The Sun.
London, England, 1837-06-30 00:00:00

BILLS OF EXCHANGE.

Mr. GROTE moved that the House resolve itself into
Committee on the Bills of Exchange Bill.
Lord S A NDON objected to the Bill.

The CHANCELOR of the EXCHEQUER said
guch a measure was absolutely necessary, and that if the
lion. Member had not been there to move it he would
have moved it himself. He, therefore, supported the motion.
Mr. WA KLEY opposed it, because it went to abrogate
the Usury Laws.

After a few words from Mr. Hume, Mr. Robinson, Col.
Thomson, Mr. Foster, and Mr. Goulburn the House went
into Committee.

The Bill then went through the Committee, and was or-
derA to be reported.
The Coroners (Durham) Bill was read a second time, and
()Tiered to be committed to-morrow.

The Freemen's Admission Bill went through a Committee
The Reform of Parliament (Ireland) Bill was read a se-
cond time, and ordered to be committed to-morrow.

Tile Summary Conviction (Juvenile Offenders) Bill was
read a second time,. and ordered to be committed.
NEW SOUTH WALES.

Sir G. GREY moved, pursuant to notice, for leave to
bring in a 13i11 to continue in force for another year an Act
passed in the 9th of George IV., to provide for the adminis-
tration of justice- in New South \Vales and Van Diemen's
Land, and for other purposes relating thereto.

After a few words from Mr. H. BULWER and Mr. HUMS
the motion was agreed to.
THAMES TUNNEL.

On the motion of the CHANCELLOR of the EX-
CIIEQUER the following Committee was appointed to
cons;der the papers now before the House respecting the
Thames Tunnel :—Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer, Lord
Viscount Morpeth, Mr. Walter, Sir Robert Harry Inglis,
Mr. Hume, Mr. Alderman Wood, Captain Alsager, Mr.
Grote, Mr. Bramston, Mr. Baring, Mr. Warburton, Mr.
Goulburn, Mr. Hawes, Sir Thomas Fremantle, Lord Vis-
count Sandon, Mr. Thornely.
Adjourned at Half-past Eight o'Clock.

HOUSE OF LORDS, Jm 29.

Lord SIIAFTESBURY, in the absence of the LORD CHAN-
CELLOR, took his seat on the Woolsack at Five o'Clock.
Mr. BERNAL and other Members of the House of Com-
mons brought up the Blackwell Commercial Railway Bill,
the Yorkshire and North Midland Railway Bill (stating
the Commons had agreed to their Lordships' amendments),
the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Improvement Bill, Taffvale
Railway Bill, the Blockairn Canal Bill, and several other
Private Bills.

The Duke of BUCCLEUGH presented petitions from
Dundee against the Dundee Waterworks Bill.

DUBLIN POLICE BILL.

On the motion of Viscount DUNCANNON this Bill
went through Committee, and was reported.
FOREIGN OFFICERS ENLISTMENT BILL.
Viscount DUNCANNON, in moving the second read-
ing of this Bill observed that Foreign Officers could not
at present be promoted to the rank of Major-General, and
the object of the Bill was to obviate this.
The Duke of WELLINGTON thought there could
be no objections to the Bill, as there was no doubt under
the present law great injustice was done to deserving offi-
cers, when it was desirable to remove them.

The Bill VV3S then read a second time.
MARRIAGE ACT AMENDMENT BILL.

The Earl of SHREWSBURY said that in moving the
clause he had given notice of yesterday, it would not be
necessary for him to say more than a few words? The
Bill was framed for the purpose of removing the grievances
which Dissenters laboured under, and amongst the rest
Roman Catholics. In the Bill of last year it was pro-
vided that the Bill should only apply to separate build.
jogs, but the places of worship of Roman Catholics were
not generally so, and in the clause made to obviate the
difficulty this Session, the words " consecrated or blessed"
were introduced, but these were objected to ; he would
therefore move that in place of these words should be
introduced these " Roman Catholic chapels, licensed and
used as such." In fact, were not the amendment made,
the Roman Catholics would be placed in a worse condition
than they ever were in, for the marriage ceremony would
be little more than a mere civil contract. If there was a
Will to alter the provision, so as to render it satisfactory, ac-
cording to the old adage, there was a way also. He trusted,
therefore, that the amendment would be agreed to, which
was, " that any building licensed amused as a Roman Ca-
tholic chapel for one year, should be taken as a separate
building."
The amendment was agreed to.
The Bishop of GLOUCESTER then moved the inser-
tion of this Clause :—" And be it enacted and declared
that nothing, in the said recited Act shall be held to com•
pel a Clergyman of the Established Church to solemnize a
marriage, if the banns have not been published according to
the rubric, or unless the parties have obtained a license."
Lord ELLENBOROUGH said that he apprehended
the House could not agree to the clause proposed by the
R! ht Reverend Prelate, as it would leave it optional with
the Clergyman when to perform the ceremony, and to thus
favour some parties would tend to disparage the Church ;
he trusted therefore the House would not consent to the
amendment, as the principle of the Act was that every
facility afforded to the Dissenter should be afforded to
the Clergy of the Church of England ; but the proposed
clause Would have the contrary effect.
After a few words from the Bishop of HEREFORD,
Lord MA L MESBURY said that the amendment of
the Right Rev. Prelate would be offering a premium to
members of the Church of England to become Dissenters ;

