The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1833-08-23 00:00:00

CHINA TRADE.

Lord ELLENBOROUGH rose to present a petition from the
merchants of London, regarding the trade to China, which
their lordships were going to open by a bill which stood for its
next reading that evening. The petition ought not to be con-
sidered merely as the petition of tile merchants of London,.who
had signed it, but ought also to be considered as the petition of
the merchants of .Liverpool, Glasgow, Cork, and other places
interested in the trade to the East Indies. The prayer of the
petition was, that the maintenance of our establishments in
China should be defrayed in the same way as our consular es-
tablishments in other parts of the world; and he had no doubt
that their lordships would agree to the prayer. He understood
that the expense of the contemplated establishments at Canton
was calculated at £27,000 or £30,000, which might be reduced
to about £5,000, if the 'official superintendents were allowed to
engage in trade on their own account. He confessed that be
was greatly surprised that such a provision, entailing so much
expense on the country, and founded on principles which never
would have received the sanction of an unreformed Parliament,
should have passed silently through the • reformed House of
Commons.
The bill was accordingly read a second time, and ordered to
be committed to-morrow.
On the motion of the Marquis of Lansdowne, the East India
Company's Charter Bill was passed.
On the motion of Lord Melbourne, the report of the com-
mittee on the Grand Juries (Ireland) Bill was received, after
the adoption of certain amendments.
SLAVERY ABOLITION BILL.

The Earl of RIPON moved that the report of the committee
on this bill be brought up. The report was received.
The Royal Burghs (&;otland) and the Burgh Magistrates
(Scotland) Bills were reported, and ordered to be read a third
time on Tuesday.
The Fines and Recoveries Bill was read a third time and
passed.
The Scavage and Package Bill passed through a committee.
On the motion of the Lord Chancellor, the Assizes Removal
Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be committed on
Tuesday.
Adjourned at a quarter past eleven o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, MONDAY, AUG. 19.

The Speaker took the chair at a quarter after twelve o'clock :
very few members were present.
The house was wholly occupied in receiving petitions at this
sitting, among which
Mr. Tooas: presented a petition from Mr. Oxenham, solici-
tor, at Taunton, complaining that a parcel of deeds which had
been sent to him by the mail- had been opened and detained by
the General Postoffice, because it contained two letters relating
to the deeds, and other business between himself and his agent.
The petitioner also received a letter from the solicitor to the
Postoffice, stating that he had incurred the two penalties;
and very soon afterwards another letter offering to compromise
the matter, by exacting only one of the penalties. The hon.
member read an opinion which had been given by 111 r. Follett,
that such letters might be sent if they only had relation to the
business of the parties; that deeds and papers were goods
within the meaning of the act; and that an action wouid lie
against the postmaster for the detention. He concluded by
giving notice, that early in the next session he would introduce
a bill to amend the sth Geo. IV., c. 20.
Mr. STANLEY said an explanation had been furnished him by
his noble friend the Postmaster-General,' which he would now
offer to the house. The' Postoffice possessed the monopoly of
canying all letters, it being considered public policy that it
should have that monopoly. The revenue deriving. a consider-
able increase, and perhaps with much less inconvenience to the
subject than any other mode, it must be evident that such mo-
nopoly should be strictly protected, and that mercantile, com-
mercial, and other houses, who transmitted a great number of
letters, should not have facilities for evading the payment of
letters by the transmission of them in parcels- and by coach,
while the rest of his Majesty's subjects were obliged to pay post-
age. It had come to the knowledge of the postmaster that many
of the principal coach-office bags were made up every day for
the purpose of forwarding paper parcels full' f-fetters. Several
of these packets had been stopped and sent to the postmaster;
one of which was found to contain 42 letters, and another as
many as 200. It vas ascertained that a bag had been regularly
made up at the GloCester and Bristol mail-offices, on the 31st of
May, the day when the petitioner's letters were found—con-
taining, on one day; 60 letters, and on the following 42, in par-
cels of 2,5, and 6 letters. It could not be said that there was any
additional speed or other convenience by such a system, because
the letters were sent by the usual mail, only that every day the
Postoffice was much defrauded. In consequence of that seizure
of letters, the Postmaster-General was threatened with legal
proceedings, to which he replied that he was anxious to meet the
parties, in order that the law might be known and established.
Flowerer, no person thought proper to try the question, and the
Postmaster-General thought it advisable, in oraer to bring the
question to an issue, to select a case for prosecution, and have
the point decided at law, not with any vindictive feeling, or a
,desire to recover penalties, but only to let the public know that
such frauds could not be permitted to go on with impunity. On
the 31st of May two letters were put into a parcel with some
deeds, by Mr. Oxenham, the petitioner, addressed to his cor-
respondent in London, but the hon. member (Mr. Tooke) was
wrong in stating that both those letters referred to the deeds;
one only had reference to the deeds, and the other to a different
subject. The exception in the act of Parliament related to let-
ters referring to, and accompanying, goods sent by a common
carrier, and not to deeds; but certainly it would be acting
harshly if deeds were not considered in the light of goods. Mr.
Oxenham called at the Postoffice, and had his deeds delivered
to him, hut copies were taken of, the letters. He afterwards
wrote a letter to the Postmaster-General, stating that, like many
other country attorneys, he was ignorant of 'the state of the law,
a fact which he (Mr. Stanley) considered not a little extraor-
dinary, and threw himself on the mercy of the Postmaster-Ge-
neral. If, as the hon. member had stated, it was the opinion of
the legal profession that letters relating to other matters, be-
sides the needs which accompanied them, might be sent in such
parcels, then he (Mr. Stanley) confessed that those legal gen-
tlemen who gave such an opinion had betrayed unjustifiable
ignorance of the law. (Hear.) He thought the Postoffice had
not acted unfairly in selecting the case of Mr. Oxenham to try
the, merits of the question, and begged the house to recollect it
was now in a course of trial.
Adjourned at three o'clock.

