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

THE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVEN

the public from the Zoological Gardens on Sunday, the
day on which the members of the Society and the Mem-
bers of that House visited them in the greatest numbers.
Wby should they deny the same right to the public ?
No one could say that it would make them either less
moral or less religious. As to the exhibition of drawings
and prints in the Museum, it would require another
building, but it would be of great advantage to the public.
He hoped the Hon. Member would not advise the

Trustees to take care of any new department ; the great
fault was, that they undertook too much already.
Mr. WYSE suggested that if any new gallery were
added to the Museum it would not be confined to . _
illus-
trations of one age only,, but that it should embrace
those of several. He would also suggest to the Right
Hon. Baronet the propriety of providing a proper col-
lection of casts for the use of students and the public,
and of erecting a building for their teception. He be-
lieved there was already such a collectionlir Edinburgh
and in Dublin a committee had been foinibd'jfikithie
purpose of forming a similar collection. There was,
however, some difficulty in finding a site for the gallery,
and he would suggest to the Government the propriety
of furnishing a site. He also thought there should be a
similar gallery here. When once the gallery was
erected the cost of the casts would be trifling. There
should also be a theatre for lectures, and it had been
suggested the gallery should be open to the public in the
morning and to students only in the evening.
Sir R. PEEL thought the subject was well worthy of
attention, and he could assure the Right Hon. Gentle-
man that the Government took great interest in the
question.

Lord J. MANNERS complained of the disgraceful
way in which some of our most ancient monuments were
defaced and destroyed by modern corporations, and
trusted the Government would exercise its influence to
shame these modern Goths and Vandals.

Mr. HUME considered the answer of the Right Hon.
Baronet to his question was very unsatisfactory. The
British Museum was the only establishment in Europe
in which there were no conveniences for the accommo-
dation of the visitors. He believed the Right Hon.
Baronet visited the Museum on a Sunday, and why
would he not let every one avail himself of the same
privilege ?
Mr. BORTHWICK considered that, abstractedly, it
would be right that the Museum should be open on a
Sunday ; but he doubted whether such a proceeding
would be in acr;ordance with the feelings of the great
body of the people. The cathedrals, however, ought to
be opened to the public on a Sunday—(Cheers)—instead
of being closed more rigidly against the public on that
day than any other. He was glad to know that in
Westminster Abbey one step had been taken towards
devoting the building to popular use—(Hear, hear)---but
he was sorry to find that at St. Paul's nothing had been
done.—(Hear, hear.) An Hon. Member had spoken of
the monuments of the middle ages. Many of the monu-
ments in these cathedrals were of no age, and those who
went to worship the figures which were seen sprawling
on the walls, might do so without committing any breach
of the second commandment ; for they resembled no-
thing in the heavens /above, in the earth beneath, or in
the waters under the earth.

Mr. HUTT asked whether persons could obtain casts
of the statues in the British Museum ?

Mr. HUME said it ought to be generally known that
any persons might have casts of the works of art in the
British Museum by paying the expense of making them.
Dr. BO WRING hoped that some measures would be
adopted to procure an interchange with other nations of
casts of works of art.
The vote was then agreed to.
COMMTSSARIAX.

Sir G. CLERK, in moving the commissariat esti-
mates, said that there was a large increase in the esti-
mates for the commissariat this year, which arose from
tha fact of a large sum, which used to appear partly in
the army estimates and partly in the ordnance esti-
mates, having been transferred to the commissariat.
The commissariat had always had the charge of supply-
ing forage on foreign stations to the troops. The esti-
mates for those supplies had formerly appeared partly
in the army estimates, partly in the ordnance estimates,
and partly in the commissariat estimates. This had led
to a complication of accounts, and it had been considered
that it would be, on the whole, better that the depart-
ment which had the charge of providing the articles
should also estimate the funds that would be required.
On this account, in the present year, there was an in-
crease of 232,0001., which had been transferred from the
army and ordnance to the commissariat estimates. The
Hon. Baronet then moved that a sum of 436,0001. be
voted for the expenses of the commissariat department.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE thought it would be well for
the chairman to report progress, inasmuch as the Right
Hon. Baronet the Secretary for the Home Department
had given notice of his intention to introduce a new Fac-
tories Bill that night. Now there was every reason to
believe that this Bill would give rise to some discussion,
and therefore he (Mr. Duncombe) thought it ought not
to be introduced after eleven o'clock.

