The Sun. — London, England, 1841-04-02 00:00:00

MORNING EDITION The clause was accordingly withdrawn. Mr. GISBORNE expressed a hope that the clauses which had been gone through should be printed with the amendments, as it was impossible in their present state to comprehend what their effect might be. Sir E. KNATCHBULL agreed with Mr. Gisberne as to the expediency of immediately printing the clauses in their amended shape. Lord J. RUSSELL had no objection, provided that if they were printed in their present wording, that should not be considered their final state, as there had not been suffi cient time to attend to the correct expression of the amend ments in some respects. He would not oppose the propo sition, with the understanding that the clauses should be open to reconsideration after the Easter reces..—( Hear.) After a few words from Sir E. KNATCHBULL and Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET, it was understood that the clauses would be printed as proposed. Mr. WAKLEY rejoiced that the 18th clause had been withdrawn, for it was the most savage that could be con ceived.—(" Hear, hear," and " No, no.") The next clause (number 19) was conceived in the same spirit._ (" No, no," and " Yes, yes.") And he implored the Noble Lord to exercise his manly disposition in preventing the vile purposes of those who framed it from being carried into effect. Its object was to place the women and chil dren at the utter mercy of depraved husbands, and to make the wife of a man who was transported suffer additional punishment for his offences.—( Hear, hea-.) Captain PEC HELL regretted the absence of the At torney General on this important occasion. That Hon. and Learned Gentleman had given it as his solemn opinion, that the wi'e of a transported felon was bound by the law, as it stood before the Poor-1 iw Amendment Act was pro posed, to support not merely her own children, but all the chi'dren of the transported husband. If that were the clue, a hat necessity was there for this clause ? It must have b.en introduced at the desire of the Commis sioners without the knowledge of the Attorney-General. (Hear, hear.) He hoped the Noble Lord would not per severe with the clause, or that at least he would so modifyit as to render mothers secure from the severity of guar dian. Lord J. RUSSELL said that the Hon. Member for Finabary had on that, as on other occasions, spoke of the clause as savage, and of the Bill in general as an insult to humanity. He observed, too, that charges of cruelty were constantly made against the Commissioners, vvhi'e it seemed to he supposed that nothing but the purest mc tives and the most humane intentions could be imputed to the Hon. Gentleman.—(Hear, hear.) With respect to the question of humanity as regarded the present clause and the Bill in general, he (Lord J. Russell) conceived that humanity should not embrace merely ore class of per sons. It would appear that those labourers who worked from morning until night to earn their daily bread and to support their wives and children could be taxed and bur dened for the maintenance of other families which their fathers had neglected or abandoned. But was it to be said that those were the only parties for whom the House was to care, and to which their humanity was to be ex tended ? And were they to have no concern for those men who, relying upon their own exertions, never applied for public charity? He did not think such a mode of proceeding would be wise or equitable. He remembered that before a Committee of that House which had sat fifteen or sixteen years ago, be hid called a witness who stated that although he had been a labourer earning but very moderate wages he had brought up and educated his family without in any one instance having applied to the parish for assistance., or making any complaint on the sub ject. Surely the House in framing their laws should con sider the claims of such men—( Hear, hear)—and when they found instaaees of parties leaving their families and adding to the burdens of the country, they should do their utmost to prevent such evasions of the law. That was the principal object of the present clause, and to him it ap peared a perfectly legitimate one. Mr. DARBY could not approve of the clause. The effect of the clause would be that instead of relieving the rate-payer they would throw an additional burden upon the rate-payer, by throwing on him the maintenance of the wife. If a man were so devoid of principle as to run away from his family, the punishing his wife would not make him return. Mr. SLANE Y apprehended the intention of the clause was to place the wife in the same situation as a widow, and they would, hereafter, have to discuss a clause giving a discre ienary power to relieve widows out of the house. Mr. DARBY did not apprehend that such would be the effect of the clause. Mr. M UNTZ hoped the Noble Lord would withdraw the clause on account of its utter inutility. Mr. BRISCOE did not pretend to understand the clause, but the object of it appeared to him to be twofold. Ist. To place these persons on the footing of widows, which would be a relaxation on the side of humanity. 2d. To prevent relief being given to the children separate from the mother. Now these objects were very distinct, and ought to be made the subject of separate clauses. Sir E. KNATCHBULL had voted for the committal of the Bill in the hope of obtaining some relaxation of the law. He did not think there was any necessity for the clause whatever. He had imagined that at present when a man ran away from his family, it' his wife had the means, she:was bound to support them, and the same in the case cf the husband being transported. If, however, she had not the means, the parish were bound to afford them relief. 1 Mr. SANFORD thought that, instead of this being an inhuman it was a most salutary clause, and one that was calculated to protect the mother. The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said that it bad ge neraily been considered that the wife of a person trans ported was fur most purposes a sole. It might be doubt ful whether she could be made a bankrupt, but he (the Seliciter-General) was rather inclined to think that she could. It was true, that the clause went further than the old law to create the liability of a married woman, because, as he understood it by the first part of the clause, when the husband should be absent from the wife she was charged Kith the support of the children in all respects as if she was a widow. And the second part of the clause treated the wise where the husband refused to support her as if she was a sing'e woman. In fact, the first part of the clause placed the married woman in the state of a widow, and the second in the situation of a single woman. Lord G. SOM ERSE T thought the clause would place amarried woman in that situation in which she ought not to be, because, in case of her husband being abroad, she would be liable to the debts of her children in the same manner as the father was et present. He (Lord G. So merset) did not think the present Committee was the proper place to make so great an alteration in the law in respect to married women. In what situation, he would ask, would the wives of sailors and soldiers be placed if the present clause was made law.—( Hear, hear.) He objected to enacting a seve-e law against married women seho hod been deserted by their husbands; such a course would have the effect of increasing those very miseries which it ought to be their object and study to alleviate. Who, he would ask, would pursue the guilty father, when the wife struggled on through misery and destitution, de termined rather to starve than to accept parochial relief ? At present the parish had a strong interest in looking after him ; but if this clause were passed, they would say they could not burden the parish rates by searching fur him, and tell the woman to seek for laersAf. Was that a position in which they ought to place the married women cf this country, upon the gratuitous assumpticn that they rejoiced when their husbands left them and were in collusion with them ?—( Hear, hear.) Upon these grounds he would have west satisfaction in supporting the Hon. Member for Finsbury in resisting the whole clause, and he hoped that the Noble Lord, after what had been said, would be induced to withdraw it. In answer to a question put by Mr. DARBY, The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said that the clause would leave the husband in the same position as at pre.. sent, and would only create a new relation between the wife and the parish. Mr. FRESHFIELD said that according to the ex planation of the Hoe. and Learned Gentleman the So licitor-General, the otja it of the clause was to prevent collusion ; but as its ood it would also apply to the hus band Leing an idiot o: iitis tie. This in his opinion iefl.ct ing an additional hardship upon the unfortuna'e wife. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE had not been able to gather from the speech of the Honourable and Learned Gentle man whether ho was in favour of or opposed to the clause, but he must say that the Noble Lord opposite had completely made out the charge made by his }lon. Friend the Member fo r Finsbury, that it was inhu mar. The. Noble! Lord bad even gone further; he had spoken of it as a revolutionary claisse— a clause i which created a great revolution in the ea r.) When state of htehne this rnarr ß ie j i i wo men of this country.—( Hear, h first proposed the object was stated to be net only to amend the Poor-laws, but to remedy many of its rigours. It bad at all events been satisfactorily proved to the Com mittee by the speech of the Solicitor-General that by this clause the law would be made much more rigid as against married women than it had been hitherto. ffi • What right had they to do that? W as public feeling au meetly in favour of this Bill to justify th em in proposing such a clause? He thought the speech of the Noble Lord would satisfy the Committee that the clause ought to be ex punged. His Hon. Friend the Member for Somerset had argued in favour of the clause : and upon what ground ? Why upon the ground of the possibility of fraudulent application for relief.