The Sun. — London, England, 1844-05-02 00:00:00

With respect to admitti ng suga r t a i n t e d with slavery. N ow he was going to let out a secret. There was a secret correspondence going on between the Govern tent here and the Government of Brazil, and it was to .. this eff ec t.—(H ear, hear.) These statesmen some times wrote private letters of instruction co their a4ents, which were not published till a hundred years after wards.—(Laughter ) Now he would give them one which would be published in about one hundred Years to come, passing between our Government and the Government ofßrazil. The present Ministry turned out the late Administration on the question of sugar, and L ord S an d on grounded his argument on the allegation t hat it wa.s very impious to use slave-grown sugar. Therefore inform the Brazilian Government that we t ad pledged in the article of sugar, and when we r inß on the b u d ge t we s h a ll b e obliged to tell the r e e Ple of England w h o are " gu llibl e ," th a t it would . very improper t o encourage s l aver y by taking Bra sugar; but to convince the Brazilian Govern ment that we don't mean to do them any harm, we w ill take their coffee at 2d. per pound less than we did i form erl37; and whereas fur out of five of the slaves n Brazil are employed in the coffee planta ti i 3n s; and wher eas th ree -fifth s o f a ll the exports from c_ra,zil are c o ff ee an d sugar , w hi c h are compara reiY insignificant articles—(Laughter)—this will Fnlvince them th a t we d o no t mean to inflict any their on tie B raz ili an p l an t ers , by refusing to take sugar. W e are simply bound to do it by the P e culiarity of our position, after having tripped up the heels of the Whigs.—(Great laughter.) That Was the di spatch which would be published a hundred Mars hence, as having been sent to their Envoy and 1 tater Plenipotentiary at Brazil. Now, .no doubt,, they werehonest, well sli -u were opposed to the admission of Brazilian 1,,,,ger, but philanthropy should always be guided reason ; and there was a class of men growing into " Is id b , era le notoriety in this country, who wanted to B,ll,cject them not to the dictates of enlightened bene- Co"°lenc but to the control of pure fanaticism.—(Hear.) re was regarded as a conductor of morality, oth to fl as a ,, non-conductor. He remembered talking sue. , °f "lese very benevolent gentlemen upon this anott' W ll ° had on a white muslin cravat. He (Mr. e ) i mmediately said to him, " Before you say yo ur word, strip that slave-grown cotton from Wasneck. "_(Great laughter.) He replied that it not Practicable, but this he (Mr. Cobden) de , tor he knew a gentleman who had taken to j wor sted stockings in the . , s ummer, and would not allow V h g ar tnents to be put together with cotton thread. th a; a t right h a d th e y t o go over to Brazil and to fill e' r ships with cotton, and then turn up the whites otheir eyes, and shed crocodile tears over the slaves ? 1 4' e "'I ng was, in the first place, inconsistent, and in the it ic y c 'nu, hypocritical. Did they say that he was an ' ° eate for the continuance of slavery because he a j Wrt's t an advoc a t e o f free trade ? No. He maintained ( me just and sound principle could never be at With another just and sound principle.—(Cheers.) of they could show him that free trade was promotive slavery, shoehe should hesitate between freedom of sho and freedom of person. Nay, if they could wo w him that free trade would propitiate slavery he uld be prepared to abandon it. But he had al • held a contrary opinion. He had always thought, 1 ,,u_l all the greatest writers on the subject, that slava ur was more costly than free labour : and that if Zoth were brou g ht i n t o f a i r com p e titi o n, the latter hi "I supersed e th e f ormer . —(Che e rs.) He found ~e t n self b orne out in this by the Anti-Slavery Con ilti°n, which sat in 1840. (The Honourable ,oliember then read , a resolution of the e o ,;: e ntien in confirmation of his statement.) This lat,„„ eri tion had, he continued, declared that slave be : r was more costly than free labour. It would th e - monstrous anomaly in the moral government of to. _ world if it were not.—(Cheers.) But if the i t a iention b e li eve d t hi s, w h y did th ey w i s h t o p reven t ail j e til being p rove d ?—(Hear, hear.) He was Lng •to believe that they were honest, and they • proved th emse l ves di s i n t eres t e d by; the labours " w el l they h a d gone t h roug h ; b u t h e wa r n ed them had they made the tools of designing men who an an an intere s t i n up h o ldi ng thi s mono p o ly of sugar, out ,"` L no were using the anti-slavery party to carry he selfish selfish and iniquitous purpose.—(Hear, t o ),Before he sat down there was one point Ai r . wu mh he particularly wished to advert. Ricardo had s p o ke n of the probability of an do et t i°ll . He would tell them what the people must It o b e ° ,.,earry out the principles of free trade. Sir p art Peel had, on a former occasion, advised his at i . to regist er , an d, by following his advice, T they n gth succeeded in placing him in power. I\ ow, w_ r e. were a number of persons in this country who ,„"e at that moment voluntarily disfranchised. There •Yere cforty or fifty thousand persons in the metropolis. t e rn , ,, who were entitled to vote who had not regis keo, and there were many thousands besides in Irchest er, L eeds, and other towns.—(Hear, h ear. ) ve ntured to say that, in the City of London, ther e was hardly a single house rated at less than 101. r e ar• Ho w many o f t h e i n h a bit an t s were th ere w h o a il i net regi s t ere d? L et a ll suc h persons remem b er th a t e next election the League meant to bring for teltrd four f ree t ra d ers .—(Great cheering.) In about h t o ' Week s th e ti me would have elapsed for claiming vc le• In order to have a vote for the next year a tn (1 - ' ° , ll must have occupied a 101. house for a twelve paid h , Previous to the 31st of July, he must have 0 1 4 all the rat e s and taxes due up to the 6 th of April, tiler ' he would be entitled to have his name re irred on the list of voters for the next year .— ,hear,) It ought also to be generally kno wn ht every !Ilan b" a late de c i s i on o f the Court of Common Pleas, were of t : se w ho rented a room in a house, if that ro o m Pa r ate tenement, that is, if he had the key o f 44 P room, and could go into it and out vote when he pleased, he was entitled to rat e t hat that room. If his landlord paid the Wer e ,t W,as a sufficient payment, provided his name ef °town along with the landlord's in the books th e e overseers. Now that decision alone had given ti t landlords about 1,500 or 2,000 votes in the p ar l s of London, besides many thousands in other thi n °f the country.—(Hear, hear.) It was a sad F that 50 many persons should have no vote, sim- Peeause they would not take the trouble to regis ter,'team lie hoped that every individual who either if e „„ or read his remarks on that subject, would, „,„"tled to do so, immediately register his name as liy7 r • Even th e n on -electors might do something t n ' r ging all wh o were en titled to vote to enrol their 4 8 • It was by such means as these that they hand be prepared to meet their opponents in that mus constitutional fight ,by which that question be decided; an d if they were true to their prin by; b es ' t hey would not suffer another election to pass li er - Lthout sen di ng a m aj o rity to Parliament who favour of free trade.—(Great cheering.) Seal the enthusiasm, congratulated the meeting on the th e i„" n e enthusiasm, and patience which had marked tehT,',Preceedings, auguring well for free trade, and th e - ,,, ll iated to strike terror into their enemies. Let 1 v0i ," 4 . 1 but break down the corn monopoly, and they Wh r ,l l _ find the landowners, like the fox in the fable, 4 01. ;,"dd lost hii tail, ready to join with them to break , t l l . others.—(Cheers.) meeting then dispersed. S PORTING INTELLIGENCE: If • CHESTER RAbES—TunsDAY. It'L- la th e • • 1 1 K ea single item of sport the meeting as yet has ex nothing very remarkable, the genera indications are e ncouraging. More horses are now in the town for l iale s : 11 than have been seen here on any former occasion ; and t he L „. a ny breaks- down should arise from the hardness of l_hey'l, 4 , ll,l , we may look for at least 25 at the post. That n'el g i l l t r be started without great difficulty, or. fairly under tortp,2 that they will get round so narrow and awkward a tli ki — v without accident or disappointment , is m ore to be desired Lla - :Pected. We are glad to find that in ado p tin g the '4O s tem, the clerk of the course has taken one step to he, Preventin the " untoward" proceedings that excited t v'tti s dissatisfaction and prejudice last y ear. The ar ,arorft,,llP to th e p resen t time are unusually nu merous , and t he crowd that a moderate list attracted to the course 4 g.i.:ternoont there cannot be a doubt that the Cup or i ete r ." day will be a bumper. The only feature of any to in the racing to-day was the defeat of `', l le Eden, one of the favourites for the Oaks. t it e — , a cle a wretched exhibition, and, we take it si'Z il ted, will not see Epsom. The two-year aclift a 'tes brought a field, average in number, but of a very uert: re nt quality. We need not look amongst them for a titml °r Oaks favourite. The sport in other respects .ex ner threet whatever. The first race came at a little i k t tard , o'clock, the last a few minutes before seen—a . is a""at h, One (4 ' the cardinal virtues of the Turf, punctuality, , 4 ,rilik,ght have been serviceable to the proprietors of the Tqh;",,F booths, but was anything but agreeable to those in nei —it n ,Of attending Newnrarket, Liverpool, Goodwood, and w l' i lith~ETle Trial Stakes not having filled, the racing corn .""'