The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-02 00:00:00

FACTORIES 'BILL,

The present inter Val of , time and rest . allowed to, the
various parties on tlreFwtories Bill,while it gives opportunity
for sonic arguments beyond the • reach ef, public discussion,
will also.enableltone;t and serious ininds to acquire more
rdoefeclibot ahe ideteierl
aaitinic)pclunrs4;fciplipau..br
ess,,er
usefulieilNlvas.yi)lfteo.
atlrei4ev
etsraoeecety,
.sarralwl
less-objection e hoplreo :;this
able and factious aspect ; and its oppoueutsmay be brought
to a better and more humane mind. Some have votedforit,with
the admission that they had found kdilliculty art the subject,
which, even et the point. of vetiog; had pot been entirely re-
_moved. . Spinehad no hesitation as to the iutrinsic merits of
the proposed measure, but could not agree to its paramount
importance. • They liked 'the article well. enough -it was the
very,thing they wattied,• and they bad, not a fault .to find'
with. it ; but they stuck at the price, it was exorbitant-7:a
whole Cabinet ! Like Mrs. Ramsbottom, they did not; like
!‘, to be . composed upon ;". so ,they _left the factory .wonten
and children ,on the counter,-and I walked out of
the shop with . their fifteen , binet Ministers in their
pocket.l Thos the cause of humanity, like laudatur
et alg et. Among other considerations which way' now find
a way to hearts as well as tomhtflt!,' there is one great and
sinaplefaCt; which the present animated and: searching. dis-
cussion has brooglit
_to the sip-face, end, which:we do; hot
remeinhei: to. have been...so much as _noticed Oh-former oced-
sions. We mean the important 'position of these factory.'
women and young people in the State, and the consequent
claim to sufficient and even peculiar protection. We have to,
• thank -.the Preaderfor the form. in which' we -state the fact,
though:we:regret to find ourselves forced to view it- very dif- •
ferently. -An hour or two.before the ;first majority against
Ministers, on the .19th ult:,:Sir Robert Peel haVing stated the
difference between a week's work under, the existing system, _
and: under the _operation of, a Ten dlours! Act, proceeded—
" Let us consider to what; extept this -restriction is to
apply. Itz is, to 7apply: to all labour, inieott'on fifferies,, in
:woollen factories, in_worsted, fla.x,and silk factorieS.''' • •
Now,,look at the foreiglittrade of this country., -In the last
returns there is an account of the declared value of the prin--
cipal articles of gritishproduce and 'manufacture. The value
of .British produce and manufactures 'exported in the last
yeir,• if I recollect right, was abmit 44,000,000/. The return
for the whole of the articles of British manufacture was not
~given,,but for all the principal articles. What proportion do
you.suppose.of the manufactures which you are now about
to deal with was exported? Your cotton manufactures, in-
cluding yarn, amounted to 23,500,0001.'; linen-inandactures,
3,700,0001.; woollen goods,-7,500,0001.; making a total of
ab0ut,35,000,000/.' out of 44,000,000/. of British inanufeetures'
exported from this country, in respect of which you are,.
'going; to impose restrictions upon labour.—(Hear, -hear.)
That :is to say, five-sixths of the exported' manufactures of
this country are about to' be subjected to a new-law, Which
• shall provide that it shall not be legal to labour at them mere
, than 59 hours a.week, instead of 69 hours:—(Hear, hear.)"
Now, we will not demur to the Premier's assumption that
the proposed. measure. affects all the labour employed in
these manufactures, -because we admit it does virtually
affect all. But why does it affect all? Because the women
and young Tersons constitute the great • Majority of
the- whole number employed, and pull the minority
•along with them.. Bearing this in mind, look now to the
above most important and nOt, less affecting statements.
Five sixths--nearly all, one may say—Of the exports, the
foreign trade, of this greatest commercial 'country in' the
world; is the work of the factory operatives—that is, chiefly
•of the factory women and young pth*ms. Hear this, you
who talk of the factories as a national nuisance-Hyou who
talk.of the millowners- as the enemies of their country Hyou
who think we should not be much, the worse for it if Lanca-
shire, 'and one or. two other counties, were effaced front! the
map of England I—but, above all, , you who think that' the
miserable bondage of theie factory, women and young per-
sons,:monstrous as it is, is not sufficient to justify an eXcep-
tiopal departure. from: the, general. rule of non-interference.
between the labourer and his employer I The positiOnefthis
country' among the nations of the earth, its empire east, and
west, and its sovereignty over the sea, all depend on its foreign.
trade;: its foreign trade depends en its exports; and its ex-
ports are nearly'all the work of a labouring clasS consisting
chiefly of these poor women and children. Talk as we will of
our wooden walls, and the British bayonet, and indomitable
courage, and so forth ; your factory women and children are
at _the bottom, ofnll ; they are-your real soldiers and sailors ;
theirs is our truest and most efficacious heroism. IVe demand,
... •

