The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1841-09-28 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY

.......
Upon the bringing up of the report of the administration
of justice bill,

,
Mr. EW ART moved that the retiring allowance to the
vice-chancellor should be £3,000, instead of £3,500 per
annum.

After a short discussion the house divided, and Mr.
Ewart's amendment was negatived by a majority of 130 to

In the coma)

0111, wnen toe clause proposing the compensation to the Hon.
Mr. Scarlett, for the loss of his office as one of the masters
in the Court of Exchequer, and limiting that compensation

father, was read,
Mr. WARD objected to the clause, and contended that the
office had not been given to Mr. Scarlett until after notice
had been given that it was intended that it should be alto-
gether abolished. If he was entitled to compensation at all,
he was entitled to it for life, and it should not cease on his
accession to the peerage; but, in fact, he had no right to
expect compensation at all under the circumstances of his
appointment.

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said that as Mr. Scarlett could
not retain the office after his accession to the peerage, it would
be unreasonable that his compensation should go beyond
that period. Lord Abinger had the power of conferring
this appointment upon whom he chose, and there was no
obligation upon him not to exercise his right, which he ac-
cordingly had exercised in favour of his son.
Mr. WARD said there was no legal obligation, but there
was a moral obligation upon him, not to appoint any one to
an office in which he would have but a few months employ-
ment, in order that he might obtain a compensation of £l4OO
a year for doing nothing. The hon. member concluded by
moving that compensation should be given only to those
officers who were appointed prior to the 14th of March,
1840.

Sir R. PEEL said the bill was precisely in the same shape
as that in which it was before the house last year. He was
of opinion that it was right to grant compensation, and to
limit it in the way in which it was done by this bill. Notice
of an intention to abolish an office ought not to bar the right
of Lord Abinger to appoint a person to the office until it
should be actually abolished.

_
Mr. AGLIONBY said if the party were his dearest friend he
should vote against him. _

Sir W. FoiIETT said that not only was there no moral ob-
ligation on Lord Abinger not to appoint any one to the office ;
but in point of fact he was compelled by law to make the ap-
pointment in favour of somebody, and he presumed no one
would say he was wrong in giving the appointment to his

