The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-04-28 00:00:00

EDUCATION OF IRISH FACTORY CHILDREN.

---
Mr. PARNELL rose to move for leave to bring in
a Bill " for tile promotion of tl►e education and
morale of children iu cotton and other factories
In
Ireland." The Honourable Member observed,
that education was not so generally dissemi-
nated in Ireland as iu this country, which ►en-
dered the measure peculiarly necessary. The
oppositi to it would be probably founded
on the old principle, that legislative interference
should not be employed in matters of a private 'ill'.
tore. To ;his general rule, there were, he con-
cei►ed, three exceptions. The first exceptio:► was
explained by the old swing. that what is every
body's business is nobody's business. If th:s pfill-
ciple were suffered to predominate, the most itupor-
Id be (tlected, F instance,
1y intr.
as iierli-
I, there-
it to be
UII Was,
*nary.—
ono-Mier-

tarnotine
ihl have
took the
followed.
the pro-
(r—of sna-
thildren.
wished.
nd, that
be too-
clergy
benevolent so-
.children,
respective
in cities
•petit tom-
' of facto•
children,
.the opera-
tocousidetable
repaid by the
iucation.
Hon. Mem-
- the dd.-
moved for
hive con-
aew ob-
he (Sir
at heard
Joillil have
limns had

been presented In the House from any of those face
toriea requestrog such a memos, ti. Ire put 'tterl to
the lourre—.ireither had the Hon. Member called for
s return of the number of those factories ill Ireland,
nor of the children employed ill them. The Hors.
Member called for a most extraordinary power, that
of allowing a number of philantliropte societies.
which he supposed to he in elistence, to enter fie-
tones, and to classify the workmen and the children.
the women and the men, as they pleased. He also
listroded to propose se clause. providing. that those
manufacturing establishments should be exempted
from the Assessed Taxes, where a certificate was
procured front any of those philaiiihropte societies,
specifying that the business was conducted with
propriety. and the morals of the children were
attended to. This was a proposition he could not
agree to—and, though be would not oppose the
bringing in of the Bill, he declared, for himself,
and on the part of the Hon. Secretary for [relent!,
that neither of them would consider himself bound

to g!ve it any support.
Sir Jon NEWPORT said, that, by allowing the
Bill to be brought in, no Gentleman pledged him-
self to any particular line of conduct hereafter.
When it was brought in, if it contained any thing
exceptionable, it might perhaps be 'intended, and
the Bill rendered onexceptionalsle. The [Um,
Baronet spoke of philanthropic societies, as he
knew of none in Ireland--but. he should recollect
that every year tall or three of them received grunts
from that H nose. A Bill, for the useful pur-
poses which the Hon. Member had in stew, if prac-
ticable, would he extremely beneficial—if it were
not practicable, the House had the power of rt.
jeetioog it.
Mr. CRORER said, he would always dissent from
Irg'olltlllVr Ilira!WWl which were intended to affect
&!gland or Ireland alone. Perhaps the Hon.
Member ranil.l state some particular circumstances,
relatiog to Irelaud :runt not to Eloglanol, that created
au exception to what he conceived to be the general
Mho. A 4 there was au union, and they were an
untied Psorboonent, they ought to assimilate the. INV.%
'of the two countries as much as possible.—( 1 Mar.)
—They ought not to habituate themselves to tinak-
ing, much less to legislating, for two distinct coon-
toes.—/(/ear.)—lt wad, therefore, in the expel:ta-
ttoo that the lion. Nlrinher could state stone rya.
sort, applying only to Ireland. as the grootttl-won k
of the measure, that he coosented to the narcotise-
lion of the Bill.
Mr. PHILLIPS expressed his hostility to the mea-
sure.
Mr. PARNELL said a few words in reply—after
which leave was elven to bring in the

