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Northern Star (1837-1852), 20th July 1844, Edition 1 of 1, Page 7, Untitled Article

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      HOUSE OF LORDS—Fexdat , July 12 . ! EhB Bonsewas for aome feno occupied 'with -a series o ! qnesKoaa by the Marquis of ClanricaBDB as to oht Indian policy , the annexation of Scinde , and espe * eially the purpose irith irhicb a large army . had been assembled uponthefrontieis of the Punjab . Lord BTP 05 assured the House that there -wiz no JonndaUen for the report that such an army had been assembled at all , much less that Sir C Jfapier had been , appointed to its command , or that it -was destined to invade the Punjab . The anarchy of that country , indeed , and the apprehension that ita

      disorganized army "would Huske some irruption either npon onr territory or ihat of our allies the Sikhs , rendered file presence of a strong force necessary ; bnt there "had never been any such ungenerous intention entertained as that uf taking advantage of the tronbles in the-Pnnjab to . extend onr dominion there . Tbe rumour of a farther acquisition of country npon the hanks of the Indus "was eqnilly TOthcnt foundation . The Noble Lord then moved that tha Heuw should resolTfi itself into a comazutteenpon the Bank of England Charter Bill , and entered into a fall explanation of the principle * npon "which it was founded , and the objects it vraa intended to promote .

      The Bill Trent through Committee -without amend meat , and their Lordships adjourned .

      MOXDAY , JtTLT 15 . The Bank of England Charter . Bill was read a third time and passed . The LOSD Cbaxcblxob , in caflirg attention to the amendments of the Commons on the Dissenters' Chapels Bill , adverted to the anticipated opposition to be given , not to the amendments , which would be perfectly consistent , but to the principle of a bill which bad received the Kmtfion ef both Houses of Parliament . He hoped that their Lordships -would confine themselves to the real question before them , which was their agreement or disagreement with the amendments , and entreated them not to put such a alight on the House of Commons as to seize the present opportunity to reject a iill which , in both Houses , had been passed by large majorities .

      The BISHOP of LOSDOS moved that the amendments of are Commons oe taken into consideration that day three months . A lengthy discussion ensued ; on a division there appeared . ;—For the Bishop of London ' s amendment { presentand proxies ) .. „ .. n Against it ( present and proxies ) ......... 262 JIajoiity . „ .. _ 161 The Commons' amendments to the bQl were then agreed to , and the House adjourned .

      TEESDAT , JtJLT 16 . Eid Fob . te 5 * ge adverted to the circumstances "Which led to the dismksal oT Sir . O'DriscoIl from the commission of the peace in Jhe eonnty of Cork , and asked whafe were the reasons which led the Lord Chancellor of Ireland to restore a gentleman who . had bo manifested his unfitaess far the duties of a mansbate ? lord "Whabsclitfb wonld not defend the conduct of Mi . O"DriseQll which had led to his removal , though

      many of tQ 3 circumstances admitted of palliation , and all had been mneb exagerated . But a memorial , signed by the Lord-Lieutenant of the county , by five other noblemen , by a large number of magistrates , and by 2 , 8-40 pesons of opposite opinions in religion and politics , had been presented , praying lot his restoration ; and the Irish Lord Chancellor , feeling that he had been sufficiently punished by his degradation from the commission during six months , considered that he onght to be restored .

      A lively debate ensued , turning mainly on personal points , and shared in by the Marquis of Nermanby ( who intimated that Mr . ODriscoll had been twice dismissed from the Commission , ) the Marquis of Clanriearde , the Earl of Bin don ( Lord-lieutenant of the Coni-ty of Cork ) , Lord Campbell , the Earls of Grlengall , Wicklow , Badnor , and Hount ^ shel , and' the Lord Chancellor < wio defended Lord Chancellor Sugden > , ¦ when fee motion for the production of any correspondence or papers relating to the case was agreed to . The remaining business was of a routine nature . ¦ „ .

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      HOUSE OP COMMONS . —Fbiday , Jrc . ? 12 . Six J . CrRAHAM announced that ha had come to the resolntian to abandon for the present session the County Courts Bill . Tbs Sndbnry I > is&anchissment Bill was read a-third t ime and passed . The House tfeen went into committee on the Poor Law Amendment BilL On the 22 ad clause , constituting a c&cio guardians , 3 Ir- Boe . tH"wick proposed , in line 13 in tbs same elsnsB \ 22 y , the addition o ? these words , every clergyman of tfee established church holdins cure of souls in snch parish or nmea shall be as opbtio guardian . ' * Sir J . Graham said , he had considered this question , and had no . thought it consistent with his dnty to propose the inclusion of the clergy . Their duties were very numerous , and in order to the beneficial performance of tfcem , it was very desirable to prevent the unpopularity irhich clergymen would be likeiy te incur , if placed in finch a situation .

      3 I& T . 2 ? trjrco 5 TBS said , that if there "was anj force in the argument , tba $ -clergymen should be ESelnd&d from the boards of guardians , it wonld equally prevail for the exclusion ef clergymenlrom the commission of the peace . Prom cornmnrticitioES he bad received , he believed that there existed a Tery strong fceliuj ? among the people in favour of clergymen being ex a&do guardians , as they generally administered the Poor Liw in a leniint manner—\ hesi ) . He knew no one who ought to be b = tttr acquainted with the circumstances ol the poor than the clergyman-of tie parish—fhearj ; ani for this reason ha should vote in favour of his being { whether hs were lector or curate ) an « oMcio guardian .

      Mr . Aglioxbt said that a new light seemed to have broken in upon the Hon . ilember for Pinsbnry—{ hear ; . He did not wish to impute inconsistency to the Hon . Member , but , if he mistook not , he had -voted with that Hon . Slumber for the establishment of the principle that all guardians should he elected —( hear , hear , from Mr . T . Dancombe ) . He concurred with the Right Honourable Baronet in resisting , for the sake of the harmony of the parish , the proposition now 3 D 3 d& H 2 should wish the clergyman to be locked np to as being the friend of the poor , but he thouzht there was no way less likely to effect this otjest than the making ? -. rm a Poor Law Guardian .

      Mr . PrRRASP thought teat the observaUoce just made against the Hon . Member for Pinsbnry were very unfair . The Hon . Member for Pinsbnry possessed the confidence of the working classes to a great extent ; and he stated that he had been applied to by the pear to support such a proposition as that made by thB Hon . Member for ETesham . He ( Hi . Ferrand ) was rejoiced that the poor had -declared such confidence in the clerry —{ hear , hear ) . Mr . Da&bt , though he admitted tha * clergymen Would administer the Poor Law with kindness , was EtHI afraid ttirt the making them guardians wouldjexpose tfeem to collisions with the other guardians and the parishioners .

