The Sun. — London, England, 1834-05-10 00:00:00

t: motion: - Ile felt it-his duty to move that the bill be rear a s- (end time this day six months. • The SP EA K ER-:-Who seconds the amendment ? Mr. GROTE rose.— i The SPEAKER—Do You second the amendment? Mr. GROTE--Most certainly not. „ Mr.. Alderman WOOD then seconded the amendment. T he question b e i ng pu t , Mr. GROTE rose to express his hope that the hous( wo uld consent to read the bill a second time, and reserv , for the proper stage all discussion upon its details. (Hear. There certainly never was aeasubject which gave him : e , ater degree of interest than that under consi leration. ,lhe abuses i n th e p resent system of poor laws arp - !ared ti , too great and too manifest to require that h , shoul( use any arguraent with a view of showing that at :Ilevent, Some change —if not that ch a - rge w hi c h th e bill contem. • Plated,---WaS requisite for their future due and efrective ad r rn in istration. If ev id ence, however, was required of hin support of suc h hi s opinion, he thought it was to b( • " ) Ind in a short passage in the report of the poor law corn ra'ssioners, in which it was stated that, out of the 7,033,000/. • annually expended in the maintenance of the poor, no than a twentieth part went towards providing labour ...for the able-bodi e d l a b ourers, the rema i nder being devotee •'" the support of infirm and aged. Than that fact a greater oof of the pressing necessity for an immedi a t e rev i s i on o ,g Poor law sy s t em cou ld not, i n his opinion, be adduced. oe h ecessity - of legislation, then, being conceded, th, t z • ' Ilitestion was, whether the principle of the bill then un c l e! t r .. consideration was such as the urgency of th e occas i on re d? As far as he was capable of judging of thatprin he appr ove d o f it ; and although he was prepares l° admit that som e o f i ts d eta il s m i ght be improve(' !Pen, he did n o t h es i tate to g i ve it his support in the IPresent stage, a n d at t h e same t i me to recommend i• .lems iestly to the favourable consideration of the house. tineheat.) He would at present instance bu be ° f the details in which he thought the bill susceptibl, a7provement. Its machinery appeared to him to be ( w ile in g as far as adequate accountability was concerned. vc ou a' hs ar. ) He would not then state what remedy h. into cuprose to sppy the deficiency, but when t cam , rnmit po tee, as u he l hoped it would, he trusted i to se , aTptetriaor, effectual means of securing accountabilit) In some of the objections taken to the bill b) btheepon. gentleman who preceded him (Sir S. Whalley member he saw very little meaning. The honourabl. sevemroer, among other matters, had laboured out a very, pi.ce of vituperation against the proposed appoint tr,l2teof commissioners, which he concluded by suggesting 4 ' the authority which the bill sought to rest in a centre !f y bo ard should be intrusted to the Secretary of State. Now not directly, at least indirectly, such authority was veste, in the Secretary of State, for it was expressly stated ii the bill that the commissioners should send all their reso lutions and proceedings for the approval of that higl f unctionary before they were acted upon. The bill, there fore, in point of fact, proposed the very course which the fears of the hon. member as to the possible proceedings o the new commissioners led him to suggest. The hon. Mernbar seemed to entertain great apprehension respecting the appointment of commissioners at. all • but while doi ng so he had altogether omitt e d t o show that ' there was any Way of getting out of the great and pressing difficulties o the present system of poor laws than by the appointment (of such a board as that the bill proposed to establish. ./lear, hear.) Th ere was one good effect which In thought would result from the bill, and that was the unior Of several small parishes for poor law purposes. Of tin ttsef ulness of such u n i ons there could be no doubt, and as _ l a ,r as he wa s capa bl e of judging the provisions of the bill ,i,htwould bring ab ou t t hi s desirable end most effectually. , 4 , 4t ; i h e on. member for Marylebone seemed to suppose than b „, s were to be abolished altogether by the presen , ti l o u! but he (Mr. Grote) denied that small was the inten ar,2oof its framers. (Hear, hear, hear.) Althougl litving •in a certain degree of the authority proposed ts, t ,7 t. e rusted to the board of commissioners, he was free tc to en ss t he thought that board occupied rather too pro as a part in the bill. (Hear, hear.) Entertaining Some mes a a very strong feeling of the urgent importance o bueti.iniiaboeuariunr: being introduced for raising the character o' poor in general (Hear, hear, hear), am featu ri n g ei as lie did that this measure in all its mater is vi w, was calculated to effect all the objects he had in order he had used to the utmost his very feeble powers is r to induce the house to g Iv o into a committee. He wa, Small aw are that b y taking this course he might incur he,,, d egree of unp o p u l ar i ty w i t h t h e const i tuency w hi t } the honou r t o represent, and from whom a petitioi I% nst the bill h a d that day been presented to the house. h e wag always painful for him to differ from those to whon .. owed the situation he held in that house ; but, wit} re vs _ e rect to urging what were his feelings upon measures o , o li f7 B l, si tY, were he for so doing to be deprived to-morr o o: s tl ;"at honour which he was as ro as any Ilan his prea , still could he not refrain from expr t es a s Li..-qtlitients. (Hear.) He was quite . sure . h t w g -hilst tin -mi nistration of the poor laws continued what it now wa h '-- ; w hilst it ° w n as left in the hands of those who now.adini i'bstered them with such a rude and defective organizatica 1 ,." 1 1 ,ar, hear), e so long as that organization was continued ap ,•" .i teh was adapted to a period when there were no poor no difficulties to contend with, so long, he said, a -"at o rganization was unimproved there could be no hnpe 31Whatever of rescuing the population from that degradatioi ,frornr. . those calamities to which they were doomed. - , LANEY said the bill would have the effect o Inabl •a. t'it the independence of numerous clatses of in% e persons. He would beg leave to state a few fact which h ad not vet been adverted to in the course of tha e e t u h ss e i° n• The house had had numerous complaint , great depression of the agricultural interests he would venture to say of the burdens t a ha . I:..,,Pressed the industry of the ccuut t ry e , not ts °a ehed in importance to that wbi t e h h e h house was n( I ):a Out to discuss. The amountof poor-rates had in. tT u ed, not gradually, but with a rapidity by far greater '\ f a rt any other burden with which th b e countm was loaded a ny ntlemen conceived thatbecause the nomina. fount ge was the same as it had been a few years ago th erefore the real amount was not increased. If the) ked fairly at the case they would find the proportionate ,otr"tirdeenas had b t e . e o n exceedingly fromay augmented, and that the) d to day. In 1750 the pool Nes amounted ngeni only 700,0001., rnin 1785 to 2,000,000/.. to .ou3 to 4,000,000/., in 1815 to 6,000,000/., in 1821 .' OO ,OOO/ and in 1832 to 7,000,000/. and a little 111-e ' If hon " embers were to look to the value o' timet, the i ne • m s of poor rates, from 1821 to the present tn T, would be found to be not less than fifty per Cent, $e asked that the nominal amount was the same. r as c 4 ed, did this increase pay for any improvedcobndi l?f °` the peasantry ? By no means, for there had een dctqreciation of character, and of circumstances or con it ; 11. By returns which had been laid before . the house. or,PPeared that in proportion to the increase in the amount uurde n', had been the increase of the proportion o: r`OPers to .. the number of population. In the 43d year o. sv u ear ge 111. the proportion of paupers to the population 1k6 , 1 ", 1 3' as one to nine, in 1811 it was as one toeight, in tea r;4 l Was as one to seven. In several counties . in that amounted to one-third, and in some parishes tc ex n'. „7 4 l and in one • h every inhabitant was a pauper wa ' s e ri; t he clergyman, the clerk, and one landowner. It cob duty orgovemment to take such a subjec . t ir4c IF32reration. The church rates and local taxation in from a.pounted to 9,500,00011 and yet wheat had fallen, L tt ete Bls to the present flay, from 90s. to 60s. o 6 s. e OTC ° S. t ther f the burden now amounted to fron t . crease of the pound. But in proportion to . the . 