The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-27 00:00:00

advice of • those who were competeite%,tS
lie (Lora Campbell) would bow \ifir)Pilitly' fo
the opinion of such men as Lord Hardwick
and Lord Portman as to thP letting of 34 nd ‘nd spuh v,
like. The Noble Lord, who had fiiihitiheel the
Noble Lord who had just spoken with his
information, had undertaken the examination of the
Bedford level, and to give his advice upon some future

arrangements of it. He (Lord Campbell) would be im-
plicitly guided by it. But in such Acts as the appoint-
ment of magistrates, he would not submit to guidance;
on the other hand, as far as their advice was necesscry,
in referrence to property and finances, the Chancellor
would avail himself of it.

Lord BROUGHAM said he felt he was in the position of the
person in one of '!'erence's plays who went to consult the
Roman Chancellor, and who, after hearing him, said—
" Incertior multus sum jamdudum. '—( Laughter.)
But a more groundless charge than had been made against the
Noble Lord near him, that he had betrayed the confidence of
the Noble Lord, his informant, was never heard. Why, the
Noble Lord had no confidence to betray ; he bad asked a ques-
tion of the person spoken of, and that Noble Lord had no confi-
dence to give him. " Why," said that Noble Lord, " I cannot
tell, Ido not know wherefore I was appointed." So there was
no confidence either possessed or betrayed. The Noble Lord
added, that if there was any wisdom in a multitude of counsel-
lors, there would be enough of it in the councillors of the
Duchy of Lancaster ; but, for his part, he was as ignorant
after the explanation of his Noble Friend as he had been
before it.
JOINT-STOCK BANKS (SCOTLAND).
Lord EGLINTON, in moving that an humble address be
presented to her Majesty for copies of the correspondence of the
Scotch bankers with the late and present Governments, relative
to the Bill for regulating joint-stock banks in Scetland skid
Ireland, which was passed last session ; and, in particular, the
correspondence of any of the directors of the North British
Bank ; also, for the terms or conditions of an agreement or
arrangement said to have been entered into in favour of the
bank, said that he thought the system of joint stock banking
in Scotland would require no eulogy on his part.
It was with the view of exciting their sympathies at some
future period that he asked for these returns. Amid opposi-
tion of Scottish Members, and remonstrance of Scottish
bankers, the measure of a former session on the subject of
Scotch banking was carried through the other House, with
that rapidity which so often takes place. He was induced to
withdraw his opposition to that Bill, but on the reasons for the
withdrawal of that opposition being known he received a letter
stating that there was not the slightest truth in the report of
the change in the opinion of these parties in Scotlastd, and by
which he had been induced to withdraw his opposition. He
would not enter into the general subject of the currency, but
he would say that he believed that the greatest misery had been
caused in the country by the Currency Bill. In conclusion he
begged to propose the following resolution :—" That an
humble address be presented to her Majesty for any corre-
spondence of the Scotch bankers, with the late and present
Governments, relative to the Bill for regulating joint-stock
banks in Scotland and Ireland, which was passed last session,
and in particular the correspondence of any of the directors
of the North British Bank ; also for-the terms or conditions
of an agreement said to have been entered into in favour of
that bank."

Lord CLARENDON said he could not agree to the motion
of his Noble Friend, not because there was any objection to
produce the documents in question, but because they did not
exist. He had spoken to his Right Hon. Friend the Chancel-
lor of the Exchequer on this subject, and he could not find that
there had been any written communication with Government
on this subject, though there might have been some oral com-
munication. He could not agree with his Noble Friend oppo-
site in what he had said about the manner in which the mea-
sure to which he referred had been proposed. The Bill
with respect to Scotch Banks, in common with other Bills bad
been postponed in consequence of her Majesty's visit to
the Continent, but the late Chancellor of the Exchequer gave
notice of his intention to introduce it the following session.
His Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer
thought it would be right to extend the law that was found to
work well in England, to Scotland, and Ireland. He had, how-
ever, fixed a day to receive a deputation from the parties inte-
rested in the question by whom it had been solicited ; but they had
not thought fit to wait upon him. He thought, therefore, that his
Right Hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer was justi-
fied in the course which he had pursued. He could not un-
derstand how it could have affected the evils which the Noble
Lord had described, because the measure was prospective. If
these evils existed, her Majesty's Government have been ac-
quainted with them, for an inquiry had been instituted, and
there was no account to corroborate the statement of the Noble
Lord.

The Earl of RADNOR expressed his satisfaction at the
Noble Lord opposite having brought this matter before the
attention of the House. He was one of those who considered
the banking system in Scotland had been placed on the best
basis possible, and it was known to have given satisfaction to
all parties. It had been sacrificed merely to carry out a view
of Sir Robert Peel's on the currency. He referred here to
the measure of 1845. The measure of 1846, which grew out
(,f that, was still worse, and if certain Peers had assisted him
in his opposition to that measure it should never have passed.
When all was carried on upon principles of free trade he thought
it was unjust to place banking on any other footing.
MEDICAL CHARITIES IN IRELAND.
The Earl of CLANCARTY, in drawing the attention of the
House to the motion which he had to bring before them, said
that with reference to the Bill which had passed last session,
entitled, " The Medical Relief (Ireland) Bill," he thought
that it had not answered the expectations of its proposers.
The law had two great elements of failure—the want of effi-
ciency and uniformity ; efficiency, because a central superin-
tendence was required, which the law did not give ; and
uniformity, because the taxes for Its support were not propor-
tioned to the circumstances of the parties affected by them.
The poor-laW returns gave an affecting account of the number
of industrious poor who crowded the workhouses, and the

feeling in Ireland was, that no amelioration would take place
within an early period, because, although an inquiry into the
operation of the poor-law system was often promised, the term
inquiry was only associated in their minds with procrastination.
With these views he had called upon the Noble Marquis oppo-
site and upon the Right Hon. the Secretary for Ireland, and
he would only then read the terms of the motion he had to
submit to the House, which was to know whether it was the
intention of her Majesty's Government to propose, in the pre-
sent session, any measure with respect to the medical relief of
the suffering poor in Ireland, founded on the recommendation
of the report of the Select Committee appointed last session
for inquiry into the subject ; if not, whether it was intended
to propose any other measure for the improvement of medical
charities ?

