The Sun.
London, England, 1845-09-10 00:00:00

Obrr flin_l4l

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1845.

The " New Poor-law" is one of those melancholy
efforts of human legislation to compensate for the de-
ficiencies of our social system upon which it is painful
to expatiate, owing to the intensity of the admitted evil
and the palpable though, perhaps, unavoidable defi-
ciency of the remedy. Entertaining this conviction of
the inherent difficulties which invest one of the most
perplexing problems that the science of government has
to deal with, we feel at all times reluctant to pro-
nounce a prompt opinion on cases of alleged abuse
in the administration of this law, even when the circum-
stances appear to warrant us in drawing the most dis-
tinct conclusions upon their general b€aring. We are—

or desire to be—slow to listen to the impulses of our own
feelings, where these are likely to be arrayed, a priori,
against the more laborious, but more dispassionate

influences of reflection and jai ;ment. On this account
we had determined not to interpose any opinion
of ours on the merits of the remarkable charges of
cruelty, vicious indulgence, and criminal mismanagement
which have been brought again st the executive autho-
rities of the Andover Union, until the investigations that
have been instituted into them, and are still in progress,
should have been completed. And to this determination
we continue to adhere, so far as the merits of the case
are concerned. But we do not feel ourselves by
any means precluded /ram animadverting, in
the meantime, on the icnieconduct of any of the
parties to the pending inquiry, where it has
a direct tendency to prejudice the results
at which, if it were left to its own development, that
inquiry would naturally ari 'lye. Now, such an inter-
ference has taken place, and is, in our opinion, calcu-
lated to produce (if public reprobation be not stre-
nuously directed against it i n its incipient stages) not
Limply a denial, but a corrui don, of justice. If we in-
dignantly protest that this sc in of proceeding is opposed
to the whole spirit of our judicial institutions, and the
singular equity with which tht ) law provides fur the equal
hearing of both parties in every case which may be
brought for its adjudication, we are so far from desir-
ing to anticipate or to bias the finding of the sort Of
Commission of Inquiry now sitting, that
.our sole object
is to prevent others from do: issg so, whose conduct seems
but too well calculated, and too evidently intended, to
produce that effect. Beside: ;, we must always recollect
that the inherent difficulties we have adverted to as at-
taching to the administration df an invidious but an in-
dispensable law, will only be allowed for and duly esti-
mated by the public in propor. 4 on as it shall perceive in
those who are charged with its execution an honest
intention to act fairly and justly on the spirit of its
enactments. The instant t! sat the public jealousy of
acts performed in that exc-;cut, don considers that such
acts are of a nature to justify its suspicions, all the in-
trinsic difficulties will bee tag,nified tenfold ; and from
the external pressure of the unpopularity that will
then deservedly attach to a 1 sw, thus susceptible of abuse
and perversion, it will be fo: snd impossible to enforce it
throughout the country, exe, )pt in direct and dangerous
opposition to the feelings t snd opinions of the people.
But if there be one law, in the administration of which it
is more important than in sn other to enlist these opi-
nions and these feelings, it is • that which secures a provi-
sion, and the distribution th. rreof, for the subsistence of
the destitute and helpless ; poor—a community always
the most costly, and, in t Ise ratio of its numbers, the
most dangerous, to the state within which it exists.
It will be recollected t st the pending inquiry
has been instituted to probe, ; he truth or falsehood of
certain extraordinary comp]; yin is which had been made
public of the misrnanagemen' ; 2. ,id neglect of the paupers
that have prevailed in the..nu lover Union Poorhouse.
Their food had been descr it ,eel as being at once so in-
ferior and so scantily furnish ee, 1, that on the bone• crush-
ing mill, on which they wel 'e sent to labour, they ac-
tually quarrelled and fought f the putrid relics of mor-
tality which they were comm it ting to the machinery so
often as some remaining frag n ent of cartillage or mar-
row still adhering to them I a: ide them desirable to the
cravings of their famished ap' 0 titer, Into these and other

statemmtg,inerr.qiible in .9.7! nr,.7:17,t,

try like

av:cl in eh

Commission, at Solner,s,
PA,'.KER, one of their

Mr.

