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    CCmtinttedfrom onr Sixth page . J fines imposed upon him , bnt how trifling -was their mount vrhen the ; looked at the insult he hao inSictea ea huiBaiHty ! But , listen . again to whatthis inspector ^ J __ " No defence TO attempted , except the often re--ated ' oBe of being pressed to complete an order for ^ pment , the pronto of which -would have been lost if ftej tadnot undertaken to supply tie whole quantity re--jnred . The magistrates would net entertain this p ] ea js affording sny justification lor bo gross an abuse of the po » eran emplnyer ^ an exercise over the op erativ es in ^ district inhere labour is red undant . I regret to Bay -qjb jnSl-occnpiers do not stand alone responsible for -jjus cruelty towards the young females . " No ; the parents had been driten by the surplus labour of the - * 0 o £ i to •^ orfetbeir own oflaprfng ^ to death for existence .

    oirirasproTed that a parent cad not merely consented y , sacrifice the phyfical powers of his child for money , jniS obliged his tender &xl to exert herself to the last jjario f the period 4 he mill was at work , some of the riiis -were obliged to withdraw ,-from physical inability ^ o -work longer . The parent of one young woman , about jpneteen years of age , was < letennined to braYe the pHnisbment consequent npon opposing the will of £ « e master , viz dismissal from wori for the future . j £ e Tjroceeried at four o ' clock on Saturday afternoon to -jjie null , for tanately obtained access to the room where jjis gifl had been -working from five o'clock on Friday -jKanjng . and insisted on ¦ withdrawing her . He 11111 jjajtiy succeeded , but not , as he i nforms me , until White mamging partner , Mi . ThrclMl , and his son ,

    jjs . 3 endeavoured forcibly to remove In-m from the premises . This and the other cases of overwork which jjjtb occurred within the last two yean in the Bradjfjsra aterict must surely convince the most sceptical x > -gesbsoJnie necessity of a strong law to protect the jjbouring class in these districts ; and the officers emp loyed may reasonably deem such cases as indicating ^ fcai istobe expected among a certain class of mills TUidsr a more active . state of trade . " There was not a member in the House , he { Mr . Ferrand ) did not care to ^ Ini party he might be long , who could have heard this ^ jisnect , and who would not brash for the honour of l £ s country . iHear- } There never was , he would ventare to say , in the history of England , so disgraceful a « eee of condnct dragged to public light in the House ¦ j

    * _ ^ *» _ t _ ? t _ r ~ ef Conrmoia by a M ember against a man who had the power of icfl ^ cticz such horrors on his fellow-countryjpen . The Sew Poor law had placed this power in bat man ' s hands . He had lost that power over the people in the reighbourhood of biB milL The Bight jloa . Baronet smiled ! From plundering and persecnSing to death the working classes in the neighbourhood of his mill the working classes had struck against jiia ; they had refused to 2 » any logger his slaves ; jjjs mill stood still . He was enabled to provide the ^ = xbs -once more of working it ; and where did he fad this ? TJadsr the Jfew Poor Law . He applied ; jo Sis SKpton treixkhcmaB , and they supplied him Tim twEaiy hands . Ha would ask Jh © Bight Hon . ¦ Baronet where those twenty hands now were ? The

    JSs&t Hon . Baronet had a heart , he iMr Ferrand ) knew , - « ithm his breast to which the cries of these poor -wretches would a * t plead in . vain . He had stated some rf the const qusnces of this New Poor Law npon iie masses in tfce north of England . If the House ironR allow him he would state what "was the conduct ¦ of tbe Asistant P ^ or Law Commissioners in the admijastrsSoa oF this law ; and in doing so , he ( Mr Ferjand ) doubted not that the ~ FLrs » Lord of the Treasury would render an act of justice to him as well as to the psmhiouers of the township where he lived , when he lad explained the seandalsus conduct of the AnsMi-nt 2 > oor Law Commissioners . JJuring the discussion of tfce Jfew Poor Law in that House Hon . Members would ranember with what slee the B'Bht Hon . Baronet the

    Erst Lord of the Treasury had opened the red box lefore him , and dragged ont a statement from Sir . Mott . Tanpaph after paragraph ~ b& read , bringing charges fbs most nntrus sjjainsi the KeSghley Board of € usrdians . He ( Mr- Ferracd ) had sat perfectly composed behind him , feeling Shat he should have very Bale difienlry to prove to his eonvicHon that the statements made by Mr . Mott were ustrne , and contradictions had passed between the righ * Hon . Baronet and himself . T * " » had ended in a challenge on the part of the Bight Bon . Baronet to him ( Mr- Ferrand ) to move for a comjnittee of inquiry , when the gallant commodore the Member for Marylebone , always ready for the fight , gave noises of a motioaf or a committee of inquiry , and he jMr . Ferrand } -understood that he had brandished

    bis stick above his head on leaving the house , and said "be had -caughtthe Hon . Member for Knaresboroneh in a trap at last . " That inquiry had tafcen rplace , and so convinced was he ( Mr . Ferrand ) that Jm could disprove' the statements of Mr . ilott that he had assented to the » embers of tbe committee proposed by the Bight Hon . Baronet the First Lord of the Treasury at once ; for he was convinced that half-acezsn witnesses connected with the ILaghley Union would j . rove every word of Mr . Hot *"* statement to be false . The committee bad been moved for and appointed . The next day when he ( Mr . Ferrand ) came to fee House an Hon . Member had said to him " Why , jou foolish fellow , you have agreed to a pieked-com jaittee ; they will report against you . " He ( Mr .

    Ferxaad ) had replied , he did not care wast sort of & cotosfittee there was , the witnesses would prove the trath . Two magistrates , both Whigs , who had taken an active ¦ prsn in the forwarding of toe measure , and who wer- j streKKms supporters of the New Poor Law , legal ar-d medial tfficcrs connected with the union , h * d betn cammed as wittesBes , and every one of them , without exemption , had declared that Mr . Mott ' s report was untraa The committae had reported that " Hi . iloti ' s report was borne out in his important allegations . " He { Jlr . FerrsBd ) Tegrettefl that there should have been an sKeapt in that -committee to whitewash th 3 t public cScer . L » : t any man read the eviaesee given before that committee ; the Hon . Member for FiEsbury sat on it , and Tsnia bear him out in what he stated , and he wonld bs

    Ksrnr-eed that the evidence was opposed to the report . Tbe committee had reported that Mr Motf s Btatement was baa . Mr . 51 ott , inhisreport , amongst other things , said r - " 233 - Ajiiil , 1842 . I attended a meetni ? of the board of snirdians of the KeighleyTJnion on "Wednesday , the 13 ta instant , and regret to have to report to your board , that the proceedings of the gnardiaEB are very tmsitMactory ; in ihori , they sre tEtirely at variance ¦* itb the provMona of the law , and the directiona of yeni board . " He ( Mr . Ferrand ) had pnt it to the vote is that eousmittee , -upon the evidence of every witness , * sch of whom M ^ l proved that no instructions whatever i * 3 been received from tbe Poor Liw Comsiissioners , Gffiepi the original instructions , and that therefore the hxri ef guardians bad acted in direct accordance with

    h * original instructions ; but the committee had eome to-a vot « against the evidence . He must tell the House , ^ *** Ter , that the gallant commodore ( Sir < 3 . Napier ) fcsa voted by mi-taie , that his opinion was not " that Ht Mctt " s report was borne cnt in all its most impori&st allegations by th » evidence of the ¦ witnesses ¦* io had come forward to impugn it , " and when he tad fonad out that this was the ¦ sase he had protested against Mavotebsing recorded ; but this opinion of the Kaaaattee had gone forth to the world as the eonvictsn of the Hon . and gallant Commodore . Bat be ( Mr . ^ STand ) was not a man to be put down by the white-* zshinj system . He came to the House and be told the Sooss that justice had ~ noi been done ; that the pnhlic &a been put t « great expense for the purpose of comiBg

