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February 21,-1846. THE NORTHERN STAR. ' ...
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Jtatgii iHobrmmfo
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• I think I hear a little bird, who ring...
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imperial parliament
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HOUSE OF LORDS-Mosdat, Fkb. 10. For the ...
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Attempted Assassination a Crippleoatb.—O...
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
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February 21,-1846. The Northern Star. ' ...
February 21 ,-1846 . THE NORTHERN STAR . ' 7
Jtatgii Ihobrmmfo
Jtatgii iHobrmmfo
• I Think I Hear A Little Bird, Who Ring...
• I think I hear a little bird , who rings Tne people by and by will be the stronger . "— -Byecs
• I Think I Hear A Little Bird, Who Ring...
" And 1 will war , at least in words , ( And—should my ctutntv so happen—deeds , ) With all who war with Tkou ^ ht !"
I THE FRATERNITY OF NATIONS-POLAND S AND RUSSIA-UNION OF THE SLAVOJ XIANS . f Although the following interesting document was 0 adopted in this country so far hack as the 25 th of 1 July last , ihe anniversary ol * the martyrdom oi the ( five Russian Republicans therein named , it has newr [ before appeared in any English publication . It was i originally published in the ' Frtneh language , and a i short time since a ( somewhat imperfect ) translation ; appeared in the Nea < Yvrk Tribune . For the follow-! ing translation we are indebted to a distinguished : Polish democrat . At the present moment , when all eyes are directed towards Poland , this proclamation is doubly interesting : — rEOCHJUTIO * OF POLES SOW IS lOSDO . N TO THEIR
BCS 51 AM BBETURE 5 . Russian Brethren!—It is to-day nineteen years since ere of your compatriots , I ' estel , * Bestujef ; ilouravitf , Kjlirf , and Kohovski , perished on the scaffold . The Pole * , in whose behalf we now address you . have assembled to celebrate the anniversary of the death of those martyrs to your future regeneration , and have thought their homage would not be worthy the memory of tiie martyrs , if they did not communicate to you die thoughts which have , on this occasion , r . seu in their souls . Brothers * a hatred , too violent to be lasting , too prolonged to be natural , separates us from one another . This hatred , for which hardly any among us can render adequate-reason , outfit to yield to the reflections naturxllydae between tiro people of tbe same origin aud the ' same faith . As Slatnaians , we ought to have hut one and the same object—that of becoming free ; as Christians , we owe to one another mutual love .
And , mean while , alas J almost each page ot our history seems written in innocent blood , which the two nations hare shed while massacrcing one another in snh-Strrieucy to the interests of a single family . And is there any cause , divine or human , which cau sanction the conduct of this bloody drama , where the actors straggle without carrying away any advantage except the spectacle of the ruin of others ! Instead of that , have we no other destinies to pursue ? As to you , Russians , you have a great mission , noble duties to accomplish in the world , a great and imperishable glory to achieve , that which your martyrs indicated to yon by their deathwhich we have also indicated by remembering them in the midst of battles . It is the mission of fonnin ; r , ja conjunction with us , into an army of European civilisation , and of the law of God , the entire Slavonian race , and of directing this force upon those regions wluch need to he emancipated from th « barbarism iu which tltCV are a ; prtwear , and to form there societies USClul to humanity —we speak of Asia .
And thk mission , obvious to our consciences , which the angel of our race has whispered to you from the seaifold , and still urges on us in our exile , demands that you should be free—that we should be free and independent—that wc should be brothers ; and , meanwhile , what are you % A despot , foreign to yon—the scion cf a mixed German and Mongolian race , in whose veins does not flow a single drop of yours , of the Slavonian blood , common to nsabsorbs you , and places you in a condition unworthy of men created in the image of God . Instead of wis « Ia > is , in making which yon mfeht all concur through the representatives of your choice , laws which would put yoa in a way of using Irenly your intellectual , moral , and physical rowers to realise great human destinies , and to be in
fratei nity with all the other nations by harmonising thus the interests of / aUierl-Hid , with those of human tip , you hare the will , the caprice of x angle man , whom nothing restrains , and who makes of you passive instruments of oppression among yourselves , or of accomplishing foreign invasions intended to increase the number of these in . struments or victims to his violences , with . no father aim tiian that of satisfying the instincts of personal ambition . And this unlimited will raises around you an insurmountable barrier—a Chinese wall , which separates you from the rest of the universe—the universe in which there are for you as many brothers as there are or saallhe living men , and which now , iu consequence of your condition , sees in you only enemies worthy of contempt or of hatred , llat we , oh , Kossians : we cannot hate you . Froaijour hands we hare received , and are still receiving , hard blows , y * t we wish to see iu you only erring brothers , and our hatred is concentrated on the man who rnatet
use of you in the infernal service of a violent despotism , tf a degrading slavery , whieh he makes weigh as heavily on you as on us—ou ths man who labours , hy all means possible to him , to destroy what we hold most precious and most sacred , our nationality , which ten consecutive ages , under the guidance of Provilence , have created ; ou the man , by wbo-e command thousands of our little children are soatehvd from the arms ef their wretched mothers . And it is not from ro-day that the proofs of our love and hatred may be- dated—love for you , tnd hatred for the oppressor of oar two nations- In 1 S 51 , on the tve of onr bloody combats for theindependence of < . mcountry , we wrote upon our banners , "For our liberty and foe yours . " Ask . your men , made prisoners during the last contest , in what manner they were treated among ns ; they will not dear tfce fraternal sympathy with which they were received : they wiil till you that the condition of prisoners of war among us was far preferable to that of soldier in the armies ofvour Tsar !
Since that epoch filtet . " . long years have passed ; they hsve seen increase to a frightful extent both our national niiitbrtunts and your slavery . With us the autocrat grow * zealous to deal more and more terrible blows to our existence as a nation ; as to you , he pursues unrelentingly his despotic and Homicide system ; and , to perpetuate oppression , chooses mostly among foreigners , whom nothing attaches to you or your interests , renal , rapacious , and smile officials . It was , to put an end to tins state of humiliation , incompatible with the dignity of men to whom God prescribes a wide , frae , active , and continually progressive life , and which you have ensured without a inurmnr , that the holy martyrs , to whom we pay the tribute of today , have given their lives . Thev have bequeathed to
yoa a beautifa ! example of devotion to the general Welfare—to the real f lory of your country . Will it not be followed S We do not know ; but for the honour of the race to which our two nations belong , we firmly hope it will be followed . TFehope it above all , when , ensting a glance upon past ages , we see the persevering energy and sublime devotion which enabled you to shake off the Mongolian invaders , when then-innumerable hordes were tilling your country with fire and blood . Why should not the same eu-rgy be awakened now , to shake off the yoke , not of multitudes—as in the case of your ancient oppressors—na : of a single one of their descendants wbose oppression is so much the more humiliating that it cannot weigh upon a great nation without appearing to receive its assent .