or, if a difficulty to the performance of the ceremonyt
arose in the Church of England, the party would have
it performed by a Dissenter.
The Bishop of GLOUCESTER replied, saying he
would leave the whole matter in their Lordships' hands. .'
Lord ELLENBOROUGH suggested an amended
clause, in order to supply some words which had been
omitted List year.
The Bishop of HEREFORD thought if the Noble •
Baron's amendment were carried, the House would afford
every facility for clandestine marriages.
The Bishop of EXETER thought nothing could be
more loosely worded than the clause as it then stood.,
Its effect would be to open a door to all sorts of clan-
destine marriages, and it contained no sort of security
whatever, by which a proper protection could be afforded
to the public.
Lord ELLENBOROUGH said in the present as w 4,11
as in the Bill of last year, they had done every thing in their
power in the framing of the clauses to prevent clandestine
marriages.
The Bishop of EXETER would rather leave the evil
in all its deformity, which would be in some degree a pro-
tection than attempt to patch it up by expedients like the

present.
The Bishop of HEREFORD denied that the clause
would have the effect stated by the Right Rev. Prelate
(the Bishop of Exeter).
The LORD CHANCELLOR said the object of the
clause was to confine the marriage within the district to
which -the notice applied, and contended that the clause
was in its provisions and operations a restrictive one.
The Bishop of HEREFORD then proposed that these
words in the original clause be left out, " in the district in
which the supervising Registrar re3ides ;" and that. the word!,,
" the Church in the parish in which one of the parties shall
have resided for twenty-one days."
The Gallery was then cleared for a division ; but as all
the lay Peers left the House and the Rev. Prelates were left
to themselves, they seeing such a majority against them,
withdrew the clause.

On our re-admission to the Gallery we found
The Bishop of HEREFORD moving that the words,
" Provided that such Church be in the parish in which one
of the parties resides" be added to the clause.
Strangers were again ordered to withdraw, but, as be-
fore, no division tcok place—the words were withdrawn—
and the Bill was read a third time and passed.
POST-OFFICE MANAGEMENT BILL.

The Earl of LICHFIELD said that by this measure
no party who had any claims would be excluded by this
Bill more than by the present law ; the tolls which were
disputed by the Post-office would not be affected by it.
Lord LYND HURST said that he was aware of a
disputed toll, and this Act would decide it in fa-
vour of the Post Office. The words in the Bill
were " except such tolls as were excepted by
this Act ;" but the title be referred to was not
excepted, and he was sure that the House • would not do
such an act of injustice as to deprive the party of his right
to dispute the right he claimed to the toll. He would
therefore move the insertion of the words " or any other
legal title."
The Earl of LICHFIELD said that the Post Office dis-
puted the right to the toll, and the law would not be altered
as respected the claim, as the Bills were merely a consolida-
tion of the Post-office laws.

Lord LYNDIIU RST said that the Bill would decidedly
take away the legal right to claim the toll from the pa► tics,
he alluded to—William Grant of Chattesley's Ferry.

The LORD CHANCELLOR said that the Bill should
not have the effect of taking from any individual his legal
rights.

-The Earl of LICHFIELD said he would have no ob-
jection to the insertion of the words, if it would not injure
the Bill.
Lord LYNDHURST said he was sure the Noble Earl,
had no intention of injuring any of the parties.

Lard HARDWICK Cs:Lid-that he "would risk the loss
of the Bill rather than injure the rights of any individual.
The Amendment was then agreed to, and the Bill read
a third time and passed.

Mr. BARING and other Members of the Commons
brought up the Sugar Duties Bill, the Pillory Punishment
Bill, the Shire Halls Bill, stating that the Commocs
had agreed to their Lordships' amendments ; the Wills
Bill, the Chester and Grand Junction Railway Bill.

IRISH MEASURES.
The Marquis of CL A NRICA RDE wished to know wbatV
was to be done with the Public Works (Ireland) Bill, and'
the County Treasurers Bill, which was one of importance ;1]
and the other Irish measures, the Tithe Corporation and Irish
Poor Law Bills. He believed the latter were to be postponed

Viscount MELBOURNE said his Noble Friend had
not merely offered a question, but he had also given at
answer. In the importance of the three measures referred
to by the Noble Marquis he entirely concurred. He cer-
tainly very deeply felt the importance of the Bill with re-
spect to corporations in Ireland, and therefore he could
not admit the propriety of postponing it. He considered
it of great importance both with respect to its own pro-
visions, and with respect to the opinions which were enter-
tained of it in that country ; but when he recollected that
in a former part of the Session, upon the motion for going
into Committee, that the opposition to that motion way'
made, in order to wait for certain other Bills then beforei
the House of Commons, and considering the advanced pc
riod of the Session and the present state of the publi(
business, he certainly should not think it expedient to pm-
aced with that measure. It was, therefore, his intention'
not to propose going into Committee on that
(Hear, hear.) With respect to the other two Bilh‘i
mentioned by the Noble Marquis, he had the same anH
swer to give, for they were both measures which required
more consideration than they could receive in the present
Session. The other Bills were of less importance. Thee
Public Works Bill was only waiting for the Royal Assent,'
and the Medical Charities Bill would not be proceeded'
with, but the County Treasurers Bill would be pro-1
ceeded with.

