The Press.
London, England, 1854-03-18 00:00:00

ENDOWED SCHOOLS.

Mr. PELLATT moved, on Thursday, an address to
the Crown, praying for the appointment of a royal
commission of inquiry into the state, average number
of pupils, discipline, studies, and revenue of endowed
schools of England and Wales ; also of the endow-
ments for scholars, their number and revenue ; like-
wise of all bequests of libraries, and endowments for
their support; the character, numbers, awl condition
of the books ; the number of the librarians and
their salaries ; with the view of increasing the educa-
tional and other advantages to the public in general.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL moved the previous question
by way of amendment. The motion, he contended,
would lead to very great expense, and to interference
with the proceedings of the commission appointed
last year,

SATURDAY,

Mr. HUME suggested that the motion should be
withdrawn, which, after a short conversation, was
agreed to.

COASTING TRADE BILL.
Lord STANLEY of ALDEILLEY, moved the second
reading of this bill by the Peers on Thursday. Its
object is to throw the coasting trade of the country
open without restriction to foreign vessels.
Lord COLCHESTER would not oppose the motion,
but denied that the benefits anticipated to Sow from
the repeal of the navigation laws had been realised.
At the same time he was satisfied with the retalia•
tory powers contained in the bill.
After a short debate the bill was read the second
time.

MORTMAIN.
Mr. HEADLAM, on Thursday, obtained leave to
bring in a bill to consolidate and amend the laws of
mortmain, and the laws regulating gifts for charitable
or religious purposes. The chief okect of the mea-
sure, as explained by the honourable gentleman, was
to exempt from the operation of the Statute of Mort•
lake all gifts of land for the sites of schools, churches,
or chapels, to whatever religious denomination be-
longing.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL, on behalf of the Govern-
ment, expressed his assent to the principle of the
measure.

PAYMENT OF WAGES BILL.
The second reading of this bill, having been moved
at Wednesday's midday sitting of the Commons by
Mr. C. FORSTER, was opposed by Mr. HUME, who
contended that the Legislature had no right to inter-
fere between masters and men. The measure, he
believed, would be practically unworkable, was
perilous to trade, and designed to remedy a merely
local grievance.
Mr. CRAUFURD urged that any attempt at legislation
should be preceded by an inquiry into the existing
relationship between employers and employed, and
moved as an amendment that a select committee
should be appointed for that purpose.
The amendment was supported by Mr. HEYWORTIT.
Mr. Deunisiosn resisted it on the ground that it
blinked the real point at issue. The labourers, who
were helpless, and complained that their masters
defrauded them, came to the house for redrew..
The necessity of protecting the employed against
their employers had been acknowledged for centuries
past. It was notorious that the truck system wag
made the means of fraud under which the operatives
suffered severely. He supported the bill, denying
that it interfered in any degree with employment or
wakes.
Sir J. WALMSLEY believed that serious abuses
existed which the bill might remove.
Mr. BOOKER and Mr. BRUCE also supported the
bill.
Mr. BRIGHT feared that the measure would only
aggravate the evil and crowd the manufacturing
districts with a population of informers. The true
and only corrective to be found for any evils now
existing in the treatment or payment of the
operatives must be looked for in their own sense
of right and interest, and in the force of public
opinion.
Mr. FORSTER replied to the objections urged
against his bill, which he offered, if the second read-
ing were passed, to refer afterwards to a select
committee.
Lord STANLEY opposed the bill, believing that its
principle was unsound, that it was unnecessary, and
would prove inoperative. Legislative interference
with employment was a difficult and dangerous task,
and should be made the rule, not the exception. It
was a matter more than doubtful whether the open-
ing of shops by the masters must necessarily be
injurious to the men. He knew that in many
agricultural districts it had been the practice for
the landowners to establish shops for the con-
venience of their labourers ; and, if this were not to
be done by the manufacturers, the same restriction
ought to apply to the agricultural districts. (Hear,
hear.)
Mr. MOTFATT supported the amendment ; Mr.
PACKE and Sir B. HALL approved of the bill.
Sir G. GREY gave a partial support to the measure,
some of whose provisions were similar to changes
whose expediency he had himself recognised when in
office.
A division was taken after some further discussion,
when the motion for the second reading was
affirmed by 166 votes to 56-110. The bill VMS read
a second time, and ordered to he referred to a select
committee.

SLIGO ELECTION.
The report of the select committee appointed to inquire into
the allegations of Mr. Somers's petition, complaining of irregular
proceedings in the matter of the petition against Mr. Sadleir's
return for Sligo. has been presented to the House of Commons
and printed. 3he committee report that the main allegations of
Mr. Somers's petitions are proved ; that Mr. Gethin, solicitor, of
Sligo, being instructed by Mr. Sadleir's agent to make inquiries
as to the solvency of the sureties to the petition against Mr.
Sadleir's return, employed for this purpose James Simpson, a
farmer, and Henry Simpson. relieving officer of the Sligo Union ;
and that at a meeting at Gethin's office, at which the three were
present, Gethin and James Simpson offered the father of one of
the sureties 501. to induce bint to procure Ne signature to

MARCH 18, 1854.

an affidavit giving a false statement as to his property ; and that
the Simpsous male a similar offer in the case of the other
surety, with a view to get sworn au affidavit (in Gethin's hand-
writing) containing false statements respecting the surety's pro-
perty, with a view to showing that he was nut worth the requisite
amount. The committee report " that the conduct of these
three persons is deserving of the serious attention and animad-
version of the House;" but they state " that Mr. Sadleir does
not appear from the evidence to have been personally implicated
in or cognisant of these proceedings."