Star. — London, England, 1819-02-18 00:00:00

;.--• ' • , s % 7 I . , z - tended that the price of Corn was at present very' fair, and urged the Honourable Member to move for a Committee, convinced, from what had fallen from the other side, that such a motion would be nega • tived, and the question thus set at rest. • Mr. WYN/a could not consent to .the appoint ment of such a Committee. The very entering upon the consideration of such a question, was no indiffe rent matter. It would create an alarm in every part of the country, and might reproduce the dangerous effects that had accompanied the introduction of the last Corn Bill. He then oppiised the measure, and should therefore object to any thing of the kind being now revived. Mr. STUART WORTLEY had no notion what. ever of proposing such a Committee. Sir J. GRAHAM stated, that in his part of the country every one was satisfied with the declaration made by a Right Honourable Gentleman, now ab sent (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) on the second day of the meeting of Parliament, respecting the in tentions of Government on that subject. He hoped that it would be no more agitated. A COUNTY MEMBER regretted that the gallant Ge neral should have made any assertions with respect to the motives of Agriculturists. There was no lass of society more entitled to the regard of the House than the cultivators of the soil. Sir ROBERT WILSON baying explained, the Pe tition was read and ordered to lie on the table. CA Of NEC-SWEEPERS. Mr. OMMANNEY presented a Petition from cer tain Master Chimney Sweepers, praying that the Bill pending in the House to abolish the use .of Climbing Boys, might not pass into a law, as it would be injurious to the Public at large. Ile con ceived that much danger might be incurred by the new mode proposed, and the insufficiency of the machinery, which prevented chimnies from being properly cleansed, and left them exposed to catch fire. Another inconvenience would also arise, from pari,lles no longer being allowed to apprentice boys to that employment. Sir JOSEPH YORKE agreed entirely with the opinion expressed by his Honourable Friend, with regard to the insufficiency of machinery. Its use, if it became so common, might also finish, by depriv ing the poor of bread. As to the hardships of the employment, it might be very proper to prevent the , most tender of both sexes from exercising it ; but for the rest it was not worse than sending a man to the 1111 A-head. If the chimnies were made larger, all di - ficulties would be removed. Mr. BENNET allowed that the plan for enlarging Caimnies might do for future building, but hotv were the hundreis of thou ands already existing to be so altered? Were not even modern chimnies framed in the most difficult manner by the opulent, who wished to have warm flues, at the expense of the health and live' of young and tender sufferers. As to the comparison used by the gallant Admiral, when h.: could chew that a Captain of the navy stuck pins o; lighted straw under the feet of a boy to force him to the mast-head, then he would admit that the hardships of the case were not greater. • Sir JOSEPH YORKE said, that the Captain of a man of war had ere now followed a man with a cat to start him up the mast.—The Petition was then laid upon the table. WAR IN CF:YLON. Mr. DE CRESPIGNY inquired whether it was the intention of his Majesty's Ministers to lay before the House any Papers explanatory of the origin of the most destructive and expensive war which raged in the island of Ceylon? If it were not their intention, he should take an early opportunity of moving for their production. Mr, GOULBURN, as far as he could be prepared to answet such a question. stated that there was a dispositian in Ministers to afford every information on the subject. Although no official dispatches had been received of the termination of those differences, yet private accounts gave every reason to believe that they had ere now entirely ceased. NOTICES Or RECOGNIZANCE& Sir JOHN suwPoRT said, that a general mis-1 had prevailed in Ireland respecting the 53d of the King, the Act. which fixed a part►cular period for entering into recogniz-inces in cases of Election Petitions. It seas understood that its provi sions did not extend to Ireland, and in looking into the Act, he found that the name of that country had been omitted. He trusted, therefore, that the House would not be over severe in the observance of the law, by excluding Irish Petitions in which the recog- Dizances had not been entered into in time. Mr. WYNN admitted the importance of the sub ject. and thought that some inquiry ought to take place into the state of the notices given. At the suggestion of the SPRAK.ER, an order was made for a Return. describing the state of notices for Irish recoguizances. HIGHWAYS. Mr. PROTHEROE rose to move for a Select