.......
therefore; that they be considered Accordingly as An arm of
the national service. Whatever peculiar care England takes
of •her soldiers and sailors—that they be properly feCand
clothed, and not over-worked,, or oppressed by the tyranny of
any adverse circumstances—let lier extend, as the magnitude
of the occasion: requires,' to the factory -women and young
persons. Turn it over again.. The customs are about 'two-

liths of the revenue---,some twenty millions or thereatiOnts ;
the customs are •ori-: the imports; the' imports' depend on-7-,
.
that, they necessarily- balance-411e eXports'; • add :Abe.-
exports -are, five-sixths, the • work of our factory women
and young persons,- Who thus may be considered as -making
up nearly two-fifths of the revenue---i. e: defraying nearly the
whole amount 'of our national expenditure, after deducting
the interest on -our debt. This appears on the fce of our
financial returns, But if it strikeS anybody as too astonish,
mg to be-believed- on.the credit of naked figureS; we will re-
mind him of a recent great hiStokical fact. Six years sincithe
trade of this cotriitry,iiti-exportS and iniports, began to de •
cline; the Customs and Excise alSo declined accordingly; and
-the reveniie fell.so cOnsiiierably under an unhappily Inereas'•
'Dig expenditure, that ri)Miiiistry,popular until then sank un-
der the 'general' despair, arid another came. in whoSe'first
step was :to lay on Us an 'incOme-tax, Which,- though' pro-
ducing between 5,000,0001. and 6,000;000/.; is barely-enough
to keep-the ship afloat. • -All this, besides what is far more
important—an immense and long-continued pressure of dis-
tress,- which neither Sir Robert Teel:nor anybody else," we
should hope,'will everiorget. So,- then, these factory women
and young persons, besides contriving to maintain themselves
without' coming on 'the land-of itself alone an incal-
culable Moon, to the landowner—besideS clothing the
whole. population of the eMpire better and more
cheaply -than it any • other -population ever was clothed
, before—besides submitting hitherto to give a much greater
quantity of clothing, the sweat of their bra*, in excharige for
the landowners' -corn than that corn is worth in the market
of the world—do•also with the peaceful weapons of their ach-
ing fingers create and preserve the greatness of this empire, its
trade, its comforts, its imports, its customs,' its army, its
navy, ifs rtiyal; its judicial establishments. " Take- 'care,"
says the financial Premier, "how you restrict this labour.
The. whole fabric-of England's greatness and glory—we our-7.
selves—rest upon it." ,True ; but do these women and young
-persons deserve nothing for the great work they Are doing
for us"--no return ofpeculiar loVe and protection ? Are 'they
to4nAkri-Englaig3'great and glorious, and:riot themselves be
free? After so great' a-fact is established, so boundless- an
Obligation revealed; are we still to Suffer,our -national 'glory.
to be sullied.by the misery of timse who' have worked it?
Hardly even to brute laboureri can we bear to say Sic .roe
two robis. Muck less own flesh arid blood--our fel-,
low-Christians.—Thnes.

