The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1844-05-07 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.-FRIDAY.

On the motion for the house resolving itself into com-
mittee on the Factories Bill,
Mr. ROEBUCK moved as an amendment, "That it is
the opinion of this house that no interference with the
power of adult labourers in factories to make contracts
respecting the hours for which they shall be employed, be
sanctioned by this house." He contended that the fac-
tory labourer was better paid and did not work harder
than the agricultural and other labourers—indeed, the
worst feature of his condition was, its being meddled with
by the vice of legislation. He was anxious to emancipate
the labourer from the heavy weight of Lord Ashley's
humanity, and exceedingly regretted that Sir J. Graham
should have meddled with the question of inteiferew,...
Sir J. GRAHAM said that non-interference with adult
labour was the principle of the bill as well as of the ex-
isting law, and it only went to carry out the prcrection to
young persons, which was sanctioned by the legislature
in 1833. The only departure from the prir &ple of the
existing law was its interference with adult fe.male labour,
and this interference was sanctioned by the great majority
of the manufacturers as a check upon the unfair opera-
tions of competing manufacturers. Females workipg in
factories were entitled to protection, and he toA his
stand upon the necessity of limiting their toil to a period
which their constitutions might enable them to sustaio.
Lord HOWICK expressed his sunrise that Sir J. Gra-
ham should call upon them to pass a bill which he admitted
to be a violation of principle. The bill before the house
was a feeble commencement, but it established the princi-
ple of interference, and if passed it would be imp, ssible
to draw back. If any evils shouid result they tryst re-
medy them by throwing down all artificial restraints and
commercial monopolies.

Sir R. PEEL admitted that the moral and intellectual
improvement of the labouring population had b, en too
much neglected by the legislature, but he feared that if a
limitation to ten hours were adopted a struggle rni: h fol-
low between wages and profits to the diminution .2f the
comforts of the labourer, and thus the only consequence
of an attempt to promote mortality by law would be the
defeat of their own object. The int -rtertnce pith female
labour was, no doubt, a depar•ure from principle, hut it
was justified by the beneficial effects which were likely to
flow from it.

Lord J. RUSSELL said he was opposed to the amend-
ment of Mr. Roebuck, but thought interference should
be limited to persons under 21 years of age, and that the
ten hours principle should be gradually arrived at.
Lord ASHLEY vindicated his former statements re-
spectirg labour in factories from imputations ca•t upon
them by Mr. Roebuck. Hr declined discussing rho- ten
hours principle until it should come regularly before the
house upon the motion of which he had given notice
upon the third reading of the bill.
Afer a few observations from Mr. C, Wood, Mr. Ains-
worth, Mr. Fielden, Mr. M. Philips, and Mr. Parker,
the house divided, and Mr. Roebuck's amendment was
negatived by a majority of 282 to 76.
The other orders of the day were then disposed of,
and the house adjourned.

PATH ERS,GUARD YOUR DAUGHTERS FROM INFIDELS.
—The Times gives a long account of the secret history of
the capture, &c. of the parties convicted in the Lite will
forgery cases. The article coaeludes with the following
history of the two females implicated :—" The mother of
Mrs. Dorey and Mrs. Saunders was the daughter of an
aged soldier of the name of Crene, a pensioner at Fal-
mouth, arid their father (Wm. Richards) was
the steward
of a Lisbon government packet. On the proclamation of
peace, Mr. Richards went to Lisbon to establish himself
there, but he soon afterward died in embarrassed circum-
stances in that city. The daughters hail been brought up
as nailiners, but on their father's death, the mother and
daughters opened a china shop at Falmonth, where they
remained a few years, when they removed to Biddleshanit
in Somersetshire, and at last to New Bond-street, 11.01)•
where they carried on the business of sttaw-Kennet
makers. In this street Sanders kept a fish shop, and thus
from the circumstance of neighbourhood, became ac-
quainted with Lydia, who played the part of Emma Slack'
and it is believed, led the unlortnnate man. with the aid
of her sister, into all he mischiet and misery, to the de-
bits of t,ich the pudic have been so long aecia-t,ined.
Here, bl.e, Mrs. D rey, then GPnrqiana f2ir.hatd , bt-•
c.„ne 1 qn..tived with Carlisle, no cm, of h's vi-its that
city, acid to this cause', and to the blasp,:e-fr.ous
cf Carlisle, the whole of the family a.elibe their lota'
ruin."

FOREIGN A..‘l) COLONIAL.

INDIA AND CHINA.
(F, um Ike Times )

- -
We have received by extraordinary express Calcutta pa-
pers of the 14th, and 13,mbav papers aud correspondence
to ,he 13th of Al,:rch in.lusive, brought by the Bentmc k.
which reached Suez cn the 12th of April ; they were
brought to Marseilles from Alexandria direct by the
French steamer.

The latest dates brought by the Bentinck, which reach.
ed Suez on the 12th instwit, are from Clle,tta to the 14 h,
and Bombay to the 13,n March. The steamer Carn-e
was descatehed from 13,mboy on tiv evening of the 13th
.to Ceylon, to weet tt.e Bentinck, on her pass ge from Cal-
cuttl to S'ilez

The mails which hvl left London on the 6th ot•Fehru-
ary had arrived at BoroO.tv, bot the letters were not to be
delivered anti: the I,ltowing day. The most important
military news reicrs't., r,fusal of one Madras and two
Bengal reqimetits to ;•~ weed to Scinde on finding that
they were not to he all eliu l batta.
There is nothing of iinnortance from Lahore and Aff
ghanistan, but it is supposed that tnese two states will
shortly come to open hostilities.
The Sesostris arrived at Bombay on the 10th of March
from China, which country she left on the 15th of Febru-
ary, having on board. amongst other passengers, Major-
General Sir James Schoedde. The town of Victoria was
quite healthy, and it w;l9 hoped that the ensuing summer
would not be so fatal a, the last. Several daring attempts
at robbery had been made at Hong Kong. Sir H. Pot-
tinger bad evinced an earnest desire to act up to the treaty
with China. Her Majesty's 55th Regiment was under
orders for immediate ea harkation for England. Her
Majesty's ship Dido, Captain Keppel, left for Calcutta on
the 2d of February, having on board Lord Saltoun, late
Commander of the Forces, who arrived at Suez in the
Bentinck, and will proceed to England by the (Great) Li-
verpool. Little was doing in teas on account of the high
prices demanded.
The Governor-General arrived at Calcutta on the 28th
of February, and on the 29th published a most liberal
Brant of batta to all the troops that were engaged in Gwa-
lior and in Scinde.
India in general is tranquil.

A letter from Calcutta, dated March 15, contains this
passage :—"le is finally and for ever annexed to the
British possessions."
Malta leters of the 23d of April, received by this ex-
press, brings no news."