    Rthe truth , and that he still -would se = k for it in that Sense . He was informed that opposition was to be jbi&b to a motion of -which he had jtiven notice for a ^ iorn of certain papers relative to Una question ; but B = Biiht Hon . Barocet the First Lord of the Treasury * 2 h thai straightforward manliness of condnct for * iien he had alwiys given him credit , said he would fct s 3 qt » it—that the j ^ parsshonld be grantedi There ™ d been a oriTing down of the Members of that ^ saoitteetaoppose ^ iaaotion- but the Bight Hon . & » set had said that the papers Ehould begranifed . ¦ i ^ -shsthad he moved ior by way of coming at the wai ? Hs had moved for " copy of all orders which hife been iaaed by the Poor Law Commissioners of ^ = er * et-hf ! Usa to the Board of Guardians in the of

    ^ &ky Union since the formation the same , ia « 33 . up to the 13 th day of April , 1842 ; also , copy of * 2 reports upon the proceediegs of the Board , and « M = j-ijaiito thereon during that period , -which hsve been ^ 2 fe >»> the Assistant Poor Law Commissioners Mr . «*« sad Mr . Slott to thePoor Law Commissionen ; ~**> » statement of the particular instances ; in which |«* Md Board of Guardians have acted contrary to the ~ tiro « . of the Central Board at Somerset-house ; «* ° aTetnrn of thenaSiber of times the said Assistant p law CommiM-wners , Mr . Power and Mr . Mott , have ^^ d the said Board and thepx > rhousesof Keighley ^ Bbgigy ^ Ead ^ g date 8 thereof ; also , a return of **^ reports they have made on the said poorhousra , * " tfi the number of inmates within the tame on ^^ " ^ - ^^¦^^^¦¦ m \ r ^ - ^ & j _ £ j ^ j _ | | j 1 T _ " ¦ ¦¦ ^ ^ h ^^ K ^ n ^ i ^ ^^^ m 0 i k- ^^ p^^^—^ v . ^ ^^

    ^* ~* } wnafion of the-union , and on the 1 st day of June , r ^ - " If ow , what did tie House think the return ^ been after the committee of the House had Jprted in exact op-Doation to the evidence of every Ti ^« that had been examined before them , of all S ^ yaraes , both for ana against the law , that Mr . fj ** had stated what was nntrne ? Tbe Commissioners ~_* ent this return to tbe House of Commons , —* ' That " tbd notsppgar that Mr . Mott had made any report ™ tte 30 a of April , 1342 "—which had been brought ***«* ths box or the Bizht Hon . Baronet for lie pur-P ^ of putting him ( Mr . Ferrand ) down in the House ; * a that the commissioners had not any written l ^ aee to Bhow in what spirit the said Keighley f ^ 1 of gnaraiaia had aisted . " * Now he ( Mr . Perrand ) ° « 4 ask the "bowA t , i muKiisas to liiten ro wiat was

    *«<* Rluct of Mr . Mott to the Poor Law Commissicii-^ A eo nanittee of that House had been appointed to ¦ gttse into the truth of his allegations ; the committee ^^ d that they were true , and this -was the return 'ip /" ^ oor Law Commissioners of Somerset-house J ^ this the way tbe Poor Law Commissioners 2 ? i -treat that Hous . ? Werethey to gratify private r ^ S to draw up a statement which was fals a from kl ™ ^ to end , and then , when pnt to the test of | g £ i » ere they to come forward and deliberately j T ^ * that ju sh statemen ts had not been made ? ¦ j ^ tie wonia ask , where was Mr . Mott now ? £ *** had become of him ? Tbe country had j ^ tcld that ha was dismissed frem office . ^ fit been dismissed on account of hia conduct au qncsa on ? His { Mr . Ffcrracd ' s ) firm If -T ^ *" ¦ ^^ he had had nobce that be ivj ^ t choass to resign , he would > Bra ~?^< * for this Tery coadnct . Now , ore g ^ >^ 4 i the Right Hon . Baronet the First Lord c * " ^ " 7 ; and if that Bight H > d . Bargprf wtid

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    give h 5 m his Hnd attention for one minute , be thought he could c * mnee him that he was in honour boind ^ 1 ^ ^ J \ 3 ^ ice ~( hBM . ) TheBightHon Baronet quoted from the Poor . Law Commissioners ' report , which he drew from bis red box ; and when he aid » o he tnraed round and looked at him { Mr Ferwnd ) , a member of that House anxioas to do Mb duty ^ cording to the best of his ability , and said , « Let the Hon . Member , instead of babbling about green fields sad aU such trash , go down into his own neighbourhood and inquire into the state of tbe workhouse ! r-S !\ And the Hon - Member for Halifax shouted eut , Within -three-qaartera of a mile of his own house" — ( a Jangh ) . He ( Mr . Ferrand ) assented that it was so and how loudly -was the Bight Hon . Baronet cheered by certain Hon . Members opposite , who gloried in seeing

    Mm pnt down by the first Minister of the Crown—( hear , anl a laugh ) . But at the same time he lelt conscious that all the horrible sceneB described by the Right Hon . Baronet , and horrible they wfto , could not have taken place ; and he said that it was a disgrace to the country that Poor Law Commissioners , for par ty purposes , should so deceive the Bight Hon . Baronet—( hear , hear ) . He was also determined to test the buth of the assertions of Mr . Power , as well as to justify himself in the sight of tbeBigtt Hon . Baronet and of the House ; and to show , therefore , that they were not such monsters in the parish of Bingley before tbe Poor Law , as to compel the living to companion with the dead , or to sleep four in a bed—and oh , how eloquently did the Bight Hon . Baronet describe those horrors !—he ( Mr . Ferrand ) moved that there be laid

    upon the table of the House returns of the numbers of times the assistant-commissioners Power and Mott had visited the boards of guardians of which the Bight Hon . Baronet had spoken , of how many reports they had made concerning them , and of the number of inmates in the union from the first day of its formation to the year 1842 . Well , what was the fact ? Why , that previous to that report not one single commissioner had visited the poorhouse from the tims of the formation of the union !—( hear , hear . ) But if there were evils in that poorhouse now , who was to blame ? it was placed under the entire control of the Poor Law Commissioners and their assistant commissioners . The guardians and parishioners durst not interfere ; if they did , they would act illegally . They

    were hound down in the strictest manner by the blessed Naw Poor Law . —ihear , hearO But what was the treatment of tbe poor there under the old law , and what was it under thenew ? The number of inmates in the poorhonse of Bindley , at tbe formation of the union ,- was 12 ; not ennngh to fill all the beds . —( bear , hear . ) Would the Right Hon . Baronet believe that , under the new law , the number had increased to 56 ? —ihear , hear . ) And that crowded state of the house ¦ was-under . the sanction of the Poor Law Commissioners tbemstlves , for their directions to the Board of Gnar-< iians were that tbe poer abould be crowded into that building , including tbe poor belonging to two other townships in that union . —( hear , hear . ) He wonld , therefore i ask the Bight Hon . Baronet , not as a matter

