The Express. — London, England, 1847-01-27 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LOHIoz.—reESDAY, JAN. 26. ROYAL ASSENT. The royal ftnent WAS given, bj• commixion, to the Corn Import. tion Siil, and the Navigation Liw Susperaion Bill ; the commissioners being th. Lord Chancellor, the Earl of Shaftesbury, and Lord Campbell. At Are o'clock the house resumed, the Esrl of Shaftesbury taking the woolsack as deputpspeaker. TIDAL HARBOUR COMMISSION. The Earl of AUCKLAND laid on the table a report from the Tidal Harbour Cummiraion. Their lordships then adjourned until Thursday. HOUSE OF CONIAIONS—TUE.DAT, JAN. 26. The Speaker took the ehair ehewtly befare four o'clock. PRIVATE PAIS. SECOND READING.-row Liverpool. Gas Bill. Ph !IL IC BUSIN Kits. PETITIONS,--From Lerch, In favour of the Poor Removal Bill, wad a petition for art alteration in the law for the arre-tment of wages. Numerous petilitmi from various places in favour of a - fen Hours' Factory Bill. SEOOND HEADING.-Euck wheat, Re. Importation Rill. ELT' ENS 0 tItEItE.D..-Of the official documents tweed by the Britlah authorities in Clika, for the regulation of the trade thertot. Acorunta attic receipts and &Arrow:mots nf the colony of Hong Yong up to the latest periA. An account of the qmisitky and value ed glade Imported end esported. Addle ss for a ropy of the minutes of the trustees of the National Gallery during the years ISIS and 18 with the names of all the trustees prownt at each meeting; also few coines of the milers and in to the keeper of the Gallery re. ILTithe cleaning of Inc pictun-a, and ant &realms in respect to trirancement, and ether documents rel:airs thereto. NOTICES OP MOTION. --.llstentee Too for Inland. -Mr. Sown Century, no Tuesday. Feb. 9, to propose an absentee nu for Ireland. -Peddle 1014,111 e. -DT. Marais°, on Tuesday, Feb. 9, to submit a motion for better souring the collection of the pubte revenue, and the better rendering of the psblic coo ants.--Gout of Gooesosnent Neosores for Ireland.-tr. Ittiames, on Thursday nest, to ask the noble lord at the head of the government what his calculation was as to Co. probable of carrying nut the government measureo for Ire land.-Prerearonsot Sessions. -Mr. W. S. tenele.., on Thursday next, to ask the noSle lord at the head of the g comment what was the course be Minded to adopt respecting prewutment MOW= in Ire land. ROYAL ASSENT. The SPEAKER and the numbers of the house were summoned to the House of Lord. to hear the royal assent given by tionintisidon to the Corn and Navigation Laws Suspension Bills. On their return the Speaker anamanced that to them the royal assent had been given. CHANNEL SQUADRON. Sir C. NAPIER wished to ask the Secretary to the Ad miralty a question, of who's he had given notice. It was, whether it WAS the intention of tile government to em ploy any portion of the Ch tone! sqiiadron in importing corn into the country for the use of Theism( ? Me. WARD said the question was one which rather re garded the government generally than the Admire's!) , in particular. No application hod been made to the Admiralty for the assistance to which the hon. gentleman referred. He believed that he might say that the matter had been brought before government, and had been considered as general principles, and that ai eietance was not considered requisite. CRIMINALS SENTENCED TO TRANSPORTATION AND JUVENILE OFFENDERS. Mr. BANK ES wished to put two queatiens to the Secre tary for the Horne Department. The first was, whether the government had provided at home for the imprisonment of those sentenced to transportation, whom sentence it was not their intention to carry into effect in the usual way ? Had the government matured their plan with regard to the disposal of persons sentenced to transportation, and at what period may that plan be expected to be laid on the table of the house ? Sir G. GREY said that he stated a few nights ago th it the disposal of those sentenced to transportation had not lately been carried into effect in the usual way, owing to the vast expe nse consequent on it. Papers relating the inten tions o f the government with respect to the matter were now in the course of preparation, and he booed that in a few days he would be sole to lay them on the table of the house. Those papers would state the principle and not the details of the government measure. He trusted that he would be able to bring in a bill on the subject at no distant period. Mr. BANKES also wished to ask whether the govern ment had formed any plan for amending the mode of con ducting proceedings with regard to juvenile offenders pre vious to and after trial And in the case of those convicted, whether it was their intention to award punishments more suitable to their feelincs and leas conducive to the contami nation of their morals ? Sir G. GREY said that as regarded the treatment of offenders previous to their trial, on that subject they bad no definite plan. It must undergo more consideration. With respect to the disposal of them after trial, that subject would be contained in the papers which be intended to lay before the house. THE USE OF SUGAR AND MOLASSES; AND THE INTRODUCTION OF RUM INTO IRELAND AND SCOTLAND. Mr. MILES begged to ask the Chaneellor of the Exchequer whether there would be any objection to refer the bill for the above purposes to a select committee above stairs, before they got a second reading, to inquire into what their effect would be on the colonies. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that since he bad intimated that the question would be put he kad communicated with the noble lord at the head of the frorernment. They did not think it expedient to send the bill to a committee, in consequence of the delay that would arise therefrom in passim( it. JUVENILE OFFENDERS. Col. T. WOOD wished to ask the secretary of state whe ther the nseasuro contemplated by government related to juvenile offenders generally. or merely to juvenile convicts ? Sir G. GREY said that the papers which he would pro duce would include juven le of of all classes, except, perhaps, those sentenced to imprisonment for a very short period. The scheme in contemplation would not be con fined to those sentenced to transportation. POOR-LAW (IRELAND). In answer to Mr. P. SCROPE, Lord J. RUSSELL said that the boards of guardians would be required, by the provisions of the bill which he I introduced last night, to afford relief in certain cases, namely, to those who were unable to work from extreme age, per 'snanent infirmity, or bodily defect. With respect to the other chines, there were provisions suited to their particular cases which his hon. friend would see in the bill. There was another question as to the power of forcing the board of guardians to afford relief when they refused to carry the law into effect. With regard to that, ho believed that further powers would be required in such cases, and, if necessary, clauses would be introduced for that purpose. With reaped to vagrants and mendicants, he thought that further legislation would be required, but he had no bill to offer on that subject. lIUSiNESS OF THE HOUSE. Lord J. RUSSELL mid that, as there was no busi ness of importance before the house to be transacted to morrow, he would move that the house adjourn till Thurs day. Agreed to. POUNDAGE ON CHELSEA PENSIONERS. moved to a great extent, and the victim. in Liverpool were out Ills numerous. Other parts, sod malice' irly the towns of England, are similarly afflicted." In the same page follow these remarks : —.