on by the corporation of
that city. If he had the honour of sitting another session in that
house he should bring in a bill to remedy the evil.
111 r. HUBIE supported the prayer of the petition, and said the
first subjects of reform ought to be the corporadons of the United
King&m.
Mr. O'CONNELL presented five petitions against the vestry
act, from several paddies in the county of Cork.
Mr. O'CONNELL presented a petition from the British So-
ciety for Co-operative Knowledge, meeting at the Mechanics' In-
stitute in London, praying for reform, and complaining of the won-
raSe
t given to machinery in preference to manual labour.
7. O'CONNELL moved for returns relative to duties on spirits
in Ireland.

Mr. HENRY GRATTAN presented a petition front a person
named William Carpenter, praying that his cue might be taken
into conelderaden.

Mr. HUMS presented a petition from the first co-operative
trading society of London in favour of Mr. Owen's pplan, and pray-
ing that the subject might be taken into consideration. The boo.
member said, he could not agree that the plan of Mr. Owen was so
advantageous as the petitioners seemed to think.
NOVA AND HALF PEA CENT. DUTIES ON SUGARS.

Mr. HUME moved for an account of the amount of the quantity
of sugar admitted in 1828 in discharge of the four and half per cent.
duties, and the amount that it would bays come to had the whole
duties been paid..—Agreed to.

DRAMATIC 'JCR IfC CIL
Mr. LENNARD said, be rose for the purpose of proposing
the repeal of the third and fourth clauses of the act of the
10th George 11. c. 28, which empowers the Lord Chamber.
lain to prohibit the acting of any new play or entertainment
on the stage. He should not detain the house by going into
any examination of the authority 'of the Lad Chamberlain,
and he wies willing to admit that he often exercised that authority
beneficially for the public, though, perhaps, still oftener detrimen-
tally. The power which was thus given,waa such as even diaries
did not possess. It was grossly unconstitutional, and though, when
first brought in by Sir Rt. Walpole, it had passed with as little dis-
cussion as a common Turnpike-road bill,yet it was a serious blow
not only at the liberty of the press, but also at the literature of the
country. There was a fee always exacted by the Lord Chamberlain,
not ally on every new play, but on every alteration of an old one
even if such an alteration extended to but a single sentence; that
' fee was 21.25. but the fee was comparatively of trifling importance,
compared with the principles involved in the measure. The pa
nidty was loss of licence for any alteration; and in strictness, if
a song were added, or if a clown called out " roast beef," as had
been once the ease, and such expression not being in the part, it
would amount to a forfeiture of the licence. If construed strictly
there could be no doubt but that the great theatres forfeited their
licences at least forty or fifty times in a season. Another objec.
tion was, that the Lord Chamberlain exercised this enormons
power by deputy. lie would ask if any benefit could be
derived under this law, which could render its retention
desirable, particulerly when the ordinary laws of the country were
amply suthcient to preserve the morality of the stage ? He would pro-
pose that the Lord Chamberlain should have the power &preventing
the repetition of any piece which might be deemed improper. He could
state one play by Mr. thy, which was prohibited from paths! ma
tires. Another, that of Edward and Eleanor, by Thompson, was
"suppressed because be had given offence by publishing alumni called
Liberty," which contained sentiments of freedom. He held also
a correspondence with Mr. Coleman, part of which he would
quote. (Hear.) In letters addressed to Mr. Arnold, and other
managers, he had recommended the most frivolous altera-
tions. In one play was the character of Captain Raked', a sol-
dier and a man of fashion, but in reality a swindler and • coward.
Mr. Coleman directs this to be altered, as an unjust reflection upon
the upper chases of society— (Hear.) In another instance, be ob-
jected to lovers talking of their ladles as angels, and in another he
objects to the expression, "Such an angel, by Heaven 1" and
warns the manager to have no such expression on the stage—
(Hear, bear.) He also objected to the words " Merciful powers,"
and said, if it did not mean something else than the powers of
Heaven, it had better be omitted. He also objected to a sou
taus uttered by a servant, " My mistress's dressing-case is joined
In wedlock to my master's arm chair."—(Great laughter.) He
next takes the king under his protection, and where the sentence
occurs, " All the fatigues, cares, and tediousness of roysaltsdi he
directs to omit the word tediousness.--(Roare of laughter. ie
also directs in one place, where the words Gam, "payers a
to Heaven," that, in every place where they sew, " Drama" must
be substituted for Heaven, This was a pretty jltedes, which he
thought the house would think unworthy of hew andmitmeneamie
He was aware that this was orgasm/am ad hembews, hot mill it
showed the edits was likely to be abused, and to be made the
&moment of great vexation.—(Hear.)—The only eppeddee
he could contemplate was upon the peeled that the alteradon
might be injurious to the minor theatres. These theatres mood le
this position t they acted pieces witch they were net sodded meet,
and thus exposed themselves to pesesseden ; but as the peismem
were also compelled to expose themselves madmeally ta a ilmiklatre
of licence, a compromise was speed to that noidaradasdi to
the other. This was an excellent armee* Ur=sr
theatres, but it was no argument whatever In the law
ash now stood.—(aser.) The Hon. limber coaclejed by owing
for leave to bring in the Bill.
Ur. 0. LAMB was sorry that the ben. awake Amid have

