The Sun.
London, England, 1842-06-28 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY.

The Public Houses' ii;if was read a third time, in the House
of Lords last night, and passed.
Lord Denman moved the second reading of the General
Affirmations B.il, and explained that the object of the Bill was
to enable persons who, like the Quakers, conscientiously de-
cline to take an oath, to give testimony on affirmation. The
Noble and Learned Lord gave a succinct history of the triumph
of the persevering Quakers over the persecution they had
been exposed to on account of refusing to take oath•, and de-
scribed the temporal consequences of false swearing as the true
source of the responsibility which a man, in a witness-box, felt
to tell the truth.

Lords Wicklow, Galloway, and Abinger opposed the Bill.
Lords Campbell and Brougham supported it ; but the latter
suggested it should be referred to a Committee, to investigate
it. On that the Bishop of London proposed that the whole
subject should be referred to a Committee, which was acceded
to, and the Bill withdrawn. The Rev. Prelate is to make a
motion on the subject this day. 'their Lordships adjourned at
Half past Seven.
In the Commons the first business of ar.y interest was a re-
port made by Mr. Roebuck, from the Compromise Committee
that Mr. Walter had declined to attend it on summons, and an
order made by the House, on Mr. Roebuck's motion, that Mr.
Walter attend at the bar of the House this day. From the con-
versation which ensued it appears that this Committee carries
on its inquiries with closed doors, having only the
witnesses under examination present, and rarely giving in-
formation to any party against whom anything was deposed in
the Committee. Mr. Bailie Cochrane and Major Here=ford
tioth stated that they had wished to be present in the Com-
mittee, but had not been permitted.
Mr. Roebuck laid down the principle that as the House
had entrusted the Committee with power, it should rely also-
on its discretion in condncting the inquiries.
In reply to Mr. Hawes, Lord Stanley explained that there
existed in Canada an Act of Assembly, authorising the Go-
vernor to give up to the United States authorities all fugitives
from justice charged with specified crimes, and that under the
authority of this Act a man of colour named Nelson Haggett,
charged with robbery, had been so given up. The papers in
the case are to be laid before the House.
In answer to questions, Sir James Graham stated that he
had declined to receive a deputation on the subject of the Poor-
laws from Plymouth, and he would state to-day whether or not
he had declined to receive a deputation from Brighton.
11r. Milner Gibson was anxious to have the tariff proceeded
with before the Poor-law, as the latter subject could not be fairly
discussed under the charge that by discussing it Members were
delaying the tariff. It was settled on this account that the
tariff should be proceeded with the first thing tiiis clay.
The debate on the Poor -law Bill was resumed by Mr. Fiel-
den, and after he and Mr. Lawson had spoken, the House di-
vided, and agreed to resolve itself into a Committee by 156 to
37. In the Committee Mr. Wal:ley objected to the first clause,
and moved that it be postponed. This motion was opposed
by Sir J. Graham, and lost by 206 to 74. There were two
or three other divisions in the course of the evening, though,
in the end, the Committee got through the first clause. The
debate was like the other debates on the Poor-law, distin-
guished for some personalities, and we recommend to the readers
the amusing exposure of Sir E. Knatchbell by Mr. T. Dun-
combo, and of Mr.l.errand by Sir James Graham.
Shortly after twelve o'clock the House resumed, and at a
Quarter past Twelve o'Ciock adjourned.
Puraac .

The Times says:—" Among the remarkable events of the
present session of Parliament has been the development of a
strong sympathy between Mr. Roebuck and Sir Robert Peel.
Upon the income-tax, upon the tariff, and new more than ever
upon the Poor-law, the Premier has been fortunate enough to
meet with the most decided support and the most encouraging
commendations from the somewhat un-Conservative Member
for Bath ; while the assistance which the Member for Bath has
received from the Premier in the establishment of his new Par.
liamentary inquisition has been equally cordial. This peculiar
and unexpected conjunction is certainly not the least striking
among the signs of the times ; whether it is observed with the
most satisfaction at the Carlton Club or at Bath is more than
we can pretend to say. Mr. Roebuck distinguished himself
greatly in the debate upon the Poor-law on Friday, proving by
the extent of the encomiums which he lavished upon the New
Poor-law the truth of the observation, that your pretender to
extreme liberality is always a tyrant in hisheart. He flatters the
people to oppress them ; he would sacrifice every thing above
himself for no other purpose than to trample upon everything
below." _ .