`G, UP TO TWELVE O'CLOCK ON TUESDAY NIGHT. t TIIE CCP. ' 7 t ° ,, agst Rent's two—t. 20 to lag t" st Alice Hawthorn L agst Red Deer 20 to 1 a g st Everton 7 ° 1 agst Pagan 20 to 1 agst Rowland to 1 14 agst Bramble 20 to 1 a g st Jamie Forest t„ Is 1 agst Cattonite 22 to 1 agst Pharaoh 18 t " L agst Nutwith 25 to 1 agst Xanth us ° 1 agst Fr ee d o m 25 to 1 agst Greenfinch. DELI I agst Ratan—taken 7 to 2 aget Uglyßack—t. RDY. I 11 to 1 agst Leander—taken 1 30 to 1 agst K. of the Gipsies. --- LIGHT ON CAPE ROCA. Th e following has been received at Lloyd's :- 4 Sir "Admiralty, April 29, 1844. 4 44 v -- With reference to my letter of the 2d instant, an- Vai l , e b tng that no light will be - shown from the Lighthouse on , 4 - al g the present month_ on . account of repairs, alt to •mnanded by my Lords Commissioners of the Admi -4q ac.quaint you, for the information of the Committee a t I a n aging the ritiairs of Lloyd's, that her Majesty's Consul l tre - , — " °ll has stated that at his representation the re p airs to st Poned, and that the light will not be discontinued in -- nuence thereof until the 15th of next June. ~ A T U (Signed) " JOHN BARROW. W • Dobson, Esq., Secretary, Lloyd's." ~,..rh -- ~war r„ e „ .,Right Hon. the Earl of Lauderdale, Sir G. ~_."1 4 n0,f6 , ,"4 , er of Lochend ; Sir John Hall, of Dunglass . ; Mr. high, of Barney-hill, and other proprietors in the iries _ iTelits at t o o Dunbar, theindaoin v y e ' t ,ittß e „, --- tlruood f h already made permanent ar to be received by the North Nie...,-- Railway passing through their respective properties. - * 74 4 int-4% ~..:;btrb I_2bttton SUN OFFICE, Seven o'Clock. SPIRIT of tLe PUBLIC JOURNALS. FROM THE EVENING PAPERS OF TIIIS DAY. GLOBE—lmagine for a moment the effervescence— the Conservative indignation—if the actual breach be tween Ministers and the Directors had taken place, ins perante Melbourne ! It cannot be forgotten what a handle against the late Cabinet was made of the paltry repugnancies of a Jamaica Assembly ; and how uncon stitutional it was represented to think of over-ruling the interested resistance of a set of ex-slave-owners. On the strength of that storm in a slop-basin, the Melbourne Ministry in '39 found themselves in so slender a majority as led them to resign office. To be sure the Duke of Wel linsston said that he could not conceive why they should have resigned; and therefore the veteran has the better grace in the military attitude he assumes at present. But it is very evident that the pretext on which Lord Melbourne was then pushed to resignation had not a thousandth part of the gravity of the " great fact" which has now transpired. We have here no faction of obscure planters, palpably biassed, and in the preva lent public mind of England probably in the wrong. Here are twenty-four gentlemen, the elect of the most important corporation in the world—nay, thirty—for it is understood that the six ex-directors concur in the same judgment—who, • after exhausting time, and pa tience, and warning on Ministers, and this spoiled child of theirs, have at length employed the power which (known to all but Lord Brougham) had been always vested in them. Now, we repeat, if this had occurred under the Melbourne Ministry, how immediate and how impetuous the inference would have been, that these Whigs could not act with any established and Conserva tive body in the State. This was the notion propagated more industriously than any other; and the benefit of a doubt was never allowed Liberal Ministers for a moment, whether they, or those who opposed their system of policy, might be wrong. While the Whig Government was supposed to be estranged from the Northern Courts, then, of course, Nesselrode or Metternich were the sole hope of salvation for Europe. When Northern Europe joined them on Eastern policy, and France held aloof, then the all but irreparable ill became, of course, the lost friendship of France. The first demonstration the new men had to make was a very new one certainly for their party. They threw themselves into the arms of France and swore eternal friendship-:-to spite the Whigs—and entailed more loss of confidence and misunderstanding than ever with Europe. In like manner, the Whigs were to be wounded through the sides of Lord Auck land in India; and in like manner, the intended injury has had its recoil on the perpetrators. After boasting cf French friendship, regardless of inevitable invidious construction elsewhere, nothing would serve them, or the vain man of whose vanities they have now assumed all the responsibility, but boasting of the glorious contrast his Indian policy was to exhibit to the Whig Governor's. When will these men become duly sensible of the risk and ridicule attendant on all this swaggering? When will they become sensible that the effective, though unfair weapon, of Opposition is the most unsafe and undignified possible for handling in place? Dishonest words had done all words could do for them ; honest deeds—deeds at least not in gross contrast with profes sions and policy—were now requisite to prove that superiority to their predecessors, the verbal assertion of which had ceased to have even the grace of faction. Above all, and first of all, what was required of Conservative Ministers was to work smoothly with the powers, already established and organised, which they had to work with. If the Whig Ministers, during the reforms public opinion - expected them to promote, had fallen foul of coordinate authorities, there would have been nothing so surprising. But Conservatives, whose great idol, Pitt, broke up the Whig party on this very ground of quarrel—whose whole traditions and ante cedents have led them to support the East India Com pany, as one of those great bodies with whose stability they were wont to affect alliance, and to set in contrast with the ephemeral factions, and crude innovations, of popular assemblies—that Conservative Ministers should be the first to quarrel with the Conserva tive aristocracy of British India—this is indeed a most unheard-of and portentous occurrence. It is for Ministers to explain how such a breach could have taken place. The Duke of Wellington has committed them to the responsibility of the whole of Lord Ellen borough's conduct. The whole power of the Govern ment has been exerted in his favour with twenty-four gentlemen, for whom even political malignity can not forge motives hostile to that Government. The whole power of Government, the whole expediency of compromise, the whole rise of rupture (and that risk is announced by the Ministerial hacks as political annihilation to the Company)—all this has been out weighed with the Directors by a sense of duty the most imperative to themselves and their constituents —for nothing short of such sense of duty can be sup posed for a moment to have prompted their act—an act so maturely deliberated. The plea for Lord Ellen borough (whose case Ministers have made so completely their own) put forth by the Duke of 'Wellington—that the Directors could not know the instructions under which he acted, is a plea Sir Robert Peel's caution would scarcely have suggested. So far as it goes, indeed, it may shift the responsibility for all his acts from his own shoulders to those of Ministers—but it leaves that responsibility a heavy weight where it rests. For, are we to suppose that Ministers have kept systematically in the dark the men who held co-ordinate power with their own—on the whole subject for its exercise ? To what purpose, then, have repeated Acts of the Legislature confirmed that power in the Directors ? Forsooth, that her Majesty's Ministers may mock them, and pooh-pooh its exer cise, by the cool assertion that the Directors cannot possibly know anything at all about the matters, which nevertheless the law and consti tution have given them uncontrolled power to judge. STANDARD.—They who remember that, of all the London journals, the Standard stood alone in defending Sir Francis Head's measures in Upper Canada, will not suspect us of hostility to that gentleman or of any pre judice against him. The letter before us forcibly re minds us of the great difficulty against which, as his ad vocates, we had to contend, namely, his own proclama tions and dispatches. The ex-Governor is one of the many persons who, if they are ever wise, write.mu must lament the pains bestowed in t eachin g them tohave but describes the class pret t y accuratel y . We but to insert the name of the late Governor of Upper Canada to make it fit exactly. " Here stands good Sir Francis, whose heart is a mint, While the owner scarce knows half the good that is in't ; The pupil of impulse, it drives him along, His conduct still right, with his argument wrong; Still aiming at honour, yet fearing to roam, The coachman was tipsy, the chariot drove home.' The argument of Sir Francis, as he has expanded it suo more into a long letter, we understand to be this the labourer has a property in his labour, and his time is as much entitled to be respected as any other property. Lord Ashley's proposal to limit the hours of labour of women and children in factories is an invasion of this property. This, garnished with a considerable profusion of sarcasm and illustration, we take to be the whole sum and substance of Sir Francis's argument. Now the first proposition is one which we would be the list in the world to dispute. The labourer's property in his time and labour is absolute and inviolable, resting upon the earliest and highest of proprietory rights. Here, however, closes our acquiescence with Sir Francis Head, who, like other manufacturers of cant, abuses, by misapplication, a sound principle. Lord Ashley's pro• position does not violate this principle either in form or in substance; on the ether hand, it augments the value of property in labour, and casts a hedge about it. As respects form Lord Ashley's proposition inter feres in no respect with the labourer's property in his labour. The labourer, whether man, woman, or child—and to simplify the matter, we make no distinction among them, important as the distinction is in many respects—the labourer of whatever sex or age is left by Lord Ashley's proposition at perfect liberty to employ the whole twenty-four hours in labour, so long as the labour is prosecuted at the labourer's own discretion, and not