    of favour but as a matter of right , did he not think fawas bound to give some explanation of the attack which he made upon him- ( Mr . Ferrand ) on a former occasion ?—( hear , hear . ) As long , as we had the -management of the poor { continued the Honourable Gentleman ) we toak care that the living did aot compani |^ with the dead : we treated them with mercy and with justice , allowing them the enjoyment of every thing they had a right to expect by the laws of England , and what by the lawa of God they had a right to demand in a land professing to be Christiana and to be influenced by the precepts of the Bible . \ A . cry of "Oh ! " and " hear , hear . ") He wished to bring under the notice of the House the dreadful state of the north of England in consequence

    of tbe operation of tbe New Poor Law ; -and when he lead & description of the condition of Haddersfi eld , ho thought that Hon . Members connected with the agricultural interest wonld say to themselves , " It is high time for ns to place onr houses in order , for the New Poor Law will soon eperate in the same manner npon us . " " At the Guildhall , Huddersfleld , on Tuesday last , January 31 , the overseers of no fewer than nine townships that were in arrears with the . payment of the calls of the board of guardians appsared to answer to summonses which had been issued against them by oider of ths board of guardians . The following is the list of the differences : —Golcar , £ 34 2 s ., old arrears , besides ths last call of , £ 200 ; Cumberworth arrears , £ 20—call £ 60 ; Cumberworth half-arrears , £ 20—calL

    £ 70 ; Shelly arrears , £ 20—call , £ 80 ; Thurstonland arrears , £ 60—call , - £ S 0 ; Linthwaite arrears , £ 95—call , £ 100 ; Whitley , ( Upper , ) arrears , £ 53 10 a . 61—call , £ 70 ; Scamm&den arrears . £ 27—call , £ 100 ; Kirkheaton arrears , £ 52—call , £ 300 . ThB first four of these cases were arranged with Mr . Floyd , the clerk of the board ; in tbe other five cases tbe overseers were convicted in penalties for the neglect . Mr . Beaton , the overseer of the last-named totrnsbip , told the magistrates that it was absolutely impossible to get the rates collected , as tbe pesple were so very , very poor ; and that within the last fortnight he had taken out no less than one hundred and twenty summonses , and that last week he was compelled to take out sixteen warrants of distress foi tha sate , -whicb they -were unable to psy . "

    He wouia ask , then , was not the Huddersfleld Union in a state of insolvency , when 156 summonses were issued against poor persons who had not the means of earning their daily bread , which they would if they could , and sixteen distress-warrants were served npon men who had committed no offence , who had not one halfpenny to help themselves with , whose furniture was gone ,- whose houses were stripped , who were sold np , who had become houseless wanderers , and were reduced to a slate of misery qualifying them to be admitted as inmates of the workhonse ?—( hear , hear ) Bnt the Poor law Commissioners had lately discovered a new light , in the person of a' Mr . Ciements , whom they had Bent down in tbe place of Mr . Mott ; and the manner in which he had-treated tbe guardians was such as to raise

    the blood of any man of honourable and right feelings—( hear ) . The insolent and overbearing manner in which that person treated those who bad grown grey in the service of the poor , respectable men , members of boards of gO 3 xdians for years , tellins them that they were ignoram of their duty , and that through them the country was being eaten up by the poor , was almost unendurable —ihear ) . This Mr . Clements had told them that he went dewn to set them to rights . And how was be going to do that ? By cutting down a hill—(•• hear , hear , " and a laugh ) . He baa gone to Bradford and Halifax , and told the guardi ms that they mnst compel the working classes , who had not the means of p-iraing their daily bread in their own honest manner , to cnt down a hill , and if it were four or five miles long , so mnch the

    better—it would give them moTe exercise—ihear . hear ) . That was the behaviour of that—what ahonld be call him?—that Assistant Poor Law " Commissioner , —he could call him nothing worss—I cheers , and laughter ) . The gnsrdians inquired what was to be dene af ler the task was accomplished ? Must they find another hill ? ' Oh no * "saia he , ** let them put the earth back again '" —( hear , hear ) . Such were some of the effects of the new law , but not all . Parishes were rspidly becoming insolvent ; tbe hind was already eaten up by the poor rates . In bis parish they had doubled and increased to the extent of £ 300 over that sinca the year 1836 ; and in twelve months more tbe rental of the small

    farmers in the parish would be wholly consumed . He would ask the Bight Hon . Baronet , was that the method to be . pursued to relieve the country from ¦ pauperism ?—( hear , hear ) . If such was the state of thing 3 in the North , where the people had manufactures to enable them in some measure to bear up under the new law , what would be the result in the agricultural districts , where the profits on the growth of corn were redueed , and the wages of the agricultural labourers diminished in proportion ?—( hear ) . Thanking the House for the indulgence he had received , he wonld now conclude by declaring his intention to support tbe resolntiDns .

    Mt . Sbxrman Ciwwtosx > cordially supported the resolutionfij considering them to ba borne out by facts . Sir R . Peel said , he wished very briefly to advert to a statement which had fallen from the Hon . Gentleman the member for Knaresborongh . The Hon . Gentleman had referred to a former debate , in the coarse of which he ( Sir R . Peel ) had addressed the House , and bad stated that , in alluding to the report of the committee of that House respecting the reports of Sir John Walsham and Mr . Mott 5 he had misconstrued the expressions contained in tbe reports . The Hon . Member further qnoted that report , and having adduced certain passages in ii had expressed a hope that he ( Sir R . Peel ) wonld

    now alter his opinion , and , being convinced that the construction pnt on the expression was erroneous , wonld explain his error to the House . Now , he ( Sir R , Peel ) was sure that if he had misconstrned any expressions , be should bs quite ready to explain away his error , but since the Hon . Gentleman bad spoken he had referred , to the report , and he did nol find that such error of construction existed . The Hon . Gentleman said that the report gave a complete contradiction to what he had stated . Kow , he had referred to she report , and what did he find there ? He found that Dr . Nichoil was in the chair , and that on the question being pnt that this report , as agreed to , paragraph by paragraph , be reported to the Honse , " Mx . Gnmsdttch moved a long series of resohftioiB of a tenor opposed to that of the report , and on a division there were three for the amendment , and eight against it . The Hon . Member for M arylebone ( Sir C . Napier ) voted with the majority . So the

    mnch , then for the general view of the report by Hon . Member . Now , what as to its particular references 1 "With respect to Sir John Walsham' 8 report , it said , * ' Ko attempt has been made to impugn the general accuracy , nor , with one or two trifling and immaterial exceptions , any of the details of Sir John Walsham ' s report . " ( Hear , bear . ) With respect to the dead body story , it said , "At Keighley-freqaemly , at Bingley only once , and then wkh the full consent of ihe other occupants of the room , dead oodles of paupers have been left till bnrial in the beds which they occupied whilst living , and in-the room where the other panpers , who had been their companions during life , still continned to sleep ; bnt sheets were suspended round the bed m which the corpse lay ! and tbe expression , that the ' corpse companioned the living , ' was not intended to conrey thai the same bed was at thei same tiraeoccupied by the dead and tbe living . Then with re > p , cr to Mr . Mori ' s report , what was the evidence o f ihe eoiEEiUes I Tcey saic , "lour ooimmiu * u

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    of opinion , that his report is borne out in all its most important allegations , by the evidence of the whneees who came forward to impugn it ? though undoubtedly it conains some expressions which are too general and unqualified . " In what respect , then , he asked , had he ( Sir R . Peel ) misconstrned the expressions in Ins report ? He did not really understand what was tbe point of the Hon . Member ' s charge . Mr . Fekhasd explained that what he had asserted was to the effect that the report was in opposition to the evidence taken before the committee ; and he would refer to that evidence , as published , to shew

    whether his statement was true or not . With regard to the Keigbley union , be had not denied all the statements of Sir John Walsham , but what he had particularl y dwelt on was , that in the Keighley workhouse , under the old law , there were only twelve inmates , whilst ander the new law tbe poor of two townships went into it , and the number wa 9 conseqaently raised to fifty-five . t ? w , P £ EL ^ question was whether Sir John WaiBham ' 8 report was or was not generally eorreef . That was ihe question . He found that the committee affirmed that report , and he could not help thinking that it was substantially correct .