Yes , we mast hope that soon there will be found among you thousands of generous men who will follow the noble example of these martyrs , to whose iotm « rics such power belongs , that a simple homage paid to them hy the people of Warsaw suSced to the Diet of 1 SS 1 although elected under the corrupting sway of your autocrat—to proclaim him fallen from t :: e throne of Poland the veryday ou which this homage was rendered . By following ityoa will emancipatey our nation from the terrible yoke that weighs upon it- ; vou -will , as Slavonians , aud in concert with ns , extend a helpful hand to our brothers
of the Slavonian race , whether oppressed by a German or Mussulman family . And then the great thought of a federation cf the Slavonian nation ? , first revealed on the banks of the Xeva , may be realised—that cornerstone to the edifice of the redemption of humanity ; for you will have annihilated the obstacle of Tsarism , synonymous with tyranny , which alone opposes it . As Christ proclaimed , on the eve of his death , that he had conquered the ancient world—the world of privilege and of brute force—so , from his scaffold , Pestel prophesied the realisation of this great thought , saying , " What I litres sown . will genanate and bear fruit "
Think of these words , and then act . Ton can accomplish the great mission which God has coniided to the eighty-five millions of Slavonians ; ycu will enter the path of pngrvss which He has prescribed to all His creatures , and be able to lead into it the nations of Asia . Russian brothers ! will you hesitate to submit to this ditine nil ) , which promises you a real and iiaperiihsble glory , and , instead of the hatred and contempt that now menace you , the blessings of so many raUUons now aad i . ereaft er ? Ton will not heritate . Inhabitants of the north and east of Europe ! you will have a wigiity influence upon the jrrcat work of the regeneration of nations , begun in the West towards the close of the last century . With a profound hope which God has breathed into us , we salute the approach cf this new era , offering you , from our state of exile , fraternal hands , always ready to rejoin those of-our nation te second your noble efforts , if sot to officiate at the initiation .
Committee o , preparation * . — ( Signed ) Lewis Obok & ki , President . Jclien Khelsugwfki , . Member . Tnaons Ksempowucei , do . Jons Ketxski , Ho . CHiS . S « 0 L « 1 AS . Secretary .. Believing that there exists , above all countries , a c-juutry common to all , in whieh the title ef citizenship is conferred by the love of right—oj brotherhood by community of idea , of religion by martyrdom , and that I ' estel , Mouravief , Utstuj . f , Itylkf , and JKohovski , who died for the redemption of the Slavonian race , are the fdiow rinztns aud brothers of those wi = o strive for the caus * „ f trath and justice on the earth -, believing th ,: blavonum race is called to a great mission , both Z interior
to or ^ nwanon , w hich they can .-. eeomplfch oniv by a series of tifc . ns fraternally co-ordinate , nnd th . ' t Poland and Itnssia must be Wstoricallv and » eoT- 'ibi eallyat the head oi s . « eh efforts ; b ^ ving " that ' the league ol absolute govimmeats can only be defeated by a holy diiaacc of nations , and sympatliisia- especially iridi tho Slavonians , v . li-j must some day unite iu baitle with Italy against the common cnmiy—Austria the Ceutral Committee of l ' -uag Italy—a National Association , uuittdheart ; -. nu son ! with the vows , ihe hopes , and llea 5 | iira-.: y . | -i-: ' i !; "I i ?! .- ! iipatiiot 3 ) uu :: i-=, iiillje : iuni ' .- ' ) f taeassuciaiv .. >; ; : < : ¦ ! v . i : ' , j sentiments of gr : i :: wlc lor the lisVi : iU <>¦ : ; .:-j : ,::,,. ; . « j , ; , ; i : j ; .., j ., ;} ,,.. ; . . j , jj . £ 3 SigJica i _ :- . i l-jhsit •> : ihe Cril " . r .. S C-:-. ; . «"; : \ t hy J ' : .: £ JlZZlSl .
Imperial Parliament
imperial parliament
House Of Lords-Mosdat, Fkb. 10. For The ...
HOUSE OF LORDS-Mosdat , Fkb . 10 . For the first time this session , their lordships had a long sitting ; the house not having broken up until nearly ten o ' clock . The subject which occupied their attention was merely a branch of the question which in another shape has absorbed nearly the whole lime of the other house since the commencement of the session .
PECULIAR BURDENS ON LAND . Lord Beaouost , iu moving for a select committee to inquire into the burdens on real property , entered at considerable length into the subject , but our limits will not permit more than the mere statement , that he considered peculiar burdens and protection to agriculture were intimatelv connected , and that he would prefer the continuation totherepeid ef both . The burdens sin « led out as pressing peculiarly on the landed interests were the malt tax , the excise on bricks , the hop duty , and the stamps on transfer of properly . De exempted the tithe charge and the land tax . Sir Robert had put forward certain measures as a compensation to the landed interest , which were , in factno compensation for the protection he
, was ab-jut to deprive them of . In conclusion , he begged to say that he had remained true to the cause of protection to the last , but if public opinion pronosneed against him , he should not turn sulky , but submit with a good grace . This wnald be a better course than useless agitation , wliffiu would raise class a « ainst class , and keep up invidious distinctions , fle respected the courage and sincerity of Sir R . Peel , hut if his nieasures were carried in the present Parliament , it would not be by the triumph of opin i on , but in a trial of complaisance . Let the right bon . baronetappeal , then , t » tbe countrv . and gain his ends , it they wore to bo gained , backed by a majority of the nation , instead of trusting to an able manoeuvre in party politics .
Lord BnoiGHAM said that bis opinions on the subject had not changed since 1 S 20 ; he condemned all burdens which fell exclusively on laud , and was ready to go much further than Lord Beaumont , who , iu his opinion , was wrong iu exempting the laud-tax from the list of burdens . Lord Dacke thought that the landlolds were a very ill-uied set of people , aud shamefully saddled with an undue share of national burdens . He concluded with a furious attack ou the League " conspiracy , " and its purchase of 4 . 0 a . freeholds . Lord St . ui . et argued that tithes were a peculiar burden oh land ; and said that even if the claims of individuals were settled , that would not settle in his mind the policy of maintaining or abolishing the Corn Laws , which rested not upon personal pecuniary considerations , but upon their moral , social , and p-uitieal effects , and on this ground he was prepared to defend tlicni .
ihe Dakcol RiciiMosD delivered a bitter invective against the League , and uttcredsome implied threats , which , from a Charcist , would be stigmatised as rank and open incendiarism . Pressed as wc are for room , we must find space for a specimen of this ducal speech : —Their lordships might rest assured that the farmers aud yeomanry of England would take a leaf out of the bunk of the Anti-Corn Law League . { Hear , hear . ) In no instance up to the present period had the farmers sent around their itinerant orators to excite the minds of the popular classes almost to the point of madness . ( Hear , hear . ) The Anti-Corn Law League , however , had adopted this policy . They fead feiit oat their rural peripatetic orators to scour the country right and left , and to " blacktruard" ( if
he might lie permitted the expression ) all the landlords and farmers of the adjoining districts . ( Hear , hear , and laughter . ) Again and again had these agitators endeavoured to strike terror into the hearts of the farmers by alluding to the likelihood of their stacks being burned . The farmers had never retaliated by a similar policy . They had never attempted to " intimi ' . ate the manufacturers , nor had they ever ventured to tlrrow out any such hint as this—that it was as easy to'lire cotton as straw . " The Duke ( . "Uitiuued , that : — " Sueces-3 never produced moderation in any political body , and the Anti-Corn Law League might say what they liked about their
approaching dissolution—it was his ( the Hake of Richmond's ) opinion that they would never dissolve until they had succeeded in destroying the Church in this country , and every other institution that was dear to the " hearts of the loyal and well-disposed . " And after eulogising the talents of Lord Stanley , and his secession from the government to fight the battle of native industry , i-e concluded by hoping that if " members of the other house dared , in defiance of their pledges at the hustings , to send them a bill for the repeal ot protection , their lordships would kick it cut , aud give the country a fair chance of deciding unon it .
