The Sun. — London, England, 1848-05-31 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, May 30. The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat upon the Wool. sack at Five o'clock. Lord BROUGHAM presented petitions from Stran raer in favour of the Scotch Entail Bill ; from Lanark in favour of the Free Church Sites Bill; from several places in favour of the Jewish Disabilities Bill; and from some places in Ireland, praying for an amendment in the Irish Poor-law. The Bishop of NORWICH presented several peti tions praying for a repeal of the legacy duties on be quests left to charities. The Earl of EGLINTON presented several petitions from parochial authorities in Scotland against the Scotch Registration Bill ; also some petitions against the Bank Charter Act of 1844. The Earl of FITZWILLIAM presented a petition from Ardrachan, praying for an alteration in the poor laws of Ireland. The Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition from some place in Yorkshire against the admission of Jews into Parliament. POOR-LAWS (IRELAND). The Earl of LUCAN moved that a Select Committee be appointed to inquire into the operation and adminis tration of the poor-law in Ireland. He was surprised that her Majesty's Government should have refused to bring in any measure to mitigate the severity of that Act, which pressed most harshly upon certain indivi duals. He had therefore moved for this Committee; but he proposed to confine the inquiry to be instituted to the operation of the law as it affected lessors. He did not want to get rid of the rating of immediate lessors, but he thought that other persons ought not to be rated. Such a course would prevent the infinite subdivision of land which was so injurious to Ireland. After a few further observations the Noble Lord concluded by moving for the appointment of the Committee. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE was sorry to oppose the motion, but he understood a case had been prepared involving some of the questions alluded to by the Noble Earl as to the present mode of rating, and it would shortly be decided by a court of law. Until that deci sion had been come to, he did not see how their Lord ships could take any step in the matter. He advised the House, therefore, to refuse the motion. Earl FITZWILLIAM supported the motion. The Noble Earl, whose observations were imperfectly audible, was understood to complain of the great increase in the expense of supporting the poor in Ireland. He conjured the Government to adopt some system of colonization which should assist in relieving the rates. They had waste lands at one end of the world, and waste hands at the other, and why not adopt some system which should bring those two great elements of production together?—(Hear, hear.) This w a s a matter re quiring immediate consideration. This year the desire to emigrate was net as great as last year, and if they waited until next year it would possibly have disap peared altogether. Earl GREY deprecated the discussion of so large a question as colonization, on a mere restricted motion for inquiry into certain proceedings arising out of the work ing of th e p oor -l aws . H e comp l a i ne d o f the fallacy in volved in his Noble Friend's observations, namely, that it was in the power of any Government to dispense prosperity and happiness among the people. Prosperity must come from the industry of the people , and f r om the d e velopment of the national resources. Thatde velopment could not come without security, and Govern ment had performed its task in restoring security and suppressing crime throughout Ireland. As to emigra tion, if the people practised industry at home, there would be no necessity for deportation ; while, if they were sent away without some capital, nothing but mis fortune must be the result. In a few days he would lay upon the table further papers relative to emigration, and he would at the same time take the opportunity of en tering at length into the views of the Government on that important subject. He believed that the poor-law in Ireland was on the whole working better than could have been expected. He did not see that a sufficient case had been made out for the motion of the Noble Earl. Lord STUART DE DECIES took occasion to ex press his regret that more attent i on was not paid in Parliament to the wishes of the Irish people as ex pressed through their representatives. Those wishes had been expressed explicitly on the motion of the Hon. Member for Portarlington; and he (Lord Stuart de Decies) had reason to know that the rejection of that motion had done more to advance the cause of repeal than all the exertions of its most strenuous advocates.— (Hear, hear.) Having entered into some details as to the working of the poor-law, the Noble Lord concluded by stating that he should vote for the Noble Earl's motion unless Government promised an early and search • ing inquiry into the whole scope, tenor, and operation of the Irish poor-law. Lord BEAUMONT considered that a good ground for inquiry had been made out. The Earl of DEVON was opposed to immediate in quiries, seeing that legal steps were pending in another place; but he hoped that before long a full and searching inquiry would be conceded by Government. The Noble Earl near him (Earl Grey) had told them that on the whole the poor-law worked well. That might be true, bat he (Earl of Devon) could state of his own knowledge that in some parts of Ireland it was far from successful in its operation. Lord CAMPBELL opposed the motion. Lord MONTEAGLE supported the motion. He did not care about the individual grievance, but here was an Important law containing conf esse dly a ser i ous gr i evance; that grievance caused general discontent, and it was therefore, he cmceived, the duty of that House to grant an immediate investigation. A s a f r i en d o f th e union, as a friend of British connexion, he dared not vote against this inquiry. —(Hear.) The Marquis of CLANRICARDE could not see that there was any necessity for a Committee of Inquiry. If the intention of the Poor-law Act was not clearly made out as regarded lessors, the best remedy would be a short Bill to remove misconception. If they were to have in quiry, let it be general, and not confined to a mere point of detail. The House divided, when there appeared— For the motion.. 33 Against it Majority The motion was consequently carried against the Go vernment. ADDRESS OF CONDOLENCE TO HER MA JESTY. The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved that an humble address be presented to her Majesty condoling with her Majesty on the loss sustained by the Royal Family in the death of the Princess Sophia. Lord STANLEY said there would be only one opi nion on the subject —namely, that the virtues of her late Royal Highness would occasion her loss to be very severely felt. The motion was then unanimously agreed to. EVICTED TENANTS (IRELAND) BILL. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE, in moving the second reading of this Bill, entered into a statement of its objects and provisions, which have already formed the subject of several discussions in the other House, when the Biil was introduced. Lord MONTEAGLE said that he had no objection to the objects proposed to be attained by the Bill, but so long as the Irish poor-law was in existence the proposed measure would offer the most insuperable difficulties to the effectual operation of the existing law, and would render it whelly inoperative. If he had been rightly informed the gentleman whose imputed conduct had mainly given rise to the Bill was wholly ignorant of the circumstances which had taken place in evicting tenants, on his property, in Galway ; and yet he had been struck off the commission of the peace, without having had an opportunity of denying them. In fact, he had the au thority of the Lord-Lieutenant of fir. Blake's county for asserting that that gentleman was quite innocent of the facts imputed to him. Their Lordships ought, there fore, to guard themselves against adopting general measures founded on two cases, one of which had been denied to have any foundation in truth. The Bill would introduce the greatest confusion into the administration of the poor-law is Ireland, and he must ofer it the strongest opposition. For the objects sought to be attained by the Bill he had great sympathy, b ut let them be attained by the regular operation of the poor-laws, and not by a measure which would d erange altogether the system of relief now in force in Ireland, and be equally applicable to the class of persons con templated by the Bill as to all other poor and destitute persons. The Earl of GLENGALL vindicated Mr. Blake from having participated in the evictions which were ac knowledged to have mainly given rise to the present measure. At the same time, it was to be observed that Mr. Blake had not given so clear an explanation of the circumstances to the Irish Secretary as would have exculpated him from participation in the out rages imputed to him. As for the Bill itself he was opposed to it, for if it passed in its present shape, it appeared to him that every transaction in Ireland con nected with the letting of land must of necessity come under the cognisance and control of the poor-law guar dians there. