The Sun. — London, England, 1825-05-05 00:00:00

PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF LORDS, MAT 4. This morning their Lordships met at ten o'clock, and prayers fiLA being read by the Bishop of GLOUCESTER, the hearing of Appeals was proceeded with. . Appellate Peers—the Marquis of Conyngham, Lord Duffe rina and the Earl of Caledon. In the first appeal of " :Acheson v. Paul. and others,'" from the Court of Session its Scotland, the Lord Deputy now moved t~ sir Lordships to affirm the judment of that Court, which was iffirmed, but without costs. Glarnmis (Thomas Geerge Lyon Bowes, Lord Glainmis) John Dean Paul, Bart. banker, and others, trustees of the late John Bowes, Earl of Strathmore," was next call el ft,r ; when Mr.-Forsyth and Mr. Walker were heard for the aT Periants, after which the further hearing was appointed for tai-morrow. Lord GIFFORD rose at four o'clock, and at 20 minutes to lire o'clock, the LORD CHANCELLOR entered the House. Upon the motion of the Earl of SHAFTESBURY the Private Bills upon the table, among which was the second reading of the Wyebridge Bill, were - forwarded in their several stzges resented at the Bar . Tostr..nis from the Treasury, p A counts of the Transit Trade of the Port of London, pursuant to an order of the Rouse:. . Mr. JOHN javax, from the Equitable Loan Bank Com pany, presented in like manner from the Directors of that In stitution some Popers of the Ist and 2d of May last. The Earl of. LAUDERDALE here remarked that he did not see, among these returns, the Papers of the 6th November taxi. - • - Mc, f iTtnAn, from the East India Company, presented an account of the number of ships contained in the East India Docks, pursuant to an order of the House. Petiti o ns were presented by L ord DACRE, with respect to the -St,-CaShicines Dock Bill , which were o rdered to be refer red to the ..Committee on the Bill now sitting. • ' The. Earl of BOSSLYN presented petitions on theme subject from. ,the. parishes •of St. John and St. Olave, Ber mondsey, which also were referred to the Committee on the THE EQUITABLE LOAN BILL. NACRE gave notice that he should on Monday next move for the second reading of the Equitable Loan Bank Com pany7s Bill ; and upon the motion of the Noble Lord, their Lordship's were ordered to be summoned for that clay. Upon the motion of the Earl of SHAFTESBURY , a Mes. sage was sent to the Commoner, that their Lordships had agreed to the amendments in the Scotch Juries Bill, which was ac cordingly read a third time, and' then passed. THE CATHOLIC CLNIMS. The Bishop of BATH and WELLS said, he had to pre sent to their Lordships a petition, with strong feelings of inte rest, from the Clergy of the Diocese of Carlisle, with whom he bad been connected for the last forty years. The petitioners were anxious for the preservation of our excellent Establish ment he was requested by the prescnt lord Bishop of the Diocese to add, that. their sent i me nts entirely concurred with his own. Upon the motion of the Right Rev. Prelate, the petition was read at full length, deprecating all further concessions to the Catholics, and ordered to lie-upon the table. The Duke of NEWCASTLE 'presented a petition to the same effect from the inhabitants of Yarn, in Yorkshire. The Bishop of St. DAVID'S presented three similar Peti. :ions, two from parishes in the Counties of Brecon and Radnor, and another from the Borough of Haverfordwest. Lord KENYON presented a petition from Banbury, in Ox sordshire, praying that no alteration Might take place in the present system of Corn Laws.—Adjourned to-to-morrow. HOUSE OF CONIMONS. A person brought up at the bar, the evidence taken before the County Courts Committee. Sir NICHOLAS COLTIIURST presented a petition in fa- TOUT of the Cork Trade Bill. Sir R. FERGUSSON presented a petition from Edinburgh, against the Leith and Edinburgh Joint Water Company. Sir T. LETHBRIDGE presented a petition in favour of the ship Canal bill, and another in favour of the County Courts' Bill, both from Somersetshiree ORDERS OF THE HOUSE. bord ALTHORP, in moving that the report of the Cotmty Courts' Bill on the resolutions he brought up, said he should also propose to discharge the order for referring the matter to a Committee up stairs. ' General GASCOYNE objected to the motion, of which the 1 Noble Lord, he said, had given no notice; whereas it was-e'ne, • well known practice of the House that no Hon. Member should move, without having previously notified his intentionho do so, -on Mr. Speaker's paper. . . The SPEAKEIZ, in explaining what the practice of the House was on the subject, observed that there could be no doubt of the Noble Lord's right to move as he proposed to do, with out any previous rotice whatever. The Hon. and Gallant Ge neral seemed to have entirely mistaken the practice on, this eub j tie. The fact was, that though a modem rule had prevailed, owing to the great pressure of business, and the dilEculty of .knowing o therwise-what to take first, of entering notices of mo tioes in the way stated in the Speaker's paper, it was for the House to judge how far it would be disposed to recognize that - modern practice to the exclusion of the old • one ; which un .deuistedly was this—that it was competent to any member in these cases to move as he saw fit, with or without any such no tice.--( Hear, hear !) CALCRAFT felt, and in common he was sure with every body else in the House, greatly Obliged to the Chair for the sound Parliamentary doctrine which 'it had just now laid down in so clear and satisfactory a manner ; and, indeed, tor the great pains which the Speaker manifested on. all to instruct the .House upon such points of form and proceeding as might be referred to him.