Earl Gnsr . who made , on this occasion , his first speech in the Lords , said he agreed with Lord Stanley in the opinion , that tbe maintenance or otherwise of the Corn Laws mnst be based , not npon personal or exclusive considerations , but npnn their general operation , and on -that ground he would join issue with Lord Stanley . As to the committee moved for , he would not oppose it ; but , at the seme time , he would tell the noble lord , that having a common interest with him as a landlord , he thought the k : s * aid about this question the better . He wished he had not raised ic . He believed that upon examination it would be found that so far from the landlords beariii "
any undue portion of the national burdens , the very reverse would be the ease , and that they were exempted from numerous burdens which pressed on other classes of the community . His lordship then proceeded lorepW at great length to Lord Stanley ' s questions with respect to tithes , asa peculiar burthen , and other matters , and was followed by Lord Asnncmox , who had great doubts of the expediency of the proposed committee , which was more likely to be a » cene of wrangling than productive of any important collection of facts . It seemed impossible not to consider tithes as a tax upon land , and the house should consider that in the event of land going out of cultivation when protection ceased , the iirst portion to go would he that which paid tithe . After afew words from Lord Beaumost , tbe motion as amended wns agreed to , and the nomination of thu committee fixed for to-morrow ( Tuesday ) .
Several bills were then forwarded a stage , and their lordships adjourned . HOUSE OF COMMOXS-AloxDAT , Feb . 1 G . From the mass of petitions , motions , aud question , previous to the resumption of the adjourned debate , we select the following , as most interesting to our readers : —
FROST , WILLIAMS , ASD JONES . ! - Mr . T . Dvscojnte gave nvtice that on Tuesday , i tiie 24 th of February , he would move that an address be presented to her Majesty , praying that her Majesty would be graciously pleased to take into her merciful consideration the petitions which had been presented to that house in favour of the restoration of the liberty of Frost , Williams , and Jones . FACTORY BILL . Mr . FifeTnEji gave notice that he would move the second reading of the Ten Hoars' Factory Bill ou Vi ' ediiesdav , tuc 25 th inst .
THE ADJOURNED DEBATE . On the question that the house do now resolve itself into a Coinmitree on the Customs and Corn Importation Acts , the debate w ; is commenced by The Earl of Makch , who abused Lord * Northland for kis sudden conversion—lectured Mr . B . Cochrane for an attack upon his lordship's lather , the Duke of Richmond— -predicted that the abolition of protection would be the ruin of the country—opposed the opinions of Mr . Sidney Herbert , aud , after dwelling at some length on the inconsistency of Lord Lincoln , Mr . Gladstone , and other members of the Administration , who at the last general election hud denounced a more moderate measure than the present as "' tiie fugitive humbug of a , dyi . ig political faction , " and who were now supporting a proposition for the total abolition ot all protective duties , he coneluded by d <_ clarin ^ that he could not give his assent to a measure so detrimental as the present to all classes of the eommunitv .
Mr . Muxes Gjusox made a very clever League speech , but there was not a single novel argument in it . He urged immediate , in preference to deferred repeal . T :. e question was now in such a position that it could not he endangered . It was indeed carried already , if not in Parliament , by the force of public opinions out of doors . Sir It . Peei , was the surest of all political barometers . If they wished to know what the people were thinking of , let them look to what Sir Robert was doing . Mr . LLiLSKvand Lird Alfred Churchill , recently returned Protectionist members , delivered themselves ° c ur en speeches agninst the measure . S-r W . Clm spuke in support of the plan . Mr . Diiuuksox and Lord Harry Vase avowed themselves to belong tetlie "deserters , " and their intention of voting against their former inions .
op Mr . Buck gave vent to adisuuvl pvedittum of the ruinous consequences of tise Ministerial scheme ; induteed in a passionate invective against Sir Robert , ami a bitter attack upon the League , and concluded by deewnng his intention to give the measure a most < lcci < - « -d negative . SrJoii . vTrRn . L made , as aaaa ! , a speech , which reliwei the sameness or the debate , and gave rise to much laughter . Mt . ^ James gave a little bit of history , which is so u » eful at i , ' ie present inoraeni , thatwc give it ca . ? l " * - c was desirous to refer io tho progress of public opinion upon this question , which showed that , witii
a good cause , we never need t-j despair ; sooifcr or later it would be sure eo prevail . In 1 < S 3 I he had seconded si motion , made by Mr . Hunt , for the total repeal ot tbe Corn Liwj , ^ d jle fouad tll : lt he \ VM \ had the good fenunc to mate use of arguments so much emmoyed of ate at Manchester aud other uarts of th : c- ( .-. aitry . linn many did . Uio heuso sauixow they had to support then ; by thci , ' speech .- * * But «» "Mary wciaJwr-thc late member for Bolton , Cob . neI 1 wrens . And by « il 0 ! 1 . w „ v tbevopncsi-J ? W ^ hynw uouleloi d ihe nWik-r for ^ ' ^ r " f "• \ : ~^ ' «; ! 'v Abe right I :..:.- . te . '! : ' ¦ t l "" VA : - ! : j ; : - :: * 'fc- -nW :. - ' « r ,. ' , ( Mr . . iu ... . -, ,. u . ; .., cu tje j , r , i i-j ; s-. ii > i ..- ¦ :., . i , v ? i . ; i .-: iv . - .. s
House Of Lords-Mosdat, Fkb. 10. For The ...
carried bv a majority of 1114 to 6 . In the majority were the right lion . hart . ( Sir . R . Peel ) , and the liable lord the member for the city of Loudon , and every other gentleman then present who was now a member of the house , with one exception—and that was tiie hori . member for East Somersetshire ( Mr . Gore Laugston ); his hon . friend near him , the member for Finsbury ( Mr . T . Duncombe ) , who bad always voted for the total repeal , having been on that occasion absent from * he house . Seeing , then , wfcat was the position of the political world , was he not justified in reminding the house and congratulating the country upon the extraordinary change which had crept over the spirit of the dream of all the most distinguished public men upon this most momentous question '?" And then came the great event of the night , the rising of Sir Robert Peel , who dtliveral one of his very best speeches in a most telling and effective style . We can only glance at the leading topics touched upon by him .