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE briefly defended the Bill, and justified its provisions against the objection urged by the two Noble Lords who had opposed it. The Bill was then read a second time. The House adjourned at a Quarter to Ten o'clock to Friday next. HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 30. The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock. REPORTS. The foll ow i ng reports were considered anti agreed to: East Lincolnshire Railway (Alteration of Great Grimsby Branch). Edinburgh and Glasgow Railway (No. I—Amend ment of Acts and Branches, &c.) Great Northern Railway (Isle of Axholme Extension). Great Western Railway (Extension of the Berks and Hants Railway from Hungerford to Westbury, with a Branch to Devizes). Leeds Central Railway Station . London and Blackwell Railway Improvement, and Branches to the St. Katharine's and London Docks. Low's Patent. Norfolk Railway (Amendment o f Acts and Extension CJ f Time for commencing Iledharn and piss Branches). North and South Western Railway (Harrow to Brent ford). North Western Railway (Diversions at Skipton, Cas terton, and Sedbergh). Salisbury and Yeovil Railway. Sterling and Dunfermline Railway (Amendment and Deviations). Strathtay and Breadalbane Extension Railway. Oxford, Worcester, and Wolverhampton Railway (No. 2—Deviation of Line, and Power to Shrewsbury and Birmingham, and Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley Railway Companies to contribute and make Arrangements). The following Bill was read a third timel:— Bristol and Exeter Railway (Glastonbury Navigation and Canal Purchase). RE-COMMITTALS. The following Bills were re-committed: — Bristol and Exeter (Taunton and Castlecary). Bristol and Exeter (Bleadon to Wells ditto). Exeter, Yeovil, and Dorchester. Leeds and Thirak (Harrogate and Pateley). London and Blackwell Railway Improvement. NOTICES OF MOTION. Sir.HENRY WILLOLIGHBY gave notice that on a future day he should move for a return of the monies expended, or agreed to be expended, on the New House of Parliament from the lit of January to the 31st of March. Dr. BOWRING gave notice that on the 26th of June he should move the resolution of which he had given notice, relating to the Board of Works in Ireland and the Shannon navigation. Mr. PUSEY postponed the second reading of the Agricultural Tenant Bill, which stood for to-morrow, for three weeks. PETITIONS. Several petitions were presented against the sale of intoxicating drinks on Sunday. Sir J. WALMSLEY presented a petition from a place in Gloucestershire praying for the reduction of the duty in tea and coffee; also a petition from Preston, in Lan cashire, praying for the establishment of household suffrage. REFORM. Colonel THOMPSON presented 81 petitions from Preston, Lancashire, in favour of household suffrage, vote by ballot, electoral districts, and short Parliaments. Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND presented a petition also from Preston, praying that there might be a curtail ment of the national expenditure, and in favour of Par liamentary reform. BAKERS IN THE METROPOLIS. Mr. MASTERMAN presented a petition from jour neymen bakers is London, praying that an inquiry might be instituted into their particular grievances. Sir GEORGE STRICKLAND presented a similar petition from master bakers. Sir W. MOLESWORTH also presented a similar petition from the bakers of Southwark. UNION WITH IRELAND. Lord CASTLEREAGH presented a petition agreed to at a public meeting held at Newtonards, and signed by 1,400 persons in favour of the existing legislative Union with Ireland. On the motion of the Noble Lord the petition was read in detail by the Clerk at the table. PARLIAMENTARY REFORM. An Hoff. MEMBER presented a petition from Preston in favour of Parliamentary reform. Mr. HUME presented one hundred petitions to the same effect from Preston, stating that the present stasteziLo f tEo th tho e rr c e o e a sy n pe t ma r r y si c T al u l ßt ed ßdu l Aa o s u Tp d eHL l t y i.7i for a great r e d uct i on of the national e x p enditure, and in favour of household su ffrage, and the restriction of the duratio n o f Parlia mentsUOßS ON THE Mr. HODGES pre S se A ne o intoxicating liquors on t h e Sabbath.on against the sale of Mr. COBDEN presented petitions to the same effect. THEBAKERS. Sir W. CLAY presented a p a H n o d journeymen fotae adoptthe baker s of sh e o t r i petition h, from prayingthe master and a s t t h e e House r condition d of their trade into conside ration, and to Petitions t o the same ine ede . ct were presented by Mr H. Drummond Lord Dudley Stuart, from Marylebone, Mr. C. Lushington, from Westminster, and Mr.,D'Eyn court, from Lambeth. THE POOR-LAW. Mr. BRIGHT presented a petition from a clergyman in the neighbourhood complaining that the guardians of the poor had not properly treated a poor woman, one of his parishioners, and praying that the House would allow him to substantiate his allegations at the bar of the House. PARLIAMENTARY REFORM. Mr. ROCHE wished to put a question to the Hon. Member for Montrose with respect to his motion relative to Parliamentary reform. There was a great difference of opinion as to the intention of the Hon. Member in the making that motion in Ireland. One party thought the Hon. Member and those with whom he was associated were entitled to the name of real Reformers, while others thought that the course they intended to adopt was not calculated for the good of Ire land, but for that of England only. He wished therefore to know from the Hon. Member for Montrose whether he did or not intend to include in his notice Ireland. Mr. HUME said that he meant, as well as those who acted with him, to do justice to the whole of the United Kingdom.--(Hear, hear.) IRISH REGISTRATION. Mr. BATEMAN asked the Noble Lord at the head of the Government, pursuant to the notice he had given, whether the Government intended to go into Committee on the Irish Registration Bill before Whit suntide? Lord J. RUSSELL said the Government did not intend to do so. COPYHOLDS. Sir G. GREY, in answer to a question from Mr. AGLIONBY, said that the Lord Chancellor would shortly lay on the table of the House of Lords a Bill with respect to copyholds. STAMFORD BOROUGH. The report was brought up of the General Committee of Elections, nominating the following Members to try the merits of the Stamford election :—Sir T. F. Lewis (chairman), Mr. W. P. Wood, Mr. J. Stuart Wortley, Lord H. Vane, Sir J. W. Hogg, Mr. Ellice, Sir J. Pakington, Mr. Horstnan, and Mr. Henley. SENTENCE ON MR. MITCHEL. Mr. E. B. ROCHE—Sir, seeing the Right Hon. Baronet the Secretary for the Home Department iu his place, I wish to ask bim a question. The House is aware that Mr. Mitchel has been tried, convicted, and sentenced. He has since been treated in a way that would not have been justified even in the case of the commonest convict.—(Hear, hear.) He has been hurried away from his friends and from his family.—(Cries of " Order, order.") Well then, to be brief; my question is simply this, whether it is the intention of her Majesty's Government to carry out in its fullest vigour this cruelly disproportionate and unjust sentence? Sir GEORGE GREY—I will say nothing about the epithets with which the Hon. Gentleman accompanies this question. If I uude-rstand him rightly, what he means is this, whether the sentence passed upon Mr. Mitchel will be carried into execution: If that be so, I have to inform the Honourable Gentleman that instructions have already been given for carrying that sentence into effect.—(Opposition cheers.) THE " MORNING POST"—BREACH OF PRIVILEGE. Mr. GRATTAN said he claimed the right to speak at this period of their proceedings upon a question of privileges relating to a report, which appeared in a paper called the Morning Post, of what was alleged to have fallen from him last night. An HoN. MEmeEaLl-Nobody cares for the Morning Post.—(Laughter.) Mr. GRATTAN said, be that as it might, he must take notice of it now, because what appeared in that paper did not fall from him, bat was a pure fabrica tion.—(Hear and laughter.) It was a mischievous paper, although it was perfectly harmless.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) But this was another instance of not reporting, but wilfully misrepresenting Irish Members; and he begged to take that opportunity of telling the House, that from what he had seen in that House and elsewhere, both of Government and newspaper reporters, such as these upon this mise rably-circulated paper—(Hear, hear, and laughter)— he was quite convinced that they make a point of always misrepresenting what falls from the lips of an Irish Member.—(Order, order.) The SPEAKER asked if the Hon. Gentleman in tended to conclude with a motion ? Mr. GRATTAN said he certainly did. He intended to move that the editor of this paper be brought to the bar of the House.—(Loud laughter.) The SPEAKER said the lion. Member in a matter of privilege had a perfect right to make such a motion, but the usual tcourse was to hand the paper in which the misrep resen t a ti on a p peare d mar k e d , to b e rea d b y the clerk from the table, before the motion was made. Mr. GRATTAN said he knew the rules of the House very well—(Hear, and laughter)—and he begged to give notice that he would adopt that course to-morrow. METROPOLITAN BAKERS. Lord R. GROSVENOR rose pursuant to notice to move for a Select Committee to take into consideration the petitions of the master and journeymen bakers, presented to the House on the 3d day of April last. He said, in or d er to maintain his argument, he would lay down a prop os i t i on to, but had been I w hi ch had b ee n genera lly as sentedthrough the selfishness with ul °ltas generally overlooked w hich ,tiiat h m um en an nf n a a l t l u n r a e ti w on as s inflicted. That propositi on was were members of one great fa mil y, tabuenr, eith er di rect l y 4 that when one member suffered any other me or indirectly, suffered likewise. Jr that was true, h ow muc h more strongly ought th e truth to apeae:owhen the sufferings to which he alluded were co nfined p ar ticular class of persons. Those who w ere engaged i n the baking trade had not to endure sufferings which were only of a temporary or accidental character, but sufferings which were of a normal and continuous kind, and which they could not get rid of without the inter vention of the House. Journeymen bakers were occupied from 18 to 2() hours a day in a description of labour injurious which was i • 'oils to health, and which precluded them from obtaining that mental and moral improve ment, or that domestic recreation, which the hard worked labourer ought to be allowed to enjoy after the hours of business. They worked in a heated and un wholesome atmosphere, which not only destroyed the