The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-19 00:00:00

PIPIT of me .; r..,'11.:CA ;;;•
rum THE 1103:ertG PAPERS 011' TZSTERDAY:
TIMES.—The Factory Bill appears fated to saptly one of
the most. remarint4.char.ters in the Itistery- of British legis-
lation. Nut to 'eback to its strangely checkered course in
previous sessieee, what it nOW suffe.re is quite without
parallel. Every Wedneedmy it comes on, not to be regularly
discussed on its merits, hat _to run the gauntlet of endless
mancetivree. It, oppomiate think every-ening fair-that can
injure it. The objects of its protection are women and young
persons, classes towards \dem-, gr,-,n-O-up men are too-often.
ready to forget the rules of fair play. Tire chief stratagem
employed against it by the enemy is not only to talk against.
thus themselves, but also to entrap its friend* into doing
the same thing. Every attempt is made, every provo-
cation thrown out, to induce Lord John Russell
and its 'other principal sepporters to make long epeechis.
His Lordship is reminded every Wednesday of the
. little he has said, and the little that has been said by any-
body on his side of the question. Mr. Night or somebody
reminds him of his reputation and position, his illustrious
parentage, his services to the State, and, above all, of the
very good estimation in which he '‘Vas so fortunate as to
steed with the Hon. Member himself. He is then entreated •
nil to di,.opeitit this select lid pecetti,e iJy :4t
but to deliver e good long eretion worthy of his ealrnts, his
viriue% his tame, his fathers, his colleagues, and Nts coun-
try. II tees not require much at to se, I 1;e obiect
of tr:k Bitter), setital all uhe time allowed fel- the progee's of
this Bel is not quite six lieurs (Duce a week.' It is the oil •
story of the Fox and t h Crow. " Oh, you beeutifui hit ill HOW
graceful your form ; how gio.isy v•iur coat I You soar like N
eagle, and perch like a dove: Then, your voice ! how sweet,
yet how lull ! Could you but sing, 1 should say vot
were the king of the woods." Lo-o Jelin iZtlseli (pens 1I ;
mouth, and Mr. Br.gbt scampers off laughing in hie sleeve,
with a go,id slice of time in his mew. The, kind of tactics,
however, cannot always flu tried hazel cqeel success. While
one petty is uncut on killing time, the other becomes equally
anxious to save it; and while the former is ingenious at im-
pediments, the latter, if it only be in eernest, acquires a
peculiar ta.ent for progress. Yesterday the usual nudges
of delays was produced., First tee Rat ieg ,-,f Tenements Bill
was thrown like a barricade in the way, and was not
removed without a sharp skirmish and an actual divi-
sion. Tile result was decisive; but—uno rondo n 075 deficit
alter-the Juvenile Offenders Bill immediately Wok e:44 -
place. That was soon • cleared. After some time e-etie
avoidably consumed in presenting petitions, Mr. Den...,
nistoun made a long speech, in which he come'.
pensated for the obsolete character of his arguments by the .
remarkably novel and erigiuel character of his concludi Age
proposition. We will net trouble our readers with the par-
ticulars of a plan so industriously and ingeniously conipli-
cated that, in the judgtnent of the Hon. Meyer, it would take
the whole nation a fortnight to understand. That, indeed,
was its principal merit, as it afforded a pretence for that
much delay, and for throwing the second reading over
Easter. It was described as a system of reltys, and therefore
particularly_ adapted -to.ita object, which was, thg,the eppo.e -
»strati- The ,the BilL should perpetually 14ot-her-in
the work of resistance and distraction. After a good deal
of discussion, including a long speech from Mr. Bright, the
motion was withdrawn. But, the reader will observe the re-
eult thus far. It was now four o'clock, and tour hours out of
six had been wasted in hostile motions, and in speeches not
bearing on any one proposition mere than another, but
merely rambling over the generalities of the factory ques-
tion. At this .point, however, the fiirtune of the day
turned in favour of the Dill. On the question that
the Speaker do leave the chair being put, Lord John Rus-
sell made that statement of his views which has been so free
quently demanded, but for which he had not yet found a
good opportunity. With the single exception, that his Lord-
ship was for leaving to future legislation the step from the
eleven hours' to the ten hours limit, we lave seldom read
a speech to which we can accord such warm and un-
qualified praise. They who have so confidently challenged
the Minister for his arguments will have reason to repent of
their temerite. We are inclined to suspect that they have.
