The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-04 00:00:00

NATIONAL EDUCATION.

Lord LORTON presented a petition from Castle
Connor, in the county of Sligo, against the present sys-
tem of National Education.
BANKRUPTCY, LUNACY, AND LOCAL
COURTS.

Lord CAMPBELL asked the Noble and Learned
Lord on the Woolsack, what was the present state of the
Bill for amending the law relative to bankrupts. The
Bill had been introduced, but had remained stationary ;
he also asked the state of the Lunacy Bill, and the Bill
relating to Local Courts.
The LORD CHANCELLOR said, with respect to
the first question which the Noble and Learned Lord
had referred, the Lunacy Bill, it had been read a first
and second time, and stood for the Committee ; it was
his intention to-morrow, to give notice for the Commit-
tee on Thursday. As to the Bankruptcy Bill,
it had been read a first time, and he would propose the
second reading some day in the ensuing week. With
respect to the third, the Local Courts Bill, he had
found such conflicting interests, and such difficulty-in recon-
ciling them, that he had not been able to lay it on the table;
but he trusted, after the explanation he had given, to
meet such a concurrence of opinion, that he should be
able to introduce it soon after the recess.
Lord ABINGER trusted the Bill would never be laid
on the table of the House ; but if it was, he should give
it his determined opposition.
The LORD CHANCELOR said his Noble and Learned
Friend had put so many questions to him, that he did
not recollect the whole of them at the time he had
given an aswer to the Noble Lord. He believed he had
given no answer to one of the questions with respect to
the Ecclesiastical Courts Bill, and he therefore begged
leave to inform him that the Bill had been prepared
and was ready to be introduced.
Lord BROUGHAM was exceedingly glad to find that
the intention of his Noble Friend was such as he had
stated ; but with respect to the policy of the Bankruptcy
Bill taking precedence of the Local Courts Bill, he (Lord
13rougham) entertained great doubt. If his Noble
Friend would look more narrowly into the subject, he
-would find that such a step would create great incon-
venience, he should therefore wish to see it postponed.
The LORD CHANCELLOR begged leave to state
that the Bill was already laid on the table of the House,
and no inconvenience could result from -the second
reading of the Bill, because, at any future stage, the
progress of the Bill might be stopped, if necessary,
until the other Bill had been read a second time.
He begged leave to state, that it occcurred to him
that it was not necessary to postpone the Bill,
and to proceed with the other Bill, for this reason,
it was nothing more than extending the principle of the
Bill introduced by his Noble and Learned _Friend, with
respect to the Court of Bankruptcy in Londo.n, which had
been found to operate so beneficially, that raveral mer-
chants of London had presented a petition to extend the
operation of the Bill to the whole country. In conse-
quence of this it was now proposed to extel ad the town
commission to the country. The Noble and Learned
Lord (Brougham) would see much to approve in
the Bill, inasmuch as it was founded on his olv_n Bill.
Lord BROUGHAM entirely concurred, not only in
the principle, but the details of the Bill.
COPYRIGHT BILL.

The LORD CHANCELLOR said he should move
the second reading of the Copyright Bill on Monday
next (as we understood).
UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE.

Lord BROUGHAM presented a petition: from the
Provisional Council of the National Compk;te Suffrage
Union, dated the 15th of April, praying for Universal
Suffrage, Annual Parliaments, Vote by Bal Jot, and No
Property Qualification. The body from which the pre-
sent petition emanated was composed of between
ninety and one hundred delegates from different parts
of England, Wales, and Scotland. Tbiey , met at
Birmingham, where they held several delibemtive assem-
blies for the space of several days, and they same to cer-
tain resolutions. They afterwards convened a p üblic meet-
ing, which was attended by many thousands of ti weir fellow:
citizens ; that meeting consisted of persons of :all descrip-
tions, among whom the greatest unanimity pre- veiled. The
middle classes showed the greatest anxiety that their
fellow citizens should be brought within the -pale of the
Constitution. As the petition spoke not only the senti-
ments of the individual that had signed it cui behalf of
the meeting, but also those of 3,300,000, awl as its ob-
ject was Universal Suffrage, Annual Parliaan ents, Vote
by Ballot, and No Property Qualification, he tt usted their
Lordships would not think he was askin g too mach
when he requested that the petition should, be read at
length.
The petition was then read at length at tl le table.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY pres, nited a
,peti-
fon from the Magistrates of Durham, sit ti ng at the
Petty Sessions at Stockton-upon-Tees, gainst the
Stockton and Hartlepool Railway Bill.
Lord CLIFFORD of Chudleigh, presented ve petitions
from the Roman Catholics frequenting di 111 ,rent Cha-
pels, praying that they might be put upo a the same
footing, and enjoy the same civil rights as o ther persons
of different religious persuasions.
MADRAS PRESIDENCY.

