The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-02 00:00:00

f their conduct here, in the Duke of Wellington's
answer to Lord Kinnaircl. It is quite clear that unless
B°lne great effort he made to secure provision for the
Starving manufacturing population, during the approach-
ing winter, by such a motion as yours, Parliament will
be adjourned, and they will be allowed to starve and die,
or have their lives preserved by the bounty of their
neighbours in any way it can be attained. Here things
are looking worse and worse at present, the time for
making preparations for the autumn trade is at hand,
• and our most experienced manufacturers assure me there
ts• no prospect whatever of the great mass of the un-
erePloyed being taken up this year." He had received
another letter, dated 28th June, a great part of which was
oPied with statements as to the disposal of the funds
for
bud been sent from various parts of the country
'r the purpose of relieving the distress. The Hon. Member
then read the letter.—" The stocks of coarse goods made
far the manufacturing districts and American market
;Ire still heavy, there having been no sales in these mar-
aets for long, and no appearance of any. The clergy-
men's committee was formed at the beginning of winter,
meet a special case. The members of churches had,
general, been able to maintain themselves. They are
generally thoughtful and well doing. But the distress
had been so long continued—no hope of amendment—
..Lne-Wiuter.intense, many of them suffering very severely,
pauperism.
yet ashamed to go down to the level of a common
b'aati„Peri_slo. 'They had always been a rampart against
in-a"Perisin, and we wish to maintain their spirit of
iii'yendence, and furnish supplies in a way as little
oftel.Y as possible to interfere with it. The clergy
Sul the various denominations agreed to issue a
lectionto the churches, to enable us to make col-
tien.
e• Our application met with a liberal response.
ina„"as designed at the outset, that we should act
wa7Pc., adently of the general relief committee. This
uepaeted from, to avoid any appearance of schism.
'Le 'agreed to pay over to the General Committee the
Should from time to timereceive such sums again as we
edi after having stated our cse, and when the Com-
irtee had judged and determined in the matter by a vote.
Inn the whole, the arrangement wrought well, and an im-
tense deal of good was done. The ministers in this way
elfstributed upwards of 3,0001., assisted by all the sessions
the various churches, Established and Dissenting. At
itt breaking up there was 1,5001. of our fund in the
ferild of the Relief Committee. We did not sticke
le'LlePaYment. We knew that many who col-
t Lyn did so with the view of relieving the di5.4,7,1
.4,7,1 generally. We had got nearly all we needed,
-I); *the balance of what we had paid in had
n,expended in relieving the general distress. We
ia're therefore satisfied. The greater part of the people we
jkried being well-conducted and ,first-rate tradesmen,
got work, and we had no doubt that old women and
ra,"lbg women—a considerable number of women still re-.
14meli on our list—would be supplied from the Govern-
-414, stores. But, no ! Commissioner Twisleton
en nthe rule, that no new applicants should be received
szA-7Y pretext—that the surrounding villages shouldibe
Aot
n-tded- We did think, when the people who had been
° the soup kitchen -were transferred to the stores, there
d have been no objection to admit those who had
If) 11 °a the ministers' fund, and would have enjoyed
satne privilege, and all the more that the balance
t 6 them had been expended for the general distress.
drewtil°l The Commissioner was not to be moved. I
Or,l 118 a memorial to the Governint nt at the request
si wle eneral Relief Committee, which was signed by
Gr.kr - Napier and other Magistrates. Sir James
t4""aul replied, it had been sent to the London Commit-
ret,,and I believe something is now doing for the sur-
6ng villages, but a deaf ear was turned to me for
ef to the few that remained on our fund. Some of
„„ were reduced to great distress, but from the cir-
excel's I have referred to, the parties being all of
•
get eat cuaracter, they have been among the first to
aett"lt- The mode of operation was . painfully harsh
rub ttnnecessarily so. There were people who,
reit,„er, than submit to receive charity, would have sub-
ln7u to privations of which persons in the upper ranks
votte never dreamed. Some express surprise that the
ng men here generally do not enlist. They should
too"' that Scotchmen never do so when sober. They are
reflective for that. If they wish to enlist, let them
thillottic," them with work and good wages. The more
the-_entless will get drunk and then enlist, but not till
vie. The very lowest of the.people are getting more ci-
, zed in reference to war than some who rule over them..
fi gn,„1"o- Gentleman then proceeded to •read a letter
44, a clergyman of the Established Church in Scot-
to, dated June 25-a gentleman of Conservative poli-
va te
iraeit;: biu,titv.ho was universally respected. The writer
My opinion of the whole scheme of the Go-
!,
_meat interference with our local charity hits been
tin at the beginning (and every day confirms it), a most
ililealied-for thing,
eatly the that it has done much mischief—that.
