The Sun.
London, England, 1842-02-09 00:00:00

DISTRESS IN PAISLEY.

Mr. WALLACE said that in fsiog to bring forward the
motion of which he had given notice relative to the distress
in Paisley, he felt it due to the House to he as brief as pos-
sible. It was so well known to Hon. Members that distress
did prevail that the subject required no aid from him to
convince them that it was of a very broad nature, and ex-
tended both far and wide ; but he believed that that House
and the country did not know the extent of privation and
suffering to which the people of Paisley and the neighbour-
hood were subjected. So far as he knew, and he believed he
expressed the feelings of the whole of the inhabitants of that
district, they were all fully grateful for the sympathy and aid
which had been shown towards them by the people of this
country, from the Queen on her throne down to the very lowest
in the realm, who had aid and sympathy to offer. Their con-
duct, Le believed, had been most exemplary, and the greater
their distress and suffering, the more exemplary did it become.
Ihe community of which he spoke had long been known for
visitations similar to those to which he now referred; the artisans
were chiefly occupied in supplying fancy articles for the markets
of London and other large towns, and any falling off in trade was
felt directly by them. At this moment her Majesty's Govern-
ment must be aware that there were 17,500 persons in Paisley
and the neighbourhood, who were reputed as receiving parish
assistance ; 15,000 of these belonged to the town of Paisley
alone. Beside. this there were 1,000 weavers, and some two
or three hundred labourers who received partial relief. The
amount that weavers could now earn slid not exceed 4s. a-week
—rather less than more—for working fourteen, fifteen, and
sixteen hours a-day. Those who had attended to gaol statis-
tics, and to the feeding of the inmates in gaols, must have learnt
that considerably more than double that amount was required to '
maintain the inmates in health and strength. And when it was
considered that the people of Paisley had no firing, little or no
cloth,ng, and no bedding, they would be able to form a com-
parison between the relative positions of the honest inhabitants
of Paisley and the inmates of gaols. He blamed no one--he
did say that the distress had reached to such an extent as hid
led him to the consideration that it was his bounden duty tomao
the statement which he would now briefly lay before the House.
As to an inquiry, he believed that the proper, the only way of
conducting it, would be to send one or two parties to the spot,
who should institute an inquiry and make a report, in the first
place to the Government, and then, if it was at all customary,
to this House. It would be perceived, therefore, when he
headed in his motion, that it was for the institution of an in-
-1
(pry. lie could see no good in a Coma ittee of this House;
the time that would be occupied in the inquiry would either
i ?,a4
e hopes in which the people would be disappointed, or
1 ;a,live thel
y
t? think that they were entirely neglected. He
i
was the 1:1:tore inciptpd to large this inquiry on the Government
wee the reply Of tie Noble Lord npposite relative to the subject
of einknit ion. The teopl
s,,as out to be o
bad been led to lielieve that a large field
: he blamed lupbodY fOr t hip .' the
Nobable Lord had m peued to them
ada a fair and distinct statement, still : the
disappointment of the people was not the less severe on tha