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Northern Star (1837-1852), 3rd April 1841, Edition 1 of 5, Page 3

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      JlfA- " THE BA > ~ K SCREW

      „ yee ^ itiMioEtia , nee remedia p&ti posronras . - - „ teak * **< r , U > e »*>!<> *^ t 3 * " « 1 ^ ff . 51 iTmust screw tha nation up to th « sticking * Sf !> Whi * permanent prosperity ; and when foreign ? Sm ^ enta ^ aM hare l earned the management of the f * Zr £ e Mexican , Chilian , Brazffiaa , Portuguese , and SS ; a BondJ will rise to par , and the London Stock gjTT ^ iu be overwhelmed with a sudden flood of ^^ Sl It is rumoured , too , that a gigantic screwdriver *^ hesn sent fron Threadneeaie-street , for the use et ^ TJnited States Bank , and at thU scww-driTCT is to fflte ^ t > steam , it is confidently expected that the £ L ! u of Biddle and Co . will Bhortly be above par , and tVe shall bes * no more ° * ^ ^ Soing " into-a ^" son-iew-P * " - " gee , both Gsntfle and Jew gjfcjy pr » iM the tight screw , ^ ^ Un »« s that other , Iti someircat loo » e brother ,

      g-ai tow that salv&tion j £ «* ns scre w alternation ; jjut the rise and the dip 0 / foada , loans , bonds , and scrip , By trtneb all are UinTing , Proceed from screw dri-fin f ; last the screw , tight and loose , Is of woBderfal use , _ 4 jd leaves us at leisure To count surplus treasure , Surplus rereBne too , lanotes * p ic and span n « w , Krtwitnstaading treadmills , labwr tests and bastiles , The two rival factions ,

      Sore fiscal exactions , And all thai kind of thing , Abost which Chartists sing , jgo tiiey throw up their caps Jar the Threadneedlfi chaps , jtna fire all honour due To ths "Dons of tae screw . Ttm , " midst sad convulsions , And bank-note revulsions , Tbe fail of -N" Biddle , _ Whose name rhymes with diddle , And whcse banking pic nic , Caused bis guest * to fall sick , Though he borrowed a sop From the ThreadDeedle shop , Tise VTbiz opti \ r . ist 3 bright

      3 » e * r that al . things are right , Apd declare it gives pain To prore wint is so plain , That , spite of gold panic . And pelf all pneumatic , Tnekr tou | D " l £$ al tender " It our stout defender , And that paper bankers Are our strong sheet anchors , Taoogh cot disraat the hour ¦ ffhen tbnr j » per-petf pswe ? Shall burst lite a bubble , la tcrmoH aad trouble , Aafi leave them , hick-a-day , y& s stiver to pay , la spiU o' tight screwing Aad ' TI-jeadneeJle doing .

      ft » a » K »»§ held oat by the United States GoverabbA , " * tith only a short time ago Wasted of a surplus jg& as \' m perfidious paper pelf ) , seems to be disreggjelij onr statesmen and practical currency doctor ? , ferthsy , to ? , are dr-clariiig tbat something siust be icu to hsTe a surp-us rtvenue ; though it is evident Sat , ucder -the present system , tbe revenue and sutjJbs an ea ) j b-i in backers' paper debts , in tbe revul-Ktt ssi reaction currency -wiiich . actually yields an Basil -Merest to vhe debtors ; and it is an instructive Set , tiat every revalsion in the proper d « M market lag tees preceded by temporary increased receipts into Jfc EssLrqiw . fie Bark Directors say that tier

      onoot pay tbeir paprr debts by reason of the great piHh cf geld 'one of tbe essential properties of real Barer ; bat they conceal the fact that evtry addition -to tf *^ piper debts adds to the relatiTe scarcity of the goSd , an 4 that they , the Directors , would not allow Hair debtors to arall themstlTes cf the puerile plea of CieaBeeed scarcity , which , indeed , if once allowed to Uas who 20 iisprBdeDilT contract millions of debt * in paper currency , bonds , loans , &c .. would free foreign fOTHJnaeiits frora their engagements towards their KngKsh landholders ; for it ought neTei to be forgotten , tho 8 | £ tbe saying nsay be homely , that " what is sauce fa ike goose is sauce far the gander . " Easasitas . Botiinehim , March S , 1 S * 1-

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      THE LEAGUE . " Who are that blustering , canting crew , "Who keep the cheap loaf in our Tiew , And would fioai tis more profit screw ? Tne League , Who ay " Repeal ttiav « ars \ l Cora Law , " And would their workmen feed with straw , Thai-th-y » ay filthy lucre paw ? The League . ^ ,-WTio - * i& to gall fb . e -srorXing maa , / Aadiari the Charter , if they ca * , With thar self-oggrandisin { plan ? The League . Who deal in sophistry and cant—Of common sense evince the want—And strire the Charter to supplant 2

      The League . Who i&eet defeat at erery turn , ftvsa the Chartists , rtronjj and stem , 1 st from it wjsdoKi will not learn ? The League . "W T » hrre receird their final fall , This afternoon , in our Cloth Hall , And dire not one more meeting call ? Tfcel-e 3 gne . Ww . BtdZB . laeds . March 30 . 1841 .

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      TO THE 5 D > " 3 OF TOIL . Te sons of men gire ear awhile , Jtod Bgtea ta my prayer ; lo yoa I ask , ye sons of roil , "Wb . 0 are prtss'd -witli -Brant and care , How eorag it t 2 iat ye toil and sweat , An < 3 bear the oppressor ' * rod ; Per cruel men wbo dare to change The equal lawg of God 1 How comes , that man with tyrant heart Is caused to rale another ; 1 o rob , oppress , and , leech-Hke , suck The life ' s blood of a brother ?

      KdbeaTan ' j Etera *] Jastice say , Te * om of men give ear . ' i « rr portion ' s poTerty and want , And others' loads must bear . Ko ! hejfen decreed all men should share Alike bis tqaal laws ; That all « bou 3 d lire , and happy be , , And plead each other's cause . T Z' ^^^ "! await thee yet , Tfc ? chart now meets oar Tiew ; "o cheer our drooping , fainting hearts , ; -kid all our joys renew . ' ' Ar&use , then , Britons . ' to your posts . ' ¦ Let eotrards quit the field ; ^ lie known aad right win claim the fight , ; * ad heaTen will be our shield . i *«* U , «„ ^

