The Sun.
London, England, 1802-04-07 00:00:00

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After some private business, was transacted, an
-*Adjournment frill to-morrow) cook placc.

HOUSE OF COMMONS,

TUESDAY, APRIL. 6.

COTTON TRADE.

no
_ditterence •of opinion; for, certainly never
were -service; in either of those lines, more
signal, or more meritorious. -In calling their
Lordships' attention to the subjea, he would
not advert to parti-Cular actions, the details of
ail the4e, were now well known, and the most
prominent of them had already their Lordships'
Thanks; - He.would refer to general resats. With
respect to the, Nary, their,Lorddiips would have
to consider with pride and satisfaclion that no. less
than seventy-seven Ships of the line had been either
destroyed, or taken from the Enemies of the Coun-
try, together with one hundred and twenty-four
Frigates, and upwards of, one thousand Armed
Vessels. With regard to the Army, indeed, it.
was more difficult precisely to enumerate the extent
of their Services ; it was enough to say, that in all
quarters of the Globe, froni the Eastern Seas to the
Shores of the Mediterranean, the prowess of the
British Arms was felt, and their glory 'established ;
their Successes were unexampled in former periods.
His Lordship observed, that nothing could induce
him to advert to any particular circumstance, but
to relieve the anxiety which might prevail with
reaped to a gallant Officer. The Noble Lord men-
tioned the name_ of General DOYLE,: of whom we
understood him to say, that by a subsequent dis-
patch received from Lord ,HuTcHIN§oN at Malta,
it clearly appeared that Brigade General lloY LE was
present at the celebrated, aetion which was decisive
of the fate of Egypt, and that:be riacle upwards of
. forty miles from the place where he was stationed, in
order, to partake of the glory of that day. After
a few general observations upon the subjeft, his
Lordship tnOved,
" That the Thanks of the House be given to the Officers
of the Navy, Arm}, and Marines, for the very meritorious
and eminent Services rendered by them to their King and
Country, in the course of the War."
This, on • the question being.put, was instantly
voted nemine dissentienti. •
He then proposed the - following, as con nested
with the former Motion :
" -That the House do highly approve of and acknowledge
the Services of the Petty and Non-Cormnissioned Officers,
and Men employed, zec.—And also, that the LORD CHAN-
CELLOR do request the Lord High Admiral and the Com-
mander in Chief of His Majesty's Army, to cause the said
Votes to be duly communicated, Scc."—Ordered.
Lord HOBART then proceeded to the considera-
tion of the services rendered by the Militia, which
he spoke of in suitable terms of praise, and parti-
cularly adverted to their readiness to serve in Ire-.
land, where they were so highly instrumental in
crushing the Rebellion which existed in that Coun-
try ; for which, and for their other services, he
deemed them highly deserving the thanks and gra-
. ' titude of that House. His Lordship then moved
the Thanks of the House to the Militia Corps, in
the usual form, 'which were unanimously voted;
His Lordship finally' moved the Thanks of the
House to the Yeomanry and Volunteer Corps, Ca-
valry, Infantry, &c. after a suitable commendation of
their 'servicesand the Question being put on , the
same, as also on the subordinate and 'collateral Mo-
tions, for requesting that the Commanding Officers
be desired to coriimunicate their Lordships' Thanks
to the respeaive Corps, &c. the whole were im-
mediately voted by their Lordships, uemine disseri-
tienti.

THE County Bridges Bill was read a second time,
ancicommitted for the z7th of April.

Sir ROBERT PEEL said, he rose to call the
attention of the House to a measure, to which he
trusted there would be no objeCtion ; it was for the
purpose of bettering the condition of Apprentices
employed in the Cotton Trade. It was well known
that the Cotton Manufacture gave tmployment to a
great number of children-of both sexes. The ad-
vantages, however, resulting from this, were accom-
panied by a considerable evil. It would easily be
believed that where a large number of persons were
crowded together, impurity would arise, and that
impurity would be followed by disease. The ob-
ject of the Bill which be wished to introduce, was
to establish regulations for the purpose of removing
the evils complained of ; another objeil of it also
was, to
_give the poor children instruClion, the
want of which had given rise to much immorality.
If the House should grant leave to bring in the
he intended to propose that persons should be
appointed to inspect the state and condition of these
Children, at the different Manufactories where they
might happen to be placed; He concluded by mov.:
ing for leave to bring in a Bill for the bette:-. pre.:
servation of the health and morals of Apprentices,
and others, employed in Cotton Mills and Cotton
IVlandatiories. •

Lo►d BELG RAVE seconded the Motion, which
involved, he said, considerations of the greatest
importance ta. the Community. There were many
manufaCtories in which the health and morals of a
great number of Children employed in them were
endangered. He thought the measure ought to be
extended to all the children employed in them, as
well as Apprentices, the latter class forming the
smaller number ; nor did he see any reason why
the Bill should be confined to the Cotton Mann-
ladures, and.not extended to the Woollen Manufac-
tures and others. There was a vast number of
Children employed in the different Manufaftures;
whose situation he thought loudly called for the in-
terference of the strong arm of the Law.

Sir ROBERT BUXTON observed, that Woollen
Nlanufathrers- were precluded from taking any
more than two apprentices without a proportional
number of journeymen, whilst the Cotton Manu.
failurers were fettered by 'no such restriaion.

Sir ROBERT PEEL deprecated the idea of re-
striding Manufaeturers in the employment of their
capital, and trusted the House would not counte-
nance it for a moment.

Mr. WILBERFORCE was of opinion :the Bill
ought to be extended to other ManufaCtories as well
as that of Cotton. The Children employed in
them, laboured for the benefit of the Public, and it
was but just that Guardians should he proirided for
*if and morals, He moved to amend c4e

Motion, with tie words Cotton and other Mills,
and Cotton anti other Manufa(c.toriei.
A Member having objefied to the general words
of the Amendment,

Lord lIAWKESB URY ob;erved, that the Amend-
ment did not pledge the House to, make- regulations
with respet to every manufaaory, but merely pre-
vented them from being -restri6ted to the Cotton
Manufaaory only, .

.Mr. BRAGGE thought the general words of the
Amendment did constitute an objeftion to it, as it
was holding out unnecessarily to the Public, that
they were likely to make regulations with respea
to every manufafture.
Sir ROBERT PEEL said he could feel no objec-
tion to enlarging the objeft of the Bill. He was
only instigated to bring it forward by Humanity,
and the more extensively useful it could be rendered,
the bettir his purpose was answered.
After a few words from Lord BELGRAVE,

Mr. CORPY expressed hiS hdpes that the people
of Ireland would turn their attention to this subjeft.
Sir ROBERT PEEL explained.
Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
• . BUTTER TRADE OF IRELAND.

Mr. CORRY rose, in consequence, he said, of
several letters which he had-received from Ireland,
expressing a.considerable degree of alarm at a Bill
supposed to have been brought into, that House, for
the purpose of regulating the Butter Trade of that,
part of the United Kingdom. No such Bill had,
however, been brought into the House, which.he
rose thu3 publicly to state, in order to quiet the
apprehensions of several persons in Ireland ; and he
also gave notice, that if any such measure should be
brought , forward, he should move for a ComMit.:
tee to enquire into the state of the Trade, he .al-
luded to.