The Duke of WELLINGTON said that in the for-,
mer discussion he had expressed his opinion as to the connec-,
tion between the Irish Corporation Bill and the othei
measures depending before the other House of Parlia-;
ment. He now entertained the same opinion, but it never-1
theless was his most sincere wish and desire to see a conH
elusion put to that question--(Hear, hear)—to see a
settlement of the 'fithe question—(Hear, hear)—which ori-
ginated in that House about seven years ago ; and it wasi
also his wish to see some arrangement made for a provi
sion for the poor, and he must say that he was perfectly
ready to concur in a measure for the establishment of Cor-
porations in Ireland upon a representative system, if an
arrangement could be made in the three other Bills. It
was also his wish that these subjects should not be brought,
into contest in every session of Parliament.—(Hear, bear.);
He cordially concurred in the propriety of postponing these
questions during the present Session of Parliament ; and lie
would say if he were next session in the same relative situa-
tion as that in which he at present stood he should be pre-
pared to concur with the Noble Viscount in all those sub-
jects in any reasonable measure for the settlement of these
questions.—(Hear, hear.)
EDUCATION AND CHARITIES BILL.

Lord BROUGHAM said that after what had been: t
stated by his Noble Friend and the Noble Duke as to the!-,
present state of the business, he had come to the resolution '
of not pressing the Education and Charities Bill, even 0f..,.
that portion to which, as he before stated, he saw no ob-t
jection to passing this session. In postponing the Bill''.
therefore, it became necessary for him to state the reasons,;.
which had induced him to depart from the determination;
which be had stated on the former occasion. He had ..I.'
hoped that the House would have proceeded with that part 4.
of the Bill which referred to the matter of education, leo-it'
ing the other and more important part for future conside- . .
ration. He had, however, reflected that the Government g:,
would probably abstain from the appointment of Commis-.e
sioners until the extent of their duties had been ascer- b,f,
tained, and for this reason, therefore, he had now come to. .
the determination of postponing the Bill. With respect to
education it might be sufficient to say that Prussia and
Saxony were far before us. He said this to stimulate the
sluggish, and to show the necessity of Parliament passim*
some legislative measures on the subject. By this Bill it j?
was intended to appoint some officer, called Minister, or*'
what name was pleased, to superintend the department ()IN
public education, and a Board of Commissioners—paid
Commissioners—to hold their offices for life, but to be re-E
movable, like the Judges, on an address from both Houses (A
of Parliament. By this means, therefore, it would be seenl-
that no undue influence could be exercised in the educe-
tion of the people, and the evil obviated of having a
changeable Minister.
use Marquis of LANSDOWNE concurred in the
judgment of his Noble and Learned Friend in postponing`'`
the measure, and nothing could be more. just than the oh-..r
servations whieli he had made ; but it would be impossible4Le
as the Noble and Learned Lord had stated, for the Go-.
vernment to deal with one proposition without being aware
of how far it was the intention of Parliament to comply,.
with another object, in certain respects of a totally different,:
character. He should be sorry if the Noble and Learned .
Lord had thought that the measure was poetponed on ..
account of any hesitation to affirm the principle of the Bail
as far as related to the subject of education, and as far ash;,.
it related to the creation of some State authority to peerwas
a system of education. He had risen to state thatreho..l.see
quite prepared to affirm the principle of the measure of hie
Noble and Learned Friend, and that in another cogs
... h ~,e!
tsil,i3c;ll.: itl
with he raent.t,ot
o applythe lei ixmi:!..::,lsfi• zealous)on
0 f a c?of n;iedneiraoa--1 ',.-;:;.,:; j
vernment.
educat:on, und, r the proper and
caccessary authority of G
4:,,t!.
The 8.11 was then withdrawn. Yfe‘tsoteiitn6
'-'-'cct Committee app i _
Lordships the Report of the . e
Ti.e Earl of SHAFTESBURY had to present to thtecii,;•24

