The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-04 00:00:00

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LONDON, TUESDAY. MAY 4, 1847.

The Lords met at Five o'clock.
The Encumbered Estates (Ireland) Bill was read a
third time and passed.
The Marquis of WESTURATIT then moved a reso-
tion to the effect " that the existinglaws of landlord
and tenant in Ireland are not
equitably the duties, reciprocal obligations,
inte-
rests of the parties in those relations inm tlae
m country,oefandediat
and under actual circumstances, require immediate
revision and amendment ; and that the imposition
new burdens and increased responsibilities on land
render such amendment urgent and indispensable.,
He did not intend to bring forward a Bill on the
subjt-et, but he hoped the Government would take
the matter up. The Noble Marquis complained that
the law of Ireland gave the tenant much greater
advantages as against the landlord than the law of
England, and complained of the hardship under which
the Irish landlord laboured in consequence.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE objected to the reso-
lution merely affirming an abstract proposition. The
subject was under the consideration of the Govern-
ment.

The motion was then withdrawn, and their Lord-
ships adjourned.

Mr. ThELAWNY then moved an amendment limiting
the operation of the Act to three years, which was
subsequently withdrawn, and the Bill was read a
third time and passed.
On the motion that the order of the day be read
for going into Committee of Supply,
Lord Jonx MANNERS rose to draw the attention of
the louse to the affairs of Greece.
Lord PALMERSTON entered into a lengthened ex-

planation of the policy of the British as regarded
Greece, and declared that England wanted to exer-
cise no influence whatever in the management of the
internal affairs of Greece ; all that was wanted was
that Greece should pay the interest of the money that
she owed.
Sir R. INGLIS thought that England had a right
to interfere to compel Greece to fulfil her engage-
ments.

Sir J. HANMER said she had a right to demand, not
only repayment of the loan, but the adoption of such
measures as should tend to the civilization of Greece.
Dr. BOWRING considered that it was for the interest
of England that Greece should be well governed, and
enabled to develop her resources.
Mr. P. BORTHWICK was perfectly satisfied with
the statement of the Foreign Secretary.
After a few words from Mr. HumE,
The motion of Lord JOHN MANNERS, fur certain
returns connected with the Greek loan, was agreed to.

The House then resolved itself into Committee of
Supply, and several sums in the miscellaneous esti-
mates were voted after some discussion.

The report on the Railway Piers, and Harbours
(Ireland) Bill, was then brought up.

Sir G. GREY then rose to move for leave to intro-
duce a Bill for the better administration of the laws
for the relief of the poor in England.
After a short debate, leave was given.
The House adjourned at a Quarter past Twelve.

Our factory artizans have at length received the
recompense of their long-suffering; they are hence-
forth emancipated from the thraldom of unrestricted
industry. The Ten Hours' Bill was read a third
time yesterday evening with a moderate degree of
opposition, and passed through the Lower Chamber
of Parliament by a majority of sixty-three in a House
of 239 Members. Let Monday, May 3, 1847, be
remembered hereafter in the manufacturing districts
as one of the high festivals of philanthropy.
Among the-many extraordinary events which have
latterly transpired in the British Legislature this
triumphant acceptance of the long-derided measure
of Mr. FIELDEN is perhaps the most remarkable.
Certainly it is the most significant. It testifies that
selfishness and cruelty, however potent may be their
supporters, must ultimately succumb before the deci-
sions of reason and the amenities inspired by the
true spirit of civilisation. How have not the
antagonists of this system of restriction to labour
dwindled away before the majesty of the principle
which it has undertaken to enforce, and which it has
at length carried to a victorious consummation !
that great principle which was enunciated in the
_ _

