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

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.) lie 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 Mr. Matthew Hill,
whether certain proceedings of the Poor-law Com-
missioners had Lean legal, and if proceedings could
be taken against them by indictment or other-
wise, to which Mr. Hill answered that the first
act 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 dommissioeers 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 ap-
peared, 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 passed
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 vague notion that this law was
to be assimilated to that l'co Eoglattdeate; h.. would reit
them, were they to proceed without any further infor-
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 mea-
sures for improving the law, and if it was to be re-
constructed without throning any imputation on
courtesiesokfnliefevr,
thosethe gentlemen
C
nit
entohruroranigsshietnirsheeo
'rdinfoar he only
ry
he must say that they were not the persons to carry it
out. They would have indictments and actions brought
againt them in all parts of the country, and they would
lead a lite for Which he certainly did not envy
them. This was the last session, and he would
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 oat of thislaw
taken on themselves to violate an Act of ' had
h Par-
liament. Under these circumstances, el would wish
to know, if it was the intention of her
an
i Majesty's Government
t would
beto
extend the poor-law
so withoutor-lawtolrea-
d,whether i
equitableto do
knowledge of all the circumstances connected with its
Nse',.ovrakrein, g in England ?
was
not
one
of
thoseHe, asw htehowiHshoeudsetnmudsetfeobds
Irish landlords, but they were a part of that
community whom they were bound to protect. Therefore
he thought it would not be right to put them under this
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.
lle 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
to propose, not only with
House what they were about
respect to the poor-law;n England, hut also in Ireland.
The law was ba-ed on many difficult points connected
both with that House and with the tranquillity of Ire-
land, and he thought that the best means at the present
moment would be to institute a thorough inquiry into
the system.
Sir G. GREY said, that with reference to the first