Com. stiittee to take into consideration the Acts now in force regarding the Turnpike Roads of England and Wales, and the propriety of ndoptingcertain regula tions for their repair and preservation. He stated, that at the close of the last Parliament he had moved for Papers on which to found an inquiry on that sub ject, which he intended to have left as a legacy to abler hands. He wished that the trusts of public roads should be committed to persons of science and education, and when it was known that those roads comprised an extent of 25,000 miles, that their ori ginal cost had been £7,008,000, and that from 1:1,200,000 to £1,300,000 were spent annually upon them, the House would see that the subject was one of considerable importance. It was the opinion of t h e c omm ittee last year, that if certain impt ove rnents were carried into effect, commerce would be greatly benefited, many articles would be brought to market at a reduced price, fewer horses would - be employed, and an expense of five millions saved to the Public. He concluded by moving for the ap pointment of a Select Committee. Mr. GIPPS seconded the Motion, and hoped that the Turnpike Act and the Private Way Act would also be taken into consideration, as they were at pre sent but little understood, and Magistrates had much difficulty in affixing the penalties which they impo sed. He wished the number of horses should be left out of the question, and the penalty laid on the weight alone. qtr mATTREW RIDLEY inquired, whether the. Honourable Mover intended. , callior a &tun of Turnpike Trusts from * peewit period or whether he meant prospectively? Mr. PKOTHEROE said, he meant prospectively. Colonel WOOD had no objection to the Commt tee, but hoped its inquiry would not be confined to turnpike roads alone. The whole system should bel sifted to the bottom. It was intimately connected with the Poor Laws; for how could so many of the poor be in want of work, when £1,300,000 were an nually spent oa the public roads ? lie wished the statute duty to be done away, and the poor to be employed, instead of being locked up in workhouses. Sir HENRY PARNELL said, that he had been requested by the body of Coachmasters to bring for ward a Motion to the same effect as that of the Ho nourable Member, which should therefore receive his support. They complained that whilst the road duties were doubled, the roads themselves were not made better.—The Motion was then agreed to, and the Committee appointed. CLIMIIMG EOM Mr. BENNET having- moved that the House re solve itself into a Committee on the Bill for abolish ing the use of Climbing Boys, Mr. GRENFELL praised the exertions and huma nity of his Honourable Friend in having brought such a Bill before the Hease. He belonged himself to a Fire Office, and had inquired this morning from the Secretary what numbn of chimneys usually took fire within stated periods? The answer had been, from 60 to 70 every month. On looking back to those which had been on fire for several months, he had found that the proportion of those which caught fire after having been swept by machines, was oily two out of sixty-five I He had then inquired what. proportion of chimneys were swept with machines? To this no direct answer could be given, bat the Se cretary had stated that thousands were now swept in' that manner. These facts fully proved the safety, and he might even say, the additional safety of em ploying machines instead of boys. They also spewed that the object of his Honourable Friend was not visionary. It had been objected that parishes would no longer have the means of sending out boys` that degrading and destructive employment, but that' was an argument which, however good for parishes, would, he trusted, have no weight with the House. Mr. OMMANNEY gave credit to the Honourable Author of the Bill, for the humanity of his intentions. But he hoped that he would not forget that a certain class of chimnies could not be swept by machinery. Colonel WOOD thought the Honourable Gentle man could not have read the Report of the Commit tee, when he recommended the partial use of climb ing boys, notwithstanding the adoption of machinery. Ile could not be aware of the horrible treatment and sufferings which children of a tender age experienced in that employment. If there were chimneys in this metropolis which could not be swept any other way, then the sooner they were burnt down the better— (llenr, hear. and laughter). Mr. BROUGHAM commented on the present mode of apprenticing children to chimney-sweepers, and maintained that it ought to be considered not as a due interference of the parent with the child, but as little less than a crime. It was certainly true, that no legislative enactment ought to prevent people from engaging in any honest employment; but in the case of chimney-sweepers apprentices, there was evidently no free agency. The Bill now before the Mouse was no novelty, inasmuch as the object of it was, in a great measure, recognised by a former Act' of the Legislature; namely, the 28th of the King.