The Chronicle remarks, with reference to Lord De Grey's
dismissal from the Irish Viceroyalty :—" There is no longer,
we believe, any doubt that Lord De Grey has been dismissed
from the Lord Lieutcnantcy of Ireland. The Tory papers have
already raised a cry of mourning. The Dublin Evening Mail
protesting that' the removal of the Noble Lord is a curse to the
country. This break-up of the Irish Government does not
surprise us. It is a result inevitable from the system upon
which Sir Robert Peel determined to administer the affairs of
that country. Placed in the difficult position of being obliged
either to propitiate the ultra-Tories, and employ the old instru-
ments of the Orange party as his tools, or, discarding these, to
govern in the spirit of moderation, that we do believe is more
consonant with his own sense of justice and sound policy, the
Right Hon. Baronet determined upon making the experiment
of endeavouring to reconcile both. He sent Lord Eliot, as a
pledge of his moderation, to Ireland; he selected Brewster to
calm the apprehensions of his partisans in Ireland. Ever since
the appointment of Lord De Grey the effect of this timid expe-
riment has been a perpetual conflict of the different elements of
which the Government was constituted—Sir Edward Sugden
and Lord Eliot supporting a more liberal administration of
affairs in opposition to the extravagance of Blackburne and
Brewster. Poor Lord de Grey chose to take part with the
latter, while a greater than Lord De Grey— Sir Robert Peel—.
favours the former."
The following observations are from the Herald :—" Mr.
Thomas Duncombe's motion for the adjournment of the Poor-
law Continuation Bill until next session—for such, we pre-
sume, is the amount of the Hon. Gentleman's somewhat ob •
scurely worded existing proposal—seems to us, in the con-
dition of public business ut Parliament, and considering the
present advanced period of the session, a very reasonable pro-
position ; and so we are convinced Sir Robert Peel himself
would think, were it not that his compliance therewith might
be construed and tortured into an expectation that next ses-
sion the Bill would be Produced in a state much •less offensive
and repulsive to its opponents. Sir Robert Peel will not ac-
cede to Mr. Duncombe's re quest after the slanderous charges
and ill-tempered insinuations of that most acerb and atrabi-
linus pair of legislators, Mr. Roebuck and Lord Howick, whose
daily food seems to be gall and wormwood, and whose only
certain rule of conduct is to differ from and abuse every
one else."

The Post remarks as follows on the recent change of opinion
among the Tories on the New Poor-law question :—" We
believe the Poor-law question to be one of the most extreme
difficulty, and we are unwilling to assert a very confident judg•.
ment upon the merits of the new system, taking it as a whole.
This, however, we know, that whether the new system be per-
fection or be not, the general tone of the gentry when addressing
the constituencies last summer was not favourable to the new
system. And knowing this, NI e regard with far more alarm
the impression which may be created among the constituencies
that their Conservative Representatives are not true to them,
than we do the necessity of postponing the legislative approba-

tion of the system under a Conservative Government. We feel
a far deeper interest in the character of the Conservative
gentry of this country, than we do in the success of any mea-
sure or of any Administration. Uphold the character of that
gentry for high honour, and incapability of swerving from their
promises, expressed or implied, and all will be well, in spite of
temporary clouds; but impair that charactec, and give the
people reason to believe that the gentry are not to be depended
upon when a party interest interferes, then indeed farewell to
England's greatness !"
The Advertiser thus alludes to the present distressed condi-
tion of the country :—" The distress of the %%hole labouring
classes of this country has now arrived at such a frightful climax,
that it is more than beginning to be admitted by all parties
even by the landlords themselves—that something practical
must be done for the alleviation of that distress, and this, cer-
tainly, before the setting in of the rapidly ensuing winter.
Luxury is not such a positive good as starvation is a positive
evil, and for whole bodies of men, agricultural as well as manu-
facturing—ploughmen as well as mechanics—strong, active,
energetic-minded men to live with the prospect of finding no
market for their industry, or of being inadepately requited for
their industry when employed—of finding that themselves and
wives and families are famishing in the midst of an apparent
plenty, and this obviously iecause of the institution of evil-laws
and their bon- substitution by good ones—this, we say, is a
state of things not the ❑:ost pleasant to look forward to, as cir-
cumstances to be productive of their inevitable consequences in
the course of a few months, and least pleasant, of course, to
those possessing property."
MONEY— 'X'AZADE —COMMERCE.

The Brighton Committee appointed to watch ilia progress
of the Poor-law Amendment Bill, met in that town on Thurs-
day. Captain Pechell, who voted against. the second reading,
signified his intention of dividing the House at every stage of
the Bill, however factious it might appear. Lord Hervey said he
was not opposed to the whole Bill, but should support a motion
of Mr. Darby, Member for East Sussex, to exclude towns go-
verned by local acts from the operation of the Bill. There
were about 400 persons present.
Arrangements are now makinc, in the Earl of Balearras's
coal mines, near Preston, whereby the working of females will
be discontinued altogether.
In answer to the memorial of the Chairman and Com-
mittee of the Steam Shipowners' Association, representing up-
wards of 80,000 tons of London British steam-shipping, and
which prayed for an exemption from the proposed duty of 2s.
a ton on all coal exported to foreign countries, the '1 reasury
Commissioners state that there appears no just cause in the
reasons assigned for granting or further considering the appli-
cation, which would undoubtedly result in great loss to the re-
venue.

At Bolton, Huddersfield, Halifax, and Manchester business
is slack and limited. At Leeds and Padiham trade is in a
worse state, and at Leicester sales are at the lowest. At
Rochdale there have been good markets.
At the anniversary dinner of the London Institution, held
last week, the Report stated that more than 3,000 patients had
been relieved since its establishment in 1840.