to inquire. Rigidly observing our purpose not to com-
ment on the evidence adduced at this inquiry until it
shall have been completed, we will merely add to these
facts, that in the course of the examinations taken before
the Assistant-Commissioner the most serious charges
were made against one M'DOUGALL, the master of the
union-house by some female paupers. Among other
things he has been accused of soliciting their chastity on
various occasions, and attempting to accomplish
his object by the coarsest arts of intimida-
tion. We pass over, for the present, the imputations
on both the master and the mistress of the union-house,
of ungovernable violence'of temper—of their connivance
at a general condition of immorality, degradation, and
personal abandonment to the last degree disgraceful and
inexcusable—of the harshness and inhumanity exhibited
towards some of the most helpless and feeble of the in-
mates. Our present business is with the conduct of the
Assistant-Commissioner at the examination of the wit-
nesses who deposed to these matters. It manifested a
strange ignorance of the principles and law of evidence;
as well as a want of that decorum, impartiality, and pa-
tience with which only evidence ought to be received in
such a court. The Assistant-Commissioner asked—and
permitted to be asked—questions, from which, we think,
a rightly-constituted mind would have recoiled, in taking
the evidence of a female complainant ; and though he
received from such a party a rebuke, we fear that
he remains still uninformed or unconscious of
the illegality of putting questions to witnesses calcu-
lated to elicit answers that must criminate them. We
are well satisfied that the Andover Union case must
now receive, however, a thorough sifting ; and that, ulti-
mately, a far higher tribunal than the Poor-law Com-
missioners (namely, that of public opinion) will pro-
nounce its judgment on the facts, whatever these shall
turn out to be. Our only desire, in the meanwhile, is,
to indicate in what manner the misconduct of the As-
sistant-Commissioner, if not checked by the proper
authority, may interfere with the elimination of facts,
and the course of justice.

The Madrid journals of the 2d inst. contain no news.
Some transactions had at last taken place on the Bourse,
and the Funds were firm. The Three per Cents. were
quoted at 32i at 60 days; 7,000,000 reals done. None
of the other stocks were quoted.

The Paris papers announce that the visit of the Queen
of ENGLAND to the Royal Fainly at the Chateau d'Eu
was known in the capital on Saturday, and that great
numbers had left for T, sport. " All the English," says
the Constitutionnel," who have any title to be admitted
into the presence of their Sovereign are hastening from
Paris to the royal residence. The departures for Eu yes-
terday (Sunday) were numerous. The precise time of
her arrival at Treport with her flotilla is not known, but
she is to take her departure on Wednesday for the Isle
of Wight."
Another journal says—" The performers of the
Opera Comique are gone by royal order to Eu, where
they are to perform before the KING and Royal Family,
the Nouveau Seigneur, Richard Coeur de Lion,
Jean de Paris, Marie, and Le Deserteur ; conse-
quently the theatre will be closed from this evening till
Monday next."

These papers also announce the arrival of the
Duke and Duchess DE NEMOURS, and the Duke
D'AUMALE at Tolosa on the 4th instant, where
they were received with great enthusiasm, the
people shouting " Long live the French Princes,"
" Long live LOUIS PHILIPPE." The adjudication of the
leases for the Great Northern Railway took place on
Tuesday, when Messrs. ROTHSCHILD, HOTTINCUER,
LAFFITTE, and Co., were declared lessees of the line
from Paris to the Belgian frontier, with branches from
Lisle to Calais and Dunkirk. The period, originally
fixed at 41 years, had been reduced to 38 years. Mr.
O'NEILL was declared lessee of the branch line to Fam-
poux and Hazebruck, the lease also to be for 38 years.
The France thus adverts to the report of the retirement
of Marshal SOULT