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      L ^ i EXG LASB HAS BO-SE : WHAT IT HAS TKT TO Mnx ; ea"b-forts en raMt of the great lines of tea » J 2 ^ Z' ™* wb . Tfl »^ aiensiTe , in many r ^ nif ^? *¦?** , OB ( Hte 6 o , ooo cubic yards r t ? 7 « t i Korth 1 ^ fe d Railway from Sft&f ? Lf ? 2 > a diatance- ^^^ miles , about eSfcL *^ Y mored &Sm mo « * ° an * U »?! i ! Jards I ** n * * - $ && part of the rf ^ S ^ « « progress , from 9 , 000 to qiieTirtw ]^ by e : K nt-eea steam-engines , were K ^ tf ! des « " ** numbers of horses . Tem - U ^ f ^ l " "wwd , and the agriculturists nttj ^ ff 7 ™ e ? h * ge supplies of manure , an fei&f ™ from which thej liad preriously been " fltoS ?^ 0 ™ 1 ^ 0 ' their disi » from towns . > r ; , 'J W C * rih and Rtonn ro-mn-vaA in ftiT ^ ninir

      WMOmk- Birmingham Line was about SSS J * f ^ , which , if formed into a belt » P » eltw \ 3 ? hl ' ^ ' "wonld more than en-» b ^^? ^ - the eqaator . Lookdng * t what ^ u < in dustry of i , we are reminded , ssjs Si !^ , Jif lpS 0 dies of Mr - C"ble ¦ - > Who , " ^ w « ~ do L For W H P ^ P " this land of ' Kltaatr » : - , ^ £ nbe ofStxons was seat tra . TelgJl ?™* * o nan c » a Bay : it was fora work , * f * fcrt tiS ^ f ^ of anuonncomeat in words . fcifcihf ! " . ere ; P " 1 of th ^ stand done , and 1 'teeh S « u tbes « thoii canst not name ; : KT&J-S , SSiA ers B l mwt « of Pbopheey ' S ^ ifflfl * ^^' these twenty mil-. _ i " » w *« OS Of tha /? , » l- « ^™ ^^ i ij 111

      W ^ SUTIT / ^ - fi " ^ ter and first lEfff ^* quKtionatle aus-?¦ ' Wlth a « « md hunting spear , to

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      subdue a portion of oar common planet ! This nation now has cities and seed fields , has spring Tins , draywaggons , Long-acre carriages , nay , railway irains ; has coined money , exchange bills , laws , books , warfleets , spinning jennies , warehouses , and West "India Docks ; see wdm it has built and done , wha-t it can and will yet build and dol These umbrageous pleasure woods , green meadows , short stubble-fields , smooth-sweepine roads ; these high-domed cities , and what they hold and bear ; this mild ' Goodmorrow ' which the stranger bids thee , equitable , nay , forbearant if need were , judicially calm and law-observing-towards thee a stranger , —what work has it not cost ! How many brawny arms , generation after generation , sank down wearied ! hew many noble hearts , toiling while life lasted , and wise heads that wore themselTes dim with scanning and discerning , before this waste White-cliff " , Albion so called , became a British empire !" _

      LOSS OP CiSTE IN THEORY ASD PRACTICE . —The loss of caste is faintly described by saying that it is cml death . A man not only cannot inherit , nor contract , nor give evidence , but he is excluded from all tbe intercourse of private life , as well as from the privileges of a citizen . He must not be admitted into his father's house ; his nearest relations must not communicate with him ; and he ia deprived of all the consolations of religion in this life , and all hope of happiness in that which is to follow . Unless

      however , caste be lost for an enormous offence , or f « r long-continued breach of rules , it can always be regained by expiation ; and the means of recovering it must be very easy , for tbe effects of the loss of it are now scarcely obsarvable . It occurs , no doubt , and prosecutioEs are not unfrequent in our courts for unjust exclusion from caste ; but in a long residence in India , I do not r « mecaoer ever to have met with or heard of an individual placed in the circumstances which I have described . —Mr . Elphinslone ' s History of India ,

      That dogs have an ear for music cannot be doubted . Sieibelt had one which evidently knew one piece of music from the other ; and a modern composer had a pug dog that frisked merrily about the room , when a lively piece was played ; but when a slow melody was performed , particularly Dussek ' s Opera , 15 , he would seat himself down by the piano , and prick up his eara with intense attention , until the player came to the forty-eighth bar ; but , as the discord was struck , he would yell most piteously , and with drooping tail seek refuge from the unpleasant sound under the chairs or tabics . —Dr . Miliingen .

      Change is the Character of Henrt VI 11 . — Acting under the dictates of his passions , listening to th « advice of bis confidential minister , tae subtle and interested Cromwell , Heury had now auaiueii thetwogrea : objfots ot his wishes . His love , if the feeling by which he was animated may be desi&-naied by so pure a name , li&d beeu fixea for the last six years upou Aune bolejn . She was now his wife aad his queen . Hi 3 selfish and imperious temper bad been thwarted during the same period by the opposision of the Popedom ; he now saw

      himself the acknowledged head of an independent church , and amenable 10 no foreign ecclesiastical jurisdiction . Bat the possession of these objects were atteuded with the worst effects . Unlimited indulgence and despotic power are calculated to pervert even the beat disposition ; and , at au sariy period of his regal career , all the fair promises ut nis youth were seen to wither under their influence , though it wa = not till the moaieni at , which we have now arrived , ibaj his ckaracitr assumed its ik-ioer aud ' more sanguinary complexion .- —Edinburgh Ccln . net Library . So . XXII .

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      BAENA RP CASTLE Election of Gvabpia ^ s . —The moral power of the working elates W been ssrikin ^ ly displayed ddring the election ot the Guardians for this town . It appears ihat U ; e Guardians " who were elec : ed for the last y ^ ar have made themselves obnoxious by their tame submission to the vile instructions of the CommL-siouers , by becoming rheir tools ia enforcing the worst provisions of the Whig Murueration Bill ; and by availing themselves of their powers to contribute to their own selfish interests . Consequently , a la'gc cumber of the working men met at the bpa Well , on Sunday wesk , and came to the resoltuiou to oppose the reelection of the old Guardians , by 6 Upporiitiii such

      men as would aci with humanity to the poor , and who , with moral courage , would withstand the dictation of the Somerset House trio . As might be expected from the union of the working men , they fcave gained a signal victory over the middle classes , who supported the old Guardians , but who have been completely beaten by an overwhelming majority ; and to complete tb 9 victory , a meeting was held in the Parish Church , on Thursday week , to elect overseers and highway surveyors , when the working men again rallied , and elected men who will act with more economy than their predecessors , to the chagrin of those who squander tie people ' s money away , regardless of their poverty .

      RiPE . —On Thursday evening , the 25 ; h ult ., whilst a young female was returniug home , with some medicine for a cow , for which she was sent by her master , she was followed by two or three young men oat of the town np Bowe ' s Road ; and , aliffr having followedlier about two or three hundred yards , they forcibly seized her , and threw her down , and , in spite of her cries , effected their diabolical purpose . On the following morning , the police took into custody a yooDg man , named Wb . Whitfield , to whom tbe yonDg woman swore as one of the young Ben who had abused her per «« n ; but who , never thfiless , took a number of witnesses , -when taken

      bpfore the raagistrates , to prove that he was not out of totvn on the night in question . But , as she swore to him , he was committed to take his trial . The only particulars to which Ehesvrore were his clothing . However , a young mac , named Dorer , having been with the guihy party , and kaving made some disclosures with which the police were acquainted , they succeeded in taking into custody Robert Allison and Thomas Pratt , jun ., who , when taken before tbe magistrate , made a full confession of their guilt ; upon which the young man who had been falsdy sworn to was released , and Allison and Pratt were committed to York gaol to take their trials .