son.
Mr. HAWES said that an appointment of a temporary
nature might have been made. It was to be remembered
that the bill for abolishing the office was actually introduced
into parliament before the appointment was made.
Mr. WATSON was opposed to compensation, and said the
opinion of the bar was not in favour of it in this case. The
hon. gentleman cited the case of the Welsh judges as one in
point ; and in that case those judges who were appointed
after a notice similar to the present were not held to be en-
titled to compensation.
. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that Mr.
Scarlett had given up offices in the Post-office and in the
Mint, in order to take the office of master in the Court of
Exchequer.
Mr WARD asked if the right hon. gentleman would con-
sent to limit the compensation to the value of the offices he
had given up ?
Lord PALMERSTON said that this was a most important
question to have answered, and he hoped it would be an-
swered by the Government.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER defended the ap-
pointment, mid said he would not consent to the proposal of
the hon. member for Sheffield.
On a division the clause was carried (and of course Mr.
Ward's motion negatived) by a majority of 140 to 81.
The house then resumed, and the report was ordered to be
received on Monday next.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved the order
of the day for the house resolving itself into a committee of
supply.
Mr. P. M. STEWART called the attention of the house to
the petition from the provost, magistrates, and town coun-
cil of Paisley, on the present distressed condition of the ma-
nufacturers of the county of Renfrew. The hon. member
drew a melancholy picture of the state of distress in that
county, and argued that the Government should without any
delay proceed to adopt measures for the preservation of the
population, instead of adjourning for an indefinite period,
without holding out a hope of relief.
Mr. M. GIBSON objected to the silent system pursued by
government, and regretted that no steps were to be taken to
inquire into the distressed condition of the country. The hon.
member attacked the conduct of the landed proprietors, who
were establishing agricultural associations, all of which were
degenerating into conservative associations—insultisg the
Queen, as they did the other day at Saxmundham, by drink-
ing her health coldly, while they drank that of the Queen
dowager with enthusiasm. (Cries of " no, no".) And after
all what did they do at Saxmundham ? They paraded la-
bourers around the room. and rewarded them because they
had brought up their families without accepting of parochial
relief. (Loud cheers from the ministerial side.) So that
in fact they had brought the agricultural population into
such a condition that it was an extraordinary matter, and
one that deserved a reward, that a man should have es-
caped becoming a pauper. (Cheers from the opposition.)
He wished to know if the right hon. baronet meant to trust
to the chapter of accidents to relieve all this distress, or, in
proroguing parliament, was he of opinion that it would be
sufficiently met by the charitable contributions of the pub-
lic ? The hon. gentleman next adverted to the admissions
made by Lord Stanley at Lancaster ; first, that the corn-
laws tended to raise the price of bread beyond its natural
level ; secondly, that the increased price of bread increased
the price of land also •, and lastly, that the rate of wages was
not dependent upon the high or low pike of bread. Now,
this was all that the Corn Law association contended for,
and it was not very wonderful therefore, that the poor ope-
ratives should draw the conclusion that the delicaciesand the
luxuries of the aristocracy were drawn from the tears of the
poor. He could see no reason why the landed proprietors
should claim to themselves to be the exclusive licensed vic-
tuallers of the country. (Cheers from the opposition.)
Mr. PARKER also contended that the government should
give some, even slight development, of its views to the coun-
try, and said that the people would not be satisfied if the
present silence of the right hon. baronet should be perse-
vered in.
Sir R. PEEL said that, in his opinion, the course he had
adopted was far more rational than that of making a partial
developement of his views. He was called upon by the
country to repair, if possible, the enormous embarrassments
—(loud cheering)—in which the late government had in-
volved it, so far as respected its financial policy. Thus
called upon, he asked of the House of Commons sufficient
of its confidence to give him a short time, to enable him to
take a review of the whole position of the country. There
could be no advantage in his hinting at details, while he
postponed the consideration of the measures themselves.
He had formerly stated that, if he should be called to power
by the retirement of the late administration, he would not be
forced into a premature declaration of his intentions. The
sense of the country was taken by the late government, and
the opinion of the country had clearly evinced itself in favour
of the course he was pursuing, and of the reasonableness of
the demand he had made upon its confidence. The hon.
member for Manchester complained of his maintaining his
reserve—but the country was aware of that reserve, and yet,
although there had been over 30 elections in consequence of
the change of government, in no instance had any member of
the government been opposed when presenting himself for
re-election. (Cheers.) He thought that, after the opinion
of the house in the early part of the present session, it was
scarcely usual for an hon. member to provoke a discussion
on going into committee of supply, when that discussion
could lead to no result. They must all sympathise with the
distress prevailing through the country, but still it was most
important that those who had to provide a remedy for those
evils should not be driven into hasty measures in the hope of
providing an immediate remedy. (Cheers.) The right hon.
baronet, admitting the distress, read some returns for July
and August from the savings banks, with a view to show that
the country was rallying in that respect, and that, in fact,
great as the distress was, it was unnecessarily exaggerated.
(Cheers.)
Mr. M. PHILIPS said the distress was so great in the ma-
nufacturing districts; that if not relieved they would have to
regret the want of order and a state of things which they
must all equally lament. Mr. Philips then contended for
the necessity of their speedily resorting to an inquiry into the
state of the people, and insisted on the impropriety of allow-
ing the winter to pass over without taking into consideration
the question of the corn-laws.
Mr. Ewart, Mr. Walker, Sir J. Easthope, Mr. Villiers,
and Mr. Cobden all followed in the same line of argument as
that which the opposition have held since the commencement
of the session.
Captain CARNEGIE deprecated the course pursued by those
hon. gentlemen in thus reiterating their arguments, when
they knew they had not the remotest chance of carrying any
one of their measures. He had, for his own part, sufficient
confidence in the right hon. baronet to believe that he would
place the commercial prosperity of Great Britain upon a
firmer basis than it had hitherto stood upon. (Cheers.)
Mr. THORNELY condemned the sliding scale in the duties
on corn, and said it was impossible that it should continue
to be tolerated.
Mr. BROTHER TON held the same course of argument, and
said that the corn-laws were the cause of the contraction of
the currency, by sending the bullion out of the country, and
had thus led to a large portion of the distress in the manufac-
turing districts.
Mr. AGLIONBY bore testimony to the distress at Cocker-
mouth and Carlisle, and to the exemplary patience with
which it was borne.
Captain FITZROY deprecated such a waste of time as had
taken place that night, and said that the reason of the silence
preserved on the ministerial side of the house was, that they
did not wish
The hous house,
to aid in wasting the time of the house, by en-
gaging a discussion which, as there was no proposition
before the Could lead to nothing.
euoLenozsent into committee of supply, and
ordnance estimates,
Captain
Au animated and in
teproceededreri
n g to
conversation mov e the
aroseremaining
in co n
Board of sequence of a suggestion
should be a naval officer at from
e Sir C. NAPIER, that there
course of the conversation Sir C declaredO rdn a n c
that e.
in
theth e

Captain PECHELL said it was notorious that the navy was
in this respect very badly supplied; and, in many cases, the
swords supplied were little better than iron hoops, and were
only fit to be used for that purpose.
Sir C. NAPIER hoped that the navy would be more at-
tended to than it had hitherto been, or some terrible disaster
would occur that would astonish the country. He hoped
that vessels would be sent to sea better manned than they
had been for some time ; for, had the fleet in Syria, which
was not fully manned, been attacked by a fleet fully manned,
no one could tell what would have been the consequence.
Captain FrrznoY said the arms were the same as were
issued to the military.