,~*~~

rto inquir? into the state of the business in that House ;
in I°lll4 they stated that they had met and considered
Ii the matter referred to them, and recommended certain re-
!: solutions with respect to private Bills for the adoption of
e, their Lordships.
pTher
, i esolutions were ordered to be printed, and taken into
..ennatueration on Monday.
REGENCY BILL.
The LORD CHANCELLOR gave notice that on
• Monday next he should propose to their Lordships the se-
,‘, cond reeding of a Bill which he now begged to introduce,
e`which was rendered necessary, in consequence of the ab-
,,sence from this country of the presumptive heir to the
''s,:Throne, and which was intended to provide for difficulties
'''that might arise in the event of the demise of the Crown.
;- He would only then state that at present it was thought
'.advisable to adhere to the provisions of the statute of
'Queen Anne, made under similar circumstances.
Lord BROUGHAM hoped that that was only as far as
.0. the circumstances were the same ; for by that Act it was
et. made high treason to say any thing in favour of a Spaniard.
4,t The Earl of MANSFIELD did not rise for the pur-
4. pose of teaking. any observations upon the Bill which the
• Noble and Learned Lord had introduced, but was anxious
to take that opportunity of offering a suggestion to the N 0.4.„
.4.„ ble Viscount. He (Viscount Melbourne) had with great
t propriety lost no time in proposing a measure which must
'be, in the opinion of all, highly necessary ; he had been
, deterred by no false notions of delicacy—by no fears of ex-
a.:. citing recollections of that fate to which Princes and their
;subjects must alike bow ;be had not relied too confidently upon
the anticipations, which, as they were consonant with the
wishes and feelings of every one, were likewise just and rea-
•edsonable, that the event for which this measure was intended
to provide Would in all probability never occur ; but he
-(Earl Mansfield) would beg to call the attention of the
Noble Viscount to that which must take place—he meant
, the death of the Sovereign and the demise of the Crown,
and the circumstances in which the country would be placed
on that demise ; and he would suggest to him whether it
.
(was not expedient that he (Viscount Melbourne) should
~
•take into his consideration the advantages or disadvantages
"arising front the continuance of those provisions which en-
acted that Parliament should not be dissolved by the death
01- of the Sovereign, but that its sitting should be limited to
a period of Silt months after that demise, although at the
same time the powers ...).3 . , . of the Crown to prorogue or dis-
solve remalki unaltered. He would ask whether any
Le-- advantage to the country was derived from that enact-
ment ? The inconveniences
arising from it he had himself
an-?bserved, d
in conversing with many persons on the sub-
aject they had frequently been pointed out to him. One in-
stance occurred
on the occasion of the death of George II 1.,
~y when a ParliztNen ,
t very recently assembled, was by that
event necessarily
dissolved. Another inconvenience was
' felt in 1830, arising
from this provision ; and generally it
r was well known
that when a dissolution was expected it
• was impossible to
retain many Members in London, and
.t.' thus much public: business was impeded. Whether those
7,:,,nconveniences
were counterbalanced by any advantages
ti that might be
derived was not a question into which he
wished then to enter indeed, it was his desire to avoid, at
;:hat time, all discussion on the subject. There was only
14 then, the further
consideration as to the time at which,
, supposing such alterations to be thought expedient, they
should be made, Now it appeared to him that that time
.41 was the present,
Parliament was about to be dissolved,
x end no objection, therefore, could arise that it was endea-
4. vouring to prolong its own existence. It might be said
i.,that if they were to pass a law there would be no probabi-
-4 lity of their ever teeing its effects ; but though that might
~. be the case, he did not' feel himself precluded from propos-
ing a measure
the
el result of which lie might, and probably
~ 'would, never behold.
• Lord MELBOI/
RNE could see no sufficient reasons
..:,why Parliament should determine within six months after
' ,the demise of the Crown ; but he was not, at the same
-._ time, prepared to say
that be had sufficiently made up
4.i;his mind to express any decided opinion on the ques-
• tion, or to say that th - there might not be reasons and ar-
". ,guments which wcald induce him to view in a different
T•light the inconveniences with which the present practice
,now appeared to hint to be attended. The Noble Earl
,had likewise stated several reasons, in some of which
', there was considerable force, for considering the present
'the best time to
Propose the alterations which he had
:'suggested ; but he
(Viscount Melbourne) could not help
'':thinking that there were other reasons sufficient to
---create more than doubt as to the opinion which the
',Noble Lord had expressed on that part of the subject. He
--' must beg to suggest to the Noble Earl whether it was
-''right or prudent to ietroduce such a proposition at such a
time ; it must be
,recellected that this, whether expedient
or not, was undoubtedly a very great constitutional altera-
tion—it was a great t}ange. It was in some respects an
.:infringement on the popular rights and privileges, for it
: went to deprive the People of that which certainly appeared
eto him a proper opportunity of expressing their views and
Yeelings with respect to their Representatives ; and he did
..e
therefore,
.ehikthat it ,:think, -Was extremely doubtful whether the
',occasion of providing fore particular case by a measure in-
, troduced under particular circumstances in a Parliament,
:the termination of which Ras settled and doomed, was the
.';fitting opportunity to inttodnee a great change of this
~ nature. But, further, the proposition would interfere with
:'the duration of Parliaments, which was a question involving
triuch of popular feeling
•ant excitement. He felt that the
e question was one of such importance that it ought to receive
4more consideration than could be given to it at the present
:time. He would, however, give his best attention to the
...
• suggestion of the Noble Earl; but he could not help ex-
' pressing the inclination of itiopinion that that was not the
.proper time for proposing a measure of that nature.
:e, - POOR LAWS.