The Speaker resumed the chair soon after five o'clock.
Mr. O'DwitEft presented a petition from J. Kent Johnstone
against the monopoly of clerks of the roads in Ireland ; also a
petition from Lower Duleek, county of Meath, for an improve-
ment of the Irish grand jury laws.
Mr. BLAMIRE moved for a return of the number of suits in-
stituted for tithes in the county of Lancaster, from 1830 to 1833.
Mr. LlTTLEToe:tresented a petition from Leek, in the county
of Stafford, praying that the borough of Stafford might be dis-
franchised,• and the franchise given to the petitioners.
On the order of the day for Ways and Means in committee of
supply,
lir. HUTT took occasion to complain of the monopoly of the

Barton-ferry over the Humber, a monopoly which cost the pub-
lic £S..)O a-year. The hon. member concluded by moving an
address, praying that his Majesty wouid direct the Commission-
ers of Woods and Forests not to renew• the existing lease of
Barton-ferry on its termination.: . • .

The question was. put, and the amendment was negatived.
The original motion was then read and agreed to.
On the question that the Speaker do leave the chair,
(ALLEGED BREACH OF PRIVILEGE BY A JUDGE.)
Mr. O'Dw vEit wished to bring under the notice of the right
honourable gentleman (the Secretary for Ireland) a report of a
speech purporting to be a part 'of a charge delivered to the
grand jury of Cork by a learned judge, (Baron Peunefather,)
and which he must say, if it were delivered by that learned
judge, could not be consideredin any other light than as au in-
ierierence with the privileges of that house. The learned judge
was reported to have alluded to the Irish grand jury bill, which
had passed that house., and which was in progress through the
other house. In the course of his remarks he stated that in
consequence of that bill he supposed the present occasion would
be the last on which he should have to address a grand jury
composed of gentlemen of property, as by the bill in progress a
preference would be given to men of small property.
Mr. LITTLETON apprehended that he had no right whatever
to interfere with a speech delivered by a learned judge. All he
could say of it was, that be had read the report in the papers
with great surprise.
Sir E. KNATCHBULL rose to order. The honourable mem-
ber was bringing a charge against a judge of the land, and he
put it to the house whether such a charge should be brought on
a report in a newspaper. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. HUME pressed on the right hon. secretary the necessity
of inquiring into the case.
Mr. LITruiToN repeated that he had not the power to take
any step to ascertain whether such a speech was delivered by
the learned judge. All he knew of it was that he had seen au
account of it in the papers, which account he had read with
astonishment and regret.
" Here the matter dropped, and the house resolved itself into
the

COMMITTEE OF WAYS AND MEANS.

