opposed the proposition. During the last session he had brought in a Bill to impose contravening duties on the Irish manufacture connected with the present subject; but it had been afterwards represented by those concerned in Ireland, that the new duty imposed by far exceeded the alleged advantage which they were said to possess. A notice had last night been given, with the view of referring the whole matter to a committee up stairs. That would be the only proper mode of coming to a fair consideration of the English, Irish, and Scotch interests, which appeared at issue in the business. Let the House await their report, and then, with full information before them, decide upon the subject.

thought the injustice which had been done to these original and undisputed inventors of the oxymuriat of lime, the superiority of which to other bleaching materials had been acknowledged, and which was universally used in Lancashire, Scotland, and Ireland, was so great, that it should be remedied without delay. In Ireland any person might manufacture the oxymuriat of lime in that kingdom, to supply the manufactures, duty free, while the original inventors could not import it without paying duty.

said, that where manifest injustice was done by an Act, and where it had wrought great evil, there could be no question that it ought not to be suffered to exist during the session. The Act should not be suffered to increase its evil while they were deliberating upon the mode of altering it. The right hon. baronet contended that the proper course would be at once to annul the Act, and subsequently to consider what substitute they should adopt.

said, that so far as the question bent upon the claims of individuals, he had to state, in reply to what had fallen from the hon. and learned gentleman, that the invention was disputed by a company in Ireland; therefore a greater necessity existed for an inquiry by a select committee, who could do justice to all claiming participation in the invention.

said, that the petitioners were paying duties to a large extent, while other persons were paying no duty at all. He was perfectly satisfied that they were the inventors, and that they had been nearly ruined by the manufacturers in Ireland paying no duty. He contended that the measure which he proposed was only an act of common justice, and he trusted that the House would not refuse to adopt it.

opposed the motion, on the ground that it was a select committee alone, which could thoroughly investigate the subject.

thought it the duty of the House to take the petition into their serious consideration.

said, that the Bill which he brought in during the last session related to a different subject, consequently the repeal of that Act would not go to the root of the measure which the hon. member had in view. He would not say, however, that it might not be necessary to hear witnesses upon the subject. The hon. gentleman had proposed a select committee, and he had no objection to it.

said, that the motion of the hon. gentleman was to give the manufacturers a repeal of the duties upon drawback; but all parties should be put upon an equal footing. There were points upon which the Irish and Scotch manufacturers were at variance, and therefore he should move the previous question.

said, that a member could not, in a second speech, move any amendment.

then rose and moved the previous question, when strangers were ordered to withdraw.—The House, however, did not divide, and the previous question was carried.

rose and observed, that with respect to the renewal of the Bank Restriction Act, it was a novel and injurious mode of proceeding adopted by the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer, to propose bringing a subject of so serious a nature before the attention of parliament without a longer notice than had been given. He understood that Monday next was appointed for the discussion of this important question; and as yet no papers connected with the subject, or any information whatever, was submitted to the House. It was, therefore, his intention to move for the production of such as would enable members to form some judgment on the state of the currency of the nation, and the issues made by the Bank of England. He conceived that an inquiry should be made into the funds of the Bank, to ascertain whether the Company would soon be capable of renewing their payment in cash. This was an inquiry in which the feelings of the public were deeply interested. But, independent of this, they should be made acquainted with the proceedings of the Bank; and although a day so early as Monday had been appointed for the purpose of considering the propriety of continuing the restriction, no papers, with the exception of one of a very inconsiderable nature, had as yet appeared on the table. How was it possible, that the House could form any accurate opinion relative to the matter? How could they learn the proceedings and conduct of the Bank for these last twelve months? The House had no accounts of the state of the Bank issues from March last to the present time, except of some particular day in November last, and there was an account presented in July for that particular time alone. It was to be remembered, that ever since the Bank restriction was under the consideration of the House, there had been a very strict watch kept over the Bank issues.

rose to order, on the ground that there was no question before the House.

said, that he had intended to conclude with a motion, as he stated when he begun. It was very hard, that while the House was to have such scarcity of information as to the affairs of the Bank, the Chancellor of the Exchequer should throw improper obstacles in the way, when he had endeavoured to give the House timely possession of that information. The hon. and learned gentleman concluded by moving, That the papers which he had yesterday moved for, relative to the Bank issues, should be laid before the House at its sitting on Monday.

said, that so far from wishing to throw any obstacles in the way of the motion of the hon. and learned gentleman, he had intended to anticipate his wishes, by postponing the question for a few days, to give time for printing the papers in question. It was not the first time, however, that the hon. and learned gentleman had been dealt hardly with on the question of the Bank restriction, as all the facts which had happened since the time when that question was first agitated, had controverted the opinions of the hon. and learned gentleman.

wished to know what the Chancellor of the Exchequer would propose on Monday.

said, that he should propose to adjourn the consideration of the Acts to Thursday next.

thought the postponement of the question would be of advantage, though he would wish not to be understood to say that further inquiry was not necessary.

thought a committee to inquire into the state of the Bank was necessary, before the House could agree to prolong the restriction.

said, that no hesitation or backwardness would appear on the part of the governor and company of the Bank, to submit their accounts, expenditure, and issues, to the investigation of any persons appointed by the House for that purpose.

disclaimed any intention of imputing backwardness to the Bank. His charge applied to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, who had placed the Bank in such circumstances as to justify the cons-plaint which he felt it his duty to prefer, when it was announced by that right hon. gentleman, on the very first day the House met, that he intended, after a short notice, to bring forward a measure of such magnitude, without having laid any information before the House. With a view to obtain some information on the subject, he was anxious that, on Monday, the papers to which his motion referred should be laid on the table.