• The returns of the peat quarter prove that nothing effectual has been d ine to put a stop to the disease, suffering, and death in which so army thousands perish. The improvements, chill! of a showy, superficial, outside character, have not reached the homes sod habits of the p .ople. The house and children of a labouring man can only be kept clean and healthy by the aesiduous labour of • wel,-trained, i nil ust rinus wife. as any one a ho Las puhl the least attention to the subject is aware. This is overlooked in Lanca shire,where the woman is often engaged in labour from home. The consequence is, that thousands, nut only of the children, but of the men and women theme. Ives, perish of the diseases formerly so foal for the same reasons in barracks, camps, gaols, and ships." In the same page an extract, given beim a report of the registrar of Wotan Norris, Stockport, nye: " Ot the 121 persons, 5.3 were children of one year lI F sad under ; and of these deaths of infants the multi were certified by a rucilical attendant in only 29 cares. It is to be ' fear d that many at this age are lost for waut of medical assistance and care of the mother, w ho is woe obliged to leave her child in other hands and go further to engage in ailment and unwholesome toil. The chill sickerva and is soothed by opiates." In the same page, • quotation of s similar taiture is given from the reguarar ut Deans gate, Manchester, who concludes thus:—" In all Man chester there is but one children's diepensery, and this has hut two medical officers. Such institutions should be numerous in large towns, and much good might be effected ; but the unfortunate out-door occupation of the women, by causing the withholding of nature's nutriment horn the chil dren, is terribly destructive to the latter" In page 4, the Registrar—General sums up this appalling picture by stating that—" In Manchester 13,362 children p.riehed in seven years neer and above the mortality natural to mankind. nose . little children,' brought up hi unclean dwelling' and impure streets, were left al me long days by their mothers to breathe !the subtle sickly vapours, soothed by opium—a more ' cursed' distillation then ' hebenon '—a lid when merited by mortal diseases, their stomachs torn, their bodies convulsed, their brains bewildered, left to d e, without medical aid. which, like hope, sh mid " come to I all," the skilled medical man never being calk: liu at all, or only summoned to witness the death, and sanc tion the funeral." Sir, I cannot quote these official reports without recalling to the a•tention of the house, that fur many, many tears, statements of a similar nature, though perhans not so shocking in degree, have been brought before it by the late Mr. Sadler, by Mr. Oasticr, and more recently by Lord Ashley ; but always so strenuously denied by the manufacturing body, that the parliament has remained incredulous. You are now tell, from authority and in figures not to be dieputel, how awful is the destruc tion of human life in oar principal manulecturing towns• you am told distinctly that one of its chief causes is the • constant and unwholesome toil " of mothers, who are com pelled to leave their offspring " long days alone to breathe sickly vapours, soothed by opiates," " withholding Nature's nutriment," to their destruction. I agree, sir, with the Registrar-Oeneral, that the " holm and children of a labour:lm man can only be kept clean and healthy by the assiduous labour of a well-trained, industrious wife." I agree with him also, in his just, but severe remark, that ." this is overlooked in Lancashire, where the woman is often engaged. in labour from home." Agreeing with him, and knowing well the truth of his remarks. I have learned this bill with the hope that this house will no longer overlook the fruitful cause of suelt wide-spread death as the registrars general has retorted, but that it will sanction at one,, the restriction which I propose with regard to females, in order to stop this frightful state of things. I hear men talk very glibly of the " horrors of war," and I believe that there is in this country a " Peace-preservation Society," whose oh ject is to chow mankind that nations, to avoid sech horrors, should always remain at peace. I applaud their efforts; but let me ask what arc the "horrors of war" but a wholesale sacrifice of human life now and then occurrinz ? They are " horrors," and I respect those who bestow the energy of their minds in endc avours to convince the world of - their futility and wickedness; but when the registrar-i eneral, in the document I have quoted, notifies to us the horrible sacrifice of human life that is annually perpetrated in our manufacturing towns, far exceeding the average racrifice of life by war, I think we should give an earnest of our sincere desire to avoid ouch horrors by immediately setting to work, in every practicable form, to effect the object at home. (Neer.) As to the young persons between 13 and 18, whom I roll children, no one, I should think, ean in the abstract object to their labour being curtailed to ten hours per day. It is the most critical period of life ; it i. well ascertained that they have not now the opportunities of healthful ncrea tion and of new -1 instruction that they absolutely require, and that their physical powers are in many cues destroyed. (Hear, hear.) Toe only argument that I anticipate against it is " the tyrant's plea," the plea of necessity. I expect to hear, that to reduce the hours of work of the child to such as are compatible with his strength and his neceseary moral training, will indirectly curtail the hours of labour of the adult workman with whom the child performs ito labour; that this is a legislative interference between master and man, and is contrary to the principles of political economy. I undei stand the words "political economy " to mean the mode of rightly governing a state; and my opponent. have always awned that any interference, by legislative enact ment, between master and man, is a violation of the proper mode of governing. Let them recollect that they have all, whether as ministers or manufacturers, defined the la bourer and the master to he two dealers—the first a man who sells the commodity called " labour," and the other, a man who buys that same commodity. They have defined them to be two dealers in one commodity. I ask my opponents to take their own definition, and tell me why it se contrary to the principles of political economy to interfere between these two dealers in the commodity calls I labour, any more than between any other dealers ? (Hear, hear.) If they show that it is conerary to the principles of political economy to interfere between two adult dealers in labour, they will then have to show that the same principle prevails when the dealings between those two pers ins involve the sacrifice of helpless children of both sexes. (Hear.) For my part, sir, I think that • leading principle of political economy is, the care of the lives, the health, and the morals of the people—(hear)—and it is upon the ground that the life, health, and morality of the young persons, and of women, are sacrificed by too long hours of work in our factories, that I ask leave to bring in this bill. I must remind the, house that, in 1833 it passed an set for emancieating the black slaves of our West Indian colonies, in which a claim was inserted restricting the labour of the emancipated adult negro to 4,5 hones in a week, • shorter period by 13 home than the English factory child claims at our hands, many of whom have to work in rooms of as high a temperature as that of the colonies. (Hear.) Sir, 1 am anxious to mitre the house, that the working people are now so anxious as ever for the abridgment of labour that this bill would enact. I remember a remarkable saying, put forward by the hon. member for Stockport (Mr. Cobden) in the factory debate on the 22nd of May last, and reported thus:—"" If this measure were staved off for but one twelvemonth, he was assured that the admissions that had been made upon this subject would change the views of the working classes, and, instead of seeking for a law to compel short hours for their labour, they would see the superior advantages of leaving the question to be settled by the mutual arrange ment of muter and man, under such circumstances as would not cause • diminution of the wages." Now, more than two thirds of the twelvemonth have passed away, and I have gained much instruction on the feelings of the working people in factories in that time. I have attended all their meetings that I could with convenience, and I have care fully watched the reported proceedings of others; and I can safely say that not one word of this prophecy has been ful filled, but just the contrary. (Hear, bear.) The factory hands are more determined than ever to have a ten hours bit (Hear, hear.) They have entreated the masters to shorten the hours of work voluntarily, and sustain wages. (Hear, hear.) My hon. friend the member for Ashton (Mr. Hindley) has been assisting them, but their efforts have failed, and now some are working 12 hours, some eight hours, some six hours, some • less number, and some mills are altogether closed. Nothing like 10 hours a day, on an