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    HSmprrtal ^iarlfamrnt.

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    HOUSE OF LORDS-Fsidat , Fi 3 . 2-L The Earl el MlNTO moved for returns respecting the prescDt state of the cavy . He it quired exp ana ? ions as to -srfaj there tod been less ship-building last ytar thsn liad been cunteispiaitfri , and wnj a rednoed vote was to be iaktn for tts ? pi-. * srni year ? He inquired also the Tpq » n * -3 of otbsT rtxU 3 ti £ > ns ? TSf Dnie of Welli > GTOX doubted £ he propriety of fnnH 8 Di :: g the information asked for . Tbs Earl of Haddingto > " wished the Earl of Hinto to positunthis qaasioiiS . and eive notice for another evesing , ^ "liei : hn w nid bs brtter prepared . Tbf £ j 1 * f HiXTO ? "hen enitrei ! into various det Jls respect's ? lne pscs « a » t condition of our dockyards , &c ., and moved for returns relating to tiffin .

    Thr Enlof Haddi . ngtO 3 explained ,-teat the reason Whj Uiere "sras leas ship-buii-. iiag last year _ * n kid keen co : teiapiat ^ 4 . was , that it was deemed more economical to k » c o vtsseia already built ill good repair ih _ io bniid bc * ones . 11 had keen fouud impractical in Woolwich D < jckyard to build the number of siesaiers req ^ rrcd , and the reduced estimates for the prrs-nt y- ~ ai had been adopted -with great reluctance , bat it tras fell ihai owing to the atat « of the nuances , jsorr . e rernctiois yhonld be ac&pted . He continued with jiTint vnf-. ra-. atiua in reply to the Erri of Mrnto . Lord A 5 iiBUKios expressed bis regret that the infon- ction ha » 1 brfcD siven .

    Tue Dake of TA ellis gtos said he had given his opinl .-n r-f ihe irr . j . r . pr-. rtj of furnishing the inforrr-aron , but faia ac yj --- was aeglected , ana the two Noslc Lurds . in ctfenw of th-, ir resptcti ~ e £ ov < rnEients , had pabliah ^ -d to ti = c- ¦ w tiwiti world Ui&rination "winch should J ^ ev-j isavts bt = i-E eommesicaied , and which m " : gLt jirvfc zni £ cbicToit 3 to the oounay . ^ fi « r si-nii ! tnrthei debate , in winch Lords Minto anil Ea- ^ jias ' j . i vindicated themstlTeS , and ib ? Daks of "Wti . L-atou remarks-: that he had always a : » couragid such motions , tb ? Earl of 53 into withdrew bis motion , and the House a- jei _ e&i .

    Mcxdat , Febbtjabt 27 . Xord Gahpbsll moved for and obtained copies of ioTu EUeurn ^ rough s proclamations , and gave notice , on the port of the 2 iarquis of Clanricarde , of a motion on the fccbjtct , on tha 9 tn uf March . Lsrd > 10 > "teagle . at the rtqutst cf the Dake of " Wfcihiigton postpoced bis motion on the Corn Laws , on acc . 'TSQt of tne indisposition of the E -rl of Rlpun . After forwarding some b'lls the House adjourned .

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    I 7 ~ I HOL' SE OF CuMMOMS—TECfiiDAT , Feb . 23 [ la a part vf oar las > Treek ' s irrpre ? sion we gave a very condensed acd imper : ect aecuunt o ! the proceedings in the Hoesc of Commons on tht enfaj ^ ct of Z » ir . Walters motion on the Xtw Pogt Law . On acctmnt of its gre&t imporiance we sive this Tre ; k a more expended report , particul » r 3 j of the speeches of Mr , Waiter and Mr Ferrand . l i I I

    PHIKCIPLES OF THE NEW POOR LAW . ' Mr . Waiiee then rose , and com'rtDOfd his speech fey or-Ecrrirp that he could hs ? e- -wishtil that it had ' fallen to the lot of some abler or more i-niii » ent member to haie brought forward the prestnt surject . for ii the ' abilities of bim "who broEght it frrward \ rere to be ' TFtii . hed or nieasnrrd by the Tasi omseqneDces iny&ived , ' he feared that he she-rid !> e fonnd greai-y dfrfieient . If , " infietd . he nsicht have had his -wish iD : " u'ced , he should Esv ^ des : r « -d her M 3 J =: Hty''s ministers themEtlTf-s tchaTe takta a niore htrmane and constirution&i Tiew of the ' ¦ qcfstirn . for h- cer » -iy did he Irish tirm to pur oe sueh iu *< . Trres ss "sr ' . u'd secure tbera the loTe of the people

    —fcc iE = 3 . tit of rbe people liken in the msas ; and tiier * Tras no one m thon hj Ts-fcMi tht-j ecu !' -, so esstn'ialiy hsYB eno * - ^ i » d theIl' ^ elTes to tne "va ^ V body of the ConntrT al l ^ r ^ e si by flemeiishiD ^ , ^ bat be was sr-rry to szy had been uarUaklly , sad at secoDd hand , their "work , KinitrJy—the 2 S ' ew Poor Liw He -was t-.-o old to coz . T -, much popui-rity h'nifrlf , and readily -would ke transfer "whaie- » cr he mii ^ ht have attained to t ^ jk , © ¦ whuES geiatral course of polic * be Uiou ^ ht most eaiculated to appease the d-ssitisfaetiwi and rt « tor ° the prosperity vi tae country . H- ¦ " onld ask ( hem this querrion britfly—had thrre b » . « n 3 ny satisfaction , any goo- ; ttmper , asy a-ik-rer : ec of the humbler classes to their employers sii ^ this m .-st unfeeling law had betn invented ? Had there been acythisg in fact in the country but brooding discontent , cVtr rea ^ y to brtsk oat into open " ? ioience , or toaTci-ge r . ielTby s-rrrtmisc ? iei ? He sai-3 none . Here they -were in thfc nmili year since the first movement seainjjt tie old Poor Lsw of the country originating ~ &iih one cf the greatest sove-Teigas—a female , too—that the land eTer knew ; the Tery o > j _ ct of whose coble policy it \ na . to tnstain the great m ^ sEss of the peopit : ajjnirst huvditary uppr » =-sion anu aristocrasic pride—par cere sviocctU , el dtbtllore suprrbos ; aid trio , bj tnt ting - he » elf anil nethroce to tie support of btr people—not to inc-iy u .-fla = 3 ces or iseTtis of retainers—s * X tee wio ' . e w < rid at defiance . That principle of her ' 3 the new law aid not refoiin , did not r = fft ~ re , did uot rcin \ igoratc—^ . at levtrsc-d . It protee * trj , or aff ^ ted t » protect , the

    great iaade" ? : i ; t-rc 3 t * SisL and nci * . the manE armr ' me Interests , by the oppr . aricn . >> y the Ter ; Cfitraeuon of th ^ s ? npon wLom Xt ^ te eleTst *! interests rested ; acd by that stterap * . to Of-str- ^ y t he v ^ ry basis of arl bcmna B «> cisty , be csnld t ^ R th ? m that thore m * re elev ^ i d interests must Tiitinjaseiy sirk Evfiy other foundation bn ^ tbst of the people - » a » a Ban < iy one . The ¦ w inds of dissfF = « tio 3 _ irould blow—th 8 temptst of popular fury -would begin to ra * e—and down would come their structure to &e ground . H * hai callwi this Kew Poor Law an invention , sad such liberally it ¦ was . It "aas tbe usTial tffurt of !« - ^ lB : ati- n . wben , tbrontb Ehe ispse of tme , old Ja-sa besan to iiil - > f a ^ eir app ! :-ac'ion , to improve snd adapt them anew—to cat off excresc&aces , aisd to invigorate the iropair » -d

    parts—to restore , to reform , bat not to convulse or destroy—pi ? ar . bear . ) But "what bad been the course pursued in this most ominous afeir ? A new invention sew to history as to the people , - was struck cut Principles and detdls . man and machinery ¦ w ere aUk * displaced . That elas ? of men ^ ho acted as parochial officers of their parishes , and &z jurors in their courts of law . -were cast *< -ide- A term of but modern invention -was adopted , or rath » -r filched frnm a more respectable instiruaon—that of " guardian ?" . And " gnarflians "—^ what -were *• ruarrtians '" under this new set ? Hi . Sheridaa hsd d ^ ficKi the effisc of a similar protector , appointed , as he said , to ext-rt over the unhappy Peruvians " such ^ narff . unsbip as the eagle afforded She lamb , covering -while it devoured its prty "'