    Mr . J * erjund remarked that Sir John VValsham made it appear that the inhabitants of Keighley were to blame for the state of their poorhouse , and he perfectly remembered that the Hon . Member for Halifax had joined the Right Hon . Baronet in blaming them , speaking of course upon the allegations of that report . Mr . C . Wood said he perfectly remembered stating that the Hon . Gentleman , the Member for Knaresborougb , was chairman of the Keighley board of guardians , and had been from the formation of the union an ex officio guardian in consequence of ois being a justice of the peace ; and he also remembered remarking on tbe singular fact that the abuses stated by Sir J . Walsham occurred within , he believed , a quarter of a mile of the Hon . Member's own door , he being either chairman of the union , or ex officio guardian as before stated . ( . Hearboar . )

    , Mr . Fkkrand again explained . Although he was certainly an ex qfficio guardian , he had refused to be a pany to enforomg a law of which he so highly disapproved (»' oh , oh ! ' ) , and it was without his consent ot knowledge that the abuses complained of occurred . ( Ironical cheers . ) Mr . Milks declared his conviction that the Poor Law had saved the country from destruction , especially the agricultural distriots . Mr . Walteb then replied as follows : —After all the debate that has taken place , the question is simply this—whether the House will support a law resting npon and embodying as it were the very soul and spirit of this unnatural report—a soul and spirit which will affect the future practice of the law for

    ever—or whether by sanctioning my propositions , or some one of them , they will impress upon the Government the necessity , if not theduty , of adopting a more Christian and humane principle as the ground of legislation ? ( Hear , hear . ) Now , Sir , as to the Right Hon . Baronet the Home Secretary—with regard to tbe manner in which 1 acquired possession of this document , I do not know that I am called upon to give the satisfaction he requires ( hear , hear : ) and 1 beg to Bay , further , that I hold myself perfectly competent to judge of the propriety or impropriety of making use of any document I become possessed of . ( Hear , hear . ) Nor do I come here to beschooled on points of delicacy or decorum by the Right Hon . Gentleman ( hear ) , bnt feel inclined to

    adopt and act upon my independent convictions of duty . ( Hear , hear . ) Here is a most scandalous communication ( hear ) , upon which is founded a most unconstitutional and most oppressive law , ( Hear . ) Others have spoken of this communication—I have dragged it to light and branded it as it deserves ; and I am told , forsooth , I ought not to have done so , because the authors of the mischief had chosen , in order to screen their effence , to put the words ** private" or" confidential" to their production . Why , in that case no project of guilt whatever can be detected . The authors have only to say , "We are acting confidentially , and therefore nobody must take any notice of it , neither while we are so acting nor for years after . " ( Hear , hear ) The names of the

    Commissioners , it is true , are not attached to th » B report , but this i 9 not uncommon , for I have other documents of theirs , uudeniabJy authentio , to which ibeir names are not attached . ( Hear , hear . ) Besides , any document printed at tbe paolic oxpence , I submit , ou ^ ht to be at the disposal of the public . ( Hear , hear . ) I should like to know how long the word " secret" is to be in operation . ( Hear , hear . ) I can conceive secresy to be necessary during a short time for the completion of an act ; but the act being in this case completed by the Poor Law itself , it is the duty of every man to know by whom and by what means this legislative provision has b ? en hatched . ( Hear , hear ) But their most authentic acts I find are now disputed , even the dietary oftheCirencester

    Union , which bears the signature of tbe three Poor Law Commissioners , but which , on its being published , appeared bo horrible , that they dared not to act long upon it . There was a similar suppression of a document during the Poor Law Inquiry of 1837 ( hear , hear ) , and I called the attention of the House at the time to so reprehensible a proceeding . ( Hear , hear . ) Evidence was in that case tendered and and taken , which , when those who tendered it , found that it did not answer their purpose , or rather would prove the contrary of what they intended , they effected its suppression . Tbe chief of those who urged this vuppressio veri—as indeed his activity in favour of the law would in no case suffer him to be second—was the present Right Hon . Home

    Secretary , who , though he acted as one of the commi . tee , was really mistaken by one of the wi'nesses , as he will well recollect , as counsel for tbe Poor Law Commissioners . ( Hear , hear , " and laughter . ) The Right Hon . Baronet at the head of Her Majesty ' s Government said , I had given no intimation of what I intended to do if these resolutions were agreed to . Why , Sir , the Right Hon . Barone : himself supplies ma with an answer . " I have not , " said he " received my fee for attending the patient . " So neither am I obliged to tender assis : ance to those who , so far from offering me a fee , are previously determined not to take my help . ( " Hear , " and a laugh . ) Now as for the relaxations -which have been spoken of . Toat must be a bad law , in the first place , which cannot bear its own enactment . The relaxations hitherto

    have been owing to no humane considerations on the parts of those to whom the execution of the law has been intrusted , but to their inability to enforce it . They frequently indeed allow a miserable out-door relief , but why ! Because the workhouses at this period of non-employment and public distress cannot receive those who are driven to its doors by suffering . In like manner , they send those whose life is extinct to be buried in the churchyards of their different parishes ; but only because the churchyard near the union-houses cannot contain them . ( Hear , hear . ) The Right Hon . BaTonet spoke of the county of Bedford , which my Hon . Friend has called his pet conuty . ( " Hear , hear , " and a laugh . ) I will jast mention a pel union of his ( hear , hear)—the

    Wtst Hampnett Union . A day or two ago I received a letter , stating that "in the West Haiupnett Union several parishes raise voluntary rates , by which poor persons are relieved to whom the Poor Law Commissioners will not allow relief to be given out of the compulsory rates . Able bodied men are prevented being tested , as it is termed ; and the payert of these voluntary rates say that a considerable saving is effected by this system . The above information I had from two collectors of voluntary rates . I coald send you strong cases of the Poor Law heing the cause of theits and mendicity , and perhaps something worse . I cannot now omit stating that not long ago , in one of the parishes of the West Hampnett Union , I saw in one day six women

    employed in leading horses , drawing loaded dunj < - carU into the fields . Though I have lived in Sussex all my life , I never Baw anything of tbe kind before . " The Hon . Member for Somerset had spoken of the benefit derived by the agricultural districts from this law . Now , 1 happen accidentally to bave copied out of an old Manchester newspaper a passage which beaw very strongly upon this . It is as follows . — " Yesterday afternoon , shortly before the sitting magistrates at the New Bailey left the Court , a case of extraordinary novelty and hardship was brought before them . Two healthy , fresh-countenanced , but emaciated agricultural labourers , presented themselves in the witness-box , whilst at the extremity of the court were ranged in view of the of them female