beought this measure fat ward at so late a period of the session, when
there was still a pressure of business of more importance to be trans-
acted. Tho hon. member was mis-informed when he was told that any
compromise had taken place between the patent and minor theatres.
The patent theatres had no wish to remove the censorship the
honourable member complained of, for its chains sat very lightly
upon them. The only penalty indicted by the act was for
=ng a drama without the approval, or contrary to the
of the licensing officer. Some censorship of the stage
shoal be the hands of the Lord Chamberlain from the earliest times,
sti he thought it was necessary. Lord Chesterfield had predicted
Ida if the act should pass, the stage would become a tool of the
ONO for political purposes ; but the fact was, that since the passing
of the act, the stage, which before that time was constantly used for
party purposes, had never been so used. He thought there was a
great difference between stage representations and publications in
pamphlets and newspapers, which might be answered the next day.
He thought the house should pause before they repealed an act
which had existed many years without injury to public liberty.—
(Hear, hear
Sir It. P EL said he agreed in many particulars with the obser.
'otiose of the lion. gentleman who spoke last. The hon. gentleman
who made the motion, said, the good taste of the public would be a
owiladent security against improper representations on the stage. He
had as such confidence in the good taste of the public. He be-
amed wiry objectionable representations might attract large audi-
ism, owl be very profitable. He remembered when a criminal
was sake a charge of murder, that all the circumstances of
that minder were represented on the stage ; and also that when
the sovereign of the country was Buffeting under a grievous
calamity, the unhappy circumstances of that calamity were
made the subject of dramatic representation on the stage. The
honourable gentleman who made the motion, rested bin ease chiefly
on the speech of Lord Chesterfield ; but be forgot one part of the
speech in which Lord Chesterfield condemned bringing on such tuo.
non at a late period of the session. And It was • singular coinci-
dence that Lord Chesterfield's speech was made on the 245th of May.
.-(A great laugh.) Lord Chesterfield's speech was a series of pes-
phecies of the consequences of passing the act, every one of which
had been falsified Lord Chesterfield had predicted that the stage
would become a tool in the hands of government after the passing
of the act. There never was • time when the stage was so
dee from party politics. Lord Chesterfield had predicted
that it would be the destruction of wit. He believed all would
mit that prophecy was falsified. Lord Chesterfield said, if a play
was Interdicted from representation, it would certainly be published,
and It would be so universally :cid that the danger, if there was
danger,would be greatly increased. He believed they all knew that
prophecy was falsified. lie did not mean to defend Mr. Coleman's
taste, but the question was not whether Mr. Coleman's taste was
good ; but was not the stage in as good a state as could reasonably
be expected ? The hon. gent. by proposing that dramas should be sub-
mitted to a Committee of Magistrates admitted the necessity of some
censorship; and would be submit the work of any unfortunate
author to the vote of &majority of irresponsible magistrates ? Was
it not better to leave it to a single responsible individual P It was
become the custom to introduce, night after night, motions for re-
pealing existing laws. He thought the house should pause before
they indulged a propensity to repeal laws which were not proved to
be productive of any inconvenience in practice.—(Hear. hear.)
Mr. O'CONNA.LL said it was impossible to know how much
the public was injured by the censorship. Who could say how
many authors of genius had refused to submit their productions to
the censorship of such a person as Mr. Coleman ?
Mr. LENNARD replied, after which the motion was negatived,
without a division.