—( Hear, hear. ) Were all the applications necessarily fraudulent? Might there not be many virtuous and industrious women who, with five or six children, had been deserted by their husbands ? —( Hear, hear.) Yet such persons were to be compelled to come into the house and suffer all the indignities to which individuals were exposed - in a union workhouse. He sincerely hoped that the Committee would expunge the clause. Sir C. GREY said he thought the clause humane, and in every respect beneficial to the parties to whom it re lated.—j„ Cries o f" Oh, oh.") Mr. T. DUNCONIBE could assure the Right Hon. Gentleman who h a d j ust sat down, that nothing was far ther from his thoughts than to treat the el tine with ridi cub:. It was only in reference to an expression of the Right Hoe. Gentleman, that he had been induced t) smile. He heard nothiny to induce him to support the clause. Captain I'EC}IELL said th e N oble Lord (J. Russell) bad found fault with his , rema r k s w i th regard to t ,e con duct of the Poor-law Comn is6oners but he Fi g ed to state that his remarks mei ely applied to indivi. Mil cases, and more especially to that of Jane Champion.—( Hear.) Sir T. ACLA ND did not think the Committee was quite ripe for the decision of the clause th en b efore it. He did not think there was any situation in which a woman was entitled to greater commisseration than that of widow hood__-( Hear, hear)....and in the temporary widowhood to which the clause applied, he was willing to place her in the same situation as the law placed a widow in reality, He thought the case was one in which a discretion might very fairly be left to the Board of Guardians, and he would sug gest the propriety of postponing the clause. Sir S. L LISHING TON hoped the discusssion of the clause wo u ld not b e pressed at present. Its object was, in certtun particular case, to place a wife on the same footing as a widow, and for particular purposes. He thought there 141 , ,cmegt7aater difficulties attending 116 discussion of the Lordmittee anticipa . ed, and the observa- '''. 7 .. tiana of t; l ie t N he obCleo ni the of Member . tor Monmouths hir e . I?. with respect to the wives without an answer.—( sailors, had been left tota lly ..„; could be no collision between the • t 4.',p,;:.i# 4 1,: -7. '---:-_-1.- AZ( AV:-..i Hear.) Now in that case there wife and the husband, v ,-. :v. , .. - -TlP s :' , :- /47 4 4/ \ ::::s l- :,_- - .= -7, - . 'i; 4 . L ' 7 = 9 s In the case of idiotcy or insanity referred to by the Hon. and Learned Member fer Penrbyn, there could be nothing like collusion.—( Hear, hear.) He protested against the system of compelling a married woman to go into the workhouse. He hoped his Noble Friend would con sult the feelings of the majority of the House—of those who were anxious to see the best principles of the Poor law Bill carried out, and not press the clause at present. Sir H. VERNEY would not vote against the clause, but he should certainly concur in the recommendation to postpone it. He had bad some experience in the working of the Poor-laws, and he believed that they could not com pel the wives of sailors to go into the workhouse.— (Hear.) Mr. AINSWORTH would vote for a discretionary powcr being placed in the hands of the guardians as to whether the woman was entitled to relief or not. If they thought the case was one in which she should go into the workhouse, they ought to have the power to compel her to do so. Mr. WAKLEY had moved the expulsion of the clause, and ample grounds had been given for it. Gentlemen of the highest professional acquirements had spoken upon the clause, and had!given the most opposite opinions upon it. Mr. FIE LDE N opposed the clause. Lord J. RUSSELL said that there appeared to be a very general feeling against the clause as it at present stood, but at the same time before he stated what he pro posed t,, do he would remind the Committee of the hard ship of the law as it existed, and he hoped they would bear in mind the principle, that while they were extending relit fto one class of persons from a not very overflowing tt Query, they were imposing burdens upon another class. At present a man who was receiving very high wages at sea, and who had a certain sum paid monthly to his wife fs r her support, the wife of that man might apply for relief for her children, and they might either receive out-door reief or he taken into the workhouse. Again—if a man was at work at a distance, upon a railway, and transmitted to his wife enough of money to support her, that woman might apply for and obtain relief for her children. —( Hear, hear, hear.) But with regard to a man in the immediate neighbourhood of his wife and famsly, the answer to any application for relief was to be, " You cannot get it unless you come into the workhouse." So 'gain with regard to a widow, the Commissioners might say, "Although you are destitute and have not the means of relict, we will give you none unless you come into the workhouse." If that were the case at present, was it not some hardship to say that the law was to be changed, and that an advantage was to be given to the woman whose husband was at sea or at a distance, over the hard-working man who was nearer home. He thought it desirable that some amendment should be made in the law in that respect.—( Hear, bear.) After what had been stated by his Hon. and Learned Friend, the Solicitor-Genera!, as to the effects of particular parts of the clause, he certainly should not pres► the Committee I to adopt it as it at present stood. He should therefore a=k the Committee to postpone it for the present, and bring it forward on a future occasion, because he felt the law could not remain as it at present stood. Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSE T hoped the Noble Lord would go a step further, and withdraw the clause altogether, and it would be in his power to draw up an amended clause at a future stage. Lord J. RUSSELL had no objection to the proposi tion of the Noble Lord.—( Cries of " Hear, hear.") The clause was then struck out. Clause 20 was agreed to without observation. On clause 21 being read, Mr. GRIMSDITCH objected to the clause as giving too much power to the Commisssoners to interfere with and supersede at their pleasure the laws of the land. Mr. WAKLEY asked whether the Act 7th of George the Third was to be considered as repealed by this clause, or was it to be left to the Commissioners to set aside Acts of Parliament, or allow them to have force just as they pleased. Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that the object of the clause was not to set aside the Act of George the Third, which it recited, but to prevent the inconvenience of two classes of persons exercising the same powers given to the Commissioners by this clause, and which other persons might attempt to assume under the 7th Geo. 111., if not restricted by this clause. He hoped if the amendments were not adopted, the clause would be postponed. Colonel SIBTHORP objected to the clause, and thought that as so many clauses were objectionable, and so many had already been struck out, the best and shortest way would be to strike out the Bill altogether. After a few words from Mr. SLANE Y and Mr. G 0 ULBURN, the clause was agreed to. On the reading of the 22d clause, which relates to the cost of building workhouses, Mr. THOMAS DUNCOMBE moved an amendment :o the effect that the cost should not be incurred without the consent of the rate-payers. The clause, as it stood, would give the board of guardians, who were under the complete control of the Poor-law Commissioners, the power to tax the rate-payers without the consent of the latter, and to any extent they pleased. In some of the metro politan parishes, there were, in fact, two sets of guardians acting in opposition to one another—one being elected under the Poor-law, and the other under a local Act. How was this clause to be carried into effect in these parishes ? The Bill, instead of producing uniformity would produce confusion. Mr. F. MAULE said that it was to produce unifor mity in the metropolitan districts the clause had been in troduced. Mr, WAK LE Y supported the amendment. He said the object of this clause was to do away with the local Acts in the metropolitan parishes, and to bring them under the complete control of the Commissioners. If the Noble Lord would not consent to postpone flat, clause, he must appeal to the Right Hon. Baronet opposite ( Sir R. Peel) to come forward, as on a former occasion, with his mag nanimous support.—( Hear.) It was so painful to him to appeal, night after night, in vain to those who called them selves the friends of the people, that he could not speak always in such dulcet tones as the Noble Lord could corn mand—( Laughter)—but could scarcely speak with tem per. —( Hear. ) Sir R. PEEL did not know whether the Hon :Gen- . . ...... ..„.. .—...- tleman's appeal to him was a joke or not.—( A "'ugh.) 1 But he thought the clause very reasonable.—( Hear, hear.) At preseot the guardians had the power to build, repair, and enlarge workhouses, and the only extension of their poseur now proposed was that they should be ab!e to select and purchase a site.—( Herr, hear.) Mr. HAVES considered the clause an excellent and humane one.—(ilear.) Its only object was to enable the guardians to provide better accommodation for those who had the misfortune to be obliged to take refuge in the workhouse.—( Hear.) lie held in his hand a return of the state of Bethnal-green workhouse, under the old system. There were there, at one time, 170 boys in twenty-four beds—( Hear, hear, hear)—and 123 girls in twenty-one beds. The same number of persons had now in that union 164 beds.—(Hear, hear, hear.) In t'se old and vicioss st stsm there were many interests bound up toge ther, which the improvement had destroyed.