    magistrates sixteen individuals , one a about thirty , with two infants in her arms , eight j children , apparently all of them under ten years of , age , and three whose ages might be from thirteen to : sixteen years , two of them giria and the third a boy . i There were two others whom we did not see , making I up a party of eighteen . One of the men stated that they came from Towersey , in Buckinghamshire . The farmers , he said , called a meeting to know if any . of the parishioners would go down to ManchesUr , as every body there was doing well . Several of us said we would go . They told us that they thought ' our families would do well to come down . They ; said there would be houses for us to go into when we got there , and everything provided for our use . They employed a man named Clark to see after people who would go down , and we went to him . He asked what families we had got , and said we should do well indeed to come ; we started accordingly to I Mr . Waterhouse's . at GIobbod . In answer to

    questions , the man said , eix of the children whom the magistrates saw belonged to him , and two were his brother ' s . The other man said , two of the rest were his own , and fonT belonged to another person ; but he had promised to take charge of them to bring them down , and do the best for them he could . ' The first speaker then continued his story : — ' We were brought , ' he said , ' from our own county to Glossop in a boat , and from Glossop , Mr . Water house sent us forward in a cart . When we got there , there were forty-five of us ; we were put in a bit of a warehouse ; and I have been there with my family three weekf , lying on a bii of straw , which is : the only bod I have had . The parish , ' he said , in Answer to questions . ' paid tbe expense of our journey down . We went by the boat to Marple , where they told us thiro was to be a car * to meet us , avd take u . s forwar-. ! to Mr . Waterhoust'ij , , We did noi ^ ow to whai person in

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    2 ri 3 ? w Wero cominS wli 8 a we left our own SfniwL u were s ^ nt from Ottt owa parislfto Cod-Wifl ^ m pi i * £ ; »»* with a gentleman named William dark . We travelled nearly forty miles , emblrtiS a wa £ S ° > to the boat to where we 2 X ' dad : came back with us to the boat , ToinZtlX" w f embarked he told us that we were i 3 o * . terho « se ' 3 , at Glossop . Two other wffik » e with us . I cannot tell whether Mr . hanSf i 8 u ^ d < ? 8 ired o « r overseer to send any uti , worked at Mr . Waterhouse ' s three weeks , mLII ? ** & hlred aoa » and sent us in it to Manchester The carter put us down in the street , f"f ? [ V * h 8 has s *» fc another cartload-this

    morn-«« nl it se « n them in town , and he would have 2 $ vJ ? £ * y £ totday j b « t the cart would not bold us fhk Z * - on t ? f the women he wouJd send them l . » f h ^ nun , S . own cart - I don ' * know what has become of them . I saw them in town this morn-SS /!? th 9 y 8 aid they wer * « « to the boat . We wJ t men ) are ; farn » ers , and the children are laoemakers ; we were in work at the time we left ^ rfi ^«? am 3 ^^ - Ta * magistrates expressed much S 1 at tha d e ° eptien which had been prac-? h ? # » SP ° tt t £ e 96 unfort «» ate people , and intimated tn 7 , t P ? rtle 3 Pnnoi PalIy concerned in thus alluring them from their , homes ouuht to be Droaecuted .

    t « h « ? W , ood B * ated » that there happened now 2 m . ? f ° . u ( e W ed in makbg inquiries on the SS } £ * t £ r * Muesridge , a gentleman employed by the Poor Law Commissioners ; and it was arranged that the overseers should go up to him , represent the case , andobtain his assistance , if possioie , in taking measures for returning the families totaeir native ^ parish , from which they had been thus unnaturally cast off . la the meanwhile it was ordered that due care should betaken of them by the overseers of Manchester . Wo understand that the party , eighteen in number , were set down on Thursday evening at the Cotton-tree publio house , in Ancoat ^ of course entire strangers , without means or resources of any kind . They were , however . lasen

    to the workhouse and there provided for that night . I have documents that will overturn nearly every proposition that haa been advanced on the other side ; but at this late hour of the night I decline bringing them under the notice of the House , ihe resolutions which I now propose I consciensciously believo to assert truths . Thoy may be unpalatable to the present Ministers , aa all propositions I have made on this subject were to the last Administration ; but that is no reason why I should not propose them , or why those who think with me should not support them —( oheers . ) To meet the views of many Hon . Gentlemen near me , I will withdraw the first four resolutions , and take the division only npon the last—( cheers . ) The House then divided—Against tbe resolutions 126 For the resolutions 58 Majority ... fin

    Fbiday , Feb . 24 . Lord John Russell presented the petition of the Bombay merchants , for indemnification for the opium confiscation in China ; and the Chancellor of the Exchequer , in reply to a question , intimated that the settlement of those demands waited tha exchange of the ratifications of the Chinese treaty . On the order of the day for going into a committee of supply , Mr . Hume called the attention of the House te the charge of the publie establishments , and to the state of

    the revenue and expenditure of past years . He dwelt on the decay of tbe revenue , the increase of the national debt , tne heavy burden of our military and naval establishments ; and on the necessity for the reduction of our fttale expsnees , and for the adoption of such measures as will furnish the mean » of employment to the labouring population , and resuscitate the revenue derived from articles of consumption . Ho pleaded especially for a free trade in corn , and warned the Government of the consequences which would ensue if nothing were done to relieve the country .

    Mr . Williams contended that the Budget ought to be opened to the House before thoy were called upon to vot « away publio money . Formerly , tho different departments had their estimates rigidly revised by tbe Treasury ; but such was not the case now . Until some system of control vras adopted , it wtvs hopeless to expect economy or retrenchment . He compared our expenditure in different past years with the prnsent ; complained of the great increasu in the half-pay and pensions , and contended that our expenditure should be made to conform to our revenue .

    Sir R . Peel thought that many of the topics urged might have bean reterveil for explanation , until the estimates were actually under discussion . The increase in the amount of naval pensions was accounted for by the fact that formerly Greenwich Hospital bad independent funds ; and the increase in the charge for widows and orphans was the result of the recommendation of the parliamentary committee . Mr . Williams had omitted tho charge for the Irish estimates , in comparing the expenditure of 1791 with subsequent years ; and in considering tbe neoess&ry expenditure of a great cuuntry like this , reference must be had to other considerations than revenue , as the dispositions of foreign powers , , &n < l tbe necessity of upholdine our dignity . He admitted tbe great importance of endeavouring to reduce our expenditure as far as was compatible within the limits of onr income ; and denied tbe position of Lord Howicfe in his speeeh of last week , that this

    country , in proportion to its means , was more lightly taxed than other nations . But it did not follow that because peace had been established we could immediately reduce our establishments ; good policy required that we should still maintain a force on the coast of China A reduction would be effected in our Mediterranean establishment , ' which would be done in perfect dependence on the good faith and feeling of Prance . There waa a gn-at interei-t' growing up in that eountry interested in the maintenance of peace ; newspapers were not always the organs of public opinion , and we might despise the ravings of those who were clamourous for war . In tbe army , navy , and ordnance estimates there would be a reduction of £ 832 , 000 ; and he could assure the House that the estimates underwent the closest inspection and control of the Treasury , and they were reduced to as low a point as was compatible with tho interests of the country . ,

