The Sun.
London, England, 1844-04-24 00:00:00

FREEDOM OF LABOUR.
(From the Leeds Times.)
" Why should Parliament dictate to grown men and
women, or even to young men and young women, how
long they should work ? Have not these parties sense
enough to refuse doing what they find injurious to
them ? May they not leave their work any day that
suits them ?"—Leeds Mercury.
" Above all, it should not be forgot that fscbory la-
bour is voluntary, not compulsory. No man, woman, or
child need stay in a factory a single day longer than he
pleases."—Leeds Mercury.
It is contended by the opponents of a Ten Hours'
Bill, that the interference of the Legislature in a
matter of this kind is a gross violation of the • liber-
ties of the subject; the advocates of corn-law repeal
especially insisting that the only way of shortening
the hours of labour is to destroy the necessity of
such prolonged drudgery by removing those bur-
dens and restrictions which cripple trade, making
labour cheap and provision dear ; while the Leeds
Mercury pressingly insist that all legislative enact-
ment is an interference with freedom of labour, and
that Parliament has nothing to do with shortening the
hours of toil, inasmuch as it is voluntary on the part
of the labourers, man woman, and child, and they
" need not stay in a factory a single day longer than
they pleas."
Why NI as not the same objection urged when the
Government proposed.to take the women and children
out of the coal. pits ? That, too, was an interference
with the poor man's labour ; and its tendency and
actual result was greatly to diminish the earnings of
the colliery population. But, no ! Writers of all
political parties lauded this measure as one of
great humanity and unquestioned necessity. When
the revolting features of colliery labour were brought
to light by the Children's Employment Commission,
and it was found that tender women and helpless
children were daily employed underground to do
the work of brutes, one general shudder of horror
ran throughout society. The thing was too bar-
barous to be tolerated in a Christian country ; the
practice of female and infant slavery in mines was
universally condemned ; and men of all parties de-
manded the interference of the Legislature. They
did not see in the question one merely of vested inte-
rests, of capital sunk, of profits suspended,—but of
national humanity, of benevolence and philan-
thropy. The Legislature, thus invoked from all
sides, stepped in and put an end to the practice at
once, and let us hope, for ever. Now, the very same
principle is involved in the question of factory
labour. Society in this country has established the
principle of interference, in the case of women and
minors. It regards them as unable to protect and
defend themselves ; and where it finds them over-
worked or oppressed, it steps in and interferes. This
has already been done in the Factory Bills repeatedly
passed by the Legislature. What is now sought for
is, that tell hours, and not twelve, should be the
standard period of labour in factories, for women and
children.
But this would be "an interference with the
rights of labour, and a violation of the liberties of
the subject !" Alas ! how slender are the rights
of labour ! How worthless are the liberties of the
subject ; What is the " liberty" of the English
labourer ? To starve or to toil! He has no alternativ3.
He has no liberty. He has no proprietorship in the
State. He is cut off from all rights and privileges.
He is taxed without his consent ; his earnings are
taken from him by a class who are altagether
irresponsible to him ; and thus he is, to all
intents and purposes, a slave. He has no
alternative but to toil or famish. He yokes
himself, body and soul, to the iron machine—
a sleepless, indefatigable labourer, whose only
food is a little oil. Not only himself, but his
wife and children, must also yoke themselves
to the work. They run a neck-and.neck race with
want. What a mockery to speak to them of free-
dom ! And oh, what bitterness of mockery to tell
them that after Parliament has interfered to protect
the dumb brutes, and also to protect the women and
children of the colliers, that they are not to be re-
Lieved because it would be an interference with their
iberty !

