The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-28 00:00:00

LUNATICS ASYLUM BILL.

Lord REDESDALE presented a petition from certain
rate-payers in the county of Wilts against the Lunatics
Asylum Bill.
COMMONS INCLOSURE BILL.
On the motion of the Earl of CLARENDON, the
Commons' amendments on this Bill were ordered to be
printed.

RAILWAY BILLS.
Lord Portman and other Noble Lords brought up
reports on several railway Bills, which had been re•
ferred to Select Committees.
METROPOLITAN BUILDINGS ACT.
Lord PORTMAN gave notice that, to-morrow, he
would ask her Majesty's Ministers a question in refer-
ence to this Bill.
POOR-LAW (IRELAND).
The Earl of CLANCA RTY, in presenting the report
of the Committee appointed to consider the Poor-law and

.tier laws relating to the poor in Ireland, hoped that the
condition of the Irish poor would occupy at an early pe-
riod the attention of Government; and whether concilia-
tion or coercion was adopted, he hoped that impar-
tial justice would be done to that people. He believed
it essential to the welfare of the Irish people to have
the Poor-law carried out properly, and to have medical
relief in connexion with these laws properly adminis-
tered. He also thought that the question of mendi-
cancy should receive early consideration. The Noble
Bari concluded by moving that the report now laid
on the table be printed and circulated. Before he sat
down he wished to remove an impression generally pre-
valent, that he intended to introduce a Medical Charities
Bill this _session,. believing, as he did, that it was
"lather the'iirovince of the Government to do so.
The Duke of LEINSTER thought the report was well
worthy the consideration of the House.
SLAVE TRADE.
Lord BROUGHAM said, in pursuance of the notice
which he had given the House, he had now the honour
to present the petition of one of the most venerable in-
dividuals at present left on the earth. The petition was
from the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, but,
according to the rules of their Lordships' House, it
conk] not be received as such; consequently, it must be
received as the petition of an individual, but that indi-
vidual a man, as he knew, and as all their Lordships
knew, pre eminent above all others for his great per-
formances in the cause of justice, humanity, and sound
policy. When he recollected the history of that
distinguished individual, when he reviewed that history
for a period of three score years ; that that individual,
who had attained the extreme verge of human life, re-
maining steady to his principles, without looking back on
the past, except to profit from experience, or diverging to
either side, except to collect materials for his gallant force
looked forwardr. still to the promoting the happiness of
his race. He said; when he considered this, he 'felt
that in presenting the petition he was entitled to their
Lordships' respectful sentence. That petition prayed
that if a measure should be presented to their Lordships'
House—a measure for introducing sugar from foreign and
British colonies, not only where there was free labour, but
where the produce was manufactured by manacled hand 3--
their Lordships would give it their decided opposition.
—it prayed that their Lordships would express their
dissent from that measure, however it might be intro-
duced into that House recommended on expediency,
and on, so caller], human policy, virtually admitting
again into the country that traffic which long ago ap-
peared so horrid as to merit condemnation all the world
over. That man was an advocate, as were those whom
he represented, for the repeal of the differential duties
between foreign and British colonial produce, and for
letting all in on precisely the same terms, provided al-
ways that that produce of foreign colonies was not the
manufasture of the victims of that nefarious system of
slavery which sixty-one years ago he began to abolish.
The present measure gave rise to a sad sentiment, but
to a sentiment also of another kind ; there was a senti •
ment of wonder and astonishment, which in his
mini found no bounds, that their Lordships should
be discussing the subject at all in the year 1846 ;
that it should now be matter of doubt whether their
Lordships were to give the slave trade their countenance
and encouragement,—that it should b 3 the slave trade
which they were discussing was enough to fill his bosom.
When he considered one thing, it staggered him more
than all, and that was the date, the time of the year that
he was reluctantly called on for the hundredth time to
enter upon this discussion. The discussion was im-
portant, it was important in a commercial view ; in a
financial view it was of no mean importance that a
revenue of some millions should cease to be levied by one
vote of both Houses ; and constitutionally, therefore, it
was a discussion of no small importance. The petition
referred to a measure which was to introduce into the
markets of Europe the produce of slave colonies—of our
enemies, perhaps, as the chance might be, if the peace
were broken ; and the question before theit Lordships
was whether they, would encourage the slave
tit*, whose strength they WI greedy