health of the journeymen, but rendered them old in constitution before they arrived at the prime of life. And it was upon those grounds that the petitioners prayed that the House might be pleased to pass some measure to remove some of the grievances which so heavily weighed upon them. The Noble Lord then read a number of docu ments descriptive of the condition of the journeyman bakers and of the great necessity that existed for the Legislature to adopt remedial measures. He showed by reference to the evidence of surgeons and others that the members of no trade in the metropolis were so overworked, and that in such vitiated atmospheres that they be came prematurely old and seldom lived long. The bakers of the metropolis had confidence in the House to do them justice, and that the principles of Christianity would have great weight in inducing them to do so. He felt convinced that the House would grant him the Committee he asked. He was not an Utopian dreamer of the Louis Blanc school--(A laugh)—but he was sure that the house would never prevent inquiry into a subj ec t of such importance if the slightest neces sity for it was only shown. The Noble Lord concluded by submitting the motion of which he had given notice. Sir DE L. EVANS seconded the motion. He re gretted that his Hon. Friend near him who presented a petition on this subject intended to oppose the motion on the ground that it was not desirable to interfere with the freedom of labour. But he did not think that any principle was so stringent that it might not admit an exception. They had already interfered with the prin ciple of the freedom of labour in the Factory Bill, and he had not heard that it had been followed by any evil con sequences. Sir G. GREY said he was sure there was no indispo sition on the part of the House to listen to the com plaints and grievances of the working classes, and to apply a remedy if the case was of such a nature as to ad mit ofpractical legislation witlfrespect to it. He regretted, however, that he felt compelled to oppose the motion of his Noble Friend on this ground, that the evils com plained of were not, in his opinion, susceptible of any legislative remedy, and he was confirmed in that opinion by the fact that neither his Noble Friend nor the Honourable and Gallant Member had suggested any. He had stated that as his opi nion two months ago, when his Noble Friend and the lion. Member for Finsbury accompanied a deputation of bakers to him. He suggested that the evils complained of afforded matter rather for sanitary regulation than legislative interference. That suggestion was taken up by the Sanitary Commission, of which his Noble Friend was a member. The e v id ence o f D r. Guy was given l :te b w , in e a eica i s n b e re e s yv t t a t w i e l l r w s h t i t c i cro would eo e henaFnt t sherakehai necessaryedtowhetherCommission, couldcontinue h ntietott hnw eutronhe eueme w l tdmheh evidence vcyoo embody di that n h g t h t ; a h t a e y n C d o h m a h de n Bs a was h c wi o c ro hha p t h l e e ve t e e rh h ah i de s brought before the House. If a Committee of that House were appointed, they could do nothing more, he apprehended, thee hear the same evidence, which was given before the Sanitary Commission. He would ob ject to the motion, also, on the ground that to grant a Committee would imply an opinion that some legislative remedy was possible.—(Cheers.) He thought that if they granted a Committee, they would be only practising a de lusion on the journeymen bakers, seeing that any legis lative remedy to remove the grievances alleged was im possible. If they granted this Committee, then the knife grinders of Sheffield, and the compositors, and many other classes of operatives, would come to the House and ask for interference in their cases.—(Hear, hear.) He thought that the only practical remedy was, that the masters and journeymen bakers should come to some agreement amongst themselves.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. STAFFORD did not think the arguments of the Right Hon. Gentleman, although they might convince a majority of that House, would convince the working classes out of doors that their interests were properly attended to within it. Although they might not be able to suggest any remedy for the evils complained of, by granting a Committee they would show, at least, to the working classes that they were ready to inquire into the subject, and to listen to what they could suggest in the shape of a cure. The Right Hon. Gentleman said that the Sanitary Commission might inquire into the subject. But he (Mr. Stafford) did not think that they had any power to inquire into the hours of labour. They had already interfered with good effect, as he believed , be tween employers and employed in the case of factory labour, and in the case of the coalwhippers. This Com mittee, if granted, would neither be a tedious nor an ex pensive one, and it would show to the working classes that that House was willing to attend to their complaints.—(Hear, hear.) Mr. LABOUCHERE said he would not yield to the Hon. Gentleman who had just spoken in his desire to attend to the interests of the working classes, but he be lieved that they would only be practising a delusion upon them if they were to grant the Committee asked for. It they were to impose restriction on adult labour in one case, others would soon come forward with equally strong claims.—(Hear, hear.) The fustian cut ters and others who suffered under great hardships would press their claims upon them. He admitted that it was possible and tolerable to interfere, as in the case of fac tories, where labourers were collected together in great numbers ; but it was impossible and intolerable to apply that minute inspection and supervision which would be necessary to make any measure of this kind at all effi cient where the workmen were scattered over a large surface, and living in private houses.—(Hear, hear.) That objection he considered to be fatal to the motion. The case of the coalwhippers was not analogous, because they were well organized, and minute supervision was not necessary ; and, above all, there was no attempt to limit the hours of working.—(Hear, hear.) He con fessed that he was glad that the opposition which he gave to the Coalwhippers Bill was not successful. Mr. M. MILNES thought that when the relations _ _ between labour and capital were exciting such interest at the present time, they ought to be cautious how they interposed any theory, however probable, between de mands supported by any large class of the community. He thought that the very fact of intelligent men sitting upon these Committees and answering the proposals of working men would, of itself, produce a great benefit. They should not decide the present motion by the re sults that were likely to follow from the Committee. He thought the House would act wisely by granting the Committee. Mr. HUME thought her Majesty's Government had taken the best course with respect to the question. If the House was not to decide the present question, in the hope of any beneficial result, what was the use of going into Committee? The Honourable Geatleman who bad just sat down was lately in Paris, and he was afraid he had there imbibed some of Louis Blanc's principles.— (Laughter.) But he would put it to his Hon. Friend whether what was now taking place in Paris was not sufficient to prevent them from trying to do by re tail what was doing in that city by wholesale? He admitted that the bakers were suffering certain evils, and he should wish to see them removed. But he saw no means of applying a remedy. The Noble Lord said that labour was not represented. That was precisely what he (Mr. Hume) complained of, and he should like to see a baker in that House to express his opinions on the subject. But while the master and the journeymen bakers were at perfect liberty to make their own arrange ments, he did not see that the Legislature could inter. fere, except to do injury. Let the working men be put on an equal footing with other members of the com munity—let no advantage be given to one over another —and then let all compete on equal terms.—(Hear.) Lord INGESTRE said he was no follower of Louis Blanc, but he thought he was only advocating a just cause in supporting the motion of the Noble Lord. Ile thought it was their bounden duty, as representatives of the people, to attend to the grievances of which any portion of them complained. He confessed he saw too great a dispositio❑ to attend to the interests of capital, to the neglect of the interests of labour.—(Hear, hear.) Sir B. HALL said he should also have great pleasure in supporting this motion. The Hon. Member for Mon trose seemed to say that he would never do justice to the journeymen bakers until half-:a-dozen of them had seuts in Parliament.