1811 Pau Pers had ben the increase of criminal . n ;),000, the cr iminals had amounted to 1,300, in 1816 to to 19 , ,„, 1 n 1 821 to 13,000, in 1826 to 16,000, and in 1831 terit . ; 4-j • So that there had been an increase of 33 per ere ase 'n Popula t i on, whilst in crime there had been an in ties , 400 per cent. Let the house regard those coun krev!here the poor laws were well administered, and corn - ni st ,t/ini to the counties in which they were badly admi- Let11,,,,,',1 ea. them . compare the southern with the w .. 4 _iner n parts a the kingdom. Sussex the poor laws Ir 'Pe administered wors. whilst in Northumberland they l e re - administered bvitr , than in any part of the king ill tile f;i:t ..nty there hid been 1,60 agCI ,`,e latter on l y 500 , i n five years. This arose fro, the ;icletice of ma ki ng up- ages out of the p oor rates, lie not allude to th e mac hi n ery of th e ti ll, but he • I ,', l td to the pith and principles of it, and he th oug h t i t fA e ssary to have such a bill, in order to do away with the th n f which he complained. The remedies proposed by Wa s 11.111 were - not new or untried remedies. The proposal terr4 llll Ply to return fo the 43d of Elizabeth, or, in other to turn to the character of the poor laws as they t -xisted in the north of England, or the south of Schoatd tO'hole parishes its other parts of the country • c qler e experiment, and no evils of . poor laws had any • c ut est The poor in such 'll l e Qtrl Paupers into. contributors to the savings banks. parishes had been con- A to the n ,try had witne . sed almost a servile war. th e ,; 4 1 been sent into several counties t i o d putasto ii p i ose evil s , iuid it was found that the crimes begun , tetisr d ,• r,ishes where the poor were so distressed and.op "..ll/4:1,: net they had been Irut up as labourers by auction.. ~14..oystera was enougi mike a man's blood boil, and ; `,!O be put down ait h the strong hand of goyernmen . t. . 4t ra ' I •AN could n tconceive that the powers to be l 'eni e 3 r i t 'd to the commissioners could occasion any incon *Pre t ee, or create any well-founded alarm. The powers to4"ainly large, but they were not intrusted to a body b'oidd vv were in a situation to abuse them. The l bill e ri ot 'lf % b e e giving up to the commissioners any 1.61 , w c01 1 ) eoPle ; but, on the contrary,. thesecomnairigs have to limit the power now exercised over w e : Poor to by overseers and magistrates If '.e.„ sent tje now sent to - gravel-pits to work, and . they ! , ho ) " ,,q 'lid Z t e rY thing . that was . degrading and afflictive. th at , the 0 , maintain their children as overseers might Bow e r l .' s eers delivered them over to slavery, and all of t l4trUSted to the commissioners would effect • Ns the bill to u che ek such abuses. There were several points 4Fd the did not approve of, but these could be dis- OF eommittee. wa the Nu thithLTT thought that, at the .present.,se s • the e house had nothing to do with details : w it gho u l Cof the bill alone that was under consi -47'4 with respect to that principle -he thought it a t'iilik'sted u rea With t so l un ° Part so suddenly with laws that had es and g, tided disturb all the connections of fa iutended beneficence of the ancient poor lima,. (Rear, hear.) The bill took from . a man all hap& 3! relief even under temporary embarrassment, though h !light be the most exemplary - character that the parisi auld - prorince.-'(Cri , s No. i.).") If this were no s, he should be han%). o; . )po!-ed the bill on th! ,rounds of its driving all p•irr:Jos to be relieved into thr• •oor houses. It avi.eari - d 1.-y the speech of the hon. mem ler for York that whcre the existing per laws had b.'ci nToperly administered all the desired effect had been pro luced ; and this being the case, it was in itself an argu nent against introducing such a bill as that under discus don. He could not, however, think himself justified in ',Toting against the second reading, and merely because it night undergo such immense alterations in the committee. :le recollected that at a period when reform was more canted than it was at present an hon. member for Cum )erland, Mr. Curwen, had brought in a bill of reform, which the ministers h ad allowed to go into a committee. ,nd it came out of that committee so altered that onl% . hree sentences and a half of the preamble of the origma 'ill had been allowed to remain. He saw no reason wh) he present bill might not be dealt with in the same way. .V . hen in the committee he should submit whether the se feral evils complained of might not be the subject of sepa rate bills. ( Hear, hear. ) Mr. RICHA RDS should give his cordial consent to the second reading of the bill. Mr. C. BULLER admitted that there were strong lbjections to the measure as it now stood; but when he .aw the difficulties of administering the present system he bought it absolutely necessary that some such power as hat contemplated in the proposed central board should be erected, which should be removed from local prejudices Ind interests—which should firmly and uniformly discharge is duties. He thought, however, that the powers pro losed to be vested in the commissioners were far too ex ensive, although the magistrates and overseers required :ome control. He thought that this check might be movided by the bill without going to the extent proposed. In the power that. would be given by the bill as it stood he eared they would be incurring the danger of creating something like an unlimited monarchy, in which all the could have to depend upon as a security from abuse woulc, 03 the personal character of the monarch. He thought it could be more fit that Parliament should define the powers Ind the duties of the commissioners, and pass a law for the ;-overnment of workhouses. In such a law much might ie laid down for the protection of the ratepayers, for .lefining the labour which should be exacted as the title tc :elief and for the protection of the poor themselves. These were, however, subjects for the consideration of the •ommittee, and he should vote for the second reading 0:, ;he bill. Mr. WALTER said that the effect of the bill would bt o abolish the.,whole principle of our poor laws, and to esta dish another principle totally different in its nature, and iot affording to the poor man the same protection or the came rights as the present laws gave him. The poor of his country had formerly many rights which they had lost, tic as the right of commonage, which had been destroyed uy the system of legislating for enclosures. They had still he right of demanding employment or support, and if that , ight were violated they were within reach of the tribunal appointed by the law to give them relief. By this bill the - ight was not only to be removed to another basis, but the source of redress in case of wrong was no longer to be within his reach, but to be placed in the metropolis, , where it must in many cases be inaccessible. There Nu a certain Abbe who, at the beginning of the French revolution, stored himself with constitutions to it every theory, and which he reached out of holes narked in his bureau to meet the different opinions If the parties who required