at the command of others ; and, in fact, one of the objects of the limitation of the hours of labour in factories is to give to the labourer more time to be employed at his own discretion--to return to him se part of that property of which Sir Francis Head speaks, of which he is deprived by the power of wealth, and the cupidity of wealthy men. The limitation does not say "you shall not work more than ten hours," but, " you shall not be forced to work more than ten hours, as the alternative of not working at all, that is, as the alternative of being robbed of your w hole property in your labour," so precious, and justly so pre cious in the eyes of the ex-Governer of Upper Canada. Lord Ashley's proposition then does not, in form, violate the right of property in labour. Let us next see whe ther it invades it in substance. The great function of the law of a civilised country is to correct the abuses of power, to protect the weak from the strong. There is, however, a notion propagated with con siderable industry by those who profit by abuses, that there exists in society no power but the power of the law on one side, and the power of mere knavery or brute force on the other hand, and, as a consequence, that the law has no legitimate antagonists but cheating and violence. The law, however, if it would equally protect the rights of all men, has other antagonists— honest, according to the fashion of this world, and meek as if they all wore drab, as many of them do. The power of money is certainly not a dishonest power, nor is it a violent power, but it is nevertheless, a power quite adequate to crush the poor, and to destroy the value of the poor man's property in his time and in his labour, which we suppose it will be admitted is the same thing as destroying the property itself. This, then, is a case for the law to interpose —not to restrain the poor man from employing h's labour as best he can, but to restrain the rich man from compelling him to employ it in a manner directly injurious to other poor men, and ultimately to himself. As Sir Francis Head is fond of illustrations, we will give him one. He has at least twice crossed the Atlantic and been Governor of a colony, and he probably knows something of the system of passage vessels. Now, let him suppose a passage vessel short of provisions, though with no more hands and passengers on board than are enough to work the ship, working at the usual rate of working. But the captain having taken a degree in the new science, and swallowed Sir Francis's doctrine of the right of property in labour, calls half-a-dozen hands aft, and addresses them as follows :—" Our provisions are short, and if I am to feed the whole crew, I must reduat your daily messes a trifle, but I will tell you how we may manage. I will keep good guard over the store, and you working each of you an extra watch or two, we may complete the voyage without any reduction of our allowances; as for the rest. they may starve—and any one of you who Will not consent to work the extra watches {Shall starve with them, for I warrant, in two or three days, I will be able to bring those starving chaps to work as many extra watches as I please, aye, and to be thani<ful, too, for half allowance." How would Sir Francis Head approve of this mode of respecting " the labourer's property in his labour ?" Would he condemn the legislative interposition of some bluff lieu tenant, who should happily step in from the gig of a chance cruiser, with a "No, no, mate, this will never do ; you must not overwork half your people, in order to starve The other half. Divide the work and the food fairly among them, as far as they will go." Now, this is a very fair illustration of Lord Ashley's proposal. It gives a much more ample exercise of dis cretion to all labourers in the exercise of their right of property, and it gives value to that property in the case of multitudes of others to whom the property is now of no value whatever ; but of things the value of which lies only in their use, the only real property is in the value of the use. Sir F. Head's argument goes upon the groundless and even ridiculous hypothesis, that every labourer is at liberty .to work or to abstain from working—the reverse is the fact, every man must work or die, and the care of the Legislature must be directed to protect him from the necessity of working in a manner injurious to himself or to others. Let men remember this, and the cant of the labourer's property in his labour will do little harm. There is an other cant much employed upon this question with which we wish to deal, but cannot afford the time, we mean the necessity of protecting the profits of the millowners. NOw we till the millowners that they cannot protect their profits by any amount of cruelty to their labourers. Their profits are 'governed by a principle wholly irrespectiie of the labourer's time. The demand for their production is finite, the capacity of multiplying mills to meet this finite demand infinite. But the mills will go on multiplying until the profits of mill working shall be reduced to something very little more than the common rate of interest for money. This is the enemy who is eating up their profits, and will destroy them altogether if they do not oppose him by the only effectual obstacle, a short time law. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. (THIS EVENING.) HOUSE OF COMMONS. The SPEAKER took the Chair at the usual hour. NEW MEMBER. Mr. HuRsT took the oaths and his seat for Horsham. The Hon. Gentleman was introduced by Mr. J. A. Smith and the Earl of March. The Bow Brickhill Estate Bill was read a third time and passed. The Newbury and Basingstoke Railway Bill was read a third time and passed. The Lords' amendments to the Norwich and Brandon Railway Bill were agreed to. The Lords amendments to the Great Western Railway were read and agreed to. Mr. BOYD presented 36 petitions from the North of Ireland, praying for an Act to legalise Presbyterian Marriages in Ireand. Mr. S. CRAWFORD . presented a petition from Bridgewater, against a continuation of the war in India; also a petition from Crediton, in favour of the extension of Parliamentary reform; also a petition from the Lei cester Complete Suffrage Association, for redress of grievances. Sir J. Y. BULLER presented a petition from a place in Devon against the grant to Maynooth College ; also a petition in favour of the abolition of the duty on foreign sugar ; also a petition against any alteration in the corn -laws. _ _ _ Lord EBRINGTUN presented a petition from twenty nine solicitors at Plymouth, against the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill. Mr. COLVILE presented a petition for the aboli tion of the duty on policies of insurance against hail storms. Mr. YOUNG presented a petition from the north of Ireland, praying for an Act to legalise Presbyterian m arri ages. Mr. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from the parish of St. James, Clerkenwell, complaining of the employment of the police in the collection of poor-rates; also a petition for the amendment of the Reform Bill ; also several petitions against the Masters and Servants' Bill. Lord ASHLEY presented a petition from Glasgow, with 33,000 signatures, in favour of the Ten Hours' Bill; also several petitions from other places to the same effect. Mr. BECKETT presented a petition from Halifax against the Manchester and Leeds Railway Bill. Mr. BRIGHT presented a petition from Oldham cum-Fell, praying that the 30th and 31st clauses of the Factory Bill;might be expunged ; that children under eight years of age should not be worked more than eight hours a day ; and that there might be no restriction on labour of persons above that age. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE postponed the following return, of which he had given notice for to day, for a fortnight— Return of all moneys paid to Mr. Hodges, or any short hand writer or writers, for notes taken of the proceedings in the Court of Queen's Bench, Dublin, previous to and during or since the trial of the Queen v. O'Connell and others ; also, a return of all moneys paid for any notes taken of the proceedings at Conciliation Hall, between the Ist day of August, 1843, and the present time. Mr. 'WYSE postponed the following motion, of which he had given notice for to-day, for a fortnight.:—For a Committee to inquire into the allegations contained in the petition, presented the 21st day of March, from the members of the Repeal Association and others, respecting the late State prosecution in Ireland. Mr. GODSON, on the part of Mr. F. Kelly, postponed for a fortnight his motion for leave to bring in a Bill to provide an appeal in criminal cases. Lord SANDON presented a petition from Liverpool against the application of any money for the establish ment of a harbour of refuge at Holyhead. UNION WORKHOUSES. Mr. WM. EVANS, seeing the Hon. Member for Berkshire in his place, wished to know whether it was his intention to p rocee d w i t h hi s mot i on w i t h respec t t o union workhouses ? Mr. PALMER said it was not his intention to do so. ART-UNIONS. Mr. WYSE, seeing the Right Hon. Baronet the First Lord of the Treasury in his place, wished to ask him whether the opinion of Counsel, which had been deli vered to the Treasury on the legality of the Art-Unions, could, without inconvenience, be laid on the table of the House ? Sir R. PEEL said he had no objection personally to loyn felt an the tabl objection the b o u r t li t i h i o e n H s o o i f i s lawyers e n i a e i r d a thought it a good rule, and he should adhere to . in it He produce to ha:e this instance. He did not apprehend that the Govern ment had any intention of instituting proceedings against the Art-Unions. It did not rest with the Government to institute such proceedings ; but he apprehended that the Art-Unions were liable to be prosecuted by the com mon informer. These bodies had received the earliest intimation as to the illegality of their constitution. Mr. WYSE hoped that any measure for legalising the Art-Unions would have the support of the Right