    Mr . Francis Baring then rose to move for papers respecting the dismissal of Mr . Hoshins from acting as Deputy Judge-Advocate at Portsmouth . He was the last person in the House to interfere with the prerogative of tbe Crown : bat there were certain situations dependent on the royal pleasure which were not considered as removeable oh merely political grounds . Mr . Ijoskins bad been appointed by the late Government , and hia qualifications bad been admitted by the present ; but he had been summarily dismissed , without complaint and without reason , except that his situation

    was not dnu for life . He ( Mr . Bating ) believed that Mr . Hoskins had been dismissed because ho was a Whig , and bis successor appointed because he was a Tory . No stain rested on his professional or bis private character , and he now filled the office of Mayor of Portsmouth by the unanimous wish of his fellow townsmen . His appointment had a judicial character ; but he bad been dismissed with as little or less courtesy as a putty officer of the Customs or clerk in a department . He wished to ascertain tbe xeuaons of it , or to hear what explanation or defence could be

    given . Sir George Staunton seconded the motion , and bore testimony to the character of Mr . Hoskins . Mr . Sydney Herbert explained that Mr . Hoskins held no appointment under the Crown . The office of Deputy Judge Advocate being in abeyance , Mr . Hoskina had for eleven years acted , pro hac vice , on the election of courts martial , the members of which could choose whom they pleased . He bad on one occasion been set aside by a court martial ; and the Admiralty , having

    determined to re-establish the permanent office of Deputy Judge-Advocate , in order to obviate possible public inconvenience , the Board chose tbe son of the previous functionary ¦ who bad filled the office , he hav * ing fll ed the office when his father ' s age and infirmities had rendered him unfit for tho duties i'f tbe office . Tbe charactur of Mr . Hoskins was aU that Mr . Baring had described it to be , but no injustice had been done to him , for as he held no office under the Crown , so it followed that tbe Admiralty bad not displaced one officer by another , on the score of political opinion .

    Mr . Charles Wood thought that Admiralty should have offered the office of Deputy Judge-Advocate to Mr . Hosbins , and that political considerations had restrained them from doing so . He bad an equitable claim to the situation . Sir Charles Naiher said it was alwaya agreeable to have secretaries pitted against each other , aathen the cat got out of the bag . He regretted that Mr . Herbert should have attempted to defend this notorious job . He narrated various cases of jobbing , as occuricg within his own experience . Several of the naval officers in the Housa jqined In the debate , after which

    Lord Palmerston remarked that there never was a clearer case , in which one persou had been dismissed , and another appointed , 6 a political considerations , Ms . Greetham , who bad been appointed to supersede Mr . Hoskins , held different appointments , being agent for Customs , Excise , and the Admiralty , and was , therefore , not more eligible than Mr . Hoafcins , -who was held not eligible , as filling the office of Mayor of Portsmouth . By tbe very letter dismissing him , the Admiralty recognised the official nature ot the situation held by Mr . Hostics . He admitted that in appointments a Government might properly recognise its friends , but it should net punish those opposed to them . After a few ebservatidns from Mr . Escott ,

    Sir Robert Peel said , that as the Government had agreed to give the papers asked for , the whole transaction would bo distinctly understood . H « admitted that the letter of Sir John Barrow , dismissing Mr . Hoskins , did appear to recognise him as Dsputy Judge-Advocate . But therewaa a previous letter , intimating the intention oF conferring the revived office en Mr . ( Jrestham , whose father had previously flHed it for thhty-flve years . He admitted the general principle of recognising service , and of not changing officers filling responsible situations , and be claimed for bis Government the mer ' . tof having nude ns few changes as any Governmtat , tven where they mU : ht have !> een most entitled to tip so . namely , in diplomatic appointments .

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    Mr . Labouchere was satisfied , ! fram the speech of . Sir Robert Peel , taat if he had been consulted , fiiis transaction would i . ot have taken placa . He had bevn a junior lord when Sir James Graham was at the bead of the Admiralty , and he then witnessed a great public depiutment admirably conducted , j Such a letter as that of Sit John Barrow ' s dismissing Mr . Hoskins , would not then have been permitted . to have left the office . He looked upon the affair as an ungenerous attempt to eaw tbe electors of Portsmouth , where government influence was notoriously great . Mr . Baiuns withdrew bis motion , a * all tha information was before the House which ! he desired . Mr . BLEWirs called the attention of the House to the state of the North Boundary question between this country and the United States , and [ asked information as to the course which the Government meant to pursue with respect to it

    Sir Robert Peel hope * that Mr . Btewitt would not infer the disposition of the American Government from the speech or bill of a member of the Senate . Friendly communications were no ^ passing between tbe two Governments on the subject . The House then went into & Conjmittee of Supply ; and Mr . SVDiNEV Herbert rose to move the Navy Estimates . Compared with the previous year , there is to be a reduction of 4000 men , and a decrease in expense of £ 143 000 ; and on the entire estimates there will be a saving of £ 435 , 000 . j A discussion followed , which lasted the remainder of the evening , after which the vote was agreed to , and the House adjourned . -

    Mondat , Feb . 27 . Lord Ashley presented some petitions against any interference with the beneficial working of the Collieries ' Regulation Bill , passed last session . Mr . R-Yorke wished to ask the Bight Hon . Gentleman the Home Secretary , whether the- Poor Law Amendment Bill which be intended to introduce was to be precisely and identically the jsame as that laid before the House last year , with the exception , of coutsh , of those modified clauses recognized by the House at the close of last session . Sir J . Graham t | td , that the principle of the bill would be identically the same , but in some of the details various alterations would be made , and there would be some omissions with respect to the clauses introduced at tbe close of last session , and some ' alteration as to the apprenticeship clause , and there would be some additional clauses . . !

    The Sp eaker then said , "I understand that the Serjeant-at-Arms has a communication to make to the House . ' j Tbe Serjeant-at-Arms then apppeared at the bar , and on being called upon by the Speaker , said , " I have to acquaint the House that William Bellamy , a messenger of this House , and myself , have been served with a writ of summons to appear to an action of I trespass issued by Thomas Barton Howard by Thomas Howard , his attorney . As the writ did not state the -nature of the trespass , I thought it proper to enter an , appearance to the action . On Saturday last I was served with a declaration , whieh shows that the suit was in consequence of my having taken into custody Thomas Burton Howard , and was against William Bellamy for having taken him to the prison of Newgate : but as bot ^ these acts were done under the order of tbe House and under your warrant , Sir , I hope we shall have the ! protection of the House , and the direction of the House as to the course we shall pursue "—( hear , hear ) .