      CARUSiE .-The Roads Paved with Gold . — Some time last week a Mr . Watson , of the West of Cumberland , sent hi 3 servant man to the bask to draw upwards of £ 2 , 000 . Ths servant received the money , the principal part Of which Was fortunately in p ^ per , the remainder , upwards of £ 200 , was in sovereign ? , which he put into a saddle-bag , which being holed , the sovereigns dropped out as he proceeded along the road . On reaching home , what was his consternation on finding that "the sovereigns were all iost . We understand about £ 100 have been restored .

      . DAXKEXTH . —Fire . —A destructive fire broke out here last Tuesday night , at eleven o'clock , in a barn and out-bonse , which is completely destroyed , together with two valuable horses , and one cow . There were two cows in thd 6 Ut-house , one of which was saved . The fire was caused through the negligence of the carter , by letting a candle fall amo n ^ the straw , as he slept in the bay-loft above . Some say he was drunk . It will fee a great loss to the owner , Mr . Brown , a most industrious , praiseworthy man , who has thus lost ; he savings of many years .

      BANNOCKBURK . —Last Saturday night , Bome malicious pti ^ un went round this village and Milton , and daubed most of the publicans' si $ n-boards with white p \ iut ! From the fact , that none but publicans ' j-igns were danbed , a report is prevailing that it must be tbe Teetotallers . Ftver and the measles are unfortunately very prevalent here , and have carritd off a great number . On Friday last , the Teetotallers held a soiree in the Hall ; about eighty sat down to tea ; Mr . Jamts AEdereon in the chair- The meeting was favoured "with speeches from Messrs . Harley and Patterson . A voca ! band was in attendance , and the evening was spent in the most agreeable manner .

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      The Mammoth , building at Bristol , will exceed 3 , 600 ions ; more than any other ship ia existence . Il IS confidently stated that Mr . Nicholls , one of the Poor Law Commissioners , has resigned his appointment . — Times . The Tory Leaders . —On the Poor-law Bill 55 Conservatives vuied with Sir Robert Peel , and 10 U agaius ; him . Earl G'Xeil died on Thursday , at Dublin . He was once Grand Master of the Orangemen of Ireland . The ¦ withdrawals from the Paris Savings' Banks on Sunday and Monday last exceeded the deposits by a sum of 60 , 855 :. * the foimer amounted to 636 , 000 f . and the latter to 575 , 145 .

      It is said that Don Miguel had consented to renoance his claims to the throne of Portugal , on condition that his titles and estates should be restored to him * Tub Courier Francait slates that an important discovery for the French navy had been made in the neighbourhood of Quimper . A coal-mine had beeu discovered , which promised to be extremely productive . Jamaica . —Commercial matters in Jamaica wear an unsettled appearance , and tbe distress caused by tbe scarcity of money , aud the disinclination of the banks to discount is said to originate in a measure with the CommissiOEers of Accounts .

      The author of the Isiagara hoax is Baid to be a Mr . ^ Nichols , who once edited a scurrilous paper in this city , and hss for some time past published and edited the Buffalonian , an unprincipled sheet , ia Buffalo . —Itoston Journal , The ahoctis issued for the service of the army navy , and ordnance , respectively , from April , 2838 , to > larch , 18 * 0 ( both inclusive ) , were—for the army , £ 13 , 558 , 397 ; for the navy , £ 10 . 150 , 632 ; and for the orduance , £ 3 , 281 , 534 : making altogethcr , £ 27 , 030 i 563 .

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      A fire , discovered in the tower of the church of Asbton-under-Lyne , threatened tbe destruction of that venerable edifice , but . after about an hour ' s exertion , was completely subdued . EMIGRATION . —There are now thirty vessels in the London and St . Katharine Docks fitting out to c-nvey emigrants to Sydney , Hobart Town , Canada , New York , and to the infant colony of New Zealand . which are to sail during the present month and April , and they will carry out in all about 60 , 000 passengers . Shipwreck . —A party of men ( 26 ) had been shipwrecked , and landed sixteen rniks on the north side of the mouth of the river Oliuhans . They had been nine days in boats , and belonged to the brig Australia , from Dundee , which had taken fire about 600 miles to the westward of the Cape , and waa consumed in one honr .

      Cafital Offences . —The number of persons car pitally convicted of the following offences , from 1838 to 18-10 inclusive , was as follows : — y iz ., arson , number convicted , 6 ; burglary with violence , 17 ; robbery with violence , 18 ; cutting and maiming with intent to murder , 20 ; altogether 61 : but out of this number only two were executed . Father Matiiew continues his work of social reformation . On Saturday week , at CatTickmaCTOBS , he administered the pledge to about three thousand person ? ; on Sunday , to five thousand all at once , besides others during the day ; and on Monday , to a great multitude besides , including " a large number of respectable ladies ! " An Irish paper estimates the total number who took the pledge in the three days at one hundred and twenty thousand .

      Milbask Pemtentiary . —The total number of prisoners rectived into this penitentiary in the year 1840 was 1 , 8 * -6 . and the toial number removed during the same pf riod was L . 324 The total expences incurred in 1810 amounted to £ 22 , 413 , from * which , if the net profits by prisoners' earnings , &c , be deducted , tho net expence © f the establishment will have been . £ 18 , 913 . The number of prisoners in the Penitentiary is about B 6 S . It was only last week they sent 150 women away to the hulk ? , preparatory to being conveyed to New Zealand . An over-anxious Juav—A case of assault

      having come before Mr . Baron Parke a few days since , the Learned Judge told the Jury ( tho defendants ' counsel having admitted the assault , and spoke only in extenuation ) that they could not but find the defendants guilty . Notwithstanding this direction , the Jury were for a long time in consultation , to the merrimeu : of all present . His Lordship again sta : ed , that" as the defendants' counsel had admitted the assault , surely they , the Jury , coafd not doubt it "— ( laughter)—yet the Jory consulted , and it was not nil after another intimation from the Learned Judge , that they had , in fuct , HOihing to consult about , tha : they returned a verdict of Guilty .

      Fatal Accident at Earl Sevtonb Mansion . — On Friday morning , between ten and eleven o ' clock , a most serious a . ud appalling accident aecurred ( and which in a few hours afterwards proved fatal ) to Thomas Crow , a journeyman painter , who was engaged cleaning the exterior of the second floor windows iu the front of Earl Sefton ' s mausiun . No . 19 , Ariington-screeS , Piccadilly , when the machine , ou which the unfortunate man stood , from being improperly affixed within , suddenly gave way , anil he was precipitated ou the stone paving lii the courtyard . A-sistance being procured , bo was removed to St . George's Hospital , where , after lingering a few hours , death , terminated his sufferings .

