§ Mr. P. M. Stewarthad to put a question to the right hon. Baronet of the greatest importance to commercial interests, and he hoped the right hon. Gentleman would give him as explicit an answer as he 724 honourably could under the circumstances. In the speech from the Throne, the attention of Parliament had been drawn to the revision of the law affecting the trade in corn, and also the trade in other foreign produce. His questions related to those other articles of foreign produce. The effect of the mention of this subject in the Speech from the Throne, and of the articles in question being still unknown, had been to paralyse every market in the country. It was no exaggeration to say, that business to all intents and purposes was at a complete stand still—in the state of doubt in which merchants were left. His question to the right hon. Baronet was this he did not presume to ask, though he was almost tempted to do so, what were the articles to which the sentence in the royal Speech referred? He would be answered that the scheme could not be given out imperfectly or piecemeal; but he would ask the right hon. Gentleman, as some relief to commercial interests, to state when lie intended to divulge his whole scheme, including those articles of "other foreign produce." He would beg further, as people out of the House were not versed in the technical terms of its proceedings, that the right hon. Baronet would not mention such or such a day of supply, but would, in plain English, name the day and date.
§ Sir R. Peelwould first call the attention of the House to the state of the discussion on the Corn-laws. Without, in the slightest degree, wishing to precipitate the decision on that subject, or to complain of the time which the House might deem reasonable for its discussion, he trusted that those most adverse to the principle on which the measure proceeded, would bear in mind the manner in which the sense of the House had been expressed upon it, and would recollect that it made a great change in the existing law. The passing of this measure would permit corn now in bond to be brought into consumption at a much lower rate of duty than it was now subject to, and therefore he trusted there would be as much expedition as possible in passing the bill into a law. He was perfectly willing to open his views on financial and commercial policy. But, as he had stated before, there were considerations of public interest which would be intelligible to those who were aware of the financial condition of the country, that compelled him to postpone that statement until he could make 725 it in a Committee of Ways and Means. That committee he would move for as soon as the Committee of Supply had ceased. He thought it of great importance that they should conclude as soon as possible the discussion on the Corn-laws. There was great inconvenience in directing their attention to more than one subject at the same time. It should be recollected that the corn trade was suffering from the same paralysis which the hon. Gentleman spoke of as affecting other branches. He could not, therefore, name positively a fixed day for the statement to which he referred. He wished he could. He could only state that at the earliest possible opportunity he would bring forward the views of her Majesty's Government with respect to the financial and commercial policy of the country. Even if the hon. Gentleman had been tempted, against his better discretion, to ask for the details to which he had adverted, he should have felt bound to resent the counter-temptation to give an answer. He thought the hon. Gentleman had exercised a wise discretion in resisting the temptation to make the inquiry.