—( Hear.) And hence all the discontent and clamour. But the ob ject and the effect of the new system was to benefit the poor themselves, and to diminish pauperism. lie sup ported the clause. Mr. T. DLTNCOMBE considered this Bill as much a Tory as a Whig Bi!l. It appeared to him to be a speci ous compound of philosophical Whigery.—( Hear, hear.) He thought the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Hawes) must have derived his statement from Somerset House, and the gen. tl e me n there were not remarkable for the candour of their statements. If the Hon. Gentleman had said bedsteads instead of beds he would probably have been more cor rect, for under the old system many of the beds were made on the floor, and were as he (Mr. Duncombe) un derstood, much mere comfortable than the others.— ( Laughter.) After what the Right Hon. Baronet (Sir R. Peel) had stated, a division was necessary. If the clause was not postponed, he should move the insertion after the words "metropolitan districts," of the words " with the consent of the rate-payers in vestry assembled." M-. HAWES said that he had not received his infor mation from Somerset House, as his Hon. Friend had stated, but from a professional gentleman of the highest character, and whose testimony was of undoubted autho rity.—( Hear, hear.) Mr. GROTE said the Hon. Member for Finsbury, al though in the habit of indulging in vituperation against the Poor-law Commissioners, should not impute to them acts which they had never done, for the manifestation of his spleen. The Hon. Gentleman had dwelt upon these topic nsque ad nauseam. At one time the Hon. Gentle. man used as an argument the confidence which the House might place in the guardians, but now, when there was a clause in which the words " Poor-I,w Commissioners" did not appear, the Hon. Member for Finsbury told them that I f no more confidence was to be placed in the guardians than in the Poor-law Commissioners, and that no confi dence could be placed in any body but a vestry of rate ps2a..slt•teebrnies,.......tdhiusi.,s carrying them back t o a il t h e ev il s o f the old 11.seeaci to a a, hear.)se,,t He to e a n t trusted s s t en% proposition. the questio n of local Acts was really not involved in the present discussion, whatever e l determination de the House might cpoemnneittoinwteitihferreengeae withrdto the degree Acts e c in t which they no necessity t o i n t ro d uce any such words as, t thleereHwoans. Gentleman proposed. There were, to his own knowledge, in many London parishes el :mse good were and rel n i roomy ted in workhousesi The powers in this deficient power of the guardians, especially in n parishes, where the site of ground was so d ear . H e would also make one remark on the observation in the speech of the Hon. Gentleman with regard to this clause, namely, that the Poor - l aw Amendment Act an d the authority f t h e C o mmissioners was becoming . more andnsatymhatohtreawthutichnh-e H en e i a t r, w h a e s ar lr_ s t popular. He did not know if thia were the case in the Gentleman esented r represented, e w s e a r; t eadh,l butable tn i h d e ist ( ri N c l t r t . h G e r H ot o e n ) . repr , 11 which a m existed ost eangtaiirneslyt subsided - 1 wards the law and the Commissioners stated he thinlia d withthe a ilin n ot d srtoi t dl h iut a yc t thereintroduced, was a friendly and w io e u ll e d rs isp in ose a d il le t a h n e in t g hr t e o e . honour to represent. —( Hear, he. r.) unions comprising the consti h tu e e r ncc undoubtedly a decided opinion first proposed, there was the greater pleasure, because, in 1834, when the 1311 . was w H h e ich i ageiast it ; and having, as he did, taken a decided p art in its suppo7t, although he felt great pain in taking such a • had now eg rinst the feelings of his own const i tuency t was h d a great satisfaction to him to state that that feelin g now almost entirely subsided, and that the law in this dis trict was regarded favourably by the great body of the rate-payers. Sir R. PEEL observed that the latter part of the clause referred simply to the sites cif workhouses. If the amendment were carried the guardians, although they would have the power to increase the workhouses, would not have the poser to raise the ;sums necessary for the parporie without the consent of the rate-payers, than which nothing could be more absurd. Dr. LUSHINGTON said that no truth could be more undoubted than that no greater efforts could be made than were made in the district which the lion. Gentle man represented to relieve the sufferings of the poor, and to supply them with a good education. The amend ment proposed by the Hon. Member for Finsbury would be quite impracticable, for in the parish of Shoreditch 60,000 rate-payers, and in the parish of St. George's in.the. East 40,000 rate-payers would have to be consulted t THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 1841 7 before the Act could be carried into execution. It would be impossible to carry on the affairs of the poor through such a medium as the vestries. Highly as he respected the in dividuals who composed those v-striei he trusted they would never be called upon as a vestry to carry the Act into operation. The guardians under the local Acts would have the same powers as under the present Bill. He bad heard no voice raised against the proposition where it was properly understood, and he therefore trusted the clause would pass without amendment.—(Hear.) Mr. WA KLE Y said, that relying upon the legal opinion ef the Hon. and Learned Gentleman (Dr. Lush ington) that guardians under local Acts would have the same power under the Poor-law Amendment Act, be should advise his Hon. Friend to withdraw his motion. The Honourable Member d for Lambeth had referred, as he was fond of doing, to that old system. The statement read by his Honourable Friend (Mr. Hawes) was published by him (Mr. Wakley). He in spected the Bethnal-green workhouse in 1830, and found the state of things as they had been represented to the House.—( Hear, hear.) The Hon. Gentleman imagined that he ( Mr. Waklev) had taken no interest in the affairs of the poor; but in 1827 he had been a churchwarden, but had been relieved from his duties by the Noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies, net for their profuse ex penditure, but because the Noble Lord bad been solicited by certain parties to create a select vestry, where the churchwardens had established open ones. In this work. house of Bethnal-green he found 12,000 inhabitants, with only accommodation for 300, and in one room 22 women and children in the last stage . of typhus fever, in nine beds. Their distress was so great that Lord Grey sent a consi derable sum for their relief. The Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Grote) had stated that the unpopularity of this law had decreased. Now he should much like to know what were the facts with regard to the administration of the law in the City. Many Hon. Gentlemen came to the House and said the law was not unpopular, but then every now and then it escaped in private conversation from the lips of the chairman of a board of guardians that they found no incon venience, for the Commissioners did not interfere with t hem, and thaetthey did what they liked. —( Hear, hear.) Was this carrying the law out ?—( Hear.) No, the people were entrapped into their approbation of the measure. It was not fair that the rules of the Commissioners should be relaxed in one plice,and straightened in another He asked, and he should be glad to receive en answer t) the ques tion, was out-door relief withheld from the able. bodied in the City of London ? There would be no complaints if the law admitted of these relaxations in practice. If the Noble Lord and Hon. Gentlemen should preteod that they were not then ab!e to answer the question, he would take care to procure and supply them with the most authentic information on the subject. Mr. GROTE had no objection to answer the question of the Hon. Gentleman. It was true th t a prohibitory order had Leen issued forbidding out-door relief to able bodied paupers.—( Hear, hear.) But he would ask was he not justified in stating the case of the city of London against what the Hon. Gentleman had said ? The Hon. Gentleman expected the House to believe that the Poor law became thoroughly obnoxious since it had come into operation. He (Mr. Grote) would tell him that such was not the case. It was unpopular when it was first en acted, but was not so now. After a few words from Mr. ATTWOOD and Mr. EST COURT, __ _ Mr. HUME said he understood the objection was not to the supply of money, but to the mode of electing the Poor-law guardians -_a question which was not before the House. Mr. T. DUNCO MBE said that the case to which he referred was that of a union in which there were two boards of guardians —one elected under the local Act, the other under the provisions of the Poor-law Bill, and he wanted to know what they would do with those boards of guardians, which were perpetually squabbling, and were as aide asunder as the pules. Rates might be imposed for the erection of workhouses, repa'n, &c., without the consent of the rate-payers. He would, therefore, even if he stood alone, take the sense of the House upon the question. Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the House divided. when there appeared— For the clause Fur the amendment 22 Majority against the amendment — 194 The clause was then ordered to stand part of the Bitl. On clause 23 being put, which proposed to give the Commissioners the power to regulate the manner iniwhieh pauper children should be apprenticed, Mr. B. WOOD proposed, as an amendment, that the words, " with the consent of the guardians," should be added. Colonel SIBTHORP thought that the wishca of pa renti should also be consulted. It would be unnatural not to do so. Lod J. RUSSELL said that the object of the clause was to remedy the abuses of the present system. Ap prentices were now bound to trades without choice or wisdom. Trades were thus overstocked, and the parties could not afterwards find employment. It was proposed to leave the subject in the rands of the Commissioners, with a view to its better regulation. Lord HO WICK said tbs.c in his opinion the clause was useful and necessary. Under the influence of the guar dians, the present system often led to gross abuses, by the payment in many cases of h gh premiums, and the im proper mods of selecting the trades to which children were to be apprenticed. He could not approve of the amendment of the Hon. Member for Southwark, which, in his opinion, would leave the present evils unredressed. Mr. 13. 