House Of Commons, Friday,...
The Times, 1824-03-06T00:00:00

;uir. i1. ZI.NktAt brOught up the report oftheconmnittee on the Southwarlk gas bill. A question arose as to whether the company should be allowed to iniert their notices in the newspapers-the time having expired w ithin wahich that regularly could be rlone, according to the stand. ing orders of the house. Atter some conversation between Mr. PETERi MOORE, Mr. Al- derman '1TiromPsoN, MIr. C. SMrrTba, Mr. Alderman WooD, anl lz, J t gf~ SEe &afI rmative. i,'eay c wast thcn tg1vC%;e'W tdF4q91 .%2s2^Ihever a5 ,ffirmtic pany in Surrey. EXCISE LICENCES. Mr. WV. PEEL presented a petition from Tamvworth * MSr. Ro- nARTi, a petiion from Maidstone 2Mr. WE3BB, a petition from (Gkiestershire; Mr. RAMSDEx, a petition from Yorkshire; and 1Mr. Alder-man WVOOD, a petition from licensed victuallers of London, fory the reclo'te dtttv on excise licences. EROWTlfT OF HOPS. Mr. CURTEIS moved for a return of the quantitv of land culti- vated for hops in England during the last two years and also for a return of duties received on hops, distinguishing the old duty from the new. SILK TRADE. Alderman THOMPSON moved for an account of raw and spun silk imported wit hin the last year, and of manufactured silk exported within the same period. Mr. WVE BB presented a petition from Bridport, against tile tax upon sea-bnrne coal. Mr. CU lRWVEN presented a petition fromi Cumberland. for a re- peal of the tax en sheep-dogs. SOAP AND TALLOW. Mr. SYKES moved for a return of persons convicted of frauds in the soap tratde; ,itb result of prosecutions, amnount of seizures, &c. The ihor. member further presented a petition from Glasgow. against the candtle-tax; r,nd said, that if something wvere not done by Go- vernment. he shmold take the sense of the house uport the subject next session. LINEN TRADE. Mr. STUVART WVORTLEY presented a petition from iYork- shire, praymug that the bounty mnight hr continued on low linens. b,ALMON F1SHERY. 11 r. KENNEDY presented a petition from Edinburgh, com- plaining of the existing regulations. W OOL TRADE. Mr. STUART WORTtlE' presented four petitions fromn the nanufacturers of diflerent dhistricts in Vorkshire, against allowing the exportation of British long wool. If long wool was to beexport. ed. at least corn ought to he allowetl to be brought back. Mr. GURTEIS said, that time export was allowed as a buunty to the landed interest. Mr. STUART WORTL-EY said that his whole income was de- rived out of the land, but he was bound, neverthelesss, to obey the wishes of all classes of his constituents. NP,GRO SLAVERY. M1r. BENETT presented a petition from Warn!itsster, and Mtr. RANsSDENv a petitioni from a district of Yorkshire, against negro, slavery. CASE OF THOMAS HAZARD. Mr. MARERIA' presented a petition from a schoolmaster of the name of Hazard, who had been taken up and imprisoned on sUSpi_ don, at the time of the Cato-street conspiracy. A petition from the same individual had been presented last year, anti rejected because it prayed co.npensation in money; the present petitioni asked only that thet houso wouhl take the casc into its consideration. l,ord STANLEY prcsented a petition from MIr. NV. Thorn pson, a woollen-miianufacturer, against tle too sudden repeal of the duties on foreign wool. Sir J. NEWPORT presented a petition from the inhabitants of a parish in Fennanagh, complaining ef the want of a church for the Protestants to worship in. Thcse Protestants were descendants from the inom ancient Protestant settlement in the country, and vet they had been seven vears without the accommodation which they now asked. The ditculty lay with the rector, who would not give his assent to the site chosen, though it was the most commodious whiceh could be had. He also presented several other petitions fromu different parishes in Irelamd, praying that the house would predveit tliem front being compelled to compound for their tithes accord. ig to the rate fixed on by the clergymen of their. several pa. rishes. He confined himself in giving particulats to two of thiese parishes. 'l'he first coiitained 1,300 statuite acres, and it was united to two other parishes, each, larger than itsell. Thle peti- tioners declared that they never saw the rector, and knew nothing of him eu:cept through the tithe p.octor. The second case was that of a living held by the Rev. Dr. Woodward- He had taken, as lie pro. tessed7 or the grmund of Isis compositon, itc average price of grain farom 1814 to 1821, and was willing to compound for his tithes-at 2,0101., while the petitioners had learnt that the doctor himuselt liad admitted that he let the tithes by the average price of grain in 11109 to a Mr. Montgomery, who h lost 2001. by the bargain. They prayed, therefore, to be left to the present system,bad and oppressive as it waY, rather than have to cowpound for so much larger a sum than that now paid. Mr. GOULBURN prayed the houise to suspend its judgnent till facts could be procured, as there was not a m.ore able, zealous, learned, or useful man, than Dr. Woodward in the church. dIr. DAWSO.N spoke to the same effect, adding, that this was the first thing he had ever heard spoken to the disadvantage of the doctor. Sir J. NEWVPORT depended upon his well-known character and condusct for his justification in presenting any petition to the house. Ele had not departed, in this Instance, from his wonted cautioD. He had received the petition from a peer of Parliament,. whe had attended the meeting, and senthim the particulars in a letter. The l-onriur of a British peer was a sufficienit warrant with him for pre- sentng a petition. (Hear.) Sit T.ACLAND presented a petition froni some of his consti- tuents aeainst the dutv on coals carried couatwise. Mlr. h EATE(COTE moved forreturns of bonded corn and meal, which were orderel Mr. HUMl E wished to ask the Chancehllr of the Exchequer if he was determined to 'rsist in taking off the bounty on linens at 7d. a yard and below ? he intimation had produced instant stagnationi among the manufacturers of linen in Scotland. The CHAiNCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said thdit it was his intention, in repealing the bounties.not to sweep them away fiom anv one class of linens, but to effect it by so much jpi cent. taken' OWi each. iMr. IMABERLY said, that the answer of the ight 'hon. gent. would behihly satisfaciory to the Scoteh mT nufactufrers. lr BRU HA M presented a petition from 612 inhabitants.of Newry, against the bill for lighting, paving, and cleansing the town. hau*rs of.41i iolKOL- - - ---- of-2ppt9O,against the pvo'sed. )dtj!ratiorA of the Jaws.srelative to !,t-'"J !Yidgiixed. Ij.every ]ananuf~actisr (ei- curre4in tthe 'IncplU. thepdtPioh)- snt!n thie Po ? at$ 'ast, persevered MA it Siubo -it tfle5. H6 (Mr.