    —their , bear . ) Such , bs had ever said , was the character of fids new poor law , and be fead since become possessed of a doenment -which justified him in a ^ sming that sneh -was the actual object of tho 3 e SFho brongfct it forward—ihcar , hear . ) He would no ^ read to the House a passage from that report : — " That at any imi after the passing of this act the Boar 4 of C-mtro ] shall have power , by an order , -with such txesption as shall fee thousht necessary , to disallow tba continuance of leUef to tha indigent , the aged , and the impoi- ^ nt , in xny other mode than in a "wotfchcoBe , regulated in such Bvsscer as hj the afore&sid Board -of Control shall be determined . The power cf the Commissioners " would be to rednce allo-wances , but sot to eiilarse

    them . After this has been accomplished , orders may be sent forth directing that after » uch a dny all out-door rolifcf should be given partly in kino ; after acctber perio 4 it ahould be . - vsnolly in km ^; that afUr s-ucb anottsir periefl it shouM b * ? radu- » lly diminisued is qcvnlity , until th » t mode cf relief was extinguished— -. hear , hear . ) Fr «? m the first the relief should fee altered in quality—xhear , htar . i— coarse hroira breid btir- £ substituted for Sne ^? hil ^; and ccncurreutly tiith these measures as to the out-do- ^ r p « jor , s gradual reduction ahonld be made in tbe - iet of the in-Qoor poor , and 2 tiict regulifcons enforced "—ihear , hear . ) These -were the "words of the earL « t report placed in the hands of the late ministers , and which the Biijht Hon Gentleman had termed " confldfentia ! . "

    the aatiiOrs being afraid , as b ^ ' > lr . Wai cert verily believed them to be , of sending it f rtn to ceneral cogni-235 Cs with their names attached . That conS-itn ' -iai conrmunkation was followed by a r ? j > ort -whiuh * as laid before tha House , in which there ^ as thLj passage : *' " A » one barri . br to ths increase t ? espenditore n , the detailed management , the coRiid'saoiifeTs should be empiwtrsd to fix a max i mum ef lbs contnm ; . « ion per he ^ d witiiin the -workii- use . Jeavic ? to the local ofEeers the liber ' . y of lertueing it b- ^ low th ^ maxl-unm , if they coald safely do bo - —( bear , bear . ) " Dc ii safrtyr ' Now , tast be though horrihle enough ; but yet not so oSt-si-vely glaring s * he conndfDLjal coramnnication ^ sfcif . F . jns that d ark and m ^ steritj as ficxirc s sprun g the fiist avowed report tX the cr-Dtrai biani of poor-la y

    eommiisioners ; nut . f that exi . titg body sometiDies callfcd lie triuavi-. at-. but of ibr = eiqht coiumi 3 sionera — -ais Bishops of L ^ . ndon and Ufiroster , Mr . Sturg-s ' ^ ourae ^ Mr , Scnicr and four other persons of less rote St ^ ft ^ Ti , a * P *™ ^ . ' ^ - to work to cor . eost i «^ ^ S ^ f" tte n ^ agem ^ nt of the p . or . Ini that orafidsnual report , bead , a Tie cruel ones wlrch be j had mentioned , there -was a namber of most tyran ^ cid ^^ T ^ ^ "" mmendationa , fro ^ %£ ^ t , a- ^ rsEB ^ asssa ; in and

    orig U » objecte-to-I flict pro ^ ssly from bad to worse a system of suffering upon our poorer JelJow-CBaiaKa , whichM&Uy out-Hexoded ail tha OiscoTeries that had been made respecting the treatment of the negro BH * , in their fiftt kidnapping and subsequent teH « iniBionto tbeWtrttodie . to , &e aoattagiSS : bouse * of the ^ ve-uadm-ihear , hear ) . « r * tt stress » as laid on the fabrication ^ this . central co mmission ¦ apon &b asserted fact "that , it coanprised men of all parties , who we peMily ^ anpfgnaicei-. iheai , bear ) He could haTre ^ lA «* aiat they hati had some nataral p » jiS 3 iea ^ 8 nsb » g"froai humane considtaations ; but he believaa thiltibeie yra& not a member cf that comniis aon-whQaB-i ^ ina-wasr ' not-infldeup , before a single witintriwiace

    TiBss ^ VBa ^ &CJSBmed ^ to * ecoutaDend or sams-Hifnrr : of - a . aiost jBeyuragPttft oggTfcsnye chnracter . Mi . Bowep , orBiJtigewat ^ t > * haa ^ pronounced this iaw a bill of indictment apiiiiftt ' all tils-poor of thb country . Toe coBiBiifKuigErsifiijd , in . th ^ ii ars 1 . ffpvr-., it u j f - . " " - •*

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    I supporting pareDts and children in old age a d infirmity I is so strongly enforced by our natural feelings , that it is ' . often well performed even among savages , and almost 1 a . way 8 so in a nation deserving the name of cml . z-d . ; We believe that England is the only European country ; in which 5 t is neglected "— ( hea-, hear > . . . "If tne deficiencies of parental and filial affection are to be ! supplied by the parish , and the natural motives to the exercise of those virtnes are thus to be withdrawn , it miy be proper to endeavour to Teplace them , however j imperfectly , by artificial stimulants , and to make fines . distress-warrants , or imprisonment act as substitutes : for gratitude or lova" Wbi'o the lower classes of people were thus libelled , d . d no recollection occur to those who libelled them of a treat example once

    afforded by both Houses of Parliament , who thought it n 8 of the game peopir , and uj > on that subject he hml p 3 r ;' : cuisr pleasure in qnoting a passag ; fruni a letter of tbe EitI of Ripon to one of onr coionial governors : — " The name of p 3 nper" ( said ifeat N » b ; e Lorii ) by no means implies , as stems to have been supposed , a man unable or unwiliin ? to work—one whose lDfirnnty or whose idleness would dsqualify him from becomins an useful settler . On the contrary , the whole of the

    m&rrk-d labourers in many of the par sheB if tne S » uth of EusHnd may be com-ctly i ! i-scribed as pauprrs , inasmuch as the -want of employment bas < iti > rt- > sed wagts 10 a rate at which it is impuEsih . e for a man , however industrious , to m ^ 'ntam a family , without rfceiving parochial relief * * It has keen found that the idle ncd -worthless paups-rs baTe frtqHently been reiser *! « a by the h- > p ? l «» 8 BaeBS of theii situation ; and wh-n ex ^ Med to find coiistaot -emp-oymei-t . at fair wages , a sr-at change has almost invariably taken place in their conduct "—ihear , hear } . L ^ t the Uouae cnntras ; it . too . nith the picture dra ^ n , not &o Ions since by the Member for Sheffield from his own experience of thi Euglish poor . That : 'Honourable Memoer had told that House , that" one-third of tne working men in that

    town and neighbourhood -were < at of riuplcy . A jjr < at I proportion of the remainder were etupiojed ouly three days in the week , and in censHjuenco tbe Rrextest distresiS prevailed . Those at work subscribn : bomothing , from their wretched pittance to reliev * the distrust zmd ' ke * p off the psrisb others who had no work ata'r — ( hear , btarj . Could ibe Honourable Mtiuber , if he had i ran ? aci" -d every storehouse of eloquince . h : ive fund j w-jnia bttter calculated to damage tne New Poor Law in the emanation of every man of cmiimon humanity than tbe plain sentence which he ( Vr . Walter ) bHd jnst r «« d to them ? Men steeped in poverty and mi 8 * -r > tn the v-ry lipg were > et so impim ^ d with the hurrurs of imvrisonment in the workhouse , that rather than their j-tarvina brethren should undergo them , tiiev made

