Star.
London, England, 1827-06-19 00:00:00

[PRICE SEVENI4OOSE.

!altering the most appalling posit'on in wbich.the coon-
try was placed by the failure of the late Coin Bill.
Mr. WISTERN at this moment took his place.
General GASCOYNE said a fee, words Innis under
the Gallery, intimating to Mr. Canning that.:the Hon.
Member was absent when he (Mr. Canning) gave
his notice.
Mr. CANNING assnred the House that the Hon.
Member was not in his place when be addressed the
House. The Right 14,,n. Gentleman here repeated.
across the table, to the Hon. Member for Essex, what
he had previou,ly said in his absence.
Mr. WESTERN observed, that nothing had fallen
Irons the Right Hon. Gentleman calculated to induce
him to alter the course which he proposed to pursue.
His intention was to propose a Committee of the whole
House, to consider of the motion he meant to make. If
the House wasinclined to give way to him. he'll's'
ready—(Cries of" mote, *over " go onll . He tluu
said, that, with the leave of the House, he would ,tare
shortly the nature of the view which ke took of the
Corn Laws, as well as the remedy which he meant to

propose.
Mr.CANNlNGiuggested, that it was not necessary on
the part of the Hon. Member to make such a statement
before going into a Committee. The more bregutar
course would be to move ftr a Committee of the whole
House, and upon that motion being carried, to eater
into his statement.
After a few words from Slr E. Kotstmenn.t. and Lori Memos,
who recommended the same course of proceeding,
Mr. VIIISTEItN moved—" That the Hoek in go into a Coin-
mime cider wt oleMonse to take into consideration the Core Acts."
The motion was agreed to, and the Brassie having left the Chair.
Mr. WESTERN said he had a tew observation& to
submit to the Committee before he moved the first series
of Resolutions, upon which he meant to found a Bill,
of which he gave notice to the House ten days ago. He
then stated, as far as in giving a notice he was allowed
to do, what was the object be had in view. That object
riig really confined to a very simple proposition; it was
Lo relieve from the operation of the suspensive clause
the Act of 1822, to allow the provisions of that Act,
from this time forward, to take effect. In the year 1622,
the House appointed a Committee to inquire into the
subjeit of the Corn Laws, and to that investigation the
Marquis of Londonderry certainly paid the most un-
wearied and unceasing attention ; the result was, that
a new la's, was passed, and this contingent clause was
, added to it, by which the law itself had been prevented
from ever coming into operation. We was opposed to
that law at the time; and, if there should be some ap-
parent inconsistency in his now recommending it to the
adoption of the House, that apparent inconsistency
would disappear when be stated that his opposition to
the law of 1822 was founded upon its being adverse to
the law of 1815. At the time he did not place any
!Moe upon the contingent clause, but.described it, as it
*peered to him, to be an anomaly in legislation. Five
Lyears had now elapsed, and the contingency never hap-
lpeoed ; consequently the Act of 1822 was never called
into operation. What were the changes effected in the
Law of 1615 by that of 1822? By the law of 1815,
wheat could not be admitted into our ports at a price
lower than eighty shillings. By the law of 1822, wheat
was admissible at seventy shillings, upon payment of a
duty of twelve shillings. If the price advanced above
seventy, there was an additional duty of five shillings,
and if it advanced to eighty, there was a diminution ; if
it remained for three months above seventy, then, the
five shillings duty was reduced. The same alteration
was made in all the import prices of otiser sorts of grain,
and the import price of Canada wheat was oho dimi-
nished. By the I.w of 1815, wheat imported from Ca-
nada was liable to an import duty of 675. and the Act
of 1822 admitted at 575. Now he could not anticip to .
any objection that could be offeied to allowing this law
to come into effect, and-to have a fair trial. He knew
that some Hon. Gentlemen, who usually thought with
him upon these subjects, were jealous of an unlimited
importation at the price of 704. as being likely to over-
whelm the markets and create a lasting and ruinous de-
pression. Ile had no apprehension that prices we e
likely to reach seventy. Al:hough there had been a
rise of there or four shillings within the last week, the
average return was only fifty-eight, and with the present
fine weather and general prospects of an abundant hat-
yes., there could be no ground whatever for alarm. He
wished particularly to call the attention of the Right Hos..
Gentleman to this poiot.How could such a price be a rea-
sonable ground of alarm, when in 1821, wprds were put
into theßoyalSpeech pointing out the stateof agriculture,
when wheat was at 675. as an indication of the happiness
of the people? Now it was at 58s. and that price was
to be considered an alarming one, requiring further
check. Notwithstanding prices were below 60s. the
point which the Right Hon. Gentleman affected to fie
as the proper remuneration of the British grower, yet
they heard expressions of alarm. He admitted, as he
had always contended, that the fluctuations of the cur-
rency since the year 1821, had rendered it impossible
to compare the prices at that time and the present upon
equal conditions ; but he denied that corn was now
dear, or that there was any fair prospect of its
being so. In submitting his Resolution to the Commit.
tee he did not ask them to pass any new law; he offer-
ed them no new proposition; he only called upon them
to let this Act which had been upon the Statute Book
for five years have an opportunity of being tried. It
might be said that there was no necessity for the change
which he proposed to make in this law, because his Ma-
jetty's Government possessed a discretionary power to
apply a remedy if called upon to do so by the situation
of the country. He did not believe they would abuse
that power, but it was one which might be abused, and
it was one which ought not to be at their discretion.--
lt ass improper power, it was one which must be
ilsksowse to them, and the measure which he now pro-
posed would relieve them from the necessity of exerting
it. Upon every occasion when this subject had been
under discussion, he bad invariably said that it was one
which did not involve party or political considerations.
He believed the true policy of this e ,untry to be that of
sodeavouring to provide food for her own people from
her own resources, rather than to depend upon foreign
supply. This bad been the opinion of some of the
greatest men in former times, and he would still con.
tend for its soundness now. It was an opinion wh ch
had been over and over agaiq suppoited by the soonest