§ Lord Wharncliffepresented a Petition, signed by 3,500 persons residing in Huddersfield and its vicinity. They complained of great distress, and prayed for some relief. A part of their distress they attributed to the decline in the demand for Fancy Stuffs, which was so great as almost to destroy that trade; but the great cause of the difficulties they and other classes suffered, they attributed to the pressure of taxation, greatly aggravated by certain measures that had been adopted by Government, more particularly that of the change from a paper to a metallic currency. This change the petitioners thought should have been accompanied by a reduction of part of the national debt, or by some measure which would bring the property of the fundholder as much under the effects of taxation as the other property of the country. Upon these points he differed from the petitioners. He did not see what measure could be introduced which would have the effect of making the property of the fundholder liable in the way proposed. Nor did he admit the justice of any reduction of the national debt in any way by which faith would be broken with the public creditor. In that part of the prayer of the petitioners which sought for a large reduction of taxation he fully concurred, and he hoped to hear of still greater reductions than those which had been already announced by Government. He had great confidence in the disposition of Ministers to go as far as they could in reducing the burthens of the country.
§ Petition laid on the Table.