The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1818-04-28 00:00:00

of the children mist be maul t. That they
hail
e eight to wink, and to work hard for their
steliskener, wits what he did not meats to deny.
That a large proportion of society must 'urn
their bread by the sweat of their brow, was what
might appear hard to the philanthropist, though
the philosopher most think it necessary ; yet ise.
ressary us it was iii the state and condition
of sot:arty, it was yet incumbent 011 the Legis-
lature to see that that system of over-working
was not applied to the lama race, which para-
I►sed their future exertions, and deprived them
of all fair and useful recreation. to the evidence
before the Comm►ttee. Mr. Send ford lied quoted the
Returns from the Sunday School', for the purpose of
c►►nt►asting the superior appearance of the children
employed nn the factories with those in other em-
ployments; they attended more regularly than
the other children. were cleaner sod move orderly.
But then came the part of the explanation to which
lir (Mr. Peel) begged to direct the attention of the
House—" the children of the cotton factories were
in as good health► as the others, though they d:d
nut look as well"--(/lour, latur.)—lt was also said,
•• they came us early to school as the other children,
except in sonic of the evenings of the winter months."
This explanation afforded room for much consi-
deration. Was it not disgusting to Nee that *du.
cation, which was calculated us the greatest of bless.
hags, was converted iuto a curse by this mode of
c yelling the children to try and avail themselves
of at, after the exercise of thirteen hours end • half
of close labour, whets throughout the day labour
had drained from them every 'piing of action► that
coulii refresh► their faculties, and bet►umbed that
elasticity of mind which could excite them an the
pursuit of study ?—was it not disgusting to see them
thus transferred, after 13 or 15 hours labour, to close
the day under the hands of a writing-master ?
Of these children► who► worked fifteen hours, possi-
bly not one resided iu the mills; many of them were
obliged to come from the distance of a mile, and
the time so taken up was to be added to that of
their employment in themill.--(Hear./—He would
*pixel to the common sense and feeling of every
111411 to admit—he wanted no evidence to prove—it
was impossible that it was requisite to the prospe.
ray of this great and flourishing country that such
enormous labour ►hould be exacted. of near twelve
thomeind children in one town. But having been
asked fur evidence, he would refer to the Petition,
signed by 30 medical gentlemen and 2 t clergymen.
In answer to the allegations of, and inferences from
this Petition, the Noble Lord said he would grant
it was signed by one gentleman of great respectabo.
lity, but of so easy a disposition, and over-comoas-
*innate temper, that he might readily be prevailed
upon to lend the sanction of his name to any docu.
latent of the description. It was in this manner the
Noble Lord endeavoured to shake the testimony of a
name so elevated and respected. The Noble Lord
was compelled to acknowledge that the Legislature
had street's' acted on the principle of interference
with bee labour, as it is called, iii the instance of
the chimney-sweepers. He had indeed afterwards la-
boured to establish a distinction, by which that case
would he taken ont of the general principle ; but
lie hail failed—he was mistakeu in his opinion—
his opposition was too late. The Chimney
Sweeper's Act, amid the Noble Lord, altogether
abolished, this Bill gees to regulate, a certain
species of labour fur children. But surely the
Noble Lord must confess that an Act which ab-
solutely prohibits the employing of children in any
ocicupation it a far more violent interference with
free labour sbauone which only limits it to a limited
petiod—eleven hours, for example.—(Hear./
The Noble Lord had expatiated on the wholesome.
ress of atmosphere, and mildness of temperature,
that prevailed in cotton mills—//tear)—and if he
was to be believed, of all the fragr int spots on the
globe. a coitus' mall carried away the palm—aud if
the evideoce on which the Noble Lord relied were