- l3ato~)thbul~tth~ isb~*djer~r,gjf te mot ~ iobaleoadeka- 6f fiteedomflii tT ,ytr huh ht e d do 'W * altehthlr the' X;aWs'wAin qh'tjfidnf abor. So 'long as the corn law, wltire' 'm ~~~~~~~of trade. The duty ;Of, 30: Per cen. u old'notpc tect the manufaicturer hedre, ,wo i a3his a t f'0 cat.ta they had to compe te. WTesJ~r wa~ Alo.muilt dependeto aho,adFac a 4i lfar goe the-start of us in dyinig5 ra h plcatro hms to that ai,I Jbitt he. fcb-e at firttesoswul efhe.jt French siks lHe4dould rit thirefoe eyo h rnilso e r)eral coDmpetitioDn. in this artile,e t a ob cniee lo that this wms'a flourieshing trade, ra all that temnfcue e quired was to he letailone; anid aftet' allI, it was not a question of re- ciprocity on tlre part. of. F'rance, for shne did. not engaet.akor steel Or woo11lea rnanrsfageures ini retsrr.Itas.hreoe nier for tfie genetirbenefit., noror6r the partiua eei ftetaecn cernied. he.'tnxited', :thezefore, that hi a iysmnisters would abandon the plan of interferiok wit'it li chndertainly vote against it, unless th-e pirOper..preliminary steps were taken loi the repeal of -the regulation laws betwe .the master and labourer. and also put. them in a state not' to pay twice as much, for bread as the foreignt artisan Piaid At Tauirimn ri6visjorOfis were cfieap, ~et it could be 4howtt tbakt' at L~yons and in $witgerland, where they haa tfie' raw materials, except Iiidia and' Chin-a' silks, the price of provisions;and labour was io I~w, that they coald produce so as totally. to destir9y our manufrstnree. fke thought the right hon. gentlerras~ (thie Chancellor of the Exeheorrer) had acted rathler pre- cipitately in' not takirfg''thre opiniion of any of the t~rulUftur- ers. Wiho was thc sponsor tor the -measuire, he was yet to learn, as well a's 'rhat-portion of the trade' had sanctioned the plan. M.CANNING said, he woldno follow theelhonourable mein- her inito the general field of discussibni which, he lied opened; but he begged to call the attention of thie hoyuse to the situation in whichi the tionourable member wdnld p lace 'all those who were desiroua of entertaining the principle of Ehe general, freedorm of coimmerce. The hon6&'alifi memlser had lalcl.down principles which would put an end not only to thiS mreasure; but to all other brrinchies orf trade- labouring unider similiar unnaturail ecatrietions, for the system wa,s to rermain untpuched sitiltr th6 corn lawsi were rcpealed; fcor if the principle applied to this trade, it equally apiplied to the groirers of corn anid wool. But he (Mr..-Canning) denied that th-ere Wau atty- reatson for excenipti?ng the sil'k trade fromi the operationi of those genie- ral principles which the kho. mermber had alwvays a'dvocated. Mfr. DENMAN adtltitted that they were not to wait tHil aU other regulations had been removed, but be tbought the house wvere lo in.I qusre what mnight be reinoved with the least'injury to individutals. Thlis would create distress in thie great mianufacturing towns like Coventrv and Nottinizham : it would be an injustice to themr, there- f'ore, to 'proceed'in this, m'easuie, when so many taxes mnight be re- seledl without.a voice in the country being lifted uip againstt it. W~ho would be 'against,the repeal of' the probate aiid legracv du- ties Etnd the duties on conveys so ado~tewno ae? The question was noL whthier trade should be fre or not, hut whllat duties should ha taken ofti Air, HUSKISSON'sald the hon, and learned gentleman had over- looked the mnain argument,ftbr the alteration in doing awrsv a ysyterin of prohibition the moat offensive of aill ot'hers in its conseqjuencesi, as under it thie officers of'the Excise were' authioized to enter she houses, not of dealer-sonly, btit oraypes in searchr of smug- gledI silks. Tiie real question was, wheptherzrthe systemn of prohibi- tion should he repeaed 'ThelIron. member for Tattnton had statted that labour was; higher he re tha in other countries; but was it highier to this manufacture thain to other trade; and mnanutactures-. in the woollen and cotton,' for instance, adid yet itn those manu. fater-es we competed sicceesfaflly. i*ith foreigners? On the au- thority of a French writer. who rad access to tire best sources, of intarmation, he could btate. tirat the export, of silk- goods from this countr ' exceeded the expots of Frarnce; and fromn that circunrstaac~~ tire house would judge whether, withi a dluty of 30 per cert., our marrufacterrers wo-uld not be quite eqjual to conmpeting with France in our own tmarket. The hon. genit. (M1r. BaPring) clrarged the Government witIlra3shnma,in not haviiig the authority of iridivi. duals in the trade ; but had he forgottent that there had beten an in. nuiry by the other House of Parliamient; a,tnti from the report of t rciromninittee, it would appear'timat all tem ufcrers whio had given ,ovidence were ofopinion that the systems liad craimped the trade and preveated the -flotwinig of capital to it. Mr. DAVENPORT said a tew wordk against the alteration. MNr. EIJLIIJ wa-, for commencing the altera-ion of' the system in some branch of our itrdtitstry not so liable to amsccessful competition on the part ~of tbreignersi The silk trade was of reeent Introdtuction here, adid Wgas not a natdve mainufacture. . The cotton trade was gene rally refdrrfA'to as analogous; but in tliat trade we hiad the eel van. tage of miachinery. HeI agred wvithi the riight hon. gentleman in dtie atdv!ntages which w6uld.result by removring Al restrictions, but he (Mlr. Ellice) wa,s for upiking the experimnent in soime bra nch nut sotiLangerour as the silk trade; naid first we Ought to) begini with tak- lug bfiE tbose taxes -whicih added heavily to the price of labour. The great obiecti6n hhealatoibe ieasure was, this-that,if` hOper cent. dtutyrwere laid on,.that amnountwould never goto the revenue. Silks could now be smuggled in at from 10. to 15 per cent.. and if they were to be allowed to be sold'openly in the shopsa, he'left the housie to judge whethierthe smugglerrortne revenue