average, are now being worked in the factories of Lancashire and Yorkshire, and yet there is no " mutual arrangement of masters and men" in regard to working their mills an uniform number of hours. While some children are being overworked, others have no work at all, and have to starve tor want of the necessaries of life. If ' the Ten Hours Bill had passed last seesios, I believe , that much of the suffering now going on, and to be ex pected, would have been avoided, and the hands et the fac tories would have been working ten hours a day. (Hear, , bear.) Short time, such u now prevails, disturbs all things; puts workpeople on less wages, and manufacturers take advantage of the state of things to reduce wages, which do not rise again so rapidly as they fall. (Hear, hear.) But the evil does not stop here. As regards the spinners and manufacturers themselves, the weaker and poorer manufacturers suffer by it the most. Of necessity they sell their goods as they are produced, and almost inva riably at a loss in seasons of bad trade. The wealthier lay up stocks of goods in those times of depression , if materials , and labour are low, and when the demand revives, and prises of materials and wages rise, they bring their stocks into the market, undersell their poorer competitors, and prevent them from recovering their looses for a longer time than would otherwise be the ease, and an increase of insolvencies and bankruptcies follows, all of which would have been prevented by proper regulation. (Hear, hear, hear.) When the employers are ruined, their workpeople are thrown out of work, and have to suffer all the evils of excessive poverty. What justification can be urged . for working young children and women to death in factories, to promote • system which tends to so much suf fering both amongst employers and the employed ? (Hear, hear.) In conclusion I beg to state, that it is a ten and not an eleven hours bill that those employed in factories supplicate this house to grant. An eleven hours bill would not re medy threvils complained of ; it would not give satisfaction, nor stop the agitation on this question; and as I know from long experience that whet they seek is reasonable, and ought to he conceded, I implore the house to pass a ten hours bill. Sir O. OBEY said that the hill, of which the hon. gentleman ' was kind enough to show him a draft, was similar in sub stance to the bill of last session introduced by Lord Ashley, and he had no objection to its introduction. He did not mean to go into the discussion of the subject then, but would reserve his observations till the second reading. He merely thought it right to guard himself against the sup , position that he assented to the construction which the hon. : m i em mther be nsel r ype pi t o t w to thenedpehiin t th th e e last report of the inspector-general, with mortalitymorilfiatcytoorfciy tt.w labourers. greater Hateerththoaunghint i rural districts, but that it was greater in Liverpool than is o l f lan th e e hr th,n r. tio (ll n e o a f r, th h e ear ho.; but.)Thatd heocu thmenotuwgsaht the we remedy ma lif uired r. ;ALA I' ltri W n N ge Y nt wniprotestedUrY measure , ( th li er , 611 1 1 1ear beIng allowed to proceed further, because it would injure the being of the country. The measure was redundant and de fective—redundant, because it would injure those labourers who were employed in factories ; defective, because it did Mr F MAtiLE, in moring for lease m brin g in a bill to abolish poundage on Chelsea pensioners, explained, that nearly a hundred years ago it was the practice to allow the pensions of the Chelsea pensioners to get In arresr for twelve months before they were paid. In 1754, however, the government passed a law to the effect that the pensions should be paid six months in advance. and that 5 per cent. should be deducted from each pension for such accommoda tion. This explained the term " poundage." In 1833 an act was passed abolishing poundage on all pensions awarded to men who should enlist subsequent to that period. The reduction had come very naturally to be considered a tax on the old pensioners, the more especially as their pensions were now seidom paid more than one month in advance, and the object of the present bill was to do away at once and for ever with the system -of poundage, and pay all pensions hereafter in fall. (Hear, hear.) He trusted the generosity of the house would allow ne obstacle to be pre sented to the introduction of the bill. (Hear, hear.) Capt. Layerd, Sir D. L. Evans, and Sir H. Douglas, congratulated the government on the introduction of the measure.—Leave was given to bring in the bill. LIMITATION OF LABOUR IN FACTORIES. Mr. FIELD EN, after presenting a mass of petitions upon the subject, moved for leave to bring in a bill to amend the laws relating to labour in factories, and spoke as follows: Sir, I propose to bring in a bill with regard to the hours of labour in factories, similar, as regards persons between 13 and 18 years of age, in its provisions to one which the late Sir Robert Peel proposed to the house nearly 32 years ago— that is, I propose to limit the labour of young persons between the ages of 13 and 18 to 12 hours a day, allowing two hours out of the 12 for meals—that is, to 10 hours' actual work per day for five days in the week, and eight hours on Saturdays ; and I propose to carry out this alteration by re stricting the hours of actual labour to 63 hours in the week until the Ist of May, 1848, and after that pe riod to 68 hours in the week • and I propose, further, that the same restrictions shall apply to females above 18 years of age. My reason for proposing this mea sure is that the time of working young persons and females In factories is far too long, hos been very mischievous, and, if persevered in, will became the cause of great na tional evils. (Hear, hear.) I ask for it, also, because the people employed in factories have wished for it, and have long petitioned the legislature to concede it to them, and because the ministers of religion, medical practitioners, and, 1 1 indeed, all classes who have opportunities of ohs -rving the consequences of the present system, deprecate it as destruc tive of the moral and physical condition of a vast and most important class of the community. (Hem.) It is a ques tion which involves the very existence of thousands who are, I am afraid, sacrificed annually for the want of those dos and sufildent regulations without which the late Sir R. Peel awned that our improved machinery would become our bitterest curse. (Hear.) I will at once call the attention of the house to a document of authority on this subject, cue which, I confess, startled me, though I have long been accustomed to fear the effects of the system . we have been pinsiung. refer to " A table of deaths registered 'in 115 ' districts of England during the quarter ending September 80, 1846"—that is, the autumn of the last year. In page 3of ab . , 11 document, which is published y authority of the Regis traysgeneral of Births, Deaths, an b d Marriages, it is said, t h e po wni . lation of the ex-metropolitan districts of Surrey win is.. 1, 187,868, and the population of the town sub- diat in, i ti nta or 7 , l anehclter was 163,856; and that in Man c h ester , with this „„:itiintion, the deaths registered in seven years 1838-41 ___ na r; :4,92'2, and those in Surrey only 23,777, making a dig aTanna n ;1.