--(Hear, hear !) Perhaps it might be expedient to consider whether the House oeglit not to proceed at an earlier hour to the dispatch of public b a The SPEAKER adverted to the great mass of private busi xess which was before the House, and the inconvenience expe . rieneed both- by the House and the public interest, on account of the ,absolute impossibility of proceeding with ,public busi ness until an advanced hour of the evening. On -this sub ject he was entirely in the hands of the House ; and would be quite disposed, if Gentlemen would come down for-that purpose, to commence business at a much earlier hour than usual . , (ff,es.r Mr. BROUGHAM, not less than his Honourable Friend, Wee grateful to the Chair for the able manner in which it hat expounded the practice of the House ; hut begged to • throw out' as a suggestion, whether, instead of troubling the Speaker, whose time was already so- entirely devoted to the ttLiness of the Rouse, to come down at an earlier hour,it might not be a n arrangement calculated greatly to facilitate the die patch., of business, particularly in the sittings-of Committees, to .11 - sect on rS,aturdays. The County Courts' till was then recommitted to a Com mittee the whole Hcuse on Tuesday next; and the order for 1..-i•ritig the Report to a Commit tee u p stairs dischar g ed. CORN LAWS. elretitipps against a ny alterations in the - Como Laws, and . orotection of the Flour Trade, were presented by Mr. (00M-ester ecuomne , from Alloa; Mr. GEORGE Hons. f rom Wigan, in Lancashire; Mr. A 91-1 T,- from N'i'tres, in Oxfordshire; and Mr. P. Tazven; from Car-, rnarthenshire. - - - R OMAN CATHOLIC CLAIMS. • Petitions against any further concessions to the• Roman Ca tholics were brought up by Sii Joins Oweer, front Pembroke; and Sir THOMAS LETHBRIDGE, from the Clergy and inha bitants of Blackdon, in the County of Somerset. • - COAIBINATION LAWS: Sir M. W. RIDLEY presented a petition, numerously 'signed by shipwrights and mariners of leingston•upon-Htell against the Combination. Laws, and praying that the petitioners might be heard before the Committee, appointed to inquire into the effect of their repeal. Mr. SYKES heartily concurre d in the prayer of these peti a l tioners. It would, indeed , be g reat injustice, if. the Committee now sitting up stairs, and taking a.great deal of evid enc Hear !)e from the masters, should take none from theirjourneymen--( At present, these shipwrights and seamen were in. a state of the most cruel alarm. - They believed that some measures were pending in Parliament, intended to limit the rates of their wages : they complained of the high prices of corn and-provi sions, at the same time that they expressed /heir alarm them - about itsbeing intended, a:s they seemed to suppose,. to fix to such low wages, that it would he impossible for them to afford teesupply themselves with corn. t • General GASCOYNE had several petitionseopresent on a • similar subject. The petitioners stated, that no cisinbinations existed among them now of a character diFereett from that which usually attached to former combination.,. .They come plained of the necessity which the high prieehsf coin imposed upon them of demanding proportionate wegee . for their labour, • and expressed an apprehension. that Parliament inten he ded to asinine into their funds. Now , .upon th is intention, which (General Gascoyne) thought ie - would.les exceedingly impolitic to act on, he had put a question to his Hen. Colleague (Mr. Huskistson), and having received no answer to it, "he was ra ther disposed to listen to the epprehensioaseifehese petitioners. He could not go the whole Length with the petitioners, as to the rights claimed by them; but, on the other hand, he did think that journeymen or seamen , if they thought" they did *not re ceive sufficient wages, had e_good right to strike work, and carry their labotir to abetter market e but he could not allow that they had any right whatever to dictate to their masters whom only they should employ, or the livages they should give. He should content himself with, moving that these sew veral petitions be brought up and referreditoeheCommidee. Sir 31. 11 7 . RIDLEY begged it might be_ distinctly render: stood, that in the Committee up stairs in Whieb• he sat, the question of the Delegates' Society, to which the Hon. and Gallant General had made allusion, had never been discussed. He considered, for one, that these combinations went Much further than the mere regulation of wages; and if, as it ,was. stated, they proceeded to dictate to ho e asters wha a t hnds: should or should not be employed, was an end of that free labour which these very persons were so interested to pre serve inviolate, and ht sufficient case for the interference of Parliament. After a few words from Mr. STUB, the petitions, - seven in .number, were brought up. They were from the sawyers, joiners, shipwrights, block-makers, coal-workers, seamen, and ropers, of Liverpool. They were ordered to be referred to the Committee hp stairs. Mr. GRATTAN presented a petition from a MreJohn, of some piece in the-county of Wicklow, against the disfranchise ment of. 40s. freeholders, contemplated by a Bill now pending in'Tarliament. I Sir T. LETHBRIDGE resented a petition from the 'city of Bath, praying the House's favour to any Bills that Might be introduced with the same view as an Act already pa.seedfor the punishment of cruelty to animals. T his petition was hu e merously signed by the more tender sex, whose feelings were always interested in matters of this description. • • • LICENSING SYSTEM. Lord NUGENT presented a petition signed by the church-1 .wardens, overseers, and inhabitants of Leighton-Buzzard, praying that the laws relating to the licenring of public-houses might be taken into consideration, for the purpose of amend ,ing them. The petition arose out of the circumstance of 'a poor publican at Leighton-Buzzard hiding:been refused renewal of his licence, without any cause being assigned for that refusal: The consequence was, that he had suffered very considerably, as under' the idea that his licenei would be renewed, he had laid in a stock of beer and other articles, which were now left upon his hands. He (Lord Nugent) must observe,- that he was -personally acquainted with the. Rev. Mr. Roth, a Magistrate whose conduct was particularly alluded to in the petition, and he belived him to be aliumane and worthy man ; at the same time he was also bound to state, that the persons whose names were signed to the petition were highly respectable. - Mr. MONCK said, that this subject called for the serious consideration