The NospE LORD gave notice that he shout Al, on Friday
n _xt, bring under the notice of the House t ke subject of
the Madras Presidency.
Lord DACRE presented a petition from a parish in
Hertford against the provision in the tariff affecting the
importation of live stock.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE laid on the table. -certain pa-
pers by the command of her Majesty.
Earl FITZWILLIAM presented a petition. from Ayr,
for the immediate abolition of the Corn an.t Provision-
laws.

The NOBLE EARL also presented a petiti from the
congregation of some place in the parish oi ! Sheffield,
against the bread-tax, and another against tl to alteration
of duty on the importation of foreign cattle a at i meat.
QUEEN'S PRISON BILL.

The Earl of SHAFTESBURY brought up. the Report
on this Bill, which was ordered to be receive 3.

In consequence of Thursday next being As Nil tsion Day
their Lordships adjourned till Friday.

cially a protective clause, and on the last dis-
cus,ion he had endeavoured to prove how in-
jurious the omission of it from the Bill would be ;
he had pointed out the many cases in which the princi-
ple of compensation had been recognised, and that it
was even recognised in the present Bill itself. It
was only fair, when this House, by the Act,
would compel the lessees to dispose of their property,
that the holders should receive a just and marketable
value for it. Having used all these arguments on the
last discussion of the Bill, he did not think it necessary
to go into them again. The Hon. Member concluded
by moving that the clause should be added to the Bill.
The clause was then brought up and read a first time.
On the question being put that it be read a second time,
Sir R. INGLIS objected to the clause as totally un-
called for.
Mr. LIDDELL said that he considered the clause
gave no new power whatever, but only a fair claim to
the real and marketable value of the property. The
clause did not intend to take away any right from the
Church, and he should therefore vote for the clause.
Mr. G. KNIGHT opposed the clause, and said it was
evident, from the anxiety of the Church leaseholders in
pressing the clause, that they expected some advantage
from it.
Mr. HARCOURT VERNON supported the clause.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, and the
House divided, when the numbers were—

HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 3.
The SPEAKER took the Chair shortly ;3e I'm .e Four
o'Clock.
PENRYN AND FALAIOUTII ELECT.W.N.
Mr. C. WOOD brought up the Report from the Select
Committee appointed to try the merits of a petition,
complaining of an undue election for the B 1 wough of
Penryn and Falmouth. The Committee repc .rted that
Capt. James Hallway Plumridge was duly eleel .ed.
STANHOPE AND TYNE HALLWAY BILL.
On the motion of Mr. LIDDELL, the Lords ' amend-
ments in the Stanhope and Tyne Railway Bill I/ ;ere read
and agreed to.
ATTORNEYS' CERTIFICATES.

For the Clause
Against the Clause 3l
Majority
The clause was then ordered to stand part of the Bill.
Lord GRANVILLE SOMERSET said, that as
the clause had been carried, he should propose the ad-
journment of the debate, in order to give him further
time to consider the connection of the clause with other
parts of the Bill.
Mr. LAMBTON protested against any further ad-
journment of a subject which had been already more than
once under discussion, merely because the Noble Lord
was defeated on a division.
Strangers were then ordered to withdraw, but no
division took place, Lord G. Somerset having withdrawn
his motion.
After a few words from Mr. RICE and Lord GRAN-
VILLE SOMERSET, the discussion closed.
The Bill was then read a third time and passed.
ELECTION COMMITTEES—THETFORD.
The following Members were then called to the table,
and sworn as a Committee to try the merits of a petition
against the return for the borough of Thetford :—The
Right Hon. J. Planta, Sir G. T. Staunton, Hon. G. Rice
Trevor, Mr. R. Howard, R. R. Clayton, Sir D. J. Norrys ;
Mr. J. S. Pakenham, Chairman.
NOTTINGHAM ELECTION.

