POSTSCRIPT.
SATURDAY NIGHT.
In the House of Commons, last night, the Leader of the Opposition brought on a smart party fight,—resultless in its nature, but agreeable probably to his own party, and not unamusing in his treatment of the subject. The order of the day for going into the Committee of Supply having been read, Lord Jome RUSSELL drew attention to "the state of the country "— He did not more a direct censure upon Government, because, after the de- cisions on the motion by Lord Howick for a Committee of the whole House to consider the distress of the country, and by Mr. Smith O'Brien for a like Com- znittee to consider the grievances of Ireland, which Ministers chose to con- sider as involving a vote of "no confidence," it would be wasting the time of the House. The state of the country, however, was most perilous; and he took the last opportunity of showing that Ministers might yet serve the nation. "I am not, however, going to do what has been done on former occasions by the present Lord Chancellor during the existence of other Administrations. 1 am not going to allude minutely point by point to the various legislative mea- sures which have been brought forward for the consideration of the House, and to trace their fate step by step until they were withdrawn, altered, or aban- doned. (Cheers.) That, indeed, would be a very heavy task." (Cheers anti laughter.) The triumph would not be very difficult of showing, that with re- spect to legislation the Government which he saw opposite with greater means have not been more successful than their predecessors. "Indeed, we might well ask, what has been the effect of that considerable majority in this House, of that overwhelming majority in the other House of Parliament, of which the present Ministers had the command and the confidence ? We might well ask -what has been the result of that happy state of things which the right honour- able gentleman opposite annetunced when he went to his election as a Minister of the Crown, and told his constituents that the majority in the House of Lords 'being now agreed, the constitutional instrument would be in harmony. One might well ask, now this instrument is in such harmony, what is the music which it lays?—what are the tunes with which our ears have been delighted in this bappy state of musical concord? (Cheers.) It has not been, I think, "Rule Britannia." (Loud cheers.) The agricultural gentlemen will hardly say that it Las been "The Roast Beef of Old England ;" the Irish Members ale mot agreed that it is " St_ Patrick's Day in the morning"; and I am not sure that it has always been " God save the Queen." The only tune -which occurs to me is one which we sometimes hear from the glee-singers at public dinners, "We're all noddin." ( Great cheering.) lam not going, as I have already said, to pursue the course of following the varied measures which the Government have brought forward, and have failed in without any factious opposition. (Ironical cheers fronz the Ministerial benches.) Gentlemen cheer : I ask, was there any opposition made to the Education scheme of the present Government similar to that which was made to the measure of the last Government? I ask, with respect to several of those measures, among others the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill, was it in consequence of our opposition that they were abandoned ? With respect to the Canada Corn Bill, which has been as much opposed as any excepting the Irish Arms Bill, the opposition which was made to it chiefly came from the supporters of the present Government." And in what condition, after the legislative labour of six months, would the country be left in the hands of Ministers ?
He would allude to bat one topic in foreign affairs—the war in Scinde. The carnal impression was, that the Ameers of Scinde had been driven to despair by fresh demands made upon them after they had complied with those made at first. If it were necessary to maintain reserve as to the measures contemplated or the future, it was still only reasonable to inquire whether the Government justified the conduct of the past? Last year they were told that the bad state
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of the Indian finances was produced by the expenses of the war in that country ; but this year, because the war was carried out under Lord Ellenborough in- stead of Lord Auckland, there was not to be a high word about the matter!. Could the House go into Committee, and vote the supplies for the year, without being told whether the war was just or unjust—whether the object was ac- complished, or whether the expense was to Continue? Lord John adverted to the effect of the Ministerial policy upon the trade of the country. The declared value of our exports in the year 1841 was 44,609,3581.; and in the year 1842 the declared value was 40,738,151L, being& decrease of 3,871,207/. He quoted a return obtained by Mr. Thornely, (to which we alluded in our last number,) showing a decrease in the exports to the United States of 3,171,563/. ; and a return obtained by Mr. Hastie, showing that the exports to Brazil had for five years averaged 2,452,7611.; in 1842. the amount was 1,756,805/. ; being a decrease of 695,956/. The total decrease in exports to the two countries in 1842, as compared with the five previous years, was 3,867,819/. Ministers had retained the duty upon foreign corn, at present amounting to 40 per cent, and the pro- hibitory duty on Brazilian sugar; and the United States retaliated with a high tariff, Brazil with preparations to exclude British produce at the expi- ration of the treaty. " This is a most serious state of affairs ; and 1 ask yen what have you done within the last six months to promote the wellbeing of those manufactures upon which your prosperity in peace and your strength in war depend ? Last year, having proclaimed your principles—having intro- duced new principles with respect to many articles a ith respect to which pro- hibitory duties formerly existed, you mainly fail in your object, unless you are ready to apply to the great articles of corn and sugar the same principles, and thereby benefit and promote the agriculture of this country by allowing the in- troduction of those articles, the produce of the United States and Brazil, free- from all other protection. Have you done any thing of the ;sort ?