      Lord 2 . ilissEBSsaid , that if there was truth , in the argument that those who administered the Poor Law were brought into conflicts and broils of all sorts , and that , therefore , it was necessary to keep the clergy out of this confusion , this was aa argument that the system itself could not be wounded in what was right- Those "Who had the cure of souls caeht also to be the dispensers of charity . This was the case in Scotland and in Trance ? and the French clergy had in an especial manner the confluence and respect of their flocks . He admitted that there were difficulties in the way of the proposition of the Hon . Member for Eveskam ; but they arose out o ! the cast iron machinery by which it was wjoeaveured to carry into effect the provisions of the Poor Law . After some fortSer discussion , Mr . Bpbtq'wjcjl Withdrew his amendment .

      Clause S 3 was then proposed , providing that the relief of married women in certain eases should be sibjsci to the same conditions as if they were widows . Hr- Hisdlet objected to the clause . The orders of the Poer Law Commissioners provided that widows Eiould not have relief cut of the workhouse , and if the wives of lunatics , idiots , and men who had been transported were to receive similar relief , the workhouse would , of coarse , be crowded with them . Sir J . GajLHAX said , that women who had been deserted by their husbands , or whose husbands had been

      sepuated from them by the operation of law , were to be treated to all intents and purposes as widows . 3 ? or afix months they weald be entitled to relief , and beyond tha ; period it was open to the board ot guardians to decide whether relief waste be given them . The object of the clause was to -mxr * the mother ef a family maintain her family as far as she was able , and in case " of her deserting them she was rendered liable to the same penalties as was attached to a father deserting his family- That was tha object of the clause , and he considered it a just one—( hear , hear ) .

      The 24 th clause , relating to expenses incurred for insane paupers , gave rise to some general discussion on the state of the insane peor . LordAsHUST observed , that tfes view taken by the Hon . Member for Bridport had been more ffrn ~ n confirmed by the report of the Metropolitan Commissioners -of Lunacy , who stated that in many workhouses there were confined s large number of absolutely dangerous lunatics . Tbe Commissioners gave instances . Is the Bsdratb Union Workhouse there were 41 insane persons , including six idiots , and several violent lunatics ; In the workhouse of the Bath Union there were 21 insane persona , including a da&gerons woman ; in that

      of the L = iC 8 £ tfci "Union there -were 30 mad person * , deluding three males and nine females who were dangerous innstics ; and in the Birmingham Union Work , house there wore 71 cases of insanity , many of which ¦ were described 2 * of a Tery grave class —( hear ) . Now , Ihe Poor Law Commissioners had expressed an opinion that the detention of any incurable lunatic was objectionable on the score both of humanity and economy and the Act which' t ^ e Home Secretary had quoted uo doubt provided that n ° dangerous lunatics or idiots should be detained for more than fourteen days in fiis workhouse . Bnfc tfei * 3 aw "was constantly evaded ** * iittlbblfl Abofflt—«*«*¦ -force zai arBlicaHan

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      ef the word " dangerous "—( hear , hear . ) It waa obrious , bowerer , that in a workhouse the insane penon mi sabjeei to no saperrtflon , and no remedial treatment whiM there was no opportunity of any sort afforded foi classification . In many caaes the guardians , no doubt , laboured under great difficulties in the disposal of pauper lunatics and idiots , by reaaon of the insufficient provision afforded tor them in county asylumB . It was a startling- fact , that in England and Wales there were 17 , 000 pauper lunatics , and only public asylums provided for 4 , 500—( loud cries of •¦ hear , hear * " ) . How were the rest disposed of ? In private asylums , in workhouses , and if they went to ihe Principality , they would find that they

      were too often treated as no man of feeling wonld treat his dog—that they ware kept in outhouses—chained wallowing in filth , and without firing , for years—( bear , hear ) . It was a subject that really required investigation—( repeated cries of " hear , hear '') . Already he | ( Lord Ashley ) had given notice of a motion npon ihe question to be bronght forward that day week , and he rejoiced in that opportunity of dlreeting the attention of the House to the subject , beseeching them to remember , as a rule , that , if taken in time , instanfly was susceptible of cure , but that if permitted to grow it became , as an Hon . Member opposite ( Mr . Wakley ) would tell them , confirmed , and , in fine , a permanent sriiction—( cheers ) .

      Sir J . Gsaham replied , that he did not understand the Ifoble / -ord to say that the abuses ho adverted to took place in workhouses . No doubt , | however , the whole subject was well entitled to the careful and early attention of ihe Bonse . In the course of next session , indeed , he himself wonld be bound to bring it forward for the Metropolitan Commission o ! Lunacy expired next year , and it would then be absolutely essential that the whole subject should eome under immediate review . After the statement , too , of the Noble Lord , that ont of 17 . 000 pauper lunatics , there was public provision made for only 4 , 500 , the subject appeared to be even more important .

      Mr . Wakley was surprised that nothing had been done by the present measure to remedy the state of the lunatio poor in the workhouses ; the Poor Law Commissioners must have long been cognizant of the horrible condition in which those unfortunate persons were . The existing law was daily violated with respect to pauper lunatics in the -wortonsea , and the Poor Law CominiS ' sionerainewit The reason , no doubt iras , that the cost of supporting a pauper lunatic was one-third less in the werkhouse than it would be if he were sent to the eonnty asylum . The Bight Hon . Baronet ought to put as endlo such a system as this . The advantages which were derived from an taxly remedial treatment of lunacy-were invaluable . They constituted all the difference between cure and confirmed

      insanity—( bear , hear ) . The curative system now enforced in the Middlesex County Lunatic Asylum was such as to confer the highest credit , not only on the magistracy , but also on the whole ^ oommuuity . There never was a system more humane , more generous , and , he might add , more successful . The only misfortune was , that there was net room enough to accommodate all those unfortunate lunatics who were chargeable to their parishes , and now consequently were confine * in their respective workhouses . It often happened that when a lunatic recently attacked was brought to the county asylum , the room which he might have occupied with some chance of cure under the treatment there enforced , was already in the occupation of a confirmed and incurable lunatic , and thus all the benefit available

      from curative means was lost to such for ever . This was a crying evil , and one which the Bight Hon . Bart , ought to remedy . He hoped the next session would not pass without some measure being proposed by the Government for this pnrpose . Tba delay of a single week was often fatal to the cure , and the individual thus neglected became a permanent lunatic . The modern system of treatment Was totally opposed to that wh ^ ch formerly prevailed . No ropes , no chains , no floggings , no t 6 iture 3 were now resorted to , and the results had been most happy , both as regarded humanity and success in restoring the patients . It , however , sometimes happened that the workhouBe authorities would characterize a troublesome inmate as lunatic merely in order to get rid of him . He had known such things done ; and the rd

      J ^ e ( Ashley ; op posite would not contradict him on this point It occasionally happened that a pauper found fault with his diet , or his treatment in the workhouse , and thus occasioned trouble to those about or placed over him—and sometimes it -wenld be suggested that such a person must ba mad- he was so very discontented —( a laugh ) . All that was necessary to be done was , for the magistrate to consent to his removal , on the . production of a medical certificate of the person ' s insanity , and this was frequently sigaed by the very individual who had first suggested the possibility of hiB being mad . Sach practices as these ought to be guarded agaiaBt , and , indeed , the Bight Hon . Baronet would do well to see that the regulations of the Poor Law Amendment Bill were more strictly adhered to in future , than to his knowledge they had beta .