4 AT00D contended that the only judges as to the propriety of apprenticing a child to a particular trade were the guardians. Mr. H — A WES thought the present method of appren ticing children highly objectionable. He thought the Commissioners, through their Assistant-Commissioners, were more likely to obtain an accurate knowledge on the subject than guardians. He was anxious for a permanent supervision of theqate of the apprentices, aadhe should be disposed to ask the House to consent to a proviso, render ing it incumbent on overseers to report periodically as to the state of the apprentices. Sir R. PEEL thought that the power proposed to be intrusted to the Commissioners, ought to be distinctly defined. What he objected to in the clause was its vagueness. Sir EARDLEY WILMOT thoeght the clause had better be axpunged. He, himself, had a notice on the paper proposing a clause which would secure the periodical supervision recommended by the Hon. Member for Lambeth. Lord HO WICK said the board of guardians at present possessed an almost unlimited power of apprenticing, and therefore the clause was, in tact, of a restraining nature. It mcrely gave the Commissioners power to prevent guar dians from apprenticing children to objectionable trades. Colonel SIBTHORP thought that the parents or friends of a child ought to have an option as to the trade to which such child should be apprenticed. Lord JOHN RUSSELL would take time to consider the objections which had been made to the wording of the clause. Mr. GROTE said the object of the clause was to put a check upon the present power of the board of guardians, and he hoped it would pass without material alteration. The inconveniences of the present system of apprentice ship were severely felt in the metropolitan unions, and the present clause would remedy many of those inconveniences. Mr. DA RBY thought the word cla , s in the clause would create considerable difficulty, as under it cripples totally unfit for trkiie might be apprenticed. Mr. SLANE Y thought that some restraining power ought to be given to the Commiss!oners to prevent per sons keeping apprentices who had received them only for the premiums. Mr. B. WOOD then withdrew his amendment. Colonel SIBTHOR P said if the Noble Lord would not postpone the clause he should move its expulsion, and take the sense of the House upon it. After a few words from Mr. SANFORD, The Committee divided, when there appeared For the clause For the amendment 7t Majority for the clause —69 The clause was then agreed to. The CHAIRMAN then reported progress and obtained leave to sit again to. morrow. The House then went into Committee upon the Excise Duties Bi 1. On the motion of Lord JOHN RUSSELL, the South Australia Bill was read a second time. On the motion of Mr. E. J. STANLEY, the Metro polis Improvement Bill passed through Committee. The other Orders of the Day were disposed of, and the House adjourned at Half-past Twelve. A HOUSE FALLING IN AND BURYING THE i INMATES. —About twelve o'clock on Sunday night last, the i outer wall of a cottage-house in Red B,nk, occupied by a pensioner, named King, and his family, suddenly fell outwards, with a tremendous crash, letting down the floors and the roof, burying some of the inmates, and throwing the others to a divance. The sound of the crash, and th.. shrieks of the sufferers, soon drew a number of persons to the spot ; and, by their exertions, the rubbish was removed, and those who were under it ex Heated. At the time the occurrence took place, Kng and his wife, and three children, were in bed, as were also a female and a male lodger. King, his wife, and children, were all covered by the ruins ; but, by the stairs projecting over some of them, and a beam over the others, there were none of them seriously hurt, hb icya d a g r t . ih o ne t e h d i though they were all more or less bruised. The female lodger was thrown out of thp window, and alighted in the yard, but she was not seriously hurt. Ttie male astridelodger, o w l. hao beamw as , by some hoist e d means into the or yard.otli er , got fle clothes and thenckerrtu• running towards Hanover -street, where he was stopped thing i o e n :a. but his shirt, and be immediately set off and in fallin g it too which a femal e was to of il a e' ho who paardna.e returned, o . t The without cot t a g e a apparent eanbt back or. buildings are verychamberwev however, trot hgeo front s l u m p u p s l y e i o i f , A CtilllOUs Telp.— bed, but she was not injured. 'I he old and belong to Lord Ducie.—Man hesteernga c: r t o es n l d er ay P e a v p e e z e ing last, a boy is an apprentice to one About nine o'clock on cheater m st e a n tio c n rn o p f lo th y ie ed m i anne ine shed at the Man_ the com n e d Leeds Railway, got ) upon an engine which had just from Leeds, and had been left by the engine a • improper state, the steam not having b Pro bably, not understanding the engine,luggage train ngiee man in an been let off. .boy set it in motion, and it darted forward, broke through the wall of the shed, and fell a hei g ht of ab out twenty f eet i nto the field below, where i t was dee p l y embedded in clay. it lay there until about six o'clock yesterday morning, when trifling, probably not amounting to mor e t h an 2ii it was w si. a Thegveryot out,tr boyill and it appeared that the damag e done to got off the engine n o o ne knows how, and has not since been heard of. Both be, an d the fireman are, we believe, amenable to Lord Se y mour's A ct for the regulation of railway s.—/Wanchester Guardian. The Committee on the Designs Copyright Bill has been further deferred from Wednesday 21st April, to Wednesday, 12th May. SPORTING INTELLIGENCE. TATTERSALL'S.-YESTERDAY. Notwithstanding the absence of several subscribers at Crox teth Park Races the betting was tolerably brisk about the three favourites and an_ outsider in Scott's stable, 'Morning Star ; it took effect upon Rosalie, who rose two points, but left the others as before. An advance of a co u pl e o f p o i n t s i n Eringo is all that requires any notice beyond the following : TWO THOUSAND GUINEA STAKES. ' 9 to 1 agst Mr. Thornhill's Eringo—taken 5 to 1 agst Lord Albemarle's Ralph 10 to 1 agst Lord Jersey's Joachim—taken. DERBY. 7 to 2 agst Scott's lot 18 to 1 agst all the Mares 1000 to 25 agst Lord Exeter's lot —taken 1000 to 25 agst Lord Jersey's lot 7to 1 agst Lord Bruce's Rosalie colt-8 to 1 taken 9 to 1 agst Lord Westminster's Van Amburgh—taken, and afterwards offered . 9 to 1 agst Mr. Rawlinson's Coronation—taken 18 to l agst Tr. Thornhill's Eringo—taken 20 to 1 agst Lord Chesterfield's Knight of the Whistle—ta 22 to 1 agst Lord Albemarle's Ralph 24 to 1 agst Mr. Greville's Palmmon 25 to 1 agst Mr. Mostyn's Prince Caradoc—taken 25 to 1 agst Lord Westminster's Marshal Soult 30 to 1 agst Colonel Peel's Cameleon 30 to 1 ag,t Mr. Wreford's Wahab 30 to 1 agst Mr. Van=ittart's Galaor—taken 40 to I agst Mr. Dixon's Knightsbridge_taken 40 to 1 agst Lord Jersey's Joachim 40 to 1 agst Colonel Anson's Duke of Wellington 50 to 1 agst Colonel Crauford's Eimengardis 1 . 000 to 20 agst Sir G. Heathcote's Mongolian—taken 1000 to 20 agst Mr. Goodman's Belgrade —taken 1000 to 20 agst Lord Lichfield's Brother to Phosphorus—ta 1000 to 20 a,;st Mr. Ford's Metternich—taken 1000 to 15 agst Mr. Clarke's Gammon Box—taken 1000 to 10 agst Lord Westminster's Morning Star—taken several times 1000 to 10 agst Captain Williamson's St. Cross taken 1100 to 1000 on Rosalie agst Van Amburgh—taken 12 to 1 agst Knight of the Whistle and Marshal Soult 350 to 100 agst Rosalie ar.d Coronation—taken. OAKS. 7 to 1 agst Lord Westminstsr'a Lampoon—taken. BEDFORD SPRING RACES:=—WEDNESDAY. The Oakley Trial Stakes of 10 sovs. each, with 50 added. Mile and a quarter. 4 subs. Mr. P. Booth's ch h Benjamin, 4 yrs, 9st 4.h (Sly) 1 Duke of Bedford's ch f Joujou, 3 )rs, 7st Mr. J. Rogers's ch f Jessica, 3 yrs, 7st lion. F. Ongley na b m Sister to Prizeflower, 4 yrs, 9st 41b 4 . . _ Won easy. The Milton Stakes of 10 sovs. each, for Maiden Horses. Oakley Stake Course. 4 subs. Mr. T. Bainbridge's b g Abinger (half-bred), aged, 13st (Mr. G. Higgins) 1 Mr. Phillipson's b m Victoria the First, 13st 2 Mr. C. H. Gi imshawe na b m Eliza (half-bred) 4 yrs, 13st 3 Won easy. The Oakley Stakes of 10 sovs each. Heats once round and a dis. Seyeu subs. Mr. F. Vane's Dumblane, 6 yrs, 12st (Owner) 1 1 Mr. J. Bainbridge's ch g, aged. 124 4 2 Mr. Phillipson's Victoria the First, aged, I2st 2 dr Hon. G Ongley's b m Eliza, 6 yrs, 12st ... 3dr Won very easy. The Hurdle Stakes of 3 sovs. each, once round and a dis. tance, were won, after a good race, by Mr. Parker's d m. Duenna, aged, 12st 71b, beating Mr. Booth's Roulette, 4 yrs, lOst 101 b, and seven others. A Handicap of 5 sovs. each, 2 ft, with 20 added, last three quarters of a mile, were won by Mr. ----'s Normandy, beat ing Pewitt, Roulette, and two others. COTTISFORD RACES.—WEDNESDAY. The Cottisford Stakes of 10 sous. each, with 25 added. Once round and a dis. Mr. Rawlinson's Chilson, 4 yrs Mr. Smith's Minstrel, 2 yrs Mr. Foster's Variety, 3 7rs The Hunter's Stakes of 10 sous. each, h ft, with 20 added. Billesdon Coplow weights. About two miles. 4 subs. Mr. Tanner's ch g. The Abbott, 4 yrs ... 1 1 Mr. Coles's ch g Arctick, 4 yrs 2 2 Mr. Pettifer'c Catchfly, 4 yrs ... 4 subs. .... 