Star.
London, England, 1819-05-25 00:00:00

CARLISLE WEAVERS.

Mr. cunWEN bad a most painful duty to perforM. He
called upon the House and the Noble. Lord opposite, to pay at-
tention to the Petition which be held in his hand. It was sigoed
by 1,400 Weavers of the City of Carlisle, and stated, that al-
though they worked IS hours a.lay, they could not gain more than
Ss. per week. They did not complain of their employers, far they
believed it was not in their power to de more. But they asked for
bread, and if that could not be given them • they begged to be,
supplied with the means of repairing to them,
or any itheri
British Colony, that they might have an opportunity of exerting
themselves, and not suffer their children to die of hunger before
them. He (Mr. Curwen) hoped that the Noble Lord, who at
the beginning of the Session had painted In such glowing colours
the prosperity of the country, would seetow far he had been mis-
taken. He also trusted that the House would bestow its deepest
attention on the subject, and that the Government would devise
some means for supplying the Petitioners with work.
The Petition was then brought up, read, laid en the table,
and ordered to be printed.
CITY PEVTION.
Sir ROBERT PEEL had never experienced such
a feeling as at this moment, though he had sat for
years in that House. He had a Petition, to present
from a body of men who were entitled to the first
consideration—who, in times of public distress or
pecuMary want, had been the first to relieve the Go.
vernment of the country. In 1797, when the Re-
strictions had been proposed, a. meeting of the Lon-
don Merchants had taken place, for the measure
would not have been carried without their approba-
tion. Who were more intimately acquainted with its
nature than those who were so deeply interested in
the welfare of the country ? The men best qualified
to judge in the matter had not been consulted. He
hoped that before any measure so destructive to trade
and manufactures was allowed to pass, the House
would pause awhile. Looking at the Report, he had
found only witnesses who were not likely to give the
Government any information. The most able had
been left out, not consulted, and totally disregarded.
He had attended the London Meeting which took
place some days ago, and that was the only one at
which he had ever felt it his duty to be present, with
the exception of that which occurred in 1797. If the
former had been thought of consequence enough to
save the country, he hoped the latter and its Petition
would be found equally entitled to the attention and
respect of the House. It had been attended by
Messrs Hunt and Woofer, and he should not do jus-
tice to those individuals if he did not state that they
had behaved with great propriety. This he conceived
to be the result of their new alliance. They had sup-
ported the present measure, and he had been so sur-
prised at finding - such men the supporters of the
Administration, that he thought it would afford a
good subject for a caricature--(Laughter). On one
side the Noble Lord and his friends, and on the other
Mr. Hunt and his adherents might be seen pulling
down the fabric which bad been raised by the im-
mortal Pitt, and which had saved the trade, the ma-
nufactures, and the very existence of the State. He
appeared this night, he was conscious, in an extraor-
dinary character. He came to oppose a deer relative;
but he had a duty to perform, and he respected those
who performed what they conceived to be theirs--.
(Hear, hear, hear). The Gentlemen who had opposed
him at the meeting had rather been indignant at the
made for paMrtialities. BHe had always considered
Mr. Pitt as the first man in the worl • He remem-
Leted, that when that relation whom he this night
opposed, was only a child in his arms, he had thought
that a man who should discharge his duty to the
ccuntry as Mr. Pitt had done, would be west to be
admired and imitated. He had then declared, that
if his s:m should live, he lboold present blot to his