§ Sir E. Knatchbullsaid, he doubted very much whether the mere admission of the corn in bond, upon the terms proposed, would not so affect the market, as to prevent the home agriculturist from obtaining a remunerating price. The best point about the measure was, that it would answer as an experiment; and the result might guide the House in their view of what should be the permanent measure next year. He doubted whether the late measure could fairly be called lord Liverpool's. That noble lord might have been favourable to the principle of the bill, but he did not think that he had been the author of all its details.
§ Mr. Canningsaid, that his first speech 1372 to the House in bringing forward the late measure had been spoken from the memorandum of lord Liverpool himself, as from a brief. One new clause he certainly had introduced; namely, the clause which empowered his majesty to stop the importation from any particular country, with which the interests of England made it inconvenient that we should deal; but that clause had not been one of the parts objected to. For the question of price, the price of 60s. had not only been fixed by lord Liverpool, but that noble lord had told him in conversation, that he had met the hon. baronet, and that he had mentioned the subject of price to the hon. baronet, who had replied that he was satisfied with a price of 60s., rather upwards than downwards. With reference to the principle of the bill, he agreed that there was difficulty to be met: the possibility of producing suffering to the agricultural classes was not to be overlooked, although he had to remove the actual and existing suffering of the manufacturing interests. This, however, would be agreed upon all hands—that the privations of the manufacturers had been borne with a patience that merited the highest encomium, and that could have but one effect—that of inducing an increased anxiety, on the part of the legislature, to adopt every measure calculated to give them relief. Important as the late bill must necessarily have appeared to them, it was remarkable how little the House had been importuned by them in its progress. He trusted, that the House would come to the discussion of the question next year with minds perfectly unbiassed, and that nothing would occur in the mean time to create, on either side, the slightest feeling of irritation.
Mr. Bankessaid, that 60s. might have been tolerated as a medium price; but, under the provisions of the late bill, it would have been likely to become a maximum. He for himself rejoiced that that bill had been lost.
The bill then went through the committee.