Sir R . P « el observed , that two matters had occupied the attention of the house during this debatethe first was the manner in whieh u party ought tu be conducted ; and the second , how the contingency nfagreat political calamity could be mitigated , anil how the commercial policy ofn great nation should be directed . On the first question a great part of the debate has turned ; but , surely , in the eyes of the people , that question wassubordinate to the two other questions—the precautiokS against an impending danger , and the principles of our commercial polity . On the party question he had nothing to offer to the house ; for party interests the government measures were bad measures . He admitted , too , at once that it was unfortunate that the conduct of them was
intrusted to his hands . He believed , howev-r , that there was impending over the country a calamity whieh was perfectly appallim *; and whilst there was a hope Of averting it , he did not think it consistent with Ilk duty as a . public man to evade the difficulty which he saw approaching . He had not a word to say against the explanation which Lord John Russell made a few nights ago ; but he must read a letter which Lord John Russell had not seen , aud which he had addicted to her Majesty during the period when he was out of olfice , to show that he had not been desirous of robbing those of the credit of settling this question who had oriiinally brought it forward , or of embarrassing their course during the settlement of it . That letter ( which is of great length , and not
less interest ) , was of such a nature , that he was certain Lord John Russell would be convinced by it , that lie ( Sir Robert Peel ) had been prepared to give him the same cordial support which he ( Lwd John Russell ) n « w boasted that he had given him . His belief at that time was , that this question ought to be adjusted ; and he had been prepared out ot ? iffice to facilitate that adjustment both by his vote and by all the influence which he possessed . He admitted to the party which had h-moured him with its support , that it was entitled to withhold from him its confidence . But was it likely that he should have voluntarily sacrificed its support , unless he had been
influenced by strong motives of public duty ? Be the consequences to himself what they might , h « would avow that his party could not rob him of the conviction that the advice which he had given to his Sovereign and the Parliament during tliese late transactions was consistent with all the duty which he owed to that party . The month of May would not arrive without convincing the members of it ihat ho should have abandoned ; his duty to his country , his Sovereign , and his party , if he had hoisted the flag of protection for a time , knowing that he must then have deserted it . Before the house came to a decision upon this measure , it was necessary for them to know the state of Ireland as connected with it .
For this purpose he read a series of letters received by the last two Irish mails from Sir D . lioche , Lord Smart de Decies , and various other gentlemen in different parts of that kingdom , giving the most appalling description ef the scarcity of the potatoc iu Ireland . One-eighth of the crop was always wanted for seed ; and if tbat quantity was not saved from consumption as food , Ireland would have to struggle with famine in the next year also . It wan impossible to supply that quantity of potatoes from any foreign country ; and the government therefore proposed to get the seed potatoes into its keeping by giving other food in exchange for them . Now , iu that case , would it be possible for him in May next , with a duty of 17 s . on the importation of
foreign corn , to call on the people to pay such a duty for the food to be distributed to the people of Ireland tu save them from starvation ? Supposing famine then to ensue , would the aristocracy be able to bear the odium of saying , " Wc will throw on the government the responsibility of supplying the people of Ireland with food , bnt one iota of the Corn Laws we will not part with ? " He called upon Parliament to consider what had been the course taken by its predecessors on former occasions , when scarcity " was impending over the country . On every occasion Parliament had removed for a time the duty on the importation of foreign corn . Tlio cheer with which that observation was greeted , he received as an unanimous , or , at any rate , a very
general assent that at a period of approaching famine the proper course to be wtlupted was ft fvsc importation of corn . If that were so , then he asked the ^ house to expedite the passing of this bill , or else that all the duties ou tho importation of provisions be suspended . He reminded the house tliatiu November last he had advised , and three of his colleagues had supported , the suspension of the existing duties on corn by an order in Council . There was nu day in his political life of which he was more proud than " that on which he had recommended that suspension of the law . But the law was not suspended ; Parliament was now assembled , and it was not within the competence of the Crown to suspend duties by an order in Council whilst Parliament was
sitting . If there were a necessity for suspending the cam duties iu November , that necessity was aggravated now ; and the house must come to one or otiicr of these two alternatives—it must either maintain the existing law , or propose some facilities for the importation of foreign corn . If , then , all former precedent justified the suspension of the Corn Laws in emergencies similar to the preseut , let the- house consider the laws to be suspended , and what thoca « e would be then . His conviction was strong thai it would be utterly impracticable , after suspending the Corn Laws for six months , to bring them again into operation . It was an utter misapprehension of the state of public opinion to suppose that any
government , after the country had tasted for six months the sweetness of free importation , would be enabled to re-enact the existing Corn Laws iu all their provisions . Would any sane man advise this government to give a guarantee in case of its suspending the Corn Laws for six mouths , that it would renew them at the expiration of the suspension ? lie then proceeded to notice the arguments which had been offered against his plan by the different speakers in the debate . Mr . Baring had recommended a compromise on this subject . What was a compromise but a new law ? and was this a time for producing anew law which | wouldsatisfy no party ? Referring to Mr . F . Scott ' s curious notion of the relation
existing between a Sovereign and his Minister , which he compared to that of a client and his own counsel , he observed that there was this difference between the counsel and the Minister—that the Minister took an oath to give his Sovereign the best counsel that his judgment could dictate , and that the counsel did no such thing . Mr . Scott had spoken of him as the counsel of a party , and had claimed for himself the privilege which was formerly claimed for himself by Anacbarsis Clootz—namely , that of being the Attorney-General for the whole human race . Adverting to Mr . Colqulioun ' s assertion that he had not in this measure established a great principle , he remarked that if liich were the case lie man in the empire ou » ht to be mure indebted to him . Mr . Celquhuun
had voted both for and against the repeal of the Corn Laws . He had been since 1811 a determined advocate for a fixed duty ; and yet during the subsequent interval he had done all that he could to support a sliding stale . He wondered how he should have fared with Mr . Colquhoun , if , after he bad carried the suspension ot the existing law , he had got up and said , that government would stake its existence upon restoring the Corn Laws at the period when the suspension ended . But this was mere trilling . The veal question More the house was , " Is this measure rujut ? " If it be , vote for it ; if it he HTuHg , vote ilgaitKt it , and withhold your confidence from the men who proposed it . He then entered upon a dissection of the speeches of Mr . Miles
and Mr . S . 0 Brien , controverting the statistical returns of the former , and turning into ridicule the putuetic colloquies of the latter with the tenantfarmers of his district . Both those gentlemen— -and indeed , every speaker on their side—nad treated this question as a Corn Law question ; but , iu point of lact , it was not a Corn Law , but a groat national and commercial question . That portion of his measure which related to the Corn Laws might be rejected , and the other portion accepted , or vice versa . He wished it , lwwevev , to be considered as a whole , and rejected or accepted as such . It was uiso the Mention of the government to tidbeve to its own proposal . He stated this , however , distinctly ¦ toi the house —that it the agricultural body should be of opinion that immediate was preferable to deferred repeal , and if by uniting with the Anti-Corn Law League they placed him in a minority , he should only conwhat he
aidcv course ought to take to give effect to the law so amended at their instance . He would do all he could to carry the proposition of the > 'Overnment . He prelerrcd it . lie did not pretend to say now what effect suceess in the House of Commons might produce elsewhere ; but his opinion that it was accessary to procure a final adjustment of this question was so strong that he should prefer immediate repeal so carried against him to the chance id ' throwing the country into coiifu . -ion bv postponing for six months the settlement of a question which was now paramount to all others . The great question was , " Shall wo advance in the relaxation of protection nnd iu the removal of prohibitory duties , orshiii ! B-uitaiid still ? " Mr . Miles fu \ d , "/ -rand sti 1 ; " but for t ' . e House of Commons te ttand still on saeh a ( pitst ' i ' -iii was to condemn every preview ? s up whic : i it h- « l token in a liberal farcer cf comn : <;! v !» i i-l' -y . 11 ' - ' i- ' n-ij entered hdn an eloquent U .-lc-. iCo of « i > ]>^ - > " " wto a . Uc : d i ^ pkii . U-iou
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of his present relaxations in our tariff . After showing tuat in every case the removal of prohibition had contributed not oniv to the welfare of the consumer , hut also to that " of the producer , he called upon them calmly to reflect on what was the policy bi'st suited to a great commercial empire like oniown . Let them look at the moral , social , physical , and geographical advantages which God and nature had given to this country ; let them also look at their acquired advantages ; let thorn reflect on their capital , their skill , their free press , their inimitable constitution , and then let them say whether this was the country which ought to dread competition . What was it that they had to dread 1 Which -would be their motto , " advance" or " retrograde ?"