got more than they bargained for. Every one of those hack-
nied ()ejections which are daily obtruded on the public with
all the foppery of empiricism, the impertinence of sar-
casm, and solemnity of nonsense, was treated in its turn
with that short and easy method which pure motives and
common sense are sure to suggest. The chimeras that
the proseerity and glory of this empire depend on the odd
hour of labour,—that the eventual difference of productions
would be really commensurate with the drop Irons twelve
hours to eleven or ten,--that all the advantages we possess
over other nations are not equivalent to one hour a day,
that the object of the Bill is its indirect results,—that labour
front five in the morning to seven at night is a natural and
proper allowance of toil,—that to work, to eat, to sleep, and
to die, is really all that a state should leave to the must
in-
dustrious and deserving of its children ;—these and many other
idols tbri his Lordship demolished with his own unapproach-
able suaviter in niodo and
,fortiter in re. His Lordship took a
masterly survey of all those existing circumstances of manu-
facture and commerce, those recent enactments, and those
growing ideas of society that bore on the question. It is no
disparagement to the real ability of his argument, but rather
its highest praise, that he brought out the case of the Fao•
tory Bill as a genuine development of our
social progress. With regard to this, as to many other
measures, we are inclined to think that the particular date
of their success depends rather on a humble readiness
to acknowledge the teachings of experience and the warn-
ings written upon the face of human affairs than on a special
power of statesmanship or forethought. Our great men are
not such very great men that they should not submit to take
a lesson from the humblest, and let the '1 little ones" of this
world imitate their measures. No person of the most ordi-
nary candour, after reading Lord John Russell's speech, can
harbour the suspicion that he is suffering the penalty of a.
mere factious move in the days of opposition. If it be so.
never was man se convincing and persuasive against his
own inner convictions. Such a talent of duplicity, however.
is notoriously not among his Lordship's gifts, He says what
he thinks, and dares what be approves—a course which con-
tributes as much respectability to his failures as glory to his
susses=. The date and the manner of the further reduction
from eleven hours to ten is nee on which there has been a
very great, and, we will add, a very natural latitude of
opinion. The truth is that whatever is done at this moment,
any change postponed for a twelvemonth is virtually resignedt
to future legislation. If, what we certainly do not expert;;
the women and young hulk shall be content with the bon
of one hour when two hours are within their reach; the
Legislatare will be happy to accommodate their industrious
desires. Lord J. Russell wishes to leave the question to
another year. The menufacturers, on the contrary, affect to
say that now is the time for the entire reduction. if
they are in earnest, they will still have the opportunity of
amending the Bill in the Lords, but at present, very pro-
perly we think, the original chus,,•limiting the number of
hours to ten, from the Ist of May, 1848, sends part of the
Bill.

FRIGHTFUL GIG ACCIDENT IN FLEET-STREET.--.
Wednesday itAernoon, between three and four o'clock, an acci—
dent ut a most frightful character occurred to a gentleman,
named Saunders, wh.) was driving with a friend along Fleet-
street. Just as they got past Shhe-lane, the animal shyed,
fell, and both gentlemen were thrown out with great force.
Mr. Saunders sustained very serious injuries. He was picked
up senseless, and removed into Mr. Hutchinson's surgery, in
Farriagdon-street, where an extensively lacerated wound wax
discovered on his forehead, besides other injuries. In about
au hour after the occurrence Mr. Saunders was removed from
the surgeon's to his residence.

DREADFUL MURDERS OF A PAT-CLERK AND Po-
LICEMAN IN KILKENNY.—The Dubai: Evening Post contains
the following :—" Kilkenny, March 15. This morning,about
nine o'clock, Arthur Primm, Esq., pay-clerk of the barony
of Kells, was proceeding, accompanied by a policeman, to pay
the people employed. About one mile from Kells, near the
demesne of Chapelizod, they were attacked by six or severs
fellows who fired five shots at them. and killed both. It has
caused an awful sensation here. There is an account here—
I hope and believe a true one—that the people turned out
and pursued the murderers, and captured two of them, who
had separated from the others. It is also stated that a man
has been found dead in a bog near the same place, supposed
to have been shot by the policeman. The murderers did not
get the money (2501.) in possession of the pay-clerk, I be-
lieve, as the horse, through fright, gallopped on to Kells.'•
EXECUTION 01' THE Two NORTHUMBERLAND MUR.
