The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-06-23 00:00:00

very Statute. From the above facts your Honourable
House will perceive that the select Vestry of Wily were
uniformly in the wrong when disputing with your Petitioner,
and your Petitioner asserts that the Magistrates were also
in the wrong when they refused summonses regularly ap-
klied for, to procure the fulfillment of a declared contract.
These facts afford a small specimen of the injustice and
emelty which the poor experience in the Vestries and Courts
ot Wiltshire; and your Petitioner has witnessed such in-
jestiewproersedhtg to a vast Went, for many years, snd
without chock or remedy, against paupers who were less
able than your Petitioner to plead for themselves ; and,
*be, of course, became more the victims of tyranny and op-
pression.
Arose Petitioner asserts that it is a principle of nature
and religion, that every man should have a fair opportunity
to earn bread by the sweatof his face ; that the 43i1 of Ells.
corroborates this principle, as have Many other more recent
Statutes ; that; in particular, the 50th George 111. upholds
this, even by authorising land to be appropriated for the
snecialiturpoae of keeping the poor employed ; while too.
Statute-law has decreed badges to disgrace idleness, and
while the Bill now before your Honourable House proposes
the same. Your Honourable House can see from the above
facts that the practice of admioistering Poor-laws is indi-
sect opposition to their theory aad letter—in direct opposition
to the dictates of nature and religion. From these facts
your Honourable House can see that your Petitioner was
restricted to the earning of Ss. when he could earn 95., and
that the tyranny of the Overseer and Vestry was confirmed
by the neglect of the Magistrates.
Your Petitioner, in contemplatinean efficient change in
the system of the Poor-laws, would first maintain, that. all
genuine and solid wealth is derived from labour, and, that,
it is the interest as well as duty of every good Government
so to provide that labourers should have a sufficiency of the
n cessaiies and comforts of life.
Your Petitioner asserts, that in America, even in British
Colonies, an agricultural labourer can earn wages equal to
the value of THREE PECKS or WIIIPAT per day ; and, were
it riot for laws which restrain the importation of corn and
transport of men—corn-laws and emigration laws, that an
agricultural labourer could, in England, earn wages equal
to the purchase of TWO PECILP or WHEAT per day.
Your Petitioner asserts, that while the price of labour is
kept down throughout the United Kingdom by corn-laws
and ennevation laws, that, in England It is depressed still
more under the system of the poor-laws ; and that this is
evident from the fact that while in Scotland common Is-
t:miners receive from Os. to 9s. per week, the wages of the
same description of labourers in Wiltshire runs from Ss. Bd.
to ie. In Wiltshire a common labourer, with a wife and
four children, had, ten years ago, Ios. 6d. per week ; and
latterly, he has not been allowed more than 7*. 6d. a week
by the same rule of the poor-law system.
Your Petitioner asserts, that he himself, living spot. the
earnings allowed by the Select Vestry of Wily, for three
months together. could not afford to purchase a single
ottere of butcher's meat, or a drop of beer, and had, by the
inuttion of his pay, from 41. 6d. to Ss. a week, to lessen
his consumption of bread, and live chiefly on potatoes. At
the end of three months your Petitioner found himself un-
able, from his pay, to have his shoes repaired ; and without
an increase, must assuredly. in the course of a few years,
be clothed in rags. Your Petitioner protests against badg-
iv, for idleness. lie feels that a ragged coat would be dis-
grate sufficient; and he knows that an empty stomach has a
natural and, excellent effect in quickening industry. He
knows that quickened industry can produce wealth, and
that national wealth may be most increased by a liberal
allowance of pay to labourers. On the contrary, that want
of full employment and fair pay must tend to poverty, as
well of the nation, •as of the individual. Your Petitioner
was not bred to labour, and has, by an extraordinary run of
misfortune and persecution, been reduced to worse than
mere poverty. II •is in the 46th year of his age, and has
five ehildren, but if your Honourable House would either
repeal corn-laws and emigration-laws, or adopt his propo-
sals for the abolition of pauperism in England, he would
most willingly give up his claims on the parish of Wily,
both for himself and children, end he would not fear going
4... t into the world to earn a livelihood even by the sweat of
hie face.
Your Petitioner, therefore, most earnestly entreats that
your Honourable !louse will immediately appoint a Com-
mission to-visit the pariah of Wily ; enquire Into the de-
p!orable case of your Petitioner, and view the misery which
row prevails among his fellow paupers ; listen to what he
I.as to say regarding a reform of the poor-law system, and
report the whole to your Honourable House. .