it. This measure might have been one of the Abbe Sieyes' schemes, for it had nothing n common with the habits and wants of the people of this ;ountry, or with the principles of the laws which had been administered for ages, and must have come from the )igeon-hole of some theorist utterly unacquainted with the eal condition of the poor and of their wants. He trusted hat such a measure would not be persevered in, or that if ,ersevered in it would at least receive the utmost delibera ion on the part of that house before it was passed into a aw. If the motion were pressed to a division he should eel it his duty to vote for the amendment of the gallant •olonel ; and he sincerely recommended his Majesty's mi iisters to apply themselves to the remedying of the actual wile of the present system rather than to the creation of a iew one, which would in all probability turn out to possess gill greater ones. There was the amendment of the law if bastardy and the law of settlement; he was sure the) could find enough in those two items to occupy them and .he house for the remainder of this session. _ Mr. HUME said he agreed with the hon. member who .poke last in deprecating the incurring of expense and ex ,ravagance in the public affairs, and it was precisely foi hat reason that he supported the bill, by which they could save millions to the country. (Hear, hear.) The ion. member, he was sure, must think so too, if he had lot forgotten what he wrote but a few days ago. (Hear. end laughter.) This was a bill which took the right tours( if checking extravagance in the gross, and was not the bit-by-bit reform which the hon. member fur Berkshire seemed to advocate. (Hear.) He did not believe that the bill would be unpopular when it was understood by the ountry, notwithstanding that means of the most infamous ,ind had been resorted to to make it so. (Cheers.) Teli , irn of the tyranny of trades' unions ! Why there was no yranny half so ball as this. (Cheers.) The measure had ,een attacked by the grossest abuse, by falsehood, by mis epresentatione, by garbled extracts, and by all the' most hameful means that could be devised for inflaming the , assions of the people. (Hear.) He maintained that it vas because it would be for the benefit of the people that to supported it. He was ready to admit that some of the sowers of the bill were unnecessary, but they did not af ect its principle, which was all now in discussion. It was i;s desire to see these commissioners, and all other public .fficers, made responsible. With regard to the opposition if his hon. friend the member for Marylebone, he had hought the present a good opportunity of trumpeting forth lie doings of the Alarvlebone vestry (Laughter) under iis presiding genius (Laughter), and he had certainly lone it in a pretty high key. (Laughter.) But he ,eemed to forget that there were not vestries so im naculate in their virtue everywhere, or so fortunate n those who directed them. (Much laughter.) He ;hould reflect, too, that there was no security even foi he Marylebone vestry not falling from their virtue, is other bodies had done, in the lapse of time ; and, there 'ore, that it might be as well to keep h check upon them is well as the rest. But when his hon. friend talked of the inanimity of the vestry against the bill, why, his petition .vas only carried by a very small portion of the body. Out if 120 only between 20 and 30 were present when it was •arried, the debate having lasted all day, and the greater tart of the vestry being talked out. (Laughter.) Of these . ;eventeen voted for the petition and eleven against it; ind this was his hon. friend's unanimity. (Cheers and iaughter.) His hon. friend had said, too, that no man with brains in his head would suffer the power of the ves try to be taken away. He 'had no doubt that amongst his hon. friend's sill-porters there were some people with brains in their head, and also some without brains ( Great laugh ter), or they would never take such a course. No argu ment whatever had been advanced against the bill, eithei by the hon. member for Berkshire, though he had been so ..arly in the field, nor by his hon. friend, who took so ac cive a part in the Marylebone vestry. (Hear, hear, and laughter.) The only part of it attacked specifically was the central board, and that indeed his hon. friend appeared to have erected into a giant of his own imag,ination, which beset him and crushed him to the earth whichsoever way lie turned, or raised but an arm. No objections had in leed been made in any quarter which applied to anything but the details, and the only way of correcting them was by going into committee. 'Upon these grounds he should vote for the second reading of the bill. (Hear, hear.) Mr. BENETT was not afraid of voting for the second reading of the present bill, although there was much in its provisions that was objectionable. He objected to the Central Board, and thought it might be done without. He thought also that the extensive workhouse machinery was unnece sArv. Mr. HAWES rose amidst loud and long-continued noise of coughing, &c. Having at length obtained a par tial hearing, he was understood to say that, representing ashe did a ver y lar g e constituenc y , he was anxious to state the reasons upon which he was about to give a vote at va riance with the opinions hitherto expressed by that con stituency upon this subject. He thought the principle ei the bill of appointing commissioners having an authority over all th e parishes was a good one, but he did not see how that principleould be affected by appointing an ap pellate Mr. Howt R nanoirplpeal over those commissioners in case Court of misusing their authority. lastedof the t h house, fruo se, es, exceedin g e b v u tr several werem mlert. B w re h ohr n H o E is ll e TOL rose to confusion which Mr. BROTHEIrates at length, TON obtained a partial hearing, and declared his opinion that, subject to some alterations and modificati ons , which m i g ht be effected in committ ee , ll Ile thought, commissioners h ever, weretha t po the w b er il s l pwrasepeasegdooetel given o b n e e. t o the too extensive. Lord ALTHOItP, being loudly called for, rose to ad dress the house in reply. H e hard great satisfaction premising that he did not see any occas i on to detain the in house very long. The objections whi c h h a d been raised against the provisions of the present bill in th e course of the evening's debate,- were so few and so inconsiderable, that he need trouble them with but very few observations. It was extremely satisfactory to him to find that such a general concurrence of sentiment existed in favour of the principles of the bill before the house. Although some very few gentlemenhadannounced their intention of voting against the second reading, there was no class of repre sentatives of peculiar opinions united against it. The hon. member for Westm nster had expressed an opinion that the provisions of this bill were too large ; but if he had considered how large was the evil that was to be remedied, he would not have expressed that opinion. If it was at tempted by small measures to reform the present evil system of the poor laws, it would be but a continuance of the mistaken principlh which had hitherto been acted upon in legislating on this subject. (Hear, hear. ) It was well known that bill after bill had been ear ned through the legislature ulon this subject, which, so far from having any beneficial effect, had in too many cases made matters worse than they found them. Another hon. member bad said that if parishes were left to them- -- : , selireethe3r4Ould adopt such measnres as might promiff 'o be of a beneficial practical efT, , J. and had instarcct . - ,ases iii.tvWeli a whole;on sv:iteni •,.' 7,9 r 1a.13 jl::,i I—, otrodusted. by the a,sidttity mid p.-....i ~i.ce, " , e rtit;. 