Hon. Baronet. CHURCH-RATES. Sir C. DOUGLAS put a question to the Hon. Mem ber for Finsbury, as to whether he intended to bring fur ward any motion respecting the petition he had pre sented, impugning the conduct o f two Magistrates in Warwickshire, with respect to a process for church rates. The Hon. Member had got the petition printed and circulated, with the intention of making a motion ; and he had not done so, though he had an opportunity of doing so on Tuesday evening. He thought he bad a right to complain, on the part of those whose characters were censured, that he had not done so. Mr. T. DUNCOMBE said the petition which he pre sented had impugned the conduct of the magistrates on the subject of church-rates. He (Mr. Duncombe) be lieved that the magistrates had acted most illegally in the affair. However, the present was not the proper time for discussing the subject. The motion relative to the matter stood for nest Tuesday week, when'the Hon. Baronet would have an opportunity of vindicating the conduct of those magistrates if he thought fit. THE SUN, LONDON, THURSDAY EVENING, MAY 2, 1844. THE TARIFF. Mr. GISBORNE wished to know from the Right Hon. Gentleman opposite when it was likely the pro posed reductions of the duty on coffee would come into operation. Mr. GLADSTONE said that, with respect to all the duties which it was proposed to reduce, they would all come into operation on the same day, that was the day of the passing of the Act embodying the resolutions which bad been proposed to the House by his Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Those resolutions he was prepared to lay on the table of the House, and he took that opportunity of saying that they would not contain the article of vinegar, because there were some inquiries requisite respecting the use of malt in the making of vinegar. Some time would be 'requisite for the necessary investigation on that point, and hence it was that vinegar would not be in cluded in the resolutions. Lord SANDON would like to know whether the alteration of the duties would be passed in ten days or a fortnight? Mr. GLADSTONE said it would be rather ha zardous to predict how long the resolutions would take to pass through the House. However, from the disposition which he was sure existed in the House not to retard any measure affecting commercial interests, he was of opinion that in the course of a fortnight, or the furthest three weeks, the re solutions purporting to repeal the duties in question would have become the law of the land. COMMUNICATION WITH IRELAND. In answer to a question from Mr. PENNANT. Sir R. PEEL said that the subject of the Hon. Gen tleman's question was of considerable importance, inas much as it related to the speedy communication between this country and Ireland. With respect to the relative merits of the ports of Holyhead and Port Dynlaen for the departure and arrival of the packets, the question had been discussed by professional men of the highest eminence, and the opinion of the President of the Institute of Civil Engineers, Mr. Walker had been taken upon it, and that gentleman's opinion was in favour of llolyhead in preference to Port Dynlaen. There fore, he (Sir R. Peel) might say that her Majes ty's Government drew their conclusions from the highest professional suthosities, were clearly of opinion that Holyhead was the preerable harbour, and as far as his own experience went, he (Sir R. Peel) would draw the same conclusion. With respect to the question as to whether the Government had decided to lay out a sum of money in improving either of those harbours, he had to say in reply that they had come to no decison upon the matter. The Government wanted first to know whether any railway company was inclined to make a railway eQualutugictiti9n between cluster and Holyhead. It should be remembered that whatever money they laid out for Holyhead Harbour, they were laying out for the terminus of a railway. They had a right, therefore, to demand that the railway should be perfectly construct ed. In his opinion it would be for the interests of any railway company to make that- railway in the most direct line. It would be much better for them to make a perfect line at once than to make an imperfect line and have to amend it afterwards. He was anxious that the line selected through Anglesea should be brought from Chester to Holyhead in the most direct line. He thought it would be good economy in any Railway Company to make the outlay necessary for the forma tion of the line in the first instance. Then with regard to the Straits of Menai. It would be a highly improper mode of passing the Straits of Menai to take advantage of the present bridge. It was never intended for railroad communication. It would be impossible to use it with locomotives. In his opinion a bridge over the Menai Straits, fit for a proper communication of railway, might easily . be constructed so as not to interfere with the navigation. It might have the same elevation as the present bridge, what he believed was 120 feet above the level of the sea, and if they erected a railway-bridge of equal height there would not be any risk of interfering with the navi gation. Unless they cou ld ena bl e t h ose res idi ng in Dublin to answer letters from London by return of post, they would do little to justify an outlay of public money. He wanted to see the day when a letter posted in London at 8 o'clock on Monday should be answered from Dublin by a letter received in London on Wednesday morning. —(Hear, hear)—when the party receiving the letter in Dublin on a Tuesday should be enabled to answer that letter by the return of the Tuesday's post. When thirty-four hours only should elapse between the depar ture of the letter from London and the receipt of the answer from Dublin. Let them take the hour of the de parture from London at eight o'clock on the Monday. In fifteen hours the letter would arrive in Dublin. There would be four hours allowed in Dublin for the writing of the answer, fifteen hours for the transit of the letter; and thus the communication would take place in thirty-four hours. This would be a great public advantage. It was an affair of minutes almost. The object of the Govern ment was to make arrangements to secure the most expe ditious intercourse possible between the metropolis of Ire land and England, and he begged that the House would not urge them too strongly to the expenditure of public money, unless by that expenditure they could secure the public advantage. NEW ZEALAND. In answer to Mr. BELLEW, Lerd STANLEY said that all the papers which were in the possession of the Government relating to New Zealand, would be laid before the Committee, and would be presented to the House with the report. GLASS DUTIES. On the motion for going into Committee on the glass duties, Mr. M. GIBSON wished to ask her Majesty's Go vernment whether, in the Government measure which had been announced with respect to sugar, any distinc tion was to be drawn between slave breeding and slave importation. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said he would answer the question when the subject came on for discussion. The House then resolved itself into Committee, pro forma, on the glass duties ; Mr. Greene in the chair. The House then resumed, and leave was given to bring in a Bill. VINEGAR DUTIES. The House went into Committee on the Vinegar Duties, and The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved a resolution pledging the House to the reduction proposed by him in the Budget, when Dr. BOWRING expressed his regret that the mea sure of the Hon. Gentleman would have the effect of encouraging the manufacture in this country of the in ferior sorts of vinegar—the greatest trash possible. The really good vinegar came from abroad, and it would have been well to have given every facility to its intro troduction into this country when dealing with that article. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said, if the Hon. Gentleman had been in the House when this part of the budget had been stated, he would have learnt that the duties on home vinegar fell under the Excise, and those on foreign vinegar under the Customs, which made all the difference, and justified the course he had taken. The resolution was agreed to ; the House resumed ; the resolution was reported to the House ; and leave was given to bring in a Bill founded upon it. RAILWAYS—MARINE INSURANCES—AGREE MENTS. The House having gone into Committee, Mr. GOULBURN moved the resolution for the reduc tion of the duties on Marine Insurances, as proposed in the Budget. He had to add that in the same resolution he proposed to make a deduction of the duty on agree ments from 11. to Is. 6d.—(Hear, hear)—and also on the duties on Proxies for voting for Railways, and other Companies from 11. 10s. to 2s. 6d.—(H ear , hear.) -- After some obervations from Mr. Hume, Dr. Bowring, Mr. Warburton, Mr. Foster, the Chancellor of the Ex- chequer, and Mr. Hawes, Mr. HUME gave notice that he should expect the Chancellor of the Exchequer to lay before them a table of the maritime duties paid, and what were to be paid, before they proceeded another stage, when he should move that the highest duty should be 3s. on insurances. The resolutions were then agreed to, and the House resumed, when they were ordered to be reported to the House to-morrow. INSPECTORS OF PRISONS. Sir JAMES GRAHAM hoped his Hon. Friend (Mr. Mackinnon) would consent to postpone his motion with respect to the inspectors of prisons, and the state of dis cipline in gaols ; otherwise, he would feel bound to oppose the motion. Mr. MACKINNON said, after the appeal made to him by his Right Hon. Friend, he had no other course than to postpone his motion, which he would do until that day fortnight. SAVINGS' BANKS. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER rose to bring in a Bill to amend the laws relating to Savings' Banks, and to the purchase of Government anuuities through the medium of Savings' Banks. The Right Hon. Gentleman said the necessity for amending the law arose partly from the circumstance that the high interest which was paid by these banks, in com parison with others, afforded a constant inducement to persons who were not their specific objects to invest money in them. How unwilling the House might be to deal in any manner which might appear unkind or harsh to those who invested money in savings banks, they would see that the public were under no obligation to pay them a highr rate of interest than they could obtain in any other manner. He propose d b y t h e presen t Bill, to reduce the r a t e of i nterest i n sav i ngs banks from lid. to 2d. per day. Now various abuses having been alleged to exist in savings banks he had felt it his duty last year to institute inquiry with respect to a andt srei evl h a, et e er y was ha i b ant o . l t n h( d elly to say tnhuem resultnumber of t h ous, as banks, pi the d for the purposes o f Latterly there had b een an addition to the depo sitors of savi ngs , consisting of a class of persons for whose use th ose i nstitutions were not i nten d e d . He therefore p roposed re h e u s t a h r e a . , in addition to reducing the rate of interest, to introduce several othes provisions in order to prevent the misapplication of those institutions. The House was aware that at pre sent no person could invest more than 301. in any one year in a savings' bank. In looking over the account s of savings' banks, he found that only a very limited number of persons availed themselves of that privilege. lie therefore pro posed to reduce the amount which persons would invest in any one year in a savings' bank from 30/. to 201. By the law as it now stood no one could have a greater amount of money in any savings' bank than 1501. ; he proposed to reduce that to 120/. A:person who possessed 1201. was in such a situation as to be able to take advantage of other securities to invest his capital. The law enacted at present, that when 2001. should stand in the name of any one person in a savings bank, all interest should cease. He proposed to euact, that whenever the capital and interest together should amount to 150/, ‘ all interest should eease. Great abuses has existed in savings banks, by persons investing moneys as trus tees of others. He proposed that upon the passing of the Act no person should invest money as a trustee for any other person without the signature of all the parties interested, so that money coald only be invested by parties as trustess without the signature of all different persons supposed to be interested There was another point to which he wished to call the attention of the House. Persons ignorant of business who had sums of money to invest did not take office, and the officer to whom it to the proper it was brought did not account for it at the usual time. Now he intended to amend the law in this particular, and to provide that if any paid officer of the institution which should receive money from a depo sitor, and should not bring it to account at the next meeting o f the , soc.ety : he should be considered guilty • of a misdemeanour, and liable to be punished for fraud. There were other minor provisions which he would not then trouble the House with, and which would be seen if the House gave him leave to introduce the Bill. Mr. GISBORNE wished to know whether there was any provision with regard to persons having money in several savings'-banks ? The CHANCELLQR of the EXCHEQUER rep li e d in the affirmative. Mr. lIUME said he had for three years past been calling the attention of the Heuse to his subject, because he knew it was a fallacy to refer to the money in the savings banks as a proof of the pros perous state of the country. The accumulation of the money in those banks arose from the high interest which was paid. He was of opinion that all persons should be placed on the same footing, and that persons having twenty shillings should be in the same situation as those who had thousands of pounds. Leave was then given to the Chancellor of the Ex chequer and Sir George Clerk to bring in the Bill. PENSIONS. Mr. HUME moved for returns of all officers to whom pensions had been granted for loss of limb, or wounds equivalent thereto, and whose pensions were subsequently purchased by the GOVIIIMMEIIt, stating the name and rank, and the amount of pension of each officer ; also the dates when such pensions were purchased, and the amount paid by Government for such pensions. Of the number of non-commissioned officers and privates in the army and artillery whose pensions were purchased, and the number to whom the pensions were restored.—Agreed to. CHURCH TEMPORALITIES (IRELAND) BILL. The second reading of this Bill, which stood for to night, was postponed to this day week, after a few ob servations from Mr. SHAW and Mr. F. FRENCH. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER brought in the Savings Banks Bill, which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time this day week. The licillso adjourned tit A Quarter past §b4 O'Colock, HOUSE OF LORDS. Their Lordships met at Five o'Clock. Mes enders from the Commons brought up several Bills, which were read a first time. Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition from per sons engaged in the woollen manufactures in certain parts of Scotland, against any interference by the Legis lation with labour. RECOVERY OF DEBTS (IRELAND). Lord CAMPBELL laid on the table of the Rouse a Bill to facilitate the recovery of debts in Ireland. The object of the Bill was to provide a remedy for creditors in Ireland against their absentee creditors in this country. He expressed hi• surprise that thelrish Government had not brought such a Bill forward before this time. The Earl of WICKLOW defended the Government, and expressed his surprise that the Noble and Learned Lord did not, while one of the law officers of the Crown, introduce such a Bill as the present if he thought it was so necessary. Lord CAMPBELL said he would have done so had he known that the inconvenience of which he complained was in existence at the time he was in office. The Bill was then laid on the table Lord LYTTELTON presented a petition from a per son named Wharton, residing in Stonebridge, 'praying their Lordships to adopt a plan which he proposed for the payment of the National Debt.—(Laughter.) The Duke of RICHMOND presented a petition from Sussex, in favour of protection to agriculture. HOLYHEAD HARBOUR. In answer to a question from Lord MONTEAGLE, The Duke of WELLINGTON said the question of facilitating the communication between this country and Ireland had been under the consideration of the Go vernment, and they had determined to continue that communication by means of Holyhead. With regard to granting money for this purpose, the Government had postponed their decision until after the railway to Holy head, which was now before Parliament, had been dis posed of. The Earl FITZWILLIAM thought a Commission ought to be appointed to inquire as to what points o the country required railway, and what parts did not ; and that no other railways ought to be sanctioned, except those approved by such Commission. The Duke of WELLINGTON said he thought the appointment of such a Commisiion would be like shut ting a stable door when the steed was stolen.—(Laughter.) Lord BROUGHAM thought such a commission was necessary for the purpose of protecting individuals. The house of Earl Grey for instance in Northumber land had been greatly injured by a railway passing close under it, and it was but poor consolation to that Noble Earl, after being driven from his house to be told, that he must yield to public convenience. After a few words from the Marquis of LANS DOWNE. The Earl of FITZ WILLIAM gave notice that he would move the appointment of such a commission on Tuesday next. (LEFT SITTING.) TITHES. REPORT OF THE TITHE COMMISSIONERS FOR ENGLAND AND WALES. TO THE RIGHT HON. SIR J. R. G. GRAHAM, BART. Tithe Commission Office, April 2, 1844. Sir,—lt is our dnty to report to you the progress of the commutation of tithes in England and Wales to the close of the year 1843. We have received notices that voluntary proceedings have commenced in 9,555 tithe districts ; of these notices 45 were received during the year 1843. We have received 6,877 agreements, and confirmed 6,492 ; of these, 183 have been received, and 281 confirmed, during the year 1843. 3,871 notices for making awards have been issued, of which 836 were issued during the year 1843. We have received 2,681 drafts of compulsory awards, and confirmed 2,172 ; of these 675 have been received, and 559 confirmed, during the year 1843. We have received 7,525 apportionments, and confirmed 6,881 ; of these 1,074 have been received, and 1,186 con firmed, during the year 1843. In 8,664 tithe districts, as will be seen from the above statement, the rent-charges to be hereafter paid have been finally established by confirmed agreements or confirmed awards. We have in our possession voluntary agreements and drafts of awards, as yet unconfirmed, which will include 894 addi tional tithe districts ; and make a total, when completed, of 9,558 districts in which the tithes are commuted. We have to repeat the assurance which we have happily been able to give in every report, that the whole process of commutation is proceeding tranquilly and harmoniously. The district of South Wales may appear to form an ex • ception. As far, however, as we can judge from our own correspon dence, and our other means of information, very little discon tent has existed between the real parties to the commuta tion, that is, the landowners and titheowners. The occupying tenantry, however, have found grounds of complaint, in many cases not unreasonable ; they are called on to pay rent-charges, the majority of which have been agreed to by their landlords, though a smaller portion have been awarded by us. Those rent-charges are very peculiarly low, and on the average do not greatly exceed one-tenth of the rent, or of the net value, instead of amounting to one tenth of the gross value of the produce. Still, low as they are, these rent-charges somewhat exceed the compositions which the tenants