BRITISH CLAIMS ON FRANCE.
011 the moons of Lord CASTLEICEAGH, the
House resolved itself into a Committee on the
Claims on France 11111.
Mr. C. litnrcoixsoe rose to draw the attention
of the Committee to a class of Clllllllard% whose
case be conceived to he peculiarly hard. tie allud-
ed to the British merchants, who were resident at
Flourdeaux, and had reoular commercial establish-
ments there, when the French Revolution broke out.
The Cos iiiii issioners, in their Report of the sth of
Nlay, stated, that " the particular nature of their
case was as yet in little understood, that they could
not decide whether their losses were sustained by
sruuestriotaii and confiscation, or not." In what
he ass about to state, he meant not to Vitt ally re-
flection on the Commissiisiiers ; hut joined most
soicerely, with the Noble Loot, in stating his con-
viction, that it was their anxious wish to discharge
their duty to all parties with the most impartial jus-
tice. His wish was, to introduce a clause lido the
Bill, to protect interests obis li had not been consi-
dered. This did not arise from any wilful neglect on
she part of the Commissioners—not originated in a
doubt which they eirtertaiiis ri ; and therefore it ail/
the duty of the House so to vr,rd the Bill, as to
remove from the moots of those Gentlemen the
doubt contained in the note he had read. The
Commissioners felt, that, if they could 1.10 bring
the lobar% of elaimassoss under the heed of " con-
fiscation" or " sequestration," they could not
affarrl them relief—and therefore it was that they
had furnished this note, in order to put the Le-
gislature in possession of the difficulty they had to
encounter. The object of the Nnble Lord, its she
Convetstosti aortrif to at Paris 111 1615, was to af-
ford relief to 'British sulijects who had claims on
the French Govr meet fur !wows sustained siuririg
the mat—either to the fall extent of their demands,
or in due proportion's, with reference to the money re-
ceived from the Government of France fur that pm.-
104 w. The amount received exceeded, he believed,
3,000.000/. sterlim;. "I'he claimants might be di-
vided, generally, into three classes—fended, terri-
torial, and commercial. There was also :soother
class, denoimisisted by the Commissioners boll.
commercial. Tile whole amount of claims re-
ported by the Commissioners, did not exceed
6,000,000/. and Goveriinirtit were, at present, in piss-
oession of nearly 3,000,000/. rs ceived from France.
Supposing, then, the whole of the cliiims stated in
the paper to lie correct, there were sufficient Cued%
in this colintry to pay SO per crud. on the total de-
wands. But; on itivestigistion, several or those
claims him been found perGctly without fouistla-
nor,. suit the prollobility was, that not more than
two-thirds of the claims stated in that pryer
would Iw anat.:is-101y authenticated to josttfythe
Commissioners to pay them. A number of
British commercial r-sidents, tooter the Treaty
uf 174 G, settled in France, but more particu-
larly w BittitileklUlt. Now the Noble Lord took
the 2d article oldie Treaty (which had been viola,-
ed) Hs the basis of his Convention. By the tir.t
article of the Convention, it was declined that such
stilajeuts of hits Britannic Majesty its, by the cootie-
veiition of the second article of the Treaty of I7hb.
had since the year 1793 suffered by confiscation or
sequestration, should be remunerated by the French
Government. By the fifth clause of the Treaty of
1786. it s as provided, that no resident Buitisli
merchant should be compelled to tiling his
torrchandose to mart or fair. The 'Treaty of
1786 held out every Inducement to British rater-
chains to disk their persons and property to France.
and tunny individuals were tempted to settle there.
It was unnecessary to argue, that the Nibble Lord,
mind those who, on the part of this country. eistered
into ilis• Convention of 1815 with the FIefICII
nttruded that restitution sl Id he made
to all B iUsb subjects who could prove th.it they
had suffered in their property, cusimirecial or ter-
Mortal, during the period of the Revolution. The

comraft to which he hal Aided,
feted .t•verrl t, and he was anxious that thev ehotild
be periol/frul to prove tl.wir 10114V4. The
claims were 3.0“0,090/. t lie territorill, I ,000,001/.
--tlw t•tnnmrrelal, generitliv, 1.309,000/.—th: c..m:
menial liouveb, 1.000,090/. Al the
funded clatio.iiits hid received 1,500,000/. h✓uug

nue half of the funda as Fet provider! hy the French.
Governmetit—iii•l one 8101111 g hurl hero' !mid err the
territorial ClallalAtit•—end of the consmyrti.il el 411114

