The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1846-02-17 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS.-THORSDAY

The Eail of DALHOUSIE brought up a report from the
select committee on railways, which was laid on the table,
and ordered to be printed. His lordship said the object
of the resolutions contained in the report was to assimi-
late the practice of their lordships' house to that of the
House of Commons. His lordship also intimated that
the competing lines would be grouped together and pro-
ceeded with as soon as each group should be completed.
In answer to a question by Lord KINNAIRD,
The Earl of DALHOUSIE said that the report of the
gauge commission had been that afternoon placed in his
hands.

Lord MONTEAGLE gave notice, that in the event of
the motion of Lord Beaumont, which stood for Monday

next, for the appointment of a select committee to inquire
into the burdens o❑ real property, being carried, it was
his intention to move the addition of these words :

" and also to inquire and report on the legislative exemp-
tions from the pecuniary liabilities proved by law in re-
spect to the taxation affecting real property."
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE moved for a return of
all murders, or attempts to commit murder, in Ireland
since the year 1842. Crimes, he declared, prevailed to an
extent almost unprecedented ; and he accused the govern-

ment of very great remissness in not having taken earlier
measures to repress the system of combined outrages,
which are now more general than had ever been known,
and given efficient protection to honest men in their ho-
nest callings. He referred to her Majesty's speech as
justifying the expectation that energetic means would be
instantly adopted, and described a number of outrages
wl'ich had recently been committed, and which proved

that there was no longer any safety for the pro-
perty of the rich or the life of the poor. lie exposed the
absurdity of attempting to improve the agriculture of Ire-
land while no man was allowed to pursue the system which
he preferred. It was said that people should not submit
to such intimidation, but the government itself had recom-
mended submission in one remarkable instance, which he
cited.

Lord Sr. GERNIANS offered no opposition to the mo-
tion, and informed their lordships that such a bill as Lord
Clanricardo had described would be submitted to their
consideration on Monday next.
Lord FARNHAM bore testimony to the firm support he
bad received from Government in one of the most dis-
turbed districts of Ireland; and Lord Grey, while agree-
ing that at whatever cost security of person and property
must be attained, urged that the opportunity should be•
taken of considering the state of Ireland generally, and
accompanying any coercive bill that might be necessary
with measures of another kind, and having more compre-
hensive reference to the evils which have so long affected
Ireland.

The motion was agreed to, and their lordships adjourned

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—TnuRsDAy

The adjourned debate was commenced by
Mr. COLIAIIROUN, who entered into an explanation of
his vote in 1838, in support of Mr. Villiers's motion for a
committee to inquire into the propriety of repealing the
Corn-laws. Sir R. Peel had entirely mistaken both his
past and present opinions. He had never entertained the
opinions so consistently entertained by Mr. Villiers; and
be bad never passed from them to the doctrines of high
protection. He had always considered the question of the
Corn-laws a most anxious and perplexing question ; and
in 1841, not being in Parliament, and having much leisure
time, he bad studied it with all the diligence and impar-
tiality he could command. He bad come to the conclu-
sion that protection was necessary for the interests of agri-
culture ; and having come to that conclusion, he had de-
clared himself an advocate for a fixed duty on corn. After
the occurrences of the past six months, it seemed proba-
ble that his notion of a fixed duty, had it been adopted,
would have now been deemed preferable to that of% slid-
ing scale. After applying himself to refute Sir R. Peel's
arguments respectinz prices and wage?, he proceeded to
comment on the speech delivered by Sir 3. Graham on
Tuesday rvonlng. Sir J. Gral,a, had then disposed very
summarily of all his focnier arguments on this subject ;
and had said that as he coafessed that he 1.a3 changed his
opinions, there was an end of his for met reasonings. No,
there was not an end of them ; for a statesman who spoke
like Sir James Graham. with eloquence and genius, cuelit
to recollect that his words were winged shafts which