The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-06-30 00:00:00

„,rl.

454 y •-0-11 Av.

Emptrial Varliament.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—THURSDAY..
The Earl of CHARLEVILLE called attention: to the cir-
cumstance of the high sheriff' of the county of Galway
(Lord Ashton) having succeeded to a peerage stace his ap-
pointment. If the noble lord was not properly the high
sheriff of Galway, there was yet time before the t circuits to
obviate the inconvenience which must result from an
invalidated appointment.
The Marquis of NORM ANBY observed, that the circum-
stance was novel, if not unparalleled, and he would not
hazard an opinion upon it.
Viscount DUNCANNON moved the second reading of the
colonial passengers bill, and briefly explained its objects.
Lord BROUGHAM congratulated the house upon the re-
jection in another place of clauses in the bill which related
to the transfer of Hill Coolies to the Mauritius.
Lord ASHBURTON said, that, unless something was done
to provide labour in our sugar colonies, they would to all
useful purposes be utterly lost to us. People would endure
a high price for a commodity like sugar, to a certain extent,
when it was forced upon them on grounds of humanity ; but
when they were forced too far, they must resist the imposi-
tion, and the necessary consequence would be, that they
would resort to the slave-cultivated colonies for a supply of
sugar. He hoped that some means would be resorted to for
supplying our sugar-growing colonies with free labour. The
labourers.in these colonies were better off than any labouring
population in the world, eighteen-pence a day providing them
amply with every necessary and comfort.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH thought, if the discriminating
duties between East and West India produce were abolished,
it would soon be found that we should have no occasion to
resort to slave-grown sugar for our supply.
The LORD CHANCELLOR moved the second reading of
the admiralty court judge's salary bill.
Lord BROUGHAM thought the salary of the judge (£4,000)
less than it ought to be; but he objected to the judge having
the patronage of so many offices.
The bill was read a second time.
CHURCH DISCIPLINE.
The LORD CHANCELLOR moved the second reading of the
church discipline bill, and stated the nature of its provisions.
The Archbishop of CANTERBURY stated that he generally
concurred in the provisions of the bill.
The Bishop of EXETER supported the bill, because it ap-
peared to him to be opposed to the principles of the bill of
last year.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH said that, until there existed some-
where the power to put men out of the ministry for such rea-
sons as would be judged sufficient to exclude them from it on
applying for admission, it would be in vain for them to talk
of church extension; it would he in vain for them to think of
adding to the number of churches ; it would be in vain for
them to discuss an increase to the emoluments of the clergy ;
they would not have that zealous, that laborious, that qua-
lified clergy, which alone, in his opinion, could be sufficient
to.protect the church from all the danger of which they corn-
' plained, and by which they had been embarrassed.
The protestant episcopal (Scotland) bill, and the payment
of wages bill went through committee.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—THURSDAY.
Mr. SCHOLEFIELD gave notice that on the 7th of July he
should move certain resolutions to abolish those taxes which
pressed heaviest on the industry of the country.
Lord J. RUSSELL postponed the commitment of the clergy
reserves (Canada) bill till Monday next, an alteration of
much importance having been made in the bill, the whole
substance and bearing of which he was not prepared to state
at present.

NEW POOR-LAW.
.n answer to a question from Mr. T. DUNCOMBE, whether
was intended to proceed beyond the present session with

the poor-law amendment act,
Lord J. RUSSELL said, he had before stated, that if he
found it was not probable that there would be time to dis-
cuss a bill of so much importance as the poor-law amend-
ment bill, he would merely propose a bill to continue the
poor law commission for a certain period. As there was not
time for the discussion of so important a measure, he would
propose to bring in a bill for the continuance of the poor-
law commission till the end of the next year.
In answer to a question from Mr. GOULBURN,
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, that the esti-
mates for the war with China would be included in the navy
estimates.

