The Sun.
London, England, 1842-05-27 00:00:00

vote of thanks to the Secretary and the officers of the
establishment, which having been carried unanimously,
the meeting separated.

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF LORDS, Ilfay 26.

The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Woolsack
shortly before Five o'Clock.
THE COPYRIGHT BILL.
The LORD CHANCELLOR presented three peti-
tions on this subject; from the booksellers, the printers,
and the literary writers of Great Britain and Ireland.

SUNDAY TRAFFIC ON CANALS.
Lord HATHERTON presented a petition on a subject
to which he had before brought the attention of the
House, namely, the Sunday navigation of the canals..
The boatmen on canals were the only class of people
in the country who had no Sabbatic rest. The boat-
men of all the canals in the country had petitioned.
against the Sunday traffic. Several boat. owners, also,
had petitioned for the same purpose, and had disconti-
nued working their boats on Sundays without dimi-
nution of their profits. The Directors of some
Companies had also petitioned, and had done
all that lay in their power to put an end to the Sunday
navigation, but without the assistance of an Act of Par-
liament they could not enforce the suppression.
Lord WI[ARNCLIFFE said that the attention of the
Government had been directed to the subject, but it was
not intended to introduce any measure this session.
Lord HATHERTON expressed his satisfaction that
it was intended to bring in a, Bill on the subject ; he
thought it better that such a measure should originate
with the Government, than any individual Member of
their Lordships' House.
THE TARIFF.

The Duke of BUCKINGHAM presented several peti-
tions from places in the county of Bucks, praying the
House to modify the proposed tariff.
THE CUSTOMS DUTIES (DRAWBACK) BILL.
This Bill went through Committee.
THE BEGGING LETTER.

Lord KINNAIRD rose in pursuance of a notice
which he gave on Tuesday last, to p Owe for a copy of
the Queen's begging letter. He coul4 not but express
his surprise that, on that occasion, her Majesty's Minis-
ters should pretend not to know anything about it. The
letter was signed by one of the Ministers ; and, besides
that, it was quite notorious that such a letter had been
issued. He must say that it convinced him of the fact,
• that the Government was carried on by only one indivi-
, dual in the country—certainly one of great talent, and
one from whom he expected a great deal ; but he
really seemed to think that he treated the other
members of the Government as mere cyphers. The
speeches of that individual were very liberal ; but he
(Lord Kinnaird) must say he thought that the tariff was
a precious piece of humbug.—(Laughter.) If one indi-
vidual could carry on the Government, it really could
not be such a difficult thing to conduct a Government as
some people imagined. A Premier and half- a-dozen
clerks might do it. The Noble Lord was here inter-
rupted by
The LORD CHANCELLOR, who said the Confer
ence from the Commons, on the subject of an Inclosure
Bill, was at the bar.
The Earl of Devon, the Bishop of Norwich, and other
Lords were then appointed to conduct the Conference
with the Commons.
Lord KINNAIRD then resumed. He read a letter
from the district of Lancashire, from which it appeared
that many of the labouring population were
living on the trifling pittance of lid. a day. He had
many letters in his possession which he had received on
this subject. All of them confirmed the statement made
in the letter he had read to their Lordships. When he had
brought the subject under the consideration of their
Lordships last session, the Noble Duke (Wellington)
treated the subject with some levity. The state-
ments which he had read would show how much that
levity was called for. He should conclude by moving
that an humble address be presented to her Majesty,
praying that a copy of her letter addressed to the Arch-
bishop of Canterbury, for the purpose of calling on the
clergy to assist in collecting subscriptions for the relief
of the suffering poor, be laid on the table of the House.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said that there could be
no objection to the production of the letter. The Noble
Lord had said truly, that he (the Duke of Wellington) had
suggested to the Noble Lord that he should ascertain that
such a letter had been written before he moved for its
production. He (the Duke of Wellington) ought
to take to himself some shame, as a Member
of her Majesty's Privy Council, in not being
aware that this letter had been written. But he begged
to inform the Noble Lord that he was present when the
subject was discussed in the Privy Council, but he had
been out of town, and when he answered the Noble
Lord he was not aware that the letter had been sent.
He had attended divine service last Sunday in the Chapel
Royal, or he would have known it. He had been
to a distant part of the Metropolis on Monday,
and he conversed with the clergyman of a parish,
and certainly, if he had received the letter at that
time, he would have informed him of it. He would
say, that he had never mentioned the distress of the
country with levity. The Noble Lord, at the time to
which he had alluded, said, that Parliament ought not to
be prorogued, and that those who advised her Majesty
to prorogue Parliament took on themelves serious re-
sponsibility. He (the Duke of Wellington) on that
occasion said he did not think that there was any reason
to believe that there was likely to be a scarcity of
corn, and that if Parliament sat fur twelve months it
would not give the people the means of purchasing corn.
As he said before, there could be no objection to this
letter being produced.
Lord KINNAIRD explained that he wanted to know
why the letter should be issued just at this particular
time. He did not think that it would do any permanent ,
crood.
b _

