The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-03 00:00:00

e 64-
eiday, Wednesday, and 'I hursday in
P\ V
xF.,..5.1 \A
....M4lt).
k
be ls.; on Fridays, 2s. 6d. ; on Saturdays, 1,141.,-.4-K-A 4-4 k
" REFRESHMENT AND RETIRING R vA,,TpI 3...-_-;_:_. ,4''
" Refreshments are provided according to a aiwaki 11v,--
scale of charges hung up in the rooms. The first anOecon ' -'",Z;
class rooms are on the north side of the building,roki OP
into the Horticultural Gardens. Other rooms are in the
Eastern and Western Annexes.
" There are retiring rooms, lavatories, &c., in the north-
east transept and the south-east txanseptadjoining Exhi-
bition-road, and in the north-west transept and south-west
transept adjoining Prince Albert's-road. There are also
two retiring rooms for ladies only, in the galleries on the
south side of the building, adjoining Cromwell-road. A.
moderate charge is made for the use of waiting rooms.
" LOST ARTICLES.
" Inquiries respecting articles lost or found should bo
made to the police-office, in the South Central Court."

_ -
DISTRESS IN THE CO'l7 MANII-
FACTURING .DISTRICTS.
A deputation had an interview yciterday with
the Right lion. C. P. Villiers, M,P., at the cifiecof
the Poor Law Board, Whitehall, on the subject of
the distress which prevails in the cotton manufac-
turing districts; The deputation censif4ed el 11,1'.
Bazley, ALP., Mr. Cobden, M.P., Mr. Gobbet t,
M.P., Hon. A. Egerton, M.P., Hon. W. Egerton,
M.P., Captain Gray, M.P., Mr. Garnett, M.P., Mr
Gregson, MT., Mr. Greenall, M.P., Marquis of
Hartington, M.P., Mr. Hadfield, M.P., Sir T. Ha-
keth, M.P., Mr. Horsfall, M.P., Mr. Hornby, M.P.
Gen. Lindsay, M.P., Major a C. Legb, M.P., Mr
W. J. Legh, M.P., Mr. E. Potter, M.P., Col. W.
Patten, MX., Mr. F. Peel, M.P., Mr. C. Turner,
My., Mr. T. A. Turner, MX., Mr. Woods, M.P.,
and Mr. H. Ashworth.
Col. W. PATTEN stated that the object of the de-
putation was to confer with the President of the
Poor law Board on the subject, which he (Col. W.
Patten) had given notice to bring before the House
of Commons, viz , the present state of the cotton
manufacturing districts. He described the destitu-
tion which prevailed in Lancashire; and expresse'd
his doubts as to the adequacy of the poor law to
meet it. He referred also to the stringency of the
conditions on which relief was administered.
Mr. VILLIERS remarked that the distress varied
in interest in different localities. The distress rather
diminished in the third week of April as compared
with the fourth week of March. He explained the
provisions of the order of Dec., 1852, for regulating
out-door relief.- The order had reference to able-
bodied male persons only; the relief of other classes
of poor perions-'being in the unfettered discretion
of the guardians-,- With regard to able-bodied men,
the order required that one-half at least of the relief
should be given in food, fuel, or other articles of ab-
solute necessity ; that the relief should be given
weekly, or oftener ; that it should not be given
while the applicant was employed for wages ; and
that he should be set to work so long as he con-
tinued to receive relief. If the guardians deemed
it expedient to depart from any of these regulations
they could do so, if they reported the departure to
the Poor-law Board within 21 days, and the relief
given in the meantime would be lawful. He re-
futed the allegation which was made in some of the
newspapers, that guardians required that applicants
for relief should sell their furniture before they
could be relieved. In reply to inquiries on the sub-
ject, he was assured by poor law inspectors of 27
years' experience that they were not aware of a
single instance of the kind. Mr. Villiers explained
the steps taken by the board in view of the pressure
which was anticipated in the manufacturing dis-
tricts ; the arrangements which the boards of
guardians made for dealing with it, the ample
power which they possessed; and suggested the
desirableness of leaving the matter at present in
the hands of the guardians, who were performing
their duties very efficiently.
Mr. Potter, General Lindsay, Mr. Aspinall Tur-
ner, Mr. Cobden, Mr. Hornby, Mr, Cobbett, Mr.
Cornwall Legb, and other members took part in the
F conference.