HERERS. —James Welch and George Matthews (both Irish-
m. n) on Wednesday morning underwent the sentence of the
law at the county gaol at Morpeth. The former, it will be re..
membered, was convicted of the murder of Thomas Proud,
on the 7th of last month, in tl.e neighbourhood ot New-
borough. The unfortunate victim of the culprit was a la-
bouring man. He had invited several of his neighbours to
the christening of one of his children. Welch, who was ex-
cited by liquor, insulted him and the women who were with
him, and particularly one Mary Ann Toward, who refused
his advances. A scale ensued. Proud and Toward endea•
voured to get away, but Welch overtook them and stabbed
Proud with a long-bladed knife in the back of his neck, of
which wound he died immediately. Matthews was employed.
on the railway being formed between Newcastle and
Ber-
wick, and his victim, Daniel Hives, worked on the same line.
Matthews and another man, Hughes, on the sth of last Os-
tober, were beating the deceased, who called out to a Cap-
tain Potts, who witnessed the attack, to protect him from
being murdered by the two Irishmen. Captain Potts sup-
ported him, and whilst so doing, Matthews slyly walked
past and stabbed hives in the abdomen with a knife, which
he drew from under his frock. The juries in both cases,-
after returning verdicts of "Wilful Murder," recommended.
the pr;soners to mercy, and a memorial was forwarded to the
Government praying a commutation of the sentences. The
conduct of Welch after sentence was that of the most har-
dened and impenitent culprit. Matthews, on the codeary,
appeared duly impressed with the atrocity of his crime, and
was very attentive to the exhortations of the Catholic cler-
gyman, the Rev. G. A. Lowe. St. Patrick's-day being the
day appointed for the execution, it was supposed some dis..
turbance might be occasioned by the countrymen of the par-
ties condemned ; a strong body of police was consequently
in attendance, but nothing of the sort took place. Welch
when on the scatibld appeared more affected than his pre-
vious behaviour had led people to anticipate, and died ire-
ploring the Divine mercy. This wretched man was only
22 years of age. His fellow criminal, Matthews, was in his
20th year.
HUNGERFORD SUSPENSION BRIDGE STEAM-BOAT
PlER.—Wednesday the long pending dispute between the
Ilungerford Market and Bridge Companies was brought to
an amicable termination, the Market accepting the Bridge
Company's proposal. A space six feet in width is now railed.
off on the west side of the bridge, from the north turret to
the market termination, for the use of ateatn-boat passengers,
who will, in the course of a few days, be able to land and em-
bark from these vessels, and pass over the Suspension Bridge
without being subject to any charge.
THE NAVIGATION-LAWS. A meeting was held
on Wednesday at the Bridge-house Hotel, London-bridge, to
and t ry . w
hToh
he lidersothuat
consider the question of the navigation-laws. The two first
a
resolutions:were to the effect that the repeal of the navigation-
law would m
ovproveethreui
third ou ruinous
resolution,to theco country.
ap-
pointeds
to
re-
solution in his possession, was called upon to perform his
duty, when, to the dismay of the chairman, and the amuse-
ment of the meeting, it was found the "gentleman" had
absconded, carrying the resolution with him..
now got up to make some
objections to the resolutions
sharplyormed by the chairman that
adopted, but he was informed
the meeting was convened for
a specific purpose, and that
if he had anything to sayagainst that purpose he had better
take the room for the
_ next evening. Another speaker thought
it very ungentlemanly conduct on the part of the chairman
to refuse to hear
the objections. At this the chairman seised
his hat, and, vowing vengeance on the " person who had in-
I suited him," precipitately left the platform. A vote of thanks
to the chairman for his " impartial " conduct closed the
meeting.
MR. O'CONNELL'S HEALTH.—We have been in-
formed that the health of the Hon. and Learned Member for
Cork has not much improved, if at all, since his arrival at
Hastings. The only benefit which the change of air has
produced is, that he seems in somewhat better spirits.
With this exception, however, he is, we are informed, in
much the same state of health that he was in before he left
torn. Although there are other accounts given of the Hon..
Gentleman's health, we have reason to believe that this in
the true one.
Mr. Milnes paired off with the O'Conor Don in
favour of ten hours, on the Factories Bill division, on Wed.
nesday•