wouildprofit themost. The cort-i.aw must moon bave 'the' atention of the legislature. W1ith them the be-ginningr mustbe miade, and then the iianiufacturers would be lesa disposed. to throw? obstacles in the war of the removal of re- that fromn ?ire price' of labour thel2 were unable to conipete with fo- icigners, the lab.urerg themselves compilained that threir wages would scarcely furn'ish them'sivith:tlie means of3subsistence, 6il. a wveek be- ing he iumnowpaid. - 411r. PEEL said that adrs;itting as he did the full value of the gene. ral principles respecting thc freadon~of' trade, he would ask of geti. themen toi telect itay other trade-inl which shnilar prohibitions exist- edl. The fact was, our general s~ystem was free; the prohibition was. the 6xception, and not the rTire. Our steel, cotton, andI wool- len m-anofactureg- were free; and whet, the hon. gentleman wouldl have them begini with some other than the silk trade, so far from- haviigas temto begin, 'we hiad one to conclude, of which that taewsire remnant. MNr. Er.M.cE and MVr. PEEL mutually explained. Mr. PHIiLIPS gave credit to the lMinsters for a shincere desire to adlopt suich memurm as would be hetrelicial to tIse commerce of thr country. Sir j. NEWPOR,r. wig convinced, that no greater benefit could be conferred onthe country tan wouldrestitt from thenmeasures pro. osedbyhisMajesty'sMinisters..1twas natural to suppose tirat NiEn tines miust arise from a change in that sytenir which had been so long pursued ; but wliantevex-tliey might be.eher stoulsl be looked hr tire face, and the sooner'this'wss done tire better. . Mr. EGERTON said a few words which wvere inaudible in the gaflerv. Caiitain IMABERIL' thought it was incumbent on ev-ery inde- Pendent member in tire house tosupport his Majesty's Giovernnmenrt rin the measure theY had dei-isedflor relieving the public birrdei4s, by taking o$t the duty oni gilk. Mr.T.WILSOV, was as willing at any other hotn, mcimber coutld be, to testify. his approval of the saRdid manner in which this nirea- sure had been brought. forward, but he could not help at the same time expicasing sonic doubts whethier thepresent was a fir oppportu- nity for carryingit into fedet. The opinion he ha furmerlvexpressed res,pecting the wooldnatie.,rin-,yeined tijelnanged, and appliediwith reqrraI forceeto those on silk. Untilby-an alteration intlirecorn laws the'peop)le of this country should be enatbledI to eaL their breati as cheap as the people of foreign countries, tire repeal of tire dirties on' silk would lath of tire end it was intended to acconisplitb. He was coiivinced of the inexpedienicy of that measure at the present nsoriept, but lie had One consolation, namnely, that the Chancellor of the Ex~cheqrrer, had expressed his readiness to enter into a full discussioni of tiesbct WVhen that'discusgsion almoildl take place, lie (Mr. Wilson) intended to express, his opinions,and the grounds upon whicir tirey were foror. ed, at gtreater length. Mr. LIrTErETON isupportd tire petition.. Mir. H U,11 F would be gla to know who it was that complaineril of therepealof these duties. Who were the petitioners-...werc thiev workmen, or nmasterst, or both? He would suppose themn to b el both. By thecevidence given before the committee, thiis fact seeni d to be esthbrilised-that if the raw material of silk couldl bc obtained upon as easy term's as raw cotton, there was no reason. wthy we shlouldl not excel other nationt in the nia- nufacture' of isilk as we did in cottoni, (Htear, hrerr.) WVhat would be the df'cct of thist wise measure ? Wiry, to take 25 pe~r cenlt. off the price of the rawv article, and to throw rr,uclr miore extensive employment into -the hands oW -the manufacturer : for it could not be doubted that the ninmediate effect of this reduction would be an increased consumption';, and that therefore every mian no ptr. tioning against it from a mistaken view of the 'casem oudb immediately beneflited by having full employmnent; and Ie(r Hune) woud ntre to p'redict' that every silk-weaver's ae woud. bincreased 25 per cent. beyond what they hadbe Io hels six'months WVhat were they' atraid of? h h'o me ma k t c ulIi b inurerI for that w ould be at least as good as it wasz now. Wt 25 per cent. legs duty on the raw material, we sihould be' eniabledl to. codiipte with foreig markets; while a duty~ of 30 per cent, on foreign Ulanuec. tuTes woultd be a sufficient,'protection to our trade.'' It was well know dut mny rtileswer no maufactured in Loniden and sen t the oat,whre'thy'wer tldasFrench goodsi Why, then ifwe ctil no com soneartheforignmanufactures as to ~hmet te iteliget prsoa wo fncid temselves such good judgs, hatshoslde nt b abe t dowhen the duties were taker, oil? i 3) pr cnt wa no asuficintprotection to the biorne mar- ket, the trade was not worth protceting. lic vas of opioion that the general resultof the useasure proposed .would be highly beneficial both to thermanafacturera amd the dealers; and he was' suire, not- withstanding their present objectionis to it, that they would hereafter join in thaning the Ministers 'for baying passed it against their In- clination. (RHear, hear.) Sir JO ilN WVROTTESLEY throught tre representations made 'by the silk-inatnufacturers'of the inconvenience they were likely to experience fr'otnaii" s measure deserved ftlnton. le, ho*beyrcr, rose principally for the purposeqf asking the right hotourable gentle. man, howv long it was intended that the state ofunertainty and cot,- fusion whici theintimationof the proposed repeal hail occasioned m4s to continue ? For his own atrt, he thought this-nseasure, as well as the others. which had beenubrought forward with it, ought to be given up. Hd was.awarei that to nask for this would be sking agrest deal; bul he wvis qute sure,'if the right honourable gentlenan would' relinqtuish-the repeas he had proptsuls and the sums intended to be nprropriated ~to Winds.or-Castle and the new chirehes, and throwig those aunts overthe t'our years which his finandal plan em- braced, .wYould repeal the wjndow.trjx t he would not only give greater satisfaction, but afford a much more sensible relief to the 'whole country. Alr. ..SMIT H opposed the objectof the. petition, arid said, it was quite a new doctrine that the taking off a-duty froin a raw ma- terialcould beinjurious fb.'athe manufacturers. lie expressed nis gratitude to mirgatera for the measures they