The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-27 00:00:00

RAILWAY BILLS.

The following Railway Bills were read a second time,
and wire ordered to be committed, viz.:—
Oldham District.
Gloucester and Dean Forest.
Ayrshire and Galloway.
Leeds and Bradford (Junction Line at Bradford).
RAILWAYS.

Mr. P. BUTLER presented petitions from Limerick,
and other places, in favour of the Great Munster Rail-
way.
Mr. THORNELY presented a petition from Wolver-
hampton in favour of the Shropshire Union Railway and
Canal Company.
LABOURERS IN FACTORIES.

Mr. BUNCOMBE presented a petition in favour of the
Ten Hours' Bill. He also presented a petition from six
factory girls, in the employ of Messrs. Baxter and
Brothers, manufacturers, of Dundee. The petitioners
complained of ill-treatment at the hands of their em-
ployers, and prayed the House to make some inquiry Lpon
the subject. He (Mr. Buncombe) believed that the circum-
stances of the case were these. The Messrs. Ba.xters had it
appeared, increased the wages of some of their workers,
and these girls made a demand for a similar increase,
which was refused them. They did not in consequence
attend their work one afternoon, and when they re-
turned on the following morning, the six of them (the
youngest being only 13 years of age) were locked up
for six hours and then taken .before a magistrate
(but previously he might state that they had been com-
pelled to sign a paper making certain admissions), when
they were sentenced to ten days' imprisonment, with
hard labour. They, therefore, prayed the House to
make inquiry into the matter, with a view to remedy
this grievance. •
Dr. BOWRING presented five petitions from Bolton
in favour of the Ten Hours' Bill.
THE CORN-LAWS.

Mr. ROEBUCK presented a petition, signed by 5,000
of the inhabitants of Bath, in favour of the present pro-
posal of her Majesty's Government with respect to the
free admission of foreign grain.
DUTY ON COPPER ORE.

Mr. J. PARKER presented a petition from the
Cutlers' Company, Sheffield, praying the House to re-
peal the duty on copper ore.
THE CORN-LAWS.

Mr. Alderman THOMPSON presented a petition
from several inhabitants of Westmoreland in favour of
free trade.

Mr. 0. DUNCOMBE presented a petition from the
occupiers of land in the county of Chester in favour of
the present corn laws.
Mr. W. MILES presented a petition to a similar effect.
Mr. MARK PHILIPS presented a petition from the
Manchester Chamber of Commerce, in which the peti-
tioners stated that in consequence of the length of the
present debate on the corn-laws, great embarrassment
resulted to every branch of trade in the district of Lan-
cashire, and throughout the kingdom generally ; and
they therefore prayed the House to come to as speedy a
decision as possible on this question.
FROST, WILLIAMS, AND JONES.
Captain PECHELL presented a petition, signed by
seven hundred of the inhabitants of Brighton, praying
for a free parden for Frost, Williams, and Jones. The
Hon. and Gallant Member said he had to inform the
House that the parties signing the petition were most
respectable, and had affixed their places of residence
to their names. The Hon. Member also presented
another petition from Mrs. Mary Shuttleworth, of Man-
chester squire, praying the House to interfere in her
behalf with the Commissioners of the Income-tax, who
had, in assessing her property in the funds, neglected
to pay over to her the residue, thereby occasioning her
great distress, so much so that her goods had been
seized for debt.

Mr. S. CRAWFORD presented a petition, signed by
upwards of nine thousand of the inhabitants of Roch-
dale, in favour of the Ten Hours' Factory Bill.
GLASGOW, PAISLEY, KILMARNOCK, AND