Sir J. GRAHAM said he should be very happy to
bring on the Bill to which the Hon. Gentleman referred
at once. As, however, his statement would be but a short
one, he did not think it necessary to adjourn the Com-
mittee so early.
Mr. HUME thought the observation of the Hon.
Member for Finsbury deserved some attention. The Bill
which was about to be introduced by the Right Hon.
Baronet was a very important one, and the public would
naturally be very anxious to know what was the diffe-
rence between the eld and new Bills. He thought they
might agree to the vote then before the House, and then
report progress.
After a short communication the vote was agreed to.
A sum of 46,6821 was voted for the half-pay of the
commissarat department.
A sum of 18,407,830/. was voted to pay off Exchequer
Bills.

The CHAIRMAN reported progress, and asked leave to
sit again. The House then resumed.

➢IETROPOLITAN BUILDINGS BILL.

The Earl of LINCOLN moved that the Bill be read a
second time.
Mr. HUME wished to ask the Noble Lord whether
he intended to refer it to a Committee up stairs.
The Earl of LINCOLN did not propose to refer
it to such a Committee.
The Bill was then read a second time.
FACTORIES BILL.

On the motion for proceeding with the Order of the
Day on the Factories Bill being put,
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said that the House would
remember that in the early part of the evening the
Bill which he had introduced in the early part of the
session was withdrawn, by permission of the House ;
and he believed the opinion of the House was pretty ge-
neral that he should have leave to introduce another Bill
on the subject. Having, on the former occasion, entered
at length into the subject, he was not prepared at the
present moment to trespass on the attention of the House.
At the same time it was right to state to the
House what was the precise nature of the Bill.
The Bill which was withdrawn was a Bill which re-
pealed all former Acts regulating employment in facto-
ries. The Bill which he now introduced repealed none
of the former laws on the subject, but it introduced
certain amendments. Speaking generally the amend-
ments he introduced into the present Bill were amend-
ments recommended by the Committee which sat on the
subject in 1840. The Bill which he introduced pro-
vided that children between the ages of eight and eleven
should not be employed in any factory in the manufac-
ture of silk, for a longer period than six hours and a-
half, and between the ages of eight and thirteen, for a
no longer period in the manufacture of cottons, wool-
lens, and flax ; and further, that six hours and a-half
should not be extended over the forenoon and afternoon
of the same day, but should be confined to either. In
those factories where children worked ten hours, it was
provided by the Government measure that they should
work for that period on alternate days—that if they
worked ten hours on one day they should not work at all
on the next. He proposed an alteration in the exist-
ing law, respecting surgeons' certificates. At pre-
sem surgeons could only grant certificates as far
as appearances were concerned, but he proposed
that the surgeon should certify as to the health of the
child, and whether or no it was fitted for the employ-
ment proposed. In accordance with the recommenda-
tions of the Committee, he proposed that proper guards
should be put upon machinery—that it should be boxed
up so as to prevent accidents. It was further proposed
that all accidents, without reference to age, should be
report,d to the inspector, and that the Secretary of State
should be empowered to direct prosecutions against the
owners of factories when accidents occurred by ma-
chinery through the proper guards being wanting. It
was further proposed that the damages obtained in such
actions might be awarded to parents and guardians. It
was proposed for the first time (and not in pursuance of
any recommendation of the Committee) that females
should not work for a longer time than that at present
allowed for young people. He had thus briefly stated
the provisions which the Bill contained, and would not
at present further detain the House.
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE thought the Right Hon. Ba-
ronet might have saved himself the trouble of intro-
ducing the present Bill, which would leave things just
as they were, and repeal no grievance. The Right Hon.
Baronet might have made his statement much shorter. '
How far this Bill would be satisfactory to the House
and to the country time would determine. He thought
the Right Hon. Baronet was fully justified in the course
he had pursued, for it was quite clear that those Hon.
Members who were opposed to him on one evening were
prepared to support him on the next.—(Hear hear.) The
people of England, at all events, Should not be deluded.
It was quite clear that the advantages which the Noble
Lora gained on a former evening were lost. The Right
Hon. Bart. told the House there was not any chance of
relief in limiting the hours of labour ; he managed the
matter most dexterously. Three times the House had
told the people of England that their women and chil-
dren should not be worked more than ten hours ; but
they were to continue in a state of slavery. Redress from
the Government or that House hed proved to be hope-
less; the matter must be left for public agitation and to
the Times newspaper. At a future time they would
have some " sham moves," but he believed he might say
that the Noble Lord would never again obtain such support
as he had already obtained. The Noble Lord's forces were
completely abandoned, and he wished the Right Hon.
Baronet joy of the triumph he had achieved, but he sin-
cerely condoled with these poor people who were still
doomed to slavery and hardship.—(Hear, hear.) He
hoped that the House would not sanction the principles
of the Bill introduced by the Hon. Baronet the Secre-
tary for the Home Department.
Mr. HUME objected to this Bill upon the very princi-
ples utged in its favour by the Government, but still he
should reserve for a future occasion, his general reasons
for voting against it. He would advise the Right Hon.
Gentleman to reconsider this Bill, and not be led away
by misrepresentations, and to consider well before they
should at all trench upon the free and unshackled exer-
cise of labour. He believed the Right Hon. Baronet
ought,waswrongCommittee
insteadn
who,ot bf
we
nupt rinrddhc
uei princip
les of h g
evidence i
o havenidl ,
make and that
appointed
r ep ohraet

