The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-29 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, Jan. 25.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool-
sack at Five o'clock.
POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS, &c.
Lord CLARENDON laid on the table of the House
papers relative to the postal convention between Great
Britain and Prussia, France, and Denmark; an account
of the fees received in the offices of the Second Remem-
bra,ncer of Ireland ; an account of the supplies remain-
ing in the Mint ; and a report from the Commissioaers
of the Public Works in Ireland.
Lord BROUGHAM said that the papers laid upon
the table, more especially those relating to the foreign
postal arrangements, were of the highest importance,
but there was one objection to which ho wished to
call the attention of the Noble Lord, as respected Italy.
The Noble Lord was aware that it was not necessary to
prepay in this country letters addressed to France, Bel-
gium, or Holland; neither was it necessary that indivi-
duals in those countries should prepay letters addressed
to Great Britain ; but the same law unfortunately did
not apply to Italy, and he (Lord Brougham) was in the
habit of receiving large packets of letters, fre-
quently of the most worthless character, which,
as they were almost invariably marked " private,"
he took in and paid for. He paid four shillings
on one morning fora long account of some individual's

experiments in galvanisin—(Laughter)—and the only
revenge he had was doing up the communication in
stout brown paper, and addressing it to the party who
originally sent it.—(Laughter.)
THE LAW OF SETTLEMENT.
Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition, signed by
the mayor, several justices, five aldermen, the incumbent
and other clergymen of East Looe, and two hundred of the
most respesable inhabitants, praying for an alteration in
the law of settlement.
DISTRESS IN IRELAND.
Lord BROUGHAM expressed his opinion that it
would be desirable that their Lordships should be fur-
nished as soon as possible with a copy of the Bill for
the further provision for the relief of the poor in Ire-
land. The Noble and Learned Lord went on to say that
he had been obliged to leave the House before the con-
clusion of the debate on Monday night, and his Noble
Friend opposite (Earl Fitzwilliam) in alluding to that
circumstance said that he had gone off like gun cotton,
and left no residuum.—(Laughter.) He should be sorry
to say anything unnecessarily to interfere with. the si-
mile of his Noble Friend whose poetical genius they
would all admit, but a simile should always convey a
likeness, and in the simile of his Noble Friend, there
was no likeness, inasmuch as his whole speech was
founded on the residue which he had left behind him.
His Noble Friend had stated that his (Lord Brougham's)
speech had been de omnibus rebus et quibusdam aliis, but
that would apply more correctly to the multifarious
speech of his Noble Friend himself.—(Laughter.) With
respect to the state of the Irish poor, it was desirous that
their Lordships should be furnished with the fullest in-
information, and he was ableto:state that from additional
information which he had recently received, there were in
Liverpool between 25 and 26,000 persons receiving relief
at the soup kitchen, out of which number more than I
22 001 were destitute Irish persons.—(Hear, hear.) He
would not say much upon the subject of soup kitchens
on that occasion merely, but would allude to the circum-
stances as a proof of the extent of the distress, and
state a fact of which he had been informed of in connec-
tion with the management of the Liverpool soup kitchen.
It appeared that certain persons of exalted station in
Liverpool had from religious feelings on the subject of
the observance of the Sabbath, chosen to prevent the
opening of the soup kitchen on Sundays, and thus to
deprive 25,000 persons of relief on that day— (Oh, oh)—
forgetting the example of the Redeemer. When the
apostles were rebuked for plucking ears of wheat on
their Sabbath he interfered, and that circumstance
called forth the beautiful passage in the Scriptures in
which the Saviour asked if a man's ox or his ass fell
into a pit on the Sabbath, would he not relieve him that
day?—(Hear, hear.) He (Lord Brougham) dared to
say that those misguided people—those zealots who ob-
ject to the use of the soup kitchen on the Sabbath,
had eaten comfortable dinners that day, and had al-
lowed their servants to cook them.—(" Hear, hear," and
cheers.) This mixing up of religious faraticism with the
cause of charity and benevolence, was one of the greatest
eurses that could be experienced.—(Hear, hear, frcm
all parts cf the House.) An individual connected with
agitation bad been reported to have said that the mo-
ney raised in this country for the relief of the destitute
in Ireland, was to be used for the purpose of making
converts from the Catholic religion, whilst the people
were suffering. That individual had denied the truth
of the statement, but he (Lord Brougham) would ear-
nestly direct the attention of their Lordships to the
opinions which two individuals he should name held in
reference to it. The Rev. Mr. Bickersteth recommends
a fund of 20,0001. to be raised for the purpose of sending
missionaries to Ireland to strike while the iron was hot.
Now that was as bad a thing as he ever heard from
priest or layman.—(Hear, hear, from both sides of the
House.) It was one of the most wicked things which
could be done to sow dissension at a time like
the present when charity and benevolence ought to pre-
vail amongst all.—(Cheers.) But there was a most re-
spectable banker in the city of London who stated that
no one but an infidel could doubt that the present state
of Irelaud was a judgment of Providence caused by the
Maynaoth grant.—(Laughter.) That gentleman did not
agree in opinion with Mr. Addison, expressed in one of
the ablest papers of the Spectator, the object of that
paper being to chide those who pretended to be always
finding things to be judgments of Divine Providence.—
(Hear, hear.) They had always heard that the ways of
Providence were inscrutable, but such individuals would
affect to understand and to describe the inscrutable views
cf Providence.
Earl FITZWILLIAII was exceedingly glad that
he had given the Noble and Learned Lord
an opportunity of stating what he had done.
He thought some official information ought to be
afforded them on the subject. He only wanted
to say one other word about this judgment question.
It was most extraordinary that these gentlemen
who were so confident upon the matter, did not perceive
that it was not the Protestant Parliament of England
that was suffering from the visitation. In point of fact
the evil had fallen upon the individuals in whose behalf
they became sinners, so that the sinners themselves had
escaped.—(Hear, hear.)
The subject then dropped.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE presented a petition
from the relief committee of Cork, praying Govern-
ment to adopt measures for the speedy importation of
corn into Ireland.

THE LAW OF SETTLEMENT.
Lord WALSINGHAM presented a petition from
Norfolk against the present law of settlement.
Earl FITZ WILLIAM said the Noble Lord (Lord
Walsingham) was probably aware that a great move-
ment was commenced in Norwich in favour of what was
called a national rate; that was, in fact, to take the
maintenance of the poor from under the local rate, and
throw it on.the Consolidated Fund. Now of all the
schemes which were likely to be mischievous to the
poor, this, of throwing their maintenance on a
national rate, was the very worst—(Hear, hear)—
for under it there would be an end of ail the indepen-
dence of the lower classes themselves. He would be
bound to say, that the moment the local board had the
management of the Consolidated Poor Fund in their
power, a scene of wasteful extravagance would ensue
which would have no parallel.
Lord WALSINGHAM said that he entirely agreed
with the prayer of the petitioners, on the mischiefs
which arose under the present poor•la.w distribution ;
for the interest which the rate-payers had in keeping
down the poor rate operated greatly against the poor
man in his desire to gain employment. He was sorry
that at present there were no inducements held out for
industry or good conduct.
IRELAND.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE laid on the tab'e of
the House all the correspondence which had taken place
with the Commissariat of Ireland and the Board of
Works, relative to the distress which at present existed
there.