1 ~,, uthoritics. fie admitted these fie:', lue'in'tlOin :-, li hought they were but an additioriel pa,of in favour of Ile iecessity for some general measure of the kind now before he house. The object of the present bill was to raise th noral as well as the economical - condition of the labouring. lasses: Some hon. members bad declared that they di,. lot see how that object was to be effected by, it. Ni';'w i• vas evident that inasmuch as the application, for paris' relief was discouraged, the- labourer must - bear a , mor: ndependent and a more respectable charac'er. The hon. nember for Wiltshire,. in allusion to the dif f iculties of the - had quoted the names of a number of persons o eminence and great ability who had attempted, but failed n such a project. No man seas more conscious than liras& of the difficulties with which this question was en :timbered ; and so convinced was he of them that he thought no one could hope to succeed in avoiding their anless he had previously obtained ' that vast fund o' information upon the ,subject which had been the. Ned of the commission recently appointed to pro cure. oileni:d(tmhte ( rmi ioqi H tpndhpuoeerci ep opposition rdibastlp.rtens. principle hear, hea r . ) It was not at all surprising chat members unprepared - with this fund of material o l should have hitherto failed in attempting to legislate upor , the subject. (Hear, hear .) He now came to a few parti cular observations upon what had fallen in the course of the debate. The hon. member for the city of London hag stated, as to the power proposed to be invested in the com :nissioners to be appointed under this bill, that if ono frac tion was given more than was necessary for carrying the. t p a r t o e v n isi a o w ns ay o . f the bill r h f i e t r o tl e ) ffe a c g t, w th d a i t u fra tb ct a i t on op o in u i g o l u it : to au bd ,. therefore, when the bill came before a committee of the house he should certainly not oppose any diminution .;) those powers which might be proposed; provided it did not .4o to such an extent as to invalidate the principle of the bill.. ( Hear, hear.) The hon. member for Lambeth hat . f i r u o g m ge t s h t e ed de t c h is e i 0 proprietynof the co t m an i ss a io ppe ner ll s ar a C t lu h r Court ofm must t pp s zt . hat he did not feel inclined to oppose that proposal. Hi would also be happy to meet the inclinations of another hon. member in doing away, as' far as possible, with the .namunities of indemnity proposed to be granted to the commissioners in their official capacity ; and at the same time that he thought that, in cases where they might be acting strictly in execution of the provisions of this act, they should be protected. ( Hear, hear.) If actions against them were permitted under the circumstances. it might be productive of great and unnecessary vexation and litigation, as attorneys in every counts town would be constantly taking advantage of it to harap, the .Commissioners in the exercise of their duty. Another hon. member, in allusion to the extensive power which the Commissioners were to hold, had particularly allude d. amongst others, to their authority for appointing the sal , ries, &c., of the overseers. It should be recollected .ha , whatever might have been said to the contrary - on h subject, this bill did not vest the power of appointing i.., overseers in the Commissioners. An hon. member who had made some observations panegyrising the present sys tern of select vestries in some parishes, had nevertheless not advanced anything against the principle of paid overseers; and he (Lord Althorp) did not think it expedient that the Commissioners, having authority to direct the duties of 1 the overseers, should not also be intrusted with the pay rnent of those services. He now came to the principle of enabling the Commissioners to make laws and general rules. He would ask, notwithstanding the objections which had been raised against it, whether this was so new a principle as to be objectionable on that account ? Was not the power now vested in the magistrates in appoint ing the allowance scale almost tantamount to it ? He was perfectly ready, however, to take into consideration any objection which might be raised upon this point whon the bill came before the Committee. (Hear. ) He must be allowed to observe, however, that the house should not come to legislate on a matter of this kind without giving some credit to the Commissioners or other officers to be appointed for not seeking to exceed their legitimate au thority. ( Hear, hear .) An hon. member who had lately addressed the house, had borne testimony to the efficient alterations which had been effected in various parishes at different times, and under different systems of manage ment.gsocmiv.,,,itunacase, eeooiprwndwnesnpnedta s,v 4morc.t.arhaa: Those favour of a measure of this kind, which would appoint a body of men capable widi,nd t itT o hefhdemffiohrei i rceeoc n twidisuhnoi vestigate and appoint the course to he adopted in the various cases which presented them sAvs-s under the existing system. No one legislative act could be passed applicable to every particular case ; what would be a proper course to adopt in one district, would be directly the reverse in another.. With respect to the union of parishes, it had been suggested as an improve ment, that a scale should be adopted as to the extent of the districts. The hon. member for 3larvlebone had declared that there existed no sort of abuse in that parish. He had no doubt but the affairs of that parish were under going a wholesome course of improvement, yet he could aardly think that there were not some points in which it might vet be improved, by such a measure as that before the louse. Some gentlemen had expressed alarm at the ; rem bu o t val it of power er app fr e o ar m ed th th e h h a im nds th of at t , he so sele fa c r t from the useful services of the vestries being impaired, they would be increased when the .b.ll came into ope ration. It should be recollected, that already under flic existing state of the law the magistrates had a very ;Teat compulsory pow& over the vestry authorities. He to the proposed workhouse system, upon which such misrepresentation appeared to exist. It was said that ;he intention of the bill modifications,l%vv i eGtthlemihentnod diminish si t helitvget w osaamuehohp . : n h iektpabenc o n.iilmai l llbist l dyilg y hhi(e:dhngH t siutttdit o hi prevent hre%oll.lgeaeoNehca. ing of relief out of the workhouse walls. Now the fact was, there was no one clause to that effect, but, on the con trary, a passage expressly declaring that, in cases of emer lency relief might be given out of doors. The commis sioners were certainly to have the power o a f itiyohe nratllhi:y,eoo;nt oh.au recommending enrtred;un‘d ._tif lee,osloeoenr. .he building of workhouses, but, so far from all relief of - idiNt a ho.u n hme N tsa ' iireeit o rs t . her description being prevented by the bill, he really system ihlee ph believed ooonor f. that linraelcel iisonft s i ov, member e ohf n i toedr di matter ‘1 bal came atetre; rakt obh f fo a e i tr, r se l ei y ntatc, i f n edem t a o asenen p odt l t o i e t , se w e it m h e w d h , a a t ll pr le o g pr is i l e a t t y io i n 6 tad 3 1 o l ann. wouldmember r l lal. confined,yl ebo appeared, had denominated the, present law ihtb o e f rm s e e so t p t s l e.t e e m stat en yot P t n t s o a t s t a n ode remains wbi e b o f i tfewu. was sal proposed ties. to (Hear.) introduce,W h i e ou n , ot e o it n b l e y r co in nsi F de;e l d it superior to l that already in opera dimeeearpon line smt o i r tatue L de c , omt however,oas eiffi itself, but it might tmbai gt t h h et a o t ubl i de t ,vas biboee seuee. susceptible once htnrlgier etodo f t c h o e sn ; osumi s re h fena i %s i ,da i evdeb i a c h l sffiaci h oi dyeneorepoasotitrsanioci h .rtentoto) e ia,cymetvnyhssa yomaessijooyrhiunprejudiced well supported Gt. stedttuh u etllhoei : tell l should be these circumstan ieh:lttc c tinoho e oenoul.en s nTft , sdet he had no doubt that the second read ing of the bill ut would elrdob fe bg great b e carried eeart esult importance, o b fy this large is eorfteeur m i ut majority. i ty I . r. eii ii or H einn e : as hop it ed was suc a h m w a o t sentation and clamour which had been raised agai m n d s ii i jtqhu.