of the House. Some alteration certainly 'should be made in the existing law, under which the Magistrates,ex ercised the-most arbitrary rawer. Two public-houses adjoin= ing the town where he resided (Reading) had been shut up some time since, without any other reason being assigned, ex= cept that public-houses were pernicious, inasmuch that pnor men were - induced to spend money there. which otherwise would be spent at home. Now really he thought that those who earned the money were the beet Judges of the manner in which it should be spent. After a few words from Mr. MAcctuEtlr, Mr. Coax, and Mr. PEEL, the petition was laid on the table. , COMBINATION. LAWS. Mr. DEN3IAN rose to present a petition from the mecha nics of the town of Walsall, praying that the House would not re-enact the Combination Laws. As it had been stated that no intention existed to bring those laws again into operation, he should not say any thing on that subject, but he begged to call the attention of the House particularly to that part of the peti tion in which the petioners stated that they believed many of the allegations made before the Committee now sitting were not true ; and requested, even supposing that they were true,. that the errors of the few should not be visited on the many, He eenceived that a mere just request could not be preferred to Parliament. On a former occasion he had • stated, that in his opinion the statutory provisions created by the-Combina tion Laws, which bad been repealed, were unnecessary for the punishment of the offence of combination, where it was so conducted as to call for punishment. To that opinion he still adhered. He thought that the common law of England was quite sufficient to punish any substantive offence commit ted by the workmen against their employers. It seemed to him to be of importance that the House should not appear to prejudge this question, on one side dr the other ; and therefore he heard with great pleasure, on the preceding evening; the declaration made by several Gentlemen, that , they would keep their minds perfectly free from prejudice. 'But he confessed he was a good deal - surprised when an lion. Member (Mr. Baring) spoke of "the Repeal of the Corn bination Laws, as a most crude and hasty measure, and one that was calculated to create immense evil. This, lie conceived, was advancing a very hasty opinion on what had b een done, and indl:ateda readiness to prejudge the question. The measure adopted, it should be observed, was not adopted in a hurry ;' a long and serious consideration was given to the subject, before the Committee decided that those laws ought to be repealed. His opinion was, that the combination laws were very properly repealed, - for they produced no good, but, gave birth to much evil. There was one clause alone in the Act, for their repeal of the usefulness of which he entertained any doubt, and that was the clause relative to summary convictions. How those who framed the bill admitted the power of summary conviction at all on the subject surprised him. Helm! formerly asked his Hon. Friend (Mr. Hume) a question on this point, and he stated, that it was the unanimous wish, both of the masters and the workmen, that this power should be granted. Now, he thought the House should have -paused , not withstandin g the wish of these parties, before they acceded to such a provision. When it was necessary to call for the interposition of the law at all, it should be through the medium of a Judge and jury, ac cording to the course pursued in the ordinary administration of justice. • Another provision of this law was, that when a sum mary decision took place, the individual convicted should not be liable to punishment for the same offence under the enact ments of any other law, or by the common law. But a work man committing an offence might bring it before a Magistrate by means of a friendly informer. If lie refused to give judg ment on the case, great evil and confusion must follow ; and if he convicted the accused party,, that party would receive a very slight punishment for perhaps a very great offence. It was a mistake to suppose, as the Hight Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Peel) had done, that the Act provided that offences could only be proved by two or more witnesses; that only related to sum mary convictions: for if the offence were prosecuted at com mon law, it must be supported by witnesses in the ordinary way. He meant to give no opinion op the measure which ought to be, or would be, recommended in the Committee up stairs ; but ha entered his protest against the eagerness with which some Gentlemen seemed to seize on . any statements that were prejudicial to the characters of the workmen. Those indivi duals bad a right to call on Gentlemen to suspend their opinion, since they had not yet been heaid before the House or before die Committee; and the petitioners, in this instance, prayed that they might be heard, before any measure affecting their interests was determined on. Mr. HUINIE said that the proposition for a summary process did not originate with him.: so far as regarded himself, be had nothing to do with it. But he must say, that with the ex ception of one individual, the whole of the Committee was de sirous that provision should be made in the Bill for gyanting _this summary power; and that etvi4i, the express sanction and desire of the workmen. .He did not: wonder that, out of doors, the operation of the repeal or the Combination Act was con demned, when he found the Hon. -.Member for Taunton (Mr. Baring) stating, that from the crude and hasty manner in which the repeal had. been effected, much mischief had ensued. But what would the Right Hon. illember.sey, when lie told him that not one statute whieliewa.S directed against the use of threats or violencehad been_ repealed, by' the act of last Session, with the exception of a single`Act`? Under the forced construc tion of the Act of Parliament, phich -was denominated the Con-. spiracy Act,. any three or . four workmen meeting together; for the purpose of inquiring into the state of wages, were liable to be severly punished ; and more grievances had been suffered