The following ilemliers were sworn to try the merits
of the petition against the return for the borough of
Nottingham :—Lord R. Grosvenor, Sir T. Acland, Mr.
T. Milner Gibson, Hon. H. Fitzroy, Mr. Fred. Dundas,
Hon. J. S. Wortley ; Chairman, Mr. G. Hayter.
NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYNE ELECTION.
The following Members were sworn to try the merits
of the petition complaining of an undue return for the
borough of Newcastle-under-Lyne :—Hon. H. Liddell,
Mr. R. Bernal, Viscount Courtenay, Mr. T. E. Cole-
brook, Mr. W. H. Bodkin, Mr. G. Trail ; Chairman,
Sir J. Y. Buller.
ORMSBY INCLOSTJRE BILL—LORDS' AMEND-

Mr. LAWSON presented a petition from cot taro
tate-
torneys of Yorkshire, praying for an abolition of h
duty on attorneys' certificates.
Mr. DUNCAN presented a petition to the ,at ae effect
from the solicitors of Durham.
GREENOCK HARBOUR BILL..
Mr. WALLACE brought up the Repo rt the
Greenock
the Committee werarour m
Bil,.—The aendments woposs ,d by
e agreed to, and the Bill rvas ordered
to be engrossed.
THE TARIFF,
Mr. PRAED presented a petition from the owitei's
and
prvapos occupi
ed alterations iers of landn
the in Bta uckinghamshire, alai ast the
ritt
Mr. LEADER presented
.petitions from severs
triers in Westminster, praying for a freel.6 t rade P -
visions.l dis-
Mr. WAKLEY presented a petition from sixteen Pe-
rsons residing in London, who gave employment;. 600
persons, in the manufacture of cutlins, for soil Agp for
musical instruments, stating that the petitione had
.heard with regret that it was proposed to reduce t ledut, y
payable on the importaton of foreign musical; strings.,
and praying the House not to consent to an y such
'ton as it would throw the petitioners a/3 d those
proposition,
dependent on them out of emplgment.

LUNATIC ASYLUMS,
The llos. MEmnEtt else presented a petitio a from
John Perceval, of Kensington, who had b; en eonfi tied in
ner in
n. lunatic asylum in 1833, complaining o the man y
which lunatic asylums were conducted, of the inetfic
iencand
of the Metropolitan Co:um issioners of Lunacy,
praying for a Committee of Inquiry.
STEAM-PRINTING PRESSES.
The HON. MEMBER also presented a petition from
4.
,t_
printers, complaining of the use of steam-power in prig
I,
ing instead 01 manual labour; stating it as their opinic
..,,.
that little was gained by the public by printin f
parliamentary papers by steam-power instead c
manual labour, and cattily, the attention of t.
House to the condtrt of 'the Wesleyan Sociel t.,..'
which, in consequence of the representation of the pe ll-
tioners, had discontinued printing by 3-L'ata, and had e 11-
ployed manual labour in its place; and praying the Irot 'se
to take the subject into its serious consideration, with a
view of affording them relief.
SOUTH WARE IMPROVEMENT RILL.
Mr. LA.MI3TOS having moved the third read
this Bill, rose to propose the additional clause ing of, of wil -,•h
he had given notice, for allowing compensation
to i,
t 3 le
holders of Church leases, whose property might be SO. Id
under the operation of the Act. The Hon. Meznix ,r
stated that the clause had been carefully examined au, I
corrected by the Solicitor-General, and had been ttp.
roved by the Hon. and Learned Member fur Worcester.
He alluded to the length of the
the constant practice of renewals
of he leases,
Nothings and
1
as giving the lessees a vested interest.
It was espt- I

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY MORNING, MAY 4, 1842.