(eayr determinationt e rsout considered o no tt d o o t doors, be n, thatdepart faithful tohue thathd i ou se s h e aa r s e h ego o e u moi l should show tfhroemir lI SC ea A r ii. ) LETT said though there were some e p c ar obrai t l i l.: c L u n l d ar i s n i r n es w p - h ec ie t h to he th d e iff a e u r t ed hor fr it o i m es t to he h p e ro: e i s s t i e o d ns i o n f th th e missioners, and the proposed alterations in the law of settlement and the workhouse system, he would vote for. he second reading. With respezt to the commissioners, he was decidedly opposed to the union of legislative and ~xecutive power which it was proposed to repose in them. This was a delegation of authority, a sort of tinperium in. unperio, which he )could never bring himself to allow. The house then divided— Ayes 319 Noes Majority 299 _ . _ The bill was then read a second time, and on our re-ad mission to the gallery we found Lord ALTHORP on his legs, moving that it be com mitted on Monday next, which, after some observations from Mr. HUME, was agreed to. FERNANDO PO. Mr. HUME asked when the right lion. the First Lord of the Admiralty intended to place on the table the report of Admiral Warren respecting Fernando Po? He under stood that this report had induced the Government to abandon that colony. Sir J. GRAHAM said that there was no report from Admiral Warren, but there were a number of private let ters, which he had no objection to show the hon. member, but he would not consent to place them on the table. Mr. HUME was anxious that the information should be made public, as he th oug ht that the Government had actedinjudici ous ly in proposing to abandon Fernando Po. It would have been much better if they had given up Sierra Leone. The other Orders of the Day were then disposed of, and .he house adjourned at twenty minutes past one o'clock. EUSTACE CONWAY.—ThiS is a new and clever novel of the Tremaine school, and possessing a deep interest. The author is an elegant scholar, dis-• plays a profound knowledge of characterrand an inti mate acquaintance with the madne es, follies, extra vagances, a n d v i rtues, joys and orrows of the great world. Th e p l ot i s interest' g and well sustained ; and the incid ents o f the tal ay fast hold of the mind, excite curiosity, an d en e the feelings. But this i s not the princip a l charm'of the w or k. Th at cons ists in the author's maskVy deline a ti on o f character, an d of his just censure, ridi cu l e , and exposure of various in tellectual vagaries, w hi c h i n these march of mind days pass muster for religi on , p hi losophy, science, an d statesmanship.--L eeds Intelligencer. MINdP.I - TIT'S - in the HOUSE of COMMONS b . ' TILE JIINORITY ~,I!?vating of lir. Brougham's Ge .:!:.:;,Iry Bill. 11,Ttt, %V. ;Je:o),.oe, C. 1). 0. po'ins , one, A. Lloyd, .1. IL Lu,hineton Dr. Lyn h, r .. ) ; ,, W. C IPepv , , Sir C. Potter, R. Rolfe, J. M. Romilv, .1. PAIRED CFF, Ror , iliy. E. iJoill'ey. Rt. Hon.l Sn t J, A. Stanley, H. T. Smug, It. Vernon Stewart, E. Talbot, R. N. IStrutt, E. Thieknese, It. Kerry, Earl of ! favour • E. H. A. :iiiiit!. J. I. I aro!), H.' \V. :!unt, Sir C. .ron,,rie, Captain !lriFeric, J. I. ).11in. Jay tor.l• laihtvi7ol7l, G. Ff. 1... W. Caprain G. 'mart, W. 'T alcur.cltc, A. G. Vernon, G. J. ac e , R . Walter, J. Warburton, Wood, G. W. IYetverton, HOU. \V ITRLLERA :Brougham, W. Fergusson, R. C. ;ro:veJor. Lord It ;rote, G. !awes, 13. iawkilis, J. IL LIST OF THE MINORITY Of S:2venty (Tellers included), who voted for the Second Reading of the County Registration Bill. kgnew, Sir A. Gully, J. Pepys, Sir C. 3atie , E. . Hardy, J. Pcle Joseph 3arron, 11. W. Harland, W. C. Prvme, G. !ii:11 T. 1 4 wains, J. H. Riser, T. 31314.4 M. H y, Sir J. Rolfe, R. M. 131unt, Sir C. Howard, tt. !trieg% It. Howard. P. H. Howard, F. G. Iriscoe, J. I. ,rocklehurst, J. Hutt, W. tritherto ~ J. H:ett W. H. Talbot, C. R. • •hapman. A. highs ") , R. ,ssS:..3t,Verney, ianrivdcene Sharpe , kk o ei r i:eyi . y,e, Strickland, Generalls : :ir i : s . scHitioliri H. o l t . Frampton, J. Ingilby, Sir W. 'follemache, A. G. .)a!ineily, Lord Junes, W. hliwyn, L. %N. Jeplis .11, C. D. 0. Vernon, G. Mikes, F. L. "Johnstone, Sir J. V. Wallace, R. .iliot, Captain Johnstone A. Wilbraham, G. . 7 leetwood, H. LangJale, ' Hon. C. Williams, Col. Fort, J, Lister, E C. Yelverton, Hon. W Fox. S 1.. ' M.:docks, J. Young G. F. : -' ri ng , U. ! O'Dwyer, C. A. `i, 11. D. 'Ord, W. Tirosv:..;! or, Lord R. P.iliner C. F r.irote, G. ;Parker, J. TELLREs. NT orpvth, V iscount Caylcy, E. S. LIST OF THE MINORITY In favour of the Bill for the better regulating Letters and Newspapers transmitted by the General Post. Tlerkeley, G. C. nul Y. J. Rut Ru% en, .S. t:d L oes, L. Hardy, .1 Huth, en, E. Buckingham, J. S. Ho•kini, K. Thicknes e,_ll. 3ruthettuu, J. Hutt, W. Vow ' s, G. F. Chetwynd, W. i'e,se, .1. Awa,l, It. Philipos, J. TELLERS. Fit zAimon, N. Pt yme, G. lierkeley, C. F. Fleetwood, H. AVallAce, IL _ _ LIST OF THE MINORITY Of Thirty-seven, who voted against the Second Reading of the London and Westminster Bank Bill. For the Second Reading 145 Against it Althorp, Viscount 'aring, F. T. Barnett, C. .1. Iliddul h, U. J C. Buxton, T. F. Crawford. J. Fielden. J. Finch, G. Foley, J. H. 11. Gladstone, T. Gronow, Captain Hodges, 'l'. L. lajority for it Howard, P H. Hurst, IL 11. Ingham; R. t.ennox,Lord G. Lyall, G. Madncks, J. Mangles, J. Martin. J. Marjoribanks,. S. Nli Is, John Parker, Sir H. Robarts, A. W • lOB Russell, Lord J. Smith, John Smith, J. A. Smith, Vernon ,% all, B. Ward, H. G. Weyland, Major R. Winnington, H. J. Wrottebley, Sir John TELLERS. Thompson. W. Reid, Sir J. R. - LIST OF THE MINORITY Of Thirteen (Tellers included), who voted against Mr. Sinclair's Motion for a Committee to consider the pro priety of increasing the Salaries of the Judges of the Court of Session in Scotland. Blake, M. Pease, J.wepli ' /all Brutherton, J. Shell, R. L L..10r, P. Sullivan, R. TELLERS. Maxwell, J. *I albot, J. IL i Gillon, W. D. O'Dwyer, A. C. Walter, J. 'Ruthven, E. S. Walker, C. A. FROM LAST NIGHTS GAZETTE. ST. JAMES'S PALACE, MAY 7, 1834. -- - - This clay the Prince of Lieven, Ambassador Extraor dinary and Plenipotentiary froth the Emperor of all the Russias, had an audience of his Majesty to deliver a letter from his Sovereign ; And hia Serene Highness the Duke Ferdinand of Saxe- Cobourg-Gotha, attended by Monsieur de Gersdorff, Mi nister Resident from the King of Saxony, had his first audience of his Majesty : They were introduced to their audiences by Lord Viscount Palmerston, his Majesty's Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and conducted by Sir Robert Chester, Knt., Master of the Ceremonies. WAR-OFFICE, MAY 9. Ist or Grenadier Regiment of Foot Guards—Capt. W. Greenwood to be Captain and Lieutenant-Colonel, by purchase, vice Fludyer, who retires ; Lieut. H. Compton to be Lieutenant and Captain, by purchase, vice Green wood; G; J. F. Viscount Cantilupe to be Ensign and Lieutenant, vice Compton, dated May 9. sth Regiment of Foot—Lieut. J. A. Wools, from the half-pay Unattached, to be Lieutenant, vice Greaves, who exchanges, May 9. nOtlllefont—Ensign J. Moore to be Lieutei int, by pur chase, vice Vachell, who retires ; Hon. J. li. Pery to be Ensign, by purchase, vice Moore, May 9. 34th Foot—. Major lion. H. S. Fane to be Lieutenant- Colonel, by purchase, vice Kelly, who retires ; Captain R. Airey, to be Major, by purchase, vice Fane ; Lieut. E. Broderick to be Captain, by purchase, vice Airey; Ensign 0. Markham to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Brode rick ; T. Bourke, Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase, vice Markham, May 9. 