had broqght forward, and the spirit and energym-ith which- they proposed to carry them 'into affect.' WRear hear) The CHANC-ELLORi of the EXCHEQUF4 saId, that after the.pto'ppsition, h7.been wo ably xupported-byhis 'right hon. friendt, : and'hadt receiv' also the powerful and disinterested support of the .hoXtett,tlptren oppnte, he should uotthinkit expediene.to waste the [ time 'oflbgh-gl6rss ig enteridg into it Jlohg aismussifie on it, .even if his.atiength"permi ,ted him to.do so. .Ris only-objectin rising was, to nswwer a quesion which-had been put to him bythehon. baronet, who had just tat 4eos, aod the mcraber for Coventry, as to tic d~11Nele ~nls fo pfe. 1#c *A&4pite as seflsi'bhIAstlh 'w b~othemeovenen&of deUk; and if he wrere tof11*ta tmprea'onsls~ ;oul&bave haid the details df- ehe iin bZ~ that~veriparlesqserssedin iwised t hav som othersnc, hon ith im o thesubjce.H hadssei sieip,ze on'tpa t?tfeh day with some of these miis, nd he beIeF d'h wr-ohr Mr Adre RDGES su.pported the ptition, -and-said hit 4id io~belive hat ven~O pr cnt. oul bean adeqiiAtt protec-:. don sooir trad againamany ariclesofFrenchmauufactuire.- Mr.CUR~I spke ganstthereealoftheduties on ail.and saidheeislirI 'de rghthon getlean f P.way by which -he eon1 se hisel riht iththeedetry Ifhe would only saLy. 4 wQr to thm aoetihetaks o lethe mat1and hops he w6tild rec-eive a much more gratifving approa frmthe peo le at lari-e than all the plaudits of his own benck oro ht side oF the house coulid atford him. (A lautgh.) Mlr. MIUNDY also supydrted the petition. The proposal. of tho right hblo. gentlenian had createdl considerable inconvenience in the counties of Chester and Staffofd, as well as in that of Derby. In Derby 'he understood that none of ihe manufacturers bad stock in their lo-oms of less value than 20)01., and some of them as mulch is 2,0001. Mr. JiALDIMIAND trustedl that the right honousralble-gets'. tieman would persevere in hi-s measure. Nothing could be issore certain than that every protection and bounty- was detrimental to trade ; and that no trade was worth carrying on whichi c-otlddnot support itgelf. The chief object of the. Clsincellor ofthe Exchequier in repealing the duty on raw silk would; 'however, be fr-ustrated, if he did not at the same timne repeal the Spitalfields acts. The fact was, that mnany articles were manufactured in that place, 1001. per cent~ dearer than at Coventry.- It often happened, upon the spur of the moment, that it was better worth while even to pay that. additional charge than to send to- Ceventry; but he asked whether,' as avplied to fo)relgr trade, it was possible,, under such restrictiong, thiat the muanufactuLrer could compeze with othier markets, - There was anothier topic hie would take this opportunity of mentioning. WVe were told we had a free ril'k t-adle with India; this he denied; it could not be called a free trade so long as the Eust India Company couldI limiit the'nuimber of individuals who were permit. ted to goouttobIndia. (Hlear, hear.) Aninstanceot the injustice of this practice hatd lately falleii withiin liiis own knowledge. A per- son was educ-ated in a silk warehouie in this country - tfor the pur- pose of goinig aterwaids8to Indiat o engage. in that trade, It was well knowni that the numnber of petsons acquainted with 'the value anti nature of silk inrindia was extremely limiited, and that coarse and fine descriptions of that article w-ere sold at the same price An epplientien was made to the Eaist India Company to allow the persn le hd aludd t, t besen ou toa private hiouse in India, caryin ontrde her, ad he pplcatonhad been refuised. He didnotcomlan o' tis,beaus thiract justified the Company in thi, bt t pove tat heydi exrcse such a control. It hadl bee ineodel o peset apettio toth Board of Control, but this wasabatlosed beaus hewastol tht there was not the leaist chance of its being heard. Before he sat down hie would ask the right honouirable gentlemnan why he proposed to miake the dutyo Bengal raw silk 3d. p er lb., and that on italian raw Silk Iki pe'r lb. Hle hoped, since thie house had recognized t-he sound principles of free trade, they would. act upon; thetii by establishing an eqaa V- in the terms upon whc amtra should be received in Eng d. Mr. POT A'supported the petition. Mr. WVYNN, who had given way to thec last speaker, said he didI not remeciber since he had e-njoyed aseat at the Boedre of Control any instance like that which had be'en alluded to. The Board had fre. quiently given permitssion to persona to go out-, after it had been ze.. fused by te Court of Directors. In no case in which the individual had the cerainty of obtaining full eiiploymient was permiasien re- fused to hiim. AMr. HALDIMAND said, the person of whom he spoke had been edticated for thiepurpose of goin~g out to the house of Palmer and Co., at Calcutta, as a clerk. When the application was made for permission to tile East India Company, they answered there were a sufficienit number of young men unemployed at Calcutta, and that it M1essrs. Palmer wanted clerks, they might supply thiem. selves there. Mlr. WYNN said it was not usual to grant permission to persons going out iierely as clerks, because they were not sure of employ.. ment one day after their arrival, It was, besides, the necessary policy of thne Government of India to suffer the natives and half-castes to Ell suchi offices as thecy were comnpetent to ; and if Europeans were permnitted to flllthese offices ,the natives would be deprived of em. ployme-nt. Sir T. LETH BRIDGE supported the petition. Ir. EVANS (as we undertood) was of opinion, that if the as- sesse taxes had beeni taken oft, to an amiount equal to that of the remitted duties, it would have proved at meatsure mutch mnore benefi- cial to the coimmunity thian that other remnission, or the remission Df an equal amountt of' any indirect taxation whatever. (Hear.) An Hon). INIEtas;r, (whiose name we did not learn) staid-he should have as petition to present so the house, the nubject of w~hich it nmight be- very proper to mention at this stage of the present: dis-. zmmssion. It prayed sor thie repeal of the existing dntiea on the trade between Lnglana and Irelatnd. These were at present on such a foot- ing, th~at cot-ton goods were frequently sent froini Ireland to the places Dr thei'r manufacture in England. Mr. BARING, in addition to the important fact t'hat hatd