The Sun.
London, England, 1844-07-26 00:00:00

POOR-LAWS.

Colonel SIBTHORP gave notice, that on Monday, he
should move that the salaries of the Poor-lair Commis-
sioners be reduced to 1,000/. each ; and that the salaries
of Assistant Poor-law Commissioners be reduced to
400 L a year each.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM then moved the third read-
ing of the Poor-law Amendment Bill.
Oploncl SIBTHORPE rose to oppose the motion. He
regretted that the Right Hon. Gentleman on the Trea-
sury bench, to whom he was anxious to give his sup-
port, and of whose talents and integrity he entertained
the highest opinion, should have considered it his duty
to force forward this Bill in such a manner. He was
surprised to find that the Right Lion. Gentleman thought
it right, at the last moment, to refuse him (Colonel Sib-
thorpe) the return for which he had moved on the sub-
ject: of the Poor-law Commissioners. They received
large sums of the public money, even the Assistant
Commissioners had 7001` a•-year each, which was
more than the pay of officers in the army and
navy. He desired to know how that money had been
applied, and he would tell Hon. Gentlemen that it must
come out.—(A laugh.) He hoped Hon. Gentlemen
opposite would assist him in opposition to this Bill.
Mr. B. COCHRANE was glad to find that there were
Hon. Members found to discuss this Bill, and to propose
amendments in it, notwithstanding the lateness of the
period at which it had been brought forward,
notwithstanding the disinclination of the Go-
verament to discuss the condition of the
poor of this country, and in spite of the taunts and
sneers thrown out by Hon. Members behind the Treasury
benches against those who ventured to occupy the time
of the use. This very Bill was a confession that
hitherto they had been legislating on a bad system, and
and with regard to the two great points of out-door
relief, and of the separation of man and wife on which his
Hon. Friend the Member. for Evesham had brought for-
ward a motion, the Right Hon. Gentleman was obliged
to confess that they had departed from the principles of
the Bill. The present poor-law had not checked paupe-
rism. It increased with our population, and every im-
provement in our manufactures lessened the demand for
labour and increased pauperism. He had met with a
fanciful supposition the other day that the Pyramids had
been built to find work for the poor. But now every
ning was done to throw them out of. work. At the
great agr'cultural meeting the other day, the Prussian
ambassador stated that the King of' Prussia had said,
how happy a country England must be where old things
were as new, and where the new were identified with
the old. He should like to know how any of this new
poor-law was identified with old things, and what
hold it had on the sympathies of the people.
He thought this measure ought to form the principal
consideration of her Majesty's Government at an earl)
period of the next session. He believed that the time
was not far distant when they would be obliged to repeal
the law altogether. If he lived till the next session he
-hould give any measure founded upon the principles of tht,
present law his decided opposition.
Mr. HUME thought that it was to be regretted that
lion. Members who talked of the prejudices 'of the
people to this measure should in that House do all they
could to fan that prejudice. He believed that the great
cause of complaint in the measure was that its provisions
were not properly carried out. With regard to the
Commissioners they bad a most ardent and difficult
duty to perform, and he could only say being
one of the Committee that sat in 1838.
when an inquiry was made into the conduct of the Cora-
misioners that the result of the deliberation of that Com-
mittee was a recommendation to continue the Commis-
sioners in preference to any other tribunal. Those who
were anxious for the condition of the poor ought to
adopt far different measures to those, which _were cal-
culated to increase their disaffection.

Mr. HARDY hailed the present measure with pecu-
liar delight, because it was calculated to take away a
great number of the severities from the present measure.
Fie tendered his best thanks to,the Government for the
manner in which they had proposed these alterations to
the Bill, and he trusted that it would give satisfaction to
the country.
_ _ _ _

Mr. BORTHWICK said that whatever might be the
ultimate effect of machinery, it could not be denied that
it inflicted a great evil in transitu which fell very heavily
on the poor. With regard to the present Bill, it
was about to become the law of the land,
and he sincerely hoped that everything that
would be now said respecting it would tend
to make it work well, and for the benefit of those to
whom it was to be applied. He was confident that the
Right Hon. Secretary of State had acted throughout
from the purest motives, and they must all feel indebted
to him for the ability he had displayed, and the
courtesy with which he had listened to the suggestions of
those who had felt it their duty to make them. 1k
was convinced that the machinery of the art had been
worked so as to produce an effect the reverse of what the
authors of the Bill intended ; and he expressed a hope
that the recent declaration of Sir J. Graham would in
duce gentlemen more readily to act as guardians of the
poor than they had hitherto done. He believed it was a
good Bill—that was to say, as far as it went.—(oh.) But
it was not extensive enough entirely to reform the evils
of which they complained. But as far as it went it
ameliorated the condition of the poor, and admitted at
least the defects of the existing law.
Mr. WAKLEY rose, and was

- .
(LEFT SPEAKING.)

NAVAL INTELLIGENCE.

The Sydenham steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander D.
Mapleton, arrived at Gibraltar, from Devonport and Tangier
on the 9th inst., and immediately sailed from that port to
Barcelona with dispatches for the Ambassador, and was to
proceed thence to Malta, with instructions to Vice-Admiral
Sir E. Owen, the Commander-in-Chief. As we anticipated
a fortnight since, Sir E. Owen, in the Formidable,. 84, with
the Aigle, 26, Captaia Lord Paget, were on their passage
from Malta, and the Sydenham met the Admiral at Barce-
lona. By this time he will have arrived at Gibraltar, and
the Albion, 90, Captain N. Lockyer, C.B. and the Cale-
donia, 120, Captain A. Milne, will not. be far distant. The
Fox, 42, Captain Sir H. M. Blackwood,' will also be there in
a few days, so that we shall have three of the finest line-of-
battle ships, two heavy frigates, a 26-gun frigate, and a
few steamers, fully manned and equipped, and. able, as Sir
G. Cockburn stated, to take their part, whether they meet
friend or foe.

The Warspite, 50, Captain Wallis, was at Gibraltar on the
14th inst., and the Jemappes, 100, Belle Poule, 60, frigate;
and Pluton, Gassondi, Rubis, and another steam-frigate, be-
longing to the French, were also lying there,, and it was the
general impression that the Prince de Joinville would keep
his squadron on that side of the straits. The Dutch squadron
Rhin, 50, Jason, 44, and Snelheid, 14, brig, were also there,
and a Sardinian, 22, corvette, named the Eagle.
The Meteor steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander Butler,
has left Woolwich for Cork.

The Comet steam-vessel, Lieutenant-Commander Pretty-
man, has been floated out of the basin at Woolwich.
The Black Eagle steam-yacht came to WOolwich yester•
day, with her Majesty the Queen Dowager, from Antwerp,
and remains at that port.