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

FLANDERS MAIL.

BRUSSELS, FEB. I—The Chamber of Representatives
continued, and closed to-day the general debate on the
budget of the War Department.
A letter from Ysegen of the 30th Jan., says ;—" You
may judge' of the distress which desolates us when
you are informed that in 1846, we had 365 deaths, and
only 163 births. The typhus fever, it is true, has spread
its ravages in our community during the last year, but
we must remember that the scourge has arisen from the
frightful distress and destitution of the people ; for out
of the 365 deaths, no less than 290 were poor. God
knows what may be the number carried off in the pre-
sent year, but this day on which we write, the 22d Jan.,
we have already had 32 deaths, and among these 28 are
paupers. '
At the close of the year 1846, the population of War-
saw amounted to 165,130 inhabitants, of these 1,527 be-
longed to the Greek Church, 107,962 to the Roman Ca-
tholic religion, 150 to the United Greeks, 44,394
to the Protestant religion, and 33,149 to the Jewish
religion.
DUKEDOM OF LinrE.—On the 27th January the As-
sembly of the States was opened, with the usual cere-
monies. The first act of the Assembly was, the vote of
a large sum to meet the prevailing distress among the
poor.
COURTRAI, 29T11 JAN.—Yesterday, we had a most
fearful storm, accompanied by a heavy fall of rain and
hail, which occasioned great destruction in Courtrai, and
Ruilers. Trees were torn up by the roots, mills de-
stroyed, chimneys thrown down, and houses unroofed.
It is very remarkable that, notwithstanding all the dam-
age occasioned in different parts, not a single life has
been lost. A miller who was engaged in a mill in the
hamlet of Samoye, escaped with his life, although the
mill was completely destroyed. He however received
several contusions.

FOOD RIOTS IN THE NORTH—MILITARY MOVE-
MENTIL—The outbreaks which have recently occurred in se-
veral of the northern counties, has led to the departure of a
large body/ of troops from this city, in order to aid the local
authorities in preserving peace. On Thursday morning a de-
tachment of eighty men of the 76th Regiment marched from
the Castle to Granton Pier, where they embarked on board
the steamer for Aberdeen ; and on the following day other
fifty men of the same corps, under Captain Dennis, left
Granton, per steamer, for the same destination. In addition
to the above, another 100 men of the 76th embarked on
Sunday morning on board the Bonnie Dundee steamer, for
Burghead, under the command of Brevet-Major Scott, with
Captain Flannaghan and Lieutenant Large. Yesterday
afternoon eighty men of the 74th arrived, per railway, 'from
Glasgow, to take a share in the duties at the Castle during
the absence of the other detachments from the 76th—Edin-
burgh Advertiser.
SWITZERLAND.—It will be remembered that one
of the first acts of the provisional government of Geneva,
after the late revolution, was to declare that it would hold
the members of the last council responsibe for all the damage
caused by the troops in the attempt to resist the insurrection.
The amount of damage having been estimated at 42,000 f.,
the members of the late council were ordered to pay it.
They refused, on the ground that their conduct in the insur-
rection was imposed upon them by the law for the preserva-
tion of public order; but a decree having been obtained from
the tribunal for immediate payment, they yielded to force,
and paid the money. A few days ago several of the citizens
of Geneva held a meeting for the purpose of raising a sub-
scription to repay the sum thus unjustly wrung from the
members of the late government. The latter, however, have,
in an address to their fellow-citizens thanking them fur their
sympathy, declined receiving the proposed reimbursement.
An operation, preceded by the inhalation of ether
was performed on Saturday, at the military hospital of the
Val-de-Grace, on a non-commissioned officer, named Gefline,
who conducted himself with so much bravery in Africa,
taking a standard, although wounded in several places, and
offering. own home to a dismounted officer. The amputa-
beurte d.
declared uwttheznditpwlaaitsitoiNv.
tnionnisotf an arm having become necessary, the ether was ad-
ctriiieast
hduringthe felt n
oo
pens-
lie had, he said, plaintive cries
dreaming that he was about to be
amputated, but clad felt
a scratching. (This no sensation except something like
foroeveral hours afterwa' the action of the saw.) Getline was
ether, like a man who thelx operation under the effect of the
On the following day td become intoxicated by drinking.
Galignani. he complainedof a violent headache.—
A black hare was lately shot i
ham ; it was full-grown, and n the parish of theDen-
fur
black. was the finest glossy
. . .