      After some further conversation , the clause as amended was aj ? rred to . On clause twenty-seven , relating to the burial of paupers , Mr . Cubtejs said he wished to propose , on this clause , the amendment of which he had given notice—•• Taat boards of guardians be empowered to permit the inmates to ge out of union workhouses for air and exercise during the day , subject to snch regulations as they may deem expedient . ' '—( Laughter , and cries of " order . '' ) He certainly thought it was p * ef&rable to legislate for the benefit of the poor while they were living than after they were dead—( renewed laughter ) . The CHiiBJUS said it appeared to him that the amendment of the Hon . Gentleaian ought to be moved as a separate clause .

      Mr . Henley said that the clause commenced in these terms , — " That it shall ba lawful for guardians to bury the body cf any person which may be within the parish or union . " Now , it was known that in many cases boards of guardians held their meetings only once a week—Bometimes only once a fortnight ; and the clause would be wholly inoperative , if it was necessary to -wait until the meeting oi the board to obtain an order to bury the bodies of persons to whom it referred . Ha would , therefore , propose thit , after t&e word " guardians , " the words " overseer , or relieving office ? ba inserted .

      Sir J . Gkah ^ m said , it had beon decided by the supreme court of judicature in this country , that , under the 43 rd of . Elizabeth , tha parochial authorities had no power to defray from the poor-rates the expence of interring the bodies of wayfaring persons who did not die i& the workhouse . The first part of this clause was intended to provide a remedy for that grievoss evil , and be hoped it would receive the unanimous sanction of the House . Sir . Waklet hoped the Bight Hon . Baronet would consent to the postponement of the clause , for if it was postponed , he believed the Right Hon . Gtentleman would see the necessity of reconstructing it . He wished the Bight Hon . Gentleman was with bnn for a fortnight—{ laughter ) . The Bight Hon . Baronet would

      then hsve an opportunity of seeing what miseries and inconvenience might be removed and prevented by the alteration of this clause . It happened , not ucfrequently that a death took place in a room eight or ten feet tqaare , occupied by four , five , six , or seven persons . Ocly a few days ago , be had witnessed two cases of this nature . In the first , a woman and three children were living in a room only twelve feet Equare , in which there was a corpse . In the second case , the room was only nine feet square , for he measured it feimself , and though there was a dead body in it , it was occupied by a man , his wife , and three children . But what said this clause ? It provided that the guardians should have the power to bury the body of any poor person ¦ which might be within their parish or union , " if such

      poor person have died without effects of sufficient value for defraying the expences of the burial . " Why , in the first case to which he had just alluded , the poor woman -whose child was dead received 2 s . Gi , a-week and three loaves of bread from the parish ; sbe had no relations to assist her , her only relative being a sister who was in service , and who she stated was extremely kind to her ; bnt the furniture in the house was her own . Now , if that woman applied to the parish fox a cofin , and for the expences of burying her child , she might be met by the words of this clause ^— "if such poor person have died without effects of sufficient value for defraying the expences of the burial" He beeged to remind the House that the first part of the clause was o ^ ly permissive—it was

      net directory ; it did not require that the parish officers should bury the body , —it oniy stated that it should be lawful for them to do bo . Could it be said that they entertained any respeet for the feelingB of the poor population of this country ? ~ Wbj , they treated them like barbarians . Cases were frequently brought under his notice in which poor persons , Buffering under the most painful bereavements , and entreating only a coffin to bnry the remains of their relatives , were refused even that boon , and were bandied about from one parish officer to another in the most shameful manner . In cases of the description to which he was alluding

      the greatest facilities for burial ought to be afforded . In many instances the progress of decomposition , within a few hours after death , was most frightful , and was attended with great danger to human life , not only in the apartment and in the house hi which the body lay , but throughout the whole neighbourhood . He thought that under these circumstances neither the Bight Hon . Baronet ( Sir J . Graham ) nor the Poor Law Commissi oners could object to give overseers , churchwardens , or jelieYing-ogicert , the power of defraying the expenses of burial He hoped the Bight Hon . Gentleman weald postpone the farther consideration of the ellipse .

      Sir J . GRAHAM said , he could sot accede to Use suggestion of the Hon . Member , that this clause sboold be postponed . It would be necessary to adopt Bomo checks and restraints ; but he invited a fall discussion of the rahjeefc , and it the clause was imperfectly framed , and any Hon . Ctentltunan would suggest more perspicuous expressions , he should be glad to attend to such tuggeBtions—( bear , hoax ) . After some remarks from Colonel Wood , Sir James < Jbah ^ m was ready , to consent to the omission from this clause of the words- — "if Bucb poor person have died without effects of « cffitient ralue for defraying the expenoes of the burial "—{ he . v » hear ) The amendment for the insertion of tie words it overseer orTrrfifivino- nffiav . " ma M >* n w-tt-uj-- «^ to .

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      and the queition was next put that the words , " if « uch poor person have died without effecta of sufficient value for defraying the expeocea of tbe burial" be omitted . Lord Asblex proposed to add a proviso to the clause , with the view of preventing an abuse which had occurred , and might oconr again . The proviso was to the following effect ;— " Provided always , that it ahall not be lawful for any officer connected with the relief of the poor , to receive any money for the burial of the body of any poor person which may be within the parish , division of parish , chapelry , or place in which the death may have occurred , or to act as undertaker , for

      personal gain or reward , in the burial « f such body , or to receive any money from any dissecting school ot school of anatomy , or hospital or other person ox persons to whom any such body shall be delivered , or te derive any personal emolument whatever for , or In respeot of , the burial or disposal of any snch body ; and any such officer offending as aforesaid , shall be thenceforth incapable of holding any office underthe Baid recited act , or this act , or under any other act relating to the relief of tbe poor la England . " He thought tbe House would see how undesirable It was for any person connected with the relief of the poor to derive profit from tbe disposal of any corpse , which he might happen to have in charge .

      The proviso was then agreed to , and the clause as amended passed . Clause 28 was next read , providing that auditors are to be appointed for districts of unions by the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of Boards of Guardians ; and that such auditors are to have the powers necessary to compel the attendance of persons accountable , and to receive the balance struck . Captain Pecbell expressed his opinion that the clause was of a destructive nature . He trusted the Bight Hon . Baronet would not allow a clause of this

      grasping nature to remain in the bill , which he termed an ameliorating measure . The principal objection which he ( Captain Pec hell ) entertained was , to the appointment of the auditors , who were to be under the control of tbe Poor Law Commissioners , not merely as to their salaries , bnt as to the guidance of their conduct . He objected to the introduction of the wedge of the Poor Law Commission into the local management or unions , for , when once that wedge waa admitted , nobody could say how soon It might be driven home . The effect of the clause would be to create distrust and supicion in the minds of the ratepayers .