—(Hear, hear, and laughter.) It was said leave the question to the Sanitary Commission. He had, however, far greater confidence in a Committee of that House, and he preferred it as a tribunal to consider and report upon this question. Mr. GLADSTONE said, pointed reference having been made to the Coalwhippers Act, he was desirous of making a few observations. The intent of the Act was to prevent publicans from acting as agents for the hiring' of coalwhippers, and thereby to prevent the continuance of a system that was very demoralising to the men. The measure went no further in respect of interference, and consequently it afforded no precedent whatever for a proposal like the present. To that proposal, therefore, he should offer decided opposition. At the same tine he hoped the labour of his Noble Friend would not be thrown away, and that arrangements such as justice and humanity required would be made among the master bakers themselves. The appointment of a Committee, however, could lead to no good result, and would only raise expectations which there might be a difficulty in satisfying. Lord D. STUART said if the House granted a Com• mittee a series of unexampled facts would be laid before it. Believing that the Committee would do great good, by collecting such information, he should vote for it. Mr. I)UNCAN supported the motion, Captain PECHELL said that thirteen years ago he had had the satisfaction to put upon the statute book a measure to relieve the bakers from labour upon Sundays. On the same principles on which he then acted he should support the motion now before them. Colonel THOMPSON said he felt in a sort of dilemma respecting such a motion as this, but the principle he always acted on was, that engagements must be kept. In his intercourse with the working classes he had always told them that no good results were to be expected from motions of this sort, but that if they desired such inquiries they were entitled to them. He should act on that principle on this occasion. Lord R. GROSVENOR replied, and expressed a hope that, notwithstanding the unfortunate opposition of the Government, he should still have a majority. The House divided, when there appeared— _ For the motion 43 Against it Majority —l2 ECCLESIASTICAL COURTS. Mr. BOUVERIE then rose to bring forward his mo tion respecting the Ecclesiastical Courts of England and Wales. The Hon. Member said he hoped to satisfy the House that these courts were a scandal and a disgrace to our law. He felt strongly impressed with the im policy of allowing these abuses to remain unremedied, G s e e 0 1 e r s g s e , and no co urse rema i ne d open b ut a sweeping condemna tionthe becauseFourt i h t a of th e w h o l e system. Inquiry on the subject was useGless, was commissionexhausted was a Inpp appointed d r reign g of exa mine the subject; it consisted of the late Archbishop of Canterbury, the late Bishop of Durham, the Bishop of London, Lord Tenterden, Dr. Lushington, and others. After a laborious inquiry they made a copious and able report. In 1833 another commission was appointed to inquire into the testamentary part of the subject. In the same year a Committee of that House sat upon an other part of the question. All these Commissions re ported, but all the abuses they deprecated still existed. Attempts had been made to remedy some of the evils, but with no substantial effect. Various Bills intl., - duced had passed through diWerent stages, but had all met with an untimely end. Probably the reason was that they did not go far enough— that they attempted to conciliate two incompatible interests; and that, conse quently, whilst they offended many they obtained no active support from the great body of the public. His object now was to induce the Government to take up the question on a large scale. Nothing short of era dication would sufficiently deal with the evils now exist ing in these courts. The law administered in these courts was of such a nature and extent , t h at the highest judicial tribunal in the realm, only three months ago, declared its utter inability to say what that law was; and as to the composition of the courts, it Wll,B both, as regarded the bar and the bench, a strict mono poly, arbitrarily excluding from, its profitable sphere, any, the most exalted merit, beyond its own imme diate pale. Again, the judges of these courts were exempt from that constitutional check which the law placed upon that conduct of all other judges. Those were removable by an address from either House of Parliament. These, whatever their misconduct, could defy public opinion, from their judicial seat, unless removed thence by the Bishop of the diocese. And here he would remark, that this connexion between the spiritual overseers of the Church and courts of law appeared to him by no means calculated to increase the efficiency of the Church, or to raise its character in the eyes of the community. He contended that it was per fectly monstrous that courts so utterly inefficient, and so entirely removed from public supervision, so entirely destitute of public respect, should have the sole jurisdic tion over matters of such vital importance to the State and to every individual member of it as marriage and its dissolution, legitimacy and bastardy, the validity of wills as regarded personal estate ; the validity of testamentary dispositions of real property being veste d i n the ordinary courts of the kingdom, an anomaly which every day occasioned the most serious, in some cases the most destructive results, to persons who happened to have both personal and real property bequeathed to them by the testator. Another jurisdiction, vested in the ecclesiastical courts was that of disputed church -rates; it was clearly impos sible that Dissenters, at all events,:could regard with any respect or confidence the decisions of an ecclesiastical court upon their resistance to a church-rate. It had been recommended by the Commissioners that this juris diction should be withdrawn from these courts; but the recommendation had not been carried into effect. An other jurisdiction which it was most desirable to remove from these courts was the cognizance of defamation causes, causes for the most part affecting the lowest order of the community, brought generally for the utterance, in auger, of words imputing incontinence to parties, and al ways involving the unfortunate person decided against in costs which, to people of the humbler ranks, proved ab solutely ruinous. The Hon. Gentleman mentioned seve ral cases in which poor women, pronounced guilty of the use of this sort of defamatory language in some street quarrel, were mulcted in costs to the extent of 301., 40/., and even 601., and upon the non-payment which, in their utter poverty, was a matter of course, sent to prison. As to the diocesan courts, the Lord Chief Justice of England had pronounced them utter nuisances; and ano pt from had distinctly t h e de c imputation lared t that judgment,teem administration of the law i n all t !:Gt hhaeer partiality eaa i o lubi c tta e Yhd s o a iron n ibt h) c s'e o i rs u ve r el t e s da h rol a f y d led him to form the opinion that they were susceptible of very great amendment indeed. The diocesan court of the Archbishop of Canterbury, sitting in London, was not included in these strictures of Lord Denman and the Bishop of London, but he thought that after the monstrous course of the monstrous case of " Geils v. Geils," there was but one opinion on the part of the public as to the administration of the law, and the conduct of both judge and advocates in that court. What had been, for example, witnessed in that court in the course of that case? One advocate in a case, a lead iny doctor in the court, distinctly charging the judge with partiality in favour of his son, another advocate in the same court, and in the same case, and adducing evi dence of the secure reliance placed upon that partiality of the judge father by the advocate son!—(Hear, hear.) He would say nothing, of course, as to the taste of the squabble to which he referred, but the fact was incon trovertible that in this close court, invested with such enormous and almost arbitrary powers, with its mono poly bar, and its monopoly proctors, the irresponsible judge had immediate relatives both among the bar and among the body of proctors, and that such relationship was a fact at once destructive of any public confidence in the tribunal, however high the personal character of the individual on the bench might be, and undoubtedly was. The registration of wills, which the ecclesiastical courts now arrogate to themselves, was susceptible of very material improvements. At present there was no decided security for the wills in the possession of these courts, nor was there any system at work which gave facilities to persons seeking the wills to attain a sight of them. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman read extracts from the testimony of various local registrars, to show the utter want of any systematic or effective record of these all-important documents. The total amount of fses re ceived by these officers was no less than 106,0001., of which the sum received by the deputy registers was 63,0001., and they formed the main abuse of the eccle siastical courts, forming as they did the substantial ditfe culty in the way of reform. In Canterbury the register received 7,5081. a year; in Chester, holding a sinecure office, he received 7,0001.; and is York, 2,6361.—(Hear.) New these were practical grievances, which required a remedy, and if' the Government, instead of declaring, as they lately did, a disinclination to political changes, which after all were only a means to an end, would evince a vigorous determination to provide a remedy for those grievances, they would do more to extract the sting from such motions as that given notice of by the Honourable Member for Montrose than any declaration, however strong, could effect. The Ho nourable Gentleman concluded by moving—" That the ecclesiastical courts of England and Wales have been the subject of several public inquiries, which have shown them to be totally incapable of fulfilling the important functions they affect to exercise. That these courts have not only to decide questions concerning some of the most important civil rights of the subject, but they exercise a criminal jurisdiction, pretended to be pro salute anima, which touches his property and personal liberty. That the law they administer urgently requires amendment. That their system of procedure is incompa tible with the effectual attainment of the ends of justice. That they are not only inefficient, but costly. That their costinned existence is injurious to the subject, and a scandal to the judicial system of the country." Sir. G. GREY would neither follow the Hon. Gentle man through his details, nor attempt to controvert his arguments in favour of a sweeping change in the eccle siastical courts, because in those arguments he generally concurred.