The Marquis of LANSDOWNE thought it would be
very unfortunate if it should be imagined that this
letter had been issued as mere matters of form, and not
upon mature deliberation. The very circumstance of
making this a common proceeding was to de-
stroy its efficacy. All Governments should
consider well before adopting this course, because
an objection would apply to it which applied
to Parliamentary grants, viz., that it had a tendency to
prevent local efforts and individual exertions, which,
after all, were the best means of alleviating the
distress.—(Hear, hear.) He trusted that the in-
vitation to come forward to relieve the distress of
a long-suffering peopie would not be confined to the
Established Church alone, but would be extended to all
places of worship. He thought the measure had been
considered, and that it was one well calculated to meet
the exigencies of the times ; under those circumstances,
therefore, he must express his approval of the course
proposed.—(Hear, hear.)

Earl RIPON said, it was not until the distress through-
out the country became general that her Majesty's
Ministers took upon themselves to advise her Majesty
to make this appeal to the people. On Tuesday night,
however; he certainly was not aware that the letter had
been sent ; in the parish church which he attended on
Sunday last, it certainly was not read, and that was the
history of the ignorance which had been imputed to
the Government not being exactly aware of the precise
time when their advice had been carried out. This cer-
tainly was not an appeal which ought to be often made,
but it was one which he wag sure would, on the present
occasion, be honourably responded to.
Earl MINTO said, on a former occasion, when the
country was in great distress, the Government had
ordered a great quantity of bonded corn to be released.
He wished to ask the Noble Duke opposite if such a
course had been adopted now ?
The Duke of WELLINGTON said he was not aware
that such a course had been pursued.
The Duke of RICHMOND wished to know
\ v hat good it would do, if such a course were
adopted ? The people wanted money and not corn ;
give them money and they would soon get bread.
The only effect of such a course would be to reduce the
agriculturists of this country to the same state of distress
as the manufacturers were.at present in.—(Hear.)
Earl MINTO said he must say that he thought the
cheapening of food would considerably tend to alleviate
the distresses of the people.
Earl FITZWILLIAM apprehended that whatever
exertions might be made, the sum which would be raised
l; this letter, would be perfectly trifling compared with
what would be required for the object in view.—(Hear.)
They should inquire whether this letter was the result
of prudence and inquiry, as his Noble Friend (the Mar-
quis of Lansdowne) was inclined to think. He should like
to ask her Majesty's Government what proportion
the sum to •be raised by this letter would bear
to , the average wages received by the operatives
of this country ? He should like to know what would be
the annual wages of the operatives in one of our large
manufacturing towns alone ? He should think it could
be certainly not less than 1,000,000/. of money. He doubted
whether they would not be trifling with the distress of the
people, by proposing such a measure as this. Did Noble
Lords believe that this distress was temporary ? Did
they believe that it arose from the fluctuations in the ma-
nufactures of the country, or did they believe, as he did,
that it was merely an exhibition of the permanent
declension of the' manufacturers of this country ?
(Hear.) He should like to hear the opinion of her
Majesty's Government upon that matter. If their opi-
nion were that the distress he of a permanent charac-
ter, he thought it should only be considered as a step to
some other more permanent mode of administering
relief.--(Hear.)
Lord WHARNCLIFFE believed that the distress in
the manufacturing districts arose in a great measure, but
not totally, from the state of America. When this letter
was agreed upon it was not expected that very much
relief would be the result, but still it would induce
persons who had it in their power to come forward, and
it might for a short time be the means of alleviating a
portion of the distress. He hoped that the time was not
far distant when the present distress would cease.
The Bishop of LONDON said, that in 1826, when
great distress existed in the manufacturing districts, the
same measure was resorted to, in connexion with the
public subscription, and the result was such as to place
at the disposal of a number of Noble Lords and Gentle-
men a large sum—not so large, perhaps, as to wholly
alleviate the distress, but still it was sufficient to render
great assistance. They succeeded in obtaining an amount
of 150,0001. or 160,0001., which was not wholly expended
at the time ; but part had' been reserved, to be applied
to the relief of the distressed people, from time to time,
as distress should arise. He could bear testimony to the
exemplary patience with which the poor people of
Spitalfields bore their sufferings. He thought, that if the
Government wanted a justification of their proceeding,
it was to be found in that of 1826.
The question was then put, and agreed to.
COPYRIGHT BILL.
The LORD CHANCELLOR wished to call the at-
tention of their Lordships to the Copyright Bill.. He
wished shortly to state the reasons why he supported
this Bill. He anticipated that there would be no op-
position to this Bill in their Lordships', House. He had