by the workmen in consequence of that measure than it was possi ble to describe. Men ought to be at perfect liberty to meet and to consider what amount of wages they ought to receive, pro vided they committed no act of violence. lf, therefore, the Act, of last Session'Only 'repealed the Act he alluded to, and ad- Mined the men to meet peaceably for the purpose of adjusting their interests, what ground had the Honourable Member for the complaint which he had made ? Under the Act to which he alluded, three men who were found sitting together with some papers before them relating to wagesabad been most se verely punished One of them was imprisoned for a year, another for fourteen months, and the third for nearly two years. ' Surely such a statute as that should not be suffered to remain in force. Mr. PEEL observed, that as this subject was now before the Committee, he should offer no remarks on what ought to be done. It was infinitely better, he thaught, to postpone any , observations on the prospective measure , _until the Report of the and the evidence on which it was founded, were laid before th e House. .He certainly never inferred from what the' Learned G ent le man (M r . Denman) had stated, that it was his. • opinion that -th e c ommix) law of the land was sufficient for punishing any his hnereason fie coming offence. which the workmen might commit in endeavouring to controul their mas ters. -On that point, in hi Opinion, a very ser i ou sdoubt might b e entertained, andthis was to a cle.aaand plainunderstanding cn the question. The secocd clause of the. Act of last Session appear ed tohim to be most curiously worded. It seemed to rereal both the statute and the common law on this subject , and to de elare ao-the workmen that it wet; a very p ro p er Act to combine. It enacted that j6Umeyinen, sir otier•persons. combining to re gulate the mode in which's& manuthetote should be carried one, or to prevent persons front bringing home their work at a certain time—or to seduce persons to quit their master's employ before' the tarn of their contract is expired (in short, enumerating every . . species of-corabination), " shall not be subject or liable to any In c letinent for conspiracsaor , any other pimishment whatever, under the common or statute law."—(Hear!)—What, then, became of the position that the common law was sufficient to meet' nd to, punish those combinations? The common law, as well as the s au t w at a a rmd te eid l i a y w, was here repealed. The clause did not say, " as . .em punishment :of two m onths' imprisonment may be. under this Act, therefore those parties shall not beliable to indictment under the statute or common law." This he could understand. But here there was a total repeal of the statute and cOrtimonlaw,' WitbOut any modification. Let the 'House mark - the• situistion in which this clause placed indivi duals. ' Suppose an employer, aainst whom his workmen had committed an ofrenciewas not in' a condition to take advantage of this summary process, which required two witnesses ; why, in that case, the act of last session having repealed the common law, he must ga without redress. This part of the bill,. which removed the common law as it respected combination, should be altered.. He could- not but think that the whole was a very. hasty and precipitate proceeding. illr. SUARLETT,saId, he had always been of opinion that the House should have paused, and most maturely weighed the measure, before they agreed to the repeal of those acts. 'When his lion. Friend (Mr.. Hume) consulted him on this subject, he stated it to be his opnion, and to that opinion he still adhered, that the common law ,provided sufficiently for putting down combination, properly se called. But when he afterwards look ,ad at the act _which bad been passed last session, he found that the common law was repealed ; for he saw • nothing there to which it could he applied, except in cases where a breach of the I peace had been committed. There alone could the common law be brought into action.' 711ds sublect deserved much taansi deratiorie He world ask, were the workmen the proper judges of the benefit a ntl'expediency of altering the mode in which ary trade. was carried oie?, alaere not the masters, who had expend. ed their capital, More likely to understand what was most bene ficial for allparties.? Alai yea, under the state of the law as it • stood, the men Might combine to regulate a trade - ; and if 1 they conizaitted MC breach of the peace, they might go free fiver any punishment adiatevers This was a matter of deep and sea rious.consideratiort, anallte hoped the Committee up stairs. woula' Ipay due attention to it. ' They ought either to restore the coma mon law to its -origifial vigour, or make some specific provision to meet this era. Mr. B A RING said, sifter what had fallen from his Learned Fiend (Mr. Penman) , and his Hon. Friend (Mr. Hume), he felt it necessary to request- the attention of the House for a few minutes. He certainly still retained, the opinion which he bad expressed on the preceding evening—namely, that the sudden repeal of the Combination Laws e coneidering particularly the terms in which they were repealed, had been productive of the greatest possible mischief. It wax impossible not to see, from .what was going on in the world, that instead of the system of combination being mitigated by that repeal, it had been ex tended to a degree which serious.) , threatened, not only the peace of the country, but the destruction of all its great trite reats.,-(Heae !)