—(Rear, hear.) He must, however, demur to the assertion that the Government had shown any indisposition to deal with the subject. The Hon. Gentleman had observed that the subject was so full of details, and so complicated, that he, as an individual Member, shrank from grappling with it. But that also formed an excuse on the part of the Government. He regretted to find a disposition in the House of Commons to think that every measure ought to be taken up and disposed of in one session by the Government, because by that course no thing could be so well done as if the undi vided attention of the House were concentrated on a few measures, and other measures reserved for a future session. Leoking to the complicated nature of this question, he must say that he should despair, at this period of the session at least, of proposing a Bill which would be likely to pass. He thought the wiser course would be to reserve it for another session. He admitted that many inquiries had taken place, and that every one of the Commissions or Committees recommended extensive changes in the nature and jurisdiction of these courts, and he was was prepared to agree in substance with these recommendations. The Bill of 1844 he op posed, because it departed in lobo from the Bill of his Right Hon. Friend the Member for Ripon, which pro ceeded upon the Commissioners' report of 1829. He voted in the minority against that Bill, which was ulti mately abandoned. Since the present Government was in office the subject had not escaped their attention. The Attorney-General had been engaged pre paring a Bill, which would have been submitted s in the present session had they the slightest hope that its details would have received that consideration which they required. He agreed altogether with the Hon. Member for Kilmarnock in his main objections to these courts, to their course of proceeding, and to much of the jurisdietion they exercised; but he could not agree to his resolutions, because he could not hold out any hope of being a ble in the p res ent session of apply ing House which he hoped would engage the on the attreetnamtbeiloe ny o of h these circumstances he must move the previous question. oadftottht' the evil. A Bill would be s h ort l y l a id ' e House early next session. U n d er Sir R. INGLIS congratulated the Hon. Mover on the goi n the scre toeadtiarrisy of ion.. Btruiutmwphhenhethehad flightach i achieved without Gentleman State promised to introduce a Bill on the subject, he begged to remind him that every such attempt by pre ceding Governments had failed, and the secret of that failure was to be found in the proposition of taking away justice from the door of every man concerned, and centralising it in London. To that he was decidedly opposed , and he hoped that any attempt on the part of the present Government so to interfere with the existing system would likewise fail. He did not mean to say that that system was nut capable of improvement; but he utterly denied that it constituted such an unmitigated evil as the Hon. Mem ber for Kilmarnock alleged. He had no objection to improvement, but he required that to mattersof ecclesias ticalwere discipline should b e s ubmitted persona who those who were not alien or hostile to the profe ssions of to be tried. After a few words from Colonel SIBTHORP against the motion, The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that his atten tionmight be had been directed to this subject that a long before he was in office, and his opinion was framed for the reformation of these c ourts which would be perfectly satisfactory to all parties. o His object in n rising was to entreat the House to assume that the measure Government was pledged to the principle o f centralisa tion in the Bill of the lase Government. They had a hesitated to introduce it measure already prepared, and thout only because it would provoke dismission, wi afford ing the least probability their being able to carry it through Parliament in the presen t session. Mr. HUME fully concurred Baronet did not consent to their adoption, as it would strengthen his hands when introducing his Bill. The abus e was one which had in the resolutions , and regretted that the Right Hon. scandal that it should still remain. Mr. AGLIONBY, likewise, agreed in every word of to end in been not only condemned but admitted ever since he had had a seat in that House ; and it wa s a the resolutions, but he regretted that they wer e hen The Government ad mitted the four p ro positions containeds • in them to be broughtwill forward founded. If 30 1 why had they not smoke. He did not see what was to be lost or g ained by avoiding a di v i s ion on t et talked of a Bill long ago ? Th e Ri g ht Hon. Baronet session had elapsed without anyt hi ng b e i ng done upon f te t r his subject ; measures the inconvenience o f ii ntro d uc i n g all the_ m easures of a Government in one sess i on ; b u t session a and his f ee li ng was, that un l es s such were neglected alto get h er. Mr. HUDSON sa id t h at if called up on to affirm the h forced upon th e attent i on o f G o vernment, they would be for proposed by th e H on. and L ear ned Member not be Kilmar nock (Mr. Bou ver i e ) , h e (Mr. Hudson) should whole o f th e propositions em b o di e d in t e resolutions amendments might be introduc e d i n t o the ecclesiastical courts. He prepar e d to d o so. At the same time he was ready to admit that some j u di c ious changes and had h ear d w i t h unm i xed sat i s f a ction the speech of the Hon. and L earae d A ttorne y-General, and lie assured him, and also the Right Hon. Baronet the Home Secre tary, that any attempt to remove the custody of wills from the counties in which the testators had died would be strongly resisted by the county with which he was connected, and every other county in the kingdom. He bad had experience not only in the ecclesiastical but in the law courts, and he did not think the former more ex pensive than the latter; and the best proof of the satis faction which the decisions of the ecclesiastical courts gave was afforded by the paucity in number of the ap peals against their decisions. Mr. IV. P. WOOD thought it deeply important to the best interest of the Church that some steps should be taken to remove the grievances arising from the mis named ecclesiastical courts. The temporal and spiritual jurisdiction ought to be separated. As to the retention of wills and documents in safe custody, he knew in stances in which a forged will had been substituted for the original—when a forged manuscript of a baptismal certificate had been put surreptitiously on the file in place of the true transcript—these end other instances he could not name showed that the local custody now in force was not perfect or safe, and that there was a neces sity to watch these local jurisdictions. Mr. BOUVERIE said that after the promise made by the Right Hon. Baronet (Sir G. Grey) to introduce a Bill on this eubject early next session, he (Mr. Bouverie) would not put the House to the trouble of dividing on his resolutions. The SPEAKER then put the question, when the amendment (the previous question) was agreed to. THE PUBLIC ACCOUNTS. Dr. BOWRING then rose to submit his resolutions on the subject of the public accounts. The Honourable Nlember said that the resolutions he was about to pro pose seemed to him to contain propositions so self-evi dent that it was astonishing so many years had been allowed to pass without the Commons House of Parlia ment having directed its attention to the fact, that one fifth of the gross revenues of the country were expended without the previous interventicn, control, and autho rity of the Commons. If there was any duty more paramount than another, it was that the representatives of the people should take care of the money of the people—should see that it reached the Exchequer—and before any portion was disbursed, the authority for that disbursement should be obtained from the House of Commons.—(Hear.) The fact, as shown by documents now on the table of the House, was, that a sum of nearly 8,000,0001. per annum escaped the control of the House of Commons, and that since the passing of the Reform Act no less a sum than from 110,000,0001. to 120,000,000/ sterling had been disbursed without the inter ference of this House to sanction it. He had moved for, and obtained returns from, four different depart ments of revenue, showing the amounts which had been expended without the authority or interference of Parlia ment, and these returns showed the amounts to have been—in 1837, 6,155,0001.; in 1843, 5,507,0001.. ; in 1846, 6,152,0001.; and in the year ending, sth January, 1847, that expenditure had been 5,904,0001. In the de partments of expenditure—for instance the Treasury, the Privy Council-office, the army, the navy, the ord nance' and other similar d e p ar t ments , t h ere h a d b een expended without any Parliamentary check or control, in 1837, 1,767,000/.; in 1844, 1,999,000/.; in 1846, 1,909,000/.; and in the return for last year it was shown to have been 1,099,740/. These sums, together with the gross amounts expended without the sanction of this House, stood thus:--In 1837, 6,922,0004; in 1843, 7,063,0001.; and last year, 7,400,000/. Now, it ap peared to him that such a state of things was in tolerable. The consequence of this system was, that neither the First Lord of the Treasury nor the Chancellor of the Exchequer had a book, or great ledger of the consolidated account of the nation, which could show them the correct total receipts and expendi ture of the country. This was a di,honour to a great commercial nation like Great Britain. Even the audit office could:not furnish annual accounts, because, instead of supplying their accounts and vouchers to the audit effiJe within three months after the close of every year, many public accountants either delayed them for years, or did net return them at all. For instance, the Shan non Navigation Board had not made any return of either accounts or vouchers for the last ten years, and the Board of Works in Ireland was almost the same. Could it then be wondered at that forgeries had been committed on the public revenue when such a state of things had been allowed to go on unchecked year after year? In the customs, the excise, the stamps and taxes—in all these departments sums