The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-05 00:00:00

ItYr
,ort
1111
the
La
last

ell
bf
90a
'n-
ot

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
frOuSE OF LOUDS, 'el.. 4.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool-
sack shortly after Five o'clock.
POOR REMOVAL ACT.
The Duke of RICHMOND presented petitions from
• several places in Sussex against the Poor Removal Act,
the inhabitants of which believed that it was a hardship
to the poor, and calculated to increase the poor-rates.
Lord BEAUMONT thought that en observation ought
to be made on these petitions. It was a mistake to sup-
Pose that this Act was a hardship on the poor; for it
°illy provided for the removal of the poor. It
might, indeed, increase the poor-rates, but that
was an evil which would work its own remedy; for
if the landlords pulled down cottages, they would
be obliged to build them up again when they
wanted labourers, as no man could travel
more than a certain distance to his work. The Bill
blight have been clumsily drawn, but its real effect was
to prevent the removal of the poor without their own
consent.
The Duke of RICHMOND quite agreed with hie
Noble Friend in the latter part of his observations, viz.,
that this Act was clumsily drawn, for he believed that
no two lawyers in England agreed in the con-
struction of the Act. But with respect to the
hardship which it occasioned to the poor be
totally differed, for he believed that the Act had been.
Productive of the greatest hardship to the labouring
Poor, especially to those aged couples who had borne a
good character through lile; for it had in those cases
tended to reduce that out-door relief to which they were
from their circumstances entitled. And if the Govern
Silent would grant him a commission he would engage
to Prove that in innumerable instances the Act had in that
way Thege
Particularly
hulailyy ofthe
been productive of the greatest hardships.
people of the country were at
present against union settlements, and he participated
irjthat feeling. He would much regret the passing of
the
o t n I*g
re
a'u'
sa great evils would arise out of it.
objectionth eerecter of was so bad to the poor as continually changing
the poor-laws. He had no
parts of the to
.the amendment of the harsh
poor-law, but he did not think the proposed
new law of settlement of such a character.
Lord BEAUMONT agreed with the Noble Duke
that the proposed law of settlement would operate un-
satisfactorily.
Lord BROUGHA Al also agreed with the Noble Dnke,
that whatever was found in the law to be unsatisfactory
• should be amended. He would not do so from a desire
to propitiate clamour, or because it was unpopular, for a
clement. might be got up against anythng, but because
While on this subject, he begged leave to correct
Jul error into which he had been led by an esteemed cor-
respondent, whom he had always hitherto found correct.
flaying made the error the other evening in a statement
ae (Lord Brougham) had made respecting pauperism in
Liverpool, he now took the earliest opportunity of
- correcting 'it: He had stated that those who es-
tablished —the soup kitchens in that town
bad stopped the supplies on Sunday to the poor. It
aPPears that this was not correct; no such distinction, it
appears, was made. He was exeeedingly loath to say
anything of those who were engaged in the pious
work of charity, though he had received another
e2.lntnunication from Glasgow, about which there could
r no mistake. The letter contained a soup
kitchen ticket, on which was printed that the bearer
blight be supplied on any day but Sunday. The same
spirit was shown on a recent occasion, when a most
extensive fire occurred in Glasgow. The fire took
Place on a Sunday, and the Stamp-office, which adjoined,
was in danger of being destroyed, yet no assistance
could be got from Edinburgh, because the rail-
way was shut up on that days the proprietor of the
building also lived in Edinburgh, and though his
presence was imperatively required in Glasgow,
it was impossible for him to get through.
The mail train departed with the mail bags, for the con-
veyance of which the railway company received so much
° Year, but the directors of that railway most positively
refused to allow a messenger to go with the train to
summon the owner of the burning premises to come to
Glasgow., And it was because he saw charity
""us tainted with fanaticism (for not to attend to
works of charity, necessity, and mercy, was fa-
natacism in the highest degree) that he was
induced to speak to their Lordships on the subject.
The Noble Duke (the Duke of Wellington) might just
as well be blamed for having fought his glorious battle
of Waterloo, June the 18th, which was Sunday. Per.
hags, however, the Noble Duke was not aware of the
fact of its being Sunday, or he would, no doubt, have
deferred giving the French battle until another day.—
(Laughter.) With respect to the immense influx of
Irish paupers into Liverpool, he held in his hand a
statement which showed that 3,841 persons came into that
Port in two days. The number of persons who landed
in Liverpool from
Cork, was
Sligo
Drogheda
Newry
Dublin
and these in two days. It was a most serious affair, and
imposed great hardship upon the people of Liverpool.
He would suggest to the Government the propriety and
necessity of taking into consideration the state of the
English as well as the Irish poor. He knew it had
been said by some persons, " that the Irish people bad
no need to 'despair so long as there was a single guinea
left in the English Treasury." He totally dissented
from such a proposition. It had also been suggested
