The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-07 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WE_DNESDAY MORNING, AUGUST 7, 1844.

measures of this nature at a time when they could secure
a full attendance of Members in their bordthirs' Irouge.
Then, with retard to the Atot!'opolis
far ago as thii ltth oflnc he had called the Noble
b.)td'S Attt!ntion to the fact that that Bill had been be-

rote the Commons three months, and that no progress
had been made in it, and had expressed a wish that it
should be before their Lordships for rs sufficient tittle td
enable theai to give the rileastife Atte consideration.
Now, the other night when he had directed their Lord-
ships' attention to the sanatory condition of the metro-
polis, the Noble Duke opposite had laid great stress on
the report of the Sanatory Commissioners. Would it be
believed that the main enactments of this Bill were in
direct opposition to that report? The great object of
the Bill was to erect party walls. But the eridened
taken becore the Commission also Wed that that was
the least im perfent and the most expensive alteration
that could have been made. It would add 16s. a year
to the rent of small houses. Whereas the cost of
supplying them with water and drainage would have
been only ss. He should like to know if this Bill had
ever been referred to those Commisioners, and if it
had been, what was their reason for discrediting
the evidence which had been taken before
them? What had their Lordships been doing
for the five-and-a-half months before. 'They had passed
two measures as regarded England, and one as regarded
Ireland. One of them was the Dissenters' Chapels Bill,
for the introduction of which he returned the Noble and
Learned Lord his best thanks. He did not give him
equal credit for the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill. It had
not been introduced as being the best possible measure,
hut they were told that it had one merit—they could cal-
culate on its success. Where was that Bill now ?
(Hear, hear.) Where was that SUMS the Noble Lord
had prophesied ?--'(hear, hear.) And these were the
only two attempts, with one exception, which had been
made to fill up the inane vacuity in which they had
passed five months and a-half. When the session opened
it was the general opinion that the speech promised little,
but it was considered that what little was promised would
be performed. Of all the measures mentioned in the
speech one only had passed, that respecting the Bank
Charter. Persons who were well informed on the sub-
ject considered that a hazardous experiment, and many
of those who had voted for it were but little aware of
what its effects might be. The only measure regarding
Ireland which had passed that House was the Charitable
Bequests Bill, a measure that reflected great credit upon
the Government. But that had not originated in any
comprehensive scheme. It had originated in a petition
which he had presented from a worthy Protestant cler-
gyman, who had exposed himself to great obloquy be-
cause he had come before their Lordships to advocate
the claims of his poor Catholic parishioners to a charity
of 71. 10s. a.year.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE—Oh, no ; that measure had
been long intended.
The Marquis of NORMANBY was glad to hear it,
but, at all events the Government had given no an-
nouncement of their intention. Their attention had been
directed, in the speech from the throne, to the early
consideration of a measure for the registration of voters
in Ireland. It was natural that the present Government
should direct their attention to such a measure, for, four
years since, the Members composing that Government
had forced the attention of Parliament to the considera-
tion of the subject during the administration of his No-
ble Friend. They said that no delay ought to take place
in the passing of the measure. But what had been the
result ?--a Bill had been introduced and withdrawn, and
most properly withdrawn, as it was not calculated to
give satisfaction. That Bill exhibited a degree of igno-
rance ndwshesof theanpye people
Government.ple of
Ire-
land,
as to
which thew wants
reprehensibleand
n
a smost
He had before alluded to the Landlord and Tenant
Commission, and nothing had occurred to induce him to
alter his opinion since he had expressed his regret that
that Commission had been appointed. It was calculated
to excite delusive expectations and hopes that could
never be realised. The Government was in possession
of' ample information for the
,purposes of legislation by
the Census Commissioners. those Commissioners had
divided the habitations of the people into four classes.
The lowest class consisted of mud cabins, with only one
room ; the next of mud cabins with two rooms ; the
third of the smallest description of atone houses, which
might be called barn-houses ; and all above were ranked
in the first class. There were only 11 per cent. of the po-
pulation living in first class houses ; 13 per cent. lived in
second class houses ; 40 per cent in third class houses ;
and 43 per cent. in houses of the worst class ; so that
out of the whole population of Ireland, 83 out of every
100 lived in mud cabins. Then, with regard to the
farms, 40 per cent. consisted of farms of from one to five
acres, and only seven per cent. of the farms exceeded
30 acres. Two-thirds of
theinhabitants got their living
as unskilled labourers, and 90 per cent. of the population
could not read or write. Surely these were data suffi-
cient on which to ground legislation. The whole of the
legislation—all the important measures, had been
brought into their Lordships House within the last
month. It was said the delay was owing to the House
of Commons ; but, if so, it in a great measure
arose from the " counting out " of that House ;
and this took place generally from there being some
motion on the notice paper unpalatable to the Govern-
ment.—(Hear, hear.) The House of Lords had lately
been converted into a mere mechanical piece of legisla-
tion. A great number of Bills were passed last night
without any explanation. He hoped that these evils
would not occur in future, and that the House of Lords
would not be treated in the manner they had been during
the present session. The Noble Lord concluded by
moving for a return.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said he thought the
complaint of the Noble Lord with regard to the inat-
tention of that House and of the Government regarding
public business was not well-founded. If any Noble
Lord felt any doubt as to any measure proposed by the
Government, some member of the Government was
always prepared to give an explanation. He had
always taken care to furnish such information regard-
ing papers as was desirable. On the previous night, he
had not remained in the House later than 11 o clock,
but his Noble Friend (Lord Wharncliffe) had under-
taken the management of it, and he felt sure it had not
suffered in his hands. It was not fair to blame the Go-
vernment for bringing forward important measures at a
late hour, when Noble Lords opposite occupied the
earlier hours with discussions introduced by themselves.