- s -No person, with his eyes open, could doubt this. Many of the workmen who had been examined before the Committee up stairs were most respectable persons. More prudence, sense, and amid conduct, he never saw displayed in his life than was manifested by them • and the manner inwhich they gave their evidence, proved how far information had made, its way amongst that class of the community. But they, seem ed to think it a praiseworthy thing to join in those combined bodies, and to direct their roasters how to carry on their trade. Now surely it could not, be expected that men in business would submit to this. Whether the mere restoration of the common law would be sufficient to meet this evil, he could not say. On that he would give no opinion ; and certainly the opinion of his Learned Friends behind him must carry much more weight with it than his could be supposed to do. It was however, a matter of most serious importance. He had read the evidence, when he had not had an opportunity of attending the Committee, and he muse say, the doubt on his mind. was yell great as the remedy which ought to be applied to the 'evil. The common law, it appeared; could only be restored to whert actual violence was-committed ; but the House must be aware, that many things might be done, short of violence; that were extremely injurious. Several of the witnesses were examined as to the means they employed for preventing men from work ing. where there were apprentices, or-where any other circum stances of a nature obnoxious to their displeasure existed.— They were asked, " When you struck, did you use anylvio knee against. those .who continued to work ?" They answer ed, " No." - But 'When they were pressed, the answer was, " We made their situations uncomfortable." This was elicited from them, and certainly such a course of proceeding was a very strong grievance to die persons thus treated. He could as sure the i-louse that he had not made up his riiind—he had not prejudged this ,question. Ile had thane any thing but arrived at a decision on it. He could not point out what ought to be done ; but he was strongly convinced that something should be tione e at the came time that he was perfectly aware of the dif ficulttes by which the subject was surrounded. slr. 11. GURNEY, as we understood, was of opinion that the common law ought to be restored.' The measure of last Sesioneinatead of tending to put an end to combinations had increase] them. . . alr. J. WILLIAMS said, he would not pronounce any opinion on the propriety of permitting the ancient common law of the country to he revived with reference to this subject. if it - we-e true that since the repeal of the Combination Laws there had been an increase of combination through the country, he could only draw one conclusion from the circumstance= namely, that all legislative interference was vain. It appeared that oflanders were still liable to punishment, where they broke Out in acts of violence. Now, he did not believe - one word of the statement that there was an increase of combination since the repeal of those laws. The Right Hon. Gentleman (Mr. 'Peel), and his Hon. Friend (Mr. Baring), when they spoke of an increase of combination, must have alluded to combination connected with acts of violence; because the ordinary system of combination—the carrying on of correspondence between different bodies of workmen—had long been prevalent through out the country. The Right Hon. Secretary of State must know, and he (Mr. J, - Williams) well knew, that the work= men for the last twenty years were in the habit •of laying their heads together in the hest manner they could, 'for the purpose of accomplishing an increase of wages. Thereforeaif what the Right Hon. Gent. and his Bon. Friend had stated con tained any thing new, it must refer to the fact, tharcambinatiens, had recently assumed a more serious aspect than formerly, from the employment of force. It' that were the state of the case, then, he said, that the law as altered left the power of punish ing, under such circumstances, precisely as it was before the Act of last Session was passed. If this position were correct; then he came to this conclusion—that they might legislate as long as they pleased without effecting any good ob ject. The evil must he cured by some good understanding between the men and the masters—by die adoption of good conduct and temper by both the parties.---(Hear !!--In his opi nion, if the observations of the Right lion. Secretary of State were correct, there was no use in legislating at all. He had some experience in matters of summary jurisdiction in the county where they most prevailed, and his solennabelief was,that the habit of running to the magistrate on the heat of the occa sion, where the act complained of was not of importance suf ficient to allow the party to go into a court of justice, had not only done no good, but had produced much. mischief, by in creasing the irritation between the parties. Mr. SYKES defended the conduct of the last Committee from the charge of precipitation which had been brought against,arn time House the Right(4 th s it honourable hey Secretary. He begged leave' to v legislated on this subject, since so long as there was human society, combination would un doubtedly exist. • atiaPEti; denied'that lie had attributed precipitation to, the Committee. They had sat for 511 , days, whiclifwas it prbofv•iliat they were not precipitate. What be said was, that the legis lation -on this subject was precipitate ; and certainly he could not adduce a better proof of that fact than by again referring to the clause, by which it was provided that any combiuotion. to- induce a man to leave his employer before his term *as ex pired, or to delay returning to his work, should not be pooteli eil by the statute or common. law. What was the inducenient used ? It was ,the fear that the situation -of the intlividnal, who was to be acted on, would be made uncomfortable if he did not comply. lie had never said that the Combination Laws were sufficient to put down the evil. He had known cases of combination, which the Combination Laws could not - put down. Therefore lie did not call for their renewal. But cer tainly something oughato be done to check the evil which was now in active operation. Sir J. NEWPORT said, the great ground 0£ complaint w ,,, hasty,etliat those parties not only regulated what they wo uld take them se l ves , h ut w i s h e d to compel others to do precisely trade._( d i i i d ea ---4l ) Ler i r t ! w )— as T tru his e was y any used thniongbut violence,fr c re is s i o o r n ted on to th su e c p h ar in t d o u f ce t m ho e s n e ts to as w e h fr o e m ctu th a e lly prevented a free de- Lea the Hotteelook to the extent to which this systemeebvedeu'tmrsilcih)nee—(Hear - car ried in Ireland. When any body of men combined there for ot Wages, and wished to prevent others from ;working;, they use their own individual force to effect that object, but ennaoy - t ni o nocit o ies be ,xidi y s:a th iwh e i i ath r ao o au rd tt e di r go s li . :: ed branches of other trades avlio were not in immediate action, ' and made them the instruments for punishing those who refused Everlapbeorusro• should' but no be at liberty to demand the value of his own work..ngundel such a i slialluot.". rate of wages, and, therefore you,wtilliloungol:. wit' state of thmogapouulidd . uld almost have referred to contained very -soft words, which " and to withdraw 'the effect of inducing -indivaduals He could not help thinking that the clause which had been gto(insllaeaßyor:.:i:a—lliSnjuicirhya. themselves when -they pleased from 1 1 enteredinto. ' The system only beihjarious to -those who contracts they had the carried on would nod who combined. If ployment, but to the interests of the parties to combine, which :e a rt n farced to quit 'their em= mencombined, and demanded wages, - which, if-.the roasters `granted, he would be unable to supply his . customers with goods at a reasonable rate, he must give up - business, and thus thoo misguided men would pull down ruin on themselves and farnilic.l, by destroying that branch of manufacture in which Alley were employed. The petition was then brought up.. 111 r. DENILAN; Mr. SCARLETT 7 and Mr. 111731 n, spoke shortly in explanation. Mr. PEEL said, that it was quite obvious some regulation was necessary. Not two hours eiaPsed in any day that he did not receive a communication on this, subject. As a specimen of them, he would state the last which had come to his hands. — It was a set of resolutions adopted on the 13th of November, 1824; by the operative coal-miners, who, after appointing a re gidarly delegated body; ordained that no person should be al lowed to work as a coal-miner, unless he had been engaged in the.trade from the age of 16 years. This, and other resolu tions,_ were said to be adopted in order " to suppo rt the welfare of the profession." was an abominable assumption of power, the effect of which was opposed to the., interests of ton Y generally, and would eventually bring down ruin on the Manufacturers themselves. The petition was then referred to the Committee on the Com bination Laws. Mr. DENMAN presented a petition froM Thomas Flanagan, Of Sligo, complaining of the administration. of justice in Ire land. Mr. COKE presented two petitions from parishes in Norfolk, against any alteration in the Corn Laws. Mr. HUME presented a similar petition from the southern 'district of Forfarshire; and another petition from 6,000 mecha nics of Birmingham, relative to the Combination Laws. .11e trusted. that 'the resolution which had been alluded to' by the Right Hon. the Secretary of State would have the effect of de terring any other workmen from following so blameable and ridictilbus a course ; at the same time he was convinced of the justico of the request of the petitioners.—Referied i to the Com mittee on, the Combination Laws. - - •, T he A TT(3RNEY-GEN "AL W.esented a petition from. Samuel and Joshua Platt, officers of ;he Court cif Isang's Bench, • . . praying for compensation for the losses they _insgot experience under the County Courts Bill— Sir THOMAS ACLAND presented a petition from Ash comb, Devonshire, against any alteration In the Corn Laws. The South London Docks Bill was read a third time, and passed. -The other Orders of the Day were then' disposed of;' and the house adjourned at a QUARTER nEronE SEVEN 0 'CLOCk. MR. PETER MOORE'S bin FOU-THE., REGULATION OF JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES The preamble recites the 6 G. 1. c. 18. §. 18, 9 ; and goes on— , " IVlireas, by reason of the increasing wealth and prospe rity of this country, and of the large surplus capital which hath been and still continues afloat and uninvested by his present Ma jesty's liege subjects, various Partnerships, Associations or Join t- Stock Companies, for working Foreign and British Mines, for Insuring Lives and Houses in Great Britain and elsewhere, for Lighting England and other Countries with Gas, for carrying on certain lawful Trades and Businesses on an extensive and lucrative scale, and for various other useful and beneficial pur poses, have been established during the last twelve months, and which do not manifestly tend to the common grievance pre- judice and inconvenience of his Majesty's subjects in their trade' or commerce, and other their affairs ; but the said Partner ships, Associations or Joint-Stoek Companies, have not many of. them been established, cither by Act of Parliament or Charter from the Crown, in the manlier mentioned, in the said recited Act, but have been established, and are establishing under certain deeds, called Deeds of Settle ment, or Deeds of Partnership, or Deeds of Association',• and - , which deeds are to the.efibct and of the same kind as ordinary partnership deeds between.traders and others in Majesty's dominion, by which all the parties executing such deeds bind themselves tacontinue in-partnership for, thq - purposes and ob.; jects for which such joint stock .companies, partnerships or as sociations are established, subject to the rules and regulations mentioned in such deeds of settlement, or deeds of Partnership, or deeds of association. And whereas, under and by virtue of such deeds, it is in most cases rendered lawful for the parties originally executing the same, and also forall other parties who may thereafter execute the same, to sell and dispose of their sharps and interests in the capital joint stock and produce of the said joint stock companies, partnerships or associations, for . such price or prices as he she 9r they may think fit, and to such -person or persons as he she or they may approve, provided the directors, managers, managing partners or other persons having the controul, direction or management of the said company, under. the:said deeds of settlement association or partnership, approve of the'sarne." And then repeals the 6th Geo. I. c. 13, see. 18, 19. The