calculated on paying when they hired their farms and fixed their terms with the landlord. _ _ _ ------ The task of apportioning still goes on more slowly than it was calculated it would do when the Commutation Act passed ; but it continues to be effected, as it has all along been, with much less difficulty and irritation than it was supposed would accompany it. Much of the work which remains for us to do begins to assume a character which makes it advisable to draw your attention to some of its peculiarities and difficulties. In many parishes in which the great bulk of the tithes have been commuted on inclosure or otherwise, farm, or dis trict moduses have been left, which in the present state of the law it will become our duty to convert into rent-charges, and we must, partially at least, map and apportion on the ends subject to them. The expenses of such apportionment to the landowners will first be extravagant, when compared with the amount of the sum apportioned, and then the expenses of collecting will make the rent-charge valueless to the titheowner. It seems to us that in these cases a permission to redeem these payments for money, and thus to avoid the expenses both of apportionment and collection, would be advantage ous, and indeed is requisite to protect both parties. The managers of Queen Anne's Bounty are willing, we be lieve, to receive the redemption money ; and if they are di , rected to apply it, as they do augmentation moneys, it may partially and gradually be invested in land if that seems de sirable for the titheowner. The operation of such a measure might perhaps usefully be somewhat extended. In many cases of vicarial tithe, the individual payments are so minute as to convert the collection of them into a loss. We have even been requested to strike a mass of them out of rent-charges, because, as the titheowner will be taxed upon the gross amount of them, and be certain not to receive them, the nominally giving them to him is substantially mulcting them. The redemption of such small payments would clearly be a boon to the titheowner, and as the liability to them is often felt to be a disagreeable incumbrance by the owners of pro perty, the power of redeeming them would be, in a very many cases, also considered a boon. The state of the law, as modified by 2 and 3 William IV., c. 100, commonly called Lord Tendenden's Act, impedes our progress, and, unless cleared up, threatens to protract the close of our labours. In some hundreds of cases, and, indeed, in an indefinite number, we cannot give decisions as to the contested rights of parties with any confidence that those decisions are correct. Our own legal assistants are divided in opinion, and we are told that this division of opinion extends even to the superior Courts ; at any rate, no decision of those Courts on the cases now before them has been obtained. We are lea to hope that some distinct decision may be given before the close of this year ; if this is not the case, we may be driven to request the assistance of the Legislature. Whatever the law may turn out to be, those cases will many of them be obstinately litigated, and if our dealing with them is much longer postponed, the delays of issues and new trials, and of the apportionments which must follow them, may postpone what would otherwise be the term of our labours. _ _ _ In the case of parishes containing open fields, where the tithes have been commuted and the rent-charges apportioned before inclosure, the re-apportionment of those rent-charges on the inclosed lands newly appropriated to individuals is always desirable, and, indeed, almost indispensable. We have no power to sanction this at present. We think such a power might conveniently be given us. The exercise of a similar power, after the close of our com mission, may be provided for by an Act, which, for that and other purposes, it will be necessary to pass before the tithe commission ceases to exist. In a number of parishes, heretofore inclosed by Act of Par liament, we have reason to believe that the provisions for extinguishing tithe have been in some cases wrongly, in others imperfectly, carried out. If tithe litigation and tithe are to cease with the commis sion, some provision must be made for correcting the errors or completing the deficiencies of these inclosure transactions. Some of the railroads, one of the most extensive in particu lar, that is the Great Western, refuse to pay the rent-charges apportioned on the lands over which they pass. It is illegal to seize and carry away the rail, so that the titheowner's remedy by distress is nugatory, unless there is a station in his district. His remaining remedy is to take possession of the ground over which the road passes ; but as it is illegal fur him to stop up a public way, his possession is useless to him, unless he resorts to the doubtful benefit of a suit in equity, to compel an account of the profits made on the portion of railroad in his legal possession. We think that the owner of the rent-charge should not be driven to this experiment, but that whenever a rent charge is clearly due from the railroad company it should be recoverable by distress on the property of the company, on whatever part of the line found. This would not increase the legal liability of the com pany. They might still, by replevin or otherwise, dispute the legality of the rent-charge ; only, when they did not so dis pute it, they would be compelled to pay the owners of rent ' charges in districts where there is no station, and where those owners have no other remedy than a suit in equity.—We have the honour to be, Sir, your faithful and obedient ser vants, _WILLIAM BLAMIRE, T. W. BULLER, RICHARD JONES. THE TEN lIOURS' BILL. To the Right Honourable and Hoourable the Members of the House of Commons, the following Statement of Facts is respectfully submitted by the Deputation of the Master-manufacturers and Millowners in the county of Lancaster: — We, the undersigned, forming a deputation from the Associated Master-manufacturers of the county of Lancaster, having taken advantage of the Easter recess to institute inquiries into the condition of the operatives in all the cotton-mills of the district, and ha v i ng obtained minute returns, each of which is authenti cated by the signature of the owner of the mill, beg leave respectively to submit the results to your consideration. It will be convenient to classify these results under sever al heads, and to arrange them in the order usually adopted by those who have 'made the most serious im putations on factory labour. DISTANCES TRAVELLED BY SPINNERS AND PIER On this subject returns have been obtainedfErO C M3 s. 77 firms, of which 308 spin to 705_,_40 from 70s. to nos., and 29 from 110 s. upwards ; all cases the calculation has be en ma de from actually counting the number of steps and measuring the distances. The following is the result : 308 mills, spinning up to 70, give an aggregate of 2,761 miles 808 yards, or an average for each operative of 8 miles 735 yards. 40 mills, spinning from 70 to 110, give an aggregate of 319 miles 1,571 yards, and an average of 7 miles 1,755 yards for each operative. . 29 mills, spurning from 110 upwards, give an aggre gate of 201 miles 1,002 yards, and an average of 6 mil es 1,673 yards. The general average from the whole is 8 miles 1,246 yards, which, it will be seen, is a little under the average given by Mr. Henry Ashworth, whose calculations were based upon the length of the yarn spun. It will be interesting to compare the process by which this result was obtained with the actual counting and measurement of steps. Taking the extreme case of 28 hanks of yarn produced by a spindle in a week, the length of yarn will be 13i miles ; but, as each carriage traverses forwards to spin and backwards to wind up, we have 27 miles for each mu'.e, and 54 miles for a pair of mules in a week, which, divided by six, the number of working days, gives an average of nine miles per day. This calculation refers solely to the spinner ; but the piecer, who has to traverse diagonally between the frames, would have to go a greater distance if a thread broke at every stretch ; but this is notoriously not the case. AGES AND SEXES OF FACTORY OPERATIVES. Under this head we have returns from 412 firms, 314 of which are assessed in the annual sum of 179,767/. to the poor's-rate, authenticated by the signatures of the proprietors. The total number of per Sons employed in these mills is 116,281, of whom 95,642 are able to read. They are thus classified in per centum pro portions : Per Cent. Under 13 years 3 9-20 Males 1 Females ales l3 13, and under 18 ...29 7-20 { F M l emales 16 1-10 18, and under 21 ...19 c Males . 1 Females 121 21, and under 40 —.40 S Males 18 3-5 / Females 2l 2-5 40, and upwards 7 3 _ 5 Males -10 Females 1 7-10 251 M a l es Married Females 9l From the returns it appears that '10,721 married females are employed in the 412 factories, and, as it has been said that such employment tends to reverse the condition of the sexes, care was taken to ascertain the employment of the husbands of these women. It was found that 5,314 were employed in factories, 3,927 were engaged in other trades, 821 had no regular employment, and 659 are unaccounted for, in consequence of the limited time given for the preparation of the returns. Out of the 412 millowners, 167 have reported the fol lowing accidents occurring within an average period of 20i years ; viz.:-72 occasioning death-168 loss of limb, and 13 not specified-196 have reported that no accidents involving loss of life or limb have occurred in their factories, in an average period of 131 years. The proportion of accidents, therefore. appears to be about 1 death per annum in 104 mills, and 1 loss of limb in 41 mills. From 49 of the mills no returns have been made with respect to accidents. It appears, then, that 412 mills employ 116,281 persons, averaging 282 in each mill. In 104 mills, employing 29,328 persons, only one fatal accident in a year occurs. In 41 mills, employing 11,562 persons, only one accident occasioning loss of limb occurs in a year. So favourable a result as to ac cidents probably cannot be found in any other industrial occupation in this country. From the return of accidents (by coroners, &c.), sent with this return, it appears that out of upwards of 858 accidents, occasioning loss of life, only 29 (or 3 2-5 per cent.) have been occasioned by Factory Machinery, while 79 have been caused by carts, &c., and 85 in coalpits. The above return shows that no less than 82 per cent. of the whole number of factory operatives can read, while it appears from the registrars' returns for England that 'about one-half of the whole population of the country do not know how to write their names. Some of the millowners have neglected to make a re turn of the amount of wages paid by them ; but returns have been made by millowners employing 112,796 ope ratives, and the total amount of net weekly wages paid by them, is 57,8811. 