Earl STANHOPE said tllat- the petitions to which he
, now wished to call their Lordcips, attention came from
.1
the eastern division of Durham, but were all of them an-
, terior to the large meeting from which the petition he had
. presented the other night had emulated. The Noble Lord
a then presented four petitions frost places in the parish of
Huddersfield, praying for the repeal of the Poor-law
Amendment Bill. That there hat been a great reduction
of rates it was impossible to deny ; but- he could show to
their Lordships that that reduction was not the result of
the successful operation of this Bill,
The Noble Lord was here interrupted by a message
efrom the Commons, which brought tip the Robbery and
Stealing from the Person Bill, the Offences against the
1
Person, the Burglary and Stealing in a Dwelling-House,
the Piracy, the Burning or Destroying Buildings and Ships,
the Transportation for Life, the Registration • of Mar-
riages, &c., Amendment, and the Tithes Commutation
Act Amendment Bills.
Lord DEN 111 A N moved the first reading of the Offences
against the Person Bill, and made a similar motion with re-
-pect to all the other measures, respecting the same general
subject of civil proceedings, which had just been brought
,up.—Agreed to. The Noble and Learned Lord also
agave notice that he should move the second reading on
!Tuesday next.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE moved the first read-
ing of the Commutation of Tithes Act Amendment Bill,
and gave notice of the second reading for next Tuesday.—
Agreed to.
Earl STANHOPE resumed. He had been proceed-
ing to state that in many places where the new Poor Law
Bill had not been carried into effect as great a reduction of
rates had appeared as elsewhere. In the city of Chi-
hester the poor rates had been reduced one-third. In a
parish in his neighbourhood, from six shillings in the pound,
1
~which was the rate in 1833, they were reduced to three
!shillings in
Isle of the pound in 1833. In another parish in the
Thanet the rates had been reduced from seven
shillings to four shillings in the pound. Then it was per-
fOtly clear that in all parishes there were very many causes
Which had contributed to produce a considerable reduction
in the poor rates. A similar reduction had taken place in
i parish in Derbyshire, where, since 1822, the poor rates
,had been diminished nearly one-half, and that, as the inha-
!b.itants stated, without the aid of the unmerciful Commis-
eoners or their agents, but from the increased demand for
lelabour and the increased rate of wages. There was
Also another cause for that reduction to be found in a
,neasure the principle of which was wholly distinct froth
'0
`' the new Poor Law Bill—he meant the alteration of the
,- law of settlement.. Upon the returns submitted to their
, Lordships, no just estimate could be formed, because they
chid not contain complete statements of all the expenditure
4 the workhouses. He maintained that the .new Bill
had only led to additional expense ; the principle of the
hp,former Poor-law Bill was truly economical, but under the
I
present system the labourer must become a permanent
'earthen to the country. He would reserve tiny further
observations on the subject, and would content himself with
iireading the prayer of the petition. The petition was from
~..,
,0 perish in the county of Durham, and prayed that the
VlPoor-law Amendment Act might be totally repealed. The
iinext petition was from Tiverton, in D.;vonshire, and it
oreyed their Lordships to take their complaints into con-
.',l,,,,leration, and apply a proper remedy to them.
' --;41 'The Earl of RAD N 0 R—What are their complaints ?
•e;
:.,.4 Earl sTAN HOPE thought the best way would be to
rread the petition. The Noble Earl then read the petition,
vlticli stated that the Poor-law Amendment Act bad been
now twelve months in operation in that parish, and that its
rjoperation f.had been attended there with no beneficial result
;.,:
clewhatever—that the poor rate had not been diminished, and
',ethat the measure had not given satisfaction either to the
ate payers or to the paupers. He moved that these pc-
, reitions be laid upon the table.
The Earlof P ADN OPsaid that the House bad great
L„,e, •
Vreasots to complain of the conduct which the Noble Earl
V had purmed with respect to these petitions. Ile had had
tv
- many of those petitions his hands
in "" for a considerable
4.
length of time, and instead of bringing them forward at an
'4,.
vc an opportun
; ity for . ;r.qu
plc.-irk. time, that would g. ir • and
),
notable the House to wicertain whether the statements in
p: 7,,,:v:;:Ar`i'....',:';'2•;.!1-:•:;:.'':!..7.,14-1,2;;;-,..''.- • .4,1'4.*;-. _ .7. ~--,

