The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1839-05-10 00:00:00

FOREIGN FRUIT.

The Duxe of RICHMOND presented a petition from certain
owners and occupiers of orchards, complaining of the hard-
ship to which they had been subjected, by the importation
of foreign fruit. The noble duke expressed a hope that go-
vernment would take this subject into their consideration.

RESIGNATION OF THE MINISTERS

Viscount MELBOURNE rose and said—l consider it my
duty, my lords, to seize the earliest opportunity afforded me
of acquainting your lordships that, in consequence of a vote
to which the House of Commons has this morning come, and
which your lordships will perceive by the votes of that house
of parliament, which vote, though not immediately fatal to the
measure against which it was directed, yet at the same time

it is obvious to all who are acquainted with parliamentary pro-
ceedings, is of such a nature that renders the final success of
that measure totally impossible ; and considering that it is a
measure of the highest possible and most paramount im-
portance to the welfare of that great island to which it relates,
and to the working out of that great measure of negro emanci-
pation, which has been voted by parliament with so much sa-
tisfaction to the country, and for which so many great sa-
crifices have been made—considering, I say, that measure to
be of the most paramount and indispensable nature—consi-
dering also that the vote on this occasion is not only neces-
sarily ultimately fatal to the measure, but that it has also
indicated with sufficient clearness and distinctness a want of
confidence on the part of a large portion of that house of
parliament, as to make it absolutely impossible that we
should continue to administer the affairs of her Majesty's
government in a manner useful and beneficial to the country,
and which renders it impossible that we could carry those
measures of energy and importance whieh are absolutely
required by the situation and circumstances of the country,
and which, if taken, allow me to say, that there is no danger
or peril whatsoever. (Hear, hear.) I say, my lords, under
these considerations, and under the pressure of those cir-
cumstances to which I have alluded, we have thought it our
duty to tender to her Majesty the resignation of our offices
which we hold, and which her Majesty has been graciously
pleased to accept, and we only continue to hold them until
successors can be appointed to carry on the affairs of the
country.

Lord Brougham said, under the circumstances which their
lordships had just heard, he should postpone the second
reading of his beer bill. (Hear, hear.) Ile held this bill,
and the results of it, to be of infinitely greater moment than
any party questions, and he would persevere with it, whoever
held the office of minister of this country, for he believed it
to be a measure affecting the comforts of the people. He
had only to add, in reference to what had fallen from his
noble friend respecting the measure tested, and he must say
most justly tested, by the vote of the other house of parlia-
ment that morning, as it was impossible to proceed with it
with any hope of success—and he greatly rejoiced to hear
from his noble friend, as one of his reasons as to the fate of
that measure that had been defeated, that by not passing it
the well-working of the negro emancipation was interfered
with. But their lordships were aware that that measure was
confined to Jamaica. Now, if good for Jamaica, was it not
equally good for all slave colonies ? He would take that op-
portunity of saying that he should not be wanting, whoever
held the reins of government, in giving that government an
opportunity of testing what he believed to be the unanimous
opinion of all men of both houses of parliament, respecting
the working of the system, and that they were determined
to adhere to the spirit as well as the letter of the engage-
ment. The assembly of Jamaica might believe by the defeat
of this measure that it was a triumph of whites over blacks,
but let no such notions be entertained. He did not believe
that any government wound stand in this country for 48
hours, if it were determined not io conform to the law on
that subject, and were not firmly and honestly to take that
course.

Earl St. VINCENT considered the bill in the other house
calculated to place both white and black under an arbitrary
government, and as such he most strongly objected to it.
Lord BROUGHAM said he could not at present fix a day
for the second reading of his bill.
BISHOPS' RESIDENCES BILL.

The above-named bill passed through committee with
amendments, after some observations from Lord PORTMAN,
Lord WYNFORD, and the Archbishop of CANTERBURY.
The bill in its amended form was ordered to be reported
on Friday.
On the motion of the Earl of SHAFTESBURY the house
adjourned to Friday next.