were retained and expended without the inter ference of Parliament! and in the post-office de partment, out of a revenue arising from that source of about 1,500,0001., 1,140,0001. was retained in its pro gress to the Exchequer. Again, almost every depart ment had its fee fund, all of which was received and disbursed without the cognisance of Parliament, and hence grievous irregularities had grown up. To these he sought by his resolutions to put an end, because he was convinced that unless the gross revenues went into or were accounted for to the Exchequer, no security was afforded for the fit and proper expenditure of the public money. This had been recommended in the report of the Commissioners of Inquiry, of which in 1831 the late Lord Congleton had been the head, and therefore the proposition he (Dr. Bowring) made involved no principle that was new to the Legislature. He desired to applf to the public accounts the same principle which was adopted by every banker, merchant, and tradesman in the kingdom. One of the most important duties of Members of that House was that they should take care of the public purse, but they could not discharge it while 7,000,0001. of the public money was allowed to slip through the bottom. He could not help thinking that the system of fees was receiving the attention of the Government with a ♦iew to its aboli tion. He knew of no other country in Europe in which the gross amount of the revenue was not received into the Exchequer. The Hon. Gentleman concluded by moving :—" That this House cannot be the effectual guardian of the revenues of the state unless the whole amount of the taxes, and of various other sources of in come received for the public account, be either paid in or accounted for to the Exchequer. That no depart ment of revenue ought to be allowed to stop any portion of its gross receipts in their progress to the Exchequer without the previous authority of Parliament. That no department of expenditure should be permitted to appro. j priate to the public service any other sums than those sanctioned by previous votes of Parliament, and that all receipts from sales of stores, or other sources, should be paid into .the Exchequer. That whereas the expendi ture of many departments escape Parliamentary control, either wholly or in part, in cense. quenee of paying their expenses out of fees or other re sources, and of accounting to the Exchequer only for the balances of such receipts; and in other cases of applying to Parliament for grants to make up the deficiency of such fees or other resources, it is necessary, as a check upon abuse, and a security for the appropriatio❑ of the public moneys, that such receipts should be paid into the Exchequer, and not be disposed of without the prelimi nary sanction of Parliament. That it appears by returns on the table of this House, that in the year ending the sth of Jan., 1847, the amount of 5,904,6901. 17s. 4 5-12 d. was deducted from the gross receipts by the various re venue departments in its progress to the Exchequer, and disbursed without the previous sanctio❑ of Parliament ; and by sundry previous Parliamentary returns, that a sum of about the same enormous amount is yearly re tained by the said departments, and is not paid into the Exchequer, nor subject before its disbursement to Par liamentary control. That it appears by the said returns that in the year ending the sth day of January, 1847, the sum of 1,099,747/. 14s. 2td. was received by the va rious other departments, independently of Parliamentary grants or issues from the Exchequer. That the amounts thus removed from the direct authority and previous control of Parliament, and which were not paid into the Exchequer, average nearly seven millions per annum, and that nearly one-eighth of the gross revenues of the nation are disposed of without the interference of Par liament to sanction their application. That such a state of things is most unsatisfactory, and requires the earliest attention of the House of Commons. Mr. HUME seconded the motion. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER admit ted that the House of Commons was the proper guar dian of the public purse, and therefore it was that the items of the public expenditure were submitted to it. He did not think that the system of bringing the whole receipts into the Exchequer in the first instance would afford greater security than by the officers at the ports, deducting a part of the money they received for pay ments which were to be made from day to day. With regard to payments other than the charges of collection, he considered that it made no practical difference whether they were made before they were received into the Exchequer or afterwards. With respect to the other items which the Hon. Gentleman classed together, they were very various in their nature, and could not be considered as payments of the description to which he alluded. As to the 262,0001. for the police force, for in stance, that was not money coming in in aid of the public revenue, but it was a portion of the public revenue paid in aid of other sums. With regard to stores and other appropriations for the army and ordnance depart ments, the Hon. Gentleman would find all of those sums stated in the estimates. However, he had issued a Treasury minute with respect to those appropriations, requiring that the money should be first brought into the Exchequer in the gross. The Hon. Gentle man said that 138,0001. had been paid under the Boatel of Works in Ireland in aid of the public money. But if the Hon. Gentleman looked to the returns he would find that 107,0001. of this sum consisted of loans for the pur pose of drainage, which could not be considered public expenditure. He admitted that the audit of the Shannon navigation was in a very unsatisfactory state. Every effort had been made to reduce it into order, and he hoped they would succeed in doing so. He agreed with the Hon. Gentleman, that a large portion of the fee, ought to be abolished, and he could assure him that the Government were disposed to make all the practical reforms in their power.—(Hear, hear.) He should move the previous question. Colonel SIBTHORP thought this motion was rather late in the day. The Hon. Member had allowed votes to pass sub silentio, and now he brought forward resolu tions declaring that they ought not to have been passed at all. Would the Hon. Member give practical proof of his desire for " econimical reform" by supporting a motior he was about to bring forward for the abolition of the office of the Comptroller of the Exchequer?— (Hear, hear.) He would also ask the Hon. Member ii he were inclined to abolish the office of 400/. a year just given to the Hon. Member's son? He thought that Hon. Members who got these sort of appointments for their relatives were the last who ought to bring forward reso lutions for changes of this description. He should not support the Hon. Member. Mr. HUME said his objection to the present mode of reading the accounts was, that they deceived the public. They have not before th em a true and accura t e state . _ went of the sums received and the sums expended. The present system was kept up to conceal from the public the real amount of taxation. The Exchequer of Eng land was the only one in the world through which all the moneys of the state did not pass. This was the fourth time this subject had been brought forward ; but the House never paid attention to matters affecting re venue. He was sorry to say that within five minutes after he rose the opposite benches there were always nearly empty.—(Great laughter.) Sir G. CLERK said those who knew little of the sub ject would probably imagine from the debate that there was no general account whatever of the receipts and ex penditure of the country. Now the fact was that at the commencement of every year a volume was laid upon the table giving precisely this information. The Hon. Member for Bolton wished that every farthing of money collected in the provinces and elsewhere •hould be paid into the Exchequer in London. He would not hesitate to say that if such a system were adopted the annoyance and inconvenience to our merchants would be so great as to render the system quite impracticable. The pre sent practice, moreover, was, as it seemed to him, the simplest and least likely to render the accounts com plicated. Mr. V. SMITH hoped the division would not be pressed. II it were, the probabilities were that the mo tion would be lost, much to the regret of himself and other Members who found in the resolutions very much of which they approved. Dr. BOWRING replied, and defended himself from the charge of Colonel Sibthorp, of having passed by this question on former occasions. On the contrary, he had sought every eligible opportunity of bringing it forward. He did not believe the practical diffi culty of adopting this system would be very great. He would take the opinion of the House cn the first re solution. The House divided, when there appeared— For the previous question 54 Against it 55 Majority against —l The House then divided on the first resolution, when there appeared— For the resolution Against it Majority against Ministers WHITSUNTIDE HOLIDAYS In answer to a question from Mr. HUME, Lord J. RUSSELL stated that it was his intention to move, on Friday week, that the House adjourn to the Thursday following in Whitsun week. LAND COMPANY COMMITTEE. Mr. F. O'CONNOR rose to nominate the following Committee on the National Land Company Bill:—Mr. F. O'Connor, Lord Ingestre, Viscount Drumlanrig, Mr. Henley, Mr. Langston, Mr. G. Langston, Mr. S. Craw ford, Mr. Monsell, Captain Pechell, Mr. Sullivan, Mr. Meagher, Mr. Devereux, Mr. Scholefield, Sir G. Strick land, and Sir B. Hall. The Hon. Member expressed his willingness to substitute the names of Messrs. Hay - ter and Wortley for those of Messrs. Mea4her and De vereux, but objected to removing Mr. Langston (Mem ber for Oxford borough). After some further remarks from Sir G. GREY. Mr. O'CONNOR said he would have no objection to strike out the name of