—nothing of the kind." The only effect of the Canada WheatIBill was, for a trifling ad- vantage, to alarm the agricultural interest, and provoke a more determined. resistance than ever to Free-trade doctrines. Lord John enlarged upon the ad- vantages to England and America, if the men of the loom were allowed by mutual concessions to exchange their produce with the men of the plough. And what effect had that state of trade had upon the revenue of the country ? In 1841, the late Ministers proposed to meet the deficiency by relieving trade, anticipating retrenchments in expenditure on the cessation of hostilities in China. Their plan as to corn and sugar was entirely repudiated; and as to timber, all that Ministers had done was to throw away a great deal of revenue with no corresponding advantage. Lord Monteagle had shown that the Excise and Customs revenue had progressively decreased from 37,000,000/. in 1840 to' 34,115,000/. in 1842; which clearly indicated that measures ought to be devised for relieving the trade of the country. "The right honourable gentleman,. besides making very eloquent speeches in. favour of free trade, brought forward a scheme making great alterations in the tariff—but his meaure,. in combination with this, was a property-tax, which was to produce 3,700,000/. a 3-ear ; and the right honourable gentleman told us last year,. that the surplus, according to his estimate, would be 500,000/. The actual result was a deficiency of 2,400,0000 It should be recollected, that those were the Ministers who were always blaming their predecessors for "deficiency." This difficulty induced the Chancellor of the Exchequer to have recourse to evasion : his statement for the future year showed a deficiency of 1,300,000/.; but he said that he would provide for 2,000,0001. How? probably by getting
into debt ; and thus he made a show of having a surplus of 700,000/. It is said 'Magnum vectigal parsimonia'—(Laughter)—but I might say now, 'Mag- num vectigal sapientia.' (Cheers and laughter.) If you had only recourse to those principles of trade so ably expounded by the right honourable gentleman the President of the Board of Trade, you might have done something to make up the deficiency ; but, notwithstanding your own incomparable skill- (Lpghter)—and, though you taxed us with being miserable financiers,' you. have not been able to overcome the difficulties with which you are surrounded." On the ceesatien of Chinese and Indian hostilities, Ministers might have re- trenched "their military expenses; but they could not, because they had not pro- moted pzace at home. Here Lord John adverted to the disturbances in Wales and the Repeal agitation in Ireland. He admitted the illegality of the Repeal meetings; but he did not think that coercive measures would avail. He avowed his belief that the United Parliament should be retained ; but then, Irish gri v- eneer; should be redressed. Were Ministers prepared to meet Mr. O'Connell'. evasion of the law in calling together a convention ofgentlemen to be a virtual Parliament in Dublin, by nothing but coercion ? He concluded by saying, that by a liberal and comprehensive policy Ministers might retrieve and aug- ment the commerce of the country, and wean the Irish from Repeal : " but, if you resolve to take the other course—if, representing, as I think you do, two. opinions, (one opinion being that you ought to stand still and resist every change, and the other opinion being that you ought to go on in measures of improvement and conciliation)—if, representing these two opinions, you dare to take no vigorous measure in support of either one or other opinion, depend upon it, this country will long lament that in the hands of such men the desti- nies of so great and powerful a nation as this were ever placed." (Loud' cheers.) Sir ROBERT PEEL made an exculpatory reply, which does not read so glibly as Lord John's attack— First he alluded to his opponent not venturing to bring his speech to a practical result, and to his levity about " harmony." Why had not Government succeeded in their endeavours to improve the administration of the law, to extend the benefits of education, and to carry other measures of general benefit ? It was said that they were supported by a large majority. but what could a majority effect against the opposition of a few, resolutely bent upon adjourning debates from night to night, and so preventing the progress of public business ? Fifteen nights had been devoted to three questions—seven- teen to the single measure ot the Arms Bill. As to education, the House had been almost unanimous iu entertaining the measure, but the sequel proved that to force it on would only have fomented the religious animosity which it pro-, yoked. Lord John touched very lightly on Scinde: why 2—because of the. situation in which the present Government found regions not very remote from that ? Sir Robert regretted the decrease in the trade with the United States; but that trade always bad fluctuated; while our exports to all countries this year show a decided increase in some great branches of our manufactures. In the first six months of the year 1842, the declared value of the exports of our manufactured cotton goods was 7,087,000/: the declared value of our exported manufactures of the same description up to the 5th July 1843 was 7,983,000/. In the linen manufacture there has been a slight in- crease also : in 1842, the declared value was 1,294,0001.; while, for the present year, up to the 5th July last, it amounted to 1,361,000/. In. the woollen manufactures, which, in the course of the last year had been materially depressed, the declared value of exports in the first year was 2,226,000/., and in the last 3,035,000/. The improvement is still more marked in comparing the exports in the last month with those of the month termina- ting on the 5th July 1842. The declared amount of the value of cotton ex- ported in that month was 1,084,000/. ; for the month of July in the present year it was 1,445,0004 The export of linen last year was 201,0001.; in the pre- Bent year it was 271,000/ As to the woollen manufactures, there had been a re- markable increase ; for up to July last year, the declared value of woollen mann- factures exported was 408,0004 while in the present year it amounted to 790,000/. The extent of consumption of cotton Las been exceedingly great : in 1835 there was 451,984 bags of cotton taken for consumption ; in 1836, 474,902; in 1837, 497,302; and in the present year, 1843, the number was 688,584 bags. As to finance, the cause of the imputed deficiency was, that when the account was made up, a large proportion of the proceeds of the Income-tax had not come hi, and there had not yet been time to ascertain the full results of the Tariff; but as far as they were known they were highly satisfactory. Even the reduction of timber-duty, large as was the present sacrifice, would, he be- lieved, be eventually beneficial. The causes of the Welsh insurrection were not political, nor chargeable upon the Government; and Lord John might recollect what had happened at Newport in his own time, and the cordial aid by which he was then enabled to strengthen the hands of Government with 5,000 additional troops. Defending the Ministerial policy in Ireland—vigilance combined with forbearance—be declined to enter into the details of Irish ques- tions, or to anticipate a debate next week on a motion by Mr. Ward. He finished by expressing a hope that no partial dissatisfaction or disappointment had alienated from Ministers the general confidence of their friends.
