2 JULY 1842, Page 9

Another debate was raised in the House of Commons last

night on the subjects of the session—the distress of the country and Sir Robert Peel's financial scheme : the pretext being six resolutions moved by Mr. WALLACE, as an amendment on the Supply, predicating the exist- ence of distress; declaring that the alteration of the Corn-law and Tariff, coupled with the Income-tax, cannot afford relief; and pro- posing an address to the Queen not to prorogue Parliament until in- quiry shall have been instituted into the causes of the distress, and until the Queen and the House shall have been assured by Ministers, -" that effectual means are secured to provide sustenance for the unem- ployed and their destitute families, until their sufferings shall be termi- nated by a demand for their industry and wages for their labour." Mr. Wallace read extracts of letters of recent date from Glasgow, Paisley, Greenock, and Kilmarnock, which described the misery of the unem- ployed in those places as continuing and increasing. The motion was seconded by Mr. WALKER. It was supported by Dr. BOWRING—who condemned expenditure in foreign wars while millions are starving at home; and by Mr. AommenY—who admitted, however, that he did not think that deferring the sitting of Parliament would relieve the distress: he adduced reports of intense suffering from Carlisle and Cockermonth.

Sir JAMES Gitswsm deprecated desponding language, as tending to aggravate the miseries of which it professes to complain; and he derived confidence from the recollection that three bad harvests in succession have never been known. He had seen the distress arising for some time, and he feared that for six or seven years it could not be wholly obviated. Did he believe that the repeal of the Corn-laws would alleviate the distress, he would advocate that measure; but he solemnly declared his belief that it would not, but that it would displace and discourage agricultural industry, and condemn the agriculturists to a common ruin with the manufacturers.

Mr. WARD announced, that the people would be prepared within a few days to lay such a case of their destitution and distress before Government as would make them tremble. Mr. DISRAELI argued, that the commercial difficulty was owing to general causes ; and he attri- buted it mainly to the neglect of closing a commercial treaty with France and to the war with China, which has disturbed our commerce -with that country. Mr. HUME imputed it to the restrictive policy adopted by the United States and Germany in retaliation for our Corn- laws ; and on that theme he enlaVged; adding reports of increasing distress from Forfar and Dundee. Mr. MsrrnrAs Arrwoon, again, Ascribed it to Mr. Huskisson's plans and the "reciprocity treaties "; which, while they produce apparent advantages to particular interests in a country, disturb and injure all others. He asked how it was that 'Sir James Graham did not view the state of affairs with despondency, if Government had taken no measures for the relief of the country ? If Parliament separated and left the country in its present condition, he must be a bold politician who could meet it again without apprehension ; and he should not feel satisfied with any thing but a statement of the views of Government on the condition of the people, and full inquiry.

Lord Jon); RUSSELL could not approve of the hostile course towards the Government taken by Mr. Attwood, who had himself proposed no .remedy ; but he so far agreed with him in principle, as to think that the commercial difficulty of the country was the primary evil with which Ministers ought to have dealt ; whereas they had dealt with the finan- cial deficiency as the primary subject, and had treated the depression of trade as secondary in their measures. He reiterated the argument, that if Sir Robert Peel's principles were good with respect to cattle, -seeds, and other articles, a fortiori they must be so with respect to the far more important articles of corn and flour. He illustrated the pro- bable working of a change of the Corn-law, by what had taken place with respect to cattle there had been a panic; that brought down prices, which seemed to justify the panic ; Sir Robert still persevered with his measure ; the panic subsided, men recovered their senses, and once more the price of cattle is such as to be too high for the general prosperity. Lord John did not ascribe all the evils to the Corn-law, any more, as Canning said, than you would ascribe a man's disease to the want of rhubarb, though that might be an appropriate remedy : but -he thought that if corn had been introduced, even at 8s. duty, last year, it would have prevented much of the difficulty ; and if any one would propose an alteration of the law, he would now support it. He could not, however, throw upon Government exclusively the whole re- sponsibility of providing a remedy for the distress; nor could he sup- port Mr. Wallace's motion for interrupting an ordinary Committee of Supply.

