and unpleasant nature. It was, moreover, liable to this objection-that in whatever way the Board decided, the party to whom the right of exportation was refused conceived himself injured, and looked with jealousy on another party to whom a liberty to export certain different articles was permitted. Upon this ground alone he felt the necessity of establishing some fixed principle of exportation and prohibition of all articles of machinery. He had himself endeavoured to lay down a rule by which the discretion vested in the Board of Trade should be regulated; and that principle was this that when machinery was of great bulk, and contained a great quantity of the raw material, then no objection should be made to exportation, as he considered that no injury could be done to the country by it. But where the machinery was one of modern improvement, and depended mainly upon the ingenuity and excellence of the mechanism, and where the raw material used was trifling, he felt that he owed it to the manufacturer to restrain, as far as he could, the exportation of such machinery. The mischief that would arise from altering the law respecting a general exportation of machinery might be collected from this fact-that there were at the present moment, many manufacturing establishments standing still on the Continent, under the expectation of obtaining machinery of a particular description from this country. Under these circumstances, then, and particularly in the present state of the manufacturing interests, he implored the honourable member not to agitate the question at present. He was ready to give any assistance in his power, either in his individual capacity, or as a member of a Committee, towards simplifying and more strictly defining the law; but he did not wish it to go forth to the public, that the whole law with regard to the exportation of machinery might be safely repealed. EXPOSITION OF THE STATE OF THE BRITISH COMMERCIAL SHIPPING INTEREST. May 7, 1827. Early in the session, General Gascoyne gave notice of a motion on the distressed State of the Shipping Interest. The motion was repeatedly postponed in consequence of Mr. Huskisson's severe illness. On the 10th of March, Mr. Baring, on presenting a Petition from the Ship-owners of London, complaining of the changes which had been made in the Navigation Laws, took the opportunity of asking the Vice-President of the Board of Trade, whether it was the intention of Government to grant a Committee on the subject? He said he thought some inquiry necessary, for the purpose of ascertaining whether the distress proceeded from the measures which had been adopted, or whether it was the consequence of that general stagnation of Trade, which had, more or less, affected all the other branches of national industry. Mr. Charles Grant answered, that his right honourable friend, the President of the Board of Trade, was • The following is a List of the Ministry, as it was settled under Mr. Canning: Cabinet Ministers. Earl of Harrowby............. Lord Lyndhurst Duke of Portland, President of the Council; shortly after succeeded by the Duke of Portland. .......Lord Chancellor. { Lord Privy Seal; shortly after succeeded by the Earl of Carlisle. First Lord of the Treasury, and Right Hon. George Canning...{Chancellor of the Exchequer. Right Hon. C. W. W. Wynn ......President of the Board of Control. Lord Bexley..... Chancellor of the Duchy of Lan caster. :{ Treasurer of the Navy, and Pre Right Hon. William Huskisson {sident of the Board of Trade. extremely anxious to take the earliest opportunity, which his health would allow of, to put the House in possession of the views of Government, upon the whole question connected with the Shipping Interest of the country. Accordingly, General Gascoyne, this day, opened the subject to the House, and moved, "That a Select Committee be appointed to inquire into the present Distressed State of the British Commercial Shipping Interest." The motion having been opposed by Mr. Poulett Thompson, and defended by Mr. Liddell and by Sir Joseph Yorke, who hoped that the House, notwithstanding the speech it might hear from the President of the Board of Trade, would not be led away by words calculated to make "the worse appear the better reason,” but would confine itself to practical facts, and discard theoretical arguments, Mr. HUSKISSON rose, and spoke as follows: I do not regret, Sir, that, by giving way to the gallant admiral,* I afforded him an opportunity of cautioning the Viscount Palmerston ...............Secretary at War. Right Hon. George Tierney......Master of the Mint. Earl of Carlisle First Commissoner of Woods and Not of the Cabinet. H. R. H. the Duke of Clarence ...Lord High Admiral. Marquis of Anglesey { Master-General of the Ordnance; shortly after a place in the Cabinet. Right Hon. Vesey Fitz-Gerald...Paymaster of the Forces. Duke of Manchester J. C. Herries, Esq. Joseph Planta, Esq. ..... Right Hon. C. Grant Right Hon. Sir John Leach Sir N. C. Tindal Marquis Wellesley .......Postmaster-General. Secretaries of the Treasury. { Vice-President of the Board of ......Master of the Rolls. Vice-Chancellor. ...Attorney-General. ................................Solicitor-General. Right Hon. Sir A. Hart ............ Lord Chancellor. Sir Joseph Yorke. House not to be misled by arguments calculated to make "the worse appear the better cause.” The House will know how to appreciate the value of the gallant admiral's advice, and to apply it to the speech with which he has just favoured us. Before I proceed to those observations, which it will be my duty to make on the motion of my honourable colleague, the House, I trust, will allow me to offer my unfeigned acknowledgments for their kind consideration towards me, in having, more than once, postponed the discussion of this important question before the Easter recess, when I was unavoidably absent from their debates. Those who have witnessed my conduct in former parliaments will give me credit when I say, that I always feel deep regret, if, from any cause, I am prevented attending my public duty in this place. My regret has, in the present instance, been greatly increased, by the consideration, that this House was occupied before the recess, with another very important question-I mean the Corn Laws; in the course of the discussions upon which, frequent reference was made to the opinions which I had professed, and to the part which I had taken on former occasions upon that subject. Neither of that reference, nor of any animadversions which may have accompanied it, have I a disposition or a right to complain. I admit that, in thus referring to my conduct and opinions, honourable members have done no more than they were called upon to do by their own sense of public duty. They were the less called upon to be scrupulous in this respect, as they were aware that, at some future time, an opportunity would, in all probability, be afforded me, of defending myself, if necessary, against any imputations which might be cast upon me, and of making that defence, in the presence of those by whom my conduct had been arraigned, and before the same tribunal by which the charge had been heard. Whilst I feel, therefore, as I sincerely do feel,-nothing but thankfulness for the consideration with which I have been treated during my absence, by all parties in this House, I must say, that I cannot but take a very different view of an attack, altogether unprovoked, which was made in another place, upon my public character and conduct, at a moment when I was wholly disabled by illness, from taking any notice of that unwarrantable proceeding :—in a place, too, where, neither in sickness nor in health, neither now, nor at any time hereafter, can I be permitted to meet, face to face, the individual making that unjust attack, or be afforded an opportunity of repelling it before the assembly to which it was addressed. It may have suited the taste, it may have been congenial to the feelings of that individual, to represent me, under these circumstances, as a "wild theorist, ready at all times to attempt any experiment, no matter how hazardous." It may have been deemed justifiable by that individual, to charge me with having palmed measures upon the House and upon the country, under false pretences. It may have been Mr. Cressett Pelham rose to order. He observed, that the right honourable gentleman was out of order, inasmuch as he was alluding to expressions which had been used in debate, in the other House of Parliament. Mr. HUSKISSON. If an allegation-an unjust and unfounded allegation-be made against me, I must answer it when I can. If my character is attacked and calumniated in another place, in which I cannot be heard, I must avail myself of the opportunity of defending it in a place where I can be heard. It has been asserted of me, in the place to which I allude, that I have palmed upon the House and the country measures of great public importance, under false pretences, and that I have been guilty-neither more nor less of a gross political fraud. |