the petitions were correct or not, the Noble Earl kept
back those petitions to a late period of the session, when,
from peculiar circumstances, it was impossible to enter into
any inquiry, or be able to correct any of the mis-statements
that those petitions might contain. The Noble Earl had
told them on a former evening that he was the representa-
tive in that House of the labouring classes—
Earl STANHOPE—I said the acting representative.
The Earl of RADNOR would say that the Noble
Earl was a most unfaithful representative. Complaints
were made against this measure by individuals who did not
condescend to inquire into its operation. The Noble Earl
had represented this Bill as calculated to produce the ruin
of the country, the insecurity of property, and the degrada-
tion of the people, but if that were the case, why did not
the Noble Earl come forward to oppose it ? Instead of
this, the Noble Earl chose to go to a country which he bad
described as being much better governed awl happier than
this. The Noble Earl had spoken of this Bill from what
he had read in pamphlets. He (Lord Radnor) certainly
admitted that when the Bill was brought forward, it had
been stated that there must be an increase of the poor rates
if this Bill did not pass, and on that occasion he (Lord R.)
stated that one of his chief reasons for supporting this Bill was
that it tended to ameliorate the condition of the labouring
classes. The question was whether it had produced that good.
The Noble Earl had not taken the proper trouble to inquire.
If the Noble Earl went and made inquires amongst the
vagabonds and the frequenters of the beer-shops, and the
proprietors of those beer-shops, he would bear from them
that this Bill *as a bad Bill. He might also hear that the
people were looking very ill, and that they were not as well
clad as they used to be. It was somewhat extraordinary
that if this Bill were so oppressive in its operation, there had
so few petitions been presented against it. The places
where this Act had been longest in operation were Sussex,
Hampshire, Northamptonshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, and
Berkshire ; and he knew from experience that the opera-
tion of the Bill had eiven perfect satisfaction both to the
labourers and to the farmers. The Noble Earl mentioned
Suffolk as one of the places which had suffered. Now with
respect to the county of Suffolk it appeared from returns
that, for three years previous to the introduction of this
Bill, the average expenditure was upwards of 200,0001. per
annum. Now it appeared that the expense in 1836 of the
two quarters ending on Lady Day, the most expensive half
of the year, amounted to only 88,0001., thus effecting, by
means of the new law, a saving of upwards of 50 per cent.
The Noble Feud had argued that it was impossible but that
the rate should go on increasing rather than diminishing, as
there would be a considerable expense incurred in the
erection of workhouses. Now this anticipation was fal-
sified by what had taken place in the county of Suffolk,
where, notwithstanding the expense incurred by work-
houses, the rate had diminished, and must of course go on
diMinishing still more, as those expenses would not have to
be applied again. With respect to what had been said
about the number of paupers having been lessened by the
employment afforded by the railways, he would state this :
—Before the Act came into operation there were in the
county of Suffolk thirty-six thousand paupers. Now, since
the operation of this Bill, that number had been greatly
reduced. The Liverpool and Birmingham Junction Rail-
way gave employment altogether to only six thousand per-
sons, so that it was impossible that this species of employ-
ment could have extensively lessened the number of pau-
pers. The Noble Earl had declared himself opposed to
the unrestricted use of machinery, and objected to this Bill
as the product of political economy. Surely the Noble
Earl did not refuse to enjoy the comfort of eating his din-
ner with a knife and fork instead of with his fingers, mid
and unless be was prepared to go back to savage life he
could use no argument against the use of machinery, for if
a knife and fork, or a plough, or a spade, was an improve-
ment, by a parity of reasoning the same must be admitted
of the most perfect and complicated machinery. The Noble
Earl ought to recollect that it was to the use of machinery
that the populous and prosperous district (the West Riding
of Yorkshire) from which the Noble Earl had on a former
evening presented a petition owed all its prosperity.
.The Duke of RICHMOND was well acquainted with
the operations of this law. He was in the habit of attend-
ing the Board of Guardians, and examining the different.
statements sent in to them, and he had an opportunity of
forming, from experience, an opinion of the working of this
Act. He could not accept the challenge which the Noble
Earl had given him, because he would he sorry that an op-
portunity would be afforded to the people of that county to
see the Noble Earl come forward to excite them, and he
would be obliged to tell them that the Noble E srl was
abroad in another country, when he ought to be attending
to his duty here. He would be obliged to tell them that
the Noble Earl had abandoned his duty ; but he would ac-
cept the challenge, if the Noble Earl would accompany him,
to view the different workhouses and the Boards of Guar-
dians ; and if, instead of the palaces of Germany, he would
be content to visit the cottages of the poor, he would there
find that the people were much better off than under the
old system. He admitted the petition presented from Chi-
chester had been respectably signed, and amongst the signa-
tures he saw the names of individuals who would not, he
felt satisfied, wish to entrust their petition to any Noble
-Lord if they thought that he would make it the means of
declamation for the purpose of exciting the people. It ap-
peared that the Noble Earl had read the report of the evi-
dence of Mr. Staveley, but he had evidently omitted to read
the last return which had been made to the House of Com-
mons with reference to the parish of Chichester. He re-
gretted that the Noble Earl had not read that return. Now,
what did the clerk of the Board of Guardians of that parish
say ? He was asked, "Do you give outdoor relief in your
parish ?" and his answer was " Oh, no." He was then
asked when they had ceased to give outdoor relief ? and his
reply was, " About two years before the new Poor-law Act
came into operation." Everything, therefore, which the
Noble Earl had stated with respect to Chichester had been
met by the most complete refutation.—(Hear.) The
Noble Earl had thought fit to bring down a petition to their
Lordships' House against the new Poor-laws, and what was
the result ? Why, even according to his own showing,
that in the parish of Chichester at least, the spirit of those
laws had been acted up to long before the new Poor-law Act
was passed.—(Hear.) He was at all times unwilling to
occupy their Lordships' time by reading documents, but he
thought he would be excused in placing before them a com-
parison between the workhouse at Chichester and that at
Westhampnett union, in respect of the poor of those dis-
tricts. The statement to which he alluded was as follows :
Chichester. Westhampnett.
Population
Average number in the Average number in the
workhouse
Expenses
Expenses calculated on
oufsoer the year
ending March, 1837 £2,216 the expenses of the
last quarter £5,300
If, then,. 146 was a fair amount of persons to be taken into
the workhouse of Chichester in a population of 9,000, the
Westhampnett Union would have been justified in an ave-
rage of 243 inmates of their workhouse ; whereas, the
average had been 165, being a balance in their favour
of 78. If, again, 2,216/. was a fair amount of relief in
a population of 9,000, then 3,963/. would have been a
fair expenditure in respect of a population of 15,000.
Allowing, therefore, for argument only, that the ex-
penses of the machinery at Westhampnett exceeded that of
Chichester by even 4G01., then that union had expended in
relief 9371. more in proportion than Chichester.—(Hear,
hear.) He did think that this statement and these facts,
that a debate in their Lordships' House was more likely
to brine out the whole truth than a discussion on any hust-
ings which the Noble Earl might recommend. The Noble
Earl had said that the crime 01' infanticide was on the in-
crease, but where the Noble Earl hail got that information

he (the Duke of 'Richmond) was wholly at a loss to con-
ceive. He had seen a return lately made to the House of
Commons, in which it was stated that the crime of infanti-
cide was on the decrease rather than on the increase, and
he must say that the Noble Earl was bound, before he put
forward such assertions, to make inquiry as to the truth of
his statements.—(Hear.) The Noble Earl had censured
the Poor-law Commissioners, but he did not think it neces-
sary to answer that part of the speech of the Noble Earl, or
to say whether he agreed or disagreed with him as to the
merits of these commissions. The Noble Earl had offered no
excuse for himself, and therefore he would, by way of ex-
cuse for the Noble Earl, say that he had been so much
abroad that he had forgotten good old English customs.—
( Hear, hear.) There was ouly one other sub:p:.:t which he
felt called on to notice, and that related to medical relief.
He disapproved of the practice of paying for each indivi-
dual case, but in the parishes with which he
- was acquainted
this was not the practice, and the medical men employed
received liberal remuneration. It had been the practice
under the old as well as under the new system, in some in-
stances, to pay by the case, but he did not believe that on
the whole the poor had better medical treatment than they
now obtained.—(Hear, hear.)
The Earl of H ARDW ICK thought that the Noble
Earl ought not to have gone into a discussion on this sub-
ject without showing in the course of his argument the
state of society as it existed before and since the passing of
the new Poor-law Act. Now what was the feeling of
ti.ose in whose hands the administration of the Poor-la.as
was placed prior to the passing of the present measure
Why, they said they were borne down by the arrogance
of the poor, by their style and address, and above all,
they complained of the labour rate. On ail hands they
declared that they knew not what to do, and said that the
evil was such that something must be done to remedy it.
Now he must say that he did not believe human ingenuity
had ever passed a law which had so completely answered
the purpose for which it was intended as this. If the Noble
Earl would next session move for a Committee to inquire
into the nature of his object, and were to ascertain what
the real operation of the new poor laws was, and would
adopt that obvious course, all he could say was, that the
I Noll! Earl should have his assistance and support.