      Gentlemanly Pkf . perexceof Piivsicalto Moral Force .. — A . duel was fought on il ^ uduy morning , ih the vicinity of Chalk Farm , between two foreigners . The aggressor , wh >* c name , we are told , is Gustave , received his adversary ' s tire most coolly , tho bullet passing through his hat , literally ^ rjz ' mg hie hair , after which he fired into the air . After therecontre , the parties shook hands and breakfasted together . An Irish paper says , Mr . Samuel Hutchins aud Mr . Lilor are to fi < ht a dui ; next week at Boulogne . Mr . Parsons is to b « lhc friend of tho former , and Mr . H . Bridgman , M . P ., of his antagonist . The affair originated at ( . Vrk assizes in the alleged oxaction of a barony cess collector . And from Galway we have uews of a difference of opinion which

      arose afitr dinner between two ltarned members of a learned profession , and which ended in one of them throwing a decanter full of wine at his learned friend . Three ribs are said to have beeu broken by the collision . Neither of the gentlemen has appeared in court , ( iu the dock or elsewhere , ) and it is understood that one of them has beeu bound over to keep the peace . Robbi . vq Public Houses . —On Thursday week , at the Mansion House , a man n ^ med John Blown , alias George Bacon , who had very much ths appearance of a seafaring person , was charged with having robbed several public-houses by night . The prisoner having shown a great deal of talent in tho particular line of plunder to which he teemed to have

      applied himself , more than ordinary curiosity was excited . From one public housa he abstracted three sovereigns and two half-sovereigns , and some silver , a pencil case , four keys , a penknife , anl other articles ; from ann-. her he took 19 s . 2 d . aud various articles , the properly ef tho waiter : and from a third he took : v cash box , containing < € 2 10 s . 5 d ., and a paper or order for a considerable amount , all the property of the " Sons of the Thames . " A Strange Story . —A French paper , called the Jtttjie / 2 C £ , contams a letter from a private correspondent , dated Gibraltar , the 28 th ult ., which states that an opulent British merchant named Jatnea Boxwell , long resident there , had been tried and convicted of tho murder of bis daughter , on circumstantial evidence , and that on the way to execution the convict faw in the crowd another Englishman named John Keats , who had been extremely active in collecting evidence agasnst him . The convict expressed a

      desire to die iu peaco with all mankind , and to pardon thi 3 person , whom he had considered his greatest enemy . When the convict reached tho Bcaffold the executioner was preparing to execute tha sentence of the law , when a voice was heard iu thocrowd exclaiming— " It is I that am guilty , and not the convict . " Th ' iB exclamation was m » de uy Johu Keats . He confessed that it was he who had carried off James BoxweU' 8 daughter ; that ho had cut off her hair during her sleep , and stolen one of her dresses , which he had steeped in blood , and that the generous pardon granted to him by his victim ¦ had caused him to reflect on the enormity of his crime . The executioner immediately withdrew the rope from the convict ' s neck , and the cap from his face , when it was discovered that he was dead from the effects of terror . The atrocious John Keus was conducted to prison amidst the execrations of the populace , who wished to tear him in pieces .

      The Chartists and Anti-Corn-Law Agitators . —At Lambeth-street , on Saturday , Mr . Sidney Smith , Secretary to the " Metropolitan Anti-Corn-Law Association , " applied to the Hon . J . C . Norton under tho following circumstances : —Mr . Smith stated , that , a = Secretary to the Metropolitan Anti-Corn-Law Association , he had frequently to deliver lectures , in different parts of the metropolis , on the subject of the political economy of the Corn-Laws , which placed a con ? iderable tax upon the people . Mr . Norton— " What is the object of your application ! " Mr ,, Smith— " 1 wish , your worship , to ask yonr advice as to how the law stands with respect to she protection of persons delivering lectures an different subjects . A number of pereons , calliDg themselves Chartists , follow me about from place to

      place , and interrupt me so , that I am unable to go on , through their clamour \ " Mr . Norton— " How do you know them to bo Chartists 1 I always understood that Chartists were inimical to the Corn-Laws ; and , therefore , wonder why they should interrupt you in your advocacy for their repeal ? " Mr . Smith— " 1 know them to bo Chartists ; both from their being the same persons who follow me retuIarJy from place to place , and their declaration , that nothing was to be done , unless through tho Charter . " Mr . Norton— " Do you complain of the interruption generally , or on any particular occasion ? " Mr . Smith— " I complain now of the . last occasion upon wnich I have experienced it , I had been engaged by the Directors of the Literary and

      Scientific Institution iu High-street , Poplar , to deliver a lecture , and was systematically interrupted in the course of it by the Chartists . " Mr . Norton — " Were your lectures public , or were the parties attending them admitted by cards only ! " Mr . Smith—' They are public , but nurely intended as lectures , and not as a subject of general discussion . " Mr . Norton— " In thiB country discussion is allowed m the fullest degree , and without wishing to enter ou the subject , there are , in my opinion , good grounds o ! argument on the other side of the Butgect . If the growers of corn in this country were relieved from the heavy taxation to which they are subjected , they would have no objection , in my opinion , to the repeal of the Corn Laws ; and , at all events , while the

      growers remain so heavily tax « d as at present , there are grounds for argument against the repeal " Mr . Smith here went on to say that one of the laws of the Chartists was that they were pledged to attend any meeting , and , in defiance of all decorum , to enforce their own views and insist on the Charter , as nothing could be done unless through it . Mr . Norton observed that diacussiou generally promoted truth , and thought that those who were the advocates for public opinion should be the last to fetter it . Mr . Smith said that persons were engaged in giving lectures on Astronomy , otheis on anti-Popery , and othera on Temperance , and he thought it essenthat

      tial the law should protect them . Mr . Norton replied that Englishmen did not like the eyrtematio discussion of those who were paid to advocate one side of a question ; and , feeling the right of being heard on the other side , interruption was the consequence . Applications had been made to him ( Mr . Norton . ) by Temperance Lecturers , and he told them , as he would tell the applicant , that the police would interfere only when they saw a tendency to a breach of the public peace . He ( Mr . Norton ) did not think the police should interfere under any other circumstances . After some further observations , Mr . Smith withdrew , expressing his determination to apply to the Commissioners of Police © a the subject .