SUGAR DUTIES.
The house having gone into committee on the sugar duties
bill, Mr. Ew4Tur moved, as an amendment to the first
clause, the reduction of the duties on sugar and coffee. He
said the situation of the poor and labouring classes ought to
be the first consideration with the members of that house.
The foreign artisan paid 4id a pound for his sugar, while the
English workman for the same article paid twice that sum.
So scarce WO Mar become in the households of the poor,
that most of them were driven to the use of treacle. The
grocers, who were in the habit of selling to the poorer classes,
had begun to cease to sell. In Pii32 impurt of sngar was,
in round numbers, 220,000 tons, while, 0`; the close of last
year, after an interval of seven years, with all the increase
of the population, the import had fallen to 193,000 tons.
That decrease was not temporary, but had been gradual and
steady. The returns laid upon the table of that house
showed that the import of West India sugar had decreased
4Q,000 tons on an average of ten years from 1830 to 1839.
In t,the present year the diminution appeared to be in a larger
proporao4,. Ile believed that he was justified in saying, that
already the impuirp into London was less than at this time
last year by the extr4o4inary amount of 12,000 tons. It
might be supposed that they 14 # §oFic in hand to meet the
deficiences. So far from that, the at,uowA was extremely
low. The weekly delivery of West India siigar in May
last amounted to about 1540 tons. Now what had they to
meet that? The stock at that time amounted to no more
than ,V7O tons— a stock only sufficient for a few weeks.
Extending their view from the West Indian to the entire
weekly dellyeFy of West India, Mauritius, and Bengal
sugars, it amounted to pp tons ; and to meet that, the stock
was only 8300 tons, so that aft the sugar 4V4ilable would only
last them a single month. The' price Qf 4ritish sugar in
bond was 22s per cwt. and it therefore appeared that the
British paid 123 per cent. more for colonial sugar than might
be paid for foreign sugar. He concluded by moving, that
the duties on foreign sugar be reduced from 63s to 31s per