    tB < -5 r bule pittance lesB , by subscribing to k- * ep them off tbs parish . Bui it was not for thxs purpose that ' it-aiii ' uced this passage . He wish-d now to a > k , ha « l thro ^ msn earned the character which the commij-Bioners ha- ' attempted to affix upon them ? Did they dverve to he legislated against in tr . e manner tbe pre * ent t-ili leEisi = i * rrl aeainr t them ? And siill Ki'Te ought tb « y to be tTi ^ jwited to that ever-increasing sole of cruelty prescrit > ed and laid down by the private report of the ei jjh * . co . iimissioners—that priyate report from which the present bill , with its triumvirate at Somerset-house , originated—( hear , hear , heart * How the principle of successive report * was carried out be bad plenty of instances to lay before 'be Hou . a Take this , for tximple , from Cirencester ; the late memt ? er for thai borough said , in his place m that Huase . that " be vas chairman cf a board of guardians . Both in his own district , and in oihtrs with vhich he was

    acqissin-eu , the measure bad acquired an immense p ^ pa ' ar . ty . He thought the country was under the greatest obligation to those ¦ who had brought it forward . The bill worked wdl in the district with which be ^ ras connected- ^ boped there would be no vrt-- » l Jiltt-iAtion of a mt-asuw abicb ha < i wnrk ^ d t *> the t-ntire aatisfuilloii o ! the vast majority of iha pe-ple . A « to iit-t , tfce cosiplalat was t ); at tbe iniaatcj of tb »> wuriihonse liv-. d too well . " ( Hear . bear . > He'Mr . Waiter ) he . d in his hand tbe dietary of the Cuencr&urr Union , presrrib ^ -d by the Pooi-Liw C ^ onmissMiDers , in which there was not one onnoe of frfsh animai food f ; nm year ' s tnd to year ' s end—( hear , hear)—but only five oEr . c . -B of I' -alt bacon f ^ r the Sunfluy of each week—( bear , hear )—and that dietary , be it obsfcrved , the guardians could not go beyond , though they Were to be in mked with the txiions power of reducing it , " if tbvy could safely fio so . " ( Hear , bear . ) He cou ; d add many tak-s of similar cruelty on tbe part of hoards of guardians . Most persons know the difficulty of dealing v . ith bodies of mer ; . A biy ' y coiporate , in fact , had no spcl . The individuala might hn-ve their separate feelintK , % ut the whole body had none . vncb . ( Hear , hear .: A man might be personally humane and charitable . bnt . when actirg ¦ vrith others , this Chriytian feelirg evaporated ns't vanished . He woulfi menMoD oce c * , which occurred cot very long ago in his own immediate neighbourhood . He was not a frequenter of boards of gUBruians , fenvinj ; no irreat r-j"pect for the institution its © f . ( Hear , ht-ar , hear 1 He < Mt Waiter ) was . bowevtj , particularly requesteil io attend a ! Eeeti :: ( t , for tbe purj » i > ae of enil » avr . ul'u ^ to obtain « u t-doo » nlitf for aii unhappy ai : d afBirted "t'JKct . with a wife nsd tiv * chiliiien , who bad

    been ord-red into the wt / rkhou *? , but after a eg ?"' * trial of his ab-de there , -srent out next mon . iuK- He ( Mt- Walter ) had been desired to urgt this man ' s title to out-iloor reH « f before tbe boar « 5 . The alit ^ d grouinl of their n-fusal waa , that hi * vsift hid pracii > eil some imposition upon a benev . ient laay , and thertfore tbe husband and -whole faiuly were to be punifehfi "With s me difficulty the tms-bino was admitted to tb--beaTd's i . . rp » cnce , and he ( Mr Walter ) the-n ascertaiutd , by the acknowledgment of both the medical officers that he laboured undtr an incuraHJe pnlmonary compluiiit . de produced a good character from a highly rfcepecis . - -le master . On questioinns bim . a doubt arr . pe in hia ( >! T . Waiter ' s ; mind whether the man ' s wife h < . d really b < -en guilty of the al ' . e « : ed Improj . riity . and . to

    afford rrne for inquiry , a week ' s ( u :-door allowance was aceor ^ vd to him , and the boon ! was to mt-et in the week following . He lilr . Walter ) received a rao * t coaipl * . te and satisfactory answer from the lady whom the w < -nian ~ as supposed to have defrauded , assuring him that no such circumstances had taken place ; am ? . forltSed with this denial , he went to the next board meeting , in full coiiflienc * that the guariian <; f tbe parish who bad bronght forward the false charge wou ! d at least aid his efforts to relieve this family from tbe drfesdf-d infliction of the workhtnse . That guardian was if possible , more callous than tbe rest The first onier must be maintained , bpcatjse they had made it Into the workhause were the family again sent ; though mtiiDut « ly , after seme weeks' delay , out-door relief was

    aff Jided . It -was in vain to urge to these guardinns that ever if the poor man had been guilty of the offence of having an indiscreet wife , he was not to blame , anrt that if he went into the workhouse , there he would certaiiJy die ; if they had no consideration for the poor man Lims-lf . why should the inmates of the workhouse have thtir feelings harrowed up by tbe Irautpurtation cf a dying man into tbe midst of th ' -m —( bcaT , hear >? But all his representations had been in vain ; the cry was , tbat having once given their order , it should not be rescinded . He lived only a few months afterwards , and eied in fcis own habitation , the guardian Wmwlf being called to his account flrsl—iheaT . hear . ) Was it to be borne that against such treatment as th ; it the poor man anould have no court of appeal , save only tbat of the

    triumvirate of Somerset House , in which the harshest principles of the whole system were represented and concentrated t It -were endless to repeat all the cases—¦ 9 rel ! -Yuib . entieated cases , too—of unnatural severity inflicted by the operation of that law—( hear , hear ) He aid not know a single crime that had not been multiplied through that operation , or a single suffering which humanity was heir to that had not been aggravated and multiped also through that law—ihearJ Fnrther than that assertion , which he conld substantiate by the most irrefragable evidence , he wouW not at present trouble the House , but pass to another practical difficulty , -which , let them enact the law as unanimously as they pSeased , they would never be able te overcome . How long wonld they get guardians to

    perform such labiurious duties , and at a distance from their own hornet of perhaps fifteen or twenty miles ? Indeed , at that moment , he knew a parish in which the parishioners were obliged to club a sum of money to pay the guardian they depnte only five milts distant . The office was there b » id to bs anything but honourable or respectable . Lor-Is and country gentlemen might endeavomr to give it eclat at ita beginning , but that z ? al had much cooled , as well it m-tht . and these offices were left to be performed by those -who could ill brook to throw away th ir tinif fjr nothing . He had alluded , when this most ui . fortunate bill was passed , to the manner is which they would be overwhelmed by reports , amendment acts , acts explanatory , -with every trash of that

    description . Why , no human powers of either body or mind could comprehend or carry all that had bten written and printed , at tbe expence of thic deluded country , in support of tbat measure , by its prituo agents —( hear , bear ) . They -were ertcting a Nelson monument of vast altitude TLey might also erect a Poor Law monument of equal height , though of more corrup-. ible materials , of the reports of those Cammissioners Tht > y sought to destroy their enemies , not as Oliver Cromwell said , with paper bullets , but with paper bulwarks and artificial mountains . At the time that he first attacked that monstrous law , he estimated that the paper defences -would soon reach up to their table . At present they would o / ertop the chair . He had already got upon the EogliEh Poor Law upwards

    of 20 , 000 pages ; and it was ia vain to make an estimate of the Irish , since the first appendix to a report itself weighed * £ lbs . Considering their bulk , no two porters could cany them , the English P ^ > or Law papers weighing upwards of twelve stone . The expense of printing them -would rapport the poor of many parishes for he kaew not how many years . But there was one high authority against him , to which he should not have ventured to allnde , had it not been frequently cited against him , and that authority he hoped that he ahonld sreat with proptr respect . Wb . 6 n he heard tbe greatest here of his age say , I know something of Govemors-GreBferal , and I know something of war and its dificultffcs also , " that man -who should not bow » o such authority -would be msh and r discreet to the -CTts : -x ^ a : of icdis . -rc t . oaand i-astnua ; but K- sinst