The Lord. Advocate of Scotland had an interview ;ester-
day with the Eight lion. T. Milner Gibson.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, Feb. 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 an observationought
to be made on these petitions. It was a mistake to sup-
pose that this Act was a hardship on the poor; for it
only 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
might 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 his
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 he
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 life; 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•
ment would grant him a commission he would engage
to prove that in innumerable instances the Act had in that
way particularly been productive of the greatest hardships.
The great body of the people of the country were at
present against union settlements, and he participated
in that feeling. He would much regret the passing of
the measure, as great evils would arise out of it.
Nothing was so bad to the poor as continually changing
the character of the poor-laws. He had no
objection to the amendment of the harsh
parts of the 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 BROUGHAM 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 clar.;our, or because it was unpopular, for a
clamour might be got up against anythng, but because
experience proved that the alteration was merited.
While on this subject, he begged leave to correct
an error into which he had been led by an esteemed cor-
respondent, whom he had always hitherto found correct.
Having made the error the other evening in a statement
he (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
had stopped the supplies on Sunday to the poor. It
appears that this was not correct; no such distinction, it
appears, was made. He was exceedingly loath to say
anything of those who were engaged in the pious
work of charity, though he had received another
communication from Glasgow, about which there could
be no mistake. The letter contained a soup
kitchen ticket, on which was printed that the bearer
might 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 he got from Edinburgh, because the rail-
way was shut up on that day; 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
a 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
thus tainted with fanaticism (for not to attend to
works of charity, necessity, and mercy, was fa-
natacisin in the highest degree) that ho 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, Juno the 18th, which was Sunday. Per•
haps, 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

... 272
... 911

and these in two days. It was a most serious affair, and 1
imposed great hardship upon the people of Liverpool.
Ile would suggest to the Government the propriety and
necessity of taking into consideration the state of the
English as well as the Irish poor. lie knew it had
been said by some persons, " that the Irish people had
no need to despair so long as there was a single guinea
c. ;•-• rho ii',nalish Treasury." He totally dissented
cheap rate. That would be the worst possible thing
that could be done. In a time of scarcity, the greatest
blessing that could happen was for the prices of
grain to rise considerably, because it always pro-
duced a tendency to r frugality and economy.
The result of cheapness in a time of dearth was to con-
vert dearth into scarcity, and scarcity into the most
aggravated forms of famine. It gave him great pain to
renew these observations, but he confessed he did so
because they were not attended to. It was far from
a pleasant task to utter harsh truths, but unless he did
so he should not discharge his duty to the public.
He deprecated the mania that was gaining ground
that the revenue must yield relief to the Irish poor and
to Irish landlords. If such a system was persisted in,
this year would be one of comparative prosperity com-
pared to its successors.
Messengers from the Commons brought up several
Bills and returns.

CHELSEA PENSIONERS.
The Duke of WELLINGTON proposed the first
reading of this Bill. In doing so, he said it was not his
intention to address any observations to their Lordships
on the subject, except that the Bill was intended to
abolish the poundage heretofore deducted from the
pensions of those gallant men—the Chelsea pensioners—
and consequently to promote their welfare and interests.
The Bill was read a first time.
POOR-LAW.
Lord DENMAN presented a petition from a parish
in Derbyshire complaining of the present poor-laws, and
praying for its immediate amendment, particularly that
the poor ought to be supported by the public.
PRICE OF FOOD IN IRELAND.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE presented a petition
from the mayor, aldermen, and burgesses of Cork, pray-
ing their Lordships to cause measures to be taken to
diminish the price of food in that county. He
begged to state that he entirely concurred
with the observation of his Noble and Learned Friend
(Lord Brougham) with respect to tho impolicy of
creating an artificial dimunition of the prices of food.
He could mention several places where this reduction
of prices had led to the most grievous scarcity; the week
following that in which such reductions were made,
as the shopkeepers refused to sell their
commodities at the reduced prices, the adjoin-
ing farmers discontinued to send into the towns
the usual supplies. It was the duty of the Government
to remove all obstructions to the supply of food, and they
had, 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,
that 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
famine may be apprehended. Now, I believe that that
is not the case, as I believe that there is a
great deal of corn in the hands of persons in
this country. Besides, when, coupled with this, we
see such large imports of grain from the United
States, there is little reason for the people to consider
that this country will have to encounter a famine. I,
comordronstßmßesreOenhUsaeGnletilsssAasM was understood to say that
for one, have no apprehension of a famine here.—(Hear.)
t
clamour ehr
ya di
nbj
ue enn.
uraised
oangs i n
ins
theth eL
stead of being represented as they really were; and if
this clamour were to be continued it must be productive
of great mischief.
Earl FITZWILLIAM 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.
rest the notion that the people of England were suffer-
ing anything like the same destitution as that which is
experienced in Ireland. The people of Ireland were
not 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.
This was a notion which he earnestly desired to correct,
for if it wore not corrected, it might lead to a relaxation
of those efforts which were indispensable to relieve the
Irish people from starvation.
Lord BROUGHAM was anxious to explain that he
had never entertained the idea that the destitution in
England was in any degree equal to that in Ireland.
When he made the observations to which his Noble
Friend referred he had in his eye Glasgow, Liverpool,
and Bristol, the ports on the western coast, where a
scarcity of corn had been severely felt. The
point which he desired to bring under their
Lordships' notice was the fact, that while great
exertions had been made for the relief of Ireland nothing
of anything like the same effot t had been manifested for
the poor of Scotland and England. He found no
fault with the contributions that had been made
for the sufferiag poor in Ireland. In his
opinion it did the people of this country
great honour, for all classes bad equally exerted them-
selves to succour those whom ho would call their fellow-
countrymen, and among the most active was that amia-
ble, that excellent body, the Society of Friends, who,
although only a small community, had contributed