by the present ministers of holding these questions in
suspense, though highly convenient to themselves, was
most inconvenient to the country.—Mr. HERRIES
contended that the answer given by the Chancellor of the
Exchequer was the only answer which, under the
circumstances, could be given. He disputed the alleged
prosperity of our shipping trade, which, he contended,
was passing into the hands of foreigners. Even the
augmentation of our exports proved nothing as to the
success of the new commercial system, since our exports
had largely increased under the old system.—Sir J.
GRAHAM rose, he said, in consequence of the challenge
of Mr. Disraeli to state the grounds of the opposition he
was assumed to be about to offer to her Majesty's
government, and he would explain the view he took of
the present crisis of public affairs. He was not about to
offer any factious opposition to the government; but the
question now at issue, he considered, affected the happiness
and well-being of every individual in the community.
It was not a question of a 5s. or a 7s. duty upon
corn, but whether the whole of a commercial policy
should be reversed, the result of which had far exceeded
the most sanguine expectations of its authors. He had
no doubt whatever as to the policy intended by the
present government—namely, to dissolve Parliament, for
the purpose of imposing a duty upon imports, and among
them a duty upon corn. In order to prove this, he read
a series of avowals made by Lord Derby, that a reversal
of the free trade policy was indispensable. His lordship's
explicit declaration to this effect had prevented
Mr. Gladstone last year, and Lord Palmerston lately,
from becoming his colleagues in the government. The
Chancellor of the Exchequer had disclaimed any appeal
ad misericordiam; but the Earl of Derby had expressly
said he knew he was in a minority in that house, and
that he relied upon its forbearance; and he (Sir James)
denied that any instance could be found in parliamentary
history of such an admission and such an appeal, which,
he contended, were at variance with our representative
system. Addressing himself, then, to the allegation
that agricultural property had diminished, he denied its
accuracy, which was inconsistent with the facts, that,
while the surface of arable land had not decreased, large
sums had been expended in draining and manure, and
that 355,000 acres of waste land had been inclosed in
England alone. Meanwhile, taxes had been remitted to
the amount of £ 4,200,000, and yet the receipts into the
Exchequer had increased by £ 4,800,000. Sir James
stated various facts in corroboration of his assertion that
our late commercial policy had been eminently successful,
and he warned the house of the consequences of
reversing that policy, the maintenance of which was the
single object he had in view in joining the opposition.
In almost the last conversation he had had with the late
Sir R. Peel, that lamented statesman had declared to
him that there was no effort he would not make to
maintain the free trade policy, which he considered
indispensable to the peace and happiness of the country;
and there was no effort he (Sir James) would not make,
and no sacrifice he would not encounter, to uphold that
policy.—Mr. GLADSTONE regarded the subject in two
points of view—first, the duty of the house in regard to
the position of the government; secondly, its duty in
respect to the question of Protection. Upon the first
point he observed, that the house was entitled to ask
from the government a distinct assurance that after
the despatch of necessary business the Crown would be
advised to appeal to the country. To obtain that
assurance was the main duty incumbent upon the house,
which should not allow subjects not of pressing necessity
to be dealt with by a government in a minority. With
respect to the other point, it was said there was no
intention to reverse the policy of free-trade, only to alter
and modify it; but he was opposed to the modification
as well as to the reversal of that policy, and he desired to
bring the question to a prompt and final decision, if not
in this Parliament, in a few months in another. On the
whole, he was disposed to press one moderate and just
demand upon the government, that the business of the
country should be expedited with all possible despatch,
and that the Crown should then lie advised to appeal to
the sense of the people.—Lord PALMERSTON said, he
wished shortly to state his view of the present position
of the government and the duty of the house. The
former was perfectly anomalous, and in principle
unconstitutional, for it was proposed to carry on the business
of the country in a house of commons where the
ministers were in a minority—a state of things which
could not last. A dissolution, in the state of public
business, was admitted to be impossible; the house,
therefore, ought to exhibit forbearance towards the
government, and assist it in carrying through the
necessary measures, until they had so disposed of this
business as to enable them to dissolve Parliament and
appeal to the country. Having taken the sense of the
people, Parliament should be called together at the
earliest period to come to a final decision upon this
great question.—Mr. M. GIBSON said, the question was
the propriety of urging the government to a speedy
dissolution of Parliament, and be strongly impressed
upon them the necessity of this course, to save the
country from the evils of allowing a question of this kind
to be left in uncertainty and jeopardy.—Mr. NEWDEGATE,
as a Protectionist, was content with the declaration
of Lord Derby, his object being justice to the great
interests of the country, and a modification of a policy
which had created great distress. He disputed the
assertion of Sir J. Graham, that the quantity of corn
grown in this country had not diminished under the
present policy.—After some remarks from Sir A. COCKBURN
and Mr. Booker, the house went into committee;
and a vote of 39,000 seamen and marines for the ensuing
year, and votes of sums for their wages and victualling,
were agreed to.

On Tuesday, March 16, Mr. DISRAELI, having been
questioned by Mr. Hume, denied that there were any
papers in the Foreign-office granting the Territory of
Sarawak to the British Commissioner at Borneo, or
that the British flag had been hoisted at Sarawak.

Lord Robert GROSVENOR, in putting a question to
the Chief Commissioner of Woods and Forests on the
subject of the Ventilation of the House, drew a dismal
picture of the sufferings members were compelled to
undergo while attending to their legislative duties. If
something were not done speedily he anticipated fatal
consequences—Mr. W. PATTEN made a similar
complaint in regard to the committee rooms.—Lord J.
MANNERS expressed the desire of his department to do
all that was possible to remedy the evil. Dr. Reid's
report, which had just been presented, would be
considered, and Mr. Goldsworthy Gurney had been asked
to give his opinion on the subject.

Mr. Secretary WALPOLE, in reply to questions from
Mr. T. Duncombe, intimated that it would depend on
the continuance of the session, and the state of public
business, whether any measure would be substituted for
that of last year, which had failed in its object, of carrying
out Extramural Interments. Nothing could be
done in reference to the Metropolitan Water-supply
until they had the report of the select committee on the
subject. And, in answer to another question, the right
hon. gentleman intimated that the Crystal Palace
would be removed by the 1st of May.

Mr. MUNTZ complained of the unfairness with which
Mr. Archer, the inventor of the Machine for Perforating
the Sheets of Postage Labels, had been treated by
the Commissioners of Inland Revenue, and moved for a
committee of inquiry; upon which Mr. Grogan
interposed an amendment, to direct the inquiry to the
present mode of engraving, printing, and gumming the
postage label stamps; and likewise whether and how
the perforating machine, invented by the patentee,
could be applied to the same with advantage to the
public.—To the motion so amended the government,
through Mr. G. A. HAMILTON, consented.

Mr, J. STUART submitted a resolution, pledging
Parliament to grant assistance towards the formation
of a Railway Communication between Oban, in the
Western Highlands, and Glasgow, with the view to
provide employment for the people, and to improve the
condition of the country. He quoted the grants made
for facilitating Irish railroads as justifying the application.
—The motion was supported by Mr MACGREGOR.
—Sir G. STRICKLAND was opposed to the granting of
public money for such works on principle, and in the
present case especially, when the object was to form a