The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1845-03-11 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS.-TUESDAY

Lord ASHBURTON presented a petition from certain
tradesmen in Westminster, complaining of the operation
of Lord Brougham's bill, for abolishing imprisonment for
small debts.

Lord BROUGIIAM defended the bill of last year, but
said he would endeavour to frame a measure to enable'
creditors to get at the wages or salaries of debtors who
might hold situations as clerks, or otherwise.

Lord DENMAN presented a petition from an individual,
complaining that he had been for three years in prison
owing to his entertaining a conscientious objection to
taking an oath. He further stated, the same objection
prevented his obtaining the county allowance, and he bad,
therefore, great difficulty in escaping famine.
The Lord CHANCELLOR said he would take the matter
int-) consideration.
In reply to a question from Lord CAMPBELL,

The Lord CHANCELLOR said he had no intention of
re-introducing the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill during the

present Bess'

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-TUESDAY

The Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington, and Colne Ex-
tension Railway Bill, the Whitby and Pickering Railway
Bill, the Manchester. Bury, and Rossendale (Heywood
branch) Railway Bill, the Barnsley Junction Railway
Bill, the Leeds and Thirsk Railway Bill, the Huddersfield
and Sheffield Junction Railway Bill, and the Eastern
Counties (Ely and Whittlesea Deviation) Railway Bill,
were severally read a second time.
On the resolution in the report of the committee on
railway bills, which excludes from the committee all
members having a local interest, a conversation ensued, in
which a great many gentlemen took part ; but after the
gallery was cleared, the resolution authorizing the com-
mittee of selection to send to each member on the com-
mittee of their appointment a written declaration, which
he was to return signed, that he had no local interest in
that railway, was agreed to without a division.

A further discussion took place upon an amendment
moved by Mr. ENTIVISLE, which would exempt all mem-
bers having a private interest in a railway from serving on
the committee appointed to examine into its merits.
After a short conversation,

Sir R. PEEL said, that it was qui•e evident the resolu-
tions made a difference between the local interests of the
constituency and the personal interest of the representative
in a railway. It would perhaps be a matter of some diffi-
culty for any member to say that there was any railway in
which none of his constituents had a local interest, but it
was very easy for him to say that he had no personal in-
terest himself. By the order made last session every
member who now served on a railway committee was
called upon to declare—" 1, A. 8., have no personal in-
terest, and my constituents have no local interest i❑
railway." Now, if any member had any difficulty
n making this declaration on behalf of the constituency
which he represented, he trusted that he would state that
difficulty to the Committee of Selection. and that com-
mittee would immediately report the difficulty to the
house. When that difficulty arose, the house would best
see how it could be got rid of.
The resolution was then agreed to.
On another resolution, a conversation took place re-
specting the constitution of the railway department of the
Board of Trade. Objections were taken to the want of
publicity attending its investigations.

(blank

- Sir R. PEEL confessed that he had a strong preposses-
sion in favour of the constitution of that Board. He
passed a high eulogium on the intelligence and assiduous
attention which his noble friend at the head of it had be-
stowed on the different railway projects which had come
before him. Tne very last report which the Board had
presented, and which he had only read that morning,
contained a novel and highly important view on the sub-
ject of gradients, which he was certain could never have
been taken by any committee of the house, however in-
telligent. It was the result of former investigations un-
dertaken by the Board of Trade upon other
projects, He therefore thought that the house ought to
riaii till the approach of the close of the present session
before it undertook to make any alteration in the consti-
tutio❑ of the Board of Trade.

The rest of the resolutions were agreed to, after a dis-
cussion on their connexion with some of the standing
orders of the house, more remarkable for its multifarious
character than for its general interest.
Mr. COWPER, in moving for leave to bring in a bill to
promote the letting of field gardens to the labouring poor,
observed, that present measure was nearly the same as
that which he had i,,troduced last session. His object
was to provide for the working man a certain portion of
land, as the possession of land was a great ingredient to-
wards the improvement of his condition. Before the 16th
century every peasant in England above the condition of a
serf had some hold over the land, but since that period a
long succession of events had dissevered him almost en-
tirely from it. Among other circumstances, he enume-
rated the numerous enclosure acts which had been passed
within the last century, the consolidation of small farms
into large farms, and the almost total cessation of the
tenure of land on lives, which was formerly so very pre-
valent. Uniil the introduction of the allotment system,
the present generation of the working men of England had
very slight connexion with the land on which they dwelt ;
and he was anxious to extend in an improved form to the
remainder of the labouring population the benefits which
that system hael already conferred upon a portion of it.
his bill would contain nothing compulsory—it would only
enable individuals in a parish who were kindly inclined to
the labourers to carry their intentions of providing them
with land into effect with safety to themselves, and with
security to the landlord. It adopted a parochial organi-
zation, and made provision for taking from the poor-rates
a certain sum of money to secure to the landlord the rent
of the land let out by him to the labourer. It was quite
undeniable that the allotment system could pay itself ;
but his bill provided an easy mode of recovering possession
of the land, wherever the rent was unpaid by the labouring
man who held it. He dwelt at some length upon the ex-
cellent moral effects produced by the allotment system on
the labouring man, by providing him with rational
amusement; he showed that in many cases it had enabled
him to keep off the parish, and that in others it had been
useful in restoring him to habits of industry after
he had ceased to be a burden on the poor-rates. If his
bill were carried, he anticipated that it would be pro-
ductive of the most beneficial consequences to the
community.
Leave was given to bring in the bill.