Sir Benjamin Hall, so that Mr. Langston might remain upon it, in case the Right Hon. Baronet insisted upon three names being struck out. Sir G. GREY said that his only object was to give full efficiency to the Committee. He was anxious that the name of Mr. Heywood should be added, repre senting as he did a part of the country which was deeply interested in the matter. Sir B. HALL complained that the Hon. Member for Nottingham had nominated to his Committee seven Hon. Members who had never previously had a seat in that House; if the House should approve of his (Sir B. Hall's) appointment as a Member, he should use his best endeavours to sift the matter to the bottom, and to lvt the public know what the scheme of the Hon. Member really was. M - r. F. O'CONNOR said that the Hon. Baronet the Member for Mar) lehone had pretty clearly shown the animus with which be would enter into the inquiry, and he need therefore say no more respecting the observa tions which had fallen from him, Mr. J. O'CONNELL suggested that if Mr. Langston should be unable to serve, Sir B. Hall should be nomi nated on the Committee. Sir G. GREY having agreed to this, the Committee was nominated according to Sir G. Grey's proposal, and the House adjourned at One o'clock. POLICE INTELLIGENCE. MANSION -HO USE. Thomas Clancey was brought before the Lord Mayor by City policeman 366, charged with having been one of the ringleaders in the row in the streets on Monday night. The Commissioner of the City Police was on the bench during the investigation. The policeman said—At half -past nine o'clock last night, I was in Fleet -street, and saw between 3,000 and 4,000 people, somo with and some without sticks, going along. The mob gave three cheers fur Mr. Mitchel and the prisoner flourished a stick over his head and asked the people, both on the pavement and in the middle of the road to join him. The crowd were at the time four abreast and arm-in-arm. I followed them to Far ringdon-street and to Skinner-street, and they con stantly asked those who were standing still to join. The prisoner said they were going to gain a victory that night. and that 7,000 were assembled elsewhere; and he said, " Men and women, I persuade you all not to go home to-night. We shall gain a victory." I followed them into Smithfield. The po licemen came out of the station-house there, and some of the mob ran away. The prisoner stood still and flourished his stick, and called to the crowd to stand their ground. The mob then went up Long-lane, and the prisoner used the same expressions as he went along. I called the attention of an officer in plain clothes to what was going on, and told him to notice the prisoner's conduct, and we took him into custody. As we were taking him to the station-house he told us we ought to have taken him into custody three weeks before ; that it was too late now, and that it was too far gone ; and he called upon the mob not to mind him, but to go on to victory. He had a stick in his hand, and I took it from him. The prisoner —Did you ever see me before last night? Witness—Not to my knowledge. The prisoner —Do. you recollect my addressing two women? Witness—Yes, after I took you into custody. The prisoner —Do you think any observations I made were calculated to influence the people? Witness— Certainly I do. Policeman 225—Between 10 and 11 o'clock I was on duty in Smithfield. I followed the mob up Long-lane with four other constables, and I saw the prisoner flourishing a stick, and calling upon the mob to fell in. He said, " This is the night we shall gain the victory. Men, women, and children, stop out all night. Don't go to bed at all." And he called upon all to join to gether and stick together like men. We took him into custody then. The LORD MAYOR —Was he sober? Witness—Quite so; but he appeared to be greatly excited, and he said, "You ought to have taken me into custody three weeks ago, before I had done the mischief; there is a cleverer man than me in prison now." The prisoner (to the witness)—Have you taken any notes of these proceedings? Witness—No. The prisoner —The n it is merely from recollection you give your evidence ? Witness—Certainly. The prisoner —Did I offer the slightest resistance when you took me into custody ? Witness—Not at all. The prisoner —Can you swear that anything I said was calculated to lead to a breach of the peace ? Witness— I can and do swear it. The prisoner, when we took him into custody said to the mob, " Now is your time l" but they laughed at him and did nothing.—(Laughter.) There were among the mob many with sticks. The prisoner —Did you hear me use any expressions at all likely to cause excitement among the people ? Witness—Yes, what you said was most likely to lead to excitement. Mr. Thomas Woolet, of Cheapside—l heard that a mob was going along, and I went down Newgate-street and followed them into Smithfield. At the corner of Barbican I saw a tnob collected, and I went to the as sistance of the police. I heard the prisoner say, upon being apprehended, that he did not care fear being locked up, and that it was a pity the police were so many of them engaged about him, for there would be warm work to do before night. Three pieces of paper and three halfpence were found upon the prisoner in the station-house. They contained these words : " N.B. 15 minutes is the time allowed in speaking. "Resolved,—That this reeetingt being duly impressed with the utter hopelessness of the present Government of this country, and of their cold and callous inclination to do justice to the people of these countries, we there fore call upon the Executive to proceed directly with the people's memorial to the Queen, being greatly impressed with the belief that her Most Gracious Majesty will not lend un inattentive ear to the prayers of her devoted and loyal subjects. "Lord John says we don't want anything. Contempt on the minion." The prisoner, upon being asked by the LORD MAYOR whether he wished to make any observation, said—l have reason, my Lord, to complain of the treatment I have had from the police authorities, and I deny, in the most positive manner, that I said anything at all calcu lated to lead to riot or disturbance, or excitement of any kind. You may judge of the treatment I received, from the fact that when I entered the station-house one of the police said, " Oh! you have got one of these d--d Chartists have you?" That was language which you know ought not to have been used by men in such situations. As for the meeting of the people last sight, I believe it to have in a great measure arisen out of the assertion of Lord John Russell, that the working people did not want reform. It was in consequence of this gross misrepresentation of the masses of people,itihdenot in consequence of this statement that they purpose re quire an,y., f gichange,viugassembled for o the his the most th t he crowds decided contradiction Lordship's d ec l ara ti on . It is untrue that I excite the crowd. I t o ld them to go home ea t laughter.) att b e o m u p t te t d he t i o r business, instead of exciting them. As for the possession of that stick, whichappettrs to I can thorn.—(Great tt be the blackest part of the charge .against me, easily account for that. lam a stick dresser by s tr t a ie t k e s , and I have several of this sort of unprepared and it is part of my business to c on a n n e d eted l w c i a th n at home, as you will find if you suenrrdytothmemy s l afe th ly in s k t , a t e I t h h s a t v eif j a u sptei fi r s e o d n str my c o u n n g d l u y e t c , he Government had not made false statements about the wants and desires of the people there would have been no meeting at all. Now, the Government have done very wrong in another respect, too. They have sent spies in amongst the people; and that practice never has been known to work any good yet. Now, I should wish to have the two women to whom I spoke in the presence of these policemen to give their evidence. The LORD MAYOR—Very well. I shall postpone the case, if you please, to give you the opportunity. The prisoner, upon consideration, proposed an imme diate adjudication, which he said he had no doubt would be a fair one. The LORD MAYOR--I shall encleavoar to make it a ' just one. Your conduct has been certainly very repre,, hensible. It has been c al cu lated to lead to a breach eu the peace, and you are particularly censurable for sr peering amongst a mob at such an hour. You ar e a fev; son too from whom a good example might be exPe e instead of one leading to the dangerous violation of t, laws. You must rocure two sureties each to the amount of 401., and you must yourself be bound ie the sum 80/. to keep the peace tor sixonths. Hugh AP Donald was then put to the bar upon th e charge of having been concerned with the mob, andl" having assaulted some of the po ice. Policeman G 127 stated, that between eleven and twelve, as he was on duty in Golden-lane, be saw prisoner with several others at the corner of Collier-lane, 'There was a great mob there at the time. As a body of the police passed along the prisoner said, " There and a lot of his companions dogs." Subsequently hooted S a h n h el s "' p e el pelted the the p o r ffi is e o e n v esr " 61.P16.11 - pieces of coke and brickbats, and the prisoner ran l the court upon being followed by the po lice ful i dropped a large piece of coke which he wa s p repare to Policeman 112 identified the prisoner as the Pert: who had struck him on the nose with a brickbat in Gold c 1 lane. About the same time another policeman was e t Tb, on the side of the head with a brickbat by one tto mob, and knocked down senseless. The u nfortuno officer was taken to the hospital. standing; T h e prisoner cornersaid he o a f n dt the pn crowd, when the policeman suddenly seized him i l re d sColirfte we re tdoubt helven a mistake tor another party. Ile demand hat that as the most peaceably disposed man . 