Lord A. LENsoxsaid that, if the same kind of euns were
given to the navy as to the army, he, as a military man,
would say that nothing could be worse. As attention had
now been drawn to the subject, he hoped the evil would now
be remedied.

The estimates being disposed of, the house resumed, and
the report was ordered to be received on Monday.

ROMANCE AND REALITY.-CHEATING

THE POLICE

HORRID MURDER AND SUICIDE AT HEYWOOD.—On
Tuesday last, a poor woman, wife of John Kay, and her
child, both of wretched appearance, were taken into custody
by one of the rural police, at Mr. Aitkin's shop, back of Moss
Heywood, near Rochdale, the woman on a charge of having
stolen a half-crown from the till of the shop drawer. She
said that she had not tasted of food for three days. She was
placed in the lockup, and about eight o'clock on Wednesday
morning, on entering the cell of the unfortunate woman she
.
had murdered her child ; was suspended from a pipe in the
prison by means of a strip of clothing, which she had con-
verted into a temporary rope; the woman had also put an
end to her own existence by fastening her neck by another
strip of clothing fastened to the same pipe ; they were both
dead when first discovered. She was a married woman and
resided in the neighbourhood ; was upwards of 30 years of
age, and has left three children.
MR. OASTLER.—In consequence of the visit of Thomas
Thornhill, Esq., to his Fixby estates, a number of Mr.
Oastler's friends held a meeting last week at Huddersfield,
at which it was resolved that a deputation should be sent to
Mr. Thornhill, earnestly entreating him to extend his
clemency to his late steward, by cancelling the debt for
which lie is now suffering the hardships of imprisonment in
the Fleet. A deputation of nine respectable individuals
waited on Mr. Thornhill on Monday last at Fixby. Mr.
Thornhill received them very courteously, but declined ac-
ceding to their request, except upon certain conditions,
which, under existing circumstances, it was found impossible
to comply with. We cannot at present enter into particulars,
but we hope that, now the ice is broken, the tory friends of
Mr. Oastler will at once adopt such measures as may ulti-
mately lead to his release from incarceration, and restore him
to his family and friends.—Leeds Intelligences-.
A most distressing event has this week occurred at Carl.
ton, a village three miles from Nottingham. For some years
John Musson, aged 33, and his wife, about the same age,
have lived together, but not upon the most agreeable terms,
he having many times very grossly illused and beaten her.
During the last fortnight, a young woman named Sarah
Mason, who is in a state of pregnancy by Musson, has been
lodging in the same house with the man and his fe. On
Sunday afternoon last Mrs. Musson left the house. aFparently
to go on an errand, but instead of going herself she sent a
little boy, and returned home. On going silently into the
house she heard a conversation, while standing at the foot of
the stairs, which left no doubt of the intimacy existing be-
tween her husband and Mason, as they were speaking (not
being in a room together, he being at hisisroom door and she
being in her own room) so loud as to be distinctly heard below.
The wife, in the height of her_ desperation, took a loaded
gun, went to her husband's room, where he was in bed alone,
and, pointing the muzzle at lics head, fired the piece off, the
contents of which fractured his jaw on both sides, and
severely wounded his right wrist. He was conveyed to the
General Hospital at Nottingham, where he now remains in
a very dangerous state. On Wednesday the wife was taken
before the county magistrates, and she is remanded for fur-
ther examination.—Nottingham Journal.

SPORTING INTELLIGENCE.

LIVERPOOL AUTUMN MEETING

Helena, Drenning, from Calcutta, at Cowes. On 29th July, in
lat. 1 8, long. '25, spoke the Vigilant
Helen Anderson. Thompson, sailed from Valparaiso for Arica Ist
June, and Columbian, Wakebam, for Lima ilth June

Mischief, Downes; Touch-me-not, Todd, and Grazia, Scarpati,
hence at Genoa

LlVilittfiltir,3l,ol44l, tatt4aff olvof, 24,
114a1tr..-ntro 4.44 won p3coirito ottniod, tot 0.0 rq.
B. P, are 500 Wide., at steady prices. 2000 bags Bengal have ai.ao
been disposed of, at rather highei, Fates for good and tine whito.
and 2000 bags Mauritius at 57s 6d to 63s 6d per cwt. Foreign,--;
The sales amount to 400 cases Bahia, at steady prices, of which
about 120 whites are for exportation to the Baltic; there is more
inquiry generally for export than for some time past. The sales of
B. P. Molasses are 160 puns. Antigua from the quay at 27s per cwt.,
being a decline of Is 6d to 2s from previous sales. 100 puns.
. .