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turn of opinions for the occasion, as others | a grave matter, because of the bribery and had. With respect to the larger interests, chicanery which have prevented any chance the great interests of the manufacturers, of free and unbiassed elections. he was happy to have it considered that he certainly no man could avoid feeling might be permitted to stand upon the same much apprehension, when it was seen that basis with them. He had no objection to clubs and associations had been formed, in do so; but then he must take up that posi- which language was held not far different tion fairly, free from those restrictions to the expressions used in the old Jacobin which pressed on him. Give him, therefore, Clubs of Paris. He did view, as all men the benefits that interest possessed: these must view, the existence of such clubs with were terms they should not refuse him. the gravest apprehension; but he viewed But let him make this remark, that even with no less apprehension the circumstance in the great manufacturing interests that a Necker stood at the head of the were little interests, as there were Government. The right hon. Baronet, both great and little in the agricultural however, would know that when that cominterest. There were the hand-loom parison was made, it meant no disparageweavers, for instance. There were the ment. Necker was full of zeal for the weavers and framework knitters of Not-public good, and, as respected his abilities, tingham. With these interests the dis-high in the general estimation and confitress was of the worst kind. He had dence, when he commenced that career heard these interests had been and were which terminated so unhappily to his counstruggling with the greatest privations, tryand struggling with such lowness of wages, Dignus imperare si non imperasset." that even the rate of remuneration in the agricultural counties, the low wages which Before he concluded, let him not forhe sincerely lamented, were high and get to mention this-that the farmers large in comparison with the gains of had been losers by the system which these poor operatives. He wished, there- had been followed, and losers for some fore, whether those little interests were or years. That interest had been gradually were not forgotten in the Speech from the recovering from depression. The goodThrone, that they should not be neg-ness of the harvest, though not abunlected here. No means had ever been dant, was at least an average crop; and suggested in all the declamation made on that had assisted them greatly. They the subject of free trade for supplying that were, indeed, recovering; yet this was the amount of employment which must be dis-moment chosen again to disturb them, and placed by the change; and he thought to shake their confidence confidence the Government should be told that they shaken so much, that it was not to be reshould not stir one step in advance, until stored by the present Government. He, it had been provided, not only that the therefore, under the circumstances, called great interests should be secured, but also upon the right hon. Baronet to appeal to that the little interests of the State should the country; and he could assure him that not be left to starve. Starve, however, he was ready to abide by the issue of the they would, if certain projects were car- appeal. Whatever the issue of the appeal, ried any further. The noble Lord (Lord he would abide most cheerfully by the deF. Egerton) who moved the Address with cision made by the country, if that applicamuch eloquence, concluded with remarks tion were made by the right hon. Baronet he heard with much pain; because in in a legitimate manner. those remarks appeared a ground of change, if not the chief ground of change of opinion held by the noble Lord and others, consisting in the danger which he thought he saw in the conflict of classes and of opinions, in a manner so fearful to the Constitution, that he trembled at the resulta conflict which he saw was carried on both with bribery and chicanery. He gave to the noble Lord the Member for London much joy upon the result of his Reform Bill, seeing that a noble and accomplished Lord changes his opinion upon

Third

VOL. LXXXIII. {Series}

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MR. SHARMAN CRAWFORD said, as a Member from Ireland, knowing the state of the country, he could vouch for the truth of the statements made last night by the right hon. Baronet; and especially as to the condition of those parts of Ireland which were usually the least subject to distress. At least one half of the potato crop had failed in the part of the country from which he came; and, in the course of a few weeks, a scarcity of the most frightful nature would be the result. est people had suffered most.

G

The poor-
Potatoes

were already more than double the price | food to the country. The Bill which he they used to be; and oatmeal was one-half was now about to bring in would give a higher than last year. In the Union power to advance certain sums for the purwhere, last September, there were only pose of encouraging public works, &e., 200 inmates, there were now 300 or 400; more than there had ever been before. The Poor Law guardians had called a meeting to concert measures to provide food for the people. He mentioned these facts, which had come to his knowledge, because they corroborated the statements of the right hon. Baronet.

Address agreed to, and ordered to be presented to Her Majesty by the whole. House.

SIR R. PEEL said, he had reason to believe that Her Majesty would be prepared to receive the Address at half-past two o'clock to-morrow.

