Star.
London, England, 1817-06-26 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.

A Petition was presente3 train the teereal Dealers hi Wine
and Spirits, In the Town of Preston, praying that the Spirits
License Bill might not pass into a law.
The House went Into a Committee on the Stone Bottle Act.
Report to•mortow.
The Report of the Irish Grand Jury Presentment BM was
postponed to Friday. •
The Report of the Committee on the Lunatic Poor in Ireland
was presented, and Mr. Fitzgerald said, be should submit 'a
motion to the House on Monday nest.
Sir F. BURDEIT gave notice, that be should on Monday
bring forwards motion on the subject of Mr. Reynolds.
General 7 HORNTON moved for leave to bring in a Bill to
repeal such parts of the ifSth and noth of Chark4 IL as related to
the declaration against transubstantiation, and declared the doc-
trine of the Church of Rome to be Idolatrous.
lord CASTI.EREAGH thought, as the subject had already
undergone a very full consideration during the present Session,
in a House numerously attended, the present minion might De
considered as an attempt to carry the point by a stale wind, he
should therefore move the previous question.
The question was thetuput, and the Noble Lord's amendment
was earned.

Cl/111NET SWUPW.
Mr. BENNET rose to make his promised motion
relative to that class of Chimney Sweepers. called
the Climbing Boys. In consequence of the exertions
of a Society formed for the purpose of ameliorating
the condition of these unfortunate little creatures, an
Act of Parliament was passed some years-ago, con-
taining several beneficial regulations, and among tbe
rest, providing, that no boy of a less age than eight
years should be employed in that occupation. That
Act, however, was not strictly enforced, and boys of
tour, five, and six years of age were employed, in
consequence of the nature of some of the flues ; for
it was no uncommon thing to meet with flues that
were only seven inches wide, and which consequently
required children of the earliest age to sweep them.
The Bill for which he st as about to move was the re-
sult of the unanimous judgment of the Committee,
of whit% he had had the honour to be the Chairman,
The object of it was, not to regulate (tor no regula-
tion could be satisfactory), but to pot a stop to that
species of tradea trade which, he was sure, every
Member who had read the evidence annexed to the
Report of the Committee, would agree with him in
declaring to be unfit for a free and Christian country
Uttar, hear.)—By that evidence it appeared, that
there Were in the Metropolis 200 Master Chimney
Sweepers, of whoin 20 were very respectable men,
who took great care of their apprentices. aad treated
them with as much kindness and attention as was
compatible with their occupation; of 90 others not
much could be said in their praise; but the remainder
were of a very bad description ; and yet, by this.last
class; principally, the youngest bu)s wwe employed,
and let out to others; so that the yoaage..t boys had in
general the worst masters. Tr.r Committee Isa%l also
learnt with horror, that there were places in toe t
dom in which female children wire

sequence of the smallness of their limbs rendering
them better qualified to ascend small chimniit
(Hear, hear.)—lt was impossible to represent the mi-
sery, the disease, the burning:, the accidents (of which
every newspaper gave some account or other), and,
which was the must important,
,the moral and intel-
lectual degradation of these unfortunate little beings.
On that part of the subject the evidence obtained by
the Committee afforded ample information. If he
were to. say no more, be apprehended that he should
have made out a case quite sufficient to shew that the
trade ought to be put down, acid that the House
should trust to the mecbanicalingenuitt of the coun-
try for the means of furnishing an adequate substitute
for these children. But this was not the situation of
his case. The Committee had learnt with great sa-
tisfaction, that there were, machines in considerable
.use, by which, on the lowest calculation, three-fourths
of the chitnnies in the kingdom might be as cleanlz,
as cheaply, and as simply swept as by climbing boys;
and that, with respect to the remaining fourth, either
by inventions already completed and in progress, or
by suggestions with respect to certain alterations in
shinnies, there would be no difficulty in applying
means that would remedy any inconvenience. The
Committee had been informed by architects, that 95
out of 100 chimnies might be swept by the mecha-
nical means already invented ; and there could be no
doubt that; if they did not at present exist, other
means would easily be devised, to render wholly un-
necessary this disgraceful traffic ; for a most disgrace-
ful traffic it was, in which human beings of the ten-
derest years were bought andstld,stelen,and inveigled
into t to most severe and wretched slavery. On these
grounds the Committee had come to an unanitnoes
resolution, and had instructed him to propose to the
House,- the adoption of a Bill les putting a complete
end to this business. The Bill would contain three
provisions. The first comprehending ail the existing
laws on the subject ;, the second prohibiting under
heavy penalties, any master chimney-sweeper from
taking an apprentice under 14 years of age ; and the
third mtposiug either a fine or the punishment of a
misdemeanour on any individual Who should employ
a person under 21 years of age to ascend a chimney
—( Hear, hear )—TheHonoureble Member concluded
by moving for leave to bring in a Bill to abolish the
practice of sweeping chimnies by means of climbing
boys.
Mr. WILBERFORCE loose to second the motion
and stated, that the nature of the trade was such
that the mildest masters were necessarily obliged to
be cruel on many occasions ; and the moral degrada.
don of these unfortunate beings was beyond all be-
' lief. Since the matter was first takersup in 1816, two
boys had stuck fast in chimnies, .though belonging
to vety humane masters. 10, fact the masters were
obliged to use a great degree, of force in the course
of instructing the apprentice. When the House con-
sidered that abomination, that insult on human na-
ture—the employment of females in this horrid trade,
he trusted there Auld be no opposition to the measure.
Sir 3. ROMILLY presented a. Petition from err-

rain master chimnepsweepers, praying that the flons
would make.forther inquiry before they adopted any
measure for preventing the employing of c.limbiag
boys, and expressing their readiness to have the state
of the children under their care investigated in any
way the House should think proper. The petition
was ordered to lie on the table, and to be printed.
Mr. BENNETT then brought up his Bill, which
was read a fast time, and prdered to be read a se-
cond time on friday.

NA VICA TIAN.

Lord BINNING moved that the House should
resolve itself into a Committee, to consider of the
Navigation Laws, so far as the same affected the
possessions of the East India Company. The Noble
Lord said. be was instuced w bring this subject be-
fore the House in consequence of some proceedings
which bad been taken, and sentence given, against a
ship for having taken in a cargo of East India sugar,
from one settlement to another, without giving bond
to the Plantation Conimissioner, as required by the
Navigation Act. If this sentence were once to be
established, the Navigation Laws would be extended
to all the possessions of the East India Company,
which they never had been before ; and therefore it
was that he now snored that the ouse should go
into a Committee on those Acts.
The House then went into a Committee, and leave
was given to bring in a Bill to exempt the posses-
sions of the East India Company from certain provi-
sions of the Navigation Laws.