46th Foot—Captain T. Armstrong, from the half-pay Unattached, to be Captain, vice C. S. O'Meara, who ex changes, receiving the difference, May 9. 43th Foot--Sergeant-Major H. Wheeler to be Adjutant (with the rank of Ensign), vice Morphett, appointed to the 63d Regiment, May 9. 49th Foot--Ensign J. Ramsay to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Chevers, who retires ; H. J. Turner, Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase, vice Ramsay, May 9. 60th Foot—T. Butler, Gent., to be Second Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Buckner, who retires, Mar 9. 80th Foot—Ensign J. Lightbodv, to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Alaginnis, who retires ; Hon. W. A. S. Foster to be Ensign, by purchase, vice Lightbody, May 9. 83th Foot --Ensign E. Humphrys to be Lieutenant, without purchase, vice Mundy, deceased, April 26; En sign G. Tennant to be Lieutenant, by purchase, vice Kerr, who retires, May 9 ; Ensign R. Wood, from the half-pay of 31st Regiment, to be Erisign, vice Humphrys, May 8; C. E. Dering, Gent., to be Ensign, by purchase, rice Tennant, May 9. 89th Foot—Lieut. C. S. Naylor to be Captain, without purchase, vice Bell, appointed Paymaster ; Lieut. C. S. Beazley, from the half-pay Unattached, to be Lieutenant, vice INaylor ; Capt. W. Bell to be Paymaster, vice Dawson, deceased, May 9. 96th Foot—Lieut. H. Nixon to be Adjutant, vice Tel ford, promoted, Feb. 14. Rifle Brigade—Lieut. A. Maclachlan, to be Captain, without purchase, vice Cameron, deceased, March 19 ; Ensign W. 11. Kerr, from half-pay of the 15th Mang iment, to be Second Lieutenant, without purchase, Commissions by the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Gloucester, and of the City and County of the City of Gloucester, and of the City and County of the City of Bristol. Gloucestershire Regiment of Yeomanry Cavalry. The Right Hon. H. Marquis of Worcester to belieut. Colonel commandant; the Hon. J. L. Dutton to be Lieutant-Calonel, April 21 ; J. Surman, Gent., to be Adjutant, with the rank of Lieutenant, April 23. Commission by the Lord Lieutenant of the County of Berks. Hung,erford Troop of Yeomanry Cavalry. Capt. J. «'• D. amdas, R.N., to be Captain, r ice G. H. Cherry, resigned, May 2. CROWN-OFFICE, MAY 9. 2kIEMBERS RETURNED 'TO SERVE IN THIS PRESENT PARLIAMENT. CITY or WELLS.—Nicholas William Ridley Colborne, o f West Harling, in the county of Norfolk, gsq., in the room of Norman Lamont, deceased. COUNTY or PERTII.—The Right Hon. Sir George m urr ay, of Drumlanrig and Bleaton, G.C.8., in the room o f , the Hon. John Campbell, Earl of Ormelie, now Mar quis of Breadalbane. WHITEHALL, MAY 7. The King has been pleased to constitute and appoint Thomas Chapman, Esq., to be Marshal of the Marshalsca of the Court of King's Bench, in the room of William Jones, Esq., deceased. DECLARATION OF INSOLVENCY. WILLIAM BURTl,grazier,Southeoates, Yorkshire. BANKRUPTS. GEORGE PENfoii,Caitie-ciealer, Croydon, to sur render May 22, at twelve, and June 20, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Wright and Underhill, Token house-yard ; Clark, official assignee, St. Swithin's-lane. JAMES BENNETT, herbalist, - Covent-garden-mar- ket, May 17, at ten, and June 20, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Finis, Hart-street, Bloomsbury ; Tur quand, Coptliall-buildings,• official assignee. WILLIAM WOOK EY, victualler, Upper St. Mar tin's-Lane, May 16 and June 20, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Gibson, Basinghall-street, official assignee; Tilson, Squance, and Tilson, Coleman-street. EDMUND GUNNELL, fellmonger, Newbury, Berk shire May 17 and June 20, at one, at the George Inn , Reading. Pinniger, Newbury ; Parker, St. Paul's Church-yard, London. JOSEPH HORNBUCKLE POPPLEWELL, coal merchant, Millbank-street, Westminster, May 20, at two, and June 20, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy. Green, Ring's Arms-yard, official assignee ; Rogers, Manchester buildings, Westminster. WILLIAM MAWBEY, corn-dealer, Edgeware, May and Jiine 20, at . eleVen, at the Court of Bankruptcy. kl - bott, Ring's Arms-yard, Coleman-street, official assig ,-t ; Parnther and Fisher, London-street, Fenehurch t) eet. MATTHEW THORPE, merchant, Spa' L 2olusbir,, June 19 and 20, at ten, at the Whit Ilart Inn, .4palding. Gray's Inn, Lon ion.; I3onner Spalding. JOHN MIDDLETON, ,- , ,:t.! , -,:meacturcr, Sto k oort, Cheshire, June 4 and 20, pt too, at the Commis ; oners' Rooms, Manchester. lie t. Veru an:-buildings, r.ondon ; Lingard and Vaughan, Heaton Norris, neat. Stockport. THOMAS STORR PEARSON, linen-draper, Leeds thy 21, at one, and June 20, at eleven, at the Court w Bankruptcy. Hardwick, Lawrence-lane, Cheapside ; Johnson, official assignee, Basinghall-street. DIVIDENDS. M. Thompson, coal-merchant, Redcross-wharf, Uppe: Thames -street, May 16, at one, at the Court of 13ank roptcy—S. Burrell, woollen-draper, St. Ives, Hunting ,lonshire, June 2, at half-past eleven, at the Court 0 , Bankruptcy—F. Mullett, merchant, St. Mary-axe, 30, at half-past twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy—M . - P. Meeker, merchant, Basinghall-street, May 30, at half past one, at the Court of Bankruptcv—J. Siwpson and W. G. Fairman, factors, Old Change, May 30, `kt twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy—J. Rolfe ' maltster,Bishop's Stort ford, May 30, at one, at the Court of Bankruptcy— T. Mair, merchant, Broad-street-buildings, May 30, at twelve, at the Court of Bankruptcy—H. M. Bird and B. Savage, merchants, London, May 30, *at three, at the Court of Bankruptcy—J. Cowie, insurance -broker, Warn ford-court, May 30, at two, at the COurt of Bankruptcy— H., S.. and E. Emanuel, furriers, Lemau-street, Good man's-fields, May 30, at one, at the Court of Bankruptcy— G. Duckett, banker, Pall-mall, June 2, at one, at tht , Court of Bankruptcy—G. Beeby, haberdasher, Soho square, May 30, at eleven, at the Court of Bankruptcy-- T. Nelson, paper-manufacturer, Stibbingtan, Huntingdon shire, June 6, at ten, at the White Hart Inn, East Retford, Vottinghamshire—J. Sutherland, coppersmith, Liverpool, June 2, at eleven, at the Clarendon-rooms, Liver - 1 , 0:11 W. Hannay, merchant, Liverpool, June 2, at one, at the Clarendon-rooms, Liverpool—G. Flooks, innkeei er, ham, Wiltshire, June 2, at eleven, at. the King's Arms lan. Melksham—H. Gardner, merchant, Liverpool, June 3 at one, at the office of Messrs. Leigh and Sanders, solici tors, Liverpool—T. Price, victualler, Hereford, June 2, at ten, at the Bowling-green Inn, Hereford—H. 'Latham and R. Thomas, ironmongers, Chester, June 5, at eleven, at the White Lion Hotel, Chester—H. Davis, scriviner, Bristol, June 6, at two, at the Commercial-rooms, Bristol --F. Wigglesworth, ironmonger, Leeds, June 3, at ten, at the Court-house, Leeds. •.. _ . - CERTIFICATES.