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    humbly contend that his Grace ha 3 not had that experience of ths internal affairs of this country which other men of humbler general talents might and must have had ; and that ereat man was not , therefore , such overpowering authority upon these subjeets as upon those on which his capacious mind had been , he might ; almost say , exclusively employed . But there was one fatality always attending the errors of great men , if such they were—that they carried an overwhelming weight with them , which the mistakes of others were not liable to . Would , indeed , that thair opinions were always enunciated with proportionate caution , and never , as be contended in the present case , before the subject could have been fully examined and considered . Th .-y were informed in the Divina records of their

    religion , that " wbeu a great man speaktth every mail holdbih his tongue , and a look , what he Sijeth , they exLid it to the clouds ; but , if the poor man « peak . they say , what Miow is this ? " But if he ( Mr . Waiter ) had met -wih opposition en the one hand , ho had likewise met with oncnurogemfcTit on the other , and that from the must honourable and excellent class of men the clerjty of tbe established church—a class , also , the individuals t-f which , he would venture to assert , were , ge . erally speaking , quite as competent to deliver their opinions 011 the subject before the House as the immor-Ul Du * -e was upon that of war ; for they lived with

    the poor , in the midst of them , much more even thau he had been in fie midst of his soldiers ; they knew their wanu , moral and pbys cal , and from tbat class of men he tiad also received the most useful information , as Weil a * ilie most strenuous and undaunted support ' , though means were insidi .-nt-ly taken at first to pruven't their interference by inserting tbe names of two prelates in the original centra ! commission—( hear , hear ) He wouiii not , howevt-r . troubla the House with many of their statements , but ., he mast be allowed to read odb from a scntWniuo inferior to none in his sacred order in ptt ^ y and intelligence , and who was well known to many Members of tLat House : —

    " Knowmij that you are aV > ut again to bring before the house of C juimons the workhouse system us adnnn'sieted u . ^ der the present Poor Law , I think it may not be -without aonie n ^ , if I state to you the result of my own observation of that syst ni , not in all nor many of its bearings , but siinpy in its moral action upon those ' who come under it To 11 yself this is a painful though voluntnry task ; for v shows me the error of my own anti .-ipativDS . and reminds me of the fault of once du'tnoiiig as nght wtut I now regret as wrong arid TjeKiiCiOuN .

    "Leiviw , however , such personal considerations . Jet me briefly state to you the conviction to which I hiv « come on the subject , and the reasons >* hich bave brought me to it . AJy conviction is , that whatever may bi the mal mies under which our sooiiii system is guffrr us in tlv labouring part of it , tbe 'uesent worfcbouso practice is not their remedy ; it is rather under t ' ii- prymiad of present relief , an aggravation of the d'Sease . " I huv seen the wo k ag of the system under , in rrniiy rpspicT * , favourahU circura t ta . nces I have market its eff-cts with : ui iht : clearness I could by pers nal ob'erv ^ tion in uui' » n huii ^ e * . especially In one with which I QuVm bei n nearly cormecteil , and by P dr-« on » l inquiry among those who have been inmates of

    those houses ; and the result of both observation and inquiry has been the same . It is a demorai zing system , tending to co nect poverty with licentiousness , an > i to generate paiiperi-m and crime . 1 only state to jou V 7 hat 1 kuo -jp to be li erailj true , when I say that in uuion hmiM . " » sdpp . &ed to b « administered i > b well as the system wih permit , tb . . work of demoralization has been going on in evrry w : tru exc < pt those of sickness utiu old age- Among thj po > r unhappy children , among the adults o ! either sex , auii ' iig the able bodied , this pr - pa ^ at < on of evil has ^ mie on . To particularise and classify its firms would be a rev tlting task . It would cumprefcrmi the teciu . i of some of the most disgusting practices cf lice . utiousiiess and many acta of crime . Pc-rsons Te !] known to me hi . VH nvowed , that many as were the V D . p ' itiuiia to - 'in without those w ; ills , thosu within wct > far nu . r « mischievous and dangerous . The

    dai . ger an ?< a from thr constant infusioa of fresb . and v .: Tied incer . 'Wes to v ' . re , by those evil communications » li ! ch , in the world at large , are kept in check and wtKskened in power by many causes . The ( lay of eatering thueo walls t ^ kes , even fnm the man of faircharaotsr , suueh of th * Honourable sensa of « hame which he had before ; and the bad man enters tl . ein to disdain , and ri » i > cule , and hate ail mural influence—to teuch mischief , tu make the tonrue and ear and miml fauiiiiur with those sins in the practice of which be has attained to the greatest pToflci » - ucy . " It would require uome experience , or considerable imagination , to comprehend tbe extent of this mischief . It is a ntTer-ce *? ib , ' a ^ e nt of evil , leaving its infection behind , when its actual presHnce ia gone . A ward djmpa ^ tiv *; ly clear of it to-iiay may to-tut- 'irow , with a fresh inactive , break out into every abomination that can poiiiHe the tongue , or corrupt the heart .

    "Now to omit , for the present , all oth ^ r oVjcctiOns to this system—tn say nothinn about its trenching hard np - ; n thn fitlln ^ s of humanity , or the laws of God- I would only a > k t « i > qiu-stiors in regard to it Can the L- gNlstaie be ju ^' . ifl-d i ^ i' fliofing on the po ^ r a moral bvil tbat , < part frum such legislation , has i » o necessary conn » -ct" > r . with pr . vt : ty ? We know that in the corri ^ cti' -n of crime tbis it done through necessity ; but that it is crime , not poverty tl-. at 13 to be dealt with . Tfcu prUun will always bt- a school . f moral t ^ il , as well na a pl . ice of pu * . i > lmitiiit ; nul ihurt -hi , iuinute bas broUiht t ' -. o i-vil uiv . n hinik ^ lf— Ik ha » fo . feiteii the

    prote ticn cf t ^ e laws of the country and thia ia a part of theTcc « ni . ir : ce of evil which he has reaptO . But what hue a p > -ir faitii y cion<—p « jor only because they are miiuen at a :. d tb--ir whkb msuffioient ?—what bave tiiey djiif ; that afer having stiiven in vain to support f hemtei vf * . and Hun wine to c'rvini tbe protection which theenni » . j ; l has forfeited , tbey * h > u !< i bo . in one respec ; , trta cd iu the shtdb msrnfr with him?—that tbey sl . ouM be pl : ir « il whftre , whatever moral sense they have aiurt be blunted and destroyed , aud where their children vill hear the lessons , if not witness the practice ot profl gacy ?

    " Another question I would ask Is this the way to extirpate paujM ^ min from tbe couiitry ? If it be , we mutt unlearn every maxim which connects prosperity , either on a la . 'ge or narrow scale , with moral character . " But it is not Whatever were the calculations or intentions of the frame s of this measure in other respects , they appear to me to have overlooked its moral effi-ctx altogether . Ceria ' n it is , that its practical effect is to undermine ths moral character and wellbeing of the poor . Its action is all downwards . It has no tendency to raise the moral condition of the labouring clashes ; it bas a direct tendency to degrade and deprave it ; ami . if this he true , it stands marked with the worst angina that can be placed upon any lawthat of dcmuralising th < . &u upon whom it acts . ' * 1 am , dear Sir , " With sincere respect , " A Country Clehgvman . "ToJohn Walter , E , q . M . P . "

    But therp vss another awunient with wLich he was plied , in favour < . > f th ' s most paii'ful important mcr . sure . He wts t . Iri tbat gentlemen <* ere pledged to it . Upon that point h . » could give a decided negative ; no gentleman , he am med , was pledged to it . Gentkmen micht tinbappily . at the first origin of this system oi ruischief , not seeing what i . s consequ'nuea migbt bb , fcave been pledged to the introduction of it ; out tiui any man . at the time of its introduction , daringly ploflg . " himself to carry r through , however it might affect the people—however odious it might provehowever , in fact , it might subvert the whole order of society ? All that , he said , had been and wao being produced . Was ^ . ny man pledged then , or coulii he now plead that b was pledged , to persevere in the

    irfliction of such evils on tbe country ? To whom was he—to whom could he ba so bound ? To his country— j to tbe poor—to bin conscisnea ? Or to his party—bis , friends—his political leaiieu ? Nay , more unworthy still , did he raeaa that , having given his vote once for this monstrous evil , h < -was hound in consistency—boun > i in , ' care fov Ins own repu tation , to persevere in the fata . 1 ! course he ba >\ beijun ? Whats-ver was the cas < j ko bade-that j man pause . He bade him retrace his steps . Let him nut speak of pienge-s ? iven , or supposed to have been given , when he was totally unable to look into futurity . If anymanbi-1 unhappily so involved himself , he ( Mr . ; Walter ) owned h ; s difficulty but did not doubt as to what was his duty . Facis—tho facts of the last nine ! years—had cancelled his obligation . His vote was not j his own but his country ' s ; and his only honourable

