LORD STANLEY'S PROTEST.

New Zealand Spectator and Cook's Strait Guardian, Volume III, Issue 138, 25 November 1846, Page 3

LORD STANLEY'S PROTEST.

The Ccrn Law Abolition Bill had passed the third reading in the House of Lords without a division. A special messenger was in waiting to carry the information to her Majesty, and to obtain her sanction to a commission for giving the Royal assent, which was given in the House of Lords on the 26th June. Lord Stanley entered a formal protest against the measure, as follows — Dissentient 1. Because the repeal of the Corn Laws will greatly increase the dependence of this country upon foreign countries for its supply of food, and will thereby expose it to dangers against which former statesmen have thought it essential to take legislative precautions. 2. Because there is no security nor probability that other nations will take similar steps; and this country will therefore not only be exposed to the risks of failure of supply, come? quent on a state of war, but will also be exclusively subjected to an- unlimited influx of corn in times of abundance, and to sudden checks whenever short crops shall reduce the ordinary supply from the exporting countries, or their Government shall deem it necessary to take precautionary measures for their own protection, thus causing rapid and disastrous fluctuations in the markets of this country. ' 3. Because under a system of protection the agriculture of this country has more than kept pace with the increasing demand of its increasing population ; and becaue it is to be -apprehended that the removal of protection may throw some lands out of cultivation, and check in others the progress of improvements which has led to this satisfactory result. 4. Because it is unjust to withdraw protection from the landed interests of this country, while that interest remains 4 subject to exclusive burdens imposed for purposes of general and not of special advantage. 5. Because the loss to be sustained by the repeal of the Corn Laws will fall most heavily on the least wealthy portion of the landed proprietors, will press immediately and severely on the tenant farmers, and through them, with ruinous consequences, on the agricultural labourers. 6. Because, indirectly, but not less certainly, injurious consequences will result to the manufacturing interest, and especially to the mechanics, from competition with the agricultural labourers thrown out of employment, but principally from the loss of the home marker, caused by the inability of the producers of grain, and those dependent op. them, to consume manufactured goods to the same extent es heretofore. 7. Because the same cause will produce similar evil results to the tradesmen, retail dealers, and others in country towns,' not themselves engaged in agricultural pursuits, but mainly dependent for their subsistence on their dealings with are those so engaged 8. Because the effect of a repeal 'of the Corn Laws will be especially injurious to Ireland, by lowering the value of her principal exports, and by still further reducing the demand for labour, the want of which is among the principal evils of her social condition. 9. Becau&e a free trade in corn will cause a large and unnecessary diminution of 'annual income, thus impairing the revenue of the. country, at the same tune that it, cripple's the resources of those classes on whom the weight of local taxation now mainly falls. 10. Because a general reduction of prices consequent on a reduction cf the price of corn, will tend unduly to raise the monied interest at the expense of all others, and . to aggravate the pressure of the national burdens* • s ' r

11. Because the removal of differential duties in favour of Canadian corn is at variance with the legislative encouragement held out to that cokny by Parliament, on the faith of which the colonists have kid out large sums upon the improvement of their internal navi.guion.; and because the removal of protection will divert the traffic of the interior from the St. Lawrence, and the British ports of Montreal and Quebec, to the foreign port of New York.; thus throwing out of employment a large amount of British shipping, severing the commercial interests of Canada from those of the parent country and connecting those interests most .intimately with the United States of America. 12. Because the adoption of a similar system with regard to other articles of commerce will tend to sever the strongest bond of union •between this country end her colonies, will -deprive the British merchant of that which is now his most certain market, and sap the foundation of that colonial system to which, 'Commercially and politically, this country owes .much of its present greatness..

Yesterday morning Lord John Russell a communication to the Duke of Norfolk. It is now said that the Duke will 'be master of the Horse, the Duke of Bedford and the Duke of Devonshire having declined to accept any office in the Royal .Household, although they give the Government their undivided support. — Times, July 4. The French squadron of evolution under -the command of the Prince de Joinville left JPalma on the 22nd ult., for Tunis. The coronation of Pope Pius IX. took place on the 21st June, in St. Peter's at Rome. — Daily News, July 4. The Treasurer to the Guardians of the Poor of Birmingham, a Mr. Welch, has been committed to prison on a charge of embezzeling some £1100 of the Parish money. The defalcations extend over the years 1843, 1844, and 1845, and are of such a nature that they could not have arisen from ordinary error or negligence.