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      DlBTUBBANCKS IN THK SttOTH OT FRANCE . —The Paris Moniteur of Thursday the 25 th ult . contains a telegraphic despatch announcing serious disturbances in the South . " Marseilles , 24 th March , 1841 . —The Prefect of the Mouths of the Rhone to the Minister of the Interior . —Anarchists of the lowest description attempted last night a revolutionary movement . We were on , our guard . Twelve or fifteen individuals , most Qrwhom were provided with arms and ball-cartridges j have been arrested . Justice has instituted an inquiry . All is perfectly tranquil , "

      Northern Circuit , Liverpool , March 26 . —The Judges arrived here last night , and opened the Commission of Assize . There are ninety-seven prisoners in the calendar , seven of whom are charged with murder , seven with rape , two with attempts to murder , and one with aiding and abttting that crime . There are tea cases of manslaughter , eight of cutting and wounding , fonr for forgery , two burglaries , besides felonies of the more ordinary description . Tho cause list contains sixty-four in the first , or Manchester list , and one hundred and twelve in the Liverpool list .

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      HOUSE OF LORDS , Friday , Mauch 26 . Their Lordship ^ continued the investigation into conduct of the Irish Poor Law Commission . Mr . Pecldur was again examined . He exhibited ' billa which he held of tf r . Butler , for three , six , nine , eighteen , and thirty-six months . Mr . Erie , formerly an Assistant Poor Law Commissioner in Dublin , was next examined . His evidence did not add much to what was stated by former ¦ witnesses . He seemed to attach Ies 3 importance to the irregularities than many persons have done . With rtspoct to the imputation of political motives in the selection of Returning-offlcers , he mentioned one or two Important facts -. lie said , that with few exceptions , atl ths applications for such places came from persons of one slue only—ninety-nine out of a hundred entertained tbe same political opinions aB tbe Government ; and be ave 3 » ed . t | h > t GjvernuJi ? nJi had never interfered to direct thd choice of Rtturnfng-ofncers : the recom inundation of the local Aasistant-Conunissiontira was considered almost tantamount to an appointment .

      Viscount Melbourne stated , in answer to Viscount Strangfyrd , that thore was every prospect that negotiations with Franca , for a more liberal commercial intercourse with this country , would be renewed .

      Monday , March 25 . Lord Denm an , while presenting apetition respecting tbe Administration of Justice Bill , took occasion to enter into an explanation relative to some charges made against bim , to which he felt it to be due to their Lorvlshipa , to himself , and to tho adiniuistratiou of justice , to givd a full and complete answer . It was supposed that , in s case which recently came before him at nisi prius , ho had , for the base purpose of screening a certain individual fmin puniihinent , pr « vented further proceedings again . * t him , and required that the party should be obliged to make pecuniary compensation to the prosecutor . He should have thought that the ¦ whole history of his life wouUl hswe been ah unswer to a charge like this , but it had lately been repeated upon

      such hiuh authority in another pluco , taut he felt it necessary to place the iacts bti ' ore tiieir Lordships , hoping tliat his statement of the truth would at once cli .-iuge tho opinions even of those who made the charges against him . Ic appeared that Lord WaUlegriive w . is prosecuted for an assault on u policeman , and the cusu came for trial before hint . He did not stop tuts proceedings , for thty had not btea stopptd at all , but wcro still ^ gohlg forward , aud the tlefriinlants would be called up for judgment next term in the Cuuii of Qoeeu s Uanch . it might bu iupposiL ' il that this v / ns on in £ to no act of his , and biich was the- c : ise , ior it was the result of th « ordinary course of the law ; but it -vas also supposed to be owing to the perseverance of the commissioners of

      police in opposition to his nisgcstion . This was a mis take , for ho had given no such recommendation , nor had be given any suuh opinion sis was attributed to him , foxhe waa ignuraiit at tho time of all thu particulars of the case . The facts were these : Whon the trial wa « calied on , Sir F . Pollock said the defendant would withdraw bis plea of not guilty and plead guilty , and expressed a bopo that t : is client might bo permitted to make compew > : i * ion to th « prosecutor . It was a practice in the courts of law to allow such compromises , if Che offence ¦ w as uot a gross or fl \ grant public outrage . If it vru 8 a case punishable by flue only , it was thought better to let the moaey go to the injured party rather than to tho Treasury , iu which case the suft ' .-rar would receive do

      benefit . >\ hen Sir F , Pollock niadb this suggestion he ( LorU i > enman ) said •' At least they act rightly now ; let the plea of guilty be recorded , and I hope the case is of such a nature as to admit of private reparation . " This , which evidently implied a doubt whether it was such a case , had been eonstroed into an attempt to screen offenders from justice . This simple statement , however , woujd , . he beliiwd , leliere tho administration of jimice fwta tu « Kattack * which had recently been madevpoD it . Ha was aware that these attacks hnd beeu inatfa upon him ia th& ' public papers , but , until it WiS mentioned in the House of Commons , he did not thick it necessary to bring the matter before tlluir lordships . .

      Tno Marquis o ? Normaxbv thought the noble lord might havoleitUHwh imputations to be answered by his owa liigb . character . ¦ ' At tho same time , he waa of opinion that such compromises should be always of rare occurrence , bo that no opportunity should be allowed of giving colour to a suspicion that the evidtfiicti of the police might be tinctured by the hope of future recompense . Mr . Haw ley , one of the assistant poor law commissioners for Ireland , was then examined- respecting tho falsLtication of the returns from the Clonmal union .

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      HOUSE OF COMMONS , Fbidat , March 26 . Mr . M'Kinnon begged to oak whether , in the event of the cuu . mercial treaty with France being ; concluded , and a modification of the duty on wines taking place , the parties engaged in that traffic , who had a stock on haml , would be allowed the drawback ? Mr . LaiioOCHEKE said it waf not regular or convenient to answer these questions pending thu execution of a treaty , but as a general principle be might say thu drawback would be allowed in the event of any reduction of the existing duties . iu answer to Mr . PiifcingtoD , Lord J . Russell said that lie had not yet received tha despatches from Newfoundland , but h't hoped in a few weeks to be able to htate vrhat were tho intentions of tho Government with respect to that colony . In auswtr to Mv . Goulburn , Mr . Hawes said it was hit intention to proceed with the Medical Heferm Bill , ai ; d he should state the precise day on which he should again briaK it forward on Monday .

      In ituswer to Lord b ' andon , Lord J . Kussell stated that it was his intention to postpone tho English and Scotch Registration of Voters Bills until the rtsult of tbe Irish Kegi&tr .-uion Bill was known . A great number ot petitions were presented on the sulij ' ct-of the Poor Law Amendment Bill , including one by L « rd Sandon fr > n « Liverpool , signed by ne . irly 50 , 000 persons , pnying to exrmpt parishes under Sturges Bourne ' s act from the operation of the Bill ; one by Mr . Langdate , from lO . oou Roman Catholics of M&ncb-eBter and SaKord . praying that paupers of that persuuM . n might be allowed tbo attendance of their OWU c ! yrs . suieu ; anil one by . Mr . Brotherton , from the Society of KrieiKis , against the sy . item of paying clergymen of thi .- Ebtablished Church for their attendance in workhousiiH .