just been statted by the bon. mem-ber, ivould beg to remind the house apon the central subject of reciprocal duties, thtat the question Df duties, us between tiAis country- anti foreign states, was a totally lifferent and dlistinct one~ from that of restrictions on the trade be- tween cdhfTerent ports of the same empire. He was of opinion, with 3tbcr honi. gentlemen, that the low wvages and denise population of Ireland mighit prove the means of introducing manufacturem's into that counitry with great. benetit and effect. It hbad been said hy an itnn, memiber who openedi thlis debate, that he ( Mr. Baring) heel wvhichi he hadl foruierr1y seivocated, in now c-om-ing forward with his saceimtion to thlei; but he begged to saLy, thtat whatever nmight have been the view which the polittcaL economists of that house. hiad taken -of thep subjectL, he hiniiself- hadl never carried thegse principles fuirther than to advocate a 'ree trade of the raw miaterial, and a free. transit tradle of every other description ; and his object in suppoIrt. iug- the principles of free trade to the extent and under these condi- tions was, that this couintry mnighlt beinmme as t were, an ent rc4sd for the commerce of all' the woTitd. But he nevdr had inain. tamned, that withiout any reciprocity whatever int the system ?)f other Euiropean nations, Great Britaill ought~ to open a free intercourse, as in niantifaecuires, witsh tti mecntinent. The Sr. irulntea of the economists, (as he mnight very projperly termi those mo,iembers who lacl usost entertained such speculations,) and of rether individuals our of the house who were, of the samie xvay of thinking, wvemit to thmis,-that every, article ought to be got, where it couldl be got at the cheapest rate -th,at if the people of Mlilan could furnish them with certain silks inure cheaply than aniy other lone. they had better get the commedity fromn the dealers at Miva~n ; and the stirplus o that capital whicrh would otherwisp have been wholly en poyed upon this silk transactiinn, they might en,- ploy to greater ad ~antagte elsewhere. That wvas the pripciple of tt,e zentlenien lie spoke of; hut hc never carried it to tha-t extant, for mie wag convinted, that if they carried on a fre uinrestrained trade wi th the continent while its ports Nacre, in regard to mnanv conusmo. lities, shut noon ut-, the consequence wvould be, that wher'e omit nma- nuifactures had the adv-antage of theirs, they wouild lake them but where theirs exceeded outs, they would compel us to take them, Dr exclude uis. Mr. DAVENIPORT was unfriendly to the new system of recipro. city in thiat extent to wilich it had been carried, andl particuilarly a to the silk trade. He was fearful wee shiould lose boith time sub. trance and the shadow,s-hat is, the tradle and the reventue of 700,00(11. oDr 800,01101. which our Government had been accustoi-eti to derive from it. The petition, which was froni Tauniton, was then broughit up, and Irdered to be primited. M.WSMITH1, after a few prefatory obServations., broumght uip i simi-ilar petition fromi the merchanits, miatnufarcttrers, and others interested in. the worsted and silk manufactures of the city of Norwiviel-L-aid on the table, and ordered to be printedl. FRENCH TONiNAGE DUTIES. In answe-r to a question p.ut by Alr. CUarTES, anid wltiehi, owing to a noise in the gallery, was perfect]s- inaudible, AMr. HUSKISSON stated it to 'be perfectly true, that by the weCiprOCIty act piassed in the last ses%sion of Parliament, a power was liven soD the Crown to impese 'countervailing duties in cas5es whiere sulditional duities were imposed by foreign governments upon British' thipping, or where existing ditties were imot equanlized wvith ours. it Certainly had been uniderstood, that duties hatd beeti laid 11,00n Britieh vessels of' light tomuiage over and above the duties, !aid by this country uipon F'rench ve~ssels of shnilar tonnage in stir ports. (Hear, hiear.) As tlihee lhad not been reumoved 3y that G'overnment, it would undoubteAly he his dutv to move fpr to order in council impoiing tIme 2same ditties upoti French vesselr nit'tihe had a confident olioe that France would s(ee her mistake, sodi prevent hirn Promn being uhder the necessity of making such ipplication. (fL-at.) GREAT BRITAIN AND- SOUTH AMIERICA. Sir J. M1ACINTOSH saidl, that having carefuiyv peru!.ed time ,apers which were last, night laidl upon the'table of-te' hiouse, lie r-ose tb propose to the right henourable Secretary for Foreigii Affairs me or two questions uporn subjects connectedI with them. The first sf these quiestions would be, whetheranycaniwer hadl yet been receivedi ,roin the Couirt of M'Vadrid to the despate`h fronithis Goivernment, dated ;he 30th of.Tanuary ? (H{ear.) If suchi ananswerhla(1 been received by mis ajesty's Governinent, he presuimed there could-be nio objectida sin ther pa~rt to Jay it bWore the hosmee. - H.is second 'question wast, eheter hs Maest's overnment possessed the'lecree, o,i o -lie original, even an authentic or accurate copy of the decree said ~o have Iseen miace by-Ferdinand VII., professing to regulate the oiomercre of vast costotrie.s in $oDuth America that had long.ceasedI :o acknowledge his authority ? If such copy was in thie possesgion ofI 'alinistcrs he siupposed there could be no objection te its production. lie shiouhd also be desirous,.-and to this he could anticipate o? ob~Jection-tlbat, there should be l-aid Weore the liouse a copy sf the treaty entered into between Great Britain and Sp-iip in the year 1810; which -treaty s - ;eferred to In that iespatch of the 30th of January, as granting to Britisli sub. jects a right of trade witl the sibjects of Spain in the two he- mispheres. lIear, hear.) Now, he knew it was possible that that treaty might nave been printed, or have beer., in - some shape or ,ther, already laid before Parliatment. If so, he was not aware of ,he fact but he presumed that the treaty alluded to could not be ,hat which was made with Admiral Apodaca, for that was made in 1809. If it had not beeti printed, he should either inove that it be printed, or give notice of a motion for its production, according to the ansiver which he might reccive to the questions wvhich he had mad addressed to the rigstL honourable secretarv. Mr. CANNING observed, that to the questions of his honour- able and learned friend he woul l answer separately, bits he would invert