      Colonel Sibthorp moved , that the clause be struck out of the bill . He bad the same objections to it as had been already expressed . After a lengthy diBCusaian the clause was carried by a majority of 93 . Several cUusea were agreed to , and the House resumed . The Actions for Gaming Discontinuance BUI was read a third time and passed . Sir JaIIES Graham obtained leave to bring in a bill to provide for the better administration of criminal justice in Middlesex . T ^ e Bight Honourable Baronet also obtained leave to bring in a bill to improve the laws relating to the burning of farm buildings . He stated the object of tbe bill to be , to Include the firing of certain detached buildings with tbe crimB of arson , which , under the present defective state of the law , was not the case . The House adjourned at one o ' clock .

      Saturday , Jclt 13 . poor law amendment bill . On the order of the day being lead for geing inte committee on this bill , Mr . Wak . le ? wished to call the attention of the House to the 11 th clause of the Poor Law Bill , which provided for the management and control of parish apprentices . He had , to his great astonishment , found out thut those pauper apprentices were otten bound for a period twelve years , and that , during that period , they were never visited by the parish officers at all . In hi 3 opinion , they ought te be regularly visited and examined , and this apart from their masters and mispresses . He thought the Government ought to confer some new powers on the commissioners with respect to this subject .

      Sir J . Graham said be was most anxious to secure sufficient powers to the commissioners for the guardianship of the apprentices . It would be seen , by the present bUl , that the commissioners were invested with considerable powers ; they were authorised to prescribe tbe terms and provisions of the indentures , and to take care that they Bhpuld be properly executed . The House then went into committee , Mr . GREEN in the chair . On clause 35 being pnt , Colonel Wood complained of tbe deficiency of schoolrooms in different Poor Law Unions . Parishes had been called on to expend a large Bum in schools , and now unions were to be called on to erect district schools . The poor wonld not permit their children to be removed from them , and the schools would be entirely left to orphans and deserted children . He preferred bcdooIb where the children were k « pt in connection with their parents . He begged the Right Honourable Gentleman to postpone this proposition to another

      Subsequently Colonel Wood moved that clause 35 be omitted . Sir James Graham opposed the amendment . A lengthy discussion ensued , in the courBe of which Mr . Waklet , alluding to the incendiary fires in Norfolk snd Suffolk—Mr . WoDEHorsE said that the crime of incendiarism was as common in other counties as in Norfolk . Nobody could be a better authority on the subject than tbe Hon . Member for Finsbury himself . In reply to Mr . HaWES ,

      Sir James Graham said he was very anxious to exclude all unnecessary heat from this discussion ; but he could not conceive on what ground , if he bad any regard for truth , the Honourable Gentlemanjwho had just set down had thought fit to make an attack upon himself and the Government from shrinking from spreading education amongst aDy class of her Mojesty ' a snbjects—llond-xheera ) . The Honourable Gentleman admitted that it was a salutary principle that children should not be removed more than a moderate distance from their friends ; and it was an inevitable consequence of that admission that tbe clause could not be applied to the rural districts with due regard to the feeling of thoBe concerned—( hear , bear ) .

      Mr . Hawes said he did not quite understand the Bight Hononreble Gentleman . Tee R ghJ HonoaraWe Gentleman said that he ( Mr . Hawes ) would not make a certain statement if he had any regard for troth . Did the Bight Honourable Gentleman mean to impute to him , that he bad made a certain statement without having any regard for truth ? Sir J . Graham said what he had intended was , that if the Honourable Gentleman meant to make a deliberate charge against hinwlf or the Government , that they wished to reBtrict the education of the poor , he made a charge which he could not substantiate , with regard either to truth or justice—( ministerial cheers ) .

      Mr . Hawks 3 aid the Right Honourable Gentleman had somewhat altered his words—( cries of no , no ) . The Bight Honourable Gentleman now said that if he had made a statement ha was not able to substantiate it ; but it bo happened that he had used no aach words , and therefore tbe Right Honourable Gentleman waa himself making a statement which had no foundation in truth . The Chairman was understood to say that the Honourable Member having stated that he had not intended to make the imputation , the matter might be suffered to rest—( hear , hear ) . Lord Hensiker stated , in reply . to the observations of the Hon . Member for Finsbury , that tbe state of education in Norfolk and Suffolk was much improved in comparison with what it had been . With regard to the incendiarism in those counties , it had no mere to do with the Poor Laws than it had to do with aDy Hon . Member of that House .

      Colonel Sibthorp said he was really surprised to hear the inefficiency of education stated as the &mse of tbe iHcendiary fires in Norfolk and Suffolk . This was not the cause . For his part he not only wished to see tbe poor well educated , but he wished to see them well housed and well fed—[ heat , hear ) . That was a better way of hindering incendiary fires than by turning tbe Poor Law Commissioners into tutors—( laughter ) . The House then divided . The numbers were—For the amendment 26 Against it 103 Majority 77 Mr . Waklet gave notice that as soon as the Speaker should resume the chair , he would call the attention of the House to something which had passed in the course of debate .

      Sir J . GbaBah moved that the Chairman shonld report progress , and osK leave to sit again on Monday , at twelve o ' clock . He proposed that the Committee should rise at four on Monday . Oa the motion that the Committee bave leave to sit again on Monday at twelv * , Mr . Waklet ro 3 e and Bpoke as follsws : —I have been a member of this House for nine years , and during that time I do not recollect that any Hon . Member has had occasion to complain of any personal remarks made by me upon him . My object has always been to confine myself to the question before the House , and never to utter a single word that should give any individual

      offence . I cannot say that the same conduct has always been extended to me . On one occasion only , however , have I complaintd to the House . But when Hon . Gentlemen permit themselves to descend , in the course of discussions on public affairs , to refer to the private life of other Hon . Members , and to cast imputations upon them in those relations , that in a coarse so contrary to the honour and dignity of tbe House being pursued , it becomes the dnty of the member so referred to to require an explanation in the presence or the Houss , Sit , it occurred to me in the course of th& discussion in committee on this bill , to make some « bser-¦ vations on the state of edneation in Norfolk and Suffolk ;

      did not I also ( added the Hon . Gwtleman , turning round to the Hon . Member sitting on the bench beside him ) allude to Middlesex ? For I had certainly no iaUntion of making any invidious distinctions in tha matter . I had no intention in th » remarks I made to suggest any reflections upon any individual whatever —( eheeiB ) . [ The Honourable Member here paused for a moment evidently inucb affected ] . Sir , I have . had during my life ! some difficulties to contend w »* h . I came to this town unknowing and unknown r £ > eera ) . I fought my own battle , not always an - « . * WkA I luu > # >« all « jj > KitatM . m—SnilH . fTll 6