— The lion. and Learned Gentleman having read - the preamble of the Act, concluded with expressing his perfect concurrence in the humane and laudable views which originated the Bill under consideration. Mr. DENMAN felt persuaded that the principle of this Bill might be carried too far. If machinery were proved tn be preferable to climbing boys, the people of England would not be so cruel as to 'em ploy the latter, and neglect the former. But of this be had considerable doubts ; and he thought that it ought to be left to the good sense of the public, either to abolish or to continue the practice which had hitherto prevailed, without enacting any legislative measure with regard to it. He was averse, however, to young children being employed as chimney sweepers, yet he was not altogether satisfied that their time would not be occupied to more advantage in this way, than in going about as vagrants, which might otherwise be the cake. By a clause in the for mer Act of Parliament, any master chimney-sweeper breaking his covenant, was liable to a certain penalty; and he (Mr. Denman) could not see that the present Bill was at all called for. But his chief objection against it was, the power which it would give to Magistrates of inflicting penalties on testimony which in many cases might be very questionable. If ma chinery could in reality supersede the necessity of climbing boys, as had been repeatedly stated, why had not notices been sent through the country to in form the public where the machines were to be had ? Mr. GRENFELL said a few words in explanation, and stated again, that out 8E65 fires in one month, two only took place in chimnies that had been swept by machinery. Mr. WILBERFORCE knew' that every measure of a public nature was liable to considerable preju dice till its utility was proved. There was in Eng land a great deal of principle ' • but this might fre quently lead to obstinacy in a bad cause, as well as to perseverance in a good one. It was not without much difficulty, and before thousands had fallen vic timf to the small pox, that the people of this country were taught to appreciate the inestimable effects of vaccination, Machines, though they could not be made as perfect as might •be desired in the first in stance, would unquestionably be much improved in ' their contrivance in the course of time ; but if the experiment were to be suspended.till then, how many hapless creatures must safer in the mean time Foe himself, he could not but admire those feelings of solicitous hunianity which induced the Honour. able Member to propose so laudable a measure as the present. Mr. BARHAM, in corroboration of what had haw mid by the Honourable Member for Bramber, obenved, that in a certain part of Wales, where he Mr. Barham) resided twenty years ago, chimney sweepers were aot known, and that when introduced hip the neighbourhood, so great was the prejudice hut them, they could not for some time find any ilanployment. 'The question being put, the House resolved- into a Committee on the Bill for the better regulat iar Chimney Sweepers, when sundry blanks were Mr. u tENNET thought that fotirteen was a proper age at which boys might be apprenticed to chimney sweepers. Abr. Alderman WOOD agreed in this opinion, and urged, as an additionarreason why machines should be used, that most of those who had served theitapprenticeships to chimney sweepers, were in manhood thrown a burden upon the parish, not being able to provide for themselves after they were out of their time. Mr. ONIMANNEY could deny, from the experi ence of actual bbservations, the allegations made by the Honourable Member, that this description of persons looked to the parish for support. He had always seen chimney-sweepers with cheerful counte nances; and dejection was hardly ever observed in the faces of any of them. With respect to the ques tion of age, he thought that a boy might be bound , at eight years old without any danger to his health; I and therefore was willing, if fourteen were insisted upon, to split the difference.