    The writ of summons and declaration were then laid on the table and read by the clerk . ' The Solicitor-General said , he did not rise for tbe purpose of making any motion on the subject of the communication which bad been made by tbe S ^ rgeantat-Arms ; but he thought that it would be more satisfactory that the papers presented gby the SeigeaDtat-Arras should be printed with the votes , and that they should take them into consideration to-morrow , and ke then gave notics that he should to-morrow submit a motion on the subject to the consideration of the huuse —( hear . ) ;

    Lord J . Russell said he believed that some action took place in tbe course of the recess with regard to the Sergeant-at-Arms and some of bis i deputies , and in which he understood that a sum of money had been paid to the plaintiff in that action by order of the Treasury . If that were so , he thought , that although that proceeding mi < jbtbe perfectly right , these papers should be laid before the House . Sir . R . Peel said that whatever information the Government possessed upon the subject should be laid before the House . Tha papers laid before the House by the Sergeant-at-Arma were then ordered to be printed with the vote&

    Mr . T . Egerton -wished to make one or two observations on a statement made tho other evening by the Hon . Membarfor Finabury with respect to the treatraant of prisoners confined in Knutsfprd House of Correction . Since that statement had gone forth there had been a meeting of magistrates , and an examination of tho prisoners , the result « f which he ! would , with the pbrmission of the Huuse , state j as the charges of the Hon . Member aRVcted the discipline of the gaol and tbe character of tbo magistrates . The Hob . Member stated , in the first p ' . aco , that one [ Samual Lees bad been ordeted on the treadmill for the amusement of some ladies and gentlemen . Now , Lees had beeu examined , and he stated that he had only beeu twice on the treadmill , and that only in the first week he came . Both times were in tho afternoon . Lees said ,

    "I don t know that I ever was put j on on any p . irticular occasion . " On neither occasion was he t ' . wre more than half an hour . The Honi Gentleman had also refersed to the case of Robert Wild , another prisaner , who declared that on entering the gaol " ho was told by the gaoler that the discipline was very severe , that he would take care he was punished , and that ho would cot give much for his fconatitution when he left the gaol . " Now , thiB prisoner also bad been examined , and he said that " on the day when he went to the gaol the governor read the rules , at tbe same time telling him thai ; be did so because they were severe , and they ¦ would Bnd them so ; that if th

    wonld have such an effect on their constitutions as !> y the time he had done with them their corjstitubon 3 would not be worth twopence . '' It ; was tbe duty of the fioverr . or to cause those rules to j be read . They were ordered by the Home Secretary . Tbe prisoner in question went on to add . that they made no complaint of any of the officers , or of the treatment they received , that the quality of tue food was good , bnt that they complained of tho shortness of the iquantity . They never applied to the governor for anything but they were sure to be attended to immediately , or he showed a disposition to attend to tbe request . He ( Mr . Egerton ) could assure the House that the

    magistrates were most anxious in their administration of the affairs of the gaol , while they wished to enforce discipline , to afford as much indulgence as possible , and to insure forbearance on the part of the i fficerB . Mr . T . DUNCOMBE thought the House oa « ht to receive such statements , when obtained from prisoners through the magistrates , with very ^ eat caution . The account he had read the other evening was made and signed by the prisoners , who were prepured to come forward and repeat at the bar the conversation that took place between them and the gaoler on being taken into the House of Correction . He was not surprised at the veTBion which had wow been received throuah the

    gaoler and the magistrates , from prisoners who had two years ' imprisonment to undergo , andjwho might well be supposed to have the dread of additional suffering inflicted on them if they persisted in Ithe account they bad formerly given to their friends , j But , in order to get at tee truth , he should movn for ] a return on tbe subject , which h 8 believed would prove the truth of what he had stated with reference to the Kautsford House of Correction . It was rather singular , that the statement he made had appeared in ! t '< e newspapers some time apo , and had never till tho present hour been contradicted . He had also seen ! the statement of Thomas Clark , a follow prisoner with' Wild and Lees , whose period of imprison ment having ; expirsd bore testimony lo the conversation with tho gapler , and reposed the cruel treatment and sufferings they had endured . He himself had written to Mr . Allison , a person living at Stockport , and desired him to go over to Knutsford and see the prisoners , in order to ascertain tha truth , of

    their statements . His correspondent paid a visit to Knuteford on the 9 th of February , and applied to tho governor for permission to see the ( prisoners . The turnkey , however , stated , that prisoners were only allowed to see their friends once iu three months , and all the prisoners having been seen within that time except Wild , he wa 3 allowed about ten minutes * conversation with him in the presence of the turnkey . In the Mter be received , Wild was described as a mere skeleton ; from being plump-faced , as he was when admitted , his bones , f rom inadequate [ diet , now almost protruded through the akin . He complained bitterly of the conduct of Lord Abinger , whoj once he heard a man was a Chartist , seemed to think that waa enough to seal his doom . He firmly believed that what Mr . Allison had stated was perfectly correct , and if heconW only get a committee to inquire injto the state of Knutsford eaol , he bad no doubt he ¦ would be able to substantiate all the charges which he had made

    against it . . Mr . T . Eglehion said the Magistrates courted the fullest investigation into their conduct With respect to the Knutaford House of Correction ^ he had only to say that the Hon . Gentleman on looking into the reports of the prison inspectors would ] find it described as one of the best conducted gaols iu ; the country . SirJ . Graham felt tlfat the statement made by the Hon . Member for Finsbury on the evidence of Mr . Allison , why was described to be a creditable witness , was directly at variance v * ith that made by his Hon . Friend behind ( Mr . Egerton ) . If Mr . Allison was to be believed , he should only say , that { the conversation which passed between the gaoleT and the prisoners was very much to be regretted . — ( Hear , hear . ) There-were also other parts of the statement made by Mr Allison ¦ well worthy of investigation . It was . j therefere , expedient that inquiry should take place ; and if tbe Hon . Member for Finabury would give him a copy of Mr Allison ' s Btatement he would undertake that an

    Inspector should , on the part < sf the Government , immediately proceed to Knutsford and inquire into all the circumbtances of the case ; whose report , When presented , should be laid on tLe table of tb < 3 Houat-. —< Htar , hear , i

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    Lord ASHLET took that opportunity of calling the attention of . the Right Hon . Secretary of State for the Home Department to 3 subject of considerable importance . He had just reeeived a letter from a vsry respectable gentleman , signed Thomas Barber , auditor of the Halifax Union , which was in . tuese words : — " Fa ^ ifax , Feb . 25 . ¦ " My Lord—Permit me most respectfully to direct ; your lordship ' s special attention to tbe last page of the Halifax Guardian of this day , where you will nod a statement of facts relative to the cruel treatment a boy haa undergone , or endnred , at the hands of bis inhuman master , a collier , residing at Blackloy , four miles from this place , It ia not in the power of language to describe , or of imagination to conceive , the spectacle presented to my view when I examined bis back on Wednesday last at the union workbonse . With a firm

    determination of transmitting an Recount to you , I wrote his statement , but afterwards deemed it expedient to request the editor and publisher of the Guardian to report it in the pap * r ;• he yesterday accompanied me to the workhouse and has given the aabstanca of the boy ' s narrative . I hav * just retaraed from the magistrate ' s office , where the master has- appeared under a summons front the ove ? seera for the purpose of freeing the lad from his parish indenture . The lad gave a clear and succinct . statement of the treatment and sufferings he had eadured for some weeks back , with an artlessness that earried an irresistible conviction of its truthfutaess to the mind of every individual present The master was not able to disprove or controvert one iota of the statement , though defended by a professional gentleman , and the justices discharged the lad from his apprenticeship , according to the 20 th of George II .. c 19 .

    " To Lord Ashley , London . " Along with that letter he had received a copy of the Halifax Guardian , and he thought be was justified in calling the attention of the House to the case , because he had last year affirmed the total and immediate cancelling of apprenticeships for underground operations , and if that clause had not been reversed elsewhere such a case as tho present never could have happened . The Halifax Gieardian thus reported the case : —( The report will be found at length i n another column ) . Having read the statement bo had to appeal to the Right Hon . Gentleman the Secretary for the Home Department , and request him , in virtue of the 3 d section of the act passed last year , to send down some official person

    to make inquiry into the case , in order that his report might be laid on the table of the House . Such a step would not only be justified by tbe act , but by precedent ; some time ago , when tbe Nuble Lord the metnbir for London ( Lord J . Russell ) was Secretary for the Home Department , an analogous case occurred of groat atrocity . He appealed to his Noble Friend , who cause . ! an inquiry to take place and the report to be laid ou the table . Two years after another case occurred , into which Lord Normanby also directed an inquiry , the result of which was reported to the House ; but , apart from alt precedent whatever , and from tbe act itself , he felt quite sure that the Right Hon . Baronet woald be most ready t » extend the protection snd aid of his important office to such helpless and destitute objects—( hear ) .