(sublime utterances of the Evangelists, that great prin-
ciple which is the vitality of our religion, that great
principle which finds a response alike in the pulsa-
tions of animal life, in the efflorescence of vegetation,
in the concentric movements of the celestial bodies
and the revolutions of their satellites !—the Prin-
ciple of Love, which in inanimate nature produces
Order and among rational beings—Humanity. In the
enforcement of this omnipresent principle the Poet
has afforded full scope to bis Imagination ; in its in-
corporation with the artificial system of society the
Legislator has opened the flood-gates of his Benevo-
lence. On the one hand the principle has manifested
itself in golden numbers, on the other it has effec-

tually diminished the miseries of the community.
In effect, the main purpose of all legislation is the
benefit of the multitude. What the conscientious
statesman places before him as the objects of
political emulation are the prevention or the dimi-
nution of evil and the realisation or the extension
of good ; the prevention of an exorbitant mortality
by wholesome measures of sanatory reformation ; the
diminution of crime by punishment, or by previous
education ; the realisation of pecuniary advantages
by a well-adjusted scheme of political economy ; or
the extension of such benefits as have been already
conferred upon the million by preceding Govern-
ments. Those are among the goals for which every
zealous and patriotic statesman should struggle on-
wards unceasingly. Of these the prevention of the
sufferings endured by the manufacturing labourers is
assuredly one of the most important, especially in
a country whose greatness has chiefly sprung from
the untiring toil, and unconquerable ardour of its
artizans. With this ,afflicted multitude the
lamentation has hitherto been ceaseless. Carried
along in the fitful whirl of commerce, now
working twelve or fourteen hours per diem, now ,
thrown out of employment for weeks in succession,
their bodies have been wasted successively by over-
exertion, and by a deficiency of nourishment. Beyond
this their dwelling-places hare remained as ungar-
nished and as untended by domestic care as their
minds have remained stagnant and undeveloped by
educational efforts. Eating, drinking, and sleep-
ing were the only interruptions to their monotonous
manual occupations, saving when the glut came
upon the market, and the mills stopped, and
their wretched inmates were thrown :into a
state of depressing and demoralising idleness, with-
out work, without wages, without food. The days
of :probation and trial have, however, elapsed ; the
night of ignorant misgovernment has terminated, and
the dawn of a benignant epoch in the industrial con•
dition of Great Britain has commenced. The female
and infant labourers in the factories will no longer
have to bewail the barrenness of their destinies; they
will no longer have to lament with the sempstress—
" It's 0 to bo a slave
Along with a barbarous Turk,
Where woman has never a soul to save,
If this is Christian work !"

keep,
is confided to her own k .
Henceforth the happiness of the. mainng.ufaetuArinndg,
caonndsidneartiinognal educationthattheguestaiornes onfowsanacotomg
ryinreform
ac-
tively under the consideration of the Legislature, it
is scarcely too much to anticipate the speedy indica-
tion of the good resulting from Mr. FIELDEN's mea-
sure in the cleanliness and decency of the hat.ita-
turns of our manufacturing localities, and the in-
creased morality, morality, and extended intelligence of their
by this decision of Parliament,ctrim
hatoion
wnec
.population. We are so peculiarly gladdened
sallusionsann ot inuc ourselves to indulge in any dtoe
a
the opponents of Mr. FIELDER, to which, under other
circumstances, we might have been inclined.

Ka great
King
Considering the restrictive character of
portion of the inaugural address of the
PRUSSIA, delivered to the members chosen to of
repre-
sent the national interests under the new Constitution,
the dignity, firmness, and moderation which have

Tlll4 SUN,

No, .