" A journal announces that the Marquis de Mornay had
repaired to Soultberg, on a pressing invitation of the Minister
of War. The old Marsha], it appears, is again talking of
resigning the War Department. This intelligence, which
reached Paris at the moment when M. Guizot was leaving
for Eu, to be present at the visit of the Queeu of EnglaPA
filled him with joy. M. Guizot, the soul of the Cabinet, is
desirous to become its nominal chief ; he covets the title of
President of the Council. But we have been assured that he
would experience obstacles totally unexpected. The idea of
replacing the Duke de Broglie at the head of affairs has been
of late entertained in a quarter where Ministers are consi-
dered as mere instruments, and the retirement, of the Mar-
shal would greatly facilitate its realisation. Nevertheless we
can hardly believe that Marshal Soult would adopt such a
resolution in presence of the pretensions of M. Bugeaud, who
would not certainly resign his title of Governor of Algeria,
unless he was assured of obtaining the direction of the War
Department. Now, the old Marshal will never consent to be
succeeded by a man who made it a point to disobey his
orders, andperemptorily refused to execute the instructions
of his superior."
The Three per Cents. closed at 841. 40e. ; the Five
per Cents. 1191. 15c., ex div. ; the Orleans Railroad
Shares, 1,308 f. 75c. ; Rouen, 1,122 f. 50e. ; Havre, 9171.
50c. ; Avignon, 1,072 f. 50c. ; Vierzon, 607 f. 50c. ; Eor-
deaux, 721 f. 25c ; Troyes and Montereau, 540 f. ;
288 f. 75c. ; Spanish Actives, 361 A; ditto Three per Cents.,
39 ; ditto Domestic Debt, 314 ; ditto Passives, 6X.
The following are the quotations for the new lines :-
Paris and Lyons Railroad (Laffittr,), 35f. premium ; ditto
(Calon), 15f. ; ditte (Gannere:a), 151. ; ditto (Lapin-
sonniere), 10f. ; Northern tine (Laffitte), 85f. ; ditto
(Rosamel), 45f. ; ditto Pepin Lehalleur), 321. ; ditto
(Decan, Lebeuf), 331. Paris and Strasburg (Ganueron),
161. ; ditto (Hinguerlet), 151. ; ditto (Bechet) 10f. ; ditto
(Isot), Sf. 50c. ; Tours 'and Nantes (Mackenzie), 16f. 25c. ;
ditto (Drouillard), 6f. 50c. ; ditto (O'Neill), 15f. ; ditto
(Lefevre), 10f. ; 11,pm and Avignon (Talabot), 501. ; ditto
(Lecointe), 25f. ; ditto (Compagnie Meridionale), 151. ; Bor-
deaux and Cinie (Mackenzie), 61. 50c ; ditto ( Espeleta)
17f. 50c. ; Creil and St. Quentin (Kysaens), 7f. ; ditto
(Carette), 81. 50c. ; ditto (Colbert), 4f. ; Charleroy (Ky-
saene), 501. ; Maubeuge (Kysaens), par; Dijon and Mul-
hausen (O'Ne ill), 21. 50c. ; ditto (Allegry), 2f. ; Dieppe
(Sellieres), 5f )f. ; Caen (Delamarre), Bf.
LYONS, Saver. 5.-Marseilles and Avignon, 1,0751., end
of September. ; Paris and Orleans, 1,309 f., ditto; Paris and
Rouen, 1,11C.7f. ditto; Orleans and Vierzon, 811 f.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, SEPT. 9.
Anglo-Belgian 54 Namur and Liege
Boulogne and Amiens.. 11 Orleans and Vierzon
Bordeaux &I‘tediterran Orleans and Bordeaux 14
Bordeaux and Toulouse 21/8 OverYssel
Do. & Cette (Espelete) Paris & Lyons (Lafitte) 3J4
Central of Spain

Dendre Valley ...... ...
Dutch Rhenish ... ......

Ditto (Ca10n'5)......2%
Paris and Orleans.-- 51

Dieppe & Paris Junct. 'Paris and Rouen 4314
Dijon and Mulhouse ... 26 'Paris and Strasburg
East Indian — (Ganneron's)... ...... 23/4
Grt Northern of France _ Do.(Compte de L'Est) .
_ _ .