true, lie sl Id not have stopped where he did—
he ought to have moved aeon amendment that cotton
mils should be erected on every spot in the kingdom.
A principal part of that evidence was, that in the
establishment at Glasgow, in which au Hon. Gen-
tleman opposite (Mr. Finley) had a share. the aver-
MZE number of labourers fur each of three years,
Ist I, 12, and 13, amounted to about 804, while
th t of the .ick belonging to the establishment, dur-
ing the same portions of time, was but two. But
this showy statement was unluckily very much
shaken by most respectable evidence of a contrary
natore—that of Dr. Blane. His remark on it was,
that he had paid particular attention to the usual
proportion of the ►ick to the rest of the community.
to Englasid lie had calculated it to be on tke aver-
nil tote to tifty-four, and was quite surprised
find a place exempted from the mortality ;neva-
ient iu ull other places in the country. On this it
Lad been observed, that certain places might be
more cio.iitivive to health than others. Sir Gilbert
lone replied, that in Cardiganshire, consider-
ed the most healthful situation in the kingdom,
the aterage was 1 iu 74 ; and l►e could not recon-
i i;e it to himself, that, in a cotton factory, the ratio
o,isaa low as I to 404. Ouse of our Ports had 5aid......
In what mountain's ersgey cell
Dilseits the goddess Health to dwell?"

Where she dwelt wee now no longer a secret.—
Another, a Litireati bad
In what dim retreat
The ray N)inph firma her latfoui'd mat '"
_

and he dial think he would have heard with tura
tar that she had fixed it in the cottnn-mill of
Shrews. Fit.lay and Co. ut Glasgrv.—(/hear, hear,
wool wads leughicr.)— Abundance of etidence to
Wirer the necessity of the measure had been already
in the numerous petiitouis presented. If
more nos required, he would refer the House
ihe prod, (hugs (of erhich lie had in his hinds a
61).41) of Olio siwrtiligi held by the musters of
eatal4:.shasitiitt., nt ANlituti-under-Line: at the
tir.t of these, it hall herui unanimously resolved,
" tl,ut it is the °pluton of this nierting, that it is
l'ecniur highly sat tr....att. to limit the hours of
Idiotic in cotton I other snails;'—and in the
s"'' I. it load bre' an unanimous resolution,
:"it the Burr sl Id be rethiced to twelve hours."
'l,lr were piriverdlogs on the pate of the coasters
atsrlvrs odusitting the propriety of interference
I 4.1* Irgisl;iture, and the geOttlill alleged for the
had caste to was, that they did not
' that the limitation of labour by the masters
l'e'l produced the lad riTrets num apprehended
'MA si—llwt thew they added, that they alone could
114 do this, because the !minas, and some of the

children themselves, would prefer factories where
the time of working was fourteen hours, on account
of the additional wages; but if the House would
make the regulation general. ea far from objecting
to it, they would hail it with joy as au important
boon. The evidence of the interested end disin-
terested led to the conclusion, that Parliament
might wifely apply the principle of limiting the
period of labour to cotton mills.
Mr. PHILLIPS mid that great pains had been übed
out of doors to excite prejudices on the subject
ender discussion. Great mid unreasonable pre-
judices had been raised against the masters ; but
the same might be done against the managers of
any trade or business if the same arts were had
recourse to. The favourers of the Bill said that
regulations were neglected in cotton factories, but
no evidence to support that had been adduced.
They spoke also of the had state of morals ; but,
in his opiniou, the natural tendency of such
establishments was to produce habits of order, re-
gularity, temperance. and general morality. The
statements regarding the health of the labourers
were equally unsupported. Here the Honourable
Gentleman referred to the written opinions
and testitnouy of Messrs. Harding, 'Fortier,
Bardsley, and other medical Gentlemen, all
Foing to establish the fact. that in Manchester,
reston, and all through Lancashire, the number
of patients of every class iu the ho-pitals of late
years, was less in proportion from cotton than any
other factories, and that they had in some instances
contributed liberally from such factories to the
wants of the more distressed part of the popu-
lation. The Right Honourable Gentleman had also
referred to the opinions of Gentlemen of the faculty;
but there was this difference between the opinions
of the latter and those he had quoted, that the
former were derived from general reusuning. the
latter from fuels—he held too in his hand a errs
Winne front two Gentlemen, who professed their
sorrow fur having been induced to sign a Petition in
favour of the Bill. having since, on accurate inves-
tigation, discovered that there was no necessity
whatever for legislative interference. It was
subscribed by Messrs. Henry Harding and David
Hamilton. He would himself assert most delibe-
rately mid conscientiously, that the poor employed
in cotton factories in Lancashire were in a better
condition than the poor labourers in any other manu-
facture or occupation. lii the former, the labour
and wages were regular and uniform—in the latter,
both were fluctuating. The consequence was. that
the workers in cotton factories were best fed, best
clothed, and most healthy. The condition of chil-
dren was superior to that of apprentices ; sppren-
tires were totally under the authority of their roos-
ters—children under the authority of their parents.
He conceived it most dangerous to adopt any mea-
sure tending to derange the system of the free
exchange of labour and wages ; and deprecated the
legislating in compliance with the feelings of huma-
nity alone. without a regard to the great princio:er
of national policy. Experience had invariably
proved the attempt of such interference most mis-
chievous. The consequence of generally reducing
the hours would be, to cause a necessary increase of
buildings and hands—and till the enlargement
of the buildings an advance in wages. But
the enlargement of buildings would produce
an addition of population; in the mean time we
must export less, and the deficiency of the markets
would be supplied front the Continent, where no
restriction existed ; and when, iii the end, the la-
bouring population was increased, the wages of the
individual must be diminished : so that the
mate tendency of the measure was to inflict
the severest injury on the poor moo. Ile de-
fended the conduct and management of the fac-
tory its which himself had an interest. The po-
pulation of Lancashire were not inferior, as had
' been alleged, to that of any other part of Eng-
land. Less parochial relief was there afforded, in