The debate was protracted to a late hour ; but the remainder we must dismiss as briefly as possible. Lord HOMO% blamed the irreso- lution of Ministers as the real secret of the unproductive session. Mr. HOME exhorted the Premier to throw himself on the support of the Opposition. Sir BENJAMIN HALL urged redress of Welsh grievances. Mr. BROTHERTON declared the increased exports to be forced at ruinously reduced prices. Mr. VERNON SMITH followed up the attack of his leader.
Mr. ROCHE protested against Irish politics being drawn into the mere party questions of that House— Ile had taken no part in the active opposition to the Arms Bill ; but when Sir Robert Peel found the majority of Irish Members opposed to it, he should have withdrawn it. As a Repealer, be asked on what authority Lord John Russell had asserted that the Repeal meetings were illegal ? Were they as violent as those which had taken place at the time of the Reform agitation in England ? Yet the noble Lord took no steps to suppress those assemblages, or to stigmatize them as illegal : not a bit of it. Why ?—because they had been meetings of Englishmen? Or was it because they emanated from a great political agitation which had placed the noble Lord's party in power, and the continuance of which was necessary to keep them there ? When the noble Lord, after the Reform Bill, bad a large majority, be coerced Ireland : it was not till his numbers were reduced that be began to think of her grievances; -while he made a disgraceful compromise with his Irish opponents about the Appropriation-clause. The Duke of Wellington bad said the Government were prepared—so were the Repeaters; and if their grievances were not redressed, they would put England into a state of financial and commercial checkmate, without transgressing the limits of the constitution ; and the House would be forced to yield, not to physical force, but to the distressed circumstances of the country, what it had refused to the humble supplications of Ireland.
Lord Joust RUSSELL said he had merely stated his opinion that some of the Repeal meetings were illegal. He had not, when in office, made any compromise at all Cl) disgraceful or otherwise.
Lord PALMERSTON made a telling speech ; imputing the failure of Ministerial measures not to want of time, but to the opposition of large classes of the community ; and contrasting the financial policy of the two Governments, past and present. As to long debates, an Opposition weak in numbers but strong in argument had a right to avail itself of its forte. He intimated, that if Ministers did not improve, their supporters would receive hints from without, which might enable the Opposition to cope with Government no less effectually in the lobby than in the discussion. Touching upon foreign topics, he made good use of the Spanish revolu- tion ; declaring that Espartero fell for want of moral support from Eng- land. Lord STANLEY justified the conduct of Government measures, and replied to Lord Palmerston's points with some clever repartees. He admitted the debating superiority of the Opposition—in lengthiness ; Lad allowed that the Whigs regretted the financial deficiency—which was all that they ever did for it. He declared his sympathy with Espar- tero and averred that he had had all possible support from England. He laughed at Lord Palmerston's dread of French intervention—France was the Ex-Secretary's bete noire. Mr. LABOUCHERE, Mr. MUNTZ, Lord CLEMENT and Mr. Momus kept up the discussion on the Opposition side. The House then went into a Committee of Supply, merely to adjourn the said Committee.
Earlier in the evening, and after the great debate, several measures were forwarded a stage. The Coroners Bill passed. Mr. JOHN BRIGHT made affirmation and took his seat for Durham.
In accordance with the report of the Select Committee on the Ep- worth Anti-Corn-law petition, the House declared that Samuel Potts, (who had been employed to procure signatures,) was guilty of an ex- tensive forgery of signatures, and that he had committed a breach of privilege ; and it was ordered that the Speaker's warrant do issue for his arrest.
The business in the House of Lords was trifling : several measures 'were forwarded a stage; and the Royal assent was given by Commis- sion to the Marriages (Ireland) Bill, the Punishment of Offenders Bill, the Norfolk Island Bill, and several other public and private bills Their Lordships wound up with a faint echo of the still proceeding de- bate in the Commons ; Lord CAMPBELL asking for the results of the Law-reform promised in the Queen's Speech ; and the LORD CHANCEL- LOR, warmly seconded by Lord Baonamix, pointing to the obstructive conduct of the Opposition iu the Commons.
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