second section recites that it is desirable that the share holders in, companies should be protected by law, and that his Alajesty's.subjects should be also projected from fraud, and enacts— in case ". That from and after the any person or,persons, as projectors, solicitors, directors, trea. curers, banker, auditors, or as a committee of management, or as proprietors, secretaries, clerks, or in any other capacity whatsoever, of a proposed joint stock company, association, or Partnership, shall, by public advertisement or by letter, or by public meeting or otherviise, issue a prospectus or advertise ment, or make any statement, either verbally at a meeting or in writing 'or otherwise, with a, view of inducing or of being the means of inducing any person or persons to apply for shares in any intended joint stock company or partnership, which may be by such person or persons in any way whatsoever proposed to.be established, such person or persons so issuing such prospectus or advertisement, or making such announce ment, either verbally or in writing, or by any printed state ment or otherwise, shall he - deemtd and taken to be and shall be considered as the parties answerable to the proposed share . holders of and in the said joint stockcqmpany or partnership, 1 and shall be personally and individunll,y responsible to them." The remaining Sections enact as follqw In case persons establishing a Compiny shall have' required a deposit from the Shareholders, the parties requiring the pay ment are to he answerable for its return in case- thesame is de manded ;- and the Deed of Settlement. not executed within calendar months. But in case the Deed of Settlement shall be executed, then the original projectors, ace. shall be no longer liable. If Deed of Settlement be not executed within calendar months, the Company to be dissolved. I n case Deed of Settlement not executed, and money re quired to be repaid, then the money, paid towards the Capital Stock to be reimbursed. The money to be returned within days after notice. If money not returned, the offender to forfeit treble the sum demanded, exclusive of the sum demanded. Penalty to be levied by distress. If distress inadequate, the offender to be committed to prison. Act not to extend to Partnerships or Joint Stock Companies formed before the passing of this Act: Act not to extend to Companies established by Charter, or by Act of Parliament. The Empe ror o f R USSIA h a s made a donation, through Mr Von STRIATE, his Minister at llam . burgh, of 1050/. sterling) 36,000 rubies (about -to the inhabitants of that city, who suffered by the inundations in the mouth of February. FRENCH PAPERS. PARIS, MAY 2. ORDINANCE OF THE *INC. CHAULES, by the grace of GOD, King of France and Navarre. In pursuance of the Fourth Article of the Law of the Ist of May, 1825, which gives to the Proprietors of Five per Cent. Consolidated Renter the power of requiring their conversion . into Inscriptions of Three per Cent. Renee:, at the rate of 75f. or of per Cent. at par, with a guarantee against reimburse. Iment before the 22d September, 1025 Desiring to regulate the mode ac,cording to which the actual Proprietors of Inscriptions of Consolidated Five per Cents. may use this power ; Upon the report of our Minister of Finances, we have ordain• ed and ordain as follows : Art. 1. The proprietors of five per cent. consolidated renter who desire their conversion into 3 or 4i per cents. according to the law of the Ist of May, 1825, will be admitted to deposit their extracts of inscription at our Royal Treasury, from the 6th day of May inst., and obtain the immediate exchange against new titles, After the transfer of the new renter to the books of the 3 or 41 per cents. 2.* The extracts of inscriptions deposited for this conversion must be accompanied by a demand in the form of the annexed model, and furnished with the duly authenticated signature of the proprietor of the recta, or of a person holding a .proper power, which shall be either special for the conversioni;ol 'con tain a power to sell. , 3. The inscriptions of 3 per cents. arising from the cOnverd sion will bear interest from the 22d of June, 1825. There shall be delivered to the proprietors a certificate of arrears as Well for the three months, from the '22d • of March to the 21st of June,- 1825, as for the portion of interests payable at 5 per Cent. to the' 22d of December next, in:confermity with the hist paragraph' of article 4 of the law. The amount of the certificates shall be acquittanced to the 22d of June, 1825, for the conversions effected anterior to tha t period ; and for the others, to the moment of the exchange of titles. The arrears of the rents converted into 41 per cents. shall continue to be payable on the 22d of March and 22d of Septem ber of each year. 4. The new books of 3 and 41 per cents. not being required, according to the regulations prescribed for keeping the accounts. of the inscribed debt, to contain any fraction of franca, those which may result from the reduction of the interest in the new inscriptions will be reimbursed at the instant of the exchange of' titles, and will form an additional article in the certificate of arrears announced in the preceding article. 5. The extracts of inscriptions deposited may, on demand of the parties, be stamped with the words, " Converted into 3' or 41 per cents," and may beheld instead of new titles, whether it be for receiving the dividend or affecting the transfer. The extracts of inscriptions thus stamped must be reported to our Royal Treasury, for, the purpose of making the defini tive exchanges before the 22d December next ensuing. 