18s. ld., or the average weekly wages to each operative of 10s. 31d. net, being a re duction of 2d. per week in the average wages of each operative since 1833, as shown by a similar statement then published of 151 mills employing 48,645 persons. • In all the manufacturing districts there are several trades, such as those of colliers, engineers, iron -founders, machine-makers, builders, tailors, shoemakers, &0., which do not employ female labour; and to the wives and daughters of the persons engaged in such trades the spinning and weaving mills afford the means of contri buting by their labour to the support of their families. From inquiries made in Bolton in 1836, it was found that there were more than 3,000 operatives engaged in those trades from which women were excluded, and conse quently a very large number of families would have been stinted in their comforts, if not deprived of some of the necessaries of life, had the resources which they derived from the labour of their female relatives been inter rupted. It is perfectly well known that, where employ ment for females cannot be obtained in mills, it is sought for in mines, collieries, and other branches of industry, involving occupations far more injurious to health and dangerous to morals than those of mills and cotton fac tories. This is felt by the females themselves; they pre fer mills to most other occupations, and even to do • mestic service. The per centage of persons above forty engaged in mills is 'only 7 2.5 per cent.; this does not arise so much from superannuation, as from the number of mill-hands who are enabled, by their savings, to enter into superior occupations. Of these 197 have been traced in the town and vicinity of Ashton under-Lyne—the short space of time allowed, and the obvious delicacy and difficulty of such inquiries having necessarily limited the field of observation. Of these 197 we find that 14 have become master-spinners and manufacturers, 61 shopkeepers, 42 publicans and beer-retailers, 11 grocers and tea-dealers, and the rest have found other respectable means of obtaining a livli hood. We submit that there are very few industrial oc cupations which would afford similar evidence of advance ment in a single locality. It has, indeed, been stated that in the year 1841 seve ral distressed spinners were found in mean and degrad ing occupations ; but it must be remembered that the greater part of that year was a season of depression, when mills were working short time. And, even if the returns were perfectly accurate, they would only prove that a compulsory working of short time, which depressed markets can enforce more strongly than any legislative enactment, deteriorates the condition of the operative, and subjects him to want and degradation. EFFECT OF A TEN HOURS' BILL. We hare estimated the loss on a Ten Hours' Bill from the returns of the standing charges, wages, and other expenditure of mills, which have been supplied to us by large manufacturers. Taking 100,000 L as the sum em barked in an individual concern, the following are the results : The fixed charges, taken upon the usual and admitted authority of practical men, amount to £17,150 per annum. This charge now falls upon a pro ductive power of 69 hours per week. By reducing the hours of working to 59 per week, the effective pro ductive power will be in the pro portion of 14,700 Mill-owner's loss will be £2,450 per an. The Wages:- 69 hours' wages ....... £25,613 59 hours' wages ...,... 28,913 Loss to workpeopl6 £3,700 £6,150 per an. The effect of these additional charges, estimated upon the manufacturing cost of these concerns, will be 12 to 12f per cent., and, therefore, a " Ten Hour Bill" would virtually become a bounty of 12 to 12i per cent. on the extension of foreign manufactures. _ _ All the statements which we have made are based on the returns sent to us by gentlemen of known character and established reputation. We are not only willing but anxious to afford every opportunity of scrutinizing the accuracy of these returns to any Members who may wish to examine them ; or, if it be desired by either House of Parliament, we are willing to have them printed for the use of the Legislature. On behalf of the Committee. R. H. GREG. T. H. BIRLEY. HENRY ITOULDSWORTH. LEWIS WILLIAMS. JAMES MURRAY. THOMAS ASHTON. HENRY ASHWORTH. DAVID HARRISON. London, April 27, 1844. IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT. HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 1. MASTERS AND SERVANTS BILL. Mr. P. HOWARD said it might be very wise and prudent to consolidate the various laws upon one sub ject, but the House must recollect that they might have even gold too dear.—(Hear, hear, and laughter g .) On a subject like this, which required so much varied informa tion, and such a dispassionate judgment, he thought the Government of the country was the only quarter from which they could expect a sound and useful Bill. Ile must, therefore, give his support to the motion of his Hon. Friend the Member for Finsbury. The House then divided, when there appeared— Fordment ............................... 5 9 4 ^ yuaTgsamosrt t11e8.11.. For thet h e A B m i l o l ier)inAt .• ........ The Bill is consequently lost. 1 •—• —43 1 0 1 On the hDETACHEDeco motion vMaEj COUNTIES BM ' L. for going into Committee on this Bill, moved that it be committed that day six months. Mr. LIDDELL supported the Bill. Mr. M. SUTTON could not give support to the Bill in its present shape, as it intertered with the franchise. He did not, however, oppose the principle of the Bill ; and if the H on . Gentleman opposite (Mr. Scott) would consent to alter it in Committee, he (Mr. M. Sutton) would give it his support. After a few words from Mr. SCOTT and Lord IT. VANE, Mr. COLVILE withdrew his amendment., and the lii went into Committee. On clause one being proposed, Mr. M. SUTTON moved the omission of certain words, upon which the Committee divided, when there appeared— For the Amendment l9 Against it Majority for the Amendment —4 An HON. MEMBER then moved that the House do re sume and be counted, and there being but 38 Members present, the House adjourned at a Quarter past seyen.- TUESDAY NIGHT'S GAZETTE. DIVIDENDS. At the Court of Bankruptcy, Basinghall-street. W. Gofton, pawnbroker, Gilbert -street, Oxford-street, May 23, at half-past eleven—W. Armfield, draper, Northampton, May 23, at twelve—C. Tapp, coach-maker, Wigmore-street, Blay 21, at one—C. Bourjot and W. E. de la Vellesboisnet, merchants, Coleman-street-buildints, May 21, at twelve—C. Williamson, hosier, Regent-street, May 21, at one—A. Stoeken and W. Utton, coach-makers, Halkin-street, Belgrave-square, May 22, at two—E. Hodson, linen draper. Thrapston, North amptonshire, May 22, at twelve—J. E. Bunker, merchant, Lower Sbadwell, May 8, at one. In the Country. E. Everall, coal merchant, Liverpool, May 23, at one, at the Liverpool Di s t r i ct Court—j. Wright and J. Davies, grocers, Liverpool, Ma 23, at half-past twelve, at the Liverpool Dis trict Court—J. Stott, woollen manufacturer, Rochdale May 22, at twelve, at the M anc h ester District Court—J. Brown, jun., Bassalleg, Monmouthshire, May 21, at eleven, at the Bristol District Court—W. A. Whinfield, "draper, Newcastle upon-Tyne, May 23, at eleven, at the Newcastle-upon-Tyne District Court—J. Botcherby, iron merchant, Darlington, May 21, at eleven, at the Newcastle-upon-Ty ne District Court —R. Dunn and R. D. Dunn, corn factors, Wakefield, May 23, at eleven, at the Leeds District Cou r t—J. K n i g h t, d raper, Preston, May 24, at one, at the Manchester District Court—J. Goddard and H. Goddard, bankers, Market Harborough, May 22, at eleven, at the Birmingham District Court—J. Rose, ironmonger, Spalding, Lincolnshire, May 23, at half-past eleven, at the Birmingham District Court. CERTIFICATES to be granted, unless cause be shown to the contrary, on the day herein-mentioned. F. Hillam, ale merchant, Cambridge-terrace , Editoren road, May 2 2-C. Tapp, coachmaker, Wignsore-street, MIT 21—I. Lumley, victualler, Cornwall-road, May —T. E. Lubbock, licensed victualler, Butcher-hall-lane, Newgate street, May 22—E. Levy and A. S. Levy, fruit merchante, Botolph-lane, May 22—C. Swill, grocer, Romfurd, Eiset. May 22—J. Crump, miller, Stanway, Gloucestershire, Mat 22 —R. Lower, innkeeper, Sunderland, May 21—J. Donglifi, rope manufacturer, Newcastle-upon-Tyne ' May 21—T. Bent ley, calico print er , E cc l es t on , Lancashire,May 21—W. Jack- son, baker, Liverpool, May 21—E. Rayner, merchant, Shef field, May 24—W. Smith, small war eman, Nottingham, May 23—8. F. Franklin, merchant, Liverpool, May 24—R. Gent, traveller. Manchester, June 4—A. Dakeyno, smallware dealer, Bolton-le-Moors, June 4—W. Pett, silk throwster, Maccles field, June 4—T. F. Clark, draper, Liverpool, May 23—H. S. Hewitt, licensed victualler, Manchester, May 23 —R. Daven port, jun., plumber, Birmingham, May 21—H. Parker, 0. Shore, J. Brewin, and J. Rodgers, bankers, Sheffield, May 21 —E. Minister, tailor, Argyll-place, Regent-street, May 21—I. Hague, W. Millar, and W. T. Grant, engineers, Wapping wall, May 21—R. L. Sturtevant, soap -manufacturer, Church. street, Bethnal-green, May 21—C. W. Taylor, draper, Epping, May 