(1,145." He then saye—" The popu lation of Surrey exetedea that of Manchester; yet, in seven years, 16,000 persons died in Manchester over and ahove the deaths in Surrey, the „ mortalit c 4 4 4iitkh, bout the poverty of the labourer an. slight of the in fluences so fatal in Manchester, is higher t A ... should be. There were 23,523 children under five years in Sur rey, and the deaths of children of shot age were 7,384; the Children in Manchester were 2052, the deaths 20,726! In the seven yam 13,302 children in Manchester alone fell a weillce to kaolin ewes, which it is believed may be re 'elan. THE EXPRESS, WEDNESDAY EVENING, JANUARY 27, 1817. not apply to the number+ of labooyers who were injured in other departments of labour. There were in London 100,000 female servant', who were traptcal with great hardship. Why net apply leaislation to thei- ease, or to the miners of Cornwall ? was quite as reasonable to limit the amount of capital as the hours of labour. His great objection to the hill was, that it would reduce the rate of wages. He proposed to divide the house, and end the matter at once. Mr. FEItItAND said that they bad legislated to prevent cruelty to animals, and why not to prevent cruelty to factory operatives? The right hon. gentleman the Chancellor ar the Exchequer said, on a former occasion, that the workmen did not strike in favour of the bill. They did not, because they hoped that legislature would pass it without • strike. He was delighted to think that the measure was likely to have the support of her Majesty's government, as he col lected front the tapes ch of the Secretary to the Admiralty (Mr. Ward) to his constituents at Sheffield. The wives and daughters of the workmen would implore the house on banded knees to pass the biU. He hoped no pen m would be found to sec and the motion of the hon. memo r. Sir G. STRICKLAND said he was a supporter of the ten hours bill, and he hoped the house would lie allowed an opportunity of calmly and fairly considering it. He believed that ten hours' labour was the right and humane system for young persona. (Hoar.) They could not possibly work against the continuous power of steam. (Hear) He was not one of those who cried out against p 'litieal economy, rightly understood. But there was &sort of pedantic syst< m of political economy which would nester listen to reason on this subject. (Hear.) There was no analogy between the cases of the factory children and the *errant' of Loudon, because the former were too young to protect themselves ; and it was on the principle of the labourers being able to pro tect themselves that the political economists rested their case. Sir R. PEEL said he was sorry the hon. member for Taviatock had signified his intention of dividing the house. He retained with respect to the present bill the opinions which be advocated on former occasions, not because he was indifferent to the case of those employed in factory labour, but because his conscientious opinion was, that the perma nent interests of those labourers would not be promott d by legislative interference of this kind. (Hear, hear.) Tit it was perfectly consistent with the maintenance of these opi nions to express regret that the introduction of I the bill was opposed. In discussions of this kind, feel ing as well as reason must enter into consideration (hear, hear.) and to reject the bill without' discussion would not be respectful towards a large class of society. (Hear, hear.) lie thought it woo the ge- acrid impression at the commencement of the discussion, that leave should be given to bring in the bill, and that an opportunity should be afforded of discussing it on the merits more fully than could le done at pr . sent . If a decision ad verse to the bill was ultimately come to, after mature deli beration, it would be more likely to conciliate the feelings of the persons interested to the doctsion of the house (Hear..) Mr. HUME did not think his hon. friend (Mr. Trelawnyj had done justice to his own principle, because, what he was anxious for, was full discussion. He was convinced that the masters and workmen should be left at perfect liberty to make what agreements they pleased, and that any interference by the legislature would injure the labourers themselves. Mr. ESCOTT thought that the discussion should be taken at a future stage. He begged to know from her Majesty's government whether the bon. member for Knares borough interpreted their intentions correctly, in saying that they would support the bill. Mr. TRELAWNY laid he would not divide the house after what had been said. Mr. MUNTZ thought that the labour of those employed in the cotton factories was an exception to the general rule. He lately visited Manchester to see if any improvements had taken place, but he did not find any that were of advantage to the working classes. The length of the hours for labour, and the heat of those factories, should take them out of the general rule with regard to labour generally. (Hear, hear.) Mr. ESCOTT said his question had not been answered. He now put the question to the noble lord at the head of the government. Lord J. RUSSELL raid the house had agreed to the in troduction of the bill. When it came before the house in its next stage, he would he prepared to announce the inten tions of the government. (Laughter.) Leave was then given to bring in the bill. NATIONAL GALLERY. . . Mr. HUME, in moving fur returns respecting the Na tional Gallery, said he understood the pictures had been much injured, and he wished to know whether the trustees had given any directions on the subject, or whether any report had been made. The subject had excited great inte rest in the public wind more than he could anticipate. Sir R. PEEL said there was no other object on the part of the trustees than to give the fullest information. He perceived there was e meeting of the trustees, calling upon the gentleman in whose immediate charge the pictures were placed to make a full report. He trusted the house, in consequence of the very high character of that gentleman, and his great eminence so an artist—(hear, heron)—would suspend their judgment till they ?received full information on the su' , ,jcet, which they might depend upon having. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he fully concurred in whit the right hon. baronet had said. LAW OF SETTLEMENT. Sir G. GREY moved the appointment of the following members as the select committee on the law of settlement : Mr. C. Buller, Sir J. Graham, Mr. Bankes, Mr. J. E. Denison, Sir 0. Grey, Mr. T. Duncombe. Lord 11. Vane, Mr. P. Scrope, Mr. W. Miles, Mr. C. Villiers. Mr. Borthwick, Mr. C. Round, Mr. Aldan. and Mr. Bodkin. Mr. ' , ERRAND said the committee was not fairly con stituted ; and their decision therefore would not give satis faction to the public. Out of the number there were nine of liberal opinions; others belonged to the party of the late head of the government; but till he knew what their prin ciples were (if they had any) he was not able to describe them.—(laughter)—but as it 't sod at present the decision of the committee would not give satisfaction. lie protested against the selection. Sir G. GREY said he had taken great pains in the nomi nation. There were seven members from his side of the house and eight from the apposition side ; but he selected them rather from the interests which they represented in the house than on any other ground. Whatever the opinions of hon. gentlemen might be on the subject of the poor-laws, he did not think it would bias them in coming to a just deci sion with respect to the law of settlement. (Hear, hear.) —The committee, as selected, was then appointed. • BUCKWHEAT, &c., IMPORTATION BILL. On the second reading o f this bill, Lord J. RUSSELL said he proposed that the articles affected by the bill should be admitted free of duty, by an order of the treasury, with out waiting for the other bills to be passed. The house adjourned at half-past six. PARLIAMENTARY PAPER. CONNINSIONERS OP WOODS AND FORESTS. —The twenty-third report of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests (their seventeenth annual report) was delivered yes terlay with the votes. This paper is one of the arrears of last session, having been ordered by the House of Commons to be printed on the 27th of August last. An annual report of the management of the crown estate., scattered and often broken up into minute parcels as they are, however valuable as owe of a series of accounts to be preserved for re ference, is unsuseeptible of abridgment, and contains little to interest the general reader. Its interest is not increased by bearing date so long ago es the 2-sth of August. Surely, if it is worth while to have these reports printed for general distribution, it is worth while to have them delivered less than live months after date. One knows not what to make of their antiquated in formation; what was true when they were drawn up may be (aloe now. For example, we should mislead our readers as to the actual progress of the metropolitan improvements, should we give the account of them in this report for their actual position. There are, however, some gratifying state ments. We are told of the Victoria Park,—" The total sums paid or agreed to be paid for property reguirekfor the forma tion of this park amouht to 66,8734. 