Star.
London, England, 1819-05-14 00:00:00

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PARLIAMENrARY PROCEEDINGS.

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HOUSE OF LORDS, MAY 4 - ~I
' After the Bills upon the table, which were cbiefy private or
local, were respectively forwarded,: .
- The Scots Jury Omrts' Bill was returned from the•Corranallt
by Mr. 13rlocins and others, with the actiuLiscince* o( tb
House to the same. . I
• A few private Bills were brought up by Mr. Parr, Mr. Lit-
currou and other Members, and read the first tinle.
The 'Earl of LIVERPOOL presented a Petition from Mal-
deli in Ewen, against the Catholic Claims.
The Noble Minister laid upon the table certain Baum from.
the Commiisinners appointed for the Erection of new Churches,
which were orderod to be printed. •
The Chinviey Sweepers' Regulation Bill wat reported, and
the Benefice Dispensation Bill Was read the third time, and
Passed. After "Which the I/oure adjourned till to.nuarrow..

MOUSE OF COMMONS.
Mr. WESTERN Moved an Address to the Prince Regent,
praying his Royal Mighoesi to iay hefore*the House, Accounts
received'Erom (Annuls in Foreign Ports, of the Price of Corn
and th'e Raw Ftoduce of Agriculture in those Ports within the
last six months; and also prffing for Accounts of the Quanti-
ties of Corn, Grain, and Wheat, imported into Great Britain and
Ireland withbk.the last three years.—The motion was agreed to.
Mr. DENMAN brought in a Ilißlotjacilitatina the dispatch
Of business in the Court of King's Batch, which was read a first
tad ordered to 1* read a second, time on ..ttiat day fortnight, an.°
robe printed. •
11Ir. H. CLlViliptiesented Retuins of the Number of Paso-
non in the Mat* Jails, and of the Number of Crown Debtgltb..
Ordered to be 'printed.
The Customs and Excise Duties Payments Facilitating Adll
wie seed a third dm! and passed.
* Mr. HII ME presented a petition from the Corporation of the
laundry of )3rechin against the Bill for the regulation of the
Scotch Burghs.—lteferred to the Committee on the Scotch

Burghs.
Mr. P. MOORF. presented a Petition front the Mayor and
Corporation of Coventry, is behalf of the Silk and Ribbon
-Weavers,praying relief.—Ordered to be printed.
Sir H. PART ELI. moved for Accounts rotative to Transfets
of Stock of the Banks of England apd Ireland.—The motion
was agreed to.
SILL WEAVILIte RELIEF BILL.

Mr. P. MOORE begged to call the attention of
the House to the present condition of the Silk Wea-
vers of Coventry, and the neighbOuring Parishes in
the County of Warwick. On their extreme distress.
he thought it unnecessary to enlarge before those who
had read the evidence produced to the Committee
'appointed to inquire into this interesting subject dur-
ing the last Session of Parliament. 1 wished to
observe, that, notwithstanding their misery had been
so great, no act of insubordination bad occurred in
that district. The Chancellor of the Exchequer had
last year thought the sufferers entitled to allearing,
and now that all that was then stated had been
proved, and their case completely made out, he con-
sidered himself entitled more than ever to the sup-
port of the Right Honourable Gentleman. He then
read from the'Minutes taken before the Committee
certain passages to prove that their conduct under
the most trying circumstances bad been highly
praiseworthy. . He wished his constituents to be en-
couraged, and enabled to follow their own inclina-
tions, by establishing Saving Banks; but unless the
House would assist by favouring his plan for reliev.:
ing the sufferers, (assisted they must be, or the whole
city would perish,) he feared it v.roulebe impossible
for them to act on the recommendation of the Com-
mittee on the Poor Laws in that respect; for such
was their necessity, that the funds of the littloSaving.
Bank that had been formed among them were com-
pletely exhausted, with the exception of 'f:2o that re-
mained, and the funds of the Friendly Societies.
which had been established had shared the same fate.
The Ribbon-weavers had been for a period of four
years suffering the most heart-rending privations,
owng to receiving a rate of wages mil merely f-
ficient for the support of a family, but inadequinsu ate to
1, the maintenance of an individual. Not being Ale
to endure the sufferings consequent upon these la-
mentable prices, in the month of September, 1816,
they with one voice called upon the niasters for re.
dress, who promised to take their grievances into
consideration, and shortly afterwards entered into
and subscribed a positive agreement to conform to
such a list of prices as should be determined upon
by three persons appointed by the Masters and tliree
by the Weavers. These six persons were nominate&
by the respective parties, and accordingly they met,'
and speedily agreed upon a Price List, which they
subscribed. Notwithstanding this solemn engage-
ment, the Masters only conformed to the List about
three weeks, and then wholly departed from it. Now
some of the same parties came as Petitioners to the
House, praying that the Act passed for the regula-
tion of the Silk Weavers of Spitalfields may be ex-
tended to them, so as to make agreements like that
of 1816 binding on both parties. This was what he
wished to accomplish by the Bill he desired to bring
in. An idea had gone abroad, that he wished to
establish a maximum and a minimum of prices; bat
no such words would be found in his Bill, the object.
of which Was simply what be had stated it to be. At
present, the Silk Weavers were- obliged to work 93
hours a week for a miserable pittance, not equal to
the maintenance of an individual. One class .fer.,
working that number of hours obtained ten shilling
per week. This was paying them, for four liouse,;
work, and hard work it was; about two-pence hatf-1
penny. A second class obtained but five 'shillings
and six-pence per-week—and a third could get no
more than three shillings and nine-pence. Such ,
were the sums paid to the workmen, while many of
their employers reali7,ed immense -profits. lie, re-
peated it, the Petitioners must ia -some way 'have re-
lief afforded ; and an advance 'of a fraetiOn of one
farthing per yard on the since:hick they manufac-
tured would be sufficient to.relieve the distress.
present, the workmen, instead of being-maintained;
.by their wages, were supported out of tf;,e Pool-le'
Rates. This was a state of things which or ht not
to continue. He next noticed the distressing and dir.
graceful:scenes arising from the system of employing'
what were called lixtf-pv Apprentice. • These had
but half of their earnings to subsist upon- Some
were relieved by the Parish, and some were not; and
the au:fortunate females employed in the trade had!
3.1; equently nu resource but prostitution to pvocure