the ordet in which those q(iestions bad been put. And first as to tire supposed treatv between Spatn and Great Britain. No 3uch treaty was in' existence to the best of his knowledge. In the year 1810, whten this country proposed to interpose hcr incdiation be- tween Spain and her colonies in America, it wasmerely-upoti an un. derstanding between the two Gioverniieits that the coast law of Spain vras suspended as between the subjects of the two nations. No isstrumet)t, as far as he lid ascertabied, was in efistence, in which this agreemrent was recorded. Any motion, therei'oe, by his hon. and learned friend upon the subjectof thit tiupposed treaty would bo unnecessary, for there would be nothing to preduce. As to the se- cend question propounded a bout the decree, he knew of that only as a matter of publicbotoriety ; but he really could not say whether it had been yet commniuciAtrd to his -ajessty'h Obvernmont. in that autheniie shaptha would entitle it' to beceoniddered as a document in thetr possession. liHe (Afr. Samnn;ng) rather thought it had niot been so consmwtiep?ed, Ilut tl'at'7ny khbwledge of it which might be ps sessed by- his MIajesty's O'overntuent 'was derived from its havini appeared in the ordinary waysib -publia joumrals. If ho*evemm, -sleh a-decree had bceen coueii?ate to them} they wovAud uttilpibledly pWrtostate-.Abouatiihepaiteri Ad lry4eIkt OM answer 4ipyako gtgte-eept f*a eaclAi? ort-6f What -had-been::adihessed -to hisa. tati., eNpning hI Y.1 '-the.baus6.ht'present any-?bibgfAi~ithei .43:to -the prt"xs,'ste - stood the right hon.r aenleman-to add, that'tbeydespittchisv questior's was uot laid, before Pal=amnt' whler it. wais' y-et[fupq-,it 43wrtk Miadrid, beejuse, had it been -laidl on-the table- Er nexAmgr-period- it was. O ijously possjble that-the Court ofAMadrilmigbt-bive rsa; Aho iinp6kt&it :I1e6stcb in .question m4 sht l$le Ofth .o Y .bfo6 it ahdth&n' intrits-more hs lk tpel upjoti slii~ a6count he begged Ilia bon. atnd Ii nie ied.otn. Ins niotlofi.,i -Tle mnoment tl4af an ofcalasprhod eeie toAat iatia.tch, -4-houldt be6 wai betr aitfn.'Car i~ 'The scope of1hiik hotiourable and learried.iend~sm~frinuf tysnOt bae in this &annrer, it dlearly'wenzt hsetn)wa tolauc bs eitys 06iairnnient to lay. befodPtimp'sc d6cuibtnts and pape tsas'might 8how to the bous~teiiilspf 'whichi Goverropent had fiitberto aceted, aridtittne: nfktr oat in regrartoAmerici. Vut he Ireely told-his honouaeadlan ed firieend th at if -the communications which MIVIthe'ied makde ins thigsusbject had-beerr suchkas to entitle te otecn. dence of Parlia'ment, h-e should resist -evqry' attemrpt o xotfi. ther information, or to oDmpel the.produciion of furte esrels- tive-totheat mazters under the present a--tate' of circumastauces. If, on the 4contrary, the' comnctoswich Governmenthadrnafle had not entitled them to the'conifidence of Parliament, his bonour-. able andl learned friend wouId be at liberty to take his~ own course upon this fimportant afilkir. * Si4. M ClNTSH, rs eplantion sai hehad listened to .wor~ hat. ad falen frm therighthon. ecretary -but ~Satpreenydvisd. e sw nthin toindce im to alter his oriina inenton,whih, te utue Ay, he should'be disposed to K GAL AT AENIMENT B3ILL. On the question that this bill be read a second titie, Mlr. 0. BNNET intimat'ed his initention of opposinlg several enactments of the bill in comnmittee. He eaUed th e attention of thie house to tbe,,severe inequalitv of -the punishnmentosf the trc-ad..niill (to the discipline of which, properly applied, hie was; friendly), owiog to tht-absurd varieties ot construction up on whichi those mills were built iu differ entarsof theccountry. Th~elhon.trmeisiber then referred to soWr*~culadi6ng.which had ieeft made of the ifTg"e of labour in sometieadinl-fls,.-coipared. witlh otherg. Froxnthtse, it appeared,. that,taking the 'lseightof the. monument to~ be 172 feet. the -persons working -In 'sri tread.mills sis6endcd the height,bf that builfling'32,times; in. others, 133 times,, sfid.otbeis; aiainL,98 times, in th-e coipr,coatone day's work.- He nextadverted to-a leter from the -keeper of Lancaster-gaul, in which iit vy isstatel that 10,000 feet of l.abour (of ascentiton the wheel) .Was Biffitienit tr-the laboer of one man in tim eourse of a aay, anad that by a calculation it appeared that a day's wforkc of 12,000 feet' of ascent was equaLl to th3e labour of walkting 37 miles on level grouud. In the committee he would propose to limit the la~bour of -the men to 10,000 'feet, and that of women to 8,000 feet, in the course of one day.. W-ith respect to inferior prisons be'lonin to lota jurlsdictlo he obsered that miost of thimn were desituit'-e f the ordinary c. veniences of a wison ; some were without beddling, some. without allow-anie of fre, anid otheri without ctiny employmnent or religious Instruction. To obviate those evils, he would=noviia the comtmittee, that the provisbirns of the bill should extend to thLose places-tamt the local -magistrates should be ~obligecd to commit the prisoners to the county gaol, and payg a Certain p ortion fortheir maintenance, and that they should ebi e osn unitic prioners to. tomde asylum. Mlr. PEEL said. that ie Itoncurred with, the las speaker en. tirely in the propriety ot' not sending untried prisoners to. the tread- mill. Thie last acft gvethe magistrates the piweref pixtt.ing themwt such work, if the parties wished-it; but it was a rnisconstruetiou of that' act to siy, that magistrates could compel untried pri- tuniers to work, by threatening to withhold frocrijjef-athe pti. son allowance, if they refused. He was surptised at this con- struiction of the nct, the words of which were, he thought, so plain; but to prevent any future mistake, he would introduce a clatuse, that no untried prisoner shouldl be conspelled to do any wvork Wginst his will, hut- that whether he desired it or not hie should not he put to the tread-mill. (Hear.) With respect to the plan of fix- ing fL maxiinum of labour, he did not.think it would he productive of any good. If 10,000 or8,00feet ofasent were talertas araximnam, a magistate wouldhave no discretion; and what might be an exce!bive degree oflabou-r to one mnan, would be comparatively light to aniother. The Calculation of 12,000 feet of ascent on themill being equal to 37 miles of' walkimi on level ground, was most extravagant and erro- neous. It was i5ounded on an