    retreat was in owning his laiBtake , and amending it . j He c injured , therefore , the C « servativus of the House to step forward to the conservation of England . Great ' apprehensions had been expressed in that House , and j elsewhere of a certain league , to the practices of whose i leaders he -was as much opjios ^ il aa any man . But let ' gent . 'pffisti ask themselves haw tbis league , now so ' nipn ^ cmg first sprang up . He wonM » el ) them : it was ' fuggi'Sted by a prectoin *; leaimfi spainst the poor of this country , whose diet was to be reduced in quantity and corrupted in quality . What a burst of indignation would have been excited in that House , as well as throughout the country , if any resolution against the negro pcpulaton . of a character similar to this against our fellow-su } it-cts twre at home , should have been

    produced—that those blacks were first to have theii « : aily fcod debased , and after th 3 t diminished —( hear , hear )! Gentlemen had been benevolent enough abroad ; let them look around them at home . If , as they had been told , they had elevated the condition of the negro slave to such a state of prosperity that he could now drive bis gig and drink his Champagne , surely he v ; as not asking too much when he called upon them to elevate the condition of the free white labourer and art zvn of England , whom this law crushed to the earth—ut least to afford him such subsistence as would preserve him from sinking under a gradual prostration of strength . If they could

    not give him his cottage and piece of land which the negroes had obtained , at least let them not insist on his selling everything that bis hovel possesses in order to qualify him for being a tenant in their vast gaolstb-3 union workhouses . If they could not give him Champagne , they coald give him the cheap , the wholesome , the nutritious , tbe national beverage of our land —beer . It was not , perhaps , too late yet to retrace their steps . He felt strongly convinced also , that not only that , bmt all the other great subjects of contention , which kept tbe country iu a ferment , uiigLt be composed and beneficially arranged , if gentlemen would in a' > .. i eaii-vs " , " viiiu tU * r ilii-ughtb to tht-x . e subj eta .

    Untitled Article

    rather than employ their whole time in struggles for political ascendancy . If it were said that such an object was desirable , but that it was impossible to attain it , he would at onee reply that he acknowledged no such impossibility with respect to objects that were rational . He recollected a nappy maxim of Mr . Burke npon the subject : — " I know , " said he , " it is common for men to say , that such and such things are perfectly right , very desirable—but that , unfortunately , they are not practicable . Oh no , sir , no . These things which are not practicable are not desirable . There is nothing iu the world really beneficial that does not lie within the reach of an informed understanding and a welldirected pursuit There is nothing that GjcI bus judged good for us that he has not given us the means to accomplish , both in tbe natural and moral world "—( che « rs ) . He ( Mr . Walter ) would not longer detain the House than by moving the resolutions . The folfowing are the resolutions moved by the Honourable Member : —

    1 . That In a document entitled , Measures tuhniitted by the Po . r-Law Commissioners to his Majesty ' s Ministers , ' appear the following passages : — " ' That at any time after the passing of this act the Board of Control shall have power by an order , with such exception an shall bo thought necessary , to disallow the continuance of relief to the indigent , the aged , and the impotent , is any other mode than in a workhouse , regulated in euch a manner as by the aforesaid Board of Control shall be determined . ' " ' Tbe power of the Commissioners would be to reduce 'allowances , but not to enlarge . '

    • ' ' After this has been accomplished , orders may be sent forth directing that after such a day all out-d <> or relief should be given partly in kind ; after another period it should be wholly in kind ; that after such another period it should be gradually cHm ' nishe'l in quantity , uutil that mode of relief was exsinguiwh ' -d . From thu first ttie relief should be altered In quality , coarse brown bread beinji ; substituted for fine white ; and , con ; currently with these measures as to the out-door poor , a gradual reduction should be made in the ditt of the in-door poor , and strict regulations enfor « ed . ' " 2 . That these recommendations , applicable alike to every class of the poor , and etijoining an indiscriminate reduction of their physical comroits to the lowest endurable point , are shown by the subsequent orrlers and practice of the Poor Law Com missionary , to form the real though unavowed basis of tbe present system of Poor Law relief .

    " 3 . That the auffisring already caused by their partial enforcement , and the amount of out-door relief in spite of them still ail ministered , show their provisions to have been at one cruel and impracticable . " 4 . Tha ' . the attempted substitution of punishment for legal relief haa more and more tended to irrritate ami dish arten tbe po ^ r , to cbock industry , to increase crime , and to encourage various kinds of tyranny , without evnn tbe proposed compensation of reducing the expenses of the nte-payets . " 5 Tbat this house think it , therefore , expedient to demand such a reconsti uction of tbe existing system as shall make it conformable to Christianity , souni : policy , and the ancient constitution of the realm . " Mr . Fkrrand seconded the motion . Tho qner ion havnij ; been put from tnn Chair ,

    Mr . Walter again rose . Hon . Merob-r-i had a , skod him where he K"t certain information from to which he had alludoi . He had received it from a pi . rso' 1 who requested that hid uame m ^ ht not be personally given . Sir J . Uiuham was in hopes , when the Hon . MombtT rose tor tho second time , that hu was about to supply a most important omission . In his G pp' ch ho had mado an omis-ion that wa . s somewhat startling ; he had read extracts from a document which he had declared to be cor . fHential , and whon ho rose a second time he ( Sir James Graham ) was in hopes he was # 0 'nK to show how he beanie possessed of it , but nothing was le « s satisfactory th" * n his explanation . Upon a former oreaiion the Hop . Gentleman had asked him if he recollected

    those documents , aiu 1 upon that , occasion bo t ^ aid he did not , hut ; jnco then ho hari sotho indistinct recollection that yomo such dooumen . existed , and he thought he could inform the House how that wa * the case . In 1832 , Lord Grey ' s Govcrnmen ; appointed a Commidaiun to inquire into tho condition of the labouring po- > r , with a view to amend the l . iw , and tho H , n . Member had mentioned to the House the names of some of the most eminent individuals forming tha commission—tho Bishops of London and Chester , Mr . Sturyes Bourne and others , whose names wera a suffioiuit guarantee to the House of the bciiefirteut character of the Commission—( fic . ir , hear . ) The Hon . Member had said that a particular document waa of a corfidential nature—that it emauate ! from tho Commission , and was sut mitud to Lord Grey ' s Cabimt . had not

    ^ Ir . Walter oh ^ erved he so , but the Right Hon . Bart . had . Sir J . Graham belirjvud it w . is in the rrcollrrtion of the House when he a .-sertud that the Hon . Member had said ho was in possession of a co ' ifi ; einial communication—( hear , hear ) . Now he ( Sir Jam' -a Graliani ) conld ttll the House tho precise circumstances under which that document came into tho Hon . Member ' s poj-session—( hear , hear ) . He had uij'lf-rvood the Hon . Gentleman to pay that it w ; s a confidential communication ; but wherh . r he Ha id so or not , it was certain thnt it was confidential . Tnis Commission having prosecuted their inqu . ry , made their report , wh'chwasbidbefore them and i-hr public after that report was printed , in ord ^ r to britij < the

    subject in a mor > tangible torm under the consideration of Lord Gny ' s Government , certain h . ads or referenda were prepared from tho roport . The Hon . Gentleman saM that this doe . iment W 3 S n ^ vcr signed ; it was tfne , it was not dt-ni < d by the Cominitfioners . Ho beiievetl that those h ; ads were proparcil by the professional gen lemen employed by the Commissioners in drawing up their report . He believed tho .--e heads were not known to the Commissioners , but , were drawn up by the professional gentemen merely for the cousidera'ion of the Government . He ( Sir J . G . ) was told that of this document not more than twenty copies were printed . The Hon . Gentleman was very unfortunate in not having been present in the House during the last session , when the Poor Law , in all its bearings , was largely discussed . ( " No , " from Capt . PeciielJ ) . Why he thought every thing except the Gilbert

    Unions was settled to th" satisfaction of the Gallant Captain . The Hon . Gentleman appeared to imagine that the House was pl-dged to the Poor kw . He ( Sir James Graham ) did not rest at all on any opinions which had been announced by the Hon Gentlemen on either side of that Hou * e , he was willing to re . * t the measure upon their practical knowledge and experience of the bad and good in the working <» f the system —( hear , bear ) . The law was based on tho policy ot " feeding the hungry , and clothing the nak < d ; " its tendency was to elevate the character of the labouring population ; the proportion of those relieved out of doors , as compared with th > sn relieved within the workhouse , was as six to one ; the law was , therefore , not opposed to Christianity or bound policy ; and he would meet the first resolution by tho previous question , and the others with a direct negative .