    Sir J . Graham could assure his noble friend , that alth > ukq this case was entirely unknown to him till the Noble Lord commenced his address to the House , ha most warmly sympathized with him in the feeling of disgust which such a statement muss create in the breast of every gentleman who heard it ; at the same time , all wonld agree with him in hoping that there was some exaggeration in tbe facts as stated . He "would most readily institute an inquiry into nil the circumstances by sending down a person worthy of confidence into the district , and if the fftet 9 as alleged were substantiated it would be his duty to direct that prosecutions should be commenced against the parties imp'icated —( hear , bear . ) He was glad to take this opportunity of stating to the House , that notwithstanding anything which had occurred elsewhere with respect to the act of last session , no one was more anxious than he was to give effect both to tbe letter and spirit if that act , and adhere most strictly to all its provisions—( Hear )

    Lord J . Russell called attention to the almost unprecedented circumstance ( with the exception of the case of General C-nway ) of the Duke of Wellington , as commander < in-chief , holding a seat ia the cabinet . As a conspicuous political bias ; and his Grace had himself , on a former occasion , declared his opinion that the commander-in-chief should not be a member of the cabinet . Sir It . Peel admitted that in recent times it had not been usual for the commander in-chief to have a seat in the cabinet . But he did not conceive that it was contrary to constitutional analogy for that high functionary to be a member of the cabinet . Lord John Russell had referred to tha previous case of General Conway ; and the Duke of Wellington had been , at eue time , Master

    of the Ordnance , and cabinet-minister . On tbe resignation of tbe late Lord Hill , he ( Sir B . Peel ) , with the concurrence of his colleagues , had advised her Majesty to appoint the Duke of Wellington to the office ; and they bad also bsan all of opinion that it was ( Sue to his Graces eminent civil services that , in conjunction with the command of the army , he should still retain bis seat in the cabinet . On the motion that the Speaker do leave the chair , Mr . S . Crawford rose , and said he must entreat the attention of the Government to the propositions contained in tfce resolution of which be had given notice , and which it would now become his duty to submit to the House . At such a period as the present , when most severe and extensive distress prevailed

    throughout the country , it was , he thought , the duty of the House to endeavour to alleviate that distress by tightening the burden of taxation . This , he conceived , conld not ba effectually done , unless they took into consideration the whole public expenditure of the country , and thb means by which it was to be defrayed ; and in his opinion , before they assented to votes of the public money , they ought to know v ? hat amount of revenue might be drawn froai the country without unnecessarily oppressing the people . It had been s-iid that the necessary expenditure of the country must be defrayed ; bui he thought that those who had the controul of the revenue of the country ought , imitating the example of prudent individuals , first to look to their resources , an ; l then to regulate their

    expenditure according to their inesiis . He did not orject particularly to the course pursued by the prtsent Government , but he objected to the ' system which had been going on for a number of years , under all Governments , ef voting ths supplies before they were acquainted with the means to which it might be necessary to have recourse for defraying their votes . He objected generally to tke extravagant nature of the present civil an < l military establishments ; and he thought this extravagance had arisen from no regard being had to the resources of the country at the time when those establishment ) were formed . The Government mijfht think that this doctrine was tainted wittr the principles of Radical Reform , which he waaf ^ ware were not very popular in that House ; but he would

    not hesitate to assert those principles , for he thought that no man ought to maintain opinions ont of doors which he had i : ot courage to support in that House . Ha found that 100 , 8-46 men were required for the army of this kit ^ r tom , 38 , 000 men being retained in Great Britain and Ireland . . Now , he wonld put it to the Government whether it was- necessary to keep up such a standing army ! Were 38 , 000 men required to keep in order the people of the United kingdom ? He found that in Great Britain there was a force of 25 . 127 men ; and , if the Government conceived thar such an army was requisite in this country , he woald ask what rendered it necessary ? If they were compelled thus to coerce the people of Great Britain there roust be something wrong in their institutions or in their legislation .

    ( Hear . ) He thought a great reduction might be effected in the number of troops at present maintained in Great Britain , and , if no reduction was made , he considered it a strong proof that the country was in a very discontented state . Nearly 13 , 000 troops , be found , were stationed in Ireland . He would ask if this was necessary , when they bad in that country a constabulary force of 9 , 000 -men , -who were quite as efficient as a regular army ? He begged also to call the attention of the House to the wanton and extravagant expenditure incurred for the Btaff , which arc ( Minted to the sum of £ 165 . 300 . Ho wished to know what necessity existed for keeping up such an expensive staff , which in his opinion was almost useless ! Ths c-xpeueeof the staff at bead-qiifiKers , in London , was £ l 6 ; 800 . The

    pay of the Duke of Wellington as Field-Marshal waa £ 16 8 s 9 * 1 per , day , or £ 6 000 a yvar ; and be must say it seemed to him wholly unnecessary that any officer , should receive such pay . There were in the united kingdom fourteen different stations of the staff , tbe number of which might , he thought , be greatly reduce ! . Tbe expences of the Commander-in-Chiefs offica , were £ 17 , 000 a-yea *; tboae of tbe Adjutant-General ' s , £ 12 , 000 ; and of the Quartermaster-Ganetal's , £ 6 , 600 . He considered this an enormous expenditure of the public money , ; and he thought the business might be effectively conducted at a mnch leas cost . He found in the army estimates an item of £ 117 . 787 for volunteer corps . He would put it to the House , what services were rendered by these volunteer corps which entitled

    them to . sueh an amount 1 Was there any record of their ever receiving tbe thanks of tbe House for their services , which must have been the case if thoss services bad been important and valuable 1 Ha found ia the non-effective service 198 generals , wko cost the country £ 89 , 000 ; tne amount paid to officers retired on full pay was £ 64 , 000 ; and the pensions allowed to soldiers amounted to £ 1 , 243 , 176 . Tbe allowance to retaed Beivaats of the military department / was £ 4 lt 000 . In the Ordnance Department there were nuiner&UB heavy expences , iu which he thought great seductions might be effected . The effective force of the naval service for the lost year cost £ i 682 , 000 ; the non-6 ff « etive , £ 1 . 390 , 000 ; there being 184 iwimirais on the non-effective list . Then , in the Civil

    department , he found that the salaries and other expenses of thfe Home-ofSce cost the conntry £ 25 . , the expences of the Exchequer were £ 18 . 0 « 0 , and of tbe Privy Council and Board of Trade £ 32 OOP according to the estimates of tbe last year . The allowances to rfctir'ed and superannuated officers in the cwu depar tment amounted to £ 84 , 000 . To one item which appeared in the estimates of last year , thator ± 39 , 000 for seoretsetvice money , he strongly objected . Ha though :, then , after the statements be had made , tnat some meana should ba taken to alter the existing sya-( Continued in our Eighth page , )

    Untitled Article

    - THE NORTHERN STAR . r

• Citation
  • Northern Star (1837-1852), March 4, 1843, page 7, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/vm2-ncseproduct982/page/7/