cwt.
TnossiseLY seconded the motion, and observed, that
in the cstr pf the corn laws, they had at least the advantage
of the sliding seap; whilst, however inadequate the supply
of sugar from the colonies might be, the same advantage was
not extended to that produce:
Mr. LABOUCHERE was not at all .:4SpO*l,l to deny, that
there was at present existing a state of with regard to
the sugar trade, which could not be looked to %Valli:nt-appre-
hension. Our colonies, till lately, not only supplied the mar-
kets of this country, but produced a large surplus for expor-
tation 5 hut they had fallen off to such a degree, as to render
them incapable of of supplying the wants of the British mer-
chant. The consequence was, that the distress in the sugar
trade was gresst, and the injury inflicted on the consumer
very considerable. The right hon. gentleman proceeded to
show that the question was npt Reply of a financial nature,
for in that case there would be no
*difficulty. He instanced
the treaties with Brazil, an varipms augl'erodueing states
of South America; and with respect to 'lice labour compet-
ing with slave labour, he said ultimately that might be the
case. He (Mr. Labouchere) hoped it might; but consider-
ing that they were now legislating only for a single year, he
thought no man could say that the effect of his honourable
friend's resolution, if carried, would be to let in any great
quantity of foreign sugar from those distant countries where
OP labour was free.. No one, he thought, could entertain a
doktbt, that within the limited period to which this measure
would_ :eater $4}P greg mass of the foreign sugar imported
into this gotintry would be frem the Brazils—a country which
was comparatively' near .0 us, and wltht which we carried on
a large and valuable trade. 7n ale 4r.azils, no sugar was
produced except by slave labour. He conte'sse4 tiait it would
be a very painful duty to oppose this motion; but the sines-
don he had to ask himself was this,—whether he would this
year consent to give sash a stimulus to slave labour in the
Brazils, and other countries where slaves were employed, as
would be produced by throwing open the market of this
country to the recepticn of their sugar. He owned he was
not able to make tip his mind that that was a course that he
ought to recommend to the house. The right honourable
gentlemen proceeded to analyse the accounts respecting the
supplies of suge*.r. The diminution was confined to the West
Indies, for the twant;:tv imported from the East Indies and
the Mauritius had considerably increased.
Mr. HUME and Mr. HAves suppOrted the motion,
Dr. LUSHINGTON saw no reason to fear for the future in-
crease of the sugar crops. He would show, that the reduc-
tion bad arisen from different causes, wherever sugar was
grown,—causes beyond the power of man to control. That
difference was 961,128 cwt. ; but it bad 41,1 VP from no defi-
ciency of labour. To use the words of GOVPFROT
" Under the most coercive system of labour, that difference
must have existed." He proceeded to show, that the fall-
ing-off in the sugar last year was owing to accidental causes.
Ha AO eluded with declaring that he was himself in favour
of the principle of reduction of duties, but never at the sa-
crifice of anot4er principle dearer to the hearts of men than
any that could be Pencehved.—(Cheers.) He remembered,
when the slave trade vas proposed to be given up, and when
it was urged by the opponen4.of kW measure that the trade
was a nursery for British seamen„ at, that it produced mil-
lions of pounds of capital to this country, and tended to aug-
ment its national resources, the father of the no*. lota op.
posite used this expression—" I dare not weigh gala agsOst
Mood." (Cheers.) Such was the expression used by the
l';eai Harrowby on that occasion.—(Cheers.) He en-
treated the icloyernment to persevere in their present line of
conduct until g sieryture from it should become absolutely
necessary. And certairi Ass was, from his long experience of
their feelings on this point, if eppeal were made to the
people of this country, that the grgof pajority of them would
deprecate nothing on earths so much as Ow adoption of a
treasure whieh was certain to tend to the perpepption of
slavery, and sure to aggravate the misery of the shag.-,
(Cheers.)r.A
Mr. A. CIIAPMAN did not believe, that any measure
which involved the breach of treaties and the perpetuation
of slavery could be advantageous to theshippinginterest.
Mr. O'CONNELL never gave a vote with a greater convic-
tion of its propriety than the vote he should give •st the
motion of the hon. member for Wigan. The
are'nonf:
Eng-
land had already made thole choice. He would people
that
to make the ,e,xp,eriment com-
plete; was no man who would p.n s public meeting to peti-
'heir side ought the -
peti-
tion upon this subject. (Cheers.) It was the duty of the
government,leteandthdeapylaanntderns iognhtt
P golcrn-
went.
Mr. C. P,
VILLIERS supported the motion,
and Zr.
wwas.
GLADSTONE Opposed it.
Mr. EWAILT replied ;
and, on a division, the ns
lost by 122 to 27.
COUNTY eON,;;TABLIf.AII.I' BILL.
The house afterwards went into committee on this hill;
several clauses were agreed to, and a number of new clauses
were added to the bill, on the motion of Mr, so7c M,ULT.,
on the understanding that, they were to be conxidgmi
bringing up the report.
'The house then resumed, and the report was received ;
and the bill was ordered to be reprinted, and to be reconsi-
dered on Thursday next.
RAILWAYS BILL.
On the motion of Lord SErstoUrt, the house resolved it-
self into committee on this bill. Some new clauses were
added.—To be reported on Monday.
FRIVOLOUS SUITS BILL.
This bill was read a third time and passed.
In answer to a question from Mr. DARBY,
The ATTORNEY-GENXIIAL said, that this bill was intended
to apply to actions for slander,
On the report of the Glass Duties Bill, the CHANCELLOR
of the EXCHEQUER said that it would come into operation
on the 14th instead of the Ist August.
The re • mauling business being disposed of, the house 4(1-
journed.

HOUSE OF LORDS.—FRIDAY.
The election of Lord Lucan as an Irish representative
peer in the room of the late Lord Enniskillen was officially
announced.
The Marquis of NVEsmtRATit, in reference to a conversa-
tion which had taken place on the preceding evening, gave
notice that he should move for a return of the parties to
whom the sum of £5O paid by a parish priest, named
O'Reilly, had been given to precure the compromise of a
prosecution. He thought that the conduct of government in
the transaction had been such as to render them guilty of an
indictable offence.
The Duke of RICHMOND, in moving the second reading
of the settled (Cates drainage bill, observed that its operation
would be extremely beneficial, by enabling persons to borrow
money on their estates for the purposes of draining, and
which would be payable at distant periods. After a few