Lord ALTuoup rose to submit the last proposition which he
had to lay before the committee of the ways and means, to
meet the supplies already voted. Ile would now, therefore,
Without furbber remark, move that towards raising the supply,
there be issued and applied out of the consolidated fund of the
united kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland a sum not exceed-
in f.1.1:3,000,000. _ _

. .
The resolution was agreed to, and the house having resumed,
the report was ordered to be received to-morrow.
The Bank Charter Bill was read a third time and passed.
TITIIES (IRELAND) BILL.
The order of the day for the adjourned debate on the further
consideration -of the report on this bill having been read,
Mr. Humr, expressed his determination to divide the house
on his amendment, charging upon the temporalities of the Irish
church all sums advanced under the bill, and not repaid by the
`idle-owners.
The house divided—
For the amendment 42
Against it 69
Majority

The house resolved itself into committee on the bill.

Ou the motion of Mr. Serjeant PLR UN, a provision was added
to clause 38, making the t►the composition payable yearly on
every Ist Nov., instead of half-yearly in May and November.
The house then resumed, the bill was reported, and the. report
was ordered to be received this day.

Mr. P. Tuomsolst moved for .cave to bring in a bill to renew
the 2d and 4th of William IV, c. 10, commonly called the Cho-
lera Act, which would expire on the termination of the present
session. He hoped that, under existing circumstances, the'
house would not object to a suspension of the standing orders,
in order that the bid might be passed as speedily as possible.
(Hear, hear.)

Leave having been given, the bill was brought in, read a first
and second time, and ordered to be committed this day.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the
house adjourned at three o'clock.

HOUSE OF LORDS, TUESDAY, AUGUST 20.
Several hills were advanced a stage.
The Duke of WELLINGTON presented a petition from the
operatives of Rochdale, against the Factory Bill as it stood be-
fore the recent alterations.

Lord WiNFORD presented a petition from the Rev. Sir Har-
court Lees against the Roman Catholic Marriages Bill.
The Duke of WELLINGTON presented a petition from the
Council and Assembly of Dominica against the Slavery Abolition
Bill.

The Earl of RIPON moved the third reading of the Slavery
Abolition Bill, which was accordingly read a third time, and
passed.

ROMAN CATHOLIC MARRIAGE BILL.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE moved the second reading of
;his bill.-

Lord WY Ny OR D opposed it. It would get rid at once, and
without due consideration, of all the marriage laws in Ireland.
He (Lord Wynford), however, should certainly approve of the
introduction next sessionof a measure to amend those laws; but
if the noble marquis now pressed his present motion, he (Lord
Wynford) should feel it his duty to move that the bill be read a
second time this day three months.
The amendment was negatived without a division, and the bill
read a second time.—To be committed on Wednesday.
Mr. BERNAL and other members of the House of Commons
brought up the Bank Charter Bill, the Buckingham Palace
Furniture Bill, the Forged Stamps Bill, the Cholera Prevention
Bill, and the Churches and Chapels Repairing Bill.

CHINA TRADE BILL.
Lord AUCKLAND moved the committal of this bill, and gave
a statement of its objects, as well as of some of the objections
which had been made to its provisions. It had been stated that
the expense of the consular establishment at Canton was too
great, and at the same time that he (Lord Auckland) consi-
dered that the strong language which had been used on the sub-
ject was justifiable, he would not be unwilling that an amend-
ment should be introduced in the clause providing for the above
establishment, limiting the expense to one per cent. upon im-
ports and exports, and ss. per ton on the tonnage of vessels
resorting to:Canton. The noble lord,..affer briefly adverting to
the other provisions of the bill, concluded by moving that the
house resolve itself into a committee on the same.
The house then resolved into committee on the bill.
Lord ELLE.NBOROUGH proposed au amendment to the effect
of substituting maritime discipline in the clause which sub-
mitted offences in Canton and the factories to the control of
British laws and legal institutions.
The amendment was negatived without a division.
An amendment moved by Lord Auckland to the effect (as
we understood) of making -ss. the maximum tonnage duty on
Vessels entering China, and 10s. on every £lOO, was next
agreed to.
The remaining clauses were agreed to.
The house resumed.--Report to-morrow.

BANK ,CHARTER BILL.
. This bill was read a first time, and ordered to be read a se•
cond time on Thursday.—Adjourned..