The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-15 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS, July 14
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock.
~.
ENT SHANNON IMPROVEMENTS.
. .
. Mr. F. FRENCH presented a P
i. '
v:.,_ oomnion, complaining that 100„-trot
rte`' '•
foin evict
had been levied
4.. upon the county for impr, jrfils.....
ils,-,,: .;:,,Citwri (the Shannon ; I the property of the
isttvigation); the petition also
th,,,,- complained that if this was persevered in they would
nt'c' '-ii! not be able to
'iwna ~ :A, t,- - I •
13a, the assessments, and prayed that
hv,i,4- .. r.,,§l.nis J be raised might be more equally levied
till . ?der-.'l..ci whole of the districts which the Shannon Ml-
li 31,7i:ritr ovements would benefit.
zolle6 POOR-LAW.
ttM
.43' Sir E. KNATCHBULL presented a petition fromt'tsli .
. .:411nion in Kent, against the Bastardy clause in the
leb9: 1 Poor-law Amendment Act.
~e.
tao •
of -11111 •-k THE TRUCK SYSTEM.
1 sl : '-uL'. FERRAND presented a petition from the in-
,spitit habitants of Neath, in Glamorganshire, signed by the
idi'llql;, tradesmen, shopkeepers, and operatives. The peti-
E%i:: ;,tioners stated that they had heard that the House was
4tat;
abut
Idl ;, • • ''''Ullt to adopt measures to put a stop to the
Obi: _ truck system, which they stated to be in full operation
'di.: ,* in the vicinity of that town. They prayed that the
111%,:. .. ' House would be pleased to adopt such measures as
74,, . would tend to the entire abolition of that iniquitous
Ilf Practice.
tl:

NOTICES OF MOTION.
: • Mr. T. DUNCOMBE gave. notice that he should
• withdraw his motion relative to Supply, of which he
had given notice, and in its place, 9n Thursday, he
••
_should move an Address to the Crown, having the
-, saute object in view.
Mr. MUNTZ gave notice that early next
,1 session he should move a Committee to in-
quire whether the distressed state of the country
arose from the state of the Corn-laws and money laws;
also what proportion wages bore to the price of corn,
and whether it would be to the advantage of society to
reduce such wages.
y,, MONHME.NT TO SIR SYDNEY SMITH.
)/ Sir F. BURDETT gave notice of a motion for
this day week to address her Majesty, to erect a nio-
-114-nintiont to the memory of Sir Sydney Smith.
THE TOBACCO BILL.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
~, e. moved that the Order of the Day for the second
• ,!'eading of the Tobacco Bill be read, for the purpose of
Fostponing it.
Mr. HUME wished the Right Hon. Gentleman to
State on what day he would proceed with the Bill, as
tkt,; the delay had caused considerable anxiety to those
Who were engaged in the tobacco trade.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
)-, fixed Monday for the second reading.
ADMITTANCE TO NATIONAL MONU-
-11,"•
MENTS.
• Mr. HUME rose, pursuant .to notice, to call the
attention of the House to the Report of the Select
ennunittee on National Monuments, in June, 1841,
-• 54(1 to move a humble address to her Majesty, pray-
:: •g that she will be graciously pleased to give direc-
!!ans to the Trustees of the British Museum and of
" National Gallery, to the authorities having charge
of the. Armories and Jewels in the Tower of London,
`• ~t4l,the Commissioners of Greenwich Hospital, and to
'4l persons having the management or direction of
tiablic edifices and cathedrals, for the adoption of
those
.e facilities and improvements recommended in
',at Report. It had long been the reproach
the British people, tat ton
coul not be
Vniitted to public monuments oney account of their
n.sPosition to deface them.. He had always observed
‘44, t where confidence was not placed in men, and.
Brent
• they were treated with distrust, they were in-
uafferent to derive confidence. But on the other
•,a-4d,. whenever they felt that confidence was reposed
tthem, they endeavoured to justify it. And it_ was
oyed that he was right, when the people were admitted
c, the National Gallery and to the British Museum
• it was found that their conduct perfectly proved
tz that no inconvenience whatever, and no injury
'whatever to the treasures which those places con-
ed,h
was to be apprehended from admitting them.
kk 1841 he obtained a Committee to inquire
kik 41,14 0 the subject to which his present motion referred,
at t•
he shortness of the session prevented them from
rOnig,to it all the justice they wished. They thought
Za:ta' adthittarice to view collections of works of art
species of education to those who could not be
711cated in any other way, and there was a .
ry large number in this country in that con-
dition, and who could neither read nor write. He he-
ti,- neve(' it would be found that the character of
ever
~„ y nation was formed by its public institutions.
41e thought on this account he might claim the attention
:and indulgence of the House. He could not do better
• than refer to the Report ofthe Committee of 1841. Upon
That Committee were the present Chancellor of the
..• Exchequer and the Right Hon. Member for Notting-.
'''hamshire, and in that Committee only one division
Pe .took place, and that was respecting three words only.
