The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-09 00:00:00

FROM FRANCE.

Mr. STAFF6liD;ishefito knv from the Right
Hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home
Department whether he had received any information
with respect to the expulsion of the English la-
bourers from France, and if so, whether the Go-
vernment had taken any means to forward those
persons so expelled to their respective homes. He
had also been requested to ask whether it was the
intention of her Majesty's Government to retaliate.
Sir G. GREY said that, in answer to the latter
part of the question, he would state that the Govern-
ment had not the slightest notion of retaliation.—
(Hear, hear.) With respect to the former part of
the question he would state that early on Sunday
morning last he received a letter from the Noble Lord
the Secretary for Foreign Affairs (Lord Palmerston)
enclosing to him a communication which that Noble
Lord had received from the British Consul at Havre,
stating that a number of French workmen employed
in the factories at Rouen had demanded the imme-
diate dismissal of all the English men and women
employed in those factories. Those persons
had been in consequence compelled to leave
Rouen suddenli, and had taken refuge on
board a steam boat, which fortunately happened to be
in the port. So suddenly had these persons been
compelled to leave, that they had not had the means
of obtaining the payment of the wages due to them,
and in many instances they were only partially
clothed. Upon their arrival at Havre they were
in a most destitute condition, and the British Con-
sul there, acting under the general authorities which
all British Consuls had, and which had been fully
acted upon in this case, viz.—to provide for the wants
of any British subjects who might be in distress, had
made such provision as was necessary to meet their
present emergencies, and caused a number of them to
be sent to this country by a steam-boat from Havre.
Upon the receipt of this information, he (Sir G.
Grey) sent instructions down to the Mayor of Ports-
mouth that he would make such provision as was ne-
cessary for the workpeople upon their arrival there.
Since addressing that letter he had received a com-
munication from the Mayor of Portsmouth, informing
him that two vessels, with ninety•seven personscon
board, had arrived at Portsmouth, all of whom were
flax• workers, or connected with that trade ; that he
bad obtained from them their names, the names of the
persons by whom they had been employed, the place
at which they were employed, the period of their
employment, and the amount, if any, of wages due
to them. The whole of the persons would be un-
shipped in the course of yesterday, and would be for-
warded at once, a number of them to Glasgow,
and by far the greater number to Dublin and Belfast.
Before they could be forwarded to their destinations,
it had been necessary to provide a great number of
the men with clothes, and the women with bonnets,
and other articles of clothing.
The Commissary of Rouen, who had been communi-
cated with, had stated that he should do all in his
power to prevent a similar occurrence ; and, further,
he had taken upon himself to guarantee, on behalf of
the Provisional Government, compensation to those
poor persons Who had been expelled from France.
An HON. MEMBNIt inquired whether the expulsion
of persons of the class mentioned was confined to
Rouen ; and whether the Right Hon. Baronet had
received any communications with respect to the
expulsion of railway labourers.
Sir G. GREY replied that no facts had reached him
in his official capacity to lead to the inference that simi-
lar expulsions had taken place in other localities. lie
was not aware that railway labourers had been sent away
from their employment, but no doubt a bad feeling
was entertained towards them by the inhabitants of
the places where they were employed.
Lord DUNGAN inquired if the Hon. Gentlemar,
Member for Honiton (Mr. Locke) had received any
intelligence on the subject ?
Mr. LOCKE replied that he had received intelli
gence from the Locomotive Superintendent at Tours,
that a great many English workmen had been ex-
pelled from that town in the same way as at Rouen.
He believed a great many English labourers were
working these at the time in question.
THE TREASURY.

Sir B. lIALL gave notice that on Monday the
13th instant he should move for the original estimate
of the improvements in the Treasury, with the name
of the architect, together with the entire cost.