HOC

SE OF COMMONS .:EDNESDAY

The Trent Valley Railway Bill was ordered to be
brought in by Lord Francis Egerton and others. The
York and North Midland and the West Cornwall Rail-
way Bills were read a first time.

Mr. SHAW presented several petitions from Protestants
in the county of Cork, complaining of what they consi-
dered the unfair treatment of the Established Church in
Ireland in respect to the education grants.

Mr. H. GouLBURN moved that the house resolve itself
into a committee on the Property• tax Bill.

Mr. 13susw. OSBORNE moved that the bill be com-
mitted that day three months.
Mr. MONTE seconded the amendment. As he bad sup-
ported this tax when it was originally imposed, he was
anxious to explain why he voted against it now. He had
approved it originally, because he saw that it would ena-
ble the minister to remove many taxes which pressed on
articles of general consumption ; but he now felt himself
at liberty to oppose the income-tax, which he considered
to be unjust and vexatious in every respect. He did not
object to a property-tax. On the contrary, he considered
it to be a very just impost, and would, if it were fairly and
equally imposed, consent to quadruple its amount. More-
over, he believed that the income-tax was not now impo-
sed for a temporary purpose, but for a permanency. Sir
R. Peel had relieved the poorer classes of a considerable
burden ; but he had only done so by placing it on other
classes, and especially on the agriculturists. Sir Robert
was, as had been remarked, a difficult bird to catch so as
to place salt on its tail, but he had succeeded in placing
salt on the tail of the agricultural interest, and it was in a
pretty pickle at present.
Mr. F. BARING avowed that the financial condition of
the country was the only reason on which he now gave
his support to the income-tax. He could not join in re-
ducing the revenue again into a state of deficiency, and
therefore he could not support the amendment now pro-
posed for consideration. But in giving his support to the
present bill, he would not be a party to permanently im-
poing the income-tax in a time of peace. He could not,
however, agree to the propriety of imposing it on the
country without examining the whole financial system of
the government. He then reperited the objections which
he had urged against it on a former evening—first, that it
left only a small surplus of £90,000 above expenditure ;
secondly, that that surplus, which was very doubtful,
rested on the amount of revenue to be derived from the
sugar duties : and, thirdly, that amount was calculated on
the supposition that the increase in the consumption of
sugar would be one-fifth of the greatest amount of sugar
ever consumed in this country in one year. Moreover,
the taxes repealed did not affect either the bread, butter,
cheese, tea, tobacco, or soap, consumed by the poorer
classes.

Mr. 11. GOULBURN observed, that Sir R. Peel had pro-
posed the reimposition of the income tax, because he had
found it paid with cheerfulness by the country on the one
hand, and very protective to the revenue on the other.

He had likewise proposed to continue it for three years
longer, for the purpose of relieving the people from other
burdens, of which the removal would increase the indus-
trial resources, and so reinvigorate the revenue, of the
country. He also showed that the taxes repealed did
affect the interests of the poor,—for instance, the repeal
of the tax on cotton would render the fustians and other
articles of clothing of the poor much cheaper than they
were at present. The reason why he had not repealed
the duties on tea, tobacco, and soap was, that the state of
the revenue would not permit it. Tea produced a revenue
of £3,000,000; tobacco, the same amount; and soap,
£1,000,000. At present he could only make a reduction
on any of those three articles to the amount of £250,000.
Now, a reduction on the duties of tea amounting to
£250,000 wauld be a mere fractional quantity, which
might, indeed, enrich the trader, but which would net
confer the slightest benefit on the consumer. So, too, in
the case of tobacco and soap.
The amendment was lost after some further speaking by
a majority of 96 to 23.
Atter a long desultory conversational debate, the vari-
ous clauses of the bill were agreed to, and the house ad-
journed.