1 " 0 „ei world, notwithstanding which he had been most belaboured with constables' staves. The LORD MAYOR sentenced the prisoner to hnP ria • sonment in Bridewell for one month for the assaul t ' p d re l u oo n ki su n sp g ic i i i o t i n Bedel l . Henry Gibson was charged with having, street, after the dispersion of the greater part mob, endeavoured to excite persons to attack a Phu man by pointing at him, and saying there .were u`',o dred other spies of the kind about the place. The /13 was drunk at the time. The prisoner said he knew nothing of Chartism et and that he was by no means a democrat. b°Per' too, he had not used such words. Ch arty' The LORD MAYOR fined the prisoner, not f or ism, but for drunken misconduct. • lid' Marion Marron, a lodger, in the CoffeershoPl ll ,l, of cross-street, at which the Chartists are in the ha''' . of assembling, was put to the bar upon the 0 31 1 ee having attempted to excit e th e wo men assem ble give:a demonstration of their love of liberty.. r . Policeman 163 said, the prisoner distinguished herself by calling upon the women assembled amongst to join her in ove r th row i ng t h e Whig Govern ev o .„/. eern b 7o, Witness went up to her and entreated her to go te r A t tie She, however, persisted in calling upon her sex W sfte her example, and tumble the Whigs out of o ffice. tio was evidently under th e infl ence o f liquor at theiousli and she had been drinkin g a ll d a y and haellreic give Mrs.l to the olice. ' 0 efa Marron said, p she was very sorry to app. ar Isre the Lord Mayor in so di sgrace f u l a ca use, and she d ee oet that if she was allowed to depart her face should,: the again be seen in suc h a pl ace . She had lodged Chartist coffee-shop for six months, finding that the cheapest lodgi ng she ever possessed. She , ' C ce had no idea that it was a house of call for polity she would have d it The LORD never MAYOR—lt entere seems ' that you have bl some of the politics of the house. j ot Mrs. Marron—l am afraid so, my Lord. 1 ,_ ws .. l , t ivo i , going out for a newspaper, to see what news teei-bola from Dublin about when took he the police of me. tO "- The L ORD MAYOR—WeII, you don't seem to quite sober yet, and you must come before me e g st morrow. The prisoner was then remanded. MARLBOI?OUGH-STREET. „ d o 0 5 The magi s trates a t t h is cour t rec eived •n % - a 'a (understood to b e f rom t h e H ome -office) 01 their attendance during the evening i n case 70 ut e s ,, once or outrage occurring. Last e vening S" a usi) r thousand persons walked th roug h R e gent•stre e c much consternation, but they behaved in a p ert' t r derly manner, and no t th e sligh tes t o ccasion ~,f o r services of the police, wh o were ready to act "- felted itself. RAILWAY SHARE MAR K ET'. LIVERPOOL, MAY 30. It and ;1)°, STOCK EXCHANGE.—The m ar k et c ontinues d iwo little disposition is evinced to buy or sell. Birksol:7l3/11'.1, cashire, and Ch es hi re J unct i on (l are C . a nd B.), 2 '",. /1 14 11 / 1j dis.—Eastern Counties, 14: 4 ' Great Nort h of ifit l ' ; 48 p.—Lancashire an d Yorkshir—e, Fifths, d i i rte Wt s Halves (late L. and B.), 9 dis.—Ditto, Fifths k A ' s sort' Riding Union), 31. 13s. 9d. c. dia.—London an d c. P. Western, 131 c.—Ditto, New Quarters, 1L 181% d:14:; Midland Stock, 104 1 , 2 —Ditto, New Halves, s "i North Union (A), 201—Shrewsbury, Oswestry, , ;4°' 756 dis.—South-East e r n an d D over , Pit t° 24 3 4 e." — Thirds, 27, 4 c. die.—West Flanders, 8 dis. MANCHESTER, MAY 30. 5 0 0 6' STOCK EXCHANGE.— Th e s a l es are—Ambergai.e, e ham, and Boston, 2."-Y, dis.—Birkenhead, Lanca shir iV A t Cheshire Junction, 7 11-16 dis.—Eastern Cooties', ( '- u G i r d e j a n t g N u o n rt io h n er ) ?, 3 94-I c 6 . dis. s —Lancashire and Torksl and Nor th- gs e t \ '' ‘ Quarters (A and B), 2 Li t p.—Manchester, Bult° l3 A ' Line 9 4, 111 and Midland, 3 1 / 8 dis.—Manchester, Sheffield , sir t shire, Quarte r s, N o . 2, 151,i—Ditto (Grimsby) , ,u n ; She ' Ol 21 dis.--Ditt o , 2 0/ . Sh ares, 8 dis Ditto, 1 2 /. ; ; ;;.'tern 4% dis.—No r th Staffordshire .23 . d" South -PP" Dover, 25—Ditto. N. 4. 4. 976 di q ISTRIIINGHAM, MAT 20. ~D r es STOCK ExerriANCile..— To-day ,i.ere was rather a ll r ment in the Sir: ra Market. Th e f o ll o wing are th e 4 70 13 ' i; f OVIL the share list:—Midl an d , 6 per cen t. (Br ist l 13011.; ri,ingham), 118 1 ,4—Ambergate, Nottingham, d 535. Bd. dis.—B irm i ng h am, W o l ver h a ton s " sbre if sIP 7 ruP Valley, 2 dis.—N or th S ta ff or d s hi re , 24 c. gd• and Birmingham (A), 83s. 9d. dis.—Ditto (1 3 ) , HULL, MAY 30. # lijOt STOCK EXCHANG E —The sales are—Ambergabe, ham, and Boston, 10s.—North Britiih, Thii•ds, 226. TITS NEW EDITION OF BURKE'S P" lti°% 1)16 B . AItoxETAGE.—A contemporary . To every person moving in the higher circles, 11 7 the i th ,e ousands many grades below, a new editioof has ren 3 er ked _.:' L a 97 erage and Baronetage is as essential a book of to of!, rence and as a new almanac. For its clearness, burr t el, compactness, in alphabetical a rrangele sll 7 - beite 44 o nothing of the neatness of its engravings and th (a wl f its typography.---' Burke's Genealogical Di e tiito r g : has long carried off the palm from all "its coteP' e t hi , The splendid volume before us, consisting of ° float ~I t 1,160 super-royal octavo pages, in double ' - oc ts 7 ",„ volumes, in actual quantity or matter to ilia ° 0 tfr exceeding 300 pages each, and yet it 126 ,tvog i f clear m n e e s s ' s and beauty of a cabinet specimen `h is '''" vat''' . phic art." W o tion as t e are as,urecl, however, that es.' 4 “ o the quantity' is much below the real 3 (or !hough the quantity has not deteriorated the . cly e e fil li g'ali i i : it would be an act of injustice to the In" yo latt B t h a , r)o ' have thrown new light upon the edi e tors to vt ithhuld the fact that by the present - ae t netage, and by entering extensively into by 0 lines accession they have been enabled to enrich their pag e* 0 440 r on . of names to the respective petilgreeer_ had „ it P , viondy been entirely excluded ur iOrgOtte'.ooo 1‘ EDRIKA BREmER'S N v Nov',E " 13 , 1t 1i 6 ' °I. AND SISTERS," u't El • gMe — IP 'f S üblished, ably sustain golue. the authoress of " 't oe Net htvi " and " Th e lor Its chief merit, sa ' g . urs, , ._ .„. doe , A ing the affections ys the Britannia, consists 1 .2; 60 0;1 of domestic life. Miss Breniei well gse ( are, in one se • use, educational books, as theYla r- ,..ip.is 0 adapted eersirzteri, , , to improve the h eart , and fit it for the " . ,'..sias 'O7O. In " Brothers and Sisters," we have the ve 'itile c disposition common to a large tatnily• S °l33e pi ° ing I "' characters are puurtrayed wi th the finest fe- h - 0 p er' , spiritual beauty. The elder sister Hedvig . ; ca w i ng S .: i rms all the duties of a mother, without ell''''lrfee' as truth and moral loveliness, which are mother's joy, is one of those exquisite creations, P e i r ea. h s i t i hey are more studied. The sisters Engel * A ll o . o utle * int (la, too, are admirably drawn—one soft an : ye‘ ; disposition, the other wild, fantastic, and sell, c P, tvir each inspiring affection by her weaknesses as Weil /. 0 - o ,gh• virtues. One of the best drawn personages ie t he- o ffers kind-hearted old uncle, General Hercules. Be I" Unc le' ...,„ nothing by the comparison he provokes wit h uu Toby. . ;ri e l the [ADVERTISEMENT.] --A Gentleman Reg7, - ;fl e t et 4 Use of his Limbs by the Effect of Holloway's ul-fintle' and Pills.—Mr. John Cock, a highly respectable ge--,,n -man residing at Madron, near Penzance, has he ea f e sr more addzaocr. fined to his house for a considerable period iron)* be st ful attack of paralysis. He had recourse to us ual th e medical aid but to no purpose;as in such cases th e 0 a upon treatment never does any good, he then r esolve r ise using Holloway's ointment and pills, an d to the serdroral of all who knew his deplorable state, these Cll hea lt h a nd medicines alone have restored him to perfect Hheel". 11 . 04 01 the complete use of his limbs. Those valuable nie ts 0 110 101 are sold by all druggists, and at Professor establishment, 244, Strand, London. MR 711.5. At Hiptings, on the 26th inst., the wife a Dr. Go--dl4°6 of Bloomsbury -square, London, of a son. g r . On the 26th inst., in Gloucester-road, Bassett, of a son. . i ., gif 11. On the 26th init., at Mortlake, the wife a ti' s - • . H. Swinny, of a daughter. 4 ' 'Of * On the 27th inst., ia Liverpool, Mrs. :. eg ß e • n l itlPllll' On the 27th inst., at Portsea, son, still-born. diker the wife Esq., Royal Artillery, of a dau a' h g ter. Bayswater, the On the 27th inst., a t No. 13 - B k 1 ce , wife of E. Measor, Esq of a ' Bark-mace, -P a daughter. .i the Wif e ' Oil the 27th inst., at"Frognal-lodge lisrapsteita, of the Rev. Dr. Saunders, of a daughter , ®f C. F. Tiler° ---- Ma he 116 f. Millilili'D. On the 11th ult., at St. A n d r ew's, Canada East, hfastribellsf W. Abbott, W. W. P owe ll, Es.q., to Elizabeth ''' w T lieDd eldest daughter of the late C. Pecc° , __E s q . lif On the 27th inst., at West llam Churcb, — l. ' - i T M - ' ford, lof Farringdon-street, to Sarah, widow ° Womeraley, of Stratford-green. Le O w n ing th to e n ______---------- BIER- Qi orchile' aged 31. On the 19th inst., Anna Maria, eldest daughter of O r ' 2 0 5 f thmst., at Melbury }IOWA, Lo r d ..,taf , Maidenhead, aged 25. of Haile, CLt:ta wife etinonT.thoei2ck6,thitiNn:t., at an a A. Cheffins. f h 'Oef be On the 27th inst., at Lee, Kent, aged 59, 03erl tif H. O R n o t s li se e r, 2 t 7 , t_h ri. !n i s i,. t s .,. A a . t a C g l e a d re s rnt - eq uare, ed 7J sagededge7r4.sen., On the 27th inst.. Mr. R. May, of Sackville-stree t , of On the 28th inst., at Nottingham-place, Auu°,r`ijerlOr the late Rev. J. Russell, vicar of Sutton Courtne'' a gr. •T• ''' On the 28th inst., at Globe-street, It otherhithe, f C , On the 29th inst., at Malcolm -place, CloP hs aged 80. dvallcelafiliel'er'.ljt: Brewer, aged 78 • _ - ii " A t London: Printed and published by iiIIIRD-1411110.uilli- Penton No. 112, Strand, Printer, at 'The SU% Oflige?cosstr g Strand, in the Precinct of the SavOY, ill the Iladdlosta, Wodiassisy, May 31, 180. si) ! • f ~l'