      Captain PECHELL called the attention of the Noble Lord ( J . Kussclli to the importance of protecting the districts under local acts from the interference of the Commissioners . The Hou&e then went into Committee on the Bill . On clause two being read , Mr . Fiej dex mored an amendment to the clause , the effect of which would be to repeal tho Poor Law Amendment Ac \ . Lord J . Russell objected to the amendment on the ground ot its informality . The ChairBisn ( Mr . Bjcrsal ] < i « ci < Ie < l that it was irregular to put un amendment so worded . Mr . FlttLDKN complained that his constituents would not be heard in that House .

      Lord J . Russell had no objection to a specific motion un the subject being brought forward , but when tue H « n . Member h * d not been able to get at defiance the ruies of the House , and thereby throw the business into coinpie exclusion , it was not fair , it was not just , and it was not true , for him to assert that his constituents would not be heard iu that House . ( Loud cheers . ) The amendment was then withdrawn , and the clause agreed to . On cleuse 3 being wa'I , Mr . Waklky moved that the clause be postponed . The clause purported to limit the po * er of the

      com-, and prevent their infcmeriHg with parishes haviDg lotal acts , but it was rather ambiguously worded , and the commissioners might form a union of two or three parishes , including the one under a local act , and thereby deprive it of its right to exemption . Kir JL Peel snpported the amendment . Mr . Leadkr said , tbe Government being in the ham ' s of the Right Hon . Bart , they had no alternative but to submit to his proposition . After a few words from Lord Howick , the clause ¦ was postponed . On clawe 4 bein < r read .

      Mr . HJivoE moved an amendment to omit tha word " regulations , " the object of which was to restrict the power of the Pe » r Law Commissioners , and give a discrttion to the boards of Guardians to administer outdoor relief in certain cases . The Hon . Member compUun « d of tke legu'ations laid down by the Commissioners as being harsh in the extreme , more especially tho >) e which referred to the separation of members of the same family , and the refusal to administer outdoor relief . Lord G . Somerset believed that macb of the unpopularity of the Poor Law Amendment Act was attributable to the manner in which the Poor Law Commissioners enforced tfaeir regulations . Ho thon ; Ut they exhibited great arrogance in tha style of tiieir

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      Communications , and that they showed no feeling whatever for the comforts of the poor . Lord J . RUSSELL believed that no appointments had ever been made with greater circumspection than those of the Poor harr Commissioners . They had a very arduous and ungracious duty to ptrftrm , namely , to expose and do away with abuses , and to check extravagant expenditure , and they were therefore lifeely to be unpopular with some parties ; but , on the whole , they had . discharged their important dutyjn a manner which entitled them to the admiration and respect of that House and the country . Lord Sandon found fault with some of the proceedings of the Commissioners , who appeared to him to be the slaves of a certain theory , but would oppose the amendment

      Mr . WAKLET objected to tmy discussion of the private characters of the Commissioners , of whom he was bound to say he had never heard anything prejudicial . Lord Howick supported the clause . Sir Robert Peel did not think it would be prudent or consistent with tbe interests of humanity to do away with the Poor Law Commissioners . After alengtheued discussion , the Committee divided , when there appeared—for the clause , 220 ; for the amendment , 75 . Mr . Rice then moved another amendment on the Clause , to the effect that any order issued by tho Commissioners , as to the amount of relief to be given , or as to the management of the poor in auy workhouse , should be taken to be a general order . The amendment Was agreed to . Clause 5 was , after some discussion , postponed . On clause 6 being proposed , Mr . Fielden moved that the Chairman do report

      progress . The House then resumed . Mr . FOX MaULE brought in a Bill to amend the 3 rd and 4 th Victoria , chap . 01 ) , for taking the census : the Hon . Member also brought in a Bill for regulating tbe employment Of children IU factories , Which were severally read a first time . The House adjourned at half-past twelve o ' clock . Monday , March 29 , . . ' ¦¦ A new writ was moved for tho county « f Antrim , in the room of General O'Ntill , who has bean called to the Upper House , on succeeding to the title and estates of tfie deceased Earl ' O'Neill . Mr . Paki . ngton complained of the arrangement made by the Government for proceeding with the Poor Law Amendment Bill , to the uxclusiou of notices of motion , and intimated hia intention to persevere with his motion respecting Newfoundland .

      Lard J . Russell said it would bu very inexpedient to . enter into a discussion on the state of Newfoundland in the absence of information , which he expected to receive in a few weeks , from the colony . After some observations from Lord Stanley , Sir R . Peel , and Sir Q . Clerk , as to the danger of establishing such a course as a precedent , by wnicb . the notices ot Hon . Members were thrown over without their consent , the order of the day was read fur the House resolving itself into Committee on the Poor Law Amendtneut Bill . Mr . FiELDEN rose to move that it bean instruction to the committee on the Poor Law Centinuance Hill , to introduce a clause into the bill for the repeal of thu Poor Law Amendment Act . The Hon . Member said that nothing but a sense of duty , and a settled

      conviction in his own mind , that the act had failed either to amend the administration of relief to the poor , or to accomplish the specific effects which its promoters stud it would secure , added to the fearful apprehensions he entertained of the danger of continuing this law , would have induced him to take this course . He had , from the introduction of Iho bill i : iio that House iu 1834 , to the present time , maintained that there was no necessity for such an act , and that what was calif d the abusive administration of relief to the poor under the law as it then stood , was not caused by the poor themselves , nor by any defect in the law , but was tho effect of excessive taxat / . o , n , of alterations from time to time in the eurrenoy , of corn laws to make food dear and sustain rents , of laws to repeal the tax on property , and raise the revenue by taxes on every article that

      ought to be larg « ly consumed by the poor , and , lastly . by the bill of 1819 , which , by contracting the currency , doublfd tho pressure of taxation on the people , ' and withdrew from thousands the means which they would otherwise have had of employing the poor , and paying thtm wages adequate to their proper maintenance . There was not one of tho causes to which ho had referred , and which were all consequent on acts of Parliament , that had not produced a necessity for the relief of the poor being administered , as to its amount , according to the wants of the needy poor in every one of the parishes to which they belonged . Lord Altborp , on bringing in the Bill , in 1834 , stated tnat , fora long period of years , the administration of tho poor laws had been free from the evils and abuses then connected with it , aad he daled their origin at about the beginning of the present century , soon after the 31 th of George III . was passed , about the time when cash payments had been suspended at the Bank , which led to an incresss of paper money , causing a

      rise of prices ot the necessaries < rf life , unaccompanied by a corresponding rise of wages , and consequently great suffering among the poor , and a greater number of applications for relief . The Act of the 3 « th of George lit . -was passed at the instance of Mr . Pitt , to ensure this relief , and thereby put a st « p to the complaints of distress , and it proved that the change then made in tbe currency was the immediate cause of an increased amonnt of relief being given to the poor at that period ; and , as taxes and rents had gone on increasing , relief to the poor had , on every subsequent alteration of the laws he ( the Hon . Member ) had named , been altered to suit the new state of things , which the law created . Mr . Cjbbett ; wrote a litt o work , after the Poor Law Amendment Act was passed , entitled " Cobbett ' s Legacy to Labourers , " with a dedication to the Right Hon . Member for Tamworth . Every one who was desirous of understanding the question of poor laws would do well to read this little work . In his dedication he gave the amount of poor rates and of Government taxes , at different times , as follows : —