"-e, • 3

"-iq
that'.
been evinced in their subset.),
"T7cThe Commons met at Four oc oc . their. fitness for the performance
In answer to a question from Mr. BORTHWICIL Olk I prove
the subject of the affairs of Portugal, solemn duties voluntarily assigned to 01:W-A by
Lord PALMERSTON said that as no dispute bad their patriotic MONARCH. There is no doub
(lis.
arisen about the succession to the throne, nothing had every effort was made by Russia and Austria to
occurred calling into operation the treaty of the Qua- suede FREDERICK WILHELM IV. from according' .to
druple Alliance, and that with regard to actual.. inter- his subjects the boon for which they had so
ference nothing would be done by the British Go- long entertained a most ardent desire. To work-
vernment beyond an endeavour to effect a peaceable upon the fears of the King of Paussra. with respect
and satisfactory settlement of the dispute between the to the enlarged freedom of the press, which would
contending parties in that country. infallibly be secured shortly after the promulgation of
Mr. FIELDEN moved the third reading of the Fac- the new Constitution, and the political daugers that I
..ern Powers alluded
oe ,5
iwt
ieerne
tories Bal. would be certain to beset his dominions were 0-•
Mr. TRELAWNY moved, as an amendment, that important concessi_o,,nioornecree,s:edicuimtrsaepdnrytooportfihetethyr.e.the Court of
the Bill be read a third time that day six months. th:.c.,h,ief p,oinet:inofwthhiechyrthue N. orty-
man -OVEREIGN in a spirit
~. is
...‹ral allowance for the peculiarity of tli
Ile considered this as a penal measure levelled at the to attempted to fright fro.-
eoppl
labouring classes. Berlin. We thee•-P
Mr. LEADER seconded the amendment. the first sty. ,
Mr. GRIMSDITCH supported the Bill, passages of
1 of His
Mr. LABOUCHERE said, that after carefully recon- he had so
sidtring his opinions, his objections to the measure graciously assumed in th
remained unaltered and unshaken. Be considered it eAessant and combined remonstrancese teeth of the in-
ustria. of Russia and
a most perilous experiment, It was not
+r, • altogether unnatural
Mr. H. STANSFIELD called ...xing the first importantatural that, in
upon the House to stitue step for substituting
pause before they passedion al for despotic government, con-
a measure which wouldshould t the
Kin of P
seriously endanger 12 000 000/. have manifested some degreen' g RUSSIA
„ of capital embarked is clear, however, of timidity. It
in the cotton trade.
Mr. HUME considered it highest to the least influ • from the
extraordinary that in a accredited influential, who
free-trade Parliament a Bill such this, organs of representation,'are the -,lewly.
as for the de- in the do not r
struction of free trade, should receive apprehensions entertained in earticipate
such support. full recognition conn ••
The House then divided,when of the liberty of the.exion with a
there appeared— a remarkable press.
Of this
For the amendment
Against it
cf. Nobles, held in their
appointed hall in the Palace of Berlin. Prince
Majority against the amendment —63 LYCHNOWSKI, having alluded
-- • •

ige!
system of Parliamentary, reporting as sanctioned in
England, France, acid Belgium, strenuously con-
tended for the necessity and extreme importance of
all the proceedings of the Assembly being published
in the most unconditional form. After an interest-
ing discussion the Assembly unanimously agreed
to the question submitted by the Marshal in
accordance with the views of Prince LYCHNOWSIII.
We hail this as a most auspicious commencement of

the deliberative functions of the Prussian Nobles.
The resolution they have come to cannot fail of
proving highly subservient to the progress of liberty
and civilisation. We should not omit to mention
that the Prince of PRUSSIA, the heir presumptive,
took part in the discussion, and, regard being had to
his proximate rank to the throne, delivered himself
of very liberal sentiments.