—M.ar 30. R. Moore, linen-draper, Bath—J. C. Stewart, mer chant, Torrington-square—G. White, coach-proprietor, Kentish Town—S. Lloyd, iron heel-manufacturer, Sut ton-Coldfield, Warwicksnire—T. B. Ferrers and L. J. Mackintosh, stockbrokers, Copthall-court--W. Hill, coal merchant, Cirences'er, Gloucestershire—E. Knowles, grocer, Barking, Essex—C. F. Graceman, merchant, Liverpool-street—J. P. Robertson, merchant, London -- T. Kay, cloth-manufacturer, Leeds. PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED. R. and J. Cumberbeach, hatters, Warrington—E. V. Poole and E. S. Jeffs, carvers, Nottingham—T. C. Smyth, and J. Parkin, linen-drapers, Plymouth—O. Isherwood and J. Ashton, engravers to calico-printers, Manchester—. T. R. Blythe and J. J. Eamonson, camp-equipage-manu facturers Jermy n-street--W. Moir and Co., merchants, Bahia, Brazils—R. Smith and Co, grocers, Sheffield—J. Harrison and R. Nichols, Manchester—G. Johnson and H. Loder, surgeons, 'John-street, Minories—J. and J. Boyd, jun., ironmongers, Welbeck-street, Cavendish square—G. Forster and Co., edge-tool-manufacturet s, Stourbridge, Worcestershire—J. Williams and Co., rope makers, Gwennap, Cornwall—J. E. and H. Shrimpton, drapers, Marlborough, Wiltshire—R. Beatson and Co., manufacturing-chymists, Wheathill, Yorkshire—J. Wright and M. Metcalfe, coal-merchants, Kingsland-road—J. W. and H. Warren, linen-drapers, Blandford, Dort•etshire—L. Ofen and C. Wild, importers of segars, Liverpool—R. and B. Stanbury, carriers, White Hart Inn-yard, Southwark —J. Plowes and Co., merchants, Rio de Janeiro—T. Thorpe and Co., glass-benders, King-street, Smithfield. SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS. It will be seen by our Parliamentary report that the Poor Laws' Amendment Bill was last night read a second thee ; but the most cursory perusal of the debate will convince every one that there is not the slightest chance of such a bill ever receiving the sanc tion of the House of Commons. If it should survive the mauling and mutilation it is promised in com mittee—which is by no means certain—still even they who generated the monster will not know it again. There was hardly a single member who spoke in favour of the second reading that had not many and serious objections or doubts to urge against it, while there was almost unanimity in condemning those un constitutional powers with which it is proposed by the bill to invest the bores or boards of commissioners, whether central or centripetal. Indeed, the house appears determined not to let off eithef it or its authors as easily as Sir S. Whalley was inclined to do. It is evident, we think, that the house meditates making . a most woeful and ridiculous example of it and them in committee. As an instance of this disposition of the house, we beg attention to the following passage from the very sensible speech of Sir Francis Burdett, who voted for the second reading of the bill—" In the days of no reform a measure for some reform was introduced by Mr. Curwen, and the act that followed on it is still called Mr. Curwen's act; but it so hap pened that having passed the second reading, it was so changed in the committee that, with the exception of a few lines of the preamble, not a part of the origi nal remained when it came out. I will vote for the second reading of this bill, in the hope that in the committee it may share a somewhat similar fate." In the mean time we are happy to inform our readers, that there is a prospect that the evidence by which it is pretended that the necessity or the wisdom of the clauses of the bill can be made out, will at length be completed, or at least brought more nearly to a com pletion than it is at present. The shuffling Chronicle, one of the organs of the commissioners, makes the fol lowing announcement, which the slavish Globe re echoes :—" One of the most instructive portions of the Appendix to the poor laws' report will be volume F., containing the foreign communications;, but we understand that the difficulty of procuring printers capable of French and German composition will retard its publication. In the mean time copies of the proof sheets of some portion of it have got abroad, and an interesting paper, by Count Arrivabene, has been published separately, as an appendix to the reports of Messrs. Cowell, Cameron, and Wrottesley." Foreign communications I but we might have anticipated as much, for anything more un-English than the enact ments of this measure, which is founded upon the report, as the report is founded upon the appendix, it has never before been our misfortune to read. But to make this mention of " volume F.," intelligible to our readers, it is necessary they should be informed that the poor laws' commissioners have hitherto brought forth only ten folio volumes of appendices, the last of which is Appendix E. It would seem, however, that the Commissioners are the most remarkable of all the animal kingdom for superfetation ; and the old women above mentioned, who " do for them" on this trying occasion, mean, by the announcement we have copied from them above, that the Commissioners may be expected shortly to be delivered of their eleventh. We cannot, from the extraordinary paging of these volumes, give any description of them to our readers, except by mentioning their number, size, and weight. They are ten in number, their size folio, and their weight half a hundred weight minus seven pounds ! And yet " the cry is still, they come !" God help the members of the House of Commons, whose imperative duty it of course is to read them all—and it would be exceedingly disrespectful in any one to doubt that every hon. member will punctually perform that duty. —Times. It would be difficult to overrate the importance, whether commercial or political, of that subject to which we have frequently of late been compelled to devote a large portion of our columns—namely, the strike for high wages on the part of those uninformed and misled multitudes who compose the bulk of the trades' unions. A dispassionate man is surprised to find at this time of day any class of Englishmen should conceive the possibility, or, if possible, the advantage to themselves, even on the most narrow and selfish principles, of raising prices, whether of goods or labour, by artificial monopoly. A monopoly may be maintained by law,—by a law which prohibits all competitors from entering the market ; though even when so created and protected, we have doubts whether in all or in most respects it can be made bene ficial to the holders. The India Company had at one time a monopoly of the trade with India, and, until recently, with China. But the former of these was never profitable, and the latter far less so than would have been the same amount of commercial business freely carried on by private merchants. However, it was maintained by the law. The monopoly enjoyed by the Bank of England, unworthily favoured by, as well as founded on, the law—that, from peculiar circumstances, chiefly front the exclusive possession of the right of coining by the Bank, has turned out a lucrative monopoly. The monopoly of the corn trade by the landed gentlemen of England is one pro tected, disgracefully protected, by the laws of Engr end ; m l i ut refo;ce t.o sav , is iniouiteus the , 01.:11 :The the protection in this Itiarty.q. bIISC fer t•e•en ~- . anplannnc, that they Ilt;erly rni..curl ; upon this ,oint we shall add an observation, which, it appears .3 us, that the lauded aristocracy=. might meditate with :ome profit to themselves and others. Has it never •truck these dealers in bread and beef; that in eats ashing by law, they being themselves the law-m kers, monopoly of the marknt for these aforesaid arti les, and, so far as they are able, a minimum price 'ar the productions by the sale of which they.live,_ :as it never, we say, struck them that they arc sett . ng .n example to other classes of the community, which, it be immoral or absurd (and it is eminently both), t must, at the same time, be held by no -means an .atural for the latter to imitate to the extent of their •apacities ? When law has been perverted by those , rho have the legislative power at their disposal to injust ends,—that is, to the imposition of unfair traffic .yon their customers,—is it, we say again, altogether unnatural that the force of numbers should also be )erverted by those who think they have the means of !mploying it, for the sake of establishing a monopoly i.i the sale of that article in which only multitudes can svcr deal—viz., their labour, which is to them what wheat and oxen arc to the landlords ? But when such •nonopolies as that of the landed interest, howeve :anted in and bolstered up by law, have heel[ ound utterly ineffectual to their objects—When he hundred commercial monopolies which Mice existed, and which preceded that of corn, were abandoned, because of their noto ;ions injury to