The motion was then agreed to.

inquired whether the right hon. the Chancellor of the Exchequer was yet enabled to furnish the House with the information to which he adverted yesterday, with respect to the conduct of sir James Duff, on the subject of the Spanish fugitives surrendered at Gibraltar.

replied, that papers were in preparation to be laid before the House upon this subject.

observed, that the hon. gentleman had better make a motion respecting these papers.

professed his incompetency to shape any motion, as he did not know the nature of the papers in preparation; but when these papers were produced, he should then be enabled to see whether any motion for farther documents would be necessary.

began by observing, that any person who would look at the geographical position of Malta, in the Mediterranean, would immediately perceive, that it was a place which might become of great importance in a commercial point of view, and that it possessed many advantages which ought not to be lost sight of. Those advantages, however, which it had possessed in time of war, would be lost in time of peace, if all the ports of France and Spain were to have commercial facilities which Malta was not to have. The principal object of the resolutions which he intended to propose, was to allow a direct intercourse between our colonies in the West Indies and Malta. This might appear to be a great deviation from the general principle which regulated our colonial trade. It mist be recollected, however, that by an existing law, vessels laden with our colonial produce were permitted to go to any port in Europe, south of Cape Finisterre, on the condition of bringing back a cargo of grain or flour. It was quite clear, that if the ports of France and Spain had an advantage which was not extended to Malta, that island could not compete with them in the Mediterranean trade. It was his intention, therefore, to propose that every article, the growth or produce of our West Indian colonies, might be exported directly in British vessels to Malta, from whence they might be distributed among the neighbouring countries. He wished also to do away with the restriction respecting a return cargo, and to allow the vessels, when they had discharged their cargoes, to sail wherever they thought proper. It might, however, he proper to restrain the importation into the West Indies of certain manufactures on the continent, which rivalled those of this country. With the exception of those, he wished an unrestrained intercourse between Malta and the West Indies. He was not at present aware of its being necessary for him to do more than give a general outline of the plan. If the committee should agree to his resolutions, the House would be afterwards able to consider the details at their leisure. He should wish that raw and thrown silk from the Mediterranean, as well as wines, should be freely imported into the West Indies. There was at present a small duty, payable to the Turkey company, on all goods imported into this country from the Levant. To this duty they were entitled by their charter, and it was but small. The Turkey company was an open company, of which any man might be a member for two or three pounds. It was not on the plan of a monopoly for the advantage of a few individuals; but out of those duties they paid the expenses of the necessary establishments in the Levant. Until very lately our ambassador at Constantinople was paid by the Turkey company, and the drogomen and many inferior officers were now paid. Such were the prejudices existing, that it was perhaps better that those expenses should be borne by the Turkey company, than by the government. He was happy to be able to state that the Levant trade was lately much on the increase. The hon. gentleman concluded by moving the following Resolutions:

"That it is expedient to permit sugar, coffee, cocoa, rum, indigo, fustic, and other dyeing woods, melasses, pimento, and other articles the produce of Condition of bringing back a cargo of any of his Majesty's sugar colonies in America, to be exported from the said colonies to the island of Malta, or dependencies thereof, in British-built ships.

"That it is expedient to permit any ship importing any such articles into the said island and dependencies, to export there from to any of his Majesty's sugar colonies in America, corn, grain, meal, or flour, mill-timber, fruit, brimstone, quicksilver, olive oil, wine, anchovies, spunges, cork, aniseed, and other articles, upon payment of the like duties as if imported directly from Great Britain.

"That it is expedient to permit any goods and commodities (not being prohibited), being the produce or manufacture of any country or place within the Levant seas, to be imported into Great Britain from the island of Malta in British-built ships, on payment of the same duties to the Turkey company, as if imported from the place of their growth or manufacture.

"That it is expedient to permit raw silk, or mohair yarn, the produce of any place within the dominions of the grand seignior, to be imported into the united kingdom by any person admitted into the Turkey company from the island of Malta, on payment of the like duties to the said company as if imported directly from Turkey.

"That wine imported into the said sugar colonies in America shall be liable to the payment of the like duties as are charged on wine imported directly from the island of Madeira into the said colonies.

"That it is expedient to permit thrown silk, the production of Italy, Sicily, or Naples, to be imported directly from the island of Malta into Great Britain, upon payment of the like duties as if imported directly by sea from the place of its production."

inquired whether it was intended to extend the principle of this arrangement to East India produce also?

replied, that no such extension would at present be proposed, because it was thought difficult to open Malta to the East India trade, without opening that trade to all other parts of Europe. Upon that point, therefore, a difference of opinion prevailed, which would probably give rise to considerable discussion; and from that consideration he avoided the point at present, confining himself to that arrangement only upon which no objection was anticipated. The hon. gentleman concluded with observing, that his Resolutions applied merely to such articles as were at present prohibited to the trade of Malta.

The Resolutions were agreed to, and the Report was ordered to be brought up on Monday.