    Mr . Waklky cen « urtd Sir James Graham for at'ributing improper motives to Mr . Walter . It now turned out that there was such a . document , notwithstanding tho faint recollection of Sir James Graham when tho subject was first mentioned . Mr . Foiithwick declared his opposition to the Poor Law , and supported the res < luiions Mr . Aglionbv had supported the New Poor Liw whon it ' was passed , anti believed that its operations had been generally beneficial : but some ot ' its provisions were harsh , and had been harshly worked out , and therefore he would support the resolutions , as a means of declaring his opinion that the law should be amended and improved .

    Af' . er a few explanatory observations from Mr . Cripps , i tilonel SiBTHOJirE declared his opinion that the old system of Poor Law had been excellent , that it had only b <> en mismanaged in a few instances , and that , H would be better to return to it . Mr . Stuakt Woutley had never pledged himself to h ' s constituents to vote for the repeal of the Poor Law . Ho was opposed to miny of its provisions , and wished it to be improved , but he could not support the resolutions . General Johnson ' s great objection to the Poor Ls . w was , that it put the people out of the pule of the constitution , and placed them under threj individuals at Somerset House .

    Sir Robkrt Peel denied that the principle of the ameudbd Poor Law was oppo-jed to the acts of 34 ih and 43 rd Elzibeth , or that it was more harsh in us provisions . This he illubtrated by citing some oftlie provisions of these Acts , especially the power given by tha 43 rd of Elizabeth , over the children of suoh parents as were unable to maintain them . The workhouse test , in lieu of the labour test , was enacted by the 9 ih George I . ; and , therefore , it was neither a novel nor an unconstitutional principle . No great measure was ever passed without having suggestions being submitted for the consideration of the

    Government ; and it would lead to much practical inconvenience if such confidential communicauoiis , whether they had been adopted , or , as in the present instance , they had been rejected , were produced and publicly made use of . He adduced the amounts paid for the relief of the poor , as showing that there was move expended on them than oa the poor of any other country , and after expressing bis surprise at the course which Mr . Aglionby had avowed he would adopt , commented somewhat ) humorously on tho arguments whioh had been usod by Mr . Waiter . He concluded by warning the House againBt tampering with the Poor Law .

    Lord John Manners would support the reso lutions , as expressive of his wish to have the support of the poor placed 011 Christian and constitutional priuoiploa . Mr . Muniz attributed the aversion of the peoplo to the poor law , as one cause of the late insurrection .-i . Sir Walter James objected to the motion of Mr . Walter . But the question , of the Poor Law would never be settled without a well-regulatad sj stem of out-door relief .

    Untitled Article

    Mr . Ferrand said , that on rising to address the House upon a question on -which he had long taken a deep interest , he begged in the first pl-ice to off r hia sincere thanks to the Hon . Member for Nottingham for having brought to light what he ( Mr . Ferrand ) considered to be the fVmleat conspiracy ever enterei into in the dark asainst tha rights , liberties , and privileges of the poor , j it was now twelve years ago since he ( Mr . Ferrand ) had first taksn part in public affairs , and on this question he had often received advice from the public speeches of the Hon . Member , which bad cheered him on in the course be had pursued in opposing , by every constitutional means in his power , this law , and little did be then think that he should have the honour and the pr ivilege of sitting beside his Hon Friend

    when he gave , as he hid tkat night given , the death bow to tha ! New Poor Law . He ( Mr . Ferrand 1 deeply regretted the speech which tba Hight Hon . Baronet at th' ) head of ; the Government had made that evening . He aid not think that the Right Hon . Baronet had acted fairly to tbe Hon . and Learned Member for Cockeraiouth . The Right Hon . B ironet saw a risinq spirit of independence flowing into the Hod . and l arned Member ' s breast—he aaw that the Hon . and Luarued Member was actuated by no i > : irty spirit , and tbe Bight Hon . Baronet was afraid lest the indept-n deuce the Hon . and Learned Memb .-r had shown should become contagious on both sides of tha House , and that if the feelings which actuated the Hou . and Learned Member to stand up in the independent ¦

    manner he ihad done should be acted upon on both sides , the Cbvarnment would be in a minority on thu present occasion , —( hear , hear . ) But what had bten the remarks of the Ri ^ ht Hon . Baront-tthe Secretary for the Home Department towards th- Hon . Membor f . « Notti . igb . aiii ? Tho Right Hon . Baronet said this was a private document , only intended for tks eyea of the late G- >> vernienti ot which he hi . d been : \ nifcmher . H * . ( Mr . Ferrand ; Wished the Right Hon Biiiiinit had remained on that side of the House ; if so . Conservative principles would have stood much higher in tue eyes of the peopleittnn they did at present—( hear , hear , and a laughi . iTfce Risfht Hon . Baronet hnd taunted his his Hon . Fritnd the Member for Nottingham with a breach of confidence . He < Mr Ferrand ) contended t , at his Hon . Friviid had only discharged a publij « iuty . He had foundjout and draped to lu ? ht a document which , without any breach of c-. ofid * nee on bis part , he found

    placed amongst liis papers—he cast hu eyes npon it , and said tb himaeif . " N « w I will briny before the u \ ea of tbe people of England this mou .-, trt > us system of oppression . " And how had the Right Hon . Biron-t himself acted the other night , wiien he ( Mr For .-. itd ; moved for a return of two letters which einanate 4 from certain manufacturers when the NdW P «> . ir Law waa under consideration , and on which tbey entered into au express and declared agit-eineut with Mr . Chadwick , the secretary to the Pnur Law Cuuimuaioners , that if t : i « y only framed the New Poor Law in such a-minuer as to throw a large po tion of iu <* wotk . ng classes of the south into the nortu—tbat if they were able " to absorb" the surplus population of the south into the manufacturing districts of tbe North o' England , it would enable them , the inauufar . t » rerH , to rumce the price of labour in the north of KsyLmJ . am ! to put a stop to tbe outbreaks f . > r raisii . i ? wages ? Mr . Wallace—Who said that ?

    Mr . Ferkand . —The letters of Mr . Ashwnrth and Mr . Grbg ; they were in the firat , report of the Poor Lv * Ooiumissionora . The wordh be had often quoted before , und i : o one man had ever denied tha truth of the quotation . Now , at thatviry tiinu a committee of the House was sitting to inquire into the th ^ -n condition of tbe hand-loom weavers , and it was proved before that cuniuittee that tho hand-loom wea 7 ers were thenstrug-« l . n « for existence upon t <; n farthings u-day . - But wh <; t hud the Ri »; ht H . 'U . B ^ ruaet sa d with respect to these two letters ? W / . 'y , hp said they were private codituu-Bication 8—tbat t . > . first l-. ' tt- r of Mr . Aahworth w « ia on the die of the Pj ^ r Law CjJiidissioners , but tuat the lettt-r * , f Mr . Grej » fuM Mr . b « founu . Tb-7 were , he added , private c <> iumu . ic . i " -i"ns which wera never

    intended to eta ( . I . iylight . Vui th ; -. t ht > had no objection t ) produce Mr . Anhwoiths Itttor and lay it on trie table of the Hi > u « . N ; -. « h . it was the . d ' . ffoi > nc « between the conduct u' the R * ' jt H <> n . ButontL iu p . acing thai letti r . wb ' . cb '^ b sai d was of a private natu . e , and never iutsmVd to sea t ' . ayliaht , on the tibUs of the House , and in that of his Ho :. Friend the moniber for Noitinehna , w ' r .- > . finding a paper which bp . d b-jen eubniittad t-i the G 'fcrnm ^ ht , brought it bef ;> rs the House ? Tuia wus aa ' . d by the Ri ? i » t Hon . Baronet to be a breach of ccutidi-nue—he i . Vlr . Ferrand ) maintained there wis no breach of confidence ixcept on the part of the Right Hoa . Baroiiet himstif . The Right Hou . Biironet bad txpr . ss . ly stated , that the letter written by Mr . Aohwor . h to the Secietary of tbe

