The Sun.
London, England, 1850-02-01 00:00:00

each several state paid in addition for its own
government, and all the establishments necessary for the
f :rnal administration of its affairs. He firmly be-
lieved that we were not at all over taxed in proportion
to other countries; and while he should again say, that
distress had not been exaggerated, he could not help
expressing his deep regret at the language which was
used in some places throughout the recess, where, in
some instances, actual violence was recommended.—
(Hear, hear.) Ile also saw with deep regret and abhor-
rence that some of the Parisian journals recommended,
almost in direct terms, the assassination of some of the
princes of Europe, and that such assassin would be re-
ceived with open arms in the United States of America.
Now, he believed that instead of being received with open
arms by the people of fiat country, an assassin, whether
from France or elsewhere, would be rejected by them
with scorn and indignation. But, speaking of distress,
he could not forget that a respectable morning paper had
very usefully given currency to a great deal of curious,
interesting, and most important information regarding
the sufferings of our poorer workmen, and, above all,
of oar poorer workwomen. He approached the sub-
ject with a fe ding of pain and great reluct ince—of pain
at feeling that it was all true, and yet of reluctance at
being bound to dispute the remedies which some able,
amiable, and most excellent individuals had devised for
these evils. They were most meritorious individual.,
but the remedies they had devised were intended for
a state of society in which there was a difficulty in
keeping soul and body together on their labours for
" fourteen hours a-day, these unhappy individuals exist-
ing on the smallest pittance of food by which animal
life could be supported, and meanwhile working with
an industry which exceeded all belief and was beyond
all praise. Fir these he felt strongly—that was a dis-
tress which went as near to his heart as any cf which
he had heard mention made that night. But what
was the cause of this? It was in proportion to the
demand for labour that there was anover-abundant sup-
ply—it was in proportion to the superabundance of
those who received that there was a low proportion
of those who paid; it was that these persons were paid
2d. or 24-d. a day, because the state of the labour market
would not allow of their being paid more. But in order
to remedy the evil it was proposed to take them out of
the market, reducing the superabundance of labour by
so many thousands. Short-sighted benevolence ! Be-
nevolence more benevolent than beneficent ! Their sole
object in taking those 10,000 or 20,000 individuals out
of the market was to raise the price of labour, and no
doubt as that was what they expected, so they would
succeed. And to what would the success lead ? In-
stead of raising the 2id. to 4d., in all probability it
would be still turther lowered, and it was like building
not with wet, but dry sand. But then it was said there
was emigration. One object of emigration was to
provide labour for the colonies, and another was to
take labour out of the home market, and so raise
the price of it higher. But what was the next
consequence? The colony would only take labour of a
certain kind. The colonists were nice; they wanted la-
bour, but it must be the labour of virtue, so that we must.
in the first place, scrutinise all the emigrants we sent out,
and see if they were fit for emigration, according to the
views of the celonists. It might be said if these women
would make such good wires, why not let them remain
here, fit we are thus exporting the best part of our po-
pulation. Ile had never been more horror-struck than
when he heard of the total want of feeling exhibited by
some of these colonists, when they insisted upon a con-
vict ship not being allowed to land the convicts they had
on board. The Noble and Learned Lord concluded by
shortly repeating the sentiments he had already cx-
pressed as to the inexpediency of retracing their steps to
protection, and altlioueh his Noble Friend's amendment
had been most ably supported, he confessed he had not
ye t been convinced that it was his (Lord Brougham)
duty to accompany him.
Lord STANLEY had t eard, in connexion with all
the.r Lordships, the speech of his Noble and Learned
Friend, who had just sat down, with great pleasure; but,
certainly, he should say, that it had, especially the latter
part of it, very little connexion with the subject then
before their Lordships, either as regarded the Speech of
ler Majesty, or tl e amendment proposel to the Address
by his Noble Friend. He, however, agreed with the con-
do'ence expressed towards her Majesty, in consequence
of the loss she and the nation had sustained by the death
of the Queen Downer—(Hear, hear)—whose life was
marked by splendid and unostentatious charities, and
whose death was characterised by a spirit of piety most
consolinf. He teliet ei their Lordships would Le unani-
mous in the expressions of their gratitude to Divine Pro-
vidence for the disappearance of a painful disease, and
that they would lend their cc-operation to the adoption of
all [re 'sures, extending as car as it was possible, the com-
forts of the lower clesse,. With regard to what had Lean
said of the United States, ho believed there
was no zedprocity which could pay this country
for the loss she sustained by the navigation-
laws; and as to the passage in the Speech,
that her Majesty was on terms of friendly relations with
fsreien powers, he would ask, was the Government on
such terms with Austria, Russia, or Naples?—(Hear.)