the purposes for which they had been designed,—is it not somewhat unreflecting on the part of trades unionists to imagine that they can, •cithout the aid of law, and in defiance of it, by mere violence, which is but a transient and fugitive power, set up an opposition monopoly, secure to themselves .1 minimum price for labour, and flourish independent, end on the overthrow of all those first principles which are admitted to govern the course of commercial trans , tctions ? If the tailors, for instance, can by intimi dation raise their own wages to a higher pitch than he existing proportion of supply and demand in the tabour market will admit of,—if journeymen tailors succeed in obtaining higher wages than fall to their na tur,l share, the immediate consequent e must be, a r, s'l !if tens of thousands of fresh journeymen to the houses of call for such artists, an impossibility on the-part of the masters to employ them on the•same high terms as those already engaged, and either the starvation of these new corners for want of work, or work on lower wages. It acts as infallibly as the law of gravita tion, that if masters are forced to pay more wages, they will be enabled to sell so much the smaller quan tity of goods, and to employ so much the fewer work men. What, then, becomes of the remainder ? Will they always be maintained by subscriptions among their fellows? We apprehend not. Why, then, let us once more advise these credulous and erring mul titudes to demand from their leaders an explicit answer to this plain statement upon the subject. There is but a definite (though large) amount of income applicable in this or any other country to the purchase of any particular species of goods. If the price of these goods be raised, the quantity bought will be reduced in the same proportion. If the quantity sold be less, the quantity made will be less. If there be a smaller quantity of clothing purchased, there will be a smaller quantity manufactured ; and if there be fewer coats made, there will be fewer journeymen engaged by the master tailors. Will this answer the purpose of the unionists? If so, they have full liberty, so far as we are concerned, to carry on their machinations until doomsday. A little pamphlet has been printed, but we are told no t published, under the title of " Arguments against Trades' Unions," from which, without having time for comment, we extract the following passage. After showing, pretty much through the same line of rea soning which we have followed, the mischiefs to the journeymen if they succeed against their masters, the author goes on to ask what will happen if they do not succeed : " If you do not bring the masters to the terms desired, what will result? " 1. You must solicit work again at the old prices. " 2. You will probably seek work in vain, or be forced to take whatever wages may be offered, for, notwithstand ing ' the union,' the strike will cause many persons to be employed who are not regular hands ; and in proportion to the duration of the strike, the practice of these persons will he improved, alltl so the number of hands being increased, wages will fall. 3. If you get into work again, and at the old prices, and the old shops, which several matters are all uncertain, you will have the mortification of reflecting upon time, trouble, and mono• lost, and all to no purpose, and you will have to begin again, sick and sort ;'with reelings mu tually subsisting between yourselves and the master, of suspicion and discomfort. ‘-‘ 4. While the strike lasts, you and your families, if you have any, must be inconvenienced by the very cir cumstance of your having nothing to do ;• and expenses and bad habits will be liable to arise without any advantage in the end. " But it may be said, however true all this may be, are men to be compelled to work for less than reasonable wages ? Certainly not : there should be no force em ployed to make the men work at all. I have admitted this before. If they do not like to work, let them be idle • but, at the same time, let them take the co ns equences , and ad mit, by the same rule, that the masters ought n ot t o b e compelled to employ them. If the men should have liberty to fix a price upon their labour, such as they think reason able, and if they please to give it to some other trade, the masters should not be prevented from buying labour at such a price as they think reasonable, and buying it where they can. " The great question is not about the right of the men to strike for wages, and to form unions, so long as they do not unite against liberty and justice ; this is admitted; but, as masters have as much right to do as they please with their money as the men with their labour, it is im possible but that the men, by striking for higher wages, must injure themselves."— Times. t s l . ie ca 4 nn p o e t r b c e et r it e s d . u i e n e t d o 3 t pleBrioce;nts. the sa T v h in e g 3 t A () Lord Althorp proposed last night his plan for con vertingill p e cen t be more than 53,0001. per annum. In answer to a question from Mr. Baring, as to whether it was his lordship's intention, in the course of the present year, to enter into any negotiation respecting the loan for the advance to the West India planters, his lordship said, that it had been proposed to enter into an ar rangement with the Bank to pay 3,500,0001., the in_ stalment due in August, so that there would be no loan in the course of the present year. A question was also put by Mr. Baring, respecting what were considered unfavourable ' conversions of 3 per Cent. Stocks into Life Annuities, which elicited from Lord Althorp the curious information, that in order to obtain durable lives, parties had been in the practice of ex amining the church-yards, with a view of dis covering long-lived families, and then selecting a living member of such families, to have the an nuity on his or her life. His lordship added that there was no proof that these lives were longer than others. 'I he proof of the pudding is in the eating. It will be seen in time whether their lives are longer than others or not. We have always un derstood that there are longer and shorter-lived families. The celebrated Turgot, to appearance a handsome and robust man, on one ()mask.' remarked that it would be necessary for him to finish some undertaking soon, as his was a short-lived family, none of them exceeding fifty years of age, and he 'died at the family age of fifty. In Scotland, the maiden name of the wife is always on the grave stone,—and where it could be ascertained th.t a family, both by father's and mother's side, are long-lived, the pre sumption may be greatly in favour of the lives of the children. Mr. Baring said the difference between picked lives and ordinary lives gave a result that was astonishing, which we can very well believe.— Morning Chronicle. ANECDOTE OF TIIE LATE MR. ABER NETH V.—A short time before Mr. Abernethy's death he was called upon by a physician, who was a friend, and who, on entering the room, was addressed by the eccentric Mr. A. thus :—" Well, Doctor, I understand you want to consult me about a surgical case, and, like all other patients, are bursting with anxiety to tell me all about your ailings and troubles." " The fact is," said the Doctor, when I lift my right arm it gives me great pain." " 'Well, then," said the choleric sur geon, " why don't you lift the left." " Why," an swered the Doctor, " that gives me pain also." Then," said Mr. A. " why the devil do you lift either ?" We are requested to state that " the Life_of____, a Soldier," comprising a narrative of joenty-st re years' service in various parts of the wo - rld, by a liell Officer, was published this_slay by Mr. Bentley, New. Burlington-street. Agents for Scotland, MtsErs. Bell and Bradrttm; Edinburgh ; for Ireland, Mr. Jt hn Cumming, Dublin. To be obtained also of every ra spectable bookseller in the - United Kingdom; ,e /