Star.
London, England, 1819-06-10 00:00:00

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She necessary explanations of their several uses and application.j
• Your Committee do nisi pretend to describe or appreciate with
ai•euracy the babe of th!se improvements, to estimate which to
their full extent requires considerable professional experience.—
They are, however, fully convinced, that the itsult of them will
be to efl;ctuate, in the construction of ships of war, a great
=yin of expmditure to thotublic,aod to .secure a proportio-
nate economy of human life, arising from their superior durabi-
lity, and greater power of resistanc? to the elements, and to the
evualties in...dental to bauticalslife, which the modern system
or keeping our fleets at sea, at all seasons and in all weathers,
has rendered of the utmost importance. These services, although
they have nothing of that brilliancy which forcibly attracts pub-
lic admiration, will continue to confer a Listing benelit to the
kritish nation, lug after that period when the beneficial effocts
Of victories, however splendid, shall have passed awal.."
—These were very strong expressions, and no doubt
i t had cost his Honourable Friend considerable labour
to compose them—(a laugh). One of the improve-
mats- here alluded to, was in the construction of
ships' rudders, and he understood it had been agreed,
by the Admiralty to adopt it ; the second was in the
form of blocks, for which Mr. Seppings had received
; the third was a new method of making
straight timber crooked—(a laugh).
The SPEAKER here informed the Ilonourable
Member, that it was contrary to the usage of the
House to extend a question to so great a length, and
that the practice, if admitted, would be attended
with the greatest inconvenience.
Sir J. YORKE said, that if that was the case, he
should take another opportunity of requesting an an-
swer to the question which he wished to put.
Mr. N. CALVERT said, that if the question were
intended to be put to him, he had no hesitation in
saying that be approved of the inventions of Mr.
Seppings. FOREIGN WOOL.
Mr. STUART WORTLEY presented a Petition
from the town and neighbourhood of Bradford, in the
County of York, against the imposition of an addi-
tional duty on Foreign Wool. He thought it right
that the House should provide taxes for carrying
into effect the measures proposed 'oy the Right Hon.
Gentleman opposite ; but in doing so, it shotdd
take care not to strike at the mot of our most impor-
tant manufactures. He conceived an additional duty
on the importation (.t. Foreign Wool, the worst that
could possibly be laid.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said,
that as the Resolution against which the Petition was
directed had not yet received the sanction of a
Committee of Ways and Means, there could be no
objection to its being received. Had the Resolution
gone through such a Committee, he did not think
any Petition could have been admitted.
Mr. BROUGHAM agreed that there could be nir
difficulty in receiving the present Petition, as the Re-
solution which it impugned was totally unconnected
with a Committee of Ways and Means. But he con-
tended that there were many instances in which Pe-
titions had been received, not only against the Reso-
lutions of Committees of Ways and Means, but
against the Bills which had resulted from them. Ile
quoted several cases from Hatsers Precedents in sup-
port of this doctrine, one of which related to the in-
troduction of a Bill in 1696, to impose a duty of ten
r cent. upon Wool. " The Resolution of the Com-
mittee of Ways and Means," said Mr. • Hatsel,
4, brought such a cloud of Petitions against it, that'
it was thought proper not to press the Bill." Though
the Resolution had passed through such a Committee,
it was clear that Petitions had not only been re-
ceived, but had proved effective.

Lord CASTLEREAGH agreed that as this tax
had not been formally agreed to, he should not op-
pose the receiving this Petition ; but this was not the
time for raising a question whether Petitions could or
could not be received against Tax Bills ?
Lord MILTON was of opinion that the attempt to
impose a duty on Foreign Wool of 6d. per pound,
would have the effect of prohibiting all the foreign
coarse wool. The Barbary wool was worth sd. Prus-
sian wool 10d. and the South American wool only
‘lhd. per pound ; now he would leave it to the
House, whether such low priced wools would bear
the addition of 6d. on the pound ? The Chancellor
of the Exchequer came down to the House in a very
suspicious manner, for he (Lord Milton) believed,
that he relied on the support of those who had pre-
sented Petitions for protecting duties on foreign wool.
Sir C. BURRELL could not agree with the Mem-
Lers for Yorkshire, for the warehouses of the wool-
growers were glutted with that commodity ; and he
was sure the proposed tax would not be detrimental
t' the manufacturers, and would be a great relief to
the agriculturists ; and he hailed the measure as a
further relief to the latter interest.

Lord LA SC ELLES thought, there could not have
been a more oppressive or injurious tax imposed,
than this on Wool. It was, Its he conceived, aiming a
direct blow at our staple manufacture. Wool was at
present very low ; but he would equally object to
the tar, were the price of that commodity high.
Mr. CL RWEN said, the farmers had no reason to
complain ; for since last year, the value of agricul-
tural stock had advanced 80 millions throughout the
country. It was therefore the Public who had rea-
son to complain of the high price of animal food.—
tut he thought that this tax would be impolitic, be-
cause at present our manufacturers of Woollen were
underselling the French ; and this tax would be giv-
ing a bounty to their manufactures.
Sir J. SEBRIGHT was always very sorry, when
he found the manufacturing and agricultural interests
at variance, considering how intimately they were
blended. The farmers in the South of England, had.
suffered under the small quantity of provender dur-
ing. last year.
`The Petition was then read, and ordered to lie on
the table, and to be printed.

Lord MILTON presented a similar Petition from
Leeds. Ile agreed that the interests Of agriculture
and manufactures were intimately blended ; but it
was surprising they should agree to lay two millions
on the produce of the land, and yet object to relieve
the same interest from a tax of I.:2oo,ooo.—Pettion
laid on the table.