assumptioni of the ascent oDn the wheel rbeing prpendicular. He' denied that the labour at al -corre- soddto perpendicular ascent, or that it was equal with that of. dragig up thc body at eVery step: But ho had not heard-what, wonlde a moredicisive objection-that the labour of the mill was generally prejudicial to health, and he knew of non-i other which gave At more equtal division of labour. As, to smnaller iu'risdictions and local prisons, lhe thouight the honourable memnber'; proposition of obliging the local magistrate.to commit to the county gaol, would in general be rather a disadvantage thian a conveniience t) the party commiitted. He wished thait the power of locAl jurisdlictiols' could, witout~nyvioatin o prsen inerets, be transferred to the tou ge lsofth oind, buat as Ithey at prsnsto,hdinttik thepropoi chrpanged wou old be areefit. Tye prsntbi wud Sir T. BARING~ was not averse to teuse of the tread-mill us at means of ptitiishmieut, if subjected to proper regulations; by which. excessive labour-might be avoided. Instance of great abwse had oc- elir,.ed from the want of such reglusltions. One was a case of as woman commnitted ia &u-rty, who, tho,,ls o3nly 0 absort time after her ac. e0uchi-mezz, wai,iiwhea sent: t prison, puit oni the mill, from which she was soon after taken ina state of great exhaustions. 311r. H. SUAINEIlcomplained that thehion.bart. who spoke last hAd o ie a faiir aceonnsof hint. Loder's case. Shec was comn- mittelfor ihav,ing hadl an illegitimiate child which, was the thiird which she had home to three differetnten. lIe. wouldnisakee state. melnt to the boure which wtould prove that wbrking at the tread-mill had been beneficial to Ars. L-oder. On tlie.31st of October she was weighed (a laugh), and bur, weig~ht was eight stone two pounds. She-was weighed %asin on the l3thl of December, having, in the in.. terim. worked on the tmill, and her weight had increased 9 pounds. On the 2d of Janie she was. weighed again, not having been on the wheel since the 13th of Decemnber, and it was foiund that she had lost two pounds. (A lhugh.) ri. ESTE RN, as we undergtood, expressed an opinion un- favourable to the tred-mill. Mlr. COURTENTAY agreed. withi the hon. member for Shrews- bury, that the state ofthtie smnall prisons was deserving the -serious consideration of theleg.islature. He approved of the introductioss of, the clauise to prevent the prisoners coinitnited previous to triatl from beinegemloyed on the tread-wheel. hr.Al dermian VOO I)enuidein)ned the practice of placing woren on the tread.mill. He thought that Mlrs. Loder had been very hiardly dealt with ; and for what? Becauise she had had three chil- dren by three fres-h menc. (A laugh.) It was very singuilar, that whilst all the rmittnry prisons were tilled with men committed on. charges of bastardly,' or for ofibuees againspt the game laws, nothing of the kind took place in London. (A~ laugh.) Hle hped to bee the day wlIen no BEnglish magistrate, would be found who would set a femiale to work o-n the tread.mill. (Hear.) The bill was then read a second time. TI-F, MUTINY BILL. On the quecstioni that ithe house do resolve itself into a committee onl the above bill, Mr. IIUZiIE rose andl objected to the measure, because it author- ized the inifliction otf corporal puishment on 73,000 men. His, attention waS particularly Calle to the sutbject bv- a circu- lar rccenth- issue byLord Bathurst, recomnmendling the to- tal abol.itic'n of fogn in the WVest Indies. He could not understanld whiy a pces of .punishment which was consider-~ ed imtproper tobeud towards slaves., should be iniflicted up- on freemen. Hle wvas co;svinced that the practice of flogginlg dejKrad- ed the armiy. The hon. member next observed, that thec inh abitants in the neighbourhood of the King's Alews wvere greatly annoyed by tliecries of soldiers who w4ere almost daily flogged there. Inde.- penident of the corporal punishients, thiere were regulations con- nected withi our milttary, systemn, which inadle it supriaing that the bill before the house shouldI so long have passed without objection. One, immrediately, which he could instance, was the arrangement as to the sale and purchase of commissions. Surely if' thiere was onie being more than another whoEe word ought tobe undoubted, anofficer of' the armly ought to stand in that~ - timation ; and yet there was a regullation existing 'at the present moment whilch enfotceed the ne- cessity of telling a. faliehood upon almtost every man who camne into the service. Every officer whns purchiased a coiamnission, and every officer whko parteed Withi One, wai, compelled to declare on honour tb~at lie nieither took nor gave more than the regulation price ; while it was notorious to the whiole army-and miust be Cotorious to the fluke of Ydrk- himself-that, in nine cases out of ten, miore *as paad thati the parties declared-to. Suppose ani officer to be challenged in a jtor.'-box withi this decla-ation-wrhat would becomne of his evideijcec.-would credit be attached to it ? lie (Mvi. Hume) did hiope that, for 'the. future, no officer would be calledl on to zive any such asiaurance. Uponth subject of the cor- poral punishment, he was lothi to detaini the house too long; but he hoped that his Mlajesty's MVinisters, while they were protecting the black slaves, would not forget the 'white ones. He heard that there were sonie ships nf war in our service,- its wrhicht discplie hd hen aintine fo yers,without the inflictioni of a. singe lsh.He ear tht ths hd ben oneinsome regimients:. if i on, wh no in ll?Of ate ear, a ystm hd been ado jte t sf lacng oldersin oliaryconineent hewished to to wat erids he ioliremnt vasused to be limnited 'tdd wheter Gvernent ad? eceied ay report as to Its effe~cts ? Tine plain of solitary confinement was onie which he ap- proved, provided the power was not left open to aluse; but he was sur:prised to hear tha~t, in some instances, mni who were put into confinement forfeited their pay; and that that pay actuallywent fntothepock-ete of the officers who sentenced then... ILotid cries. of "-No, no.") Virell! he should be glad.to be tolEt what was the practice of the Guards, and, indeed, of the army ge- neraly, in that respect,. The hon: member sat down, bymovang an instruction to the canammittee, to insert a clause in. the tnutinybi abolishing floging in the army. If his amendmernt, um the preses stage, was