Lord HATHERTON was intimately acquainted with
the manufacturing districts in that part of the country with
which he was connected, and he could assure the Noble
Earl that he had, up to the present moment, never heard a
complaint uttered as to the efficiency of the poor laws to
accomplish all that was intended by them.
Earl STANHOPE denied that he had ever endeavoured
to excite the people to petition on the subject of the poor
laws. On the contrary, although he had signified his in-
tention not to return to the House of Lords, ho had been
pressed to present the petition. After a few further ob-
servations in defence of the line of conduct he had pursued
upon this subject, the Noble Earl concluded by thanking
their Lordships for the attention with which they had
honoured him.

The other Orders were then disposed of, and their Lord-
ships adjourned.

A commercial gentleman, a traveller for a cut-nail
manufacturing house in Rochdale, Lancashire, terminated his
existence in an inn in this town, on the morning of Wednesday
last, by severing the windpipe with his penknife. The unfor-
tunate gentleman—who was much liked and respected on
"the road"—had been in an unsettled state of mind, resulting
from the effects of previous indulgence ; and, though the
inmates kept an eye upon him, he took the opportunity of their
temporary absence to commit the dreadful &ct. We under-
stand, in fact, that not the slightest degree of blame, in point
of negligence or otherwise, can attach to the highly respecta-
ble establishment in which the occurrence took place.—Dunt-
fries Courier.

TIIE WAR IN SPAIN .—Mr. tolburn has just
published two new works which will be found exceedingly in-
teresting at the present moment, when the public attention is
so strongly directed towards the affairs of Spain. One is the
" Memoirs of Colonel Charles Shaw," late Brigadier-General
in the Spanish Auxiliary Legion, which comprises a narrative
of the war in Portugal as well as Spain, and contains a great
body of the most interesting correspondence; the• other is
Captain Byng " Spain, and the Seat of War in Spain."
To those who wish to obtaiii accurate information respecting

the present contest we strongly recommend these two works as
deserving of an attentive and careful perusal.

AFrA TR OF Ho NOUR.—Yesterdav morning, at
half-past four o'clock, a duel was fought near the Red House,
Battersea, between Charles B—m, Esq., resident at the
above place, and Henry P—e, Esq., of Albemarle-street,
Piccadilly. Mr. B. was accompanied by the Hon. Robert V.
P—s, and Mr. P. by Robert I—, Esq. On the signal
13.,ing given, both gentlemen fired, Mr. B. firing in the air.
The Hen. Mr. P. demanded on behalf of the latter gentleman
if the injured party had received the satisfaction required ; but
upon the question being answered in the negative each gentle-
man fired a second time, Mr. P.'s coat receiving the contents
of his opponent's pistol. The parties then separated without
coming to any satisfactory explanation. The misunderstand-
ing arose in consequence of Mr. B. having inflicted corporal
punishment on the other gentleman for a personal insult.
SOUVENIRS OF A SUMMER IN GERMANY.—
These are two pleasing volumes, the production of a recent
tourist. They are the souvenirs of a lady who has made good
use of her eyes and her judgment in looking about her and de-
ducing just inferences from what she saw. The volumes are
exempt from the common-place catalogue-like method of de-
scription ; they may be read without being wearied by mono-
tony or teazed with impertinence. The charm of the book is,
that it conveys the impressions of a cultivated and ingenuous
iniad, fresh from the pen of the writer, to the sensations and
capacities of the reader. It pleases by the absence of pretence,
and is the more valuable, as it is the more free front effort and
affectation. "-- Times.

THE QUEEN'S DECLARATION.—The following
is an extract of a letter from a member of the Privy Conned
to a gentleman in Edinburgh, dated the 20th of June, 1837 :
" I have just returned from the Privy Council which as-
sembled at Kensington at eleven. Nothing could be more
graceful or in better taste than the manner and action of the
young Queen. Iler voice and delivery are particularly
good, which gave great effect to the declaration, which, I
think, is remarkably well composed. It was altogether a
most touching and affecting, as well as interesting sight, and
we were all afraid that the Queen might be overcome on so
sudden and trying an occasion, until we saw that she could
command herself, and that she was able to go through all
the duty of the day with self-possession and calmness."—
.illoriting Post.

"SNARLEY YOW ; OR, THE DOG FIEND," BY TIIE
AUTHOR OF " PETER SIMPLE."-There are features in this,
new novel of Captain Marryat, Nvhich give it a higher claim to
public admiration than any other than that we have yet re-
ceived from his pen. In point of invention—that highest and
rarest of ail the faculties necessary to a successful writer of
fiction—the tale of " Suarley 'Vow," is quite extraordinary.
The profuse way in which the author pours forth his pleasant
and exquisitely natural creations—whether of incident, of cha-
racter, of humour, or of the minor details in which all these are
attired—can scarcely be imagined without a perusal, and have
rarely, if ever, been surpassed. In this respect his work is
more entirely a creation than almost any other that we could
name, even among his own numerous productions.—Naval and
Military Gazette.
DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT.—It IS 110 W cal-
culated that the business of Parliament—at least all that
will be pressed this session—will be gone through by the 14th
or 15th of July ; the prorogation will take place a day or two
afterward.; ; at all events, it is stated in well-informed quarters,
that the dissolution will take place on the 20th cf July. It is
also very confidently stated that the new Parliament will be re-
assembled, agreeably to the date of the writ, namely, forty days
after the dissolution of the Parliament and the issuing of the
requisite writs.