34. Id. Since the date of our last report, the park has been ineloeed, and partly laid out and planted. A bridge has been built over the Regent's canal, which forms the south-western boundary of the park, and a lodge erected aa a residence for the superintendent. The public have already largely availed themselves of the advan tage efforded by this park, upwards of 20,000 persons, as we are informed, having frequently resorted to it in the course of the day for the purpose of recreation and exercise: - Similar notice is taken of the progrees of embellishment in the King's Park at Edinburgh :—" The progress of the works has been very satisfactory, and the lines of roads and drives which have already been made available to the public have been much frequented, and the park generally, under the improved system of management now adopted, has been much resorted to." Up to the sth of January, 1846, the fol lowing purchase-money had been paid for property required for carrying on the street improvements at present in progress in the metropolis : In the tine frees °Eked-street to Holborn ........ £2117,115 to 1924,422444 to Charlotte-stied, Blooms bury 136,241 to 14 6. 2 :4 " = 2 NI 111.1 4: 112. 104415 -hose 18,226 And further purchases, to the value or 10,8131. , had been agreed for. DRAINAGE AM.—Applications for loans under this Act which appear in the London Garet& of last greening: • Applicrt .. . Lod. . tif '°'' County of Amount Jobs 01U Abbey Lanerant.. ...., 730 Lieut.-Oear. the H. IL Trevor GI/Me Rev. yam Kingdom Vorth Pe therwyn ...... . --. IN Rev. E. Serjeantson Kirkby Empiric Tab- James Adam Gordon Benjamin Bullock .... Mitford Etlizeburgh Gazette, 22nd bast. : A. Portent. °limey Kineardlooddre lOOO 'W. V; Milting A. cl Oinit t inghim . Ayrshire 1550 W. M. Mammal; .. Arretoro. 3OOO Juan Combo Abcrtimilinft ... lOW ...... 11/raldre 9070 Wigb"s6A". 12 9 : Alezasfer 110;5 . James Brown, of Sir W. Elliott W. Burn Callender Edinburgh MO James Oswald — kma.Kirkend -38.125 ...... Earo;klan andr Midlothian .. , 5425 Lard Jams Birg Aberdeembirc .. 3000 Jamas kladmila ..... ... Argyieshire , 2000 Ewa Lothian 1548 1111r Wa Dar= Bart... .. lErs. 1.. D. C. Durham.. »l. Fifeshire 350 Cbseles Btaart Argyksithe lOOO A. 1•151•3 ...... ' Janus Ikalaint. ...... Per lll ol l1 1 0 Ir i. d i Xmas .....4 IL 11Ta3ie i --. larketutbrighta sof I/O/WakeVAL I OYAL POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTION. — Lt. IMOFEoq/11 sCIRENDEINM GUN-COrfOsi, and other Fxpkeive Contimonda, with brilliant Experiment. lectured on by I in. Ryan, daily, st half-mot three o'cLek, and MI the Evenings ed mosuL,vs, Woineolsys, and FricLos. The principle of the various ELECTRO-MAGNE I'IC TELEGRAPHS explained daily by Proftwanr Rschhulfner, including the patent of Meows. Coos and Wheat stone, ut use rot :he Railways. and the mire n omit patent of MOWS. Nott and Gamble. The various Models explained. Mattniited umMoens of DISEASED I'OT.ITOES exhibited by the OXY-II Y. OntioEN MICROSCOPE, with the Destructive Insect, supposed by A. amee, Esq., F./LS., to be the cause of the disease. A beautiful of NEW DISSOLVING VIEWS. The DIVINGsUELL and DIVER, with Experiment. The PHYSIOSCOPE, New CURD MATitOPE, ate. etc.—Adel/soden, la.; SChOOl.l half-Pfica. EGYPTIAN-lIALL, P.ICCADILLY.—LANTUM ETIIIOI'IAN SERENADERS, THIS DAY (Wednersiny), the 2;th, and during the week. The unanimous opinion of the musical world pi sclainm this entertainment to he unequalled. The delightful tone of the Lent= is the surprise olld admirstion of all who have heard It, whilst the gins, overtures, and duets, nightly elicit the moat rapturous applause. Doors open at half-pen Seven, mann/owe at Eight.--Reserved scat. 2. ; Monty, l..—Morning concert, Tuesday, Thursday, and Fetuidny, enninencing at Three o'clock. ORNING ENTERTAINMENT. - ST. JAME TUFATRE, THIS MORNING.—The celebrated Keith/PIA:a SERENADERS, Pell, Hanindun, White, Stan and, and Dermot', will. in consequence of the great demand for repeat th.ir DAY PERFORMANCE TIUS MORNING (d i s= clay), Jan. 27, commencingat Ilalf-past Two. Their inimitable enter tainment will oleo be continued every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday I' Mille. Doors open at Eight o'th - wk.—Roam and stalls at Mitchell% Royal Library, 33, OW lion.; and at the Box-on:ea the Theatre. _ - . rilitEATItE ROYAL, HAYMAItKET.—It is respectfully intimated to the patron of this theatre and the public that early application be made to matte Private nones, Rana. and plarea—Greatest hit ewer made. —The new fairy entraraganra of THE INVISIBLE PRINCE. EVERY NIGHT.—In order to render a. much iariety aa possible, the WOUND OM WRONO can only hearted three Omen a Ireek.-20•NIGHT ROUND OF WRONG, and WHO'S YOUR FRIEND? TO-MORROW, (a Jun mile Night), SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER INVISIBLE PRINCE, and IR4II POsT. HER MAJESTY'S THEATItE. The following outline of the arranttrnmmt B of the Some 1817 Is re•peetfully subuitted to the Nobility, i'AtMr.ot the Opron, and to the Public. It is presented in the confident hope that the MC. ceanfld exertions made to secure, under cinurnstances of peculiar difficulty, •Conapany still morn worthy of the Mat Theatre In Europe, and of Its dbotlnguMMtd Pumas, will ensure the continuation of their support. ENGAGEMENTS FOR THE OPERA. Mdlle. Jenny Lind, Mdme, Del carmen Montenegro, Mdlle. Stan chion, !thine. Fagiani, and Mdme. Salmi, the contralto Mdlle. owl Wile. Dada "ammo ' and Mdme. Cantellan. —Sig. Fraschini, the great tenor of Italy, and the favourite tenor, Signor Gannon ; Sig Superehl; V. Lablache; Sig. lamella; Sig lbrcW ; the cele brated hem =tante Herr Smudigl, and Sig. Lablache. In addition to the above, arrar nents are peudiog with sig. Cotettl, of the Italian Opera at pa That great composer the Chevalier Meyerbeer, has arranged to visit this country to bring out the "Camp de Sithrie;" the principal parts in the " Omer de Stlesie" by Mdlle. Jenny Lind and Ng. Fraschins. The celebrated Dr. Felix M• nelebrohn liartholdy will liaewise visit England, and produce an Opera earw:maly compond for her Majeaty's Theatre; the hbretto, founded on ' The Teurpeat" of Shahs written by N. Scribe Miranda. Mdlle. Jenny Lind ; Feral Sig. Garduni; Canton, Item Staudigi; and Prospero, trim Lablache. It is likewrac announced with great shishaction that Sig. Verdi, haying reorvennl from his severe aline., boo expressly composed for this theatre a new Opera, of which the plot is founded on the "Robbers" of Schiller. Rarnini's Onera of " Robert larvae," lately proiuoed at the AcadtJmie Royale, has Mao been secured. Madames Cantellan, Sanenioli, and Montenegro; Signori Girding, Superchi, and Fraschini, well appear before Easter. Mlle. Jenny Lind, whose engagement WMITICACee to March, and extend. until the turd of the 8e coo, will appear immediately after Dinnctor of the Music and Conclue'or —M. SALVE. in addition to the above, rereral 01/114, new to this country, will be produced. and the repertoire will be selected from the chef. dbanuvre of Morart, Cimarron, Hernial, Dunizetti, Mereadante, Het lint he. The Atrictent attention has been paid to all the &Mils, to that an ensemble may be presented perfect in all its parts. A nu merous (arbours, of the mean distinguiahml talent and power, has been selected front none of the bent orchestra.% of Europe, combined with former meritorious artistes of the establishment The chorus has been chosen with the gnadest care from Italy, Germany, and England, and will comprise upwards of eighty per formers. ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE BALLET. Mdlle. Carlotta Grisi, Mdlle.Lucille Grabill, and Millie. Cerito; In al. ditinn to which an engagement has been made with Mdlle. Coroline Rosati (of La Scala, at Mitin. and other great theatres of Italy), who will make her tint appearance on the first nigh• of the season in a new ballet etor.vel. 00 , 11 , 1UPrd and arranged far her he M. Paul Taglioni. Nellie. Wauthier, a( La Stale ; Madame Petit Stephan, Mdlle.lionore, Mdlle.Eliw Montfort, Mesdlim vane, Julian, Lamoure.... Emile, Fanny Pincalea and Bertin ; and Mdlle. Caroline BannourL In con sequence of the enthusiastic mannrr in which this eminent article was received net season, hopes are entertained that Mdlle. Taglisnl may be induced to appear for a limitedmurnber of performances. N. St. Leon, M. d'Or, M. Gooselin, M. Ili Matttt, Sig. Tenant, M. Gouriet, M. Paul Michael, told M. Perrot. Composer of the ballet manic, Signor Pugni ; principal artist, Mr. Mamhall. Maitre% de Ballet —M. Paul Taglioni, M. Conti (of La Scale, and M. Perrot; tiouiimaitre de Pallet, M. &merlin ; Regnant. de la Dame, M. Petit An ORIGINAL GRAND BALLET will be produced, written ex pressly for her Majesty's Theatre. by the celebnited poet Henry Ileine, on s subject selected from the old legends of Germany. A novel and poetical Ballet for the aubjectof which theestablithment Is indebted to the Matinee of a noble and intinguished poeteas, entitled EGERIA. The cclebraed Pas de Quatre and Pan des Weems wid be reviled, and an entirely new Div-rtireement, introducing another Grand Pas by M. Perrot, which, uniting all the peculiar attmetions of the Pas des Ihlesses and Pas de Quatre, will present a novel feature of milking originality, and will combine the talent of all, to be en'itled LA CONSTELLATION. The subscription will consist of the same num ber of nights as last scams. THE THEATRE will open in the middle of Peirciary, when will be produced, 'for the Ent tune at her klajesty's Theatre, Doeusetti'a admired Opera of LA. PAVORITA, in which tip. (larding and Sig. Suprrehl wll make their Ent appearance in this country ; and an entirely New Ballet by M. Paul Tag li oni, In which kfadile. Caroline Rosati will appear. the ey:airtai. MAILS. The mann for New South Wale,, Van Diemen', fund, and New 7.ealand will be made up on the evening of the 31,' January. The mails for Sydney, Van theman's Land, &e., will be made up on the evening of the Slnf January. West India made, including three for Menlo., Honduran, and !he !larannab, will be nude up on the morning of the 2nd Yetwuary. The nsails fur Britl.h North America, Bermuda. and the United States, will be male up on the evening of the 3rd February. Th.: overland moils for Gibraltar, Malts„Grrecc, the lonian Wands, Ggypt, Men, Ceylon, Indio, Hang-Kong, end China, via Southampton, wild be made up on the morning of the of February. The mails for the Brasile, the River Plate, Monte Video, Pernam buco, Bahia, Ma !Ora, and Buenas .tyre', will be dispatched on the evening of the 4th February. The overlaid cloned maiby roe MarneiPois, to the Mediterranean, Egypt. Aden, Ceylon, India, Hoag Kong, Sze., will be made up on the evening of the Bth February. TO CORRESPONDENTS. Many complainta hove resched os within therse few days from the /maitre of the didloolty debt:doing conks of the Daily New., and of late and irregular delivery by our "local aerate." We beg to , state, in reply, that we have no ' local agents" for the sale of the paper. The business of a London newspaper is strictly v11911,2(1 to delivering copies to those newsmen and others who apply for them. In proof, however, that there has been no just ground for late or Irregular delivery Mum the opening of parliament, our publisher reports that he never once, last work, commented publication later than ,5 a.m., and that he believes no other paper was published at no early an hour. We leave our readers to judge whether midi charges are justly preferred. The object is obvious, and the ready we swag Is, that the subscribers should give dim. Wet notice that if their news-agents do not supply them, they will employ others. We hope and believe that auch unfair-dealing D. , ...itenta are but few; but all partied may be ensured that the public is not to be driven from its purpose, our the Daily News mopped in its triumphant course, by such petty obstacles. Wherever a news-agent neglects to supply the paper regularly at the same hour that he aupplies other papers, we request to be In formed of We name and address, and we will mon Soda remedy. If cope be not awned regularly by the post, the remedy la in the heath of the subswi , ber ; let him remit a post-office order to any one of the news-agente who have by advertisemeat announced their willingness to supply the pager. IT, however, any difficulty Mould arise, we will undertake to get copies supplied on reeeiring a pad- Ake order for les. 6c1., made payable to Mr. Joseph Daily New. °dice, Whitetriara. adsertnentents intended foe The Repress, London eventngpaper, must he at the Mee by Two o'olook on the day of publication. MEI RAT= AT LONDON-BRIMS. has DAY.—Morning, 20 mfe. pot 10; Afternoon, AP labs. plat 11. To-Moutosr —Morning, 0 into. past 0, Afternoon, 12 de. pot 0. LONDON, WEDNESDAY, JAN. 27. IN the House of Lords yesterday, the Royal Assent was given, by commission, to the Corn Importation Suspension of Duties Bill, and the Navigation Laws Suspension Bill, the only public business before their lordships. In the House of Commons, Mr. FIELDEN, after a short discussion, obtained leave to bring in a bill to limit the hours of labour of young persons and females in factories to ten hours a day. Tim task of the British parliament, as regards Ire land, is evidently two-fold. There is a momentary calamity to be averted—millions have to be preserved from starvation ; which is the first task. The second is to devise measures, not only to prevent a recurrence of such a calamity, but to enable and to teach the people of Ireland so to apply their labour, that they shall not only be freed from the risk of famine, but find in that labour a source of wealth. The ministerial statements made in both houses of parliament address themselves chiefly to the first part of this momentous undertaking. They leave out of sight the second, although by far the most important part. By following this mode of pro ceeding, opposition is for the present disarmed and cavil is conciliated into cooperative deliberation. The eloquent and feeling speech of the Marquis of LANS- DowNE charmed even from the lips of Lord STANLEY the denunciation of inconsistency which he would will ingly have hurled against his political rivals. Itcaused the rigid look which announces Lord Bnovo HAM'S me ditated onslaughts to relax, and forced the wearer to take refuge from his angry thoughts in a burlesque description of the working of the decried Labour Rate Act. This Act wee denounced without inquiry into the cause of its inefficiency in principle, or its erroneous application. All were satisfied that it did not provide a suitable remedy for the pressing evil, and it wee therefore rejected on all hands. The temper thus manifested in both houses is evidently an echo of the feeling prevalent out of doors. The country in general is most anxious that the moment ary. sufferings of the Irish should be relieved. Un easiness and alarm are only manifested when the prospect is held out of applying no radical cure; in which case a periodical recurrence of distress may infallibly be Predicted. By the course pursued, ministers have secured to themselves a most advantageous position. They have gained the sanction of their fiercest adver- Birks to the general course which they desire to adopt; they can, therefore, safely admit any sugges tions on points of detail which those opponents prove in the course of the discussion to be desirable. It is, however, evident that the distinction prac tically drawn by the ministerial lenders between the t portions of their task, rests solely on the relative urgency of each, and can only justify a precedence in point of time for the calamity of the moment. One principle must be carried out both in the temporary and the permanent measures to be adopted, if the relief now about to be administered is not to frustrate all hopes of lasting improvement. If the landlord in Ireland were, like the farmer in England, the employer of the agricultural poor, there would be no question respecting the policy of the choice made of h;m as the distributor of relief. But the terms of the contract between landlord and tenant make each class independent of the other. The Irish tenant is not supported by his landlord, nor can he obtain any effectual aid from him, except in the shape of a reduction of rent. The landlord's prosperity depends, in fact, everywhere upon the skill and capital which the tenant possesses ; upon the judgment with which he employs his labour, or the labour of others, in the land entrusted to him, and on the capital invested in tools and improvements for the cultivation of the land. Now, the tenant to whom the Irish landlord has entrusted the care of his 1 prosperity, and upon whose skill and capital he is dependent, is a wretched cottier, not possessing skill or