uisitions for public meetings in the principal
towns. In parliament, also, the opposition lost no time in coming to the
attack. On the 3rd of May, the Duke of Buckingham presented one hundred
and twenty petitions against a repeal of the corn-laws.

In the house of commons, Viscount Sandon gave notice of the following
resolution, which he would move on going into the committee of ways and
means: "That, considering the efforts and sacrifices which parliament
and the country have made for the abolition of the slave-trade and
slavery, with the earnest hope that their exertions and example might
lead to a mitigation and final extinction of those evils in other
countries, this house is not prepared, especially with the present
prospects of the supply of sugar from the British possessions, to adopt
the measure proposed by her majesty's government for the reduction of
the duty on foreign sugars." Lord John Russell gave notice, in the event
of the house not going into committee on the sugar duties, and
Viscount Sandon's resolution being put from the chair, he should move
a counter-resolution; namely, "That it is the opinion of this house,
that it is practicable to supply the present inadequacy of the revenue
to meet the expenditure of the country, by a judicious alteration of
protective and differential duties, without any material increase of the
public burdens; that such a course will, at the same time, promote the
interests of trade, and afford relief to the industrious classes, and is
best calculated to provide for the maintenance of the public faith and
the general welfare of the people." A third notice was given by Mr.
O'Connell, to the effect that any diminution of the duty on foreign
sugar should be limited to that which was produced by free labour, and
not extend in any way to the produce of slave labour. The debate on the
sugar question was preceded by the presentation of petitions both for
and against the alterations proposed by government. In commencing the
debate, which lasted eight nights, Lord John Russell took the formal
motion for going into committee out of Mr. Baring's hands, and
availed himself of the opportunity for pre-occupying the ground, and
anticipating the arguments of his opponents. In his speech his lordship
remarked, that if this had been merely a financial question, he should
have left it in the hands of the chancellor of the exchequer. He
regarded it, however, as constituting, by the variety and ma