that the Government should buy corn and sell it at a
cheap rate. That would be the worst possible thing
;at could be done. In a time of scarcity. the greatest
blessing that could happen was for the prices of
ru
ui to rise considerably, because it always pro-
s.eted tendency to frugality and economy.
The result of cheapness in a time of dearth was to con-
vert dearth into scarcity, and scarcity into the most
Wanted forms of famine. It gave him great pain to
renew these observations, but he confessed he did so
b
Pleasant task to utter harsh truths, but unless he did
_
he should not discharge his duty to the public.
deprecated the mania that was gaining ground
totYle revenue must yield relief to the Irish poor and
tverish landlords. If such a system was persisted in,
e.! par would be one of comparative prosperity com-
r77l to its successors.
e a
ns s ed n
rg
ee t rus r
nf rs o. m the Commons brought up several
CHELSEA PENSIONERS.
rem; Duke of WELLINGTON proposed the first
laterite of this Bill. In doing so, he said it was not his
on 07°11 to address any observations to their Lordships
abeime subject, except that the Bill was intended to
pe Ish the poundage heretofore deducted from the
ttuir°l4 of those gallant men—the Chelsea pensioners—
zimsequently to promote their welfare and interests.
e Bill was read a first time.
• POOR-LAW.
hil4brd, •
DENMAN presented a petition from a parish
praFroe'shire complaining of the present poor-laws, and
theJlr'g for its immediate amendment, particularly that
Poor ought to be supported by the public.
The Marquis
OF FOOD IN IRELAND.
fro he Marquis of LANSDOWNE presented a petition
tu the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of Cork, Fay-
e,their Lordships to cause measures to be taken to
4.4e;8h the price of food in that county. He
u to state that lie entirely concurred
(rahe observation of his Noble and Learned Friend
oreat;._ Brougham) with respect to the impolicy of
Re "Ig an artificial dimunition of the prices of food.
of cog an
mention several places where this reduction
kbPrtees had led to the most grievous scarcity; the week
as °wing that in which such reductions were made,
e,._ the shopkeepers retused to sell their
i:wnlodities at the reduced prices, the adjoin-
t'g farmers discontinued to send into the towns
Lie usual supplies. It was the duty of the Government
riatteniove all obstructions to the supply of food, and they
IEI2 therefore, done all in their power to carry supplies
of food to those places which were not easily accessible.
ANTICIPATED SCARCITY IN THIS COUNTRY.
The Duke of RICHMOND—I think it is desirable that
it Should not go forth to the whole of the country,
th4lt there is likely to be a great dearth of provisions in
this country. It is said, in many parts of England that there
will be a scarcity of corn, and that all the evils of a
faraine may be apprehended. Now, I believe that that
is not the case, as I believe that there is a
Feat deal of corn in the hands of persons in
this country. Besides, when, coupled with this, we
see such largo imports of grain from the United
States, there is little reason for the people to consider
that this country wilt have to encounter a famine. I,
for one, have no apprehension of a famine here.—(Hear.)
.Lord BRULTGRANI was understood to say that
the most senseless clamour had. been raised against
the corn merchants as being
as
serty injurious persons, in-
hey really were• and if
stead of being represent. d, .
this clamour were to be continued it must be productive
of great miechief.
Earl FITZ WILLIAM had not the slightest doubt
but that the supply of wheat, both in England Ireland,
Was insufficient for those who were consumers of wheat.
This would necessarily be absorbed, and certainly the
finer qualities of wheat would be scarce, and,
Perhaps, there might be a scarcity in the
secondary qualities also; but he was anxious to correct
one mistake which might be injurious out of doors. That Was the impression created by the words of his
Noble and Learned Friend, and he was anxious to cor-
rect the notion that the people of England were suffer..
lug anything like the same destitution as that which is
eg3ertenced in Ireland. The people of Ireland were
11.,_°t consumers of wheat, but of other produce; and as
the Potato crop had totally failed, the want was not only
felt in , Ireland, but there was absolute destitution.
'la was a notion which he earnestly desired to correct,
reufor if it were not corrected, it. might lead to a relaxation
lo4i.sthose o
pelffeofrrtosmw
shtiecrhvewteieree. indispensable to relieve the
h L'°rd BROUGHAM was anxious to explsin that he
-,,ad never entertained the idea that the destitution in
when
was in any degree equal to that in Ireland.
Ise!l_4in he made the observations to which his Noble
%.;',l",let referred he had in his eye Glasgow, Liverpool,
Bristol, the ports on the western coast, where a
scarcity of corn had been severely felt. The
:..3at which he desired to bring under their
exertions
notice was the fact, that while great
of 'Lions had been made for the relief of Ireland nothing
olulything like the same effort had been manifest,ed for
fagf, Poor of Scotland and England. He found no
44 with the contributions that had been made
we the suffering poor in Ireland. In his
r:ton it did the people of this country
leoeeshonour, for all classes had equally exerted th, M.-
eount to succour tho.e whom he would call their fellew-
hie .tlreen, and aiming the most active was that amia
thought a t ecixncleyl lent body, the Society of Friends, who,
a small community, had contributed