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

HOUSE OF LORDS.-TUESDAY

The Earl of ABERDEEN, in answer to a question from
Lord Kinnaird, respecting the cruelties alleged to have
been perpetrated on the Polish nuns at Minsk, stated that
he had no doubt the persecutions in question were grossly
exaggerated ; and that, whatever might be the state of the
case, her Majesty's Government had no power to interfere
in the matter.
The Scotch Turnpike-roads was then forwarded astage.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-TUESDAY

The adjourned debate was resumed by

Mr. Stafford

I O'Brien., who complained that the government had not
Itt thought fit to consult the agriculturists at all on t is
measure. He bad little hope of attracting the atten
of the house ; he had not changed, and therefore be bad
nothing to explain, but remained in the same state of bi-
gotry in which he had ever been. The law of 1815 might
have been the greatest error that the landed interest had
ever committed, but be would ask who had encouraged
them to persevere in that error ? Year after year the
hon. member for Wolverhampton had given them an op-
portunity of retrieving that error and year after year the
right honourable gentleman had urged them to persevere
in it. He would not impute to the occupants of the trea-
sury bench dishonesty, but this country had hitherto
been governed by party ; and if parties were to be broken
up in this way, he would ask how the government of the
country was to be conducted? He had no hesitation in
avowing that be was a party man ; and if ever there was
an opposition conducted by party tactics for party ends, it
was the opposition of the right hon. gentleman to the
late government. It was a bitter disappointment to find
him now eschewing all party. The right hon. gentleman

who spoke last night said that the law-of 1842 had failed.
Had it failed to the Sidney Herbert of last year, or to the
Sidney Herbert of this year ? If the law had failed in•re-

rd to the question of averages,(it must be a reason for

re-adjusting-those averages ; and if he found the sliding
scale fail, that was no reason for giving up protection—
they had the slidinrr scale to fall back upon! If it had
been merely a question of duty* why had they raised such
an agitation on the subject ? It was not on a mere ques-
tion of import duty that the present government had dis-
placed the last. If the present government had changed
their opinions, let them avow the change, and give due
credit to those who had always upheld those principles;
bnt let them not deprive them of the credit due to them
by saying that this was a mere question of import duties.
He was not careless of the evils impending over Ireland;
but a particular evil required only a particular remedy ;
and although the ports were opened to prevent a famine
in Ireland, yet there was no necessity for repealing the
corn laws. All the authorities in Ireland agreed that the
destruction of agriculture in that country would be its
ruin. He admitted the -existence of the potato disease,
and if it had progressed he was convinced there would not
have been a potato left in Ireland. The rest had been
stayed, but had now recommenced, and he believed that
the government was prepared to meet the emergency ;
but be denied that the ease of famine in Ireland would be
met by the proposed alteration in the corn law. He be-
lieved that the landowners in Ireland were greatly respon-
sible for the distress existing in the country, but he de-
nied that a repeal of the corn laws would provide a re-
medy for the distress
Mr. S. Crawford,
Gregory spoke in favour of the government measure, and
Mr. Lefroy, the Marquis of -Granby, and Lords Brooke
and Clive against it, several of the members requiring a
fresh appeal to the country

Bailey, Lord

Lord WORSLP.Y challenged the recollections of the go-
vernment respecting the last election. The predominat-
ing motto then was, " Peel, the Farmers' Friend." The
opinions various members of the administration had ex-
pressed on this subject, up to a very recent period, coin-
cided. Even within the three years during which they
declared their conversion had been effected, Sir Robert
Peel had professed his adhesion to protectionist principle.
It was said this measure would settle the question. This
he denied ; a fresh election before 1849 would again agi-
tate the question, and the farmers, wiser from past expe-
rience, would exact pledges from their representatives for
the repeal of the measure, while the other party would
seek an earlier consummation of free trade than was pro-
posed by the government. He should vote for the amend-
ment.

Sir J. GRAHAM protested against degrading the ques-
tion into one of mere finance, much less of personality.
He avowed a charge in his opinions, and that avowal
would at once dispose of all citations from former
speeches in favour of protection. Referring to the cir-
cumstances of Sir Robert Peel's resignation, he owned he
thought it would have been better for the country and
fur the character of public men, had Lord John Russell
proposed the free trade scheme instead of Sir Robert
Peel. (Hear, hear.) The members of the cabinet had
been taunted with adopting opinions upon the corn ques-
tion altogether inconsistent with those they formerly en-
tertained, but extracts which he read from their speeches
dis, roved this statement. Circumstances had precipi-
tated the change which otherwise he would have preferred
to be gradual. The peculiarity of the harvest of last year
had caused the corn law of 1812 to prove more stringent
than the law which it had succeeded. The potato disease
in Ireland had also contributed to hasten a legislative
change. His own opinions had been influenced by the
disordered state of the manufacturing districts in the year
1542. Those disorders he had satisfactorily traced to the
difficulty of gaining subsistence. He then read several
statistics to prove that the rate of wages varied univer-
sally with the price of food. Exaggerated apprehensions
had been entertained respecting the fall in price which the
contemplated measure would occasion. It would benefit
the consumer principally by the guarantee it would pro-
vide against extreme price in the event of a deficient har-
vest. A settlement of this question was manifestly
needed. Certainty and peaceful enjoyment were great
objects to attain, and they would be encompassed by the
measure proposed by government. The valuable ends
now sought to be effected would be cheaply purchased by
any reduction of rent, and be for one would, if necessary,
have consented to such a sacrifice.
HOUSE OF COMMONS.—WEDNESDAY.

Petitions were presented in favour of a ten hours' bill;
against repealing the corn-laws; and against calling out
the militia.

In a committee of the whole house upon the piers and
harbours of Ireland, a resolution was agreed to that the
sum of £50,000 should be granted for their improvoment.

Lord G. i3ENTiIicK moved for a return giving the num-
bers of the importers of foreign grain now in bond in the
Queen's warehouses in Great Britain and Ireland, toge-
ther with the quantities bell by each individual. He en-
tered into some calculations in order to show that the
curse proposed by the government with respect to corn
would deprive the revenue of half a million in order to put
it in the pockets of two or three hundred corn merchants.
—Agreed to.