views of the speakers, however, were generally the
same that had been used in the house of lords, though being used by a
greater number of persons, they were presented under a greater number
of modifications. The motion was supported by the admitted fact of the
prevailing distress; the duty of the house to give relief, if possible;
and the necessity for that purpose of ascertaining the causes of the
evil. On the other hand it was denied that the distress was general,
and that if it was, it would be useless to enter into an inquiry without
some specific remedy being pointed out, which had not yet been done.
Great objections were also taken to the form of the proposed inquiry.
There was no subject of any difficulty with which parliament had ever
had to deal, but would necessarily come before this committee, and how
could the whole house deal with such an investigation. Sir C. Burrell
moved as an amendment that the petitions should be referred to a
select committee, but this was still more vehemently resisted: Mr. Peel
declaring that a committee of the whole house was the better of
the two. Lord Althorp, with the leading members of the Whig party
generally, as well as Mr. Huskisson and his followers, took part with
the ministry; and the motion was eventually lost by a majority of two
hundred and fifty-five against eighty-seven.

REDUCTION OF SALARIES OF PUBLIC OFFICERS, ETC.

Throughout the discussions on the state of the nation, the necessity
of reducing taxation, and curtailing the public expenditure, had been
insisted on with great force. On the 12th of February, Sir James Graham
moved for a reduction of all the salaries paid to official, persons.
The foundation of his motion was this:--that, subsequently to the Bank
Restriction Act, all salaries had been increased, because the expense of
living had increased; and he argued, therefore, that, as the restriction
had been removed, and we had returned to cash payments, the salaries
ought to be diminished. Justice, he said, demanded such a change High
prices, produced by a depreciated currency, had brought them high
salaries; low prices, produced by curing that depreciation, must
bring them low salaries He did not, however, mean to include in his
resolutions the privy-purse and the royal establishment, as these stood
upon arrangements entered into at the beginning of the reign, and were
hence inviolate. Neither would he interfere with the regular pay of the
navy, whic