intelligence is conveyed, and the increase in the consumption of foreign articles of luxury—these classes have made a very great advance. If we look in the labouring classes—if we look to the men who either till the soil or labour in the factories—if we look to the quantity of necessaries which their wages would buy in the middle of the last century, and that which they can buy now—if we go into the details with which I shall not now trouble the house, but which have been exhibited in the reports of the commissioners sent forth-some by the late government, and some by the present—I think we must be convinced that they have not participated in an equal degree in the advantages which civilisation and improved knowledge have conferred upon us. (Hear, hear.)"
His lordship said he thought it would be necessary to revise the whole subject of the import duties, to ascertain their amount on articles of food and general consumption, and to see how small an amount of duty should be paid upon them; but he took care to assure the agriculturists that he did not propose to deprive them of protection. He still adhered to his fixed-duty, desperately, for the question elsewhere had become one of total repeal or the continuance of the existing law. He said:—"In regard to what is due to the mitigation of burdens imposed upon the consumers of this country, I think we should likewise consider what is due to the agricultural interest of this country. I think you should consider, with respect to many subjects, whether that unequal taxation, which now posses upon us, cannot be remedied. I remember, at the commencement of the session, that some expressions I used on this subject were misunderstood by some members of the house, when I declared that I thought it would not be wise at once to abolish all laws restricting the importation of corn, without taking into consideration the increase of duties and taxes to which the producers of corn had been subjected since the commencement of the present century. I will mention but two of them, One, the very great increase in the county rates since the beginning of the war of 1793—another, the very large augmentation of the malt tax. It appears to me that now, when the government