it, as increased gr expense instead of lessening
th and that the persons at the head of it here have shown
2,lea'selves totally ignorant of the habits of the Spots.—
of I have all along contended strongly against the plan
thestores, because they degrade the minds and condition
feelings of our more respectable opratives, because
e)' are -making very necessary articles for families
Vleh the stores do not, and perhaps cannot provide, and
wecl,ause the articles in the stores are often of bad quality,
ile the superintendence—a very expensive thing too-
-0;11 never be so strict as that of an honest man over his
ft°ui'll concerns. reover, the villages do not get anything
the stores; and why should their inhabitants be
ee,,t uPon a different footing from the town ?-3d. With
De"„,,rd to the recipients from the stores, I may say, with
th;'"et accuracy, that they are thankful for what is given
ta, while they feel, that it is given in an ungracious
.a 3,
11,; ntl, I am certain that the difficulties of winter were
a°s?„ll,cred, and the peace of the community preserved by
a sy-ste`"' Precisely the reverse of what is now going na raore economical, by far than the present, and
on—
while imt which consulted the people as human beings,
they a., s.YmPathised with them underdistresses for which
tion in-suredly were not responsible.-4th. Any reduc-
new in of numbers on the lists, as effected by the
suit reri, is more ideal than real. The re-
en-d:two scrutinies, made for the very purpose
bee,-,-,`,l)g fault, has confessedly confirmed the
set of accuracy of the whole.-sth. A grievous
is p • Injustice has been done by the Commissioner, and
ate;;°,,lll,. on—viz., the refusal to give, in any case,
Ivi,th -thus- a week to one family, however large, coupled
'tionare role, that a lad above 16 counts as an addi-
. -etee;- easn, though living under the same roof. The
444' of this has been, that in some cases 16s. has been
nntiLsbY one family, while another, larger far, but
terd7kr 16, gets only 6s. This was stated to me yes-
uy two Magistrates.—While the men at out-door
oldier ", ave been provided, very properly, with barrows and
been tinPiements, their repeated petitions for shoes have
ale harshly rejected. * * * The more I reflect on the
will Qf our town, the more I am convinced that nothing
%owl/I"re it and the commercial interests of the
Iktla ,!Y but a total revolution in the commercial tariff,
t4)r,-a,,weaping away of all restrictions." He had also
utih7 the followire,,e• and to bear testimony to the
tleeernta of gratitude entertained for what had been
Y her Majesty with respect to the Paisley ma-
"pr'tarers. The letter was dated Paisley, June 20
tiller a return just made up and shown me to-day, the
net' 2f cotton-spinners, machine-makers, and so forth,.
Zeiohnstone is 1,254. The number employed is
e About seventy persons have been transported
the ea
from Johnstone, by subscription, to lighten
Ive,tre6sure. Trade here has been going back for some
41 1);3' and still continues to do so. There is no prospect
lives.t"t of improvement. The goods made are princi-
ittr I,,ue better description for the home market, and
ter "'r the foreign. A shawl merchant told me
4E14 be usually employs five hundred weavers for the
44e lean market at this season ; this year he has not
lle4yeand does not expect to have one for some time. The
hiL" 41ts of the new American tariff, he assures me, has
+fie`p,Y closed that market against Paisley goods.
reviietn's shawls were the principal cause of our slight
' geo- spring. That class of goods affords to the weav-
hay k' Wages, if they are continued at the same pattern.
Aketie.;4,e not been continued in general, and in conse-
e'llar the weavers' wages have been eaten up by the
,10 the mountings of their webs. The condition of
4heied itze here is most alarming, and the House of Commons
tin~fimplored to do something for them, and others
'tetvin-'1 situated, before it breaks up for the season."
• *_lt'tsee-4e„been prevented by the forms of the House from
""1 -41,,L,g a petition then in his hands, he would read it
I',!Peisi'lmise. The petition was from the inhabitants
;V, and signed by six thousand persons, every
bie]imj'hom were the recipients of the charity
(7,'t been sent from various parties for their
ICrn eV" Honourable Gentleman read the petition
ha +for whi4h we regret to say we cannot find room.)
k4atb„l3ll- Member went on to say that in virtue of the
174 t-01 given him by the petitioners, he thought it
Ive the petition printed with the Votes, and he
l`tteti-ti3w brought it to its present use, He next. called.
tet lieu% to an advertisement for tenders for the
hY L the poor, which, though not signed
), d Twisleton, the iGovernment agent, had
wad emanated from that gentleman. He would
the a," a petition of the fathers of families employed
ns:lne quarries, to the Provost of Paisley. (The
tctietute;4:.'le • Gentleman then read the petition, and
Tdrib 4r°lll a clergyman of the Church of Scotland,
he Pee g
_the extent of the distress in Paisley.)'
etr' -% ere ying o n the smallest possible sums.
ohi " recommended that Honourable Members
~ji~°i'tunaitnge places for a short time with these
din crh !t Ps
living on one penny a day, and
Ps they might be able to comprehend. the
tj'h ng which they were placed. The documents
theWithbv-erly,agrenext
.about to open, he should refer
boe..tow,, a.tepain. They contained an account of
• sik,a" Which
with
town which he had
ea with all his life, and which he had
ice rse
()i L.
tradier.onl an insignificant to a flourishing
, wes Greenock had obtained great celebrity,
4114inr. 'yti known to be unrivalled in the art of ship-
%t!,tei tiring the last year innumerable strangers vi-
, 11:4; end t „""n, which was then full of business and occupa-
kl %hieh tiii4a House would be able to appreciate the state
ebb, 1. town was reduced, they might judge of its
ebb, rom the language used by the Chief Magis-
the language of the petition that had been
1e(1r then to the Right lion, Baronet. The Hon.
.
etti if by read an extract from a letter addressed to
the
Chief Magistrate, which, with the
M
uht -"etter' are so voluminous that we are
to ':R.
TILL th,.
sni and proceeded to state the
tt,'" ter the tue subscripuOg that had been entered
t e relief of the poor. 1.74
494;41 of the Right was sorry to occupy
but he Ight Hon. Gentiemiiii and the
t
stated th flt that he had a duty to perlorill
%iv Nen f.O at the sum which had been raised by si b
1,11: of 6061. r the relief fund was about 1,7001,, exclu-
the 4'Ploy•
appropriated to Paisley. The nntober of
iner e instead of diminishing, seemed to be gn
N ease.
.ste:iiend,ontei he prospect of an early and good bar*
t" be t bqt e he only ground of hope. it was *m-
luplate such a state 'of things with-
its 14th great alarm. That letter was dater'
!gangs sc Thera was another, dated the 16th, in which
`or th:L od that if the depression continued much
w°4l(l be unable to raise any funds from