-*.
HOUSE OF COMMONS.-THURSDAY

The Trent Valley Railway Bill wasread a first time.
Mr. Spooner obtained leave to bring in a bill for a rail-
way to be called the London, Birmingham, and Worces-
ter Railway. Mr. Estcourt brought up a report from the
Standing Orders Committee, stating that in the Shrews-
bury and Birmingham Railway the standing orders might
not be dispensed with.

Mr. EWART moved for leave to bring in a bill to ena-
ble town-councils to establish museums of art in corpo-
rate towns. In consequence of the report of a committee
of that house, which sat in 1836, a central school of design
had been established in the metropolis, and local schools
in concert with it were established in the provinces. It
was originally intended that the central school should be
a normal school of art ; but that intention had not been
carried into effect. It was also intended that museums of
arts, containing casts of works of mediaeval art and of the
most eminent specimens of modern masters, should be
erected in different parts of the country ; aed it was to
accomplish that intention he now asked leave to bring in
his bill. He proposed that such casts should be taken and
distributed among the manufacturing towns ; that the
municipal authorities should be authorised to erect and
support museums of art to contain them, by levying a
small borough-rate ; and that they should afterwards
throw them open gratis to the inhabitants. By such
means the taste of antiquity had been formed and perfect-
ed, and so, too, had been the taste of many modern na-
tions. He trusted that by such means the fame of Great
Britain as a patroness of art would, although she was a
commercial country, be raised to a height of glory equal
to that formerly attained by the commercial republics of
Genoa and Venice.
Mr. WYsE seconded the motion.
Sir ROBERT PEEL approved the object of Mr. Ewart's
bill, and said that the subject had not escaped the atten-
tion of her Majesty's government. In the course of the
present session he should have to propose to the house a
grant for the purpose of facilitating the means of access to
an improved geological collection in the British Museum.
He trusted, however, that the house would proceed with
caution in devolving excessive powers of taxation on the
municipal bodies of the country. One hon. member now
proposed the levying of a local tax for the purpose of pro-
viding places of recreation for the people. The govern-
ment, in the course of the session, would have to propose
a scheme of local taxation for another object, more im-
portant than either of those two—he meant the promotion
of ventilation and salubrity in large towns. They must,
therefore, take care that they did not raise any prejudice
acainst these schemes by waking the burden of them too
heavy for their inhabitants to bear. He thought that, be-
fore they called on the towns to tax themselves for these
objects, they should see what sums they could obtain from
the more affluent inhabitants by voluntary contributions.
The motion was agreed to.

House. OF LORDS.-FRIDAY.

A discussion was raised by the Marquis of NORMAN BY
resvecting an appointment in the Irish constabulary,
which he contended was in direct violation of an under-
standing between Colonel M`Gregor, the head of the con-
stabulary force, and the government, to the effect that all
appointments to that force should be made upon his re-
commendation. In the case in question, a gentleman had
been recommended by Colonel M'Gregor, but the Lord
Lieutenant had overlooked the recommendation and ap-
pointed another party. He moved for certain papers con-
nected with the appointment ; and he further moved for
returns of the amount of military forces in Ireland, at the
Ist of January in each year, for the last ten years. The
latter motion was made, he said, in consequence of a
speech made recently by Mr. S. Herbert, on his re-elec-
tion on accepting the office of Secretary-at-War, in which
speech he said that the late government had left Ireland
in a state of revolution.

The Duke of \VELLINGTON defended the appaintment
made by the Lord Lieutenant, and denied the existence
of any such underatanding between the government and
Colonel M`Gregor as had been alluded to.

The discussion terminated in a division, in which the
motion forpapers connected with the constabulary appoint-
ment was negatived by a majority of 32 to 12.
The motion for the returns respecting the military
forces in Ireland was agreed to, with an amendment by
the Duke of Wellington, suggested for the purpose of
endering the returns more complete.
Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY

On toe motion for the house resolving itself into a com-
mittee of ways and means on the sugar duties.
Mr. COBDEN called on the government to allege a suffi-
cient ground for taxing the community to the extent of
ten guineas a ton on the natural price of sugar, for the ex-
press purpose of protecting our co!onial interests.
After some observations from the CHANCELLOR of the
EXCHEQUER and Lord Howicß,
Sir R. PEEL referred to the case of corn imported from
the Channel Islands as one parallel to that of sugar from
foreign countries. It did not follow that the natural price
of sugar was raised in proportion to the amount of the
tax, as was evident from the fact that during the last week
3000 quarters of foreign wheat were admitted at a duty
of 205., and yet no one would contend that the effect of
that importation had been to raise the price of corn.
Mr. LABOUCHERE deprecated the idea of placing the
sugar trade upon a sliding scale similar to the corn trade.
Mr. GLADSTONE enforced the arguments of Sir R.
Peel, which, he said, appeared to have produced great un-
easiness on the opposition benches. The great superiority
of foreign sugars called for discriminating duties, in order
to protect the coarser productions of our colonies.
Viscount SANDON wished to answer the question by
another. (Hear, and laughter.) A little while ago a
motion was made from the other side to impose a fixed I
duty on foreign corn. (Hear, hear.) Now, he wanted
to know to what amount they proposed to tax the people
of this country ? He should like to hear what answer
would have been given to the free traders, if a question
had been put by any of these, accompanied with a charge
that a tax of £8,000,000 or X 10,000,000 was contemplated
for the benefit of the landowners. (Ilear, and laughter.)
These questions were, without doubt, popular enough in
Covent-garden, but be defied any man to prove that the
amount of protective duty measured the burden imposed
on the community. It was impossible to answer such a
question as that put by the tun. member for Stockport.
The hon. member himself was the only one that had at-
tempted one, and it had been disavowed by all who had
spoken on his own side. (Hear, hear.) This was not
very encouraging to others. No one doubted that pro-
tection was taxation; no one denied this. Victory was
therefore easy when no enemy was to be met with. Of
course a certain amount of sacrifice must be submitted
to by the consumer, in order to carry out a great object.
(Ironical cheers from the opposition.) They might cheer
if they pleased, but those who submitted to the tax
thought the object worth a sacrifice. Why, hon. mem-
bers opposite themselves were protected, with the excep-
tion of the noble lord the member for Sunderland. He
repeated that the argument that you could measure the
amount to which the people were taxed by the amount of
differential duties, although a good argument for the
boards of Covent-garden, was a perfect fallacy. (Hear,
hear.) Every one knew that the price of an article must
be governed by supply and demand, and that if we at
home were filling the market rather more than the demand
required at the moment, the price must fall, quite irre-
spectively of anything going on in foreign countries. He
defied any one to tell what the difference between supply
and demand would be in any month, so as to enable him
to tell the difference between the home and foreign mar-
kets in consequence of the protecting duty. It was, how-
ever, not necessary now to enter into the question of pro-
tection, leaving that battle to be fought by the noble lord
the member for the city of London and his supporters,
with the exception of the noble lord the member for Sun-
derland ; for he did not see why those on his side of the
house should always be put forward as the sole champions
of protection. (Fear.) He had only risen to assert what
no one could dispute, that the amount of the protection
could not be measured by the mere question of the differ-
ential duties, and that off-hand they could not anticipate
precisely what the amount of the tax levied by them
would be. The right hon. gentleman the late President
of the Board of Trade had very properly said, that the
amount of the duty was the maximum and not the mini-
mum of the tax.

After some further discussion in which several mem-
bers took part.
Mr. P. M. STEWART contended that under the enor-
mous difficulties to which the colonies were exposed by
our legislation, they were entitled to protection.
A desultory conversation ensued, after which the house
went into committee.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then entered
into the reasons which induced him to adhere to his ori-
ginal intention of imposing discriminating duties on
sugars according to their qualities, although he was wil-
ling to admit that there was considerable difficulty in
carrying such a plan into successful operation. Still it
was just and equitable, and that which was just and equit-
able should not be abandoned because there were difficul-
ties in the way of its accomplishment. The right hon.
gentleman concluded by moving the discriminating
duties. . ..

Mr. HOGG expressed himself satisfied with the course
proposed to be pursued by the Chancellor of the Exche-
quer, as quality and not colour was to be the criterion for
the imposition of the discriminating duties.
Sir R. PEEL hoped the difficulties were overrated, but,
at all events, if the experiment of a classification was to
be tried at all, the present was decidedly the time to make
that trial or never. _

..-.
After a lengthened and very desultory discussion, the
first and second resolutions were agreed to.
On the third resolution being moved,
Sift W. CLAY moved as an amendment that the
duty on white clayed sugar, the produce of Java,
Manilla, or China, or of any foreign country, such sugar
not being the produce of slave labour, should be only

£1 3s. 4d. instead of £1 Bs. as proposed. and that the
duty on brown sugar being muscovado or clayed, but not
equal in quality to white clayed, should be ISs. Bd. instead
of £1 3s. 4d.