—(d laugh.) In his opi inion, chimney-sweepers might be considered a good nursery for the Navy (a laugh), so active and vigorous were they in geraral, Mr. BENNET was surprised to hear opinions urged without proof of a due consideration having been given to the subject., It would be sufficient only to walk the streets to see among climbing boys the most repelling instances of disease and deformity. Sir ISAAC COFFIN said he never heard of ten, chimney-sweepers having served in the navy. Mr. Alerman WOOD believed that tht only , cause of mirth which a chimney-sweeper could have must be his extricating himself from some narrow flue where he was in danger of being suffocated. Mr. BENNET knew an instance of a child of five years old, having been left at home by the mother, 'and sold by the father to a chimney-sweeper, before her return. The question was• then pat as to the age of bind ing out apprentices, and 1 4 was the time agreed upon, with a penalty of £5O and not less than EIO Upon any master taking an apprentice under that age, or over twenty-one. Mr. DENMAN farther proposed to modify the clause in the Bill, which went to abolish the use al together of climbing boys under a certain age. The, Bill was contemplated to take effect the 21st of March, 1,20, but he doubted whether things would be so matured by that time as to dispense altogether with the modes now used. Beside*, the necessity it would impose on the owners of private houses, whose incomes may be limited, would be very severe from the expense of changing flues and making other pre parations. The inconveniences would likewise be felt at the public offices. Mr. BENNET, in explanation, said, the very clause to which the Honourable Gentleman now took ex ception, was identified with the vital principle o f the Bill itself. If the Committee were disposed to place again at the discretion of masters that power over children of tender age which the former Act gave them, he was but little anxious about the success of the other clauses of it. They were not ignorant to what extent these men were inclined to stretch any power given them, and should the Committee but concede to them a discretion over children of eight years of age, they would assume a power over those of six. He was of opinion, that the ends of huma nity would not be compassed, if children, at an age when they could be made victims of cruelty, were placed at the disposal of hard-hearted masters; and again repeated, that if the Committee should ex punge this clause, they might as well throw out the Bill altogether. Mr. WILBERFORCE was of opinion that the ob jections which the Honourable Gentleman had raised to this clause were rather too general and premature. The Amendment of the clause was then negatived without a division. The House resumed and the Report of the Com miuee was ordered to be received to-morrow. WINDSOR ESTABLISHMENT. The Report of the Committee on the Windsor Establishment was brought up by Mr. V. FiTzcz- RALD, and ordered to be pruned. USURY LAWS. Upon the motion of Mr. Serjeant Ora Low, that the House do resolve itself into a Committee on the Usury Laws Bill, Mr. OMMANNEY expressed a wish that the con sideration of this subject should not now be pressed upon the House, fit= the small number of Memberi in attendance. Mr. Serjeant ONSLOW replied, that the Honour able Gentleman must have been absent when this Bill had undergone so full an investigation at its second reading. If he had heard the discussion upon it at that stage, he was sure his Honourable Friend would be far from charging him with precipitancy in urging it upon the House at this time. The House then went into a Committee, and the Ileport was ordered to be brought up to-morrow. SMUGGLERS. The Report of the Committee on the Smu g gle rs ' l Apprehension Bill was ordered to be brought up tet morrow.—Adjourned at Eight o'clock. A Second Edition of the admirable Letters of Ho- RACE WAILTOLI to GIORO2 MONTAGU, has just ap peared, in which the real names of all the distin guished persons alluded to are restored. George Montagu was the son of Brigadier-General Edward Montagu, and nephew to the second Earl of Halifax. He was Member of Parliament for Northampton, Usher of the Black Rod in Ireland during the Lieu tenancy of the Earl of Halifax, Private Secretary to Lord North whe n Ch ance ll or of the Exchequer, and the most intimate friend of Horace Walpole. LITERATURE.—W 2 are requested to state that New Editions of the following popular Works have been just published by Mt'. CoLauari, Conduit-street: 1. Horace Walpole 's Letters to George Montague, 4te. with all the Names restored.-2. Franklin's Life and Correspondence 1 4 vole. evo.-5. Northcote's Lif e o f Si r J os h ua R eyno ld s, 2 vo l s : Svo.-4. Watkins's Life of Sheridan, 2 vole. 2 •0.-2. Lady Mar pa's France, 5 volt. Svo.-6. Florence 11Iaeartby, 4 vols.— 7. Memolresde la Cour de Louie XI V. pae•lYAiiseau, 5 vols. —of Madame D'Epinay, S vols.-of Count de Las C 1...., I vel. —of Touche, Duke of Otranto, I von—.and of the Duchesee D'Angooleme, 1 von.—a. Letters written during a Ten Years' residence at the Conte et Tripoli, I vol.-4. Journal of an' EnglislrTrawiler, With Anecdotes of the Princess of Wales.-- 10. Barrett's Weems, a Porim.-41. Amusements to Retire- CbstarasiCe lowan w Ds g. &Orr go* THE EVENING STA R LONDON. THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, '319. THE FUNDS. PRICE 07 STOOKS THIS DAY AT ONE O.ELCCA: 3 per Cent. Reduced 77i—Cons. /Gfit Cons. for Acc. 7601---41 per Cent. 86; 4 per Cent. 95ff--5 per Cent. Navy 105:,;.1 Bk. Lg. Ans. 20 3-16 5-16--.