at the head of this Society ; but the Government, find
ing that the existence of such an association was highly
inconvenient, took means to suppress it. In 1793, two
delegates were sent to Scotland from the Society, and
were arrested by the officers of Government. These
individuals, who were merely doing what in England
was done by the principals of the Society, were
tried and transported for fourteen years.--(Hear, hear.)
The Government, then finding itself successful in Scot-
land, instituted prosecutions of a similar nature against
some members of the Society in England, and, accord-
ingly, eleven persons were seized, four of whom were
tried by a London jury, which, not being quite so pliant
as the Scotch jury, an acquittal was obtained ; the re-
mainder of the prosecutions dropped, and a new stimulus
was thereby imparted to the cause of Reform.—(Hear.)
In 1798, the Society had become so formidable, that a
corrupt House of Commons, in which there was no
real representation, suspended the habeas corpus ; upon
which Lord Grey declared, in his place inParliament, that,
though he did not go the entire length with those indi-
viduals, he would, rather than that there should be no
reform of the House, vote for universal suffrage. And
no person could say, looking at the conduct of this
House with respect to the industrious classes, that they
had not a right to it.—( Hear, hear.) For the space, of
nineteen years after the suspension of the Habeas Corpus
Act, the people remained supine, but the same feeli gs
I
remained in existence, and at the end of that time, he
cry for Parliamentary Reform became as loud as ever. In
1817, the Habeas Corpus Act was again suspended, and
he need not remind the House of what then took plate.
He need not remind them of the Manchester massaci-e,
or that the whole country was in a state of rebellion.
Then came the year 1829, when the Right Hon.
Baronet conceded Catholic emancipation to the loud de-
mands of the Irish people, though at the expense of the
40s. freeholders. That was the next step to anything
like reform, because it entirely altered the Constitution
of the country. He need not call to the recollection of
the House, that in 1830 the state of the country was
such, that the Tories were obliged to abandon the
helm of government. Such was the feeling occasioned
by the declaration of the Duke of Wellington, that he
would oppose all reform, that the Sovereign was not
able to partake of the hospitality of the citizens of
London, in consequence of the unpopularity of his
Ministers. He need not remind the House of the
disgraceful proceedings which took place in Kent.
The Whigs then came into office, and their
first step was to introduce the Reform Bill.
He believed that the intentions of those individuals who
framed the Reform Bill, CM introduced it, were per-
fectly honest and sincere ; he believed that they did in-
tend to improve the reptesentative system greatly. The
people believed that great improvements would arise
from it, but they had been grossly disappointed ; he
would not say they had been deceived, but they had
been disappointed to the utmost extent. They believed
the measure would do great good, and every Member
must recollect the excitement and enthusiasm that oc-
curred in favour of the Reform Bill ; they must recol-
lect the black flags at Glasgow-, and the fires at Bristol,
and all that was done to make that House what it ought
to be, the People's House. In that Bill the people were
greatly disappointed. At the first election, in 1834, the
people found great difficulties thrown in the way of ex-
ercising their franchise. Every difficulty was thrown
in the way of their registering their votes, and the sys-
tem had been kept up to the present hour. What was
the consequence ? Why, that there was one general
dissatisfaction against the Reform Bill. Everybody
believed that House to be more corrupt, more dishonest,
and more favourable to class legislation than before the
Reform Bill passed. And when they heard of their pro-
ceedings and looked at the Reports of their Committees,
when they knew all that had taken place at the last
elections, they were right in coming to the conclusion,
that corruption, intimidation, and bribery took place to
an enormous extent. They were now in the year 1842,
and he (Mr. D.) did not believe that the House or the
Government were fully aware of the state of the country,
or the public mind at the present moment. It was, there-
fore his duty, and a painful one it was, to inform the
Right Hon. Baronet opposite, what was the state of the
public mind with regard to Reform and the distresses of
the people, as he did not believe the House was in full
possession of the distresses that existed, and the strong
feeling that was against the political bondage which the
industrious classes believed themselves to be under. The
House was not perhaps aware that the petition he had
the honour to present yesterday had been in the
course of signature for the last four or five months.
Associations had been formedhthroughout the country
called National Associations, in favour of giving those
rights to the working classes of the country which they
maintained the old Constitution gave them, and which
they (the House) had no right to deprive them of.
There were at the present moment about 600 of these
Associations. There were at this moment nearly
100,000 adults of the industrious portion of the commu-
nity who all set apart weekly a penny of their wages for
the purpose of carrying on this agitation in favour of the
franchise. Between 50,000 and 60,000 of these men had
taken what they called cards; in these cards they pledged
themselves that, as long as they received ls. of wages,
they would set apart Id a week, until their voices were
heard within these walls by their representatives. Now
if they believed that these signatures were fictitious,
and that the feeling which he had described was not
spreading through the country, they grossly deceived
themselves. Never were the people of this country so
determined, by every constitutional means in their
power, to obtain the franchise as they were at the pre-
sent moment. He did not believe they (the House)
would be able long to prevent them having a voice