capital to cultivate more than a potato-garden. If the landlord have not directly given the land to such a tenant, he has given it to a middle man, who has done so for him. The as sumption was, in 1031, that the occupiers of land employing no labourers in England did not amount to one-third of the whole number. In Ire land it is stated that the holders of land not employ ing labourers were at that time in the proportion of three-fourths of the whole. It is not improbable that the relative dispmoortion has since then very much increased. Sensible and independent landlords have probably endeavoured to extend the size of holdings. But the additior. to the number of cottiera lots has been undoubtedly large. The different effect of a failure of any crop in the two countries is therefore to throw two-thirds of the loss in England upon the landlords and farmers employing labourers, and one-third upon the tenants not employing labourers. The latter share diminishes to a small fraction, if we assume, as we well may, that the allotments on which no labourers arc em ployed in England are mostly composed of gardens. In Ireland, on the other hand, the loss is thrown, for the far greater part, on three-fourths of the tenants. The landlord loses only his rent, and this he has a claim for in the next prosperous year. The Irish tenant advances his expenditure in (his own) labour, in manure, in stock, in seed. This advance is made in England by the occupying landlord or the large fanner. If the crop fails, the English landlord must borrow on the security of his land. The tenant in both countries has only the value of his lease, when he has one. Hence the attachment of the Irish tenant to his holding in adverse circumstances. His stake in his lease is strongest when he has lost all beside. Here, too, we have the origin of the "tenant right" in Ulster, that is to say, in that part of Ireland where land is let at will, and for short terms, at a fair rent. The risk incurred by the mass of English land lords is, further, less than the stake risked in labour, seed, manure, and stock, by the Irish tenant, in the proportion of the fewer hands required to till a farm in England, when compared with the number of tillers on the same extent of surface in Ireland. The differ ence is probably not less than four to one. The number of hands employed in agriculture is more over continually diminishing by improvements in farming in England, and by the rapid drafting off into trade and manufactures of the agricultural labourers. The number of tillers of the soil in Ireland accumulates rapidly, because trade and manufactures take people off the land but slowly. In process of time the English labourer must come to be better off than the Irish cottier, whatever their comparative situations originally were. And this we now know to be the case, since the Irish tenant prefers the wages of the relief committee at 10d. per diem to the cultivation of his small farm. No permanent improvement can, therefore, be expected in Ireland until a due proportion be esta• blished between the cottier tenantry and the culti vated surface of the country. It is to effect this change, we presume, that several of the projected measures are intended. The creation of new holdings by the reclamation of waste lands will afford means of clearing estates encumbered with cottier tenants, without committing injustice on the present tbased of land. Such clearance evidently must be upon two contracts, the acceptance of which the government, as mediators, can enforce. The cottier who receives a larger lot of mountain or bog land, drained or irrigated by the landlord or the Board of Works, must fully and finally renounce all right and title to his former small holding. The landlord, who is thus enabled to resume lots, and to consolidate them into farms on which drainage and irrigation are practicable and likely to be remunerative, ought to be hound to relet these parcels in lots of sufficient size. If government advance capital for improvements, the crown can, and indeed must, secure itself against such a mode of reletting the land as would risk the destruc tion of the new investment. Were lands to any extent freed, on terms so advan tageous to the cottiers, from superabundant labour, many of the cottages now standing might be used as habitations for farm labourers. These con solidated farms would then be attractive objects for farmers with skill and capital, who would be glad to rent them. In this manner, the objection raised by Lord STANLEY to the feasibility of draining, on account of the opposition of the small tenant, would be ob viated. The tenant now feels more practically than the landlord, the difficulty, and perhaps the absur dity, of draining on a small scale. - • The proposed facilitation of emigration must be viewed in the same light. It will help to take a num ber of hands, at present ill-remunerated, off the land, and, by creating a demand for labour, will improve the condition of the labourer. But, in proportion to the efficacy of three measures, the importance of another suggestion of Lord STANLEY'S also increases— the creation of railroads, the precursors and promoters of manufacturing industry, will do even more than the reclamation of waste lands to produce a demand for labour. Were English capitalists, by the encouragement of a temporary guarantee of interest, or of advances in the shape of Exchequer bills, or, as is now taking place in Austria, by the participa tion to a certain extent in shares of the commis sioners of the national debt, induced to em bark in the construction of railroads in Ireland, not only would positive value be obtained for any outlay made, but the amount to be expended in actual temporary relief would be very much lessened. Much capital will unfortunately be kept idle in England until those foreign complications which have clouded the sunny atmosphere of peace to which we have long been accustomed. are cleared up. Ireland with its aid would become accustomed to the creation of a new description of property besides the land. This would lead to similar exertions in other directions. Savings, instead of being hoarded, or what amounts to the same thing, sunk in un profitable investments in land, would ultimately be placed, as in Scotland, in local banks, facilitating the growth of credit, or would be invested in improved tools and machinery, multiplying the effect of that labour for which a fitting field was provided. The aim and object of even the temporary measures adopted for relief ought steadily to be the freeing of agriculture fropt the superabundant hands that have thronged into it. A diminution of agricultural risks and an augmentation of agricultural profits can alone be achieved is this manner. We con fine our observations to m this all-important point for the present. All thit details of the government plan become known, we shall have fre quent opportunities of extending them to subjects depending on this principle. We claim for our selves the priority of the assertion that the case of Ireland is not exceptional in Europe. A map of the regions in which famine now prevails would show them to be those in which the ground is tilled not by farmers with labourers, but by small cattier,. The districts where farms are large are not distressed. Where the lots cultivated are small, even the fact of the cultivator's being the owner of the soil, instead of a tenant, which is the case in France and on the Rhine, is bf no practical use to him. The credit to be obtained on the security of ten or twelve acres is not great. The main source of distress everywhere is the fact that the mass of the people have staked their circulating capital, consisting of thei r labour, their seed, and often or thcir stock. on the crop which has failed. This is no fitting risk for a poor man to run. The experience thus obtained will, we hope, amongst other things, serve to show the uti lity of riches, of accumulation, of capital. If it teach those who have so much to lose as the Irish, this Rhenish, and the French peasant have lost this year, to leave this risk to those who can better support it, they will indeed have found some " use" in the adver sity they have unadvisedly brought upon themselves. Tile greatest anxiety is felt throughout the country as to the steps that are being taken for carrying out the New County Courts Bill. We have