70.• 000 had !wen rejrct 11, and, altogether, elenit
3,000/, paid, 1-1 r, coo.iilered it onlast, ...it the
funded r liftman!, wlin oirrely •itecol,iteti in thin
country, who orver rrstileti ur Frani I‘,l
preferred to the conintercial, who, tinder the 11.1111
of thr Treaty of 17%14r, had dettlril In that country,
During the reign of terror, in 17'13, thr property
ref thr, Brite-h merchants in Bointleaux w oil ark.
ell without merry, tioidlry wit:ir wag tientim. nutted
flarrrr of " 111(1 rhr cord con-
fiscation or s,,pestratitni becti tp.ril, the Coin-
inc•notiers must at once have ctrl uittrd their
those scolds ii:it appe;tritt,,4, a

arose, which it was the two/ince of that Rotor
to doped. The. Ifooonrable Memlwr then *,out
into a history of tlw trausectious wine') took place
tot Iloiloleaux, in 1793, when a generel search was
made, under a specie: Decree, fur British property.
Those who attempted to coeceal it, weer tie-totem-if
with 10 years imprisonment iii irouselpol serried Bri-
nell merchants were confined for six turd lime mouths.
Some of them, who renamed for a longer period
hi g uol, were served with a notice, alirectisig them,
as the necessity of the country called bur the wines
iootentled for exportation to England. fettlovith to
give in u list of all wows purchased lay them. spe-
cifying their see, quality„ utill growth, sold pre-
mising payment for the article. The Commis-
sioncrs who were to roolorce this order had power to
pmaish reristaiice to it. ‘Vitoes.svese in coniequeiace
twuzerl on, mud. in many caves, that which was wt,i i h
oogs. did slot fetch snore titan 10% to the ownte.
That violence war used be would clearly prtive,
biller Er had the ceitificate of Count Lynch, whose
came war well known. stating the clicninstences
of violeuce neuter which the wines were taken.
What he wished to du was to insert a clause its the
8011, that would remove all doubts from the
minds of the ('ommissimiers tie to the goods
having been virletilly seized, shhotielo the wood
" prehension" was used in the I)ecree. The
Commissioners. he mid, might wit be disposed,
considering themselves nut warranted, to re-crier
evidence : w that case it would he but reasonahle
that the particular creditors he alluded to should he
allowed to enter into evidence before the Council
am appeal. They certainly were entitled to every
indulgence—for it could n..t be foreotten that they,
tooter the faith of the Treaty of 17evi, risked their
lives, their liberties, end their property ; that many
of them suffered imprisonment, that others of them
owed their safety to flight, and all of theta had
been considerable sublerers.
Lord C•STI.F.EtVAtiti said, the object oldie /louse
was to do justice to toll the claimants. The House
was not here, he staid, a judicial tiihnnel, but the
Conintissiomers meted as a judicial authority, and
acted wider rice solemnity of on mitt:—there could
het he a doubt but diet they acted conscientiously.
There were indeed hut few caves an which the
Commissioners gave their opinion, and upon these
cases they gave mere provisimial apiuiou., leaving
the pulley to collect information, so that they acted
wuuli extreme ceutioe. With respect to the aimed.
it wits the onnst desirable appeal the patties could
have, and if the I louse *mild entanele the King.
it would only revive questions of account, and
world ot erw helm the Council with dirties that did
not properly appertain to it. The proposition of
the Don. Gentleman he thought would only go to
enact a legislative measure mu its individual case.
11/r. IlosetssoN said, the Cointnissiontre, he had
no doubt, were thsovseti to decide truly. In Corn..
moo with, the lion. Nlember (llr. Hutchitisoe) he
felt the difficulty of forming a classification of the
different elating of parties. He would shortly call
the ettention of the House to the description of the
claimants under the Convention. 'There were cre-
ditors who were in the habit of trading in France.
oun commercial pursuits. 'floe Decree of October
1793, confiscated the property of the English,
Scotch, and Irish; that Decree goes nu awarding
pt: ielornent of ten years imprisonment on those
who would be found guilty Of concu.oling such pro-
p• riV, sod awards half the amount to the ihformer.
Under this Decree, it was, he mild, upperent that
the polarity of British subjects was couliscated—it
was completely forfeited—and all right and autho-
rity its such property were trsusferred in new
pto-
prietors, namely, to (he French Government. lie
would put a similar case to exempiify the 'Hippo-
eition. Had Newland and Company become bank-
rupts, there could be uo doubt but.that the agents
of the French Gower 1111 l ent would come in as
creditors. The law haviug passed, remained
so in force from 1793 in 1795: in that year
the Fraucio assignats were of no value. The
Netianal Convention thee issues a D c. It
says, that the different Power* acting against the
Fiend* Republic hall cooniiscitol the property of'
Freorlinseis against the how of nations—that the
Republic, :ay the laws, of war, would he justified in
us/foil retirusals, but they had only ordered the
sequestratium of property HA an act of necessity—
that the successes of the Lich Republic rendered
such a measure no hritg.-r orcessary. It then goes
oil to order that the property seized under the 1)e.
cree of 1793. s'inuld he repaid out of the public
chest ; unit it was under thia Decree, which affect.
ed to restore the property his micerly seized, that it
was now contended that the property was not
confiscated ; but that Moots was a gross delusion;
it acted ter false poccioles it affected to restore
property, because then it was of no value whatever.
De contended that the clainiunte were entitled to
redress ; and as to the appeal, as far as the parties
with *limo he was eioucerued went, they were satis-
fied pith the present omit-al, and they were grateful
to the House and to the Noble Lord for having got
it. The Treesv of the 30ilt May, to fo„ declares,
that British clniursotr Silt/111d be intl. uoullied for
the tortes they *olio ed by coufiscation. Commis.
wooers repaired to Paris for the purpose of armee-
nig those chat us. The British claimants -he rmitilleil
interest, to which they were entitled; toe Frenth
Oil the utle•r hotel, contended that,
under the ettoilicopel law of Footles!, no claims of
upwards of five years .tatidlog ire.t.!, entitled to in-
terest. Here the thwg retnitned Bottupsite re.