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      on an 1 w « f ^ ' " ^ l ™« * tbe HonM cheering MamfL » f ^ ' T ^ . * emark < ' whlcl » «« Honourable MWJber for Norfolk need at the conclusion of his speechwesethese—I am wrt . iagf them , fot I to , * XL IT 1 * «« " « :- No one Is mow capable of giving an oplnien on the subject of -incendiarism than « r £ fT «?? lbIe Member % Hnsbnryhimself-dond « nmw h u l > ) - Now « Sir ' il 8 eet ° *<*> bowM 6 t ° infIS ^ " ? u hathln 8 » as that the Honourable Member £ w % T WOrda t 0 ***** Personally to me-lloud ^ l » h Vl tt any Ho no « rable . Member in this House , 7 nn »^ ^ mg Prov <* e < i by any remark of mine , shonld apply snch remarks to me—thear , hear ) . I know , Sir , that every maa who has been engaged in the work of reform , as I have been , mast be prepared for attacks «« o * puWio ch (» aoter . But I was not prepared to fhu tf Un £ Bttack on my P riTOte character in battle unfairly in my life—rtomi cries of h *™ . h «« i .

      « f » . ¦ DOt an Mt of Tlife » *> tbg fi « £ moment or my existence , that I would not court inquiry Into ; ? i , f ft ? y gentleman desires to go into such an inquiry , thT ^ L , ? ft W IWMir *« my power for pursuing the inquiry in the most minute manner-loheerB ) . Sir , Uiese observations were applied to me publicly in this House ; and if I did not dare to aafc ; for an explanation » lul L eanin 8 » and to court investigation ' of their truth , I should not dare to enter within these walls ogam . 1 could not again presume to face this body of honourable gentlemen- ( cheers ) . Sit , I am therefore quite ready logo Into an inquiry into the matter to which it Is possible the words of the Hon . Member may refer . I have nothing to fear from inquiry ; but I Dave everything to fear from insinuation , when

      Inainuatlon is made the vehicle of the foulest calumny that was ever cast upon the character of any man—( hear , hear ) . At all events , there is but one proper mode in which I should deal with this matter . I do not pretend to make thia matter the subjeot for private quarrel or dispute with the Honourable Member , for 1 have nothing to fear from publicity . I think I have a rii ; ht to ask the Honourable Member what meaning he attached to the words I have read to the House , as applied to me ; and before I coil upon him to do so I will state to the House the circumstances to which I believe they were intended to refer—icheera ) . Sir , it happened that I had the misfortune once to- have my house burned . I brpD # ht aa aotion against the insurance company in which I was insured , for the loss . They

      resisted that action ; it went to trial , and the result of that trial was , that every farthing which I went against the company for was given me by the jury—( hear , hoar ) . The present Lord Denman waa my counsel ; Lord Tenterden was the judge who tried the case ; and after the trial one of the jurymen , who was himself a proprietor in the office , joined with some of my friends who had taken up the matter , aod they subscribed the money to pay my expences as between attorney and client— ( cheers ) . Sir , these are facts recorded in the papers of the day . Sir , I suffered very much tben ; and I have since suffered much from as . persions which have been cast upon me in reference to this case . I hav « been most shamefully and cruelly used ; and I trust that the House will not think that under the circumstances I have unnecessarily trespassed upon its time in calling its attention to this

      matter . I have made this appeal with the greatest possible pain—with the greatest possible reluctance —as you may readily suppose —( cheers ) . I believe I mentioned that every farthing was recovered from the office , and was paid . I throw myself , therefore , not : on tbe humane consideration of the House , but upon its sense of justice ( hear , hear , and cheers ) , and I ask the Honourable Member to Btnte the meaning of the words he used , and which he applied te me ]; and I call upon him further , for my sake , if be knows anything of a reproachful nature against my character—if from any source or channel whatever he has heard anything injurious to me—I call upon him not to shrink from declaring it , but on the contrary to state it to the House without the slightest reservation —( the Honourable Member sat down amidst loud cheer ina ) .

      Mr- Wodehouse immediately rose and said—I rejoice , Sir , that I have afforded the Hon . Gentleman an opportunity of giving a distinct explanation npon tbe matter he has alluded to—a subject which I think has already remained too long in doubt . I have no hesitation in saying that I did refer to the transaction upon which the Hon . Gentleman has given this explanation . After that explanation 1 must nay that I feel it to be my duty , as a gentleman , to tender him an apology on those grounds , and upon those grounds alone . I understand the Honourable ; Gentleman to say , that there waa ' no fact connected with this

      transaction , which has not been brought to a satisfactory conclusion . Sir , I tender him my apology on tboee grounds , and those grounds alone ; but I must now be permitted to say that the Houourable Gentleman himself , and those with whom . he acts , and those who take a similar course with him , are too lavish in accusing landlords , of selfishness , and I take this opportunity of declaring that these accusations are such tb&f . we are not able to bear them any longer . I do not know whether I am called npon to nnako any further lemark , or any further apology to the Honourable Member , and I trust that the House ia sutisfled with what I have stated .

      A dead silence prevailed throuijb . the House when tbe Honourable G .-ntltmtau resumed liis seat . After a momentary interval , The Speakek put the question , " that the House resolve itself Into th « said committee on Monday next , at twelve o ' clock , " which was agreed to , and tbe House adjourned at a quarter past five o ' clock .

      Monday , July IS . The House of Commons sat st twelve o ' clock , for the purpose of proceeding with the committee on the Poor Law Amendment BilL On the 36 : h clauso , Mr . Christopher urged the expediency Of establishing in eaoh union workhouse a ward fpr those houseless poor who were journeying in quest of employment or of their parishes . Sir J . Graham was favourable to this suggestion , though he considered it not to be strictly connected with the clause in discussion . At present it wss not unusual ; to commit these wanderers to prison ; but be thought it much better to provide them with a temporary asylum than to aend them to gaol . Three or four of thesa asylums , in well-selected localities , would enable the police to bring tmch persons where they might have shelter for a night .

      Mr . B . COCHBANE heartily concurred in the humane views of the Right Hon . Baronet ( Sir J . Graham ) . He thought the Government should take those asylums into their own bands , otherwise the expense of Poor Laws would amount to £ 8 . 000 , 000 , as it did uiider the old Bystem . It had already increased from £ 4 , 000 , 000 to £ 7 , 300 , 000 . Mr . Wakley contended that the present Btate of the law made casual relief a very great burden In some parishes , while to others it did not involve a penny expense . He fully approved the object of the clause , which , in combination with the Blst clause , would have a most beneficial effect Ho objected , however , to the mode in which it was sought to be carried out . He thought that the principle ought to be carried out in all parts of the country , for if there were only a few such asylums , the case of the casual poor would be made worse by having long distances to walk before they could get relief .