MR. BROTHERTON hoped hon. Members would attend and make a House tomorrow, and not keep Her Majesty waiting, as they did last year.

PUBLIC WORKS (IRELAND).

SIR T. FREMANTLE moved for leave to bring in a Bill to amend an Act for the extension and promotion of Public Works in Ireland. The apprehension of a deficiency of food in that country in the ensuing spring and summer, rendered it important that every encouragement and facility should be given for the employment of the people in Public Works and otherwise, and this Bill was prepared with a view to facilitate that desirable purpose. He had also another Bill to propose on an early day, namely, a Bill to amend the Draining Act in Ireland, and afford greater facilities for carrying its provisions into operation. It was his intention to introduce, during the next week, a Bill for the construction of small Piers and Harbours in Ireland, with a view to the encouragement of the fisheries in that country. There was no subject which deserved more attention and consideration than the encouragement of the fisheries in Ireland; and this Bill was the more necessary as there were many remote parts of Ireland in which there were no great resident proprietors to encourage the fisheries, which might be made available for giving employment to the people and producing profit to the country. When they considered that one of the evils which was dreaded in Ireland was a deficiency of food, the benefit would be admitted of a measure, which, besides encouraging the employment of the people, would go directly to increase the supply of

half of the total sum required being subscribed by localities. There was another provision in the Bill which would be found of great advantage; its object being to extend the period of repayment from three to twenty years, while a discretionary power was to be given to the Treasury as to the rate of interest.

Bill brought in and read a first time. House adjourned at half-past eight o'clock.

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and in my opinion we ought also to know how a Cabinet which could not form a Government on one day, was enabled to form one on another.

to your Lordships, and in stating my intention to support their prayer to the utmost of my power, I beg to say that these petitioners express their hope and trust that your Lordships will not consent to The DUKE of WELLINGTON: I rise, any alteration of the present Corn Law; my Lords, to give an answer to the quesand that, at all events, happen what may, tion which has been put to me by my noble your Lordships will not consent to any Friend. But, my Lords, in doing so, alalteration without an appeal to the con- though I can answer only for myself and stituencies of the country, that it may be my own motives, yet I must, in order to seen whether their opinions on this im- explain myself to the House, speak geportant question have undergone any nerally of what passed in Her Majesty's change. I, as one of those who cannot Councils; and I do feel myself under the conscientiously give my vote in violation of necessity of detaining your Lordships for a the compact made with the agricultural in- few minutes on this subject; and you may terest in the year 1842, and as one who rely upon it, I will detain you for as short cannot look without serious alarm upon a time as possible. My Lords, when the the abandonment of the principle of protec- accounts were received from Ireland, and tion, would call upon your Lordships to from different parts of Great Britain, in pause and hesitate before you teach those the course of the last autumn, of the state persons in every part of Her Majesty's of the potato crop, and of the inconextensive dominions who have been peace-veniences which were likely to result from able, quiet, and orderly, that to be unob-it, my right hon. Friend at the head of trusive is to be defenceless; and that Her Majesty's Government felt it to be his systems which have been tested and ap-duty to call his Colleagues together, in proved by the experience of ages are to be abandoned in consequence of combination, intimidation, and the manifestation of party rancour. Till I find your Lordships giving your assent to any measure for altering the Corn Laws, I shall feel that it is impossible you can suffer yourselves to be intimidated by the Anti-Corn-Law League and their hired advocates and emissaries. I may add that, in presenting these petitions to your Lordships, I can answer for the respectability of a great many of the persons by whom they are signed.

MINISTERIAL EXPLANATION.

The DUKE of RICHMOND: I beg to ask the noble Duke whether he has received Her Majesty's permission to state to your Lordships' House those reasons which induced the Government to resign office, and afterwards to re-accept office?

The DUKE of WELLINGTON: My Lords, I have received Her Majesty's permission to state what may be necessary to this House upon the subject which has been referred to by my noble Friend. wish to know whether my noble Friend intends to ask any further question?