      Poor Rates . Government Taxes . Reign of James II . £ l «« , o »» ^ i , 3 o « , «« o 177 $ 1 , 4 U 0 , 0 *» « , Se « , O ( J « 1789 2 , 25 U , 009 16 , 00 » , »» 0 1833 « , 7 Ce , uOO 52 , 000 , » 90 and he adds , " Ought not the insolent calumniators of tbe industrious classes of England to blush at tbe sight of this ? Ought not these impudent and unfeeling men to think a little ot the constquences of their thus wantonly calumniating tbia lahorious people , and calling them idle sturdy vagabonds ? Must it not be evident to every one , that the increase of poor-rates has arisen trom tho increase of rents and the increase of taxes , and not at all from any defect in the Poor Laws , nor from any defect in their administration by overseers and magistrates ? How comes it that they never produced

      all this mass of evil attributed to them in the course of 200 years ? ' If further proof be required that alterations in the currency placed the poor in new circumstances , and either increased or diminished the necessity for more or less relief being afforded to them , -we had this proof in the Act of 1833 , which niado bank notes a legal tender at all places but the Bank . The announcement of it by Lord Althorp , when he submitted bis resolutions in April , 1823 , gave rise to an advance of most raw materials used in inauufactures , iu a very short time , of nearly fifty per cent . Tha joint stock banks , which till then hau been cautious in their accommodations to their cuatoinuis , became much less so ; the other banks became more liberal too . Money increased in quantity , trade revived , agriculture also in a short time became more healthy , railways were

      projected , and labour became abundant , and , until 1837 , when a check was given to public confidence from the hint that the Bank threw out that it must curtail ita issues , poor-rates decreased in amount To thia altered state of things , produced by making bank-notes a legal tender , which led to increased issues , and afterwards to contraction , may as well b « attributed the reduction in the amount of relief to the poor , as to any of the crutl measures of the Poor Law Commissioners . And we now find , that what they were allowed t # do without producing a general impression that it was wrong , is now followed by a general impression that what they did is so , when credit has been shaken , employment become uncertain , and wages of labour reduced , which reduction of wages has become more easy to effect by the introduction Of the Self-acting test ; by the increased

      difficulty of obtaining relief which that test imposes on tins * really deserving of it , and who are plunged into deep distress by no fault of their own , and by circumstances they could not controul . The coiriinissiouers themselves say this in their last report : — " The depressed condition of the manufacturing population , to which we haTe already adverted , and the disquietude of the public mind occasioned by the Chartist riot at Newport , in Monmouthshire , rendered us extremely unwilling to take any step in the manufacturing districts of Lancashire which might have even a remote tendency to produce a disturbance , or which might be used by designing persons as a pretext for agitation . " At the period when the principle of administering relitf to the poor could be best tested and shown to be good ; at that period the commissioners confessed their

      unwillingness to « arry the law into execution . Who but the cotniaiaaioaera could anticipate disturbance from directing that proper relief should be extended to tuo pour in trying oucumstaucea , and carrying into execution what the Noble Lord tells us is a humane and benevolent law ? That showed not only the absurdity of a central board to lay down rules of relief , but their impotency to carry out any rule on the subject , and _ of the wickedness of the attempt , because of the suffering ik-infllcts , aria of the sympathy excited by this suffering amODglt the humane portion of the people of England . There , ¦ was , it iras true , in that House , many who professed to fcoLUwral Members , who had expressed opinions

      different from his on the principle of the Poor Law Amendment Act . They admitted it was based on centralisation , and pronounced the principle to be a good one . He ( Mr . Fielden ) was at issue with them , and he maintained ifce principle to be bad . They said it waa COmpatibla With local government . He would assert that it wa * destructive of local government , and opposed to good government They said that the delegation of the power to make laws to thne Commissioners at Somerset House was not unconstitutional ; but he maintained that it waa—that it was erecting a desp » tie power to dictate what should be done , and what should not be done , in fiWJ parish ia England , with regard to the dadaMBtttoa of the relief to tbe poor . Who

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      should decide ? The intentions of these Honourable Liberal Members might be good , but he feared they had never Btudied the principled of good government , and he would tell them what a high authority bad written on this subject of centralisation . In Jefferson ' * Memoirs there was this passage : — " It is not by the consolidation or concentration of powers , but by thete distribution , that good government is effected . Were not this great country already divided into states , thai division must be made , that each anight do for itself what concerns itself directly , and that it can do so much better than a distant authority . Every state again is divided into counties , each to take care of what lies within ita local bounds ; e&ch county again into townships or wards , to manage minuter details ; and

      every ward into farms , to be governed each'by its indl » vidnal proprietor . Were we directed from Washington when to sow and when to reap , we should soon want bread . " That was what a real liberal said was necessary te effect good government We had this distribution of power in England ; the Republic of Auierica adopted what they admired in English institutions " ¥ hey adopted our Poor Law , the same mode of taxing tbe people to provide a fund for the relief of the poor , and the administration of relief founded On the principle laid dowa in the 43 rd of Elizabeth . W « fcad departed from that principle , and ha * l made new division * of the county , and given power to a central board in London to direct the administration of relief in m 6 sfc of the parishes of . England , and what was the

      consequence ? Those who should now administer relief being directed from London how it should be afforded , the poor are denied that relief to which they have as good a claim as the landlord to his estate , and they do not only " want bread , " but they perish of . hunger and of cold . Such had beers the effect of the centralisation experiment No one could deny it , and the people of England were now baying , whatever either liberal or other honourable members might say to the contrary , that the system oif centralisation shall not continue , and that local parochial government shall be restored . He had never been able to ascertain that the act worked in a manner that was satisfactory to the rate-payers and the poor In any union whatever . He had preved the reverse to be the faetin

      thoBe unions inquired into by the Poor Law Committee on which he bad sat Responsibility must rest somewhere , an ; d if the New Poor Law be persevered hv thfl question of " who is responsible ? " may he mooted , and the responsible parties may be called to an account foi having given this advice . He ( Mr . Fielden ) felt disgusted with the treatment of the able-bodied labourer by tbe guardian ' s acting under the commissioners . Tie knew none iasociety more deserving of sympathy than the virtuous able-bodied man , with a family to support , but whose wages , notwithstanding ho endeavoured to acquire the best he could obtain honestly , were altogether Inadequate for the support of himself and those dependent on him . The proposition to throw the able-bodied " on * their resources / ' -when one-half of tbeir earnings were taken from them by taxes on their bread and every other article they consumed , was both ungenerous and unjust . ( Hear , hear , hear . ) But he ( Mr . Firitien ) had saiu tbit

      the adoption of this principle of relief had failed to raise wages , and to produce increased content of the labourers , and . diminution of crime . Look at the calendars , and to the charges of the judges of assize , who were almost everywhere deploring the increase 6 f crime , and suggesting education to prevent it It was food tbat the people wanted , and without that , education would not avail ; and , as to redaction of wages , instead of a rise , he ( Mr . Fielden 1 had proved thai before a committee of that House . Many Hon . Members had stated the same facts ; . and if the Noble Lord do-. ibted it , let him appoint a fair committee to inquire . Tho New Poor Law was a failure , and ought to be repealed , ami one more consonant with humanity and thfl riithls of tho . poor enacted in its stead . The 42 ( 1 * 61 Eliaibeth was that , and therefore if he ( Mr . Fielden ) were asked for a substitute , he would say , let us . resort to tho 43 d of Elizabeth . The Noble Lord and the House might rest assured that tUe people of England would never lie , reconciled to tha Poor Law