I\TR. CATLIN, MR. RANKIN, AND THE 0.1:IIIBEIVAY
INDl.kss.The exhibition at the Egyptian-hall of the Ojib-
byway Indians, which was, until within '4.;week, or, two, the
joint speculation of. Mr. Catlin, who 'Well ;known .to the
public, and of Mr. Ttankin, who held 'during the late rebellion
in Canada a cemmiSsion in the British army, and who brought
the Indians over io-this country, is' now the sole ,speculation
of the lath rof these: two .gentlemen. Some animadversions
have, we understand froitt;Mr, Catlin,,been made upon hiui in
certain yoUrnala;irtiputhig to Mtn the.,ltavjitg ninoPfratta the
exhibition the larger share el the profits,'atid.of having made'
a bargain by which lie has secured , "rthe cream". .otthe
speculation, and ,1(.4 his co,Partper thcf;`, skim milk-7 With
this we have nothing to do, nor .pan. we interfere in any_
arrangement between him and 3ti„liankin. At, present the
Indians are exhibited ;tinder the sole management .of
Rankin, and Mr.- Catlin has an exhibition of Indian. curio-
sities kllld Pictures at the,,Ryptian..hall, which is well, worth
Being seen, and. which dertves,greater interut from the able
manner in which he Mast-rates what lie exhibits by hisex-
planations. Both exhibitions will reward 'a visit from the
curious, and both gentlemen are, in our opinion, deserving of
success in, their _pursuits. . . .
TILE CoA.L TRADE.—The deputation from the coal
mining interest of Northumberland and Durham, which was
sent to London to endeavour to induce the Government to
repeal the duty-on coals sent foreign, consisted of Messrs.
Morton. Pease,-H. Taylor, Johnson, and.N. Wood, who were
joined,, in London by other gentlemen frond Wales, Scotland,
and Yorkshire; and adeempanied by other parties connected
with the coal mining interest, Viz., Messm Flews, Turnbull,
Price, Cadell,'Briggs, &c. The following Members'of Par-
liament united with the 'deputation -in calling upon Sir R.
l'eel and the Chancellor of the Exchequer' on Wednesday
last, viz., Lords Marsham and H. Vane,, Sir Filmer, and
Messrs. Bell, Bows, Wan-n, D. Barclay, H. Mitcalfe, Smol-
lett, Ord, Cayley, Bright, and M'Leau. The deputation
having enforced their views of this olinoxious and injurious
invest, retired with polite acknowledgments Tor the informa-
tion conveyed, but without any intimation of the views of
Government. The deputation further begged that' ny at-
tempt to increase the London taxation, as .contemplated by
the'CommissiOners for Improving the Thames, might be dis-
countenanced. They afterwards saw the Earl of Lincoln, as
'Chairman of the Commissioners, on' the 'same subject.. 7.
Durham Advertiser. -'•
• METlitortnAs• IMPROVEMENTS.—YeSterdayi in -Con-
sequence of the entire removal -of,the houses adjoining the
workhouse .of St., Giles- i n-the-Pields, -in I lel ton-st reet, Long-
acre, the site fora new, church to be.erected; there was being
marked out, the tower of which will be built upon the exact
;area xlierefitood the public house the Guy, Earl of Warwick,
which existed for about 200 years. , The sacred, edifice,
which. ,will he fur,
" Christ Church, St. Giles-in-the-
Ileitis," 'Will be .constructed with Caen stone and. Kentish
-rags, and will be mute _capable of containing about 1,000
-.perSons: all the sittlaks-being free: There will be galleries;
and-the interior of the edifice will be 50. feet wide, by 70 feet
i
long, -A- pad- of the sittings n the'gallery will be allowed to.
-the. paupers-of the workhouse, who will have an entrance fur
. themselves at the east end. The tower will be Upwards of
,100 feet high. . The cost of' it will be rathcr more than 4,0001.,
..a portion of which is provided frcan the Metropolis Church&
bit the greater part has been raised by, voluntary con-
tribptions from the principal inhabitants. A. sum will alas
-lieslbsoribeci for the endowment of the Chitral.- Adjoining
`this building Will be sonic spacious-houses erected -according
to tbo plans 'of the 'Commissioners of the Woods and Forest*
which, when rinupleted, will make A very great' improve
muiciut in this part'..of the metropolis.'
FATAL ACCIDENT ON TILE DOVER -11AILY4+;"—
Yesterday afternoou'a fatal accident occurred on the Above
lira to a poor fellow ninted• Nunn, an under,guard. The
-nian, it appears,•was proceeding with his train from Dover to
London, and while passing under ;one of the arches, at the
Argiustone-road station,-he got tip; and his. head came in con-
tact with the. hri_oo4l.ok,: killing hitt"instmitly. When the
lrr.ajriyeAaj,ifuplapiKe,his mniedinpygred'hin; tying on
. vca7iage,,,NyPse;,llMad mviguslx sat,, his! Aead.
• 1-1 daiheeFfO. pieces. '"Ile was marriWatidsl4s a sober
and steady man. •