',•: That question was merely as to whether the public
linstitutions should be opened on Sunday or not.
e believed that the adoption of the practice would
‘,.+:2•ve a most beneficial effect upon the working classes.
;.. it, working orking classes and their wives were admitted
.411) the National Gallery, the British Museum, and
'" ''ther public institutions, not only would gratification
41, nd
Li-amusement be afforded to the whole family,
th•
e husband would at the same time be kept from
ro , ouse, where too often he spent his money,
- tie; ~,."fitritetect the most injurious habits. There was
-thanntry Where the people were more attentive to
.16•1_."aties of religion than the people of Holland, yet
• :0 'LIU country all the public institutions, collections
•:,,,,.:,41)1tittings and museums were thrown open on Sun-
,. heYa. He therefore thought that greater facilities should
t„lsa„fforded to the people of this country to visit the
ic • institutions. He wished lion. Gentlemen
•••:''..‘",,„
014ald visit the Regent's-park on Sundays, and
•. 7 - would see it crowded with families en-
cirtt,B• * themselves in its her:ahy atmosphere so
'ten better than what they could have at
▪ orne theirin cellars and rooms. But he
bald not be satisfied with that, for he wished to
;;,7 them also ass 'itirougli the halls of the Museum,
9.en p
every object which presented itself to them
...,449n1d be ortb of instruction, or would lead to further
xvolli,rY•lhis was a religious question in his view, and he
Aiellivk press it on the attention of the House in that
_t• He hoped that, as the inhabitants of other
hal4 of the town had opportunities of recreation, the
itTabitarits near the Victoria Park would have an
Iv", in it for amusement, and that similar opportunities
13°Iild be provided for the inhabitants of Lambeth and
I:rinondsey. And if there were no Crown lands in those
'es an exchange might be made. The evidence of C 01.
00W
an before the Committee, showed the advantage
Zsuch places in the decrease of crime, and in the im-
nved habits of the people, and that, in con-
eiquence of them, one policeman was now suffi-
ITIlt Where ten were required before.—(Hear, hear.)
-
410 wi,n was that children and all other parties
1,(2.4 have admission to the British Museum, to
47„ Pon Court, and to the National Gallery. He
tits" thought that an end should be put to the present
i,ltern of requiring one member of each party enter-
ing the Museum to write his name in a book. Much
toe°nvenience was created by the practice, and it led
tio beneficial result. It was seventeen years since
National Gallery was established, but it was only
tee Years ago since it was thrown open to the pub-
h • w pub-
irSince this latter period the number of visitors
increased daily. On Easter Monday last between
4.,1,300and 16,000 persons had visited the National
threrY• In the course of the year 1841 the
‘,.4lher of persons who had passed through the
m4ti
,pual Gallery was 538,331, and up to June,
V4l the number for the half year was 370,105.
ith respect to the Tower, when the admission was
•
tronly 800 visited it in a year, while after the
Uktion to 6d., the number who visited it during
aarrle period was upwards of 2,674. The de-
• to
'etion of the whole Armory had been supposed
b, have taken place, such, however, was
ittla' the case ; the ancient Armory still existed,
• ,t was open to the public. He trusted
rt,the hurried manner in which persons were taken
re the Tower would be put a stop to. With re-
t
e to the Crown jewels the admission to them
-sheen originally two shillings; it had since
mss, reduced to sixpence, and the result
t":.tbat the number of persons visiting the Jewel-
reatly increased. Since Hampton Court
, n thrown open, free of expense, the number
eufo :been
to that Palace had greatly increased.
that period upwards of 3,000 persons had
tI •
Llirough• that palace in one day. The open-
-bencZ unaipton Court Palace had been of great
• -it visit to the metropolis. In order to make
the poor people collected a shilling
to}ni' aid they formed a party in a waggon, con-
• g6oor 60 persons ; and 15, 20, and even
ban "aggotis went of a day, accompanied by
&elds of music. Thus the people
,of Spital-
tor had a day's pleasure and recreation
4 a thilling. lie would hastily mention Greenwich
At the time the Committee sat, Greenwich
jiOSaisiP'al was shut to every body but soldiers.
wns°l's were excluded from the Hall, and it
Go -- by his (Mr. Hume's) writing to the
‘vit3vernor that they were admitted. There
th, °lle more point to which he wished to call
the attehtioll of the House, namel3r, the admission of
reePublic to the cathedrals. he Committee had
t°,,ininended, that for one or two hours in every day
week, they should be thrown open to the public,
ether °fall charge. Mr. Cunningham and several
to f geotlemen, who were thoroughly competent
au opinion, had stated that they had not
vsu_ I. the least disposition to mischief on the part of
41% sto Westminster Abbey and St. Paul's.
„4__ cathedrals of Norwich, Bath, and York
Q' he believed, already open to the public
certain hours of the day.—(Hear, hear.)
not 11„..L1-1°se exceptions, he regretted to say that he did
CroN "any others that had Changed their system,
~InJ w• hoisitors were excluded from the cathedrals,
tohad were desirous of seeing those cathedrals
to send for a person to show the place
and if they did not pay them