      After considerable discussion , the Committee then divided . For the clause 83 Against it 6 - Majority 77 The next clause gave rise to more discussion Mr . M . Sutton ( in the absence of Sir J . Graham . who had been sent for to a Committee of the Houbo of LordB ) , moved on adjournment of this Committee to Wednesday , at twelve o ' clock . The House then rose , to re-assemble at five o ' clock . Ilhe House ie-asaembled at five o '

      clock-Mr . Wodehquse then rose , and said , —Perhaps the House will allow me , before giving th « notice I hold in my hand , to say a few words upon a matter of personal interest to mysetf . It haa beon intimated to me that the exi-lanation which I gave the Hon . Member for Finsbury on Saturday was not so satisfactory as that Hon . Gentleman had a right to demand . I have no hesitation in saying , that ! then acted under an erroneous impression with respect to the trial to which I referred . Tht Hon . Member for Finubury appears to me , by the explanation which be has since given , to have had a verdict distinctly in hia favour , and it also appears that all which followed after wards was equally in his favour . I therefore feel , thatas I may have been the instrument of ii jury to the Hon . Gent it is now my bounden duty to de ray best to be the iuatrumentof reparation—( cheers ) . It Is a dnty which I owe , not only to himself in the first inBtance , but in the next place , to all those who are

      connected with him by relationship , and lastly , to all wbe are connected with him by public representation , to make the explanation which I now make ; and I hope it will not be permitted to go further , for I tender it as due from one gentleman to another , and I am obliged to the House for the opportunity it has afforded me of making this further explanation —( hear , hear , from all Bides of the House ) . The Hon . Gentleman then gave notice that it was hia intention , at an early period of the next session , to move that a humble address be presented to her Majesty praying that she would be graciously pleased to give directions for tbe appointment of a commission of inquiry as to tbe expediency of restoring the standard of money to the state in which it existed prior to the act of 1819 affecting the silver cwnage , namely , to restore it to the state in which it was placed by the advice of Sir Isaac Newton , the Master ot the Mint , in the year 1701—( a laugh ) .

      Sir B Peei / Baid , —With respect to what has fallen from the Hon . Member for Norfolk with reference to an insinuation which he made against the Hon . Member for Finsbury , I feel that the explicit declaration which has now been made must have convinced every one that the Hon . Member for Finsbury is an honourable and an innocent man—( hear , hearj—and I think that Gentleman may retire from the House to-night with a fall understanding that he has had complete reparation made to his injured feelings , and that he retires with as much right to hold himself perfectly ereot in public estimation—( cheers )—as any Hon . Member . I must say , too , that as this explanation is in unison with the noanimoBj feeling of { fee House —( cheers)—i tope it

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      will be pnt on the records of the House as a public declaration—( cheers ) , j Mr . Wakley then said , —I cannot refrain from expressing my gratitude to the Honourable Member for Norfolk for tbe kind explanation which he has given , and offering my grateful acknowledgments to the House , for the handsome manner in which it has treated me on this painful occasion . At tbe same time , I beg to say , that I receive the acknowledgment of the Honourable Gentleman with that spirit of frankness with which it has ! been made ( hear , hear ); and [ feel convinced that be oast an imputation on me , which be has not felt himaelf justified in doing under the circumstances which have since come to his knowledge , fa saying this , I am bound to state that I consider this acknowledgment will be most satisfactory to every member of my family , and I have a particular motive in making that declaration—( oheers ) . After some other business ,

      Mr , Wyse made a motion for a committee to inqutte Into the circumstances of tbe formation of the Bpecial jury upon tbe late Irish trials . He said that there were petitions from nearly 1 , 000 , 000 of tbe Irish people for such an inquiry . He demanded it for them , on the allegation that the trial had not been a ffitir one . He entered into a disquisition upon the public feeling in Ireland with respect to repeal . He went through a long series of { technical details as to tbe jarylists , imputing partiality to Mr . Magrath , the officer employed in the business of the jury revision under the recorder of Dublin . ] He charged the Government with having been themselves the founders of Mr . O'Connell ' s importance , and finished with B&me warm remonstrances and admonitions to the Government . Lord Eliot , tbe Solicitor-General , and Mr . Grogan opposed , and Mr . M . J . O'Connell , Mr . V . Stuart , and Mr . J . O'Brien supported the motion .

      When Mr . O'Brien concluded , no person rising , there was a call for a division , the gallery was cleared , and the result was— ¦

      For Mr . Wyse ' a motion 73 Against it ; 91 Majority 18 Sir ROBERT PEEL then obtained leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Church Endowment Act of last session , which fee stated had already given a great impetus to the extension of church accommodation , and the means of spiritual instruction . The remaining business was then disposed of , and the House adjourned at a quarter-past twelve o'clock .

      Tuesday , July 16 . The House met at twelve o'clock , in order to consider tbe Metropolitan Buildings Bill in committee . Mr . Hawes opposed the motion for going into committee , by moving the i previous question , and was seconded by Mr . Mackinnon , both Membara contending that the bill was too important to be hnrried forward , without due consideration , during the present session . The Earl of Lincoln remarked that the junction of Mr . Hawea and Mr . Mackinnon in opposition , was a striking illustration of i extremes meeting . Perhaps Mr . Hawes was contemplating a violent attack on the Government , for its inability to pass Its measures , and was doing what be could to make out a case for himself . The bill was one on which much consideration had been bestowed , and its details bad received tha approbation of Ihe moat eminent architects in London .

      After a division , the House went into Committee , and at four o ' clock had passed fifty-one clauses . An adjournment tben took place till half-past five . At the adjourned sitting , LoTd Palmerston brboght the eta ^ e of tbe slave trade under the consideration of the House . The actual numbers annually carried from Africa and imported into the islands and continent ! of America , for the purposes of slavery , were differently estimated j Mr . Bandinel calculated them at from 120 . 000 to 130 , 000 ; Sir F . T . Baxton at 150 , 000 at the least . Let auy man imagine this multitude assembled , and marching to th&ir doom , by every variety of misery and torture , and let him be told that this astonishing spectacle was renewed every year , would he not invoke the

      vengeance of Heaven on those who were tbe authors of theae frightful atrecities ? For every negro landed , two were calculated to perish on the voyage ; so that the aetnal numbers imported imuafc be multiplied by three , in order to obtain a correct estimate of tha sacrifice of human life . The Noble Lord then gave a vivid picture of the whole process of the slave trade ; tbe attack on and burning of some peaceful village in the interior ; the slaughter , flight , and captivity of its inhabitants ; the march to the coast ; jthe horrora of the " middle passage , " the living cargo packed into the smallest possible space , each negro fettered , and allowed less room than a man in his coffin ; the horrible struggles when during a Btorm , the hatchways are fastened down ; aud the appaling morality which ensues .