upon which legislative measures might be enacted. Let '
the Government remove the impediments which existed
against the exercise of labour ; and they would have no
necessity for such restrictions as those now proposed.
Mr. HA\VBS said, he must certainly, so long as re-
strictions upon trade existed, vote against any
proposition which would have the effect of restricting
labour. He was sure that while they existed it was
absolutely essential, to enable the manufacturers to
make a fair profit, that they should impose excessive toil
upon the operative. He would ask the Govarnment
were they determined to uphold those restrictions ? If
Then the Right Hon. Baronet opposite wore to adopt a
..different course with respect to protective duties, he for
one should not oppose the restriction of labour, but
until then he should oppose the introduction of this Bill.
Sir C. NAPIER hoped that the House would support
the Ten Hours' Bill.

Leave was then given to bring in the Bill.
COUNTY COURTS BILL.

Sir JAMES GRAHAM then rose to ask leave to
bring in a Bill to amend the jurisdiction of county
courts. The county courts were some of the most
ancient courts in the country, and in them there was no
limit to the extent to which personal actions were brought.
But one defect was, that under the writ of justitia
parties were allowed to remove their suits to West •
ininster Hall, without being obliged to give security for
costs. That was a defect which it was proposed to re-
move by the present Bill. The cumbrous machinery
which had been altered in the superior courts had
remained unchanged in the country. That, also,
was a defect which it was intended to remove. He
proposed, also, that the judges in those courts should be
paid by salary and the clerks by fees. In courts that
might hereafter be formed the clerks should be paid by
salary. With respect to the extent of jurisdiction, he.
had, on mature consideration, decided that to go to 15L
The subject matter to be cases of simple contract, breach
of agreement, &c. As to the form of proceeding he pro-
posed that the plaintiff should serve the defendant
with notice seven days before trial; and that if both
plaintiff and defendant were in the district, the suit
should not be taken out of the district. But if the
plaintiff were out of the district, he should have the
option of bringing the suit, either in the county courts
or in the sup:rior courts ; and if the parties should re-
quire a jury, it should be competent for the judge to
grant a jury which need not consist of a larger number
than five persons ; it should also be competent for the
court to make an order, for payment of debt, by instal-
ments,. and judgment might be taken either against the
body or the goods.
Mr. WARBURTON trusted if there was to be an ap-
peal, it should be confined to one exercise only of the
right. He hoped the examination of both parties would
be allowed. This was the case in the Court of Bank-
ruptcy, and he did not see why the system should not be
made to apply to the proposed new courts.
Mr. CRIPPS considered that the examination of both
parties involved a question of great doubt and delicacy,
which would require great consideration on the part of
the House.

After a few words in explanation from Sir J. GRAHAM
and Captain PECHELL, leave was given to bring in the
Bill.

Sir J. GRAHAM obtained leave to bring in a Bill for
regulating the bailiffs of inferior courts.

POOR-LAW BILL.

Sir J. GRAHAM said that the Order of the Day for
the committal of this Bill stood for Monday ; with the
permission of the House he would now move that it be
read, for the purpose of postponing it to April 26.
FACTORIES BILL.

Sir J. GRAHAM then brought in the Factories Bill,
which was read a first time, and ordered to be read a;
second time on Monday, the 22d of April.
The RIGHT HON. BARONET also brought in the County
Courts Bill, and the Bailiffs' Regulation Bill, both of
which were read a first time, and ordered to be read a
second time on Monday, the 15th April.
The House then adjourned at a Quarter to One till
Monday.

ebtrb lattton

THE FUNDS-(CI
B RITISH
_ . _

,OSING PRICES).
_________ FUNDS.
Bank Stock
3 per Cent. Red I Ditto Bonds
3 per Cent. Cons.
3% per Cent. Red ...
New 334 per Cent. 102% Ex. Bills, 1,0001. 1%c1... 70 pm.
New 5 per Cent. Ditto 5001 7O pm.
Long Annuities to expire Ditto Small 7O pm.
Jan. 1860 Bank Stock for Acct.... 200
Oct. 1859 — Consols for Acct
Jan. 1860 .... India Stock for Acct....