POSTSCRIPT.
SATURDAY NIGHT.
The House of Commons transacted some business last night; not -without a good deal of talk. The order of the day was read for going into Committee of the whole House on the Customs Duties Acts, in order to make the alteration of the coffee and wool-duties recently an- nounced by Mr. Goulburn : and, after a few words from Mr. LABOU- CHERE, for the coopers, whom the import-duty on staves exposes to injurious foreign competition, (Mr. GLADSTONE not refusing con- sideration to the subject)—from Lord JOHN RUSSELL, for the late Government's scheme of timber-duties—and from Mr. Hume, Lord HOWICK, and Mr. BARING, for free admission of raw materials—the House went into Committee.
The proposed schedule fixed the duty on foreign coffee at 6d. Mr. EWART moved to reduce the duty on foreign coffee to the amount im- posed on colonial coffee-4d. ; urging the usual arguments against dif- ferential duties, for raising revenue by reducing taxation, for extend- ing commerce in British manufactures with coffee-producing countries, for the benefit to the consumer, and for the encouragement to tempe- rance. He would apply the same principle to cocoa. Mr. GOULBURN answered, that the whole question of differential duties had been argued when the Tariff was before the House ; and the decision could not be rescinded in respect of particular articles. Our colonies have a right to protection. And further reduction of duty would not lead to a cerre- spondingincrease of consumption since,coffee has already changed from being the luxury of the few to be the common beverage of multitudes. Mr. RICARDO backed Mr. Hume ; MT. PHILIP HOWARD MT. GOUBB1111. The motion was negatived, by 39 to 28.
An entertaining discussion took place here. Mr. HUMPHERY asked -why the duty on plums was raised ? and then, with great earnestness, Mr. WARBURTON protested against the enhanced duty in the Tariff upon apples ; imputed to the influence of the Member for East Kent, Sir Edward Knatchbull; and Mr. BRIGHT denounced the advance of duty 'on canary-seed. Sir ROBERT PEEL, amid shouts of laughter, bantered Mr. Humphery, who last year discussed with extraordinary success the duties on turbot and lobster-sauce, and now appeared as the advocate and defender of the rights of the great plum-nodding interest. The enhanced duty on apples was the consequence of some pledge given by Lord Melbourne. Mr. GOULBURN explained, that the duty on plums was meant to meet a particular fraud in importing confectionary. Mr. GLADSTONE moved a clause repealing the import-duty on foreign sheep's-wool. It was generally supported ; even by Mr. DARBY, though he protested against its being carried as a measure of "free trade "—he meant the free trade of the Opposition, a very different -thing from that of Ministers. The clause was affirmed.
The House then went into Committee on the Stamp-duties Acts. The new scale of duties on marine insurances having been moved, Mr. FORSTER moved a lower scale ; which was negatived, by 69 to 22; and the original motion was affirmed.
Mr. WYSE obtained a Select Committee on Art-Unions.
Lord JOHN Russell, stated that he had learned from Lord Cottenham that be bad not given his assent to the compensation-clauses of the Chancery Offices Abolition Bill, but had positively declined to give an opinion. Sir J&asEs GRAHAM said, that was not Mr. Wainwright's re- presentation. In the House of Peers, Lord BROUGHAM drew attention to the annexa- tion of Texas ; its political consequences, in giving the United States an addition of coast and geographical preponderance in the Gulph of Mexico; and its effect on the Slavery question. The Earl of ABERDEEN observed that the treaty had yet to be ratified or not by the American Senate. The subject comprised a question new and unexampled in the history of public law, and it would receive the serious attention of the Government.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE called attention to the report of a Committee ap- pointed to inquire into the progress of the building of the two Houses of Parliament, from which it appeared that Mr. Barry, the architect, had made important deviations from the plan, without authority. He moved that the report be referred to the Board of Works. The alterations were explained and censured by Lord BUDELEY. Mr. Barry's conduct was condemned by Lord BROUGHAM, and extenuated by the Marquis of LANSDOWNE. Eventually, the motion was agreed to.
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