      Aggregating all the other crimes perpetrated biuco the creation , their mass i could not exceed the enormities engendered by tha slave trade . Oa England rested peculiarly the responsibility of attempting to put an end to such a system ; and so far as the late Government was concerned , it had done its duty . Treaties with various countries were entered into , in ord « r to effect tbe extinction of tbe traffic , one of them , that with France , according the right of search to both countries ; with Spain , which had at least tbe tfFtiCt of greatly mitigating the extent of the traffic into Cuba : aud with Portugal , though with that country they were not so successful . But the late Government went further ; wben it went out of office , it had laid the basis of negotiations W » th France , Austria ,

      Prussia , and Russia , for a European league against the slave trade , into which , when concluded , it was expected that the United States would enter , and thus complete an anti-slavery combination which would effectually ! preclude the use of any neutral nag , as a cover 6 ? the traffic . But since the accession ' of the present G ^ vernNient , everything had gone backward . He knew that the burdens and the difficulties of office were neither easily borne nor overcome . Bnt the present Government had raised the obstacles by which they were prevented from enlightening the Ignorant masses of the manufacturing districts , satisfying six millions of Catholica in Ireland , or establishing such a commercial system as would keep us from dropping In the wake of

      other nations , and provide for our increasing population—( hear , hear ) . But there was one avenue of fame still open to them—they could abolish the slave trade , and in so doing woald secure the support of all classes in this country , and the approbation of every friend of tho welfare of the human rac 8 . He moved for a return , showing the total number of African negroes landed for tha purposes of slavery on the islands and on the continent of America , from tbe year 1815 to tho year 1813 , both inclusive ; distinguishing the number so landed in each of those years , and distinguishing also the number landed in each year on the territory of each separate Btate or power , ao far as tbe BAine can be made up from documents in tbe possession of her Majesty ' s Government .

      Sir Robert Peel had not expected that no very harmless a motion would have produced such a display of rhetoric . The Noble Lord had suddsnly roused up from the inactivity of the session , and at this late period had attacked the Government through one of those ingenious devices which saved him from testing the feeling of ihe House . At an earlier period , ha had a motion on the slave trade j but shrinking from a conflict , had been relieved from hia dilemma by the House , on the night when ; his motion stood for discussion , being " counted out . " But , quitting thesa personal topics be expressed his cordial approbation of , and concurrence with tail that bad been so ably uttered by Lord PiUmerston in reprobation of the Blave trade . Two countries we ' re mainly responsible for the guilt , and the horrors consequent on the perpetnation of this trade in man . \ Every other country waa

      ready to join except Spain and the Brazils , and without their cordial co-operation it was impossible to suppress it effectually . He continued to speak at great length in reply to Lord Palmerston , aud concluded by observing the returns asked for , he had already ordered to be prepared ; but the taunts about not unswaddling British commerce did not apply to Itbe present Government , which , without disturbing existing interests , had effected more than the late Government , in its expiring moments had proposed . Aa little wae heto 5 a reproached with not seeking to conciliate tbe Roman Catholics , seeing that against former opinions , and j with' sacrifice and censure , be had removed Roman Catholic disabilities . They were told by the Noble Lord that their only avenue to fame was the suppression of the slave trade ; if so , the House might rest assured that they would avail themselves of it , so far as honest intentions could

      accomplish it- \ Sir Charles Napie& , Mr . Borthwick , and Captain Pechell , added a few observation * each ; and ! Lord Palmerston having replied , the return moved for , with an addition suggested , by Sir Robert Peel , respecting the nnmbera of slaves liberated in Sierra Leone , and other places , between 1819 and 1844 , was then agreed to . i Mr . Hume was next called on , to propose a motion for an address to the Crown , for a commission ef inquiry into tha past and present Btate of out tidal harbouTB , npon which he entered into considerable details . j Sir Robert Peel , after acknowledging the importance of tbe subjeot , acceded to the motion , which , after tome remarks { rota ! several Members , was agreed to . j

      Mr . Eveltn Denison nest moved for an account ; in detail of the sums of money received and expended by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for England . The motion bavins reference to ajfatore one tespecting the determination to run out nil leases on lives held under Churob tenures , ! Dr . Elfhinstone proposed , aa an amendment , the addition ef an account of the actual sums paid to the BishopB . ! Sir James Graham wonI 4 agree to the motion , but not to the amendment , : A brief debate followed , in jwblch Sir Robert peel remarked that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners held a publio trust , and hoped that they will continue to act according to their aense of duty , without reference to any debate in that House . ;

      Mr . Brotherton added tbat the pretended friends of the Church were frequently its greatest BpoHatoxs * The Commissioners were bound to make the most of tbe Church property . i

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      By a divisien , the amendment was rejected , and the motion was agreed to . Aft ^ r some other business had been disposed of , tha House adjourned at a quarter to one o ' clock . VS | VVirtlv- ^ JS < l ^^^—^^ - - -, - j ^ r-y-.

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      BIRMINGHAM ELECTION . state op parties , to the editor of the northern star . Sib , —That Birminsham , the seat of the great and far-famed Political Union , and parent of that Monster fraud the Reform Bill , shonid return a Tory to Parliament , will no doubt be matter of surprise to the whole country . That BirminRhftm , which gave birth to such mighty geniuses as Attwood , Douglas , Muntz . Salt , Edmunds , &c . should ,, after twelve years working of their own darling measure , send to a " Reformed Parliament" a sworn and deadly foe to those " great principles" : which they have all ao eloquently advocated ,, will astonish those who have not paid some attention to passing events . The causes which have led to each an effect cannot fail to excite due interest . I will therefore , Sir , with your permission , give a brief history of the whole transaction .

      From tbe moment it was ascertained that tbe late member , James Scbolefisld , Esq ., waa ao dangerously ill as to place his recovery beyond probability , the friends of the three candidates set to work to arrange the necessary preliminaries previous to any public announcement of their intentions . Immediately , therefore , on the death of the deceased member , the requisite machinery was put in tnotien , and Mr . Spooner , who had been twice rejected before , was declared the champion of Toryism , and Mr . Wm . Scbolefleld , son of the late member , was put forward aa the representative of Whig Any-thicg-arian-ism . Mr . Sturge ' a friends chose another and a more democratic mode of procedure , viz . that of convening a town ' 8 meeting of tbe electors and non-electors , Mr . Sturge pledging himself to abide by their decision ; and if such a meeting thought him a proper person to represent them in Parliament he would stand tbe contest At tbe public meeting he was unanimously nominated as tbe Wly ot the three at all worthy of the honour to whjeft

      they aspired . Mr . Scholefleld ' s committee denied the right of tha non-electors to interfere in tbe matter , admitting , at the same time , the " propriety" of consulting them on ordinary occasions ; but in that instance they would by no means bow to the decision of snch a tribunal . They proposed that after tha canvas the books of bothpartiea should be submitted to an examination , -and who ever had Ihe minority of promises to give way in favour of him who might have the majority . To this Mr . Sturge would not agree , as it excluded the non-electors , whom he contended had as much right to be consulted as the Ejectors ; adding tfeafc if he went to Parliament at all , it would be to represent the people and not a faction . I might have remarked , that had Mr . Sturge consented to any each arrangement , in fesa than twenty-four hours afterwards tee would have had another man in the fluid , and thereby defeated the proposed bargain .