It is a much easier matter to criticise than to
construct—it is a much simpler proceeding to expose
defects in the practical working of any code than to
detail the remedies by which these defects may be
removed, and new and improved enactments substi-
tuted in their place. This truth is peculiarly appli-
cable to the affairs of Ireland. It requires not a
wizard's skill to discover that there is something
rotten either in the laws of that country, or in the
mode of their administration—something that impe-
ratively demands a speedy and efficient reformation.
But, in what is that change to consist ; what is
to be the nature and character of the new legislation,
that is to get rid of the evils, to banish the griev-
ances that have hitherto prevailed, and retarded the
progress of improvement in that unhappy country,
that have prevented the due and proper cultivation
of the land, and led to the produce of a soil of unu-
sual fertility, possessing the greatest natural advan-
tages, with an abundant supply of labour at a rate of
remuneration far lower than that which prevails in
any part of Europe, being 60 per cent. below that
which is obtained from a similar quantity of inferior
land in England—this is, indeed, a problem that re-
quires no ordinary skill to be applied to its solution,
which demands the most attentive consideration,
and the introduction of numerous and apparently
discordant elements into the calculation before any
adequate demonstration can be afforded. Before the
result can be esteemed in any degree satisfactory
due weight must be allowed for the many pertur-
bations that exist, and induce the deviations from the
ordinary course. A State LE VERRIER must arise, who
by a new process of inductive reasoning may arrive at
the -first causes of these admitted results, and having
discovered the sources of the disease, may be enabled to
apply the fitting remedies, the required antidote to
the deep-seated poison. In order even to attempt this
more than Herculean labour, the peculiar characteris-
tics of all classes of the people, not merely of the
poorer, but also of the wealthier classes, not only of
the peasantry, but of the aristocracy, of the land-
owners, as well as of their cottier tenants, and
the occupiers of the soil throughout the king-
dom, must be maturely reflected on. A mind
perfectly free from prejudice must be brought
to the investigation ; the inquirer must not
suffer himself to be led away by the clamour of
any section or party. Give increased powers to the
landlords shout one division ; let them be the real
owners of their properties, enable them at pleasure
and by a summary process to get rid of the multi-
tudes that have squatted upon their lands—to dis-
possess all refractory tenants; and whenever they
desire it, to resume the several holdings ; while on
another side the cry arises for " fixity of tenure," and
the doing away with the possibility of a change in the
occupant under almost any circumstances. Enable the
landlord to do what he will with his own, let him
enjoy all the rights of property and clear his estate,
if he thinks proper so to do, demand one side ; " Give
every encouragement to improvement," respond the
other, "ensure to the tenant-farmer a fair equivalent
for the labour and capital he may expend in works of
a permanent and lasting description, and satisfy him
that his children will reap the benefit of the increased
value of his tenement." There is a great deal of
truth in what is stated on either side ; instances of
hardship can be produced that would apparently jus-
tify new enactments specially directed against them ;
but it may be found that the contemplated provisions
would give rise to evils still greater than those they
are intended to remedy. Any rash or hasty con-
clusions must therefore be most religiously eschewed,
any temporary patching be avoided until the entire
edifice can be reconstructed, and a great and compre-
hensive measure introduced.

It is impossible to dispute the abstract truth of the
proposition last night submitted by the Marquis of
WESTMEATH in the House of Lords. It is, indeed,
beyond all controversy, " that the existing
laws of landlord and tenant in Ireland
are not adequate to the exigencies of the
country, and that they are not sufficient to
regulate equitably the reciprocal duties, obligations,
and interests of the parties standing in those relations
towards each other." It would, indeed, be a work of
supererogation to affirm any principle so universally
admitted ; indeed, we do not believe that a single
individual could be found in the British dominions
with sufficient hardihood to controvert or deny its
truth. But what could be the use of inducing the
House to pronounce this censure. Unless some tan-
gible suggestions were offered fur the alterations and
amendments that should be made, why procure a
vote condemning the present law until we are pre-
pared with some efficient substitute ? The time for
discussion will speedily arrive. The Bill that is now
pending in the representative will shortly be intro-
duced to the hereditary branch of the Legislature. That
will be the proper period for inquiry as to the probable
effects of the several provisions, and seeing how far
they go towards remedying the evils---for increasing
their strength, if not sufficiently stringent, for intro-
ducing checks, if liable to be abused and extended
beyond their legitimate bounds. The subject is one
of the deepest interest, and should not be slurred
over, or prematurely disposed of. The house should
not be fettered by any abstraet resolutions or opi-
nions elicited before the fitting season.

The anniversary of the foundation of Rome was
celebrated with great pomp on the 21st; A grand
banquet took place at the Baths of Titus, at which
there were present 800 guests and 30,000 spectators.
Several patriotic speeches were made. Otle of the
speakers thus alludes to England and to the value
of an English alliance :
"England," he said, " is a free country, and cannot give
chains to nations, that article not figuring amon g her manu-
factures. England admires and respects us. Let us, then,
love those who love us, respect those who respect us, and
hate those who hate us."

Madrid journals of the 27th ult. have arrived.
CORTINA, LUJAN, and several of the Progres.sista De-
puties have determined to oppose SALAMANCA's propo-
sition for the sale of the national property, and itis
generally supposed that the Bill will not com'.3 before
the Cortes during the present session. The wmours