A scene of an extraordinary description took place
on Tuesday le,st in Wilton-street, Belgrave-square, about noon.
A lady, in a loose French roquelaire, jumped out of an open ear.
riage and rang with great violence the bell of one of the
houses in the street. A servant answered the appeal from a
window ; the lady demanded admittance, but was refused. She
then applied to the knocker, and repeated the attack so often
that it alarmed the whole neightourhood. The door was then
opened as far as the chain would admit, but ingress was still
unattainable. The alarm brought the police, who entreated
the lady to retire; she refused unless her four children, which
she said were there, were delivered up, and she again com-
menced her attacks on the knocker. A messenger was then
sent by the inhabitants to the station-house, and that brought
the superintendent, who plainly told the lady that she would
be removed by force, if necessary, fur the preservation of the
public peace, for a great mob had collected together who were
taking part with the lady. The remonstrance had the effect
intended; she entered her carriage and departed.
We have heard that, a day or two preceding that
on which the late King breathed his last, lie inquired of the
Earl of Munster, who is Constable of Windsor Castle, whe-
ther he had the baton of that office in his possession? And,
upon being answered in the negative, his Majesty instantly,
although very considerably enfeebled, directed that it should
be brought from the jewel-room into that in which he then was.
As soon as the baton was produced his Majesty directed that
it should be deposited upon his bed, which having been done,
he with his own hands, notwithstanding all muscular power
had nearly left the royal sufferer, placed it in the hands of his
son. The exertion caused by this act of parental affection is
said for a time to have produced great exhaustion.

Loss OF THE BANNERMAN.-We regret exceed-
ingly to announce the loss of this vessel, with that of her first
officer and many of her crew. We subjoin the full account
received from one of the officers, who miraculously escaped :
—" The vessel left Lintin on the morning of the 17th of De-
cember, and on the 19th, when blowing a hard gale from the
north east she carried away her main and mizen topmasts, and
suddenly struck on a shoal. The course of the vessel wils
S. S.W. Upon the loss of her topmast she hauled up half a
point, fearing, in her crippled state, of falling, in with the
land. All the hands were on deck when the ship struck, and
pt none were aware of the danger in which they were so spee-
dily dashed. Five minutes after this the sea broke over the
ship, and she filled rapidly. Personal safety was at this mo-
ment the prevailing feature. She had broken her back, and
there was no chance of saving her. After the most laborious
exertion, and at a time when the Captain and officers had all
the work to themselves, the three boats were got out. The
fist broke adrift with only four men in her, and passed the
breakers upon the shoal into smooth water. The second boat,
with an officer and eighteen men, then pushed oft to bring the
first boat back, if possible, to the vessel, as there were upwards
of a hundred left on board the ship, which was going down
fast, but this was found utterly impracticable. The long-boat
next left the ship, with the Commander, the Ist Officer, and

the whole of the crew, and in their endeavour swamped her
bows, being stove against the rocks, and Mr. Shakspcare, the

. -
Ist officer and four of the men were lost. The boat was at length
cast up on the shoal, but the water was not deep enough to float
her. So despairing were they that they undertook the arduous
task of carrying and dragging, by main force, the long-boat
across the shoal fur upwards of a mile in distance. he exer-
tion on the part of both officers and men was wonderful : it
had appeared, in the first instance, almost insurmountable, but
still was effected.. She put to sea with all she possessed, a
few old oars, with three blankets sewed together, as a sail
hoisted before a strong gale. The most persevering activity
was necessary on the part of the officers to prevent the boat
foundering, and they were incessantly engaged baling her out.
They were in the most dreadful condition. There was no-
thing in the boat but a small basket of oranges—they had
neither bread nor fresh water, and during the whole of the
four days and nights the poor fellows had but the quarter of an
orange each per day. Some of the mariners quenched their
thirst with salt water, and immediately became insane. The
state of both officers and men was truly dreadful. The crew
were dying one after the other from insanity and actual ex-
haustion. On the 23rd of December they succeeded in effect-
ing a landing a landing at Lung May, in the territory of the
King of Cochin China. His Majesty dispatched two of his
own ships from Turon to convey the unfortunate crew to Sin-
gapore. The conduct of Captain Wilson, the unfortunate Mr.
Shakspeare, the first-mate, who perished, Mr. Bayne, Mr. T.
Chipcbace, and Mr. Leslie, the officers, deserves the highest
compliment, as does the behaviour of the mariners, with tome
Lw exceptions."
According to the last aclvices from Egypt, published
by the AugsbUry Gazette, it would appear that the situation
of that country is extremely alarming. In Alexandria and
Cairo provkioes are so scarce that the population is literally
starving. Mehemet Ali's stores continue to be overstocked
w:th cotton, which he is unable to sell, and, being sadly in
want of money, he has decreed a forced loan of 1,000,030 of
talatii, to be levied on ail civil and military functionaries, from
the rank of Pasha to that of CLlonel. The administration,
army, and navy, have received no pay for several months.
Journal du Commerce.

THE SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY, MT NE 30. 137.