WEEKLY, REGISTER or WEATIIER.—Though some of the
days last week were bright, 'and the sun shone warmly at
noon, others were very gloomy and austere; with a keen
north-easterly wind throughout the week, and most of the
uigf,'s and moruings very cold. On Wednesday morning. at
7 o'clock. we observed the Mercury in our thermometer, in
4,.utilern exposure, so low as 49 degrees: and kir.Cob-
bet', in his Register of Saturday last, says that, at Reigate
Clete was frost. Many people express surprise at the
coldness of the weather at this season of the year. If they
23 read our ob lions on the weather of the correspond-
period of last year, they would not have been surprised.
the STATESMAN of June 24, 1822, are the following words,
v h:ch are too apposite to require an apology for repeating :
6• On Friday morning at eight o'clock. the thermometer was
e-ly :A and at an earlier hour we believe, it was down to
5.,. it has often been remarked that the longest days have
heel the (oldest of the summer; and many persons can re-
member. that near )lidsummer, about 20 years ago, there was
a frost so smart as to wither the vine leaves, and, to destrcy
the walnuts when almost large enough for pickling.—ln
Bessie, June is one of the most uncomfortable months in
tee year. The heat, in the preceding month, becomes so
vwerfel as to dissolve the ice and snow of the northern re-
pions; but on their dissolution, bleak and boisterous wea-
t'ter follows, from the• absorption of the caloric; and the
Vet nometer, which may have been up to 70, is rove to fall
to 3). This has actually been the case at Petersburg this
year ; and from the prevalence of north-easterly winds, our
c'imate has probably; now, been affected with the change."
No rain has fallen here this week that could be measured.—
On Friday morning early, a mist overspread the parts of the
metropolis near the Thames, like the mists that sometimes
come off the sea. The continuance of dry weather has been
very favourable to the hay harvest.
Jet-and. June 24.

111111111011ETEft. - 8
I 1 II 1•1110111ETEll.
o'clock. o'clock. at night.
June --.
13, 6 .... 63 60 50 30,10 Fair
16, M. .. AS 63 49 ,33 Fair
17, T. • ... 60 63 66 ,U Fair
IS. W.. 30 ' 53 ao ,23 Cloudy •
19, Th...... 60 60 60 ,I 0 ' Fair
Y:+, F..... 1 63 66 61/ ,U 3 iFair
21. FL... 60 56 49 ,li Cloudy

NATURAL STS' CALENDAft.—To enable our readers to
judge of the ltesson, we select from the ctlendarsof the Rev.
Mr. White of Selborne, end Mr. illerkwick, of the neigh-
bourhood of Battle, the dates of the following familiar oc-
currences, which have been oblerved during a course of
years, and which ma) usually be expected about the present
period :
(Where two dates are given, they denote the earliest end
the latest times at which the occurrence was observed. The
letters W. and N. are the initial% of the names of the ob-
servers.) •
Young frogs migrate—W. June 23.—Aug. 2.
Cora poppy flowered.—W. Julie 24.—M. April 39, July 13.
(Treat Horse-jig sp.—W. June 94. Aug. 11.
Mushroom sp.—W. June 28. Aug. 30.—A1. April 10,
Aug. 10.
Common snel/ole 11.—W. June 28.—M. May 27. July 13.
Dwarf mallow 6.—W. June 28.—M. May 12, July 30.
St. John's wort 6. W. Jane aB.-31. June 13. July It
Deadly nightshade 2.—W. June 27.—. V. May 21. Aug.
14.
Young partridges fly.— W. June 28. July 31.—M. July
9-28.
Lime tree B.—W. Juba 98. July 31.—M. June 12. July 30.
Wild thyme ff.— W.
June
continued)2—M. Je 0. July 19.
(T.

We are glad to find that a requisition to the Mayor it
course of siroature, to convene a.publie meeting of the
inhabitants of the tows is aid of the Spanish cause.—
(Can:bridge Paper.)