A' considerable portion of the session, in both Houses,
had been occupied in discussing measures of a very im-
portant nature, but the Government was not in any way
the cause of the delay, or of " the countings out." or
of the misapplication of public time, if the Noble
Lord would choose to term it such. The arrangements
of business were what they had been for 150 years. One
Bill had originated in this House which the Noble Lord
said was not a Government Bill, but this was a mistake.
The Government had given notice of their intention to
bring forward a measure on this subject at an early
period of the present session. With respect to the other
measures, it was true that the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill,
and other measures, had met with disappointment in the
other House of Parliament, but for this the Government
would by no means be held answerable. He wished to
defend his Noble Friend and himself from any charge of
neglect, and to assure their Lordships that he was every
iwnayblswepi Duketlohwneg ratto
on
his
aolletrimo givelersuatfd. all the information it was
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE complimented the
aenrdz incessanttly wtehe
ll
complaintaNsosibdiuiy in that offer
of his Noble Friend' constant
ateet
clnthought,awacs p e however,
housefounded, a
dand
be e ang rbeye d t
hmeitphresheinmt
Gi no
vtehrinnmk ienngt
etohnavt e
rt ht
eadt
into a mere court of registration. The amount of busi-
siness passed through this House, or, rather, hurried
through it, was enormous. It was impossible to suppose
that laws could be perfect, when they were hurried
through the Legislature without discussion—they were
forced through it, and ripened into sudden maturity, like
fruit in the dog days. In the early part of the session,
there was a perfect vacuum in the business of that House.
He had come from the country on the previous day to
oppose a clause in the Railways Bill, which he thought
would be injurious and insulting to the lower classes,
and the clause was at length proposed and carried in a
most incomprehensible form, from its having been so
hastily drawn up; and the request of twenty-four hours'
delay, that the clause might be printed and circulated,
so that it might be properly understood, was refused,
because of the late period of the session.
Those crude laws so hastily passed would, instead
of being useful, disfigure the statute-book. The mode
in which the House proceeded in this business reminded
him of the story of an eminent individual, whose name
probably might be known to their Lordships. He was
very wealthy, and made a great number of legacies, and
when it was asked how he spent his evenings before he
went to bed, it was answered, by calling for his will and
making legacies. It was asked how he spent his time in
evening.—(Laughter.) The latter part of the session
the morning, and it was. answered, calling for his will
in making. imperfect laws, and the early
and altering the legacies he had made on the previous
portion of the following session in amending them.—
neTkdientEnva their
(Hear, hear, and cheers.) For his (the Marquis of
Lansdowne's) part, he was often glad to see the stran-
ger's gallery so thinly attended at the latter part of the
eliv'aesnng employed
propelled in that
session, that it might be less generally known with what
slploe
The Earl of WIIARNCLIFFE defended the Govern-
ment from the charge of neglect or procrastination. It
was said by the Noble Lord
.opposite that he had never
teids
e. the
Hmoachi
wouldner yo
not
tf nil
seen a royal speech promise so little as the last. lle
(the Earl of Wharncliffe) thought that that was rather a
merit than a defect. Most of the suggestions in it had
been acted upon, and brought to a successful conclusion
—the Bank of England Charter, for instance. The
Registration of Voters in Ireland Bill, it was true, had
been deferred, but that was a measure which required
the utmost deliberation, and they had accordingly post.
poned it. Those were the only subjects mentioned in
the Queen's speech. But had they done nothing else?
Had they passed no other measures which met with
with general approbation? Had they not passed the
measure of the Three-and•a-Half per Cents., one of the
most important financial matters which had ever
been brought under the consideration of Par-
liament? They had also brought in, and succeeded
in carrying, an amendment on the Factories Bill;
they were also about to pass the Poor-law Amendment
Bill, and it could not be said that this had not been a most
fruitful session, It was true they had not been able to
carry the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill, but its own impor-
tance, and the still greater importance of other measures,
prevented a full discussion of it during the present ses-
sion, but the Government had not by any means lost
sight of it. He asserted that the Charitable Bequests
Bill relating to Ireland, had originated with the present
Government, and not with Noble Lords opposite. The
Government had not done as much as they might wish to
have done ; but they had done as much as was performed
in the average of sessions. He wished the Bills were
sent up to this House a little earlier, and he also desired
that they might receive as full t description as possible.
It was asked why more measures did not originate in
this House, bvt he did not titua•sticb Bills were re-