The Sun.
London, England, 1844-03-30 00:00:00

ultimate reduction of wages from it would be from 15
to 25 per cent. upon the average—that it would deprive
the labouring people of the' enjoyments they at present
possessed, and would tend to excite generally a spirit of
discontent. The petitioners, therefore, earnestly prayed
the House not to sanction such a proposition.

Lord HOWICK presented a petition from the Short
Time Committee, praying the House not to allow the
Bill to be withdrawn. _

Mr. BULLER presented a petition to the same effect.
Mr. TAT TON EGERTON presented a petition from
Hyde, in Cheshire, against the limitation of the time of
labour to ten hours. _ . .

Mr. ESTCOURT presented three petitions from
Trowbridge, in the county of Wilts. The
,first was
signed by 54 operatives in the employment of Mr.
Samuel Brown. The petitioners stated that they
had heard with alarm of the intention of the
House to restrict the hours of labour in factories
to ten. That reduction would inflict serious injury upon
them, inasmuch as it would necessarily lead to a reduc-
tion of wages ; and they prayed the House not to restrict
further the hours of labour. He had also another peti-
tion to the same effect, from the operatives in the em-
ploy of Mr. Allen ; and another, with a similar prayer,
from the operatives in the employment of Mr. Appleby.
An Horr. MEMBER presented four petitions from the
operatives of Trowbridge, with a similar prayer.
Lord ASHLEY presented petitions from Preston,
Wigan, and Warrington, in favour of a Ten Hours' Bill.
Mr. HINDLEY presented a petition which had been
agreed to at a public meeting at Ashton, in favour of a
Ten Hours' Bill. _

Mr. FI ELDEN presented a petition in i.vour of a Ten
Hours' Bill.

THE NAVAL FORCE IN IRELAND-POOR-

RATES.

Sir G. COCKBURN, seeing the Hon. and Gallant
Member for Brighton in his place, would take that op-
portunity, before the Orders of the Day should be read,
of alluding to a question which the Hon. and Gallant
Member had put to him the other evening. The Hon.
and Gallant Gentleman had asked him if he was aware
that the naval force had been employed in assisting in
the collection of poor-rates in Ireland. To that he had
replied, that there was a naval force stationed on the west
coast of Ireland, and that perhaps they might have lent the
assistance of their moral influence to the aid of the civil
power. The fact was that two steamers had been stationed
on the west coast of Ireland, in aid of the civil force, the
consequence of which was, that the presence of the mili-
tary was rendered unneccessary, and the effusion of blood,
probably, prevented.
Captain PECHELL said that on the Navy estimates
he had pointed out that one, if not two, war steamers,
was employed in the collection of poor-rates in Ireland.
The Right Honourable Gentleman opposite (Sir
George Cockburn) denied the statement, and said
he was not aware of any such circumstance. I.le
(Captain Pechell) subsequently produced his authority
for his statement, and the Right lion. Baronet, the
Secretary of State for the Home Department made an
apology for the Right Honourable and Gallant Officer,
and he (Captain Pechell) was satisfied with that
apology, but since that the Right Honourable
and Gallant Officer came down to the House
and revived the subject, and acknowledged, in fact, that
the poor-rates had been collected under the guns of a
war-steamer. The difference between him (Captain
Pechell) and the Right Hon. Gentleman was, that the
latter said he had no cognizance of the fact of the
steamers being so employed, and he added that the
officers of those vessels had received no instructions from
the Admiralty to collect the poor-rates, but merely to
aid the civil power, whereas he (Captain Pechell)
inferred that those ships of war were kept on that coast,
in order that the police and officers of Government
might the better insure the collection of the poor-rates.
One of the steamers was, in fact, converted into a sort
of Somerset House.—(Cheers and laughter.) The col-
lectors went on board and claimed assistance of the offi-
cers, and one person went on board to pay his rates.
Mr. FRENCH stated, on the authority of Dr. Kir-
wan, the Vicar-General of the diocese of Galway, that,
notwithstanding the employment of naval men in the
collection of the rate, there was still a large amount un-
collected ; and if ten steamers were employed instead of
one a great portion of the rate would remain uncollected.