§ Order of the Day for the House to go into Committee on the Customs Acts, read,
§ MR. T. DUNCOMBErose to put a question to the Government, which, be said, related to a subject in which the public took a great interest. The House had been in- 1355 formed that the Treaty of Commerce with France was to be a dead letter until it had been ratified by the British Parliament; and what, under those circumstances, he was anxious to ascertain was whether, supposing any alteration or modification of the financial Resolutions which had been laid on the table with respect to the Customs Acts should take place, the Government would have the power, or whether they would, by negotiation, endeavour to render those alterations and modifications conformable to the terms of the Treaty—whether, in short, the House was called upon to take the Treaty as it stood—in other words, to accept "the Bill, the whole Bill, and nothing but the Bill," or to reject it altogether?
§ MR. DU CANEsaid, that since he gave notice on Friday last, of the Resolution which stood on the paper in his name, he found that notice had been given by his right hon. Friend the Member for Buckinghamshire, to bring under the consideration of the Committee another Resolution, containing a proposition in which he (Mr. Du Cane) entirely concurred, and which embodied a question which he felt assured the majority of the hon. Members could not fail to perceive, if discussed at all, ought to be disposed of before any Resolution immediately affecting the financial proposals of the Government. He should, under those circumstances, with the permission of the House, postpone his Resolution until that of his right hon. Friend had been discussed. He wished the House, however at the same time, to understand that he was by no means desirous to retreat from the position which he had taken up with respect to the financial propositions of the Government, and that it was his intention to submit his Resolution to the House as soon as was conformable to its rules after the proposition of his right hon. Friend had been disposed of.