2 A good race. The Farmer's Cup, of 10 sovs., with 50 added (10 for the second), heats, twice round and a distance, was won in two heats by Mr. Savin's b g, by Detonator, 2 yrs, beating Mr. Watson's Humility, 2 yrs and several others. A Free Handicap, of 5 sovs. each, with 20 added, once round and a distance, was won by Lord Huntington's br g. Bris tolian, 3 yrs, lOst Sibs, beating two others. BIBURY SPRING MEETING—WEDNESDAY. Match, 100, h ft, I Ist 7lb each ; mile and a half. Sir C. R. Cockereil's bk c St. Hubert, 4 yrs, received forfeit from Mr. F. Charlton's b c, by Saracen, 4 yrs. The Bibury Stakes, of 10 sovs. each, h ft, for maiden horses not thorough-bred ; 6 yrs, Ilst 7lbs, and aged 12st, 2 miles, were won, after a slow, but well-contested race, beating six or seven others. The Sherborne Stakes of 10 sovs. each, h.ft., for all horses, 4 yrs lOst, 5 yrs lOst 71b, 6 yrs list 71b, and aged 12st ; mares and geldings allowed 31b, &c. One mile. Was won by Mr. W. Hervey's b.c. Tapsley, 4 yrs (Mr. J. Bailey), after one of the fastest races ever seen. The United Hunters' Stakes of 10 sous. each, h.ft., with 25 sovs. added, 12st each ; winners extra, &c., two miles. Mr. C. W. Codringtou's ch. m. Negative (Gen. Gilbert) 1 Lord Clonbrook, nd br g by Birdcatcher (h b) 2 Captain Pettal's Caliph 3 Hon. C. Berkeley's b g East Wind (h b) 4 A very interesting race. The Handicap of 5 sqvs. each, 1 ft, one mile, was won by Catamaran (Capt. Pettat), beating six others. The Hurdle Race Stakes of 10 sovs. each, h ft, with 10 added, Bibury Stakes weights, three miles, over five leaps, was won by Mr. E. Herbert's Sam Weller (Mr. T. Oliver), who took the lead, was never headed, and beat Mr. Wood's Dauntless easily. The Hack Stakes of 5 sovs. each, &c., were won by Zin ganee (Capt. Pettat), beating two others. A Match for 20 sov. each, p.p., was won by Mr. C. Drake's Wild Drake (Capt. Pettat), beating Mr. Merchant's Single Peeper. AYLESBURY STEEPLE CHASE—MoNnAy. Baron Rothschild's Cup was won by Mr. Holdman's br h Jerry, 5 yrs (Mr. Eustace), beating Mr. John Brown's br h Nimrod and four others. The Purse of 30 sovs. was won by Mr. Has ch m Sultana (Owner), beating Mr. Adamson's Oabtick and four others. GREAT YARMOUTH STEEPLE CHASE. -.+ TUESDAY. Sweepstakes of 5 sovs. each, with 30 added. Three miles. Mr. Ballard's br m Crucifix (Mr. Brett) 1 Mr. Jea's Seventy-four Four others started. Won very easy. The Second Chase was won by Mr. J. W►lson's Isis, beating three others. GREAT YARMOUTH S CEEPLE CHASES. WEDNESDAY. Sweeps of 5 sous. each, with 30 added, 12st each, 3 miles. The winner to be sold for 1501., and thik e second to save his stake. Mr. Ballard's br m Crucifix (Mr. Brett) 1 Mr. W. Jex's eh c Seventy-four 2 Four others started. Won very easily. The Second Chase, for a sweeps of 2 sous. each, &c., was won by Mr. J. Wilson's ch m Isis (a groom), beating Mr. G. Brown's Needwood and two others by several lengths. DISASTERS AT SEA.—LOSS OF THREE YES SELS. —From accounts received on Wedues lay it appears that on the 14th of March last the Jeune Pauline, Captain Perry, on her voyage from Rio Janeiro to Havre, came in collision with the schooner Te'earaqu^, of Antwerp, which was on her voyage from Trieste. Such was the force of the collision that the schooner instantly went down. By great exertions the crew succeeded in jump ing upon the deck of the Jenne Pauline. The only pro perty saved were the ship's papers. The vessel and cargo is reported to be worth 3,000/.—On Sunday night last the Xanthus, a fine schooner, was totally lost, off the Lizard Point, near Falmouth. The unfortunate vessel struck on the Stag Sunken Rocks, and the crew had scarcely time to take to their boats before she went to pieces. The vessel was trader the command of Captain Brunel!, and was on her voyage from London to Liver pool. She was freighted with a general cargo. Since then a quantity of the cargo, consisting of casks of oil, wine, porter, vinegar, &c., has been washed ashore.— The brig Globe, Captain Buttall, which arrived at Tops. ham on Tuesday last, brought intell•gence that upon the 27th of March a large ship was seen bottom upwards. From the stormy state of the sea Captain Buttall was unahlo to approach the wreck, and therefore incapable of giving a particular description of the wreck. She, how ever, appeared to be an English vessel. The crew ere supposed to be lost, as the ill-fated ship was several miles distant from land, and no boat was fallen in with by the Globe. THE POST OFFICE.—On Monday week a letter, containing nearly LOON. in bills of exchange and promissory note:, was put in the Preston Post-office, in tended for Liverpool; but, as it did not reach that place in due c mrse, cmsiderable anxiety began to be. felt for its safety, and hand-bills were circulated, describing tl.e notes, and off.ring a reward for their recovery. Sespi. riot; was naturally excited concerning the lemes'y of some of the parties through whose bands the letter had to pass; but we arc happy to st rte, that, so far from carelessness or dishonesty attaching to the post office servants, the cir cumstances of the case afford another instance of the dili gence displayed by the officers of that establishment in the discharge of their duty. The letter intended for f• Ex chauge-ouildings, Liverpool," was addressed " Exchange buildings, London," where it was, of course, sent. After a few days of fruitless inquiry, it was forwarded to Liver pool, with the words, " Try Liverpool" upon it, and the packet safely reached its destination early in the present week. —Preston Chronicle. Louts PIIILIPP2..—Every day brings for ward some new anecdote honourable to the character of Louis Philippe. I will mention two which have just come to my knowledge. They are, perhaps, trifling in them. selves, but in connection with his general cha racter they speak volumes. A short time ego Louis Philippe lost a common clasp knife, which had been the constant companion of his exile in Switzerland, in America, and in England. The Palace; was in a kind of consternation at the loss, for al? King had preserved it as a relic of days of poverty and tribulation, and it was with him a valued memento of those days in which he preferred poverty to dishonour, and the employment of his to lents ie honest industry, to becoming the pensioner of Kings. Only figure to yourself this Soverei g n of a great nation, surrounded with p om p and luxur y , mourning over the loss of a sixpeeny• knife, because it rernirefei him of what he called his "glorious days." It brings to my mini the anecdote of his pointing to the picture in the Palais Royal, in which he is repre sented giving lessons in geography for bread. " That picture," said the King, " I value more highly than all the splendid works of my gallery ; for I have pride in reflecting that I have struggled as a man with poverty, and it seems to say to me, Louis Philipp e , remember that there is no station of society disho nourable to man except that in which he prefers de pendence to honest labour." Another little anecdote shows the kindness of his nature. lie was passing the other day through a room in which a servant was standing on a ladder whilst he fixed up a picture which had given w ay. Louis Philippe fancied that he saw the ladder totter, and walking hastily t o the spot, unperceved by th e servant, he h e ld th e foot of the ladder firmly until the ser vant had done....Eveniny Paper. THE CHARTISTS AND THE CORN-LAWS. TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN. SIR The Su•< of la,t evening, when commentirg on the Hudderafiold Anti-Corn.law Tea Party, you ex pressed considerable pl •asure at the fact of a quantity of females being present, but at the same t;me you deprecate the interference of women in political matters. Thia, in my opinion, displays considerable inconsistency in a Jour. nal which has all along supported the right of a woman to hold the office of head of the body politic. Now, if one woman has a right to rule the destiny of a m;ghty nation, I, sh >uld be glad if you would show me the reason why ber less fortunate sisters should not interfere in political matters, so far as the right of election of representatives is concerned.• And while on the subject of the Corn-laws, I should be glad to put you right concerning the motives of the Chartists in out-voting the Crrn-law Repeaters at their meetings. The Repeal portion of the press have done all in their power to misrepresent the proceedings of the Chartists at V - te meetings Ist. They chari.e the Chartists with being noisy and riotous. This I totally deny ; the Repeal party were the first to commence a dikturbance, by hissing and hooting the Chartist speakers at all the Anti-Corn-law meetings I have attended. 2d. They charge them with ignorance. This comes with a bad grace from the middle class, when the Houae of Commons, elected by them, is considered. It must be either ignorance, or something worse, that operates on them to vote f.r such men. The fact that the Chartists, as a body, are not ignorant, is proved by the admirable defences of the majority of them on their trials during the late reign of te , ror, when the friendly middle men lent themselves to the Government to put down every indivi dual that avowed himself a Chartist. Their intelligence in proved by the glorious struggle they have made, and are now making, for their political rights —not as a mere bread and cheese question, but because they feel them selves entitled to the r;ghts of citizenship. The Chartists do not bell , ye they would benefited by a reheat of the Corn laws under the present system ; there fore, they move amendments at the meetings called for that purpose. Mr. Cobden, at the Manchester meeting, said that no one could dispute the injusti,e of the Corn laws ; for that reason, all ought to combine to get rid of tt e i ijurtice. The Chartists know that not (yen the most rabi I Tory can dispute the right of all to the se frsge. Thet efore, that is justice ; and we will ask for no thing less than the Peolle's Charter, as we are convinced that nothing short of that can benefit the working man. We have had enough of bit by bit reform in the glorious Reform Bill we have now a greater number of enemies to contend against than we had at that time, when we f ,ught hard and gained nothing. We hate been taught a lesson by that mohment, which we shall not forget. The individuals whom we then benefited are now our bit. terest enemies. For some of the reasons the Chartists do not believe they would be benefited, I refer you to the first aricle in the inclosed Circular.