Sir R. Peel's Tariff. — The Mayo Constitution, a " protectionist " paper, confesses that, " whatever may be the future effects of .Sir R. Peel's free trade measures, we candidly confess that the cattle feeders of Ireland have as yet no cause to complain. There was Jately two prices of all kinds of stock which were highly remunerating. We allude to the .fairs of Balla and Turlough. At the former •the demand for milkers was unprecedented. They rated at from £8 to £11, and in some few instances went as high as £13 : 10. A jgentleman with whom we conversed, on his return from the fair, told us that he obtained ■at Balla. 3os. per head more for a lot of heifers than he would have got a month previous .for the same lot in the same state. At both, these fairs, sheep were advanced in price, but pigs a <shade lower. — Manchester Guardian. Mr. Cobden. — Mr. Cobden will not en--gage in any public business whatever for the next twelve months oosr s more. He remained in London to vote ori\tbe Corn Bill, though advised, for the sake of his own health, by his personal friends, and the friends of the 'Corn Bill, not to do so, and he has now left London entirely for the present year. Writing to a gentleman in London from Manchester, on the 28th June, he says : — " I have left town for the session.; aud for a year, at least, the claims of private duties, and the necessary attention to my health, will prevent my taking any part in public life. "

Oils. — In fish oils there has not been much business doing, and prices have remained without alteration during the week. At auction this afternoon about 8 tuns sperm vrent at £77 to £77 : 10s. 76 tuns Southern whale oil, chiefly taken in at £22 : ss. to £24 per tun.

Wool. — There is a better feeling in the Wool Market, and the passing of the Government commercial measure, together with the settlement of the difference with America, cannot fail to have a favourable effect on our prospects, and there is rather more doing in consequence ; but most of the buyers will be engaged in the public sales in London during the next fortnight.

Ensuing Sales at Liverpool. Tuesday, July 7. — 512 bales Australian wool. 204 bales Van Diemen's Land wool. 272 bales Port Phillip wool. 55 bales South Australian wool. 50 bales Cape of Good Hone wool. 40 bales Odessa, Merino scoured, and German wool.

Wool Circular. Wool.— The following letter from Buckles & -Co. shows a further decline in the Wool Market of one penny per pound — making a total fall upon this (as contrasted with last year's prices) of at least 2|d. London, 4th July, 1846. Our second periodical wool sales of the season commenced -yesterday, and we are glad' tb say that, so far as we are able to judge from a single .day, prices went -only a trifle 4ow«r than at the May tales— -much -as- we

I hope the market may not give way further as the sales advance, we must confess that we are not altogether without some misgivings on the subject however. The new Corn Law has finally passed, and came into operation on the 27th ultimo. Its immediate effects have been to paralyse the market, the buyers being yet at a loss how to regulate their dealings in the present altered position of the trade. In English wheat there has been a decline of fully 4s. per quarter on previous quotations, whilst of foreign corn it is very difficult to effect sales at all, and indeed our principal millers are themselves large holders of foreign wheat we find, so that it is natural to suppose that they will refrain from making new purchases until they have worked off their present stock. Sir Robert Peel has resigned in consequence of having been defeated in the Commons on the Irish Coercion Bill, aud the Queen has empowered Lord John Russell to form a new administration ; it is not likely however, we presume, that this circumstance willl exercise any immediate influence on commerce. Lord Grey will be the new Colonial Secretary we hear. The long protracted negociation with the United States about the Oregon territory, has at length been brought to an amicable settlement, we rejoice to say. Both sperm and Southern oil have rather given way in price since our former report, and whalebone would not realize within three or four pounds of our last quotations. Tallow must also be quoted 3d. to 6d. per cwt. lower — and indeed we regret to say, that business generally continues depressed throughout the country. Buckles & Co. P.S. The ship being detained until today, affords us the opportunity of reporting upon another day's wool sale, and we only regret that we cannot do so more favourably^ a careful comparison, however, of prices now giving, with those realized in May, convinces us that they are, generally speaking, lower by at least Id. per lb. than they even then were, and we much fear that they may give way yet further as the sales progress. 6th July, 1846. Buckles & Co.

Munificent Donation. — We understand that Mrs. Magee, of Dublin, lately deceased, has bequeathed the sum of £20,000 to trustees, for the erection of a Presbyterian College in Ireland, also large bequests to the Home and Jewish Missions of the General Assembly, and handsome private bequests to the Rev. Dr. Dill, of Dublin, and Counsellor Greer. The deceased was relict of the Rev. Mr. Magee, Presbyterian Minister of Lurgan, and sister of Major General Stewart, of the Royal Irish Artilery. — Belfast Chronicle. A Board or Committee of Naval Construction, for the superintendence of all matters connected with the constructive department of the Royal Navy, has been appointed by the Admiralty. The members of the Committee are Dr. Inman, of the late School of Naval Architecture; Mr. Fincham, the master shipwright of Portsmouth Dockyard ; and Mr. Abethell, the master shipwright of Pembroke Dockyard. Lord John Hay has been appointed Chairman, and Mr. Henry Chertfield, of her Majesty's Dockyard, Devonport, its Secretary. | The library of the late Mr. BeckfGrd is to 1 be removed, together with some of his choicest paintings, to Hamilton Palace. The Duke of Hamilton has commenced for their reception a spacious and elegant library, forming in itself a separate feature ; but there will be a continuous range from the present long state gallery, through the old state apartment, to the new Beckfordean Library and Tribune. — Bath Journal. Donizetti, the composer, is now in a private asylum for the insane, near Paris.