received, and receive daily, numerous letters from clamorous corre spondents eager to know what has been done, what remains to be done, when the courts will be settled, the officers appointed, unruly customers brought to book, and bad debts made a thing of the past. The preliminary arrangements are in progress, and many of the judges are appointed, hut we know as little as our correspondents, of the period at which the preparations will be completed, or when creditors may expect to enjoy the benefits of the new jurisdiction. Pendinz this desirable result, we are anxious to notiee a suggestion, which seems to have great reason on its side, that these courts should, if their common law jurisdiction be found to answer, have extended to them a control over petty cases in equity. This suggestion, besides its inherent reasonable ness, acquires weight from the disposition at work in and out of the legal profession to facilitate the transfer of real property and simplify the General machinery of real property law. This will bang under the operation of equity a class of properties which, with the old and cumbrous practice, never could come before the notice of the courts at all, except at the risk of utter annihilation. The trunk of the elephant will pick up a pin as well as tear up a palm-trey; but the Court of Chancery is not so accommodating. To all persons interested in properties of this description the advantages or disadvantages of Chancery jurisdiction are, at present, unattainable. Many such, deterred from litigation by a benevolent solicitor, or friend made wise by experience, may be fur from feeling the gratitude their exemption should have excited in them. They want equity and cannot get it. It is not enough to tell them that the expense of it is ruinous. They have a ready answer—" It ought not to be ;" and really we do not see how the answer is to be met. We may quote to them the fable of the monkey and the oyster. They will tell us we need not choose our judges from the genus simia. Many will maintain that this virtual exemption of small estates from equitable jurisdiction is a blessing, as it discourages litigation and leads to matters being settled out of court, the equitable adjudication of which would have led to bit erness, and heart,. burnings, and social disruptions—quite as serious evils as the expense of a Chancery suit. Bat it is very properly observed on this point in The Jurist, "Whatever might hare hire the weight of such an argument, the principle of it was given up when the legislature passed the County Courts Act; because it is obvious, that every argument, which is applicable to the alleged impolicy of per mitting equity litigation in reference to small matters is equally applicable to show the impolicy of permit ting general litigation at law about 20/. debts. And as the legislature has declared that it is politic to give the means of settling such legal questions, so ought it, if the existence can be shown of a mass of equi table claims incapable of being settled by any exist ing jurisdiction, to afford to the people the possession of a competent tribunal for such matters." Now, just as we are safe in saying that there is no superior common law court for debts under 201., so we may assert, securely, that there is no equitable court where property under ten times that sum, or 2001., is concerned. Is there anything in the nature of equitable claims, or equity law, which should render dealing with them, in such petty cases, a matter of peculiar diffi culty for courts identical with, or similar to, those es tablished by the 8 & 9 Viet., 95? We do not see anything to justify us in concluding that such diffi culty exists. Practically,: it would be found, we ap prehend, that the equity law involved in the mass of such eases would not be beyond the powers of such men as the judges of the new courts ought to be, if properly selected. The knowledge of real property law which such an extension of their jurisdiction would require, is possessed by most of the younger men at the common law bar already. Where it is not, :it could be acquired without any great ex penditure of time or labour. The possession of it might be made a condition of such appointments. We have not heard that the legislature has received any hint of the desirableness of such an addition to the functions of the new courts. Whether they , have or not, we shall be glad to have aided in bringing the matter forward. As the equitable jurisdiction of the Court of Chancery has grown up to its great height, since the period at which county courts were of real importance in England, no argument can be drawn from antiquity against the admission into these courts, in their revived form, of equit able claims below a certain value. We recommend the suggestion to notice, as one which appears reasonable and practicable, to meet a class of cases, at present the opprobrium of the courts of equity, which, in their instance, can only' be called "equitable" on the well-known principle of "hams a non lurendo." THE Birkenhead commissioners have applied to parliament for a bill to enable them to supply the town with water and gas. The irquiry before the surveying officers delegated to receive evidence on their bill, terminated on Monday last, in so far as the supply of water is concerned, and the inquiry relative to the gas will come on next week. From the circumstances under which tho application is made, it is not im probable that the decision of parliament in this CAM may become a precedent for many similar eases. Bir kenhead is already supplied, and well supplied, both with water and gas bye private company, of which Mr. WILLIAM JACKSON is the principal representative. A few years ago, when the Birkenliend commissioners refused to encounter the trouble and expense of sup plying the town with these necessaries, Mr. JACKSON came forward almost single-handed, took a lease of seventy-five years from them, formed the company, constructed works at an enormous expense, and has supplied Birkenhead with gas and water as well as any town in England. Mr. .I.icKsoN, on behalf of the company, offers to apply to parliament for a bill to extend their operations; to give the inha bitants a reduction in price as soon as their profits exceed 4 per cent. ; and to supply water gratuitously for the following purposes : For cleansing and watering the streets. For cleansing the public ..ewers and drains. }or the public wash-houses and baths for the poorer classes. For the fountains in the public market. Fur cleansing the public abattoirs. For the pub lic buildings solely occupied by the commissioners. For the bridewell. For public troughs, for watering tattle landed from the steamers. For public urinals. For extinguishing fires. For a public infirmary or dispensary. The Commissioners nevertheless persist in following up their application on the abstract principle that the supply of water and gas for a townn• ought to be a public trust in the hands of the magistracy. Even assuming this view to be correct, it is pre-sup posed that the magistracy fairly . represents the viewh and interests of the community, whioh from the constitution of the Birkenhead Commission, may be questioned in the present case. Our own experience, however, would bad us to place more faith in the powers of a company represented by such a man as Mr. JACKSON, and stimulated by regard to their own profit and popularity, to supply the tows well, than in the languid, routine efforts of official men. Apart from this consideration, too, there appears to he something very like a breach of faith on the part of the commissioners, whop having held out to Mr. JACKSON and his associates the prospect of a fair remunera tion for their enterprise, now, when these gene tlemen have shown that the undertaking is possible, seek to bilk them of their reward. Psidie benefit never can be proi:loted by prirate wrong. But now that arrangements for im-,... proving the sanitory condition of towns are be ooming fashionable, it is not impossible that we may l'requentir And diem made the pretext for defrauding individuals of the reward due to their intelligent sad really public spirited entity*. , This consideration takes the Birlopikeddmfeebilt of the class of mere local measures, dial Imparts to .it.ithe importance of one which involvella public principle. For this reason alone have we noticed it. I