—l am, &e. March 31, 1841. T. H. [The paper referred to is the Chartist Circular, and we possitly hereafter notice the article.—En. Sun.] * Our Correspondent cannot have read our article, which was intended to invite the matrons of England to take an ac tive part against the Corn-law. WHO ARE THE PLUNDERERS In a small book lately published, entitled " How to keep House on 2001. a Year," we fine a careful statement given of the amount requisite for the various articles of consumption in a family. Let us tsfee that as our guide in ascertaining the relative proportion of the various arti cles. In the first place, then, we find that on the follow ing important items there is no revenue tax : Bread £l2 18 6 Flour,, 1 15 5 Potatoes Milk, butter, and cheese .. 9 3 9 Vegetables Butchers' meat, ham, and bacon 27 0 0 £54 7 8 On all these articles the landlords' tax must be paid, which, on the average, amou►,ts to at least one-third of the whole, or 181. 2;. 61d. Compared with that, lzt us see how much is paid in the shape of Government tax. Takirg the abovc-mentioned calculations as our guide, we find the following sums set down for the various articles. Monopolists' Gov.rnment Price. Tax. Tax. X. s. d. X. s. d. s. d. Sugar Coffee Tea Soap Beer - 1 10 0 Wine and Spirits 3 0 0 1 10 0 23 11 11 2 1 0 Assessed taxes _ . _ 8 5 0 1 10 0 9 15 0 We have only made a rough calculation, but it will be found to be not far from the truth. Tt:e person, then, who lives at the rte of 200/. a year pays only about 91. 15s. to the revenue, while he pays 201 3s. 61d. per annum to the landowners and the West India monopolists. Who, then, are the greatest plunderers—tha Government or the Land owners ?—Bollon Free Press. THE SURREY HOUNDS. Having finished my inspection of the stud, I next made some inquiries respecting the reports, both in cir culation as mere rumour and likewise in print, relative to the dismissal of fie late huntsman and whips (one of whom was his brother, and the other, I believe, his son), and also touching the secession of Edmund An• t-obus from the management of the hounds, and was not a little surprised to find that there was not the slightest foundation for either. With respect to Tom Hills, who hunted these hounds for many year?, I found that having taken umbrage at the pack havidg been put upon a certain allowance of . . food, which, th o u g h probably ample, was in hisVesti mation insufficient, he thought proper himself to give warning to his employers and to resign his situa tion ; nor is it at all to be wondered at that his desire to I•ave was complied with, since we all know how irk some a thing it is to a master to allow himself to be dictated to by his servants. Tom accordingly lost his berib, and the first and second whips, having followed his example, also received their conges. The two for mer men keep a public-house et Bletchingly, near Merstham, and the latter has obtained a situation as whipper-in to some pack in Orfordshire. With respect to the rumour that Sir Edmund An- trobus was no longer connected with the establish ment, I was glad to hear that he is not only in the enjoyment of excellant health (illness having been assigned as the cause of his retirement), but is still, in conjunction with Colonel Cator, of South end, the manager of the pack. The stud has never been put upon any other allowance than that of having as much as they could eat, neither have the horses or hounds ever been fed by contract, as has been asserted by a correspondent of a Weekly Sporting Journal. So much then for repot ts, that, tending only to dissemi nate discontent, I am glad to be able to contradict on sufficient authority. As from the proximity of the Old Surrey hounds to the metropolis their meets are necessarily kept secret as much as possible, to prevent too large a field from riding over the land, and many people are unac quainted with the locality of the coverts they draw, I will just add, that Limpsfield and Godstone Green are at the extremity of their country on the Lewes road ; that the kennel, the Half Moon on the Godstone Road, the Red Lion at Riddlesdown, the coverts round Sanderstead, the Swan at West Wick ham, the Cricketers at Addington, Botley Hill, Farley Green, Warl ngham Common, the Fox at Kenton Common, Tatsfield, Crown Ash Hill, and Wallington Heath, tire all within reach of Croydon, where good accommodation may be found for man and horse at the Greyhound or the Crown ; and prime attention to such as choose to have their horse at a hunting stable is always paid to them at B.gnell's, at the lower part of the town on the road leading to Mitcham. The charge is four shillings per night, without any stint ; and if your horse come in wet, two or three fellows are about him in no time, and strip to their work " with a will." The coverts at Keston, Crown Ash Hill, Tatsfield, or West Wickham, are equally easy of access, or rather more so, from Bromley, where at the Bell or White Hart everything needful may be had ; and the White Lion at Lock's Bottom will not be found bad quarters by those who intend to meet the fox-hounds at Cudham Wood, Pratt's Bottom, Westerham, or the coverts near Riverhead. With the names of the meets ronnd Merstham and Reigate I am almost entirely unacquainted, never having hunted so IoW down the road, and shall therefo• e sum up with Sir John Reid's coverts at Banstead, the nearest and best hostelry to which I take to he the Cock at Sutton, a eell•known house, or the Greyhound at Carshalton, where the accommodation to be obtained, although far from first rate, may be put up with for a night by any sportsman. If given to beguile time with a weed, though, I should recommend him strongly not to forget his cigar -case.—Old Sporting Magazine. METROPOLITAN POLICE. --The Lords Com rr,issiorers of the Admiralty and the Honourable the Board of Ordnance have sanctioned the introduction of the me tropolitan police force into the above departments of the public service. Arrangements have in consequence been already made for carrying the same into immediate ef fect in the Ro3 al Dock-s and and Victualling-office, Dept ford, and the Royal Dock-yard and Arsenal, Woolwich. The change will take effect on Monday next, and it is in tended as speedily as possible to extend the operation to all the other naval and ordnance departments in the king dom. The whole of the present arrangements will, we understand, altogether cease, and the respective officers will retire upon pensions suited to their ages and periods of servic-. Wilt regard to the men, an offer has been made to enter into the metropolitan police force on the same terms as those already employed. A case came before the Insolvent Debtor's Court on Wednesday, in which the petitioner, a lady who had kept the Sackville Hotel, and lost all her own money, as well as some belonging to other persons, ascribed her in solvency partly to the Whigs. It appeared that she told the agent of the opposing creditors that " if she could get the abominable Whigs out of her house and the Tories in she should go on like clock. work." The Commissioner said she was not the only foolish person who had thought for the last four years that the Whigs would go out. MAGAZINES-CON TIN UED. UNITED SERVICE JOURNAL. The present state of our relations gives addi tional interest to two good articles in this num ber—" The Naval Recollections of the late Ame rican War," and " Hints on the Management of a War in America, by a British Officer of ability and experience, who resided in the Canadas for more than eight years." As the latter contains some useful information respecting the course this country should adopt, in case the Maine people and the Lockport rioters should unfortu nately bring affairs to extremities, we shall forego any remarks on the other articles, and subjoin from it a few useful extracts : As to the matter of our holding the Canadas, or, as I be lieve, they ought now to be called, Canada, I conceive our ope rations would be only defensive, as acquiring territory, above certain posts, would be out of the question ; and, to obtain this advantage, the plan of the late General Brock ought to be fol lowed—which was, to go slap-dash at their principal posts, without giving them time to strengthen themselves in them. In the Lower Province, we have not so much to do in that way (I shall talk of them as distinct provinces, as formerly), as there they cannot cut off our supplies so readily. The first thing to be done, is to make a simultaneous attack upon Fort Niagara, Sackett's Harbour, and Detroit, as far up as Fort Gratiot, on the Detroit River, as these points command the great lakes on which the fate of the province depends. Sackett's Harbour, it will be remembered, was the great dockyard, where they built their large ships, in opposition to ours at Kingston. This ought to be seized at once, and the mouth of the harbour destroyed by filling some old vessels with stones, and sinking them there : the channel is very narrow, and can easily be obstructed. Oswego should be treated in the same manner : they have no other ports on Lake Ontario. Fort Niagara lies immediately opposite our forts, George and Mississaqua. Fort George, I fancy, is gone to rum no los's, as it was in the worst position an unfortunate fort could be placed in, being commanded and enfiladed upon three sides of a square. The Rideau Canal makes a great alteration in this country since its formation, as now our stores can be got up without risking, as we did last war, their passage close to the enemy's lines ; how they ever allowed them to pass them has always been a mystery I could never solve. If xe wish to hold the Canadas, we must have a great