Other countries were watching their example . There was no reason for expecting that everywhere they would he mot with a hostile tariff . Sardinia anil Naples had both adopted liberal systems . Prussia was already shaken . The most sound and sensible thinkers in France were bearing on a willing government , which was desirous to follow that of England , mid to reciprocate advantages with it . They were giving encouragement in the United States to the party which was seeking to procure a more liberal tariff , Even if that party was unsuccessful , he advised the house not to punish itself by seeking to be revenged on others . His earnest advice to the gentlemen of England , founded not on the experience of throe years merelv , but on the experience of every previous relaxation of
restriction , was to persevere in the course upon which tliey had entered . By passing these measures they would take another guarantee for the content and love and willing obedience of the population ; and if a calamitous time should come , when we must oiler them exhortations to bsar their destiny with fortitude , it would be a , consolation for us to reflect that we had relieved ourselves from the necessity of regulating the supply of food in a time of famine , and that in a period free from clamour and excitement we had anticipated difficulty and removed every impediment to the free circulation of commerce . The right hon . baronet , after a speech which occupied two hours and three quarters in its delivery , resumed his seat amid loud cheering . On the motion of Lord John Manners , the debate was adjourned till to-morrow ( Tuesday ) .
After some routine business the house adjourned at a quarter to two o ' clock .
HOUSE OF LORDS-Tuesday , Feb . 17 . BURDENS ON LAND . On tho motion of Lord BKiuaost , the following noble lords were proposed as a select committee to inquire into burdens on real property , anil also into the legislative exemptions and pecuniary advantages in respect to taxation affecting landed property , vi * . -, —the President of the Council , the Lord Privy Seal , the Dukes of Buckingham and Richmond , the Marquis of Lansdownc , the Marquis of Salisbury ; the Earls of Aberdeen , Stradbroke , Lovelace , Grey , Radnor , Malniesbury , Hard wicke , and Elleuborough
Lords Ashburlou , Dacrc , Brougham , Coitenham , Beaumont , Monteaglo , Re-icsdale , Colchester , Stanley , and Dalhousie . A short conversation ensued as to the mode in which the committee should conduct the business entrusted to it . Earl Grey and Lord Campbell recommended the adoption of some of the Standing Orders of the House of Commons with respect to such committees ; but the subject was ultimately dropped , on the understanding that Earl Grey is to bring it on again next week . The other business was of no public importance , and the house adjourned at a quarter to six o ' clock . HOUSE OF COMMONS-Tummt , Feb . 17 .
Several railway bills were read and ordered to be committed . A great number of petitions in favour of and against protection , were presented . Petitions against the enrolment of the militia ( as being , according to some of die petitions , altogether unnecessary , and , according to others , contrary to the doctrines of Christianity ) were presented Irom three places in Cornwall—front Bristol , Leicester , Monmouth , St . Luke ' s , Chelsea , and other metropolitan parishes ; from 7 , 000 inhabitants of Salford , the West-Riding of York , and various other places . Petitions iu favour of a Ten Hours' Bill were presented by Mr . Duncombe and Mr . Duncan .
THE LATE ASSISTANT POOR LAW COMMISSIONER , MR . M . W . PARKER . Mr . Christie presented a petition from this gentleman , complaining that the Poor Law Commissioners had sacrificed him in order tu avert from themselves the odium which had arisen from the proceedings at Andover . The petitioner prayed that a committee might be appointed to investigate his conduct and that of the commissioners . The hon . member gave notice that he would , on Wednesday , move that the petition be printed with the votes , with the view of toiugiug the subject under tho eoiisiilcration ol the house .
FRIESDLT SOCIETIES . Mr . T . S . Doxcombe , in pursuance of the notice ho had given , rose to ask leave to bring in a bill to amend the acts relating to friendly societies , in order to give protection to those very valuable institutions . The first act that had been passed for the regulation of those societies was the 10 th Geo . I \\ , cap . 50 , which was amended by the 4 th and 5 tii William IV ., cap . 10 . The object of those acts was declared to be to give greater security and power to extend the objects of friendly societies fur any purposes which " were not illegal . " Now it would appear to every one not learned in the law , that those words were sufficiently comprehensive ; but he was sorry to say that very lately a doubt had arisen upon the subject , in
consequence of a case which had been tried in the Court of Queen ' s Bench , in which Mr . Justice Wigiitmaii had pronounced judgment . That j udgraeiit had had the effect of paralysing the certificate given to those societies . The case had arisen in consequence of a dispute between the directors and one of the members ( named Scott ) of tho South Shields Investment Friendly Loan Society , Tbat society had duly submitted its rules to Mr . Tidd Pratt , who had certified it in 18 H . Thejdirectors , on the dispute arising with Scott , summoned him duly before the magistrates ; but they refused to entertain tho ease , whieh was finally and consequently brought before the Court of Q , ueen ' s Bench , when it was ruled by Mr . Justice Wkhtman , that the society did not
come under the provisions of the law . The learned judgo had said , " I am of opinion this society is not a friendly society , and that the words , ' for any purposes which aro Kot illegal , ' must be considered so as to bear some relation to the objects of the act . " Now , it would be probably found that two-thirds of the friendly societies in the kingdom might bo disputed on the same grounds , and the object of his amendinout was simply to make more plain the meaning of the words , " purpose which is not illegal . " Those societies were most valuable , and it would be a very serious detriment to their utility if they were not supported in time . The amendment which he was about to propose had received the approval of all persons connected with loan societies to
whom he had submitted it , and it had the approval also of Mr . Tidd Pratt . With respect to the opinion of Mr . Justice Wightmau , he should say that the Solicitor-General had given another opinion , to the effect that Mr . Tidd Pratt was right in certifying to that very society the rules of which were now doubted . The Solicitor-General had given a similar opinion with regard to another friendly society ; and when they saw such doubts upon the subject it was evidently highly necessary that they should be removed . He , therefore , asked permission of the house , and the right honourable baronet , to bring in a bill to amend the law relating to friendly societies Leave was given to bring iu the bill , which was ordered to be re & d a first time , printed , and read a second time next Wednesday .