Sir ROBERT PEEL recalled the discussion to the practical question before it, the delay of the prorogation until after inquiry. What a shabby way of avoiding the difficulty, and at this late period—in July ! And how was the inquiry to be conducted—at the bar of the House, or ma Select Committee ? And the prorogation was to be suspended until Ministers should assure the House that means were secured for providing sustenance and employment ! This was nothing else than

at very proposal of Mr. Ferrand for maintaining the sufferers out of the public funds, against which Mr. Wallace himself had voted. Sir Robert next complained of the course taken by Mr. Attwood, who had at last suggested nothing. [Mr. Attwood said, "I am not the doctor," 'which excited much laughter.] "Yea," said Sir Robert, "he is a doc- tor, and is ready to attend the proposed consultation, but will prescribe nothing." Sir Robert proceeded to speak of Mr. Attwood's principle as amounting to this—that we ought to take nothing from abroad which we could produce ourselves ; but that principle would practically be counteracted by the smuggler. Mr. Attwood seemed to have nolcae- tical remedy in view, except, perhaps, either to degrade the coin or to abolish the convertibility of paper into gold. Lord John had blamed the Government for not treating the financial difficulties of the nation more lightly : now, the people's acquiescence in the Income-tax was a strong proof that they did not think lightly of those difficulties; nay, it had been reported, and on no slight authority, that the original intention of the late Ministers themselves had been to support that tax. He did not assume that the people's acquiescence was owing to any exorbitant con- fidence in this Government ; he ascribed it to the prevalent conviction that the state of affairs imperatively required the equalization of the revenue with the expenditure. In some general remarks in vindication of the Government measures, (to which Sir Robert charged Lord John Russell with giving but a left-handed support,) he retorted the allusion to the reduction of the duty on cattle : the panic produced by that might be produced to a wider extent and with more grievous effect by altera- tion of the Corn-laws ; and if that had done so little good as Lord John Russell described, perhaps the same result would follow with Corn-law repeal. Sir Robert admitted the distress ; but he mentioned the re- markable fact, that at this very time there is an increased quantity of cotton taken out for consumption—in the first six months of 1841 the quantity was 464,500 bales ; up to the 24th June 1842, 538,000 bales ; and although mills are closed, new mills are actually in course of erec- tion. He feared that, in any case, the application of capital to manu- factures and the improvements of machinery would throw out small capitalists with imperfect machinery, and from time to time deprive large numbers of people of employment. The measures of Govern- ment, even the "begging-box," were the best that under the circum-

stances could be resorted to. He praised the forbearance of the people, even under the efforts of wicked men to excite them to excesses ; which left to Government no alternative but the firm maintenance of law and peace. Mr. MILNER GIBSON supported the motion ; and quoted anticipations of a smaller harvest than last year's, from the Farmer's Journal and the Mark Lane Express.

At half-past one o'clock, the debate was adjourned till Monday.

After two motions of adjournment, Lord Ashley's Mines and Col- lieries Bill was read a third time ; several Members begging him to delay it for further consideration, and Lord PaLmartsrort urging him to speed. Further proceedings on the third reading, however, were postponed till Monday, in order to allow of some additions.

[From the haste with which this bill has been hurried forward in order to outstrip the interested opposition gathering to impede it, im- perfections may be expected. A serious one has been pointed out to our notice—the omission to prevent the employment of mere children as " trappers," or keepers of trap-doors. It is the leaving open of those doors which, by permitting the escape of inflammable gases, is a fre- quent cause of the most destructive explosions. Thus, at Jarrow, in. 1826, thirty-four lives were lost by an explosion; and in the Bigge pit in the Bensham seam, in April 1841, thirty-two lives were lost : hi both these cases the trappers were children; and in the Jarrow case the trapper was only eight years old.* If such things can occur under the new law, it will leave untouched one of the most appalling of the present evils.]

Lord John Russell's Bribery at Elections Bill was recommitted to a Select Committee ; the SOLICITOR-GENERAL stating that alterations were needed to make it effectual to its purpose.

A new writ was ordered for Buckinghamshire, in the room of Sir W. L Young, deceased.

In the House of Lords, the Royal Assent was given by Commission to the Copyright Bill, the Public-houses Regulation Bill, and some others of minor interest.

• See Mr. Leifehild's Report for Northumberland and North Durham, pages 524, 548, and 564.