supe riority on the Lakes. The building of ships is expensive : a small steam craft can be established, if we can destroy the harbours along their shores, at the same time we must take care they do not destroy ours first. The Niagara frontier is a place of great consequence, as they can cross in so many points. A strong redoubt on Navy Is'and and Fort Erie would give us the command above the Falls of Niagara. A strong post at Queenston Hill, seven miles from Fort George, or Illissit-saqua, secures us pretty well on this frontier, as from Queenston Hill everything can be seen down to Lake Ontario. On Lake Erie the Americans have no good harbours, while we have several,—Fort Erie one, though rather open. Ship:: can, however, run down the river to shelter or find good an chorage under Point Abinean. The Detroit River is about a mile across; and if the Ame ricans have sufficient force they may cross over at any time, and destroy and pillage our settlements on the frontier, which they would be prone to do, and retire to 'heir own side, after doing some mischief, without attaining any good; and, to pre vent thi•, we must have possession of their strong places on the rivers and lakes, and the supremacy on all the waters. In the Upper Province I should conceive the people are generally loyal, though there may be many radicals among them of the deepest nie ; yet I think, generally speaking, they may be firm to the Queen's Government. They make good soldiers, especially in that country, where they know the woods as well as the Americans, and can be brought into excellent discipline, as witness the Incorporated Regiments of Militia, the Glengarry, the Nova Scotia, and other regiments. Put them on the footing of the regular army ; allow their officers halt-pay and pensions for wounds, and the men with grants of land after the war, and never fear but a respectable force may be raised in a few months fit for any service. MONTHLY MAGAZINE. There is an essay here on the "Relative Value of the Acted and Unacted Drama," which—as the production of Mr. Tomlins, who has distin guished himself by one or two clever pamphlets on this subject—is entitled to more attention than we can just now afford to bestow on it. Enough to say, therefore, that the essay in question is characterized by a strain of reasoning always inge nious, if not always convincing; and that the style is neat and perspicuous, except when the writer attempts to be fine and metaphorical, when he makes strange work with his tropes, as in the following instances, when, speaking speaking of the retraint under which the drama labours, he says, " but the swelling flood burts its unnatural, its unscientific barriers, and breaks into illegal performances, or into the published, but unacted drama." A " flood" that can break into a " per formance" must indeed be a most miraculous flood! " The Young Artist" is a well written tale from the pen of Mrs. Edward Thomas. The interest, however, would have been greater had it been a little abridged. The "English Wits" is a biographical and critical notice of Fielding the novelist, in which the writer, to our surprise, gives it ai his opinion that " Amelia" is superior to " Tom Jones." He states also that the latter work is "not remarkable for any very successful delineation of character," forgetting, apparently, the admirable portraits of Squire Western and his maiden sister, Partridge and Black George, Square and Thwackem, Master Blifil and the puppet showman. " Our Monthly Crypt" in cludes several intelligent notices of new publica tions. METROPOLITAN MAGAZINE. The best article in the present Number, both as respects matter and manner, is the " Note- Book of an Irish Barrister," in which there is a memoir of Lord Plunkett, accompanied by a criticism on his oratorical powers. The writerjustly observes of his Lordship, that, " when his faculties were in their meridian, he was unquestionably one of the most vigorous reasoners of the age, and herein lay all his mastery. He was not a very profound or learned lawyer, not at all equal to Rolnilly, to whom he has been compared, and inferior to many of the eminent men now at the bar. In professional acquirements Mr. Pene father is far his superior. In mere book-know ledge many surpassed him; but in his matchless argument, in keen, close, rigorous reasoning, he rose far beyond all others. He was the most for midable and skilful of sophists, and unequalled in that resistless and vehement energy with which he struggled to the last fbr victory, or, where that was unattainable, for a dignified retreat." We fear we must apply the dishearten ing words " Troja fuit " to Lord Plunkett's powers of oratory, for of late years he has made little or no figure in Parliament. " Recollections of a Student" are replete with stirring incidents, the scene of which is laid in Poland during the despotic reign of the Grand Duke Constantine. " Sing me the Songs of other Day s " i s a b a ll ad, by Mr. Abdy, and reminds us of some of the late Haynes Bayley's touching melodies. " Zaleska's Song" is a spirited Polish air; we quote it accordingly : Po!and is dead, The tyrant said, Exulting in triumph of power ; 0, no ! she but sleeps, While her genius keeps A watch for her waking hour. Silent and fair She slumbers there, But feverish dreams disturb her. She needs but wake For her chains to break ; Not the nations of earth can curb her ! She wakes from her rest At the call she loves best, Her life's not in mortal control. Wound her and pain her, Enthral her, enchain her, She lives in the heart of the Pole ! THE DUBLIN UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE. Captain Meadows Taylor, author of the " Con fessions of a Thug," and " Tippoo Sultaun," both works of approved merit, figures this month in the portrait gallery, which our friend Antony Poplar is adorning with etchings of distinguished Irishmen. Captain Meadows is still in the prime of life, and promises to enrich our literature with many more of the most correct sketches yet writ ten of social lite in India. "Poets and Poetesses" is a pleasant gossiping article of parlour window criticism, with extracts from the poetical perpe trations of Moyle, Ellison, Sterling., Howitt, Lady Jervis, Magrath, Browne, Serjeant, and Lady Flora Hastings. The " Misfortunes of Barney Branagan" deepen in interest. No writer of the day can sound the depth of the Irish heart with more truth and feeling than William Carleton. The-sick bed scene between the father and the son in the present number would convince us of this, had we not already discovered it in his " Traits and Stories" of the Irish peasantry. " Charles O'Malley" has a ca pital ghost story—such a ghost story as is never heard out of Ireland. The narrator tells the story of his father, an undertaker, who, though the best singer and the hardest drinker in the barony, looked, when seated on a hearse, " asme lancholy and as miserable as if his own mother was inside." In removing the body of an old priest to his "last home" he was benighted, and obliged to seek shelter for himself and the corpse in an old church, in which, however, he found means to kindle a good fire, and to - supply the , " materials" for a jug of punch. We begin our extract with the second jug, at which point the worthy undertaker was wont to grow somewhat sentimental : " Now there was one thing distressed him most of all ; my father used always to make fun of the ghosts and sperits the neighbours would tell of, pretending there was no such thing ! and now the thought came to him, Maybe they'll revenge themselves on me to-night when they have me up here alone ; and with that he made another jug stronger than the first, and tried to remember a few prayers in case of need; but some howand his mind wa s no t t oo c lear, and he said afterwards he was always mixing up o u ld so ngs and toasts with the prayers when he thought h e h a d j us t got holi of a beautiful psalm, it would turn out to be Tatter Jack Walsh,' sr 'Limping James,' or something like that. The storm, meanwhile, was rising every moment, and parts of the old abbey were falling, as the wind shook the ruin ; and my father's sperits, notwith standing the punch, were lower than ever. "' I made it too weak,' said he, as he set to work on a new jorum ; and troth this time that was not the fault of it, for the first sup nearly choked him. MORNING EDITION! "' Ah 1' said he now, I knew what it was; this is like the I thing ; and, Mr. Free, you are beginning , to feel easy and 00,t fortable ; pass the ju g ; y our very goo d health and song . + l°. a little hoarse its true, but if the company will excuse-- ' " And then he bega n knocking- on the table with 10 knuckles, as if there was a room full of people asking him t sing. in short, my father was d run k as a fiddler; the last brew finished him, and he began roaring away all kinds ° droll songs, and telling all ma nner o f s t or i es , as if he was at a great party. " While he was capering this way about the roost be knocked down his hat, and with it a pack of cards he put iltr it before leaving home, for he was mighty fond of a gam e ' " Will ye take a hand, Mr. Free? said he, as he gatn" -- them up and sat down before a fire. ee I'm convanient,' said he, and be g a n dealing out as if there was a partner fornenst him. h be' " When my father used to get this far in the story, til -e 6 0 1, came very confused. He says, th a t once or t w ice he is t i s e the liquor, and took a pull a t th e b ot tl e o f po t een instead 0L 1. " punch ; and the last thing he remembers was asking P 7; Father Dwyer if he would draw near to the fire, and not lying there near the door. 11 fast "With - that he slipped do wn on th e groun d and •e -- wh e y asleep. How long he lay th a t wa y h e cou ld never tell. he awoke and looked up, his hair nearly stood on en d s t ke fright. 