presented a Petition from Falmouth against the substitution of ten-gun brigs for Falmouth packets in the service of the Post Office.

, after pointing out the inconveniences and in some instances, the danger incurred by the employment of hired packets, declared that the ten-gun brigs now employed in the packet service were much less frequently lost than was, generally supposed. During several years, only six King's packets had been lost, and those in voyages more dangerous than any in which the hired packets had been employed, whilst the loss of the latter had averaged about two per annum. One King's packet had been driven ashore at Barbadoes in a hurricane. The Redpole was lost on her voyage from the Brazils; and it was generally supposed, that she was captured by pirates, and destroyed. The Ariel, it was supposed, had been burnt on her voyage to the West Indies. The Calypso was understood to have been lost on an iceberg, after the pilot had forewarned the commander of his danger. It should be recollected, that the twenty-eight packets engaged, had made upwards of 1,000 voyages across the Atlantic, and only one of them could be shown to have been lost by stress of weather. As to the difference of expense, there was a saving of between ten and twenty-eight per cent by the increased speed of the King's packets. One petition on this subject stated, that the widows and children of persons lost in their packets were a great burthen to the town of Falmouth; whereas, from a return made, it appeared that only one widow was supported out of the Poor-rates of Falmouth, at a cost of five shillings per week. The petition, he believed, did not represent the feelings of the inhabitants of Falmouth generally, but only of a few interested persons. He had the satisfaction of being able to say, that vessels were now building of a superior construction for the packet service.

presented a petition signed by 706 ship-sawyers, employed on the River Thames, complaining of the state of business, arising chiefly in consequence of the various Acts of the Legislature, relating to navigation and the British shipping. The petitioners prayed for a general revision of these Acts; but whether that would restore to the petitioners their lost employment, he was not prepared to say. Of his own knowledge, however, he could declare, that no commercial distress was equal to that experienced by the shipping interest of the port of London; nor did he see any chance of amelioration, for nothing could be more gloomy than the present prospect of the commerce of the port of London, which had been supported, as it were, by four great branches of trade. Of these, the silk manufactures of Bethnal-Green had not only to contend with those of France, but those of Manchester. The East-India trade, it was presumed, would no longer be confined to London, but would be distributed among the outports also; and whatever the general effect of that alteration might be, there could be no doubt of its injury to the metropolis. The trade of sugar refining was already all but lost; indeed four-fifths of it were already gone; and all who were connected with the West Indies, began to feel the effect of the projected measures of change for those colonies. Thus, all the great sources, for those he had named were the only great sources of employment of the population of London would be either greatly reduced or cut away. He therefore strongly recommended the prayer of the petitioners to the consideration of Government, lamenting at the same time, that none of them were present to hear that prayer. It had become absolutely necessary that the utmost economy should make way for great reduction in taxation, and, above all taxes, those on houses and windows ought to be abolished. Indeed, they could not much longer be paid. They pressed, perhaps, with more severity on the eastern suburbs of the metropolis, than on any other portion of the kingdom.