proportion to numbers. than its any county, ex-
cept Cumberland. No occupation was exempt
from hardships and evils.—/Hear, hear.)—High
temperature was not required its cotton factories.
Mr. Holdsworth declared that severity-four was the
highest degree ever necessary, mud in the sort of
armoring to which that wu adapted, not more than
600 or 700 men were employed in all England.
The Bill had tended, and if carried into a law
would tend to encourager practice most prejudicial
to the best interests of the country—the practice
of combination among workmen—a practice directly
at variance with the murals, tranquillity, sod hap..
pions of themselves. He could see no rea►on why
the Legislature should interfere more in the cotton
than in the woollen manufactures, except, indeed.
that cotton-yarn was exported, while woollen..
yarn was slot. Ile prayed the House to pause be-
fore they sanctioned the principle of interfering
between masters and their labourers, and reject
the lion. Baronet's Bill.
Mr. BOOTLE 11'tt.ua•H1M expressed his unwil-
bogiess to trespass upon the House, but there
were one or two points to which he should beg leave
to direct their attention. The Hon. Gentleman
(Mr. Phillips) had endeavoured to snake an iinpres.
sion upon the House, by seeming to insinuate that
the Petitions in favour of this Bill proceeded from
some discontented manufacturers, or from the rivalry
of the woollen manufacturers. This, however,
could not have been the case with respect to the
Petition from Minichester. for it was signed by the
clergy and by the medical men of the town, all of
whom concurred in representing the length of tune
employed in labour as inconsistent with the health
of the children. The sincerity of the 1,500 gentle-
men who signed it could nut be better proved than
by the circumstance that if, as had been stated, all
person. under Id yeas should by this Bill be thrown
not of employment, these Gentlemen were in fact
promoting a measure winch would throw a very
great additional burden upon the poor laws, to be
defrayed by the petstiossr►s. lie remarked, that the
principle of legislative interference between la-
bowers and their employers, had already been
sanctioned by the Chimney Sweepers' Bill, which
had passed the House by acclamation ; and he en-
treated the limigr, having adopted a I 'ride in
one case, wherein the objects of it were under their
immediate inspection, not in obandon it in another
case, merely because the objects of it were at a dis-
tance 01 2 or 300 miles.

Mr. W. SMITH agrred with his Hon. Friend
(Mr. P 1111419, in. the I prornriy and thinger of giv-
ing the blighttri countenanve to combine' ion* among
the tabtamug duties; but the brat and tutget