The Greenwich Railway Traffic during the Holidays. — On Monday there were 52,000 passengers who travelled by the above railway ; on Tuesday, 30,000 persons; and on Wednesday, 19,000 ; making altogether 101,000 persons — a greater number than have travelled on that line at any previvious Whitsuntide.

The New Pope. — The election of Cardinal Mastei Ferretti as head of the Catholic Church appears to give much satisfaction in France. The Presse says that he is one of the cardinals whose names appear in the list of candidates' whose success would be agreeable to the French Government. The Debats gives the following account of the election :—: — "The conclave of the Sacred College only lasted two days. It commenced on the 14th, and terminated on the I6th of June. Rarely has a conclave been so short. It is said that the political position of the States of the Church, and the necessity of putting an end to the agitation which might hare ended in disorder, hastened the' determination of the cardinals. The new Po£e has the" reputation of being moderate and conciliatory, and his nomination has been generally favourably received. Car-

dinal Mastei Ferretti, in mounting the throne of St Peter, takes the title of Pius IX. Heis one of the youngest popes (being, as we stated yesterday, only fifty-four years of age) that has ever been nominated. This circumstance ought to be considered a good augury. The cardinals have been reproached with fixing their choice on men whose age prevents them from displaying much activity. On the present occasion this taunt is fortunately not home out by the fact. There is in Italy a proverb which says of the popes "Non videbis annosPetri" (You shall not reign so long as Peter.) St. Peter reigned twenty- five years, and as the saying :s not an article of faith, it is no heresy to express a hope that it will now not be realised. Trusting that Pope Pius IX. will consecrate the influence which his high position gives him to the maintenance of the spiritual peace of the Catholic world, and to the furtherance of that amelioration of which the states placed under his temporal guardianship have so much need, we sincerely hope that he may see the years of Peter, and that his reign may be prolonged for the good of the church of which he is the head, and that of the people of whom he is the sovereign." The Presse says: — "Cardinal Mastei Ferretti has been elected by acclamation. There are three modes of electing Popes. The most usual modes are by ballot and by accession. As to t\\3 election by inspiration or acclamation, the words which serve to designate it show how it is practised. It is this mode of election which takes place when, by a sudden inspiration, which is considered as coming from Heaven, the cardinals name a pope unanimously and by acclamation. The use of this mode of election is less rare than might be supposed. History mentions thirteen or fourteen instances of it. The most memorable is the election of Gregory VII."

Perverse Conduct op Man. — Among the many properties of human nature which almost exceed comprehension, comes the parsimony of the rich and the extravagance of the poor. Some rich men spare to-day, as if they feared starving, to-morrow, and the indigent often consume in an hour what they may feel the want of for a week. These properties are the more unaccountable, because parsimony is chiefly found to predominate in aged people, who may expect death every day, and extravagance chiefly in the young, who may reasonably hope to live many years ; as if old people hoard money because they cannot want it, and young ones throw it away be- j cause it is necessary to their subsistence.

Snuffers. — A gentleman once asked the celebrated Aberneihy if he thought that the moderate use of snuff would injure the brain. " No, Sir," was Abernethy's prompt reply, "for no man with a single ounce of brains would ever think of taking snuff*"

What the French say of Smithfield. — When the Prefet de la Seine decided upon erecting a new market hall in Paris, previous to the plans being completed a commission was sent out to visit various countries, and study the establishments of that kind. It consisted of Messrs. Anger, Inspector-General of Market Halls of Paris ; V. Ballard, Architect ; and A. Husson, Chief Clerk of the Prefecture de la Seine. Details are given by the commissioners on the Markets of London, Manchester, and other cities. While the advantages of our establishments are placed in relief, with the usual urbanity of Frenchmen, yet they could not quite blink -the inconvenience of some of our mediaeval concerns, amongst which Smkhfield plays a conspicuous part. " Who should believe," they say, " that this immense metropolis has no exterior mar-ket-place for cattle ? It is in the midst of the city, a few paces from the cathedral of St. Paul's, where all this host of animals are driven to and sold. Smithfield is the beau ideal of disorders in the way of markets — the shifting of cows, bullocks, and horses ; the peregrinations of herds of sheep and swine ; the escaping of half furious beasts ; the howling of dogs, shouting of drivers, screams of frightened passers-by ; add to this, that the streets through which this world of beasts pass are choked by this thrcng, dirtied by their excrements, et cetera. Whence comes all this inconvenience ? It is because the corporation opposes its removal, leaning upon a statute enacted by Edward lII.— -five hundred years ago. — The Builder.

Left-handed Compliment. — A Repeal paper, in speaking of O'Connell, says, " He's the very man for Ireland's money." — Punch.