THE EMIGRANT SHIP CATARAQUE . On the motion of Mr . Huub , copies of all report * and correspondence respecting the loss of the emigran t ship Cataraqtte , in Bass's Straits , in August last , having oO'J emigrants on board , were ordered ; as was also a copy of the report of the officer at Liverpool , on the state of the Cataraque before sailing from Liverpool in April , 1845 , and what the length of contract , whether the captain and mate had passed any examination , and how long the captain had been at sea . In moving for those reports , he ( Mr . Hume ) had no wish to cast blame on any one , but where thoy saw out of 4 io persons who left Liverpool on board that ship no fewer than 409 lost within a kw hours , it did appear that somothing should be done to investigate the cause , to prevent a recurrence of such a calamity , and to preserve the lives of people in future .
FAMINE AND DISEASE IN IRELAND . Mr . O'CossKU gave notice , that on Monday , the 23 rd of Feb ., he should move for a committee of the whole house on the state of Ireland , with a view to devise means to relieve the miseries of the people . In the course of a long speech on the condition of Ireland , tiie hon . member showed that the population of that country , so far from augmenting , as some people bolieved , was actuall y falling and masting away . The population retumsproved , that between 1821 and 1831 , the population increased by one million ; between 1831 and JS-i 1 only by half a million . This fact , tho ) surest test of deep internal misery and suffering in the condition of a people , was attempted to be accounted for by emigration , but those who did so , while they gave the emigration in between the year 1831 and 18-11 , did not take into account the emigration during the
former ten ycars . and thus left out ot sight an essential ingredient in the question . Lord Devon ' s camini - sion bad stated , that from the evidence they collected on « atb , and Iran their own observations , they found that the agricultural population of Ireland suffered great privations and hardships ; that they were badly housed , badly fed , badly clothed , and badly paid for their labour ; that in many districts the only food of the people was potatoes , and their only drink water ; that their cabins scarcely protectod them against the weather ; that a blanket was a rare luxury to them ; that their pigs and their manure constituted their only property ; and that ultog-, -tuci * they endured more suffering than the pen ; -i . ! of any oi ! , er country in Etir-.-pc . This ' . v : is not ihe ; :: vutV :--u ef n » y ;; 'it i \ a or dvniii ^ ogtM . ' , but the dinti net and c . mithi ' . tii ! ;; s-. itiuu » if meuwito v . wre beyond rhe i .- ^ . jbihty oi : ¦ ¦;! yioi . m , and beyond tAie possibility ofj eiug uueciv ' .-d . ' T ! u-
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agricultural population of . Ireland is calculated at 7 , 000 , 000 , and 5 . 000 , 000 of these at least are labourers , in the situation thus described . Uut during the last four years , in v / hich the people <> i Ireland were thus living , thoy had produced ami exported for - thu consumption ol this country , no less than-2 , 000 , 000 of quarters of bread scuta , ami 2 , ' 000 , 000 cwt . of flour ,-ind different sorts of -meal ; and even between the month of October , 1845 . and January ,-1810 , they had exported to tliis country oxen , -bulls , and cows , S 2 , 8 H 3 \ calves , 583 , \ 8 heq > and lambs , 83 , 57 ( 5 ; u » viue , lot , 141 ; so , , that tlio ' dreadful anomaly existed in Ireland , that while sheproduces nvahwidv . ncchd- ¦ people are starving . Mr , O'Connoll then adduced auljminense , maris
of'sfcitistical and documentary evidence , bearing on the present state of that country , and showing-the alarming nature of the crisis , lie next proceeded to show that scarcity was always accompanied by disease , and especially by typhus . On this head he said—lfc has not been found that fever is diffused by the atmospheie , for thediseasc has uniformly ceased whew provisions became abundant . You have the cause , ' the effect , and the cure . The cause is scarcity ; the effect , fever : the cure , a more plentiful supply of food . It ia . singular to observe how constantly this has occurred . I have several instances of great famine in Ireland , showing how invariably scarcity has brought fever in its train , and that fever has disappeared when harvests became abundant . In
1734 and 1735 there were wet summers , with bad harvests ; fever appeared in the winter of 1734 , and did not disappear till the autumn of 173 C , which brought a most abundant harvest ; between 1740 and 1743 , 1798 and 1802 , 1817 and the autumn of 1818 , 1825 and the autumn of 1827 , the same sequence of bad crops and disease , of good crops nnd the disappearance of disease , was to be observed , Mr , O'Goilnell then suggested the remedy . They could easily command funds for meeting the emergency . A revenue of £ 74 , 000 under the Woods and Poresls , dorived from Ireland , had been for years applied to the
improvement of the metropolis , and the ornament of Trafalgar-square . Ltt them lay an ineoim * tax on the rents of Irish landlords ; thirty or forty per cent . on absentees , ten p er cent , on residents ; for the tenant must perish if the landlord did not contribute , lie suggested other expedients , as that of the government taking into their own hands the control and direction of tho construction of railways , so as to provide the means of immediate employment . The measures already adopted by the government lie highly applauded , but they were trivial when compared with a great exigency , when dearth threatened the land .
Sir Jamks Graham complimented Mr . 0 Council for the moderation of his tone , and the absence of all exaggeration in his statements . He then recounted what the government had done , from the appointment of the commission in November last to inquire into the failui'tt of the potato * crop , down to tuc introduction of the Public Works Bill , the Drainage Bill , & c ., in each of which there is a grant of public money ; the entire amount , in . the shape of grant or otherwise , intended to be applied by government for the promotion of employment being no less than £ 408 , 000 . In addition , it was anticipatod that no less a sum than nine millions would be expended during the next three years in the construction oi
railroads . Under the operation of tbe Poor Law , destitution would be relieved in the workhouse , and disease would be attended to in temporary fever hospitals ; and the government were prepared to introduce a measure , founded on a precedent in the year 1832 , for the purpose of providing extraordinary precautions to guard against the spread of infectious disorder . These efforts , he trusted , would meet the present emergency , in which it was calculated that nearly one-half of the potatoe crop had failed ; and in order to prevent the recurrence of similar calamitics , and to lay a foundation for the permanent improvement of Ireland , he trusted that the house would Droiuptly take the primary step of relaxing the laws which restrict the importation of food .
Mr . Shaw , while admitting the habitual poverty of the Irish people , was of opinion that the failure of tlio potatoc crop had been much exaggerated , Mr . John O'Connem . considered the official information adduced by the government a 8 uffiuientguata . iu « e for the accuracy of the allegations as to the nature and extent of the distress . Since he had come over to his parliamentary duties , ho had found a strong sympathy existing on the part of members respecting it , and a great anxiety to adopt measures for its alleviation . Hitherto Ireland had been sacrificed to the
sellisli interests of England ; the country had been treated on the now useless haml-and-moufch system , temporary remedies being provided for pressing exigencies , but for years forgetting and neglecting it . The Union had depressed the material and moral interests of Ireland ; the life-blood of its body politic was exhausted by the drain of the absentee system , under which four millions and a half were annually abstracted from its resources * , and the public money which the government now proposed to bestow was not equal to the public revenue raised in Ireland and expended elsewhere .