I

The DUKE of RICHMOND: I consider that it would be most convenient to the House that I should not make a speech, but that I should merely ask a question of the noble Duke. I think we are all anxious to know the grounds which led to the resignation of Her Majesty's Government;

order to give them the opportunity of considering the Reports which were received. He accordingly did so; and he laid these Reports before his Colleagues. My right hon. Friend then stated to his Colleagues certain propositions for the adoption of measures which he felt it necessary for Her Majesty's Government to sanction, in order to avoid or to remedy the unlimited evils which, in his opinion, were likely to occur in consequence of this misfortune. One of the measures which was suggested by my right hon. Friend was, that Her Majesty s servants should recommend to Her Majesty, by an Order in Council, to suspend the operation of the existing Corn Law, so as to open the ports for the admission of foreign corn duty free. My Lords, it is not necessary that I should here discuss the motives stated, or the grounds on which this recommendation was founded. I, however, was one of those who considered that it was a measure which was not necessary to be adopted at that time. I considered that, although the misfortune to which I have referred, would undoubtedly have the effect of depriving millions, I may say, of our fellow creatures of a large part of the provision which they had made for their food for the year, yet, that misfortune did not exactly amount to a deficiency of food. There was no insufficiency of corn, according to all the accounts, in the country; and the opinion of others, as well as my own, was, that such arrangements should

affecting the stability and safety of the Government itself; and I thought it essential that the differences of opinion should, if possible, be reconciled. Having served the Crown of England for above fifty years in high public situations, I consider it my duty on all occasions to endeavour to pro

my power to reconcile the differences of opinions among my Colleagues, and to preserve in union a Government which enjoyed the confidence of the Sovereign, of the public, of both Houses of Parliament. I considered it my duty to make every effort to maintain union in the Cabinet, and

be made as had been made heretofore to | Friend, it was necessary to make an essenmeet the evil, by finding the means of tial alteration in the existing Corn Law. employment, and the means of procuring Many members of Her Majesty's Cabinet food as the reward of that labour. It ap- objected to this suggested alteration, and peared to me, besides, that under the there was a strong difference of opinion provisions of the existing Corn Law, if it upon the subject. As for my part, I cer-1 was desirable that the ports should be tainly was of opinion that it was desirable opened, Parliament had provided for such to avoid making any alteration which was an emergency; and that if ever the price essential in the present Corn Law. But, of the particular article of grain should my Lords, I confess that in my individual reach such an amount as would manifest a position, I considered the consequences of deficiency or want, that the law had pro-a division of opinion in the Cabinet, as vided that foreign grain should be admitted at a nominal duty. Under these circumstances, my Lords, it appeared to me to be unnecessary to suspend that law; and on these grounds, I certainly was one of those who objected to the proposition of my right hon. Friend. At the same time, I was most anxious, and the Government unani-mote its service; and I did everything in mously concurred in the desire, to meet the difficulty, and accordingly, they proceeded to adopt all such measures as seemed to them calculated to meet the apprehended misfortune. They framed a Commission in Ireland, and took care to instruct it in respect to those measures which were to be adopted for giving employment to the peo-to reconcile differences of opinion, as the ple, and thereby procuring food for them as best services I could render to my Sovereign a reward and in payment of their labour, in the circumstances in which the Cabinet and for carrying out those measures which was placed upon the subject. I, nevertheon former occasions have been found to be less, my Lords, was unfortunate in those so beneficial, and to work so effectually. efforts I did not succeed: and the result I believe that all those plans have been was, a declaration on the part of my right resorted to. They are not new to the hon. Friend, that he would submit to Her public servants of this country. I believe, Majesty his resignation of office, and that I say, that they have been effectually he would recommend to Her Majesty to adopted; and that it may be hoped, there- endeavour to form another Government. fore, that the great inconveniences and My Lords, this course was adopted, after a great misery which appeared likely to arise discussion whether it was most advisable from this misfortune will be avoided. My that my right hon. Friend should come Lords, in the course of the discussion upon down to Parliament and make a proposition these measures, it certainly was intimated for an alteration of the Corn Laws, having that the suspension of the Corn Law might at the time, a divided Cabinet, of which render the renewal of it at a future period the majority were against the proposition; very difficult; and it undoubtedly was in- or whether it was not best, and more timated that it might be necessary to make to the interest and convenience of Her an essential alteration in the law. Subse- Majesty, that my right hon. Friend should quently, my Lords, when the instructions proceed at once to Her Majesty and intiwere agreed upon, to be given to the Com-mate to Her Majesty the position in which missioners appointed to visit in Ireland (as he stood, and express his desire that Her I before stated), my right hon. Friend Majesty should permit him to resign his intimated his opinion of the absolute ne- office, and that Her Majesty should form cessity of making an essential alteration in another Government. That course was the Corn Laws. I believe that everybody discussed, and I certainly was one who admitted that some alteration was necessary thought that it was desirable my right hon. -that an alteration, that is to say in some Friend should resign his office rather than points, was called for. There is no doubt go into Parliament with a divided Cabinet; that that was admitted by all. But, my and I certainly believe that all the Members Lords, in the opinion of my right hon. of the Cabinet were of the same opinion,