-India Stock 2:4): 5 India Bonds GS 59 pr.—Commercial lOs. dk. Excheq. Bills (2d,) 18 19 pr. Philadelphia and New York Papers to t:.-2 ult. arrived this morning. They arc chiefly occt!;)i.d with discussions in Congress relative to the Unitel States Bank, and on the Report of the Cr,-nmirxe of ,Military Affairs on the Seminole war. Thi , . Rep t concludes with the following Remlution " That the liaise of llepresentatircs of the rrltetl Rtav ' disapproves of the proceedings in the Trial and L•'ze:si:Li a .4 Alexander Arbuthnot and Robert Ainlvrister." This business occupied the attention of the 11 , 4•41 for many hours on the 20th .Iwriary and forow;:iz days ; when some of the Alernho , r were on their lezi fur an hour and some for two hours. Mr. Cosa moved in a Committee—" That tlie Committee on Military Affairs be instructed to pre. part•ond report a Bill to tl.is House, prohibiti.-g time of peace or in time of war, with any Indiaotri:v or tribes only, the execution of any cailtive takes the Army of the United States, without tt>> anrot:- tion of such execution by the President.—Th a t this House disapproves the seizure of the Potts of St. Mark's, Pensacola, and the Fortress of Raranca,cua. Mary to orders, and in violation of the Constitutioe..— That the same Committee be also instructed to pre. pare and report a Bill, prohibiting the march of tit army of the United States, or any corps thereof, arty foreign territory, without the previous anthoria tion of Congress ; excer it be in the case of frr pursuit of a defeated enemy of the United ,',arts, taking refuge within such foreign territory." Mr. Coast spoke two hours. He was follow - et! the opposite side by Mr. HoLmrs of Massadun. - :1 . who had only concluded one branch of this when, having given way at the request a Meri,er, the Committee agreed to rise; and . leave being . to sit - again, the Amendment moved in Commitav was ordered to be printed, and the House adj,,l:med• A Mail fromilolland has arrived, by wiiich —e have received Dutch and German Papers to i. 13th instant. The PORTZ, which had shewn some reluctzrct to recognize the Kale and Kingdom of the NETIIEI- , LANDS (not liking, as is believed, to do any thing ~iat should have the appearance of approving of the pro ceedings of the Congress of Vienna), has, by the friendly interference of the Russian Minister, bcvn induced to make a declaration of its recognition. There have been some tumultuary prccee,'jn,.ss em lag the cloth-workers at Verviers, where, like some infatuated people among ourselves, they save proceeded to destroy the machinery intended for the improvement of their Manufactures. Bit the most important article presented in these Papers is, perhaps, that from Frankfort, relative to the Grand• Duchy of Hesse, where the Pei No: has desired the people to apply directly to himulf « hen they feel themselves aggrieved by any of the mea sures of Government. ;if, JANUARY te. On New-year's Day there was a grand Drawing room at the winter Palace, to receive the congra tulations of the Nobility. In the evening the City was illuminated. On the same day several prumu dons in the higher military departments were made. To the astonishment of the oldest inhabitants, we have not yet any thing that can be called winter.— Sometimes the mercury in the Thermometer is at the freezing point, or at the most at one or two de grees below it, but only for a few hours. Generally we have gloomy weather, the Thermometer one or two of Reaumur above freezing, and no snow. 111 wind blows from the S.S.W. and W. The annals of our Meteorology afford no example of such a temperature in our climate as we hare this year. In several parts of the Empire, both to the North and to the South, they have the usual winter• Thus accounts from Woronesk, of 19th December, state, that much snow had fallen, and that the Ther mometer was at 20 min. Similar accounts have heel received from Archangel and the Wolga., FROM THE LOWER RHINE, JANUARY cs. The following circumstance has occurred at Vcr- Tiers :—A Frenchman from Sedan has exhibited a, I offerecrfor sale at Verviers t a newly invented el( shearing machine, by which a single workman c, , 1 ' direct 80 pair of shbars, and which they have n)t ye: ventpred to employ in England ; scarcely hid t 1.2 workmen learned this, when they began to sa: to each other, " the machine can prepa . re l<2 ells of cl sth in a minute, we shall be reduced to beggary if it should be introduced." On the 20th all the work men left their work, assembled tumultuously *bolt the machine, and destroyed it before the got d'armetie could come up to prevent them. Tk workmen in their fury resolved to destroy all the other machines in the place; but the Mayor of Ver vigTh (manilla the probability of this cruet, had