turned f.. It Elba. After the war IL succeette,l,
second Treaty was entered into. and then, the
prise of making a snore specific regulation, iu,rl 1.. r
rrnilrrtng more efficacious th► 4th art. or the Tie:iti
of 1814, o second Convention ws+ agreed nil ; amt
Illl^ll comes the Convention, No. 7, the 1•t a elm

of which regulated the mode of dealing with whlit
ore called creditors, :Ind the oneambletit•rwtertdrd
by re'•ittog the 4th adthbottal :trtu•le of the i'te.ey
of IR14; that article. Noll the 901 arot•ls. of

Treat, of Noyemlwr, 1815, he would ouloottute-a4
must advantageoun. but he would exclude the
I•t article. which iltd toot 10. tr nioun the tiowyttoo.
kle *aid that a mistake a* to the suet cia-itio.tl
been made. The Urtii*lt claims had he•n *laird
tot amount to vile million aht hendied
li►res, whereas thoy only ansoo•bd to Moe hun-
dred thousand lovre.„ about half the. sum .I.h.d.
li w.ua unfortunate that such • mistake could have
been Mettle.

Sir C. liont%sno .coke in favour of the Rill.
Sir Jon's NEWPORT usid, ill he understirid the
Bill rightly it was to ululate the manlier of the rags
entioli of Treatte.„ On this point all doubts should
be removed, and the matter should be put mi
clearly before the Commisatoarrs as to prevent the
rissibility of sniveler. Yet donbm now exitatai,
and even the tristolatioo of the Frenrb and Englioh
treaties varied in some essential points.-.4tien of high
legal authority, the first indeed, at the bar, differrd
with the eanstrwetion of the Crown. Lawyer*. He
did not, by any memo, doubt but that the Com.
riliiiliters were mast willing to do justice ; and all
lie asked was, that the Parliament may enable
them to do M.