within those walls. The distress under which they were
Labouring certainly augmented .the cry at the present
moment. It was natural, when they saw themselves
neglected—when they saw no hopes of obtaining justice
—when they saw them (the House) offering them
nothing more than mere words, as in the Queen's
speech when they saw that great distress was
existing in the manufacturing districts, which
was borne with exemplary fortitude, this was all
they said. What then could they expect but that they
would do something for themselves. He would state to
the House the progress which the question had made
with regard to the manufacturing districts. When
those individuals who were sitting in convention
for the purpose of seeing the petition presented
to that House, and which they had done, applied to him
respecting it, he asked them to furnish him with some
of the particulars of the state of the country. What
they told him appeared to be almost incredible. He
had received 500 communications on the subject. Out
of these communications he had selected a few, which
he hoped the House would do him the favour of listening
to. One communication was from Sheffield, and which
came with the Sheffield portion of the petition. From
this statement it appeared that the cost of the relief to
the casual poor, for the week ending the 26th of March,
was 201/. ; for the week ending the 22d of April, 298/.
So that for the last month, although the inclemency of
the season had passed, there was an increase in the relief
to the casual poor of 971. in Sheffield alone. Sheffield
was tranquil at present ; that it would remain so for any
length of time with starvation and misery increasing daily
was very doubtful, In Wolverhampton it was stated
that the colliers, nailers, mechanics, and labourers were
in a state of poverty and destitution disgraceful to a
civilised country. There was a general impression
amongst the working men that their cause of complaint
could never be effectually removed unless they possessed
the power of choosing their own representatives. The
whole of this district was in an alarming state of
agitation ; Chartism was rapidly progressing ; in
towns and villages where, a short time ago,
Chartism was unknown, there were now Chartist
Associations; and unless some means were adopted of
relieving the distresses of the sons of industry the conse-
quence must be fearful. In Burnley numbers could not
earn sufficient for subsistence. The writer stated that
he never knew that district to be in such an agitated
state. The handloom weavers were compelled to turn
out on Saturday last, and beg from door to door ; the
police attempted to take them into custody, but the poor
fellows resisted, and they were obliged to make a virtue
of necessity. A young man had been brought before the
Magistrates who had been driven by desperation to break
two panes of glass in a shop window, in order to get sent
to prison. His mother was a widow with six children,
for whose support 4s. a week was allowed by the Guar-
dians. On applying for relief or work he had been told
to go and steal, and as he preferred breaking windows to
stealing he was sentenced to be imprisoned in the
House of Correction for one month, and he thanked
the Magistrate for the boon of sending him to prison.
There was great distress existing in Leicestershire, par-
ticularly in Loughborough. Nothing could be worse than
the condition of the working classes at Clitheroe, and a
strong feeling in favcur of the Charter was spreading
there to a great extent. The metropolitan counties
were in the same state of distress, and he was afraid the
tariff of the Right lion. Baronet would only make that
distress much worse. He would now direct the attention
of the House to the state of Scotland. In the Vale of
Netherley there were scores of families who had never
tasted animal food for thirty--eight weeks ; their food
was oatmeal, with boiling water sweetened with treacle.
Notices of ejectment were being constantly served, and
landlords refused to let their houses unless persons
would give security for the payment of the rents. At
Dumbarton the people were in a state of dreadful desti-
tution ; the carpenters were all out of work, and the
weavers, by working from twelve to fifteen hours a-day,
were only able to earn ss. a week. The great body of
the people looked to Universal Suffrage as their only
hope, believing that until the House of Commons
should represent the whole people they. would
never obtain any remedy for their grievances.
The letter containing
those statements was signed
by W. Thomason, a Member of the Convention, and
the writer stated that although he did not know whether
he should be balloted for to speak at the Bar of the
House, in the event of the present motion being carried,
yet he would be happy to attend at the Bar to answer
any. questions that might be put to him ; and he felt
satisfied that by his answers he could show the miser-
able condition of the people, He would now direct the
attention of the House to the state of Edinburgh. No-
thing could be worse than the distress existing there,
and nothing stronger than the desire to see a change in
the. constitution of that House. In a paper recently pub-
lished, the British Statesman' a journal devoted to the
cause of the people, a letter had appeared, containing a
statement to the effect that in the neighbourhood of
Burnley a cow had died of disease, and was buried, and
the poor were so pressed by famine, that they actually
disinterred the animal for the purpose :of making use of
it as food. A statement had also been published in Man-
chester, signed by Mr. Howell, the Dean of Manchester,
calling on the inhabitants to contribute towards soup
tickets for the destitute poor. This was read from the
pulpits of Manchester, for the purpose of exciting the
charitable feelings of individuals. The Hon. Gentle-
man then read the statements contained in this docu-
ment, which, detailed cases of the most extreme suffer-
ing,' and proved the great anxiety to procure the tickets
that entitled individuals to the relief of the supply of
soup. In that petition which he had presented, there
was a strong otatement of the distressed condition of the