'What cL) you think he see n f ornens t him, sitting at, css other side of the fire, but Father Dwyer himself ; there be divil a lie in it, wrapped up i n one of the mourning cloaks, ing to warm his hands at the fire. • " ' Salve hoc nontine patri !' said my father, crossing bi self ; 'av it's your ghos, God presarve me ' " Good evening t'ye, t Mr. Free,' said the ghost-= an d h a d might be bould, what's in the jug ?'—for ye see my father.ieer. it under his arm f as t, an d never l et i t go w h en h e w as a; fh r " Pater noster qu i es i n — poteen, s i r, ' sa id my for the ghost didn't look pleased at his talking Latin. +ho s " Ye might have th e p o li teness to ax if one h a d a 11°g-- him,' then, says the ghost. " ' Sure, I didn't think the like of you would taste sperits•t si "'Try me,' said the ghost; and with that he filled on glass, and tossed it cff like a Christian. " 6 Beamish l'says the ghost, smacking his lips. a " ' The same,' s ay s m y f a th er , ' an d sure w h a t' s happe n you has not spoilt your taste.' 66 kid 6 If you'd mix a littl e h o t,' says t h e g h ost, , I' m ti u;n it would be better ; the night is mighty sevare.' 0 " ' Anything that your rev erance p l eases ,' sa y s m y father , he began to blow up a good fire to boil the water. " ' And what news is stirring ?' says the ghost. tear " 'Devil a word, your reverance ; your own funeral w as , o , only. thing doing last we e k ; ti mes i s b a d ; except the mea s • - there is nothing in our parts.' .' " ' And we're quit e d ea d h erea b outs too, ' says the gh.---ost,h ' 6 ' There's some o f U 3 so , any h ow, ' says my f at her , c" sly look. ' Taste that, your reverance.' gr' ' 6 6 Pleasant and re f res hi ng, ' says the ghost ; and no w ' ig ir Free, what do you say to a little spoil five, or beggar my ne— bour ?' ett " ' What will we pay for ?' say s m y f at h er ; f or a to , °n-- t ib just struck him,—` maybe it's some trick of the devil to e s my soul.' " ' A pint of Beamish,' says the ghost. l o bs " ' Done,' says m y f at h er ; ' cut f or d ea l ; t h e ace a c you have it.' of" Now the whol e ti me t h e g h ost. ' o f was dealing the ear" father never took his eyes off of him, for he wasn't quitelo in his mind at a ll ; b u t w h en h e saw hint turn up the tru 'ol and take a strong d r i n k a ft erwar d s, h e got more a t ease, began the game. bat " How long they pl a y e d i t was never rightly known; tio e one thing is sure, th e y d ran k a cruel deal of sperh s ,_ ; sod quart bottles my f a th er b roug h t w i t h h i m were all finish 'd by that time his b ra i n was so con f use d w i th the liquor, ne g t he lost,—for somehow he never won a game,—that he W as ting very quarrelsome. " You have your own luck of it,' says he, at last. 1 Wh ere " ' True for yo u ; an d, b es id es, we play a great dea I come from.' s it, " I've heard so,' says my father, ' I lead the knave, spades ;ba cess o it, lst n.' t oe, Now it d t was reallyo ag verydistressing; for by th is weaS though they only began for a pint of Beamish, my father as . on betting till h e l ost t h e h earse and all the six horses , In e ing cloaks, plumes, and every thing. • " Are you tired, Mr. Free ? maybe you'd like to WTI " Stop ! faith it's a nice time to stop ; of course not. " Well, what will ye play for now ?' all eve "' The way he said these words brought a trembling. - or my father, and his blood curd in his heart. 01, 1 f p ther !' says he to himself, its my sowl he is wanting a ' time.' " I've mighty littl e l e f t ,' says my f at h er, l oo ki n g at keenly, while be kept shuffling the cards quick as lightni.eo: to • Mighty little ; matter, we'll give you plenty o f ton n e ; 0 pay, and if y ou can ' t d o i t, i t s h all never trouble you as I° you live.' st .0% " Oh, you mu r th er i ng d ev il !' says my father, -)1/000 him with a spade that he had behind his chair, you out.' r ible " With one blow he knocked him down; and now a t r e t r b e r'S fight began, for the ghost was very strong too ; but nly, i . al t ben. blood was up, and he'd have faced the devil hirnse",„ t ded They rolled over each other several times, the broken u„'„,fer cutting them to pieces, and the chairs and tables crashiogj a rth , them. At last the ghost took the bottle that lay on the 0- ti be and levelled my father to the ground with one blow ' l l O the fell, and the bottle and the whiskey were both dashed In t is r fire; that was the end of it, for the ghost disappeared th a be laf ment in a blue flame that nearly set fire to my father as on the floor. nth " Och ! it was a cruel sight to see him next morning' br his cheek cut op en , and his hands all bl oo dy, lying t h e ta the himself ; all the broken glass, and the card s a ll round „„ coffin too was knocked down off the chair; maybe the w se had trouble getting into it. However that was the fune r f a the put off fur a d a y, f or my f at h er cou ld n ' t speak ; an d, as sexton, it was a queer thing ; but when they came to e er in the morning, he had two black eyes, and a gash o v ear, and he never knew how he got them." (1 0 The other article sare o f a po li t i ca l c ast, all e r rabidly Tory as suits the p a l a t es o f I r ish Orol t b men. This Magazine has reached its liundr*b number, and its exce ll en t d e li nea ti o ns of •'-` life entitle it to our best wishes for its succeS9' THE SPORTING REVIEW. This Number is honoured by communica t t i j e l from two sci ons o f no bili ty, the Hon. Grai l , to. F. Berkeley, an d L or d Willi am Lennox , an the credit of them and their order, these are iie # best of the batch. B o th describe rural se e d with much tact ; they evidently have mil e but every class of society, not as idle spectators, jo g careful observer s , p re p are d to store up Passpe events fbr future occasions. The contrast li p tween the absentee and the good old &g o d gentleman, by Mr. Berkeley, is well drawn , it is only to be regretted that a mind tha t t he appreciate the happi ness o f d omest i c lif e , aou s ol friendly inte r co urse b e t ween t h e hi g her o f lower classes, should display such bitterness .. 00 severity towards th ose w h o i nter f ere , o ften fl o p want, with his co un t r y amusements . Tbel ore of the various meeting's of the Cotte s " ,,- o re hounds, and "The Death" (fox hunting) beautifully executed. THE SPORTING MAGAZINE. Ser " A Glance at the Approaching Racing r . a ces son" takes a cursory view of all the gre a 4 . t „; - from . the Ist of April to the Newmarket au'" 11 0:11; meetings in October, furnishes an intere 6 : fi cl, outline of the forthcoming sports for 1841 ' -- ore as the writer justly obs erves , "h e mu st be In t be nice than wise who is dissatisfied wit h h oe prospect.. Not less than 154 nomination s 101 been inscribed for the Epsom meeting, o f i trbi 113 are in work, and all qualified for the v - b icli Stakes. The Liverpool July meeting, tl o , o od r fair to shine forth brilliantly, and the ' bo ° ',;ie . 9 ; Races are to surpass even the splendid sc' a nd last season. The instructions for t ra ining, dip. breaking colts di s pl a y goo d sense an d a kln" . the position, and are calc u l a t e d t o i m press 011 erfi trainer the necessity of performing every' °PTO tion with patience, caution, and kindness.„ umber is ornamented with two plates, t • ti g!" hunting in the Deccan" an d , c The former is by Bateman, and i s beau ° executed. THE SPORTSMAN. The embellishments by Beckwith, as -deer are excellent, the first representing th e the stalker. taking refreshment, and the wild fowl shooter's return. In the W iner bite dogs are drawn to life, and the well-fed W or y pony carrying the booty, might excite the by of Landseer. We recommend " The l itir t heit Judex Secundus" to those who are making, ton bets on the Derby. The game he saYs, j ,i e oce deep for him, but he asserts with enln — iist• the the. winner is not yet in the betting has " The veil," he adds significantly, " hich oft; for so long a period concealed the doing s . e rg certain clique, is destined to be removed %re, shortly, and a very pretty history will !lair vealed." The verses " Merrily dawns tile - 0 ; ba g other the ing Sky," by Major C. Campbell, are better,. for any we have observed in sporting periodic s oul some time, and give a spirited and very bea u description of a summer morning. This S is M a A v L e L ry W i r pr D ov 'S in M g ApGjoZdil periodical, got tl os ? _ with care, and containing just as much v arieti v is desirable in a work of this sort. The P° e i t ts of too, generally speaking, is above par, in go°° — ,-- which we may instance " Blind Man's um mea a story of' the carnival of' Madrid, which is Pe°:" c h in the measure of " Beppo," and exhibits n i l 0 of the point, ease, and whimsical vivacity °f that is amusing bagatelle. The " Young Subaltellinile a sprightly prose sketch of one of those juvt i l l. military Narcissuses who every country town where a regiment is c l u- 0 , ... are to be met wit Pa r. tered ; who are the idols of love-sick boardine. school misses and sentimental maid-servantli otfi ' l l e, :o has just discreet fathers and mothers. "One can P e " e n : i l a n n i d s t ta: ,:isea;esd with distrust and alarm laY: v . joined.the author i,he , re " a is s young nci a s d u e b i a i e l r o r t. 151 his s using mixture of niaiserie and coxcombry 4 mall: der; such a would-be assumption cast man, and such a determination to q, e the hobbledehoy. How resolutely .he endeavours to forget • that he has but r en emerged from a state of pupillage ! % c o( to conceal the enormity of his sedulously he cultivates a faint appearance .01_,.15, embryo moustache and whisker; and enclu_i:so with the heroism of a martyr, a diurnal pro,°.'„ of scraping on his still smooth and rounded eLI r e ; that he calls shaving ! How interesting he ,' OO to he ! What locks of hair, of all shades i i _r et „, flaxen to raven black, are stored up in his poot v d youth, ~a. book ! What visions of blue, hazel, greY", ttr sparkling Mack eyes, float around his pill 0w., 1 ,. In the essay on " Philosophy in its Relatior,w,l.,,'e Christianity" an eloquent account is given . an, vague and unsatisfying character of the old # :