Accordingly that was the course which my | House of Commons and defend the Corn right hon. Friend took. He waited upon Laws against those Gentlemen who were Her Majesty, and informed Her of the informed of the alteration in my right hon. situation in which he found himself, and he Friend's opinion, and who, of course, in recommended to Her Majesty to form such an event, would have reproached him another Administration. Her Majesty sent with the alteration in his opinion. I knew for another noble Lord, and that noble well, therefore, when I told my right hon. Lord, I understand-indeed I know-did Friend that I would stand by him on his make an endeavour to form an Administra-resumption of government, I knew well tion. In that endeavour the noble Lord that in so doing I must be a party to did not succeed; and Her Majesty, there- a proposition for a material alteration in upon, thought proper to write to my right the Corn Laws. I knew it, and I admit I hon. Friend, and to desire him to resume knew it. So far my Lords, I have achis situation which he still held until an- counted for my own conduct. I agreed to other Administration should be formed. stand by my right hon. Friend, and to My right hon. Friend wrote to me, (I support his proposition; and I acted on was in the country at the time,) and in- that night, my Lords, in the full confidence formed me that he had been sent for, and with which I here state this evening, that that Her Majesty had desired him to re- although the proposition of my right hon. sume his situation, and that he had de- Friend may be found to involve a material termined, happen what might, that he alteration in the Corn Laws, yet that it will would, even if he stood alone, as Minister also be found satisfactory to the country, and of the Crown, enable Her Majesty to meet satisfactory to the Friends of the right hon. Her Parliament. This being the resolution Gentleman. The proposition, my Lords, of my right hon. Friend, I highly applauded with the alteration it contemplates, will, his decision, and I determined that I for at the same time, give such advantages to one would stand by him. I felt it my the landed interest as the landed interest duty. I was of opinion that the formation have a right to expect in the general of a Government in which Her Majesty arrangements of the country. Now, my would have confidence, was of much greater Lords, I beg you to recollect my right hon. importance than the opinions of any indi- Friend the Lord President of the Council vidual on the Corn Laws, or on any other is a great landed proprietor: his interests law. My Lords, received a letter from are those of agriculture; he is connected my right hon. Friend desiring me to attend in friendship and association with most of a Cabinet Council that evening, which I did. your Lordships; and, therefore, it cannot I applauded the conduct of my right hon. be supposed for a moment that he would Friend. I was delighted with it; it was betray the interests of a body of such imexactly the course which I should have fol-portance as the agricultural interest. No, lowed myself under similar circumstances; my Lords, I repeat, that when your Lordand I, therefore, determined, my Lords, ships see my right hon. Friend's proposition, to stand by him. My Lords, at the same which will be laid before you in the course time that I did this, I well knew the position of the next few days, you will then find in which my right hon. Friend stood in rela- that my right hon. Friend has not betrayed tion to the Corn Laws. I knew well that his duty in the measure which he recomin consequence of my right hon. Friend mends to your adoption. At all events, having resigned office into Her Majesty's whatever that measure may be, I must say hands, because he could not prevail on his this, that, situated as I am in this country Cabinet to support him in a material alter--highly rewarded as I have been by the ation of the Corn Laws, those whom Her Majesty employed to form a new Government must have had a full knowledge of the particular circumstances under which my right hon. Friend resigned office. The noble Lord the Member for London knew that my right hon. Friend, under the particular circumstances of the case, could not go into the House of Commons and again defend the Corn Laws in the same way which he had done in the preceding July. My right hon. Friend could not go into the

Sovereign and the people of England-I could not refuse that Sovereign to aid Her, when called upon, to form a Government, in order to enable Her Majesty to meet Her Parliament and to carry on the business of the country. Upon that ground, my Lords, I present myself to your Lordships; and I claim from you an acquiescence in the principle I have laid down, that I positively could not refuse to serve my Sovereign when thus called upon. I have no doubt, when the measure is laid

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