      Mr . Spooner , of course , in true " Conservative " style , manifested a cool contempt for the opinions of tbo non-electors . This same Mr . Spaoner has been sixand-twenty years trying to get into the " Hotisa , * ' and has severally contested the boroughs of Warwick , Coventry , Boroughbridge , and Birmingham : tbe latter place twice before bis return . He waa once returned from one of the above places , but regained in the House-only three days , as he waa ousted on a scrutiny . At that time he -was a flaming Radical , but has sinca " turned his coat" He is now in his 72 d yearis a partner in a banking establishment , with Mr . Thomas Attwood ; both part'es . agree <> n the currency

      question . He is a man of considerable talent , and , notwithstanding his age , is an energetic speaker . He ia entirely opposed to Peel , Graham , and Company . Thus matters continued till the day of nomination , when a meeting of ten thousand people again declared that Joseph Sturge , as the advocate of the Peeple ' a Charter , wbs their representative . About fifty bands , according to tbe Birmingham Journal , were held up for Scholea ? ld , aud a like number for Spooner . Saturday , the polling took place , and from firs !; to Jast the Tory took and kept the lead . At the close , — four o ' clock , the numbers for eaeh candidate were aa follows : —

      Spooner ... ... 2 , 095 Scholo&eld ,.. ... 1 , 735 Sturge ... ... 3 i 6 The part the Chartist body have taken in the conteat has earned for them the never-dying hatred of the despicable Whig clique , who have , since the pasBing of the Reform Bill , insolently taken upon themselves to dictate to the electors aa to who should be their representative . This conclave , composed chiefly of the rump of the old political onien , are highly indignant that their prerogative should be interfered with , and have liberally bespattered with the most vulgar

      blackguardism all who have dared to question the fitness of ' their man" to act as a representative of the people . Mr . Scholefleld was the first mayor under the celebrated " Birmingham Corporate Reform Act , " and whilst acti'ig in th « t capacity earned the hatred and contempt of the working classes . Thia precious would-be senator it was who went to London during hia mayoralty , and brought down tbe London Police , who , under hia orders , attacked a poaceable mating in the " Bull Ring , " which led to the burning of tha property for which three innocent men are now lingeriDg out a miserable existence on the shores of a far distant and pi ? nal settlement .

      Tbe defeat of the execrable Whigs baa been most signal and complete . Spooner owes bis seat not to any love which the people have for the liberty-exterminating faction to which he belongs , but because they ha-, ve at length merely resolved upon treating all aa enemies who will not act aa friends . As for Mr . Sturge , he has at length taken a proper position in recognising no distinction between the two factions ; indeed , he declared , on the day of nomination , that be preferred an honest Tory to the mean and dastardly Whig , who was full of nothing but empty promises ; and , ' or the future , he would act on tbe policy of opposing both . He haB succeeded in forming a third party , who , though not surficiently numerous to return a Cfenrtiat , can at all times keep out the Whigs ;

      and in the numbers who polled for him , he has been taught a lesson by which I hope he will profit . It is thia : out of nearly 6 , 000 voters , 346 only polled for him . Notwithstanding his extreme notions of peace , and the manner in which he has so frequently spoken of the Chartists , I give it you , Mr . Editor , as my firm conviction that , with an active Committee , Mr . Roberts , or any other qualified Chartist , could have polled double the number who voted for Mr . Sturge . He wa 8 sold partly through the inactivity of some of hia " respectable" frWnfis , and partly through the treachery and rnisreprewntivtion of others . Some of hia own Committee , I aui informed , on tbo best authority , voted against him . So much for middle-class honesty ! Yyur's , truly , Thomas Claek . Birmingham , Tuesday evening .

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      Apprehension of a Gang of Coiners . —Information having been received by the police that a gang of coiners were in the habit of assembling together at a house situate in Half-moon-alJey , Milton-street , St Luke's , for the purpose of manufacturing counterfeit coin- and that in order to elude the vigilance and suspicion of the police ttwy carried on their illicit trade on Sundays , Inspector Penny , Redman , 224 , Sergeant Brennan , [ 20 , 0 , determined on visiting the place on Sunday morning last , at ei ^ ven o ' clock , for the purpose of . rnaking a capture of the delicquents . On their arrival at the house they cautiously prooaededup the stairs to the second floor , when they overheard voices and

      patties at work , evidently coining . The door was barred and fastened inside , and the officers instantly burst through the door , simultaneously , and they discovered a man sitting before a large fire with a plaster of Paris mould , excellently executed for the purpose of making sixpences . A woman and a girl were also in the room assisting in the manufacture , and on the officers making 8 e sudden and unexpected an entrance the parties were much agitated . Tbe woman screamed , and the girl fainted away . The man , however , was exceedingly resolute and determined ; be smashed some moulds under bis feet , and swallowed several counterfeit shillings that had been fresh made , aud by which he was nearly choked . The officers , finding they bad a desperate character to deal with , commenced securing him with handcuff's , when he fought , bit , and kicked at them like

      a madman , and the officers received bruises an < L _ woonda from bim . He made use of dreadful imprecatlona , and said be bad tried it on long enough in thia country and now he would try another , and told the females to keep their spirits up , and not to mind him . The officers searched the room , and found plaster of Paris moulds , Queen's metal , pewter , tin , s * lt and water , soissora , aud all the implements applicable to the purpose of coining , and also a quantity of base coin newly made with " gets . " Tbe male prisoner gave bis nume Henry Brown , the elder female Emma Brown , and the girl Eliza Jonea . Serjeant Brennan was very severely injured , in consequence of the extreme violence and resistance of the male prisoner , who ia known as a perfect . adept in the nefarious art and traffic for which he was apprehended .

      the Murder and attempieb Swicibe at Sai . * ford . —Salforb , Thursday NiGHx .- ^ t he adjourned inquest in thia case was held thia evening , before W . Smalley Rutter , Esq ., coroner , and a respectable jury , and a verdict returned of wilful murder against Stew . He is in a most deplorable state , and is only kept alive by tbe unremitting attention of tbe medical gentlemen ef the Manchester Royal Infirmary , who have contrived to feed him by inserting a flexible tube in hia throat through which be ia fed with the necessary stimulants Sm ^ VLAU awtj Fatal Accident ax , thb

      Thames ! ToNNEl < .- - £ ate on Friday , a melancholy accident occurred to a poos labouring rnan , of tbe nawe . * S ^ wS-SvsHS'H SsSssSsStesS

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      JraY 20 , 1844 . THE NORTHERN ST A R f

  • Citation
    • Northern Star (1837-1852), July 20, 1844, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct1272/page/7/