21—T. Norman, sailcloth manufacturer, Penketh, peer Warrington, May 24. PARTNERSHIPS DISSOLVED. W. Ivey and W. L. Henwood, ironmongers, Camelford, Cornwall—W. Spence, H. Blu n d e ll, J. Bl un d e ll and R. H. Spence, colour manufacturers—J. F. Saville and J. Harroway, lessees of the Brighton Theatre—J. and G. Siddall, linen drapers, Doncaster— W. Hodge and J. Dories, saddlers, Truro —J. Watson, sen., and J. Watson ' ,jun., common brewers, Wath-upon-Dearne, Yorkshi re —W. Fry and W. Kilner, en gravers, Sheffield—S. Thomas and R. Hinton, plumbers, Market Drayton—J. H. Wood and G. Scholey, joiners, Wake field—A. Bush, C. Birkbead, and H. Henstock, edge tool manufacturers, Sheffield—W. and E. Sharman, builders, Spalding, Lincolnshire—J.and W. Goodale, Derby—J. Glover and W. R. Elsey, accountants, Bncklersbury—H. Gibb and J. Heath, engineers, Cohourg-street, Euston-square—F. H. Nicholson and J. Hainsworth, linen drapers, Leeds—J. Brog den and W. Eastted, contractors—E. King and H. C. Lang ton, stockbrokers, Leeds—T. Smith and C. J. A. Mahon, stir geom. Upper Seymour-street, Portman-square—J. Arnett and C. Wilkinson, Custom-house agents, St. Dunstan's-hill—J. Entwisle and R. Garnett, jun., merchants, Manchester—W. Petree and J. Phillips, shipbuilders, Southwick, Durham—L. H. and J. Newton, cabinet makers, Wardour-street, Soho—R. W. and T. M. Peacock, shoemakers, Tooley-street—W. Marsh, J. Marsh, T. Shepherd, and J. Marsh, jun., merchants, Shef field (so far as regards T. Shepherd and J. Marsh, jun. )—C. Belton and T. Belliss, chemists, Birmingham—G., F and J. Rivington, booksellers, St. Paul's Chur c hya r d ( so tar as re gards G. Rivington). SCOTCH SEQUESTRATION. HUGH CAMPBELL, provision merchant, Glasgow, May 3 and 24, at one, at the writing-chambers of Messrs. A. and J. Morrison, Glasgow. GENERAL PENSION SOCIETY. The annual festival in aid of the funds of this institution took place yesterday evening, at the London Tavern, Bishop- gate-street. At six o'clock the Marquis of Clanricarde took the chair, when upwards of two hundred gentlemen sat down to dinner. Over the chair was a well-executed transparency of her Majesty, with the following appropriate motto, "Our Royal Patron, she is the very soul of bounty." As soon as the cloth was removed, the usual loyal toasts were given, which were duly disp o sed of. Aft er which, The Noble CHAIRMAN proposed the toast of the evening, which was " Prosperity to the City of London General Pen sion Society, and may it flourish for ever." The Institution, he said, had received in its very infancy the sanction and support of the parents of our beloved Queen, the Duke and Duchess of Kent, and the King of the Belgians, and they would be gratified to hear, that _her Majesty had followed their good example, and taken the society under her protec tion. He then made a feeling appeal to those present in be half of a charity which had already conferred blessings upon many who were unable to help themselves, and which was also to be instrumental, if properly supported, in benefiting many more who might become fitting objects of its benevo lentoperations. The Secretary, Mr. RICHARDSON, read the report, which was exceedingly voluminous, and included the names of a vast number of Noblemen of high rank, as subscribers to the In stitution. Before reading the report, the Secretary made some preliminary remarks, in which he stated that the So ciety was formed. in 1818, for providing permanent relief to decayed artisans, mechanies, and tradesmen generally, and the widows of such persons above sixty years of age—that the male pensioners receive 225. per month, and the females 15s.—about thirty of the pensioners were above eighty years of age, and upwards of twenty above ninety. The subscriptions for the evening were exceedingly liberal, amounting, in all, to nearly 1,100/. Among the numerous donations announced were—the Queen, 100 guineas ; the Queen Dowager, 10/. annually ; the Earl of Aberdeen, 201 ; Lord Beresford, 20/. ; Earl of Haddington ' 10/. ; Luke James Hansard, Esq., 50/. ; E ar l o f B ur li ng t on , 301.; the Trustees of the Cholmondeley Charities, 50/. ; J. Deacon, Esq., 101. los. ; Sir John Easthope, Bart., 5 guineas annually ; the Countess of Leicester, Si. ; the Duchess of Cambridge, 101. ; C. B. "Wall, Esq., M.P., 10/. ; Miss Coutts Burdett, 20/.: Matthias Atwood, Esq., 10/. ; the Earl of Shrewsbury, 101.10 s. ; Thomas Baring, Esq., M.P., 201.; the Duke of Buccleuch, in addition to 1151., 251. ; Mr. Thwaits, 501. ; Marquis of Bristol, 25/. The vocal arrangements were entrusted to Mr. Bruton, assisted by Messrs. F. Martin, R. Smith, J. Perring, Giffin, and Miss Steele, the last-named volunteering her professional services for the occasion. A military band was in attendance, enlivening the com pany during the evening with many of the most popular airs of the day. The dinner, wines, and attendance were excellent, and the manner altogether in which the entertainment was given did great credit to the proprietors, Messrs. Bathe and Breach. COURT CIRCULAR. THE QUEEN DOWAGER.--The account of her Majesty's health yesterday, we are happy to state, was very favourable. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge sent, yesterday morning, to Marlborough House, to learn the state of her Majesty. The other members of the Royal Family also sent, in the course of the day, to make inquiry after her Majesty's health. The following was the bulletin issued yesterday : " Her Majesty the Queen Dowa ger h as passed a Food night, and the inflammation of the arm continues to subside. " Marlborough House, " DAVID DAVIES, M.D. " May 1, 1844. " ROBERT KEATE." A number of the Foreign Ministers, and many of the No bility and Gentry, called during the day at Marlborough House to learn the state of her Majesty. THE DUCHESS OF GLOUCESTER.—Her Royal Highness, we regret to state, is suffering from pain in one of her arms-- the effect of a fall. Th e Queen sent yesterday to make in quiry after the state of her Illustrious relative. His Royal Highness the Duke of Cambridge paid a visit to his Royal Sister yesterday at Gloucester House. Her Royal Highness passed a tolerable night on Tuesday. The Queen and Prince Albert walked yesterday in th Royal Gardens of Buckingham Palace. His Royal Highness Prince Albert afterwards rode out on horseback, attended by Colonel Wylde, Equerry in Waiting. The Royal Family were taken airings yesterday in the Royal Garden. ColonelNNirnyldehs Waiting re o l n ie i Ne is d Colonelßoyal H B ig o h u o v es eri s e p i r n io t oe he A d l u bl3 ti r T of Equerry ; The Royal dinner party at Buckingham Palace yester day included the Duke and Duchess of Sutherland, the Ma r q uis of Granby, and Captain Francis Seymour. at his resi dence,Earl Howe gave a dinner yesterday evening , , of Ancient Dlusic. His Lordship„accompr: Curzon house, to the Noble Directorsof d rf ance of the tinguished guests, afterwards went to thc_p th e Conc e rt uo his nc dis rt 's of Granby, Ca_ ptain Prince Albert, attended by the Margin and his Royal Hi h- Concert in the llanover-square Rooms. His oval Highness b) , Baron knesebe g ck, II F ersa3n thes Se} kmoor, Cambridge,and Co ionel honoured the perforina.i.Concert th • ce of the their presence. f the Excise, and Mr. Carr, Mr. John Wood, Chairman 9 yesterday, at his official residence, in of the Exchequer„ V attendedyld e Solicitor to the Excise, had an interview with the Chancellor Downing-street. Ch ai rman of the Customs, had an i n t erv i ew with the Right Hon. W. E. Gladstoneyeste r d a y, at the o ffi ce of the Board of Trade. Mr. Dean had a l so an interview yes. te r dMary. Dean ,withhe Chancellor of the Exchequer. Lieutenant-Colonel Barney, Rovak Engineers, had an in terview with Lord Stanley yesterday, at the Colonial-office. The Governor of the Bank of England, and the Deputy- Governor, had an interview with the Chancellor of the Ex chequer yesterday. Dispatches were sent oft' last evening from the Colonial office for the Earl of Elgin, Governor of Jamaica, and the Governors of the other West Indian Colonies. RAND ENTERTAINMENT AT THE MANSION. 1101 3 E--On Tuesday, the Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress gave a splendid entertainment to the members of the Corporation and their ladies at the Mansion-house. It was the eighth of a series of dinners given by his Lordship and the Lady Mayoress in the most splendid style to the members of the Court of Common Council. A precedent has been established for the invitation of the wives of the members of the Court in this succession of magnificent treats to the fair sex, and it will no doubt be acted upon uniformly in future Mayoralties, cal culated as it is to give great addition to the pleasures and elegance of the civic hospitalities. The vocal and instrumental music was admirably performed by Miss Galbraith, Miss R. Dixon, Mr. Lover, Mr. Cruse, and Mr. Richards, Mr. Jewson, and Mr. Thomas, of the Royal Academy. The dinner, and wines, and fruits, were of first-rate excellence, and nothing could - exceed the gratification felt by the numerous guests. On this day a splendid entertainment ,will be given by the Lord Mayor to the Archbishops and Bishops after. the per formance of Divine service in St , Paul's. The 'enter tainment will take place in the Egyptian-hall, which has been recently fitted up and embellished. ' from a wage r b etween two Yesterday an unusual degree of interest WU et cited Canterburyo onthe gentlemen.lStst e road following are the pa r ti cu l ars: d —A wager for ten pounds was made by a gent l eman that be would find a workman that would sharpen in a work man lik e manner 1,900 hop poles in ten hours. The that of strength commenced at six in the morning, and such was the interest that a large concourse of persons assembled to witness the re• suit—all positive that it cpuld not be completed in the given time. Two thousand and forty-one poles were sharpened lu seven hours and four minutes, to the surprise of tha specta tors, and perfect satisfaction of the gentlemen aßpeinted. umpires. --Kentish Gazette.