intormal, he would move it when the house wis in c', mittee. Sir HENRY HARDIN'GE replied to that partof the honoaun bI member for Aberdeen's sspeech which referred to the p.ui St ment of soldiers in thle barra8ksat the King's Mews. He be ;e to state, that daring the last 12 months, onC iran only had bee- Pi nished from the regiments occupying those birracks; but bedtou gI. deeidedly. that the powver of flogging vas essential to the dise ps e. the arn5. JWU r. 1 UbtE ex plaihled.. Sir R. WILSON had always considered corporal panishmes t be equally ruel, degrading, and. uiwmecessary. In. Ggrmany, France, and even il Prussia, it was no l6ngr practised. - it tvia .i be got rid of at all, it miiust be got rid of- by. positivejaw,; or e )I where a commander recoohnmuended itA disuse, regi(n1sa offir X miglit thr6w the blame uponhti.ii of a edd,ntaldtnsorder t:hat f'<- lowed. The present moutent w: most favonrable: for, Abolitshi F. punfihush nt which was 'dl agefglto tbe.e, ;na-ruinoua to dharaeter of.thie amy; weneienot novW intime of war, ieat 2 about . the. copstry. to enlisttheriluseof mnijn-td,: butif the few .CoIonelW(OD observed,that. the -presept -suet'wa.s :1 Vt> good one to makea uon * bitt, sfar as-hisd exrnerienue. gone its this vmthtn ef i mtliti~ reent1 he thoulit eoult . bAntaini 2d;*ille without the tower bf >o bi,to -i int, -1Tbe h I *tmber: foete? i f Bil ett} h ique s.in n iWle- ivv t th`th -;~tmb1ywould more secentLy st oughed;Uoh it, i he, ,hUtSti;0n-Ww a Ketoe) o lxr Oataryc hfen. thtut It. l btitf 'Be-t;Ri"&*4 a/f'j of ,iriXe1et sr t riod_gf! inipscmnent was lmited;tts. AO9 wks. jie (UIoe Wli tYodhi.re\er, yolFabjected toY,jirg miie,nb: waiy PinUitlment, loto. trcbd.null ; and-to (wbilehonourablenremZ 4"C"'er talking of the honour of the serdcey rixing tefrtcterr SOlier ut,w jth Common fritins 3. JO??, 5MITHf. partfrom eyery quesiion' of miliiar: de- tea s OPPoa&Ito the prifciple on whieh military flogging proceed- TettUr7ie Hficted upon the body would never prevent.rnen from' 'itdlltttimc^- it onlyprait-cid obstinacy inThe suferer, itd * pt a spirit o' dbiuta revenke. HIis objection iathat thed pui = >at once crul and ineilktive. Othbe and: ;i-lder men- t ecarrikd into exqcquon. - It. M{ONCK was opposed to thesystemof copir__punishment. t tdmitt,ed, that the practice bad diminished within the Iost 20 Yt5ri. and -hc did tnbt hear,. .any where, that the discipline If the Y 'nad'?nlL. off;in consequence. The fault of our syatem was, ted7e ndld out too few rewards to the seldier, and BO6 were totnptll- ta use compulsion to iifduce him to do his duty. If-FtancC hmre commissions were given occasionally to private s6ldiers, and 'hre 0o b$ 4isrpjsed from a.regiment was c6p8equentlyr Ia 'et, se Of thel ah did not-appear to be f.iund necessary: and It haa oe al dim-ased with in a regiment ofour.own (the Blues) in which t wcres a funid institut-d to rewarA steady conduct. The house then went into a cemnittee. Lord PALMIRSTON adverted to one point ofthebon. gentle- Tnan's argumncat..- qf she rigbt of the Crown to dismiss officers without the intervention of a court-martial. Upon that subject the ,Opinio of Parliament-had been rnost clearjy declared, that it was an inherent Prerogatlve of the Urswn, irecessamy to the preservation of the constitution. As to the arrenrs of pay in the cae's of solitary mirpriso;nment, they went.to the stock purse ofthe regiment, tpo eWray the expenses of recruiting hospitals and '4ter things. 'Te tulishc] l-t of flogging wasa ahient-it was derived from the Reman.arm;y to the British. It . wa necessary, not o1lz,to the discivllsXe of thewoul bi? to take 'hst poiwer awasy f -the. prerdgative c be to endinger the constitution. The - observitions on fireign 4iisciplne mu5t be takeit with tome allowance;. The Fren.ch Es-my had not thte punishment of floggirng, but they wecre lessi tenadtouc of life. Surelr no- onet-could wish 't see capital ?sunisismcnts increased in the. British ary MrIjIje he wvas with the armV of occupation in France. 'e hedrd 01' seyeral men of the -Russian forces dying from the severity of kogging. i the Prussian army there were ttro clause& On the first oiThnoe the ren were degraded to the second from the first, in wlhich they were not eubjectto corgorai puni.hsient. In the second class. they ware su"ject to strinesa, which were graduated by a scale: an canign' coiild inflt;c 0l a .t icutenant 20, a captain 30, a major 40, and so on. Thi was anot 'bediiciplite to be desired for the British'arnny. HTe differea, in shart, on fundamental g'rounds frdni, tiht piopositldo of the honourable gentlemnan. The power of the Crown to osder and dispose of the forces by nea and land had been repeatedly and c-oh- Stantly recognized by ztatute. To interferewith that power in the details of the rmy was nothing les than agrossabuse of the powers 'of P!sliarnent u W-4 W. SiHtTH protested against the principle 4d$'anced by the nogrlelord. A more imonstrous proposition had never been made to the honse, whose right of interference was so enmphatically preserved by the mode of proiding for the maintenance of the navy and arrmy. lIe sseonf opinion tbat rilitary flogging waa- blot upon the service, a stain upo0n the national character. he attributed the preservatiois of the custom to the love of power, and the reluctance to let it go in- berent in human nature. Mr. HUME moveda clause 'for ahotishing corpdra2 punihmiiet ltogether, any thins in the hiU to the contrayy notwithstanding. The Committee dvided on the Cause- For the motion, 24 1 Against it, 501 Majority against the clause, 26. The bill passed through the eommittee-report to be brought up ,on tWednesday next. Mr. BROUGHzAI moved for the production of the copy of Zninutes on &,e trial of the Missionary Smith in Demeraram-Ordered. The Annual Indemnity Bill was read a third time and aesed. lMfr. HUSRISSON taid that the ChanceDlorof the xchequer void, certainly bring on the subject of the sugar duties on Monday next, as they would otherwise expire on the 24th inist. The ATTORNIEY-EMWAf obtined. leave to bring-in a, bill to alter and amend the laws respecting insolvent debtors. The bill was brought in and read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on Monday next. The other orders of the day wete then disposed of, and the house adjournednt HALF rAST OS E O'CLOCK. IIO.IJ'E OF cOVM-N X-- l SOUTHWARK GAS COMPANY