Lord Johk Rc 56 Ei . i advised Mr . John O'Connoll to seize every opportunity of urging , within that house , the wrongs of Ireland , and the remedies which he considered applicable . The House of Cormons represented the United Kingdom , and it was its duty to listen to any statement of any grievance which might afflict any portion of it . lie hoped that after the statement of Sir James Graham as to wht , t ihe government intended to tlo , Mr . O'Conncll would not at present pi-ess his motion . It would be in his power to renew it if ha found that the proposed measures were ineffective for the crisis . Mr . Lawso . n was afraid that Sir Robert Peel ' s nicimires would reduce England to the condition of Ireland , and he could not see the wisdom of permanently ruining one country in order to provide for a temporary calamity in another . Mr . O'Consell withdrew his motion , with the understanding that he reserved the power of again bringing the same subject under consideratio .-c if
necessary
ADJOURNED DEBATE . The adjourned debate on the Corn Laws wasfuvther resumed by Lord John Manners , who quoted Carli , professor of political economy , at Milan , in favour of the opinion that corn ought to be an affair of administration and not of commerce . Without giving in too readily to ' . the " Oligarchy of Red Tape , " lie had been disposed to bow to the opinion of government ; but this question , if it was to bo settled , ought to be settled upon comprehensive principles , and not upon transitory , evanescent , self contradictory grounds . The noble lord contended that the government ought
to have opened the ports , and then afterwards to hare come to Parliament to authorise such steps as might be expedient , and not proceed by the "lumbering" measure proposed . Me told the right hon . baronet that for the future no man in England would have any confidence in him , nor care what he thought upon any subject-whatever . He wanted some proof that Prussia was " shaken . " He denied that the people were inclined towards free trade , as they wore led by Arago , Thiers , and Louis Blanc , who opposed it . He feared the new law would alienate the rural classes , upon which the Sovereign relied , in cases of emergencies , and accordingly should oppose it .
Captain Lavakd , in an energetic free trade speech , supported the measure , and Mr . Robkri Pauiek , of Berkshire , opposed it ; but there was nothing novel in either of their addresses . On the last named member taking his scat , about forty or fifty members rose to address the house , but Sir Ciunuts Navieh caught the Speaker ' s eye . The Gallant Commodore , amidst loud cheers , said he thought that the speech of the Right Hon . Baronet on Monday night would havo terminated the debate , by carrying conviction to nil ; but the protection party seemed desirous to prolong it , iu the vain hope of procuring some mitigation of their doom . He asked them , did thoy want to plough with the same horses they did twenty years ago ? It Sir Robert Peel
hail opened the ports , as one ot the preceding speakers had recommended , tho protectionists would have opposed him as fiercely as they do at present . lie thoiisrht Sir Robert Peel had gone as far ns he could . Sir Charles then proceeded to amuse the house , and at the same time give somewhat of a new aspect to the debate , by describing his own farming system , and exposing the unfounded fears of the agriculturist , lie ndviaed the landlords , instead of making long speeches , to give long leases .-. ( Laughter and cheers . ) If they were not satisfied with this advice just let them go down to Scotland , and see the way in which the land was cultivated there . ( Hear , hear . ) They had an adverse climate , at least three weeks behind this country , but let any one go through the
Lotlnans , and see how turnips were cultivated , and wheat drilled , and look at their improved implements , their steam-engines threshing out their wheat , instead of the clumsy system pursued in many parts of England . ( Hear . ) If the same plan was pursued throughout England as tho Scotch did , this country would soon become an exporting instead of an importing country . Although a sailor , ho was also a practical farmer of four years' standing . ( Much laughter . ) He took a farm in his neighbourhoodnot a very large one—of forty acres . ( Renewed laughter . ) " Gentlemen might laugh , but what was good for forty acres was good for 400 . ( Cheers . ) lie t-iok these forty acres , and found it was bad landwhat was ca'led in Hampshire forest land . His predecessors could & row nothing ; the land was foul , and had never been cleaned out ; like nmnv gentlemen
opposite , they went with the plough four inches deep , and had men with four horses drawing it . They lost money , as might have been expected , and three or four of them went away ruined . lie began to farm exactly as his predecessor * had done , and at the ci ; d of the year ho had lost £ 200 . ( Laughter . ) Uo beg : m to think this was bad farming , especially when he founJ that a govd follow near him , who fanned tin acres of tho same land , hud constantly line crops . His land was dry , though he hud n- > capital , and he seemed to live very well on ihe pioliisot'his faini . He at last suid to him , " Old i-oy ! I wish you wuiih ! exilniu to me how it is that y .-u , who have i ,. capital at all—you , who have only a little pony and you- w ¦ lb ( ! ; u ^ ' ) , L'i - ) . gv !; so good crops out oi' voir ami . " His reply w « sj that it' he ( Sir 0 . Nap ' . er ) 'o ' .-1 ! i v .: ! o Jake ilu wa ' . ei- cff . tu clean
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out liiaduehesweiean hi * ticlds well , ami hi ) ills land over—that he should fust of all get a niough . go with it as deep as Jtc could , and then go over the furrow with anotherjilough cutting deeply . He followed this advieo , iand ' produced an excellent crop nest yoa * The laud that never produced more thr-n fo .-. r or five quarters , of oais produced eleven quaitet-s . ( Hear , hear . ) He omtinned to follow the old man ' s sys-• tcin , and now , instead of the laud Wing ( allow and 'idle , - as it all . was in the neighbourhood , lie had only three acres that were not growing crops . Hut the hoii-gontluman might wish to know wliai -, ras growing on . tko land . He had one field with turnips as
targe as- thojhead of nuv-t of the gentlemen in that house / ( Laughter . ) He had had his sheep fending upon -these turnips for tho last two mniths . After describing the mode in which he should feed ! i is sheep after the turnips were exhausted , the hon . and gallant member strongly advised the agriculturists in that house to follow the advice of his poor neighbour , and put in drains into their ditches , to level their banlw which oniv bred vermin and all sorts of weeds , to go to Scotlaiid ' and get proper implements , and let them cultivate their land properly , and he was sure there would be no more heard of the fear ot importation from a-road .
Mr . F . Shaw next addressed the houf-e at great length , in a speech replete with the bitterest invective against Sir Robert Peel . He considered the damage of the potatoe crop greatly exaggerated ; but although , no doubt , great distress would exist for some months , he still insisted that there had been an average crop in Ireland ; and for the temporary contingency a temporary remedy should be applied . He said Ministers would be handed down to posterity as the ereattst political coward- - that ever existecL The epithet " political apostate" wag vehemently cheered by a knot of Protectionists around him , and after a speech , full of the most pointed abuse , the hon . gentleman still hoped he might claim the right hon . baronet as his friend , which elicited the derisive cheer of tho house .