    Poor Law Commissioner ; - was a private communication , siud now he ( Mr . Ferraod , begged to ask iha Right Honourable Baronet the First Lord of the Treasury ( who had always shown an earnest anx ' ety to prevent tha slightest attempt to conceal public rlacurn-jiusi if tuere waa any necessity to keep back Mr . Grcg ' a latter ? It was 83 id not to be on tha file . Why was it not en thu file ? Lt the Government say ; at one * : tbatitwuikl be inconvenient to produce it becjuae tti ra were expressions in that letter which ought uot t > appear before the public . Such he ( Mr . J ' ertin .- ' . ¦ und ^ r . >; oo 1 fro ii the Hoo . Member for Oiduam to bo thd < u . «' , but at all events it was the « : aty of the Government to make a strict and s ^ rching inq . iiry aa to ilie reasons ana means us ^ i to prevent the

    production of that h-Uv-r . H « now erne to tae question of the working of the N < - - ~ Pjof L ' - ~ in the North of England . ; and what had b-en ita iff-cts there ? It happened that amo-gdt th « letters c nt lin .-d in th « Erst report of the P . h . t L \ w Coniraissioners there w : \ s ov . v from Mr . Ashworthiu whioh he t »? cl' >' . r . Chad wick t ' aat it wiouid be deuirahle that 20 , 000 labourers should be sent ffom tbe auu'h J . nvn to iStilybritijjo . Nov . tbe i iispector of factories tor th ' it district bait , within the last few 1 aya , forwarded iiis report to Har Majesty ' s Secretary of Stale for tke Home Department ami in it what ¦ lid theyjfiud tbert proved to be the stht-J at present of Stalybridge—ths district into which Mr . Chadwick , with th «! constiit and at the request of those cotton-Bpinners , bu 4 throueh the aifenf y of Dr . K « y—who , fur

    toe part he h id taken in securing the trillion of Mr . P . Thompson at llanches ' . cr , had been made a Poor Law CjininissWivr , and who , in a pamphlet , bad described tue working population of Manchester and iU neighbourhood to b , at that moment , in a state of starvation —bad induced teas ef thou < and 3 of tbe population of the south to go into tbe manufacturing districts of the north ? ¦ Ha ( Mr . Ferrand ) wished tb » manner in which ihesa wretched poor bad been kidnapped and sold into a staie jof slavery , and brought to a speedy death , could be exnosed to the house . But with respect to Stalybridge and its neighbourhood , be found the following statement made by > Ir . Hnrner , the factory inspector , in his last ruport : — " The population ofj the three adjoining tow .. a of Ashton ,

    Dukenfleld , and Stale ) bridge included , with an are : i of a mile and n half radius from the most central part of the district , ! is considered to be not less than 55 , 000 j and the proportion of tbe Working population , that is , those below the rank of shopkeepers , has been estimated at eighty per cent in Aahton , ninety in Staleybridge , and ninety-four in Duksntleld . This dense population has been brought together chiifly by the extension of the manufacture within a very ahort period . ! The population of the borough of AshSon and township of Dakenfield together was . in 1821 , 14 318 ; in 1831 ,. 29 , 352 ; and in 1841 , 45 , 074 . I am un ibfe to give the exact numbers for tbe whole district , because Staley bridge is partly in Lancashire and p ' urtly iu Cheahire , but the increase there bas probably be ^ n in a

    similar ratio . Now , he asked the House to listen to what followed : — " Ho v little the moral and religions improvement of the large number of the haraoier classes has been b ' therto an object of solicitude , the following facts will show : —In the borough of Ashton , with ajpopulition of 25 , 000 , there in no national school , no school of the British and Foreign School Society , nor any other public day-school for the children of Jthe working classes . The same is the case at Staleybri'lge and Dukoi field , with the slight exception 1 shall now slate ; I mantioned in the report above referred to that a national school had recently been built at jStal-ybridge , but . I rpgret to say , it is uot yot in operation . " Now this Dr . Kiy , who , by tha by , held also the situation of secretary to the Education

    Board , was the agent employed by Mr . Chadwick and the Poor-Law Commissioners to carry down 20 , 000 south 6 rn labourers to . 1 place where there waa not . an atom of chance of their ' receiving the slightest education . Njw , was not this Bomtth ug seriona und alarming—namely ,, that for tbe i purpose cf carrying out the New Poor Law it was necessary to absorb the population of the south into the north ? Where did h » n . members think the tirst outbreaks took place ? Why at Stalej ' or'dge . where there waa a population whose minds , from their sufferings , were easily excited by men of deeper designs , but who had not the courage to show their facas , and who left thair victims to appear at the bar of justice , and puss thence to transportation , while they < i ! ui ; k aw . iy into the darir . He maintained that the origin of

    the outbreak was the iniquitous , atrocious , bloodsbiruty Poor Law . But for that law the popa ' atiou of the north of England would not have bad their market for labour entrenched upon by the introduction of tens of thousands of the massts of the south , —and they would have bad some chance of earning a subsistence by a fair price for their labour , if they bad not been robbed of it under the operation of the N ^ . v Poor Law . He found the other evening that the hon . member for Manchester thought proper to deny some statements he ( Mr . Ferrand ) had made with respect to the treatment of children en . ployed in a mill belonging to a cottOD-spinnar in Lancashire . Ths hon . member said he ( Mr . Fcrrand ) bad told the House that that there were certain j Poor Law unions where the overseers handed

    over the orphans under their care and protection to employers without iuqniring into the mode of treatment to which they would be exposed . He ( Mr Ferrand ) had stated the circumstance upon an authority on which he knew he could place reliance—he had . learned it from persons of unquestionable veracity ; and , although the matter had been denied by tha Hon . Member for Manchester-, be ( Mr . Farrand ) knew very well that the hour was not f » r distant when he would , receiva an authority ! backed either by persons who had . beheld those scBnea of cruelty , or who were prepared to prove ev « ry word wutch ho ( Mr . Ftrrand ) bad uttered . No sooner had the spa-ch of the Hen . Member for MauGbescer reached tbat town than the reprtwantativea of the working classes , who ;\ d 7 ocat « "d the Ten Hours Fa clary Bill , rnti ' . acd Daea . i resolutions , which as ther rt-1 itc .

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    to himself he would not now read . Bat he *** received a letter from one of the body . Mr TvL » W which corroborated all he had said . He tinstwH *' House would allow him to read that letter Year « n £ year these poor girls were kept in a state of slavery butat last human nature couW bear it no longer thev burst from the chains of the minuTacturer and » n away to their parents . And what was their punish meut ? « He ( Mr . Doherty , saw tbe room fafwS * these girls were'confined : the light was completer excluded ; tbey were not allowed either fire lirfit op bed . and their usual allowance of food was con-iider ably diminished . Their hair was cut off and thd » confinement lasted for several days . Daring tbeenh !

    fineiuent of Esther Price , several of her fellow apprentices mitigated the rigour of her punishment bv putting in through the crevices of tho wainsco ' tine which separated this room from the adjoining apart ! ment portions of their own rations , as well as cloaks . &c . to cover her by night . On the Friday afternoon the matron died , and the remains lay in the nex ; room to that in which the poor girl was confined . When she heard this , she was driven almost frantic with fri ght On the following day , when refreshments were broad * her , she rushed out of the room , and told the person having her in charge that she would not , under any circumst . mces , pass another night in that apartment The man said , Well , Either , if you pledge younelf not to be

    seen , I shall say nothing about it but you know , if yon are seen , it is J much as my place ia worth . " These cbildren were placed in that man's power under the operation of tbe New Poor Law . It was from the union workhouses that this man was supplied with these apprentices , and he would ask tbe Right Hon . Baronet whether , in a civilizsd country , the people of England would long allow these thiDgs to exist , and whether tlie working classes owed allegiance to the Government if , on those circumstance being brought to its know * lerl ^ e , it did not immediately take steps to pat a aton to such proceedings ? There was another inatance of ili-treatment of the poor which he had alluded to the other evening when he had moved for cartain retnna

    relative to the operation of the New Poor Liw . He had stated that in the month of May , 1842 , there were a number of people sent from the Skipton Union wort house to a man named Threlfall , a raillowner at Halifax He had asked the Right Hon . Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home department if there was any communication extant between the Poor Law Commissioners and that millownar ? The Right Hon . Baronet had replied that there was no statement or correspondence whatever in the office of the Poor Law Commissioners on this subject , After that , he ( Mr . Ferrand ) had asksd him if he would cause an inquiry to be made in the office of Secretary of State for the Home Departmtint whether there was any such commnnication as

