The Sun. — 1838-03-20 (London, England)

POOR-LAW ACT. Earl STANHOPE presented a petition from Broomside, near Durham, praying for the total repeal of the new Poor-law Act Amendment Bill. Also a petition from the Dissenters of Upper Derby, in Glamorganshire, stating that the petitioners had witnessed the operations of this accursed Act, and praying for its total repeal ; likewise a petition from the village of Hazelgrove, in the county of Chester, stating that the operations of the Act were injurious to the poor, dangerous to the public peace, and praying for its total repeal. The Noble Lord stated that it would be recollected that some days ago when a discussion arose upon a petition upon this subject, presented by the Right Rev. Prelate, who was not now in his place, he made a statement of grievances inflicted by the Union of Sevenoaks. Since that time he had received a letter from the Clerk of the Board of Guardians, which he felt it his duty to read to the House. The letter complained that the statements made by the Noble Lord were unfounded, and that the cases of hardship which he had narrated had not existed in fact. The Noble Lord then said that this letter was nothing more than a most lame, impotent, and futile attempt at misstatement. He re-asserted every word that he had said before. It was easy for the Guardians to say they could find no record of the cases he had mentioned ; but where were they to find a record of them, or where would their Lordships suppose they would go in search of them? He had made his statement upon the evidence of a person who had been ono of the Guardians, and who had stated that he could no longer act with persons by whom such cruelties were practised—(a cry of " name, name.") Ho was desired to name that guardian, but he should certainly not name him without first having obtained his consent. He would repeat what he had said upon his own authority, and pledged himself to the truth of what he alleged.—( Hear, hear.) Having resided in that neighbourhood ever since ,that Union had been formed, he could not be ignorant of what had taken place. He had learned much, and had been informed by one of the Guardians himself, that though he did not choose to disclose all the secrets of the prison house, yet the agony of grief he had felt from the distress and cruelty he had on one occasion observed caused him to express a wish that he himself might be removed from the world, and indeed almost caused him to express a determination to commit suicide.—( Hear, hear.) The letter stated the only two cases which he had alluded to had been fully inquired into by the medical officers of the institution. Now he (the Noble Lord) again re-asserted that he had received the communication which he had given to the House from a physician who had retired from the practice of the profession, and who had an estate in Ireland, and who had told him that he had never witnessed so much misery in that distressed country as he had observed among the cottagers of this country. He should be very happy to hear any observations which the Noble Lord connected with that Union might have to make. The Earl of BRECKNOCK defended the Board of Guardians ; but from the low tone of voice in which the Noble Lord spoke we could scarcely hear a sentence. We understood his Lordship to say that the two individuals, upon whose case the Noble Lord laid particular stress, were two sawyers, and that he had documents in his possession to show that those two men earned between 81. and 91. in one month.-( Loud cries of " Hear, hear.") He therefore apprehended that the Board of Guardians were perfectly justified in refusing such individuals relief. Earl STANHOPE then presented a petition from the Rev. Thomas Curtis, rector and vicar of Sevenoaks, who stated that the defects which existed under the former law mainly arose from the maladministration of it, and therefore prayed that the present Poor-law might be repealed.