The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-23 00:00:00

POOR LAWS' AMENDMENT BILL.

(From a Correspondent.)

We congratulate the country on the triumphant result
of the debate in the House of Lords on the second reading
of the Poor Laws' Amendment Bill.
The Lord Chancellor deserves, and will receive from all
the reflecting portion of his countrymen, their warmest
thanks. Th subject he so ably introduced, and the cause
of the poor
.which he so truly advocated, have been the
subject-matter of varied, and often intentional misrepre-
sentation ; and a portion of the press has been daily labour-
ing to excite the feelings of the people against this Bill.
But with what effect ? The efforts of the press, when en-

gaged in the cause of truth and justice, are all but omni-
potent ; but when wanting these, its labours, however
talented, are but an exhibition of feebleness, as has been
shown in this instance.
The Lord Chancellor wisely exhorted the House to ap-
proach a subject of such paramount importance devoid of
party feeling and political irritation ; and our countrymen
in general, will do well to act upon the same advice, and not
to suffer this Bill to be made, by designing men, the whet-
ting stone whereon to sharpen political animosities.
The Chancellor was supported by the Duke of Welling-

ton, who has done himself the greatest honour by the en-
lightened view he has taken of this subject. His Grace
was followed by Lords Radnor, Winchilsea, Lansdowne,
and Melbourne, and the Duke of Richmond, who power-
fully aided the second reading of the Bill.
Who then were the opponents of this great measure for
emancipating the peasantry of England from the degradation
of pauperism ? Lords Wynford, Londonderry, and Al-
yanley !
Lord Wynford said the evils of the present system arose
out of a want of employment, and there was not one clause
in the Bill now proposed to be read a second time, which
would give the labourers employment.
Now, with all deference to his Lordship's authority, the
great leading feature of the Bill is to give that employment
which he declares the Bill does not, in any one clause, pro-
vide for. The manner in which it proposes to do so, is by
gradually liberating eight millions of money now collected

from the honest and the industrious, to support and encou-
rage idleness, extravagance, and vice. -
The proposition is not theoretical. There is the testi-
mony from several parishes where the Bill has, in a degree,
been anticipated, and what has been the result ? Why,
that the portion of the eight millions of Poor Rates here-
tofore contributed by these parishes, has been greatly
diminished, the idle are no longer supported V the in-
dustrious, and an indolent population are compelled to la-
hour for the necessaries of life.

Here then is a great moral and financial improvement, at
once effected by a new administration of the Poor Laws,
and to be seen in active and continually improving opera-
tion in various parts of the country.
Lord Alvanley says—" But it is because I know these
g'

;reat improvements have taken place in Cookham, Uley,
Bingham, and Southwell, under the present laws, that the
country does not require the Bill before your Lordships."—
But what said the Lord Chancellor in reply ? He claimed
the vote of the noble baron on this very argument. It
xviv, he contended, because the poor have derived ad-
vantages in Cookham, Uley, Bingham, and Southwell,
from the change in the administration of the Poor Laws,
that the Bill was required to enable the poor in every part
of the empire to participate in these advantages.
But Lord ..klvanley's vote must have been given in favour
of the Bill had he known the circumstances of Cookham.
The poor-rate there was as high as 12s. in the pound ;by
Mr. Whately's management, the poor-rate has been re-
duced to 2s. in the pound—notwithstanding which scarcely
a parish in the vicinity of Cookham has adopted the same
course, and the rates of the surrounding parishes continue
at 10s. or 12s. in the pound.

Here, then, we have a fact illustrative either of the ig-
norance of those who raise and distribute the fund; or it is
an extensive source of jobbing and peculation.
It is solely because we are impressed with the conviction

that the evils have destroyed, or nearly so, the cha-
racter and condition of the people, that we hail with delight
the progress of this important Bill in the Upper House of
Parliament ; and from the immense majority in favour of
the second reading, together with the very few amendments
even hinted at, we anticipate its very shortly becoming
the law of England.

I remember there was a dispute a few years ago
about the authorship of the music of " Auld Rollin Gray ;"
the editor of the Times gave it to Lady Lindsay, and there
were others for whom claims were laid. Now the fact is, that
this beautiful recitative and air was composed by the Rev. W.
Leeves, of Wrington, in Somersetshire, who died at an ad-
vanced age about seven or eight years ago, and whom I had
the pleasure of knowing well.— Williams's Treatise.
SINGULAR CONFUSION. -On the evening of
Sunday se'nnight, when the fire took place at Muirhall; the
Rev. Mr. Esdaile was preaching the evening sacramental ser-
mon in the parish church—the church of Kinnoull. During
the singing of the psalm after sermon, intelligence had been
brought to some person in the church, either by the beadle,
or by some messenger from the place. Some little comm.
tion was observed in one corner of the church, and, simulta-
neously almost, the people ceased from singing, started to
their feet, and " laid their heads together" in a hundred
groups, apparently in anxious consultation of perplexing un-
certainty. No one seemed to know the cause of the confu-
sion, but all were confused. Mr. Esdaile, observing this, and
fancying, it is supposed, that the people were seized with
some sudden panic as to the stability of the church, which was
greatly crowded, stopped the precentor and choir, and at-
tempted to reason the people out of their fears. The minister of
the parish also remonstrated, but the alarm increased, and stilt
nobody gave, or appeared able to give, any intimation to these
gentlemen as to the real nature of the case. In the absence of
all information, and finding:that the commotion did not sub-
side, Mr. Esdaile began to rate the people pretty soundly for
their foolishness. Quiet was at length partially restored, and
the service hastily finished. Strange to say, many hundreds
went home without any knowledge whatever of the circum-
stance which first gave rise to the alarm.—Dundee Guardian.
BUCKHAVEN.—A phenomenon of very rare occur-
rence was witnessed by our fishermen a few weeks ago.
When about thirty miles east of the Isle of May, the heavens
all around assumed a very dark and sombre appearance. The
bosom of the ocean.was unruffled and still, and scarcely a breath
of wind could be felt. A cloud about half a mile to the south
of the place where the boat was in motion, having asiuntod a vet/
peculiar appearance, suggested the idea of a waterspout. Such
phenomena are seldom seen ill the northern seas, but are by no
trumpet,
in meansap uncommonprorriately
beenin tchoem It has, perhaps trot
gradually nar-
rowing from the cloud whence it issues until it reaches the
plNaferedditetroran;
water. In the case under our notice, it seemed to be a part of
the cloud until it reached _ within twenty or thirty feet of the
ocean, when it poured forthits contents in a stream of pure
water. It produced a dreadful noise, which, (together with
the unusual aspect of the clouds, and the preceding stillness,
produced in the minds of our fishermen something like an idea
of sublimity. In the minds of some there was a feeling of fear,
while the curiosity of others would have prompted them to go
nearer it, in order to inspect it more minutely. But immedi-
atelythe ocean became troubled, and seemed to meet the waters
that issued from the cloud. The agitation extended to a con-
siderable distance, and it was found necessary to take down all
the masts and tackle, and lash them to the boat till it ceased.-..
Edinburgh Evening Courant.