Mr. fluTcuttssou said, that when he called the
attention of the House to the cases of great grievance
and hardship, it was not, as the Noble Viscount
stared. for the porpoise of introducing a partial
legislative measure for them, hut it was for the
purpose of inducing the Committee to enable the
Commissioners to do ample justice to all path...
As to the Commissioner themselves, it ass,
he hoped, 'unnecessary for him to remind the
Committer that he had spoken of them in teross as
kind us he could espress ; had he spoken of them
in any other IllatiPer, his would not do justice to
his own feelings. The creditors themselves, be was
authorised to say, felt satisfied sod grateful for tine
attention they hart received from the Commissioners.
In swishing to hove en appeal to the King in Coen.
cil. it was not (as had been also represented by the
Noble Lord) to entangle the King with matter. of
detail. but it was that every opportunity might be
given to the creditors, so that justice 'night be.
fully eriteelled. _

Dr. Put,Lussoße folinwed on the sanae side.

The SOLICITOR-GF.StEttAI. t•itti the Privy Coun-
cil had no new power to eVitTiltltt fresh whom...es
upon oath, and it would be it ry iintiwitie to opi-ti
the caves of claitritit. alies, though it may be rig;it
to give, as is now peoposeit, s ittlwief of appeal from
the Commissioners. He thought the appellant',
evidence of claim obuald he limited to that given
tdready before the Committee, and that he sltnultl
tint be permitted to open it awry sod adduce addi-
tional testimony.
Lord CASTLEREAGH said, it never could have
been the iiitrotion to throw upon the King aid
Council the labour of this species of inquiry, as the
Hon. and Le.irned Getit (1)r. Plotlnhofe)
suggested. It ,nul.t he harsh for the Council to
shut nut doc.inients when presented to them. if the
matter were left open ; bestiles, it would be hold-
nig out a temptation to eln4nants before the Com-
missioners allow, to refrain flow pressing evidence
before the C..ltatni3llollerst below, which they might
rather wish to res tee for an appeal to the Knig
Council. lie humped it would be a situple appesl
only that should lie open to the Comm!, soil not
the exercise of any new functions which they had
nut hitherto possessed.
Mr. Wit.sux concurred in the opinion just &i:-
weird Lay the Noble Lord.
Mr. FREDERICK DOUGLAS concurred in opinion
with his lion. and Learned Friend (Dr. Phillimnre,.
that if the revision were consigned to the King aid
Council, the necessary means of adducing evidence
to give the appeal full effect should nut be with-
held. .

-----
Mr. flusuissoN sow no necessity of opening the
merits of cases in appeals of this kind. The Lords
of Appeal were not, in fact, precluded Isom hear-
ing further evidence.
Mr. FREDERICK DOUGLAS, on the Contrary, saai
the clause precluded the Privy Council from re-
ceiving any other evidence than that which I,:td
been already given before the Commissionem
words of the Act weer, " and no other."
The ATTORNEY and SOLICITOR-GENERAL se.
verally contended, that to open the admission of
new evidence before the Pii.y Council would be to
establish ti new sissies of ii bun tl altogether. Tee
Appeal woo col) meant to he from the construction
which the Comintssitiners may put on specific fact•
which may come before them. nut fur the put•
pose of admitting, perhaps, o totally different c.se
front that already tried before a competent to-
buttol.

Lord CAsit.LnEscui still hoped Ib4 no attempt
would he persevered in to create a new jurisdiction
its the King and Clothed. •
Mr. HUTCIIINSOM did not widi for a new tribu-
nal in the Council. hot that in the possibie rout
of the Commissioinis rjusin; puriiculor
it might be competent f.ar the appellants to produce
it before the Privy Cuin.cil. He idionlit thereicia
wish that the words of tl.e clause should roil "
deuce given or produced."
Sir C. ROBINSON saw oo o!.jection to the intire
duction of the Ovoid "produced."
After u few obeervaiwns from Sir J. Ncsrror•T
and Mr. C. 14....uTcttio,us. tie other t•-•
Rill were agreed to. ihr Iterort brought up. 7111
ordered to he received tii-tnoilow.
Several Returns were ordered of the 'mount of :it. Fres
levied in leelatel.
A Petition was prcsented from the Inhabitants of
mei in favour of the Catholic Ciento..
On th, motoin of Sir intim NtivronT, the Cle
Pence Bill wit• lead a find tone, end ordered to be,
second t Our on Thnrailay neat.
Mr. PV. PARsvu, howled in the bite Educative
Factory Bill, who read a Brit lime', arid ordered
read a •ecoul Line an Weduipitay neunight.
Mr. lIUME postponed the vetund reading of the E,
Olth Bill (vital the Tali of May.
On the motion PovVrtt I the Scotch Due