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER contended that
if the duties proposed in his resolutions were too high,
which he did not believe to be the case, it was an error on
the right side, and he would, therefore, oppose the amend-
ment.

The house then divided, and the amendment was nega-
tived by a majority of 152 to 69.
The resolution was then agreed to.
On the fourth resolution being moved,
Mr. M. GIBSON contended that the duty on foreign
molasses should be reduced by is. the cwt., so as to
maintain the differential duty of l Os. 6d. _

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER assented to the
proposition, but suggested that the better plan would be
to introduce it in the amended bill.
On fixing the period for the new duties coming into
operation on the 14th inst.,
Mr. WILLIAms moved as an amendment that the pe-
riod be postponed till the sth April.
Sir lt. PEEL said a memorial had been presented to him
signed by 70 of the leading firms in the trade, praying
that any alterations intended would be announced, and
the alterations carried into effect as speedily as possible.
The amendment was then withdrawn and the resoluti-
ons agreed to.

FuREIGN AND COLONIAL.

INDIA AND CHINA

The news received by the present mail is of the 18th of
December from China ; 23d of January from Calcutta
Delhi ; 24th of January from Madras ; and 25th, from
Agra : and from Bombay to the Ist February.
The intelligence. is more interesting than it has been for
some months back. The insurrection in Kolapore and
Sawunt Warree continues unsubdued, although 10,000
men are in the field for the purpose of suppressing it.
Three British officers have, in the course of the month,
been slain by the enemy. The roads are everywhere
blocked up, and robbery and plunder universal. In Lower
Scinde the troops continue healthy, and the people quiet.
Her Majesty's 78th Highlanders, now at Hyderabad, are
suffering as severely as ever from indisposition. They
have in the course of four months lost 402 men, 35 wo-
men, and 120 children, or 557 in all, belonging to the regi•
went.

Sir Charles Napier has proceeded into the Bhoogtee
Mountains, with a force of nearly 5000 men, for the pur-
pose of chastising the marauders, wbo continually infest
our frontier miring the bot season. The expedition is a
dangerous one. By the latest accounts they were getting
on successfully, the general himself having arrived at
Deyra. Fresh revolutions have occurred at the Punjaub,
where the army completely controls the government, put-
ting up and pulling down administrations at their plea-
sure. The British Government seems resolved not to
interfere with their feuds, wisely determining to devote
its attention to the welfare and prosperity of its subjects.
There have been some disturbances of no great mo-
ment in Gopal, near Nepaul and Cashmere, which do not
apparently very greatly concern us.
The Governor-General continues at Calcutta, assidu-
ously devoting himself to business, and gaining golden
opinions of all sorts of people. Throughout the vast pro-
portion of the company's dominions peace, contentment,
and prosperity appear to prevail.
Much comment was made on a comet, which was dur-
ing some nights visible in India, with two tails.
A great point of interest in Bombay was the formation
at that presidency of a railway company, whose object is
to connect that fort and island with the mainland, and
ultimately with the city of Poonah and the Deccan. The
project was looked upon with favour by the government.
The news from Cbina comes down to the 19th of De-
cember ; it is not of remarkable interest. The Chinese
at Hong Kong were quietly engaged in their labours, and
altogether submissive to the British regulations.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE

CALCUTTA

Indigo.—Since the express arrived, notwithtanding
that it brought intelligence of a further slight reduction
in the London market, we can notice little or no change
in demand of rates, public sales going off freely.
Colton.—Market continues dull, and shipments are
small, amounting from let to 21st inst. to 237 bales, 1302
mds.

Silk.—Tne November Bund is now daily arriving in
considerable quantities. The quality of the Cossimbazar,
we understand, is very superior, and is held at high rates,
which prevents transactions being large.
British Cotton PiecP Goods.—We can notice but little
alteration in almost any article fur some weeks past ;
transactions have been moderate, and as stocks have been
accumulating, purchasers seek for a reduction in prices,
which holders appear determined to resist.

BONIBAY„ FEB.

Nothing has occurred during the past month to dimi-
nish the dulness which has been so long prevalent in our
market for imports. The demand for most descriptions
of goods has been extremely limited, and transactions ge-
nerally few and unimportant; almost the only purchasers
have been the Bombay local dealers, and these have
bought merely to the extent of their present necessities.