MILITARY INTELLIGENCE—CHATHAM, APRIL 22.
The following regiments from the provisional battalion of this
garrison have this day received orders for embarkation, to
proceed to the three presidencies of India during the present
season. Those for Bengal are the 9th, 10th, 29th, 31st, 39th,
40th, 50th, and 62d, with the following officers of each corps,
ordered by Colonel Thomas Weare, K.H„ of the battalion,
to hold themselves in readiness to embark for India in the
ships as they are taken up for the conveyance of troops
Lieutenant Creagh, Ensign O'Connor, Ensign Foster, Ensign
Hawes, of the 9th ; Captain Staunton, Captain Shandly,
Ensign Angelo, of the 10th ; Ensign Francis , Ensign White,
Ensign Scudamore, of the 29th ; Major James Spence, Lieut.
Elmslie,'Ensign Paul, Ensign Hutton, 31st ; Lieut. Wolfe,
Lieut. Reader, Lieut. Ensor, Lieut. Bray, Lieut. Fitzgerald,
Assistant-Surgeon M'Gregor, 39th ; Captain Valiant, Captain
Smith, Ensign Payne, 40th ; Captain Stapleton, Lieutenant
Maloney, Actiug-Adjutant of the Provisional Battalion, Lieut.
Montmorencie, Ensign Venables, Ensign Vernett, Ensign
Purcell, 50th ; Ensign Roberts and Ensign Cox, of the 62d
Regiment. The officers for Madras are Captain Bell, Captain
'Peale, Lieutenant Bolton, Lieutenant Cumming, Ensign Col-
ville, Ensign Ellison of the 4th ; Lieutenant Peddie,
Assistant-Surgeon Webster, of the 21st Fusiliers ; Lieu-
tenant L. Trevors, Ensign Smith, 25th ; Lieutenant
Frost, Lieutenant Ahmuty, Lieutenant Grant, 57th ; Lieu-
tenant Higginbotham, Ensign M'Cauley, Ensign Le Grand,
63d ; Captain Richardson, 84th ; Captain M'Gee, 94th Regi-
ment. The officers for Bombay are Captain J. Carney, En-
sign M'Carty, and Ensign Engles, of the 2d Queen's; Cap-
tain Burslem and Ensign Hogg, of the 13th ; Captain Maule-
verer, Lieutenant Armstrong, Lieutenant Johnstone, and
Ensign Noland, of the 17th ; Ensign Baldwin, Lieutenant
Miller, 22d ; Lieutenant Dane, Ensign Wright, Ensign Ellis,
28th ; Captain Elvington, Lieutenant Prettyjohn, Ensign
M'Lean, Assistant-Surgeon M'Kinnon, and Assistant-Sur-
geon Bowie, of the 78th Highlanders; Lieutenant Wood,
Ensign Gerahtley, Ensign Robinson, and Ensign Stewart—
making a total of 73 officers. The two following detachment s
marched this morning from this garrison, as a convict guard,
to Deptford, where they embark on board the convict ship
Barrosa, to proceed with convicts for Van Diemen's Land.
The guard comprised 1 sergeant, 3 corporals, and 31 rank and
file of the 58th Regiment, with 15 rank and file of the 80th,
to complete the guard. Lieutenant William Birch, of the
25th, formerly Adjutant of the 6th Royals, commands the
guard, in lieu of Lieutenant Page, of the 58th, who enters the
7th Hussars, by purchase; Ensign St. John, of the 80th, and
4 women and 1 child, belonging to the soldiers of the 58th,
proceed with the detachment.
THE WELLINGTON STATUE IN THE CITY.—At the
last meeting of the Royal Exchange Committee on the sub-
ject of placing the statue of his Grace the Duke of Wellington,
by Sir Francis Chantrey, the trustees, Mr. John Masterman
and, Sir Peter Laurie, and the executors, Mr. Turner, R.A.,
and Mr. Jones, discussed, at considerable length, the question
as to the most eligible position of the equestrian figure on the
spot selected in the front of the Royal Exchange. Upon that
occasion Sir Peter Laurie stated that Sir Francis Chantrey
always expressed a wish that the statue should face the
south, in order that it might have the advantage 2i the sun,
for which purpose the eminent sculptor saggestid. the re-
moval of the ugly upper storey of the Mansion-house, which
was accordingly taken down, to the manifest improvement of
that edifice. Mr. Jones confirmed the statement as to the
opinion and wish of Sir Francis Chantrey. The Committee,
however, came to the resolution, that, as the front of the
Royal Exchange faced the west, it would, notwithstanding
the impression upon the mind of so high an authority, be
preposterous to turn the face of the statue. away from that
direction, and they accordingly agreed unammousiy that the
Duke should front Cheapside. Mr. Turner, the other exe-
cutor, informed the Committee that the statue and pedestal
had long been completed; and he trusted that by the 18th
of June, the anniversary of the battle of Waterloo, the public
would have a complete -opportunity of judging of the merits
of the performance. The Committee seemed to entertain no
doubt that on the anniversary of the memorable event the
statue would be erected.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, April 23.
PRESBYTERIAN MARRIAGES.

Lord CAMPBELL presented a petition, complaining
of the late decision in the case of the Presbyterian
marriage question.
DISSENTERS' CHAPELS BILL.

The LORI) CHANCELLOR stated to their Lord-
ships that, on Friday next, the day originally named, he
should propose the second reading of the Dissenters'
Chapels Bill, and go into Committee on the Bill upon
the following Friday.