r Cvaleiscr wn, •.: el •u IC • • •.• • • .
Mr. CHOKER wished to explain the motive which taut matters would be neglected. For isioti
induced him to suffer the witnesses to go away, with- the inhabitants of a country were all equally i
out cross-a )(annotation. It was not any difficulty rested in its defence—they however would, as i
miring from a 'suspicion of the credit of the wit- vidualr, neglect this parantottnt duty; and, tli
tier-pi—it arose from no point that could be cleared fore, Government interfered, and caused it u
up by them ; lie considered their evidence to be s propel ly attended to. The second exception
completely above doubt or suspicion ; but the i where all epidemic disease ravaged a cannot]
evident—, he felt, wag not, or a whole, sufficient to Ireland roll-led prodigiously from the nor-it
bring coi.riciiim home to his mind. Hearing two I ference of the Legislature. Had a landequarin
voices in a brll-room was nut sufficient to authorise been established, he was convinced at would
a cunelts,••,,il that the pantie. were guilty of err- done much gaud. Government at length took
Ilil.lal couvartosusou—and lie khea, that lie could matter up, and the most beneficial results folio,
tint get stronger evidence from the !milk.. hi the 3,1 place, Parliament legislated for the
1)r. Fur timings: wished the House and the tection ist particular classes of rcople—of
Hon. Gentleman to recollect the guards which i mace, for imitative, and, he thought, of chili
were interposed to prevent them from coming to a Now, as Parliament might interttire, lie *is
.i
rash conclusion• in the first place, there was the as factories were starting up in Ireland,
the children em
sentence of the Court of King's Beach, awarding, ployed in them should be
1
damages, to the amount of a thousand pounds, rally educated. Ilia view was, that soy cl
' against the 1/-fenalant—ilext, there war the sea- man, Protestant or Catholic, or any benevolen
teaser of the Ecclesiastical Court, dissolving the ciety, ought enter those factories, class the chit(
marriage—anti lastly, the opinion of the House of and place them under monitor* of their respe
Lords. Alter this, it was a little too much for sexes. Ile should also propose, that, in I
Hun. Melnik r-, when the witnesses had withdrawn, *here the heads of any of those benevolent a
tat stilt inventing of the description which he lied 1 ties granted a certificate that the owners of ti
rheard. Ile thought the evidence full and coin- tier were careful of the morals of the chili
pier, though rather proving a proximate set, than I such factories should be exempted from the 01
fully ~,,ii,thtoiming the fact 'Neff. He certainly ti 6 it of the Assessed Taxes. 'the incotsich,
al 1111 l Id vole organist ally delay. .., thus given up would be amply repaid b:
Strangers were twice ordered to withdraw; but improvement of youth in morals said education
the root for the third reading. to-morrow, was Sir G. fltta. said, lie war sure if the lion. N
ultimately carried, without a &vision. her had stated to the secretary for Ireland the
IRISH FISHERIES AND MANUFACTURES. I tenant objects he had ni view, before he move
Alderoom Wool) put otf his motion for ti Bill leave to bring in this Bill, he would not hive
to promote tile fisheries and manufactures of Ire- wilted even to its introduction. Solite of thosi
rit laud, by regulator's' of partnership., which stood jests were of such a nature, Our, had he
fur this day, until the ;Ph tut Nlay. George) [seem apprised of thew, when lie first I
, WAGES OF SEAMEN. of the Hon. Gentleman's intention. lie would
f Lord EBRINtiII'OX rose, so pursuance of no- a opposed the proposition altogether. No pentroil
1111116.6 .14immersimigiiiiiiminmowigiailligigillialaiiiiiiiiiisi'' *'' . . . 7 .4. ..' - • .
. . . ' ' ... - .- - •