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE admitted that the subject
to which the Noble Lord had called the attention of the Go-
vernment was one of the first importance, and although he
could not promise that a Bill upon the subject would be
brought in in the course of the present session, he had no
hesitation in saying that it would receive their best attention.:
Their Lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Feb. 26.
BANK RETURNS.
Mr. HUME said that he wouldimove for the returns,
which stood on the paper of yesterday, relative to bank
accounts, &c.—Agreed to.
DRAINAGE ACTS.
Sir G. GREY said that, on Monday, he should ask
leave of the House to bring in a Bill for the amending
of the Drainage Act passed in the last session of
Parliament.

LIMITED ENLISTMENT ACT.
Mr. FOX MAULE gave notice that, on Monday, he
should move for leave to bring in a Bill for a limited
enlistment in the army.—(Cheers.) He would merely
move the first reading, and take the discussion on the
Bill in a future stage.
POOR-LAWS.
On the motion-that the House resolve itself into a
Committee of Supply,
Mr. ROEBUCK said that he .had given notice of
his intention to ask a question of the Right Ho-
nourable Baronet the Secretary of State relative
to the present poor-laws in this country. There were
few in that House who had not seen the columns of the
Times, where an extraordinary opinion had been given
by a Learned Friend of his with respect to the poor-
laws. Questions had been put to Air. Matthew Hill,
whether certain proceedings of the Poor-law Com-
missionera had been legal, and if proceedings could
be taken against them by indictment or other-
wise, to which Mr. Hill answered that the first
eet of the statutes was legal, but that the
conduct of the Poor-law Commissioners was illegal,
if the facts were as described in the question; and,
thirdly, that they could be proceeded against by indict-
ment, by information, or by action. Among other regu-
lations in this Act, these Commissioners were to act as a
board, and not in their individual capacity as Commis-
sioners, and their proceedings were to be subject to the
supervision of the Secretary of State. And now it fp-
pared, from the result of this Andover inquiry, that
ever since their constitution, the Act of Parliament had
been violated, and the question he had to ask was, what was
now to be done? He was quite sure that no man who had
taken part in the discussions when this law was pasted
would be inclined to throw out the slightest im-
putation against the Poor-law Commissioners ; but
it was very evident that the law had broken
down under them. But they were about to recon-
struct this law, and there was on the table of the House
a measure for establishing an amended poor-law for
Ireland, and there was a vavie notion that this law was
to be assimilated to that for England, and he would ask
them, were they to proceed without any further infer ,
mation than they already possessed? This was, he be-
lieved, the last session of the present Parliament, and, it
was therefore evidently necessary to take some urea'
sures for improving the law, and if it was to be re-
constructed without throwing any imputation on
-the present CommissuionheerNordinaiorr
choeurtoen,ileys 0 knew
ni
life,
those gentlemen throw:- t
anddid theyn
ot weontivh)l,
ohuet.muTsthseayywthoautldthhaeyve
indictments
tnoetntthseanypderascotnisontos
brought
il
tt
inegaadi n tathleimfe
- e This was the last session, and he would
in
nfoarll whichr'rts o h :tell emcecrotuain.ntlryy,
ask the Noble Lord again whether they were to
legislate without information ?—(" Hear, hear," from
Lord J. Russell.) By that cheer he supposed
the anwer he would get would be, that they were not.
At the present moment three or four gentlemen, 'who
had been entrusted with the carrying out of thisilaw, had
taken on themselves to violate an Act of Par-
liament- Under these circumstances, hel would wish
to kr ow, if it was the intention of her
Majesty's Government to_ extend the poor-law to Ire-
land, whether it would be equitable to do so without a
wo-king in
whomnEont g b
onelatnhdeuy:
of
tilehos,e
who wished to defend
knowledge of all the circumstances connected with its
as the Rouse must be
i aware,
communitylrish
swere
to
pr 0
tpeaort.t
wereiil boueyn
a Thereforeunodrertthhai
he thought it would not be right to put them that
law without a knowledge of its working from the Com-
missioners. He would ask the Noble Lord if he had re-
ceived any suggestions from the Poor-law Commisioners,
for it was their duty to have made those suggestions.
Ile was obliged to confess that the poor-law administra-
tion in this country had been a lamentable failure. He
believed that this was not the fault of the law, but of the
parties who were employed to carry it out, who were not
efficient. They were going on in the dark at present,
and he thought it the duty of the Government to tell the
House what they were about to propose, not only with
respect to the poor-law:in England, but also in Ireland.
The law was based on many difficult points convected
both with that House and with the tranquillity of Ire-
land, and be thought that the best means at the present
moment would be to institute a thorough inquiry jut
the system.
-Sir G. GREY said, that with reference to the first