      Ainondm « nt Act , nor to the central board , and the seli-acting workhouse test The Noble Lord would do weil to look to the petitions against these measures , which had been presented in the short period of six weeks that this Bill had been known . Let him look whence they came . Those petitions , up to Friday week last , numbered 526 , with 138 , 527 signatures j while , on the other hand , there were , in th « same time , only ten petitions , with seventy-four signatures : in favour of tha Bill . If the Noble Lord doubted the influence of those petitioners over tkat House , let him l # ok to tbe sixtyseven notices of amendments to his Bill proposed lif different Members of that House . One , he savr , - wsHI to' have one large and populous union ( Boltoav « Semptcd from the PoorLawAmendmentAcfc ; ianother . i « rSa : to exempt all towns of l « , tOO inhabitants from ite operi « tion . That was proposed by the Noble Lord , the Member

      for Liverpool . The Noble Lord ; had consented ' tb parishes having local acts being exempted from his Bill , and that showed that the constituencies of those parishes were too powerful for the Noble Laid to bring under the operation of . the Poop ^ aw Amendment Act , and the Bill t ) amend it now before the House . If the Noble Lord would provide in his Bill that those unions which might wish to be exempted from interference by the Poor l » w Commissioners might bo SO , he ( Mr , Fielden ) had but little doubt that vheir continuance would be unnecessary . He , therefore ^ implored the Noble Lord and the House to pause , because of the danger he apprehended from continuing th » Poor Law Amendment Act ; on the statute book any - longer , and from continuing to attempt further to carry out its provisions . He would now beg to move tbat it be an instruction to the committee to introduce a clause into ihe Bill to repeal the Poor Law Amendment Act .

      General Johnson seconded tho motion . He had no wish to go back to the old law , but so long as unconstitutional powers were vested in the Commisaioutn , he should take every opportunity of expressing his disapprobation of the present system . In the manufacturing districts the Poor Law Amendment Act was totally inefficient in affording the mean 3 of Teli « f . It would sometimes happen that l . ooo or 1 , 500 persons would bo thrown out of employment in a single week or even a single day . How were theso persons to be relieved in the workhouse ? He might be told that the poor man would make provision against misfortunes . But how was it possible for a man earning 8 s . or 9 s . a weekscarcely enough to provide himself and family in foodto lay by nuney , or to provide against misfortune ? What he wantad to see was a power given to the local authorities to give such relief as the nature of the ease might require .

      The House then divided , when the numbers wero—For the motion ... 9 Against it ... 155 Majority against the motion ... 14 G . The House went into committee . Clauses 6 , 7 , and 8 . were agreed to . Clause 9 waa postponed . On the 10 th clause ,, which provided for the enmbin * . tion of parishes and unions , for the purposes of establishing infant schools and lunatic wards . Mr . B . W « od proposed an amendment , to the effect tbat no such unions , for tbe purposes of schools , should take place , except with the consent of the majority cpf the boards of guardians of each ef the parishes proposed to be united . A debate ensued , in the course of which Mr . Haves said that the clergy of the established church were to blame for showing a disposition not to give there seT < rices to the workhouses , unless they were paid for it .

      This raised a new point—as to propriety of having tbe children in those unions educated in the tenets of the established church , Lord Stanley insisting that , as far as regarded illegitimate children in workhouaef , they could only be considered as children of the state , and had a right to be educated without any interference whatever from the mother ; and that with respect to all children in workhouses , it educated by the state , it was onlyricht that they should be educated in the religion of the state . On the other hand , Lord JoHH Russell thought it very Irkely that the dissenters , aa rate-payers , would object t » having all children eda « cated in the religion of the establishment Mr . Colq , uhoun , in reply to Mr . Hawes , quoted the report of the .-assistant Poor Lsw Cummissiooers respect ing tho training of pauper children , which- showed that the clergy , in almost e ? ery union , hid lent their service * gratuitously to promote tbe good management of the schools in the workhouses .

      Sir R . Peel was of opinion , that if the children of the poor were to be educated by . the State , they should be educated in the religion of the Established Church . The amendment before the House was . ; technical , and they had somewhat irregularly got into this discussion , but as they htd been led into the discussion , lie must say tbat the education given should not be merely secular . It should be a religious education , ;> mi in the religion of the State . . He must say he was not quite so clear as his Noble Friend ( Lord Stanley ) upon the propriety of taking away all power of interference from the mother of an illegitimate child . A woman might to seduced , and it dfd seem hard that she must sicxlfice her only comfort , ' and give up ker child altogether , in order to procure for it ; the benefit of education . ...

      Mr . LANGDALE had no objection that a ehapbda should be appointed- to those workhousfs , but he dissented from the doctrine that because an orphan might become a child of the state , that the state had , therefore , a right to its soal as well as ita body . He eunld not allow that because » child migbt thus be thrown upon tho workhouse it would be for « ed to adopt the established religion , no matte * what might be tbe reU gionof its parents , or how well Yerg&d it might be In the tenets of its own religion , or however unwilling to abandon them . He never could support the establish * ment of a school in whicb the first principles of toleration wer # to ba sacrificed . Sir R . Peel said he had laid down a general principle without laying down its exceptions , but he certainly should not force upon any child a reiigioa in oppoaltiou to the wishes « f any of ita natm *! guardians . On a division the amendment was carried by a

      majority of 172 to 108 . The Chairman soon after reported progress and ob « tained leave to sit again . ; Lord J . Russell Baid that he would not seek priority for the committee to-morrow , nor v »< uld be bring it on at ail if the otber bufliness went bejond half-part eight o'dock *

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      V: THE NORTHERN STAR . __ ' . ' ¦ ¦ ! ... . , ¦ ¦ ¦ - ¦¦ - ,. ,. . - .. - .,,- ¦ ,., , ,- ' ' . — - ~ M » BBM ^ MPM— ====== ^

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), April 3, 1841, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1103/page/3/