    tJ him , in his high office , the poor moat loot for pro tection if their rights and privileges were invaded Tnat Right Hon Baronet had informed him that there was not any such communication . With the permission of the House he would read a statement connected with tbe transportation ot these people from the Skipton Union workh .. use to this mill : — Sir , —1 thank you for the attention you have paid to the subject of my lettar , and for your communication . It was Skipton Uaion workhouse from whieh the hands were brought to ThrelfalVs mill . The vrecise number cannot now be ascertained , but . as far as I can learn , there would be about twenty ; four of those were sa lame tint they could not walk between Skipton and Addingham

    a distance only of six miles , so they were bronght in Threlfall ' a tax cart ; also one was very much deranged in her mental faculties , These were all females . The name of the poor idiot was Hannah Cockshot . I regret that I am unable to give you the names of the four cripples . One of them , whos 9 name is Elizibeth Townend , was so lame , tbat she ¦ eras unfit fer an ; employment , much less to stand twelve hours a-day in a factory . After her day ' s work she was scarcely able to w .-vlk to her lodgings . Thus are t 5 > e poor creatures conveyed like subjects for dissection , from the union workhouse to the factory to be experimented upon by the manufacturers . These facts are well known to many in Addincntm ; but , if you , Sir , do not think to

    them sufn ^ ently authenticated warrant an exposure in the Senate House of Britain , I hope you will atlesst make the world acquainted with those facts which haTe been proved before you in a court of justice * Alica Morrill is so far convalescent as to be able partially to resume her employment . " Now , here he wonld ask what chance there was for protection for these poor people ? Tbe father of Alice Morrill declined to main any statement , as he was an overlooker in Mr . Threlfall ' s mill . There was another instance of the cruelties practised under this New Poor Law , and it discovered tbe secret motives that bad influenced the first pro * posera of this law—of the Ashworths and the Qregs , when they wrote their letters and did their utmost to

    u-ge forward the law , and to get into their districts the population of the south to beat down tbe wages of the labourers , of their own workpeople . The workpeople of Mr . Threlfall were so badly paid , and so ill-used and over-woiked , that they had struck for wages ; and for the purpose of enabling bim to carry on bis mill , he applied to the Skipton workhouse , whence were forwarded to him twenty hands ; and these poor people were obliged to work for the wastes he chose to give him . Tbe Hon . Members for Bolton and Manchester had warned the house against hi 3 statements unless authenticated . They h id insinuated , as usual , that it would be desirable that the H < use and the country should not iiBten to wlnt he

    ( Mr . Ferrand ! said , unless it wera fully proved before the House . He ( Mr . Ferrand ) little thought that on the fallowing morning the report of the Faetory Inspectors would be placed in his hands . Since then Hon . Members of that House had gone to him , and eaid . — " Why you understated ths conduct of the manufacturers in the North of Ewland . When the Secretary of State for the Home Department chided you for having used the expression monsters in human shape , " you did not to tbe extent you were justified express yonr abhorrence of their conduct" Ha would ask the Secre tary of State for the Home Department , whether he felt it his - " uty to inquire whether the guardians of the Skipton Union had placed in the power of this msnnfour of

    facturer twenty hands for his mill , three or whom were cripples unable to walk , aod one of them an idiot ? He was about to read an extract from the report of the inspectors of factories for the halfyear ending the 31 st of December , 1842 . It was rather long , but he trusted the House would be » r with it—( hear , hear ); and be would ask the Honsa to rescue the masses of the people from the oppression and plunder inflicted upon them , for their burden was too heavy to be borne . This was the report of Mr . Saunders , and was dated the 25 ; h of Januirf , 1813-the last report , "I was about to prepaw my report for the last quarter in the early part « ^ month , when I received notice of one of the most gross

    and oppressive violations of the law , during W ^** ending the 25 th ultimo , that has occurred to my M ° *" ledge since the Factory Act was passed . Tta woneeo me ' to delay my report , iu order to wait the result 01 a careful investigation of the circumstances relating to that offence , and the adjudication of any contplaura which might be prefened against the offender * . " « investigation waa very e&J . entij conductedI 07 »* Baker , the superintendent . " He wonld here beg Ieara to bear his testimony to the conduct of Mr . BaKer , wr he 1 Mr . Feirand ) never saw a man conduct nimsen ¦ with more justice to tbe parties concerned . 4 » regret So say the wilful and deliberate over * * 5 L Vdrions young persons , both boys and girls , bnt , ?~^ the latterbetween the of fourteen or eignww

    , ages was clearly established . This occurred at a mui . w Addingbam , in Yorkshire , which has only been owsu pied a few months , in cotton sp inni .-. g , by the nnn Messrs . S-ed and Co ., of which a Mr . William ThrelBU is th-. managing partner . Ths mill was at wo « m six o ' clock en Thursday morning , the 22 nd nit , nnw twelve o ' clock the same night , which < a" ? wlD ? Jl hours foe meal time ) was an employment for six ** hours of the several persons detained between w > periods , some of them being under eight-sen 3 ®* ^ aea . Thia was . however , comparatively a " * wmmeneHl iw »

    offence to what followed . The mill ii , g again the next morning . Friday , the « » the machinery continued running from tnM V , . with only short intervals for meals , ou s the whole of Friday night , the whole or ° day , and until three o ' clock on au 1 morning ( Christmas D ^ y ) , a period of for ty-ttT en rf Now , these twenty paupers were placed in tne P ° . ^ thia " monster in human shape , " and b » mk Rght Hon . Baronet would he mak « an HU 1 *? this statement ? He ( Sir J . Grahani ) -mus ., < xv ^ Ul ^ r . rAf in + k nnotfinn frt ho P . fLiltid Oil tO ** £ .. ^

    office . " There can be no rioubt but that sow g hands undsr eighteen years c ; f age were presed . ^ the whole of this excessively l ° 3 P ° , the propoint was not proved in tha casos selected w ^^ secntion , because it was necessary , in order ^ more than one penalty , to lav distinct H » orSI j " { or ' . he wrong employment of ( 'iff-ren * young V- " ^ each separate day . It was , however , P rovea ' ~ -eloti of fourteen bad beea kept to work from s <^ - ^ & on Friday evening , the 231 . during all tne mg ¦ ^ next day , and through Saturday * * * : ^ Z ' &aM-. onSanday , the 8 « h . -a-period <* ^"" 'iLBr 6 vJoos the same persons having been worked on tne 1 y day ( Thursday ) till twelve atnight and « S »*™ £ g of the Friday afternoon . Such conduct J ° ^^ , aud tender females , who cannot be _ « . eewej £ -j » « ^ merited , in my opinion , the heaviest P *? ** ^ tun - —

    UK liupo ™ ' » ' „ . „ - _ , »; 01 >»" justified in rationing MA Baker ' s ^^ e Bag * complainta in such a manner » to-f a £ j £ a £ klt trates au opportunity of awarding P * g ^ Tbe some degree commensurate wiUi ™* ° t ^ qtsaoffenders were convictedipn seven di « e *™ ' „ lions , sis of which the magistrate . ¦ **»? f " " % i tb » to demand severally the full penalty 0 . * J «' . „ ^ other office wag punished by S P ^ J * ^ he would call the attention or «» » ght _ Ho * w ^ tiw Secretary of State for the Bohm W £ J « W what was now doing by this H » " ° wner . H « f ^ D to avoid the « e penalties ; he » " * , f ^ MfJo tU to the Right Hon . Baronet to be' « j « JJJ » ontJ & and tot petition tod bexn already <« n *** 3 ^ eistrat ^ who was a poit-owncr of that mui . ^ Errand , knew that Mr . Threlfall gMgJ , ^ to tha Right Hon . Baronet . He < , Mr- ^ - y& that so far as nioney could make tJ ^ Xnnt of tW hia atrocities , he muss pay tbe whole amonn CC ontinv $ d in ovr Seventh page . )

    Hsmprrtal ^Iarlfamrnt.

    HSmprrtal ^ iarlfamrnt .

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    S THE NORTHERN STAR . ______

• Citation
  • Northern Star (1837-1852), March 4, 1843, page 6, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1202/page/6/