For his own part, he did not understand what was meant
by the terms used as to the instructions that had been
given for settling the Turkish affair in a manner con-
sistent with the dignity of the respective powers con-
cerned. He presumed, however, that fuller details on
this subject would be afforded by her Majesty's Govern-
ment, ant therefore did nut press the point further until
he saw there details. Upon one pokt, however, he had
expected, and naturally, to have received some informa-
tion from her Majesty's Government. For some cause
or other, the Fri nch had sent a small army into Italy,
which was subsequently largely augments f, and which
bad not until this day been withdrawn. Austria had also
march e I an army into another part of Italy, and held
posees,ioe of it. He had no doubt that there was a per-
feet understanding b t veal the French and Austrian
Governments on this subject, that they were quite in ac-
cord, and for the moment conteenp'ated only the pre-
servation t f order. But it was a singular thing that such
a state t f affairs she ul I have existed far nine or ten
months, and not have been deemed cf sufficient import
arum to deserve a paragraph in the Royal Speech. He
gave both thesis powers the credit of being actuated by
the best intentions, but he could not help looking upon
the continuance t f the present state of affairs as fraught
with dangsr, and the sooner their troops were withdrawn
from Italy the better it would be for the peace and se-
curity of Europe.—(Hear, hear.) He now came to that
part of the Speech on which he must say he felt extreme
regret to differ from her Majesty's Government. He
was indeed most anxious that the terms of the Speech,
with re fere tee to agricultural distress, should have been
of such a character as would have obviated the necessity
for any amendment, because it would bare given him
great pleasure in seeing the Address unanimously
adopted. It was, therefore, with sincere regret that ho
fund the terms in the Address were of such
a nature as compelled him to vote against it.
Indeed, the whole course pursued by the Go-
vernment was cne of defiance to the agricultural
interese They had selected to move the Address in the
other House one of the most strenuous advocates of that
free-teede system which, if it had not caused, had at
least greatly aggravated, the distress of the agricultural
classes. Taking that fact in connexion with the terms of
the Speech itself, and the speeches of the Noble Mev, r
and Seconder of the Address in that House, it would al-
most app ar as if it had been the intention of her Ma-
jesty's etieistere to force them to move an amendment.
The t ne in which allusion was made to the distress of
the agricultural interest was of a slight, if not offensive,
chars. t •r, though the severity and the extent of that die-
tress had re t hen either questioned or doubted by any
speele Tho Speech said that her Majesty had observed
with regret" the complaints which in many parts of the
Uuited litn,gi'om had proceeded from the owners and
occupiers of laud." Now, he said that was not a fair
and eaudid statement of the case.—(Opposition cheers.)
The complaints did not proceed from one class, but were
bread and general.—(Hear, hear.) The distress was
not confined, neither did the complaints :proceed exclu-
sively from the owners and occupiers of land. The dis-
tress reached further, and beyond these classes. It fell
ereviotedy, and most heavily, upon the labourer, the
ir shopkeeper, the mechanic, and the artiz en. It
ouched all those classes whose welfare depended upon
their being employed by the owners and occupiers of the
soil.—(Cheers.) He therefore indignantly repudiated
the statement that the complaints proceeded exclusively
from the owners and occupiers of the soil—the distress
was great, genera', and grievoas among all classes, and
not a small, secondary, and subordinate matter, as it was
assumed to be in the Speech. Having thus endeavoured
to fos.tsr upon the owners and occupiers land an impu-
tation of melsi ,g complaints, the Speech went on, in a
somewhat condescending tone, to express regret that
any portion of her Majesty's subjects, however small and
unimportant they might be—such as the owners and
Occupiers of land, for instance, should haveany cause
of complaint; but that regret was qualifiedbytulasee
sincere gratification with which her Majesty saw
the increased command of comforts by the
great body of the people.—(Cs opposedheersand counter cheers.)
a
Let him not be understood
cheapness and
abundance, and to the consequent
to
commandovf t
s a eritlehe com-
fortnd necessaries of life by the great body e
—such cheapness and abundance as existed in 1835, in
people
to, junction with an abundance of money and employ-
meet, he would gladly see; but the cheapness and
abundance of the present time was widely different, and
her Majesty's Ministers, in his belief, hat been seduced
into a wog unwise policy by listening to persons who, be-
cause they wake a great noise, believe they are the people,
and every other party a mere faction. He believed
that they were committing a fatal error. The
great body of the eeeple were not in the position
the Speech described them to be. The cheap-
ness and abundance of our imports had not given
them that command over the comforts and necessaries of
life which was assumed they had.—(Cheers.) If it was
the
case that the wages of labour had declined through-
out the agricultural districts from Us. to 9-., from 9s. to
75., and Bs. to es.—that is, in order to keep heavy bur-
dens from falling upon the rates, and keep down the
nominal amount of pauperism to the extent of seven per
cent., persons R ere set to work upon the roads, or em-
ployed only for three days in the week, he thought this
of e
did not prove the condition the great body of the
people had Lem improved. Tie cheapness and plenty
boasted a by
was not participated in them.Why,ae-
cording to the very terms of the returns that
h
relied upon by the Noble Lord, it appeared
was
latbethen
e
amount ( f pauperism for the whole country
seven per cent. loss than in the year 1849. But it would
be remembered that the year 1848 was a year ef the
deepest depression. The Noble Earl himself was in
the habit of speaking of it as an exceptional year,
When, therefore, the lit of January, 1849, the com-
mencement of a year following upon a year of deep
depression, was compared with the Ist c f January, 1850,
sorder to show that there had been a diminution of
eAn per cent. in the pauperism of the whole country,
‘itsias clearly fallacious. The Noble Earl and the Gc-

vernistent, boasted thatihemanu:acturing districts were
so uttich improved under the free-trade system. It Was
~.j.titeuao 80 important a fact that it was made a matter
f9r special congratulation in the Queen's Speech, Way
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