(Laflitte's)
.. 6% Paris and St. Quentin.
Ditto (Rosamel's) ... 31/s Rouen and Havre.— 32
Do. Peppin le Halleur 43-14 Royal North of Spain. 21/8
Great Paris and Lyons. 2% Sambre and Meuse .... 8%
Jamaica Junction . Strasbourg and Basle . 101%
Do. North Midland... Tours and Nantes
Jersey
Louvain and Jemeppe.. 5% Do. (Lefebvre's) 2l
Lyons and Avignon.... 23/ Verona and Ancona 3%
Luxembourg

LLOYD'S SHIPPING-(THIS DAY.)
LONDON, SEPT. 10.—Wind this day at noon W.N.E., light
airs, and fine.
DEAL, SEPT. 9.—Wind variable and light.—Arrd. Belle,
Hays, Quebec ; Johann Cxsar, Havan:!ab, for Antwerp. Arrd.
Sierra Leone;
from the river, La Belle Alliane-:,, ITI
Arethusa, Lister, Montreal. Arrd. from the river and sailed,
Royal George, Grieves, Port Tzhilip.
PORTSMOUTH, SEPT. 9...--Wind southerly, very light.—
Sld. William Jardin:4, Small, China.
FALMOUTH, Srs.&T. 9.—Wind variable and light.—Sld.
Mary Muir, Williams, Valparaiso.
LiVERPOry SEPT. 9.—Wind variable and light.—Arrd.
Windsor, Para ; Bank Dugger, Montreal ; James Salmon,
Quebec. Sld. Mediterranean, Osborn, Africa; Louisiana,
Stiber, New Orleans; Saranak, Turley, Philadelphia; En-
chantress, Philip, Quebec.
BRISTOL, SEPT. 9.—Wind N.W., moderate.—Arrd. Ocean
Queen, Prince Edward's Island ; Fingaltor, Craig, Quebec.
NEWPORT, SEPT. 9.—Arrd. Venture, Blaekshaw, Quebec.
SWANSEA, SEPT. B—Wind S.E.—Arrd. Diana, Nassau.
FLEETWOOD, SEPT. B.—Wind W.—Arrd. Carroltor,
Quebec.
CLYDE, SETT. B.—Wind S.—Arrd. Junius, Wilson, Nova
Scotia. Sld. 6, Glencairn, Nicol, Mauritius ; 8, Sarah,
Fletcher, St. John's, New Brunswick ; Lucius, Carey, Quebec.
WATERFORD, SEPT. 7.—Shl. Don O'Brien, Miramichi.
Conic, SEPT. 7.—Wind N.E., light.—Arrd. Mary Isabella,
Dawson. Miramichi.
CROOKHAVEN, SEPT. s.—Arrd. William Wilberforce, Den-
nis, Miramichi.
LIMERICK, SEPT. S.—Wind easterly.—Arrd. Idea, Howell,
Quebec. Sld. 7, Thetis, Hujill, Quebec.
LONDONDERRY, AUG. 30.—Arrd. Envoy, Mason, Quebec;
Maria Campbell, Quebec.
SHIELDS, SEPT. 6.—Sld. Wallace, Young, Boston.
HARTLEPOOL, SEPT. B.—Arrd. Percy, Scott, Quebec.
MIDDLESBOROUGH, SEPT. B.—Sld. Emperor, Quebec.
WHITBY, SEPT. B.—The Linnet, Marshall, of this port, coal
laden, passed off here 18th ult., and has not since been
heard of.
Corse, SEPT. 9.—The Demerest ran into the Isabella, from
Faro, and stove her stern; the latter must discharge.

PRICE OF Goho.—The premium on gold at Paris
is 131 per mille, which, at the English Mint price of 31. 17s.
101 d. per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange of
25 49 ; and the exchange at Paris on London at short being
25 60, it follows tt.at gold is 0.43 per cent. dearer in London
than in Paris„ By advices from Hamburgh, the price of
gold is 434 k I.;er mark, which, at the English Mint price of
3/. 17s. Iq4. per ounce for standard gold, gives an exchange
of 13 93 ; and the exchange at Hamburgh on London at
short being 13 111, it follows that gold is O.SO per cent.
dearer in London than in Hamburgh.
TILE MASTER PASSION. Br TIIOAIAS COLLEY
GRATTAN, ESQ. —" The Master Passion," by the author of
Highways and Byeways," cannot fail of being ranked among
the most effective fictions of our age. The interest of this
story is of a singularly engrossing nature, making it almost im-
possible for the reader tol(y down the work till he has come to
its conclusion. It is a maiterpiece of imaginative literature—
a picture of human life, under the influence of human passions,
such as must greatly increase Mr. Grattan's reputation with his
numerous admirers, and excite a demand for these volumes,
equal at least to that which attended the publication of the
" Highways and Byeways" by the rams popular author.