6. In conformity with the provisions of the fourth article of the law of the Ist of May, 1825, the demands for conversion shall be received-LW wit, in the 3 per cents. until the sth of A ngust next ensuing inclusively, and in the 41 per cents. until the 22d of September following. The result of these demands, as far as regards the quota of conversions, either from 3 to 4i per cents., shall be substantiated by proces verged, and made public within 24 hours from the expiration of each of the be-- fore-mentioned periods, 7. The proprietors of inscriptions in the 5 per cents. who shall not demand the conversion either into 3 or 4i per cents. will preserve, without being required to fulfil any new forma lity on their part, the enjoyment of the actual interest and the power of transfer ; the whole under the same forms, and at the same periods of payments as heretofore. Our Minister Secretary of State of Finance is charged with• the execution of the present ordinance, which shall be inserted in the Bulletin of the Laws. . Given at our Castle of the Tuileries, this Ist day of Slay, lA the year of grace 1825, and the first of our reign. ( By the King.) CHARLES. The Minister Secretary of Finance, J. H. • -(.From the Journal des Debuts.) 11lansID, Arun 21. In one of the Councis held the day before yesterday, the Canon Roxas, Counsellor of - State, expressed swish that the Bull of the Pope might be'carried into execution, by which his Holiness granted to Charles IV. the liberty to sell a seventh part of the lands of the clergy—a wish which has-been fre quently :expressed in the Council of Ministers,. but always without success, anti which will be equally unavailing this time. (From the;Constitutionnel.) Inuff, Aram 23. As soon as the last column of the French troops went out of Vittoria - the priests sang " Hallelujah !" the populace r ap about the streets and pulled down the building which had f r ceived the French as a corps de garde. - They cruelly treated e' French linzonadier, in whose house his countrymen used t° meet ; they broke and destroyed his furniture, staved his cast —in a word, the furious populace committed all s orts excesses. The chiefs of the religious corporation gave afete charnel as a testimony of rejoicing, at the ,departure of the Frac,' troops. The enthusiasm Of these madmen is said to go to such length %, , as even to preach a crusade to blockade St. Sebastian and PO' peluna, and they do not despair of taking those two places bf assault.. Such boastings excite is smile of pity. When the executioner of Valladolid had a Constitutionalist, to execute, he took the office on himself, to have the pleasure (?15' torturing him. Last week he was found in his bed, with I ' l head severed from his body. , . (Front the Courier Francais of Monday.) n l MADRID, A-PRIL A" Since the moment that our:Cabinet has been inform ed how - England was disposed towards our ancient Colonies, a ti= was generally spread that the Powers of the e OO ' O , vent had urged our ' Monarch to adopt a more modet'a_to system of Government, and to make some. concessAwt, which are required by the spirit of the age, and the wa n ,,,, of the enlightened part of the nation. There was sea nce to hope that an intercession from so high a quarter would a_„ be without effect, and that it would not have less influence f; our Cabinet on account of' the situation in which England Pl,a c ese Spain by recognizing the new states of South America. r f " s if reports gained so much credit that our fanatics were seriolhce - alarmed, and this party, at the head of which We must the superior clergy, has lost none of.itti influence at Cour t ; A 0 King has thought it proper to declare his real sentiments on subject. With this view the Gazette published a Royal ,i.;`ti tree, in which, after commending the course he has adajge up to this day,_he declares his intention of abiding by it• proclamation we gave yesterday from the Eloile is subj oin e ( From Galignani's Messenger of Monday. 1 sO According to letters from Augsburghe Ibrachim Facha , b e far from having routed the Greeks, is closely blockade(' 2t, them at Modon; which place'is watched on the sea-side b yre ) Greek vessels. The organization of the levy-en-masse is Pawith in the Morea with great activity. The men are all armed A e d ; English muskets. The fort of Patras is still closely blockamoo and it is said that the Egyptian vessels that came with P r t he sions for the Ottoman garrison, have. all been captured by -Greek fleet. • rentli FRENCH FUNDS.—PARIS, MAY 2.—Five per -e vbf opened at 101 f. Bk.,' closed at 101 f. 15c.—Bank Stock, offil Dente de Naples, Certificate Falconet, W.—Royal Slspee.; Loan, 1823, 58.3. —Exchange on London, one month, 24 1 . hree months 24f. I.loc.—(Coure Authentique.),- PRAYER BOOK AND HOMILY' SOCIETY' st Thirteenth Anniversary :sleeting of this .Society took Pr io c e Stationers' Hall, Ludgate-hill, this morning, at twelve (:) 1 0 4 0 .1 when it was numerously attended by a variety of in divi Lord BEXLEY in the chair, supported by Lord Gambier , o ft I Rocksavage, Hon. G and F. Noel, &c. &c. The Secrt' du. Report gave a flattering account of the Society; which llu, seminated their hooks to every part of the globe during t' VI( year. The details, however, are too volutninou4 to insert, So Noblemen, &c. present delivered speeches in support of ciety, and a subscription was entered into by the comrani. • TIV THE EAttr. AND COUNTESS OF C LANRI CARD' e at Earl of Clanricarde, with his beautiful Countess and stil t lati rived at Portutnna, about five o'clock on Sunday events i They were met on the Tipperary side of the bridge 1 1,.. o f 11 ' respectable inhabitants of the town, and a vast concours." au gli Lordship's tenantry, w ho, when they arrived at the Co nri side, tool: the horses front the carriage, and drew it alovg'f th ceded by a. band of music, formed by the young tn eri a o s,t ° town, and several more on horseback, bearing white lo n t ii va of whom held a triumphant arch (fancifully decorated ,t/ebeel rious devices) over the carriages, the populace frequen t 'l t ic i ing as they advanced. Never was there such ' enthusf de tl .manifested as on this occasion and it may be justlY! s l,ol o the road and fields on either side, literally teemed wit t ool° form for a distance of two miles. When arrived at F° l : e d se Castle, his,Lordshipaddressed the multitude in anima" is 0 appropriate language, when they, gave three hearty ehe e ida; the band joined in responses by playing " God save sh ed to and other airs. The town ,was brilli ant ly illumine, t l u ntig' evening, and the greatest order and harmony prevadeu td.) out the entire of this joyful scene.—(Connaught Joao