Mr . BnioiiT snivj , that instead of abuse of Sir Robert Peel being the subject in debate , he hud thought thai the great question of protection was to be discussed . The people out of doors did not care one rush ior the split in the Conservative party . He was ready to admit that the principle of the abolition of protection must be extended to all things , and indeed the free traders had supported the abolition of the duty on machinery and cotton yarn . Mr . Cobden , in 1842 , proposed a Jaw , having for its object to raise wages , but the agriculturists answered , that wages coald not be raised by Act of Parliament ; but an hour after they voted for a law , the effect of which was to raise the price of the produce of their own estates . The labourer has no protection ; nor do the landlords ever
th ink of passing a law to enable him even to get luoney to buy the corn which the landlords foroe him to buy at their own shop exclusively . Mr . Bright said that England exceeded nil other countries in the world in tbe comparative quantity of grain grown ; but protection had brought the labourer to a state of decrepitude . He then argued upon tho state ofthemorta * es of the landlords , aud the Game Laws , and showed how thoy contributed in perpetuating the Corn-Law . The public press was against the Protectionists . He scarcely believed that the landlords in their hearts were averse to the measure ; but they voted against it to spite aud avenge themselves on the Minister . He had heard of men going whistling to execution , but the jovial faces of the Protectionists surpassed
even this . \> ltlun the memory ot man Sir Robert Peel ' s speech was the finest ever delivered . within the walls of the house , and he envied him as he wens home the delight he must experience at the thought of givingjoy and hope to the poor man . The Lracue had been condemned far making votes , but the Levd Chief Justice of the Common Pleas said , that this was not only legal but laudable . No funds of the League had , however , bsen applied to this purpose , and he would say , that when tiie object of the League was obtained , the League would be dissolved , and he would add , that it was only the factious opposition of the Protectionists which prolonged its existence , by perpetuating the law , and causing distress to the great body of the people .
Mr . Hudson * condemned Sir Robert Peel ' s measures , whieh he deemed uncalled for ; bnt he would willingly have subscribed or have voted a grant to relieve the distress in Ireland . On the mtition of Lord Dc . vcas the debate was then adjourned till Thursday . The other orders of the day were then disposed of , and the house adjourned at half-past two o ' clock . HOUSE OF COMMONS-Wjsdsbsbay , Fed . IS .
FROST , WILLIAMS , AND JONES . Captain Pechkll presented a petition , praying that the sentence of transportation which had been passed on Frost , Williams , and Jones , might be rescinded . Mr . Aolionbt prcsonted a petition from Cockermouth , signed by 600 persons , praying that the convicts Frost , Williams , and Jones , niight be liberated . TEN HOURS' BILL . Mr . IRELAND Blackmiune presented three petitions from Warrington , in favour of the Ten Hours' Bill . Mr . Fibldks presented petitions from Yorkshire and Lancashire to the same effect . EMBODIMENT OF THE MILITIA . Mr . P . HowAiiD presented a petition , agreed to by a meeting in Cnrlhle , against the measure contemplated by government for calling out tho militia .
OREGON QUESTION . A petition was presented from the inhabitants ol Leeds , prauug the houseito adopt all peaceable measures for the settlement of the Oregon question . COUNT ! WORKS PRESENTMENT ( IRELAND ) BILL . On the order of tho day for the bringing up the report on this Bill being read , Sir J . Gkaham said , that in consequence of what had taken place last night , he wished to make three alterations ; the first was for the appointment of surveyors , the second for the payment of county officers , and the third for the purpose of giving power to summon four additional grand jurymen when the number sworn was not sufficient to form a quorum . He proposed that the bill should be re-committed ia order to make these alterations . The house then went into Committee , when the additional clause and the report was agreed to .
POOR LAW . Captain Pkcuell moved for a return of the copy of any instructions issued by the Poor-law Commissioners for the purpose of uniting the parish of Farnham , in Surrey , now under Gilbert ' s Act , with certain other parishes under thejPoor-Law Act ; also , for a copy of any memorial of tho Poor-Law Commissioners from the ratepayers of the parish of Farnham remonstrating against such union , or any interference whatever . Tho house adjourned at one o ' clock . [ Continued in our eighth page . ]
Attempted Assassination A Crippleoatb.—O...
Attempted Assassination a Crippleoatb . —On Tuesday evening , about five o ' clock , extreme excitement was caused in the immediate vicinity of Red Cross-street , Cripplegate , from the fact that a man , by the name of Lacey or Facey , had made an attempt to murder smother party , whose exact name could not be ascertained , but who at the time was at the house occupied by a Mr . Lewis , cordwaiuer , of No . 8 , Cradle-court , Red Cross-street , Cripplegate . It appears that about three o'clock in the afternoon the neighbours iu Cradle-court were much annoyed by a serious disturbance which had taken place in the first-floor of No . S , in the court . About live o ' clock , however , the noise was so great that it was feared that some violence would be committed , and consequently the assistance of the police was sent tor . Immediately afterwards , however , a cry of murder
was heard , and upon Mr . Lewis entering the room he found the poor fellow , who it seems was visiting with Lacey , weltering in his blood , the man Lacey holding in his hand at the time a large carving knife about eight inches in length , with which it seems he had subbed the unfortunate man , as his clothes were perforated , and streams of blood were issuing from the wound . Some of the neighbours instantly rati for Mr . Ponder , surgeon , of 54 , Red Cross-street , who promptly attended . During the time the surgeon was sent for the police arrived , who took the man Lacey into custody and conveyed him to the Moor-street station . When the surgeon examined the wound he declared it to be of a most serious character , it being incised and of considerable depth , penetrating the interstice just below the sixth rib on the left side , immediately under the heart .
Accident on tub Great Western Railway . —On Monday morning an accident of a serious nature occurred on the Great Western Railway , between Box and Middlehiil tunnel , by which the lives of several net-sons were endangered ; and it is rumoured that one person was killed . It appears that the np-mail on leaving Bath had an open truck , containing several workmen , attached to the train ; and when between Box and MiddU-hill tunnel , the tire of one of the leading wheels of the truck Hew off , which caused
such an oseillation , that either through fear a number jumped out , or were thrown from the truck by the motion . Neither the engiNe-driver nor the guards were cognisant of any accident , until enterinc the tunnel the echo ot the screams of those in the truck alarmed the engine-driver , who instantly stopped the train ; and on going back it was discovered that nine persons were on the line so seriously injured that it was considered necessary to take them to the hospital at Bath , and one of " them , it is said , has since died .
RoiiBEBv on tiir Thanes . —On Monday , at the Thames Police-office , John Purcell and Ant-bony Gorman were charged with being upon the river with intent to commit felony . One night kwt week two chests often were stolen from a con-tiny vesse ' , and lowered into a boat . The thieves were nrftkb g off with their booty , when they were pursued by the crew of a T ' lanies police galley . The robbers threw the tea ove : hoard and made their e > c : i | e . The rri-• it'iicrs were sjen about hall-past one o ' clock on M nd ; u- mowing in a ski if , mining tiie shipping hetwi ca ' Jiuk-i . r . V ; ,. .. -I Pk-kic-hei- 'n : tier , Sou hr . ar . r . The ti a w :. sioleii . ' in a ve . 's . 1 near thesailie . laci . T y were sentenced to ' -co iii . uiths' imprisonment and tiiini ialou ¦ in Brixton W '" ? Correction .
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Feb. 21, 1846, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_21021846/page/7/
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