10 FEBRUARY 1844, Page 1

NEWS OF THE WEEK.

THOUGH this is considered only a preliminary week of preparation and muster in Parliament, the report of the proceedings of three working days filled 46 columns or about 28 yards of the Morning Chronicle, small print ; and the Vote-paper of the House of Com- mons records 128 transactions. Measured by the interest of the public in this huge pretence of sayings and doings—by the practi- cal results, attained or probable—the ratio of space to quality, of words to deeds, is ludicrously disproportionate. The first deed that strikes one for its peculiarity is Mr. SHAR- MAN CRAWFORD'S formal proposition for "stopping the Supplies." The theory of stopping the Supplies is, that the People have the right to have their grievances redressed before they supply the Exe- cutive with money; and on that theory Mr. CRAWFORD rested : but his proposition involved a series of practical absurdities. The grievances of which the redress can be thus claimed are those committed by the Crown or Peers against the People ; but the grievances alleged by Mr. CRAWFORD were for the most part inhe- rent in the state of society, or—according to the same theory that provides for.stopping the Supplies—created with the concurrence of the People themselves, through their Representatives, to wit the Commons. But one grand grievance is the culpability and incompetency of the Commons ; which they themselves were to proclaim. Of course, if the Commons are so far corrupted, the remedy is not to be sought within themselves, but from the Crown and Peers; or, if they conspire to maintain the corrupt state of the Commons, the only appeal lies to the actual "people "—the "masses "—the many ; who must take the matter into their own hands—rebel against the authorities de facto—set up a revolution. Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD will not go the length of recommending that resort ; but—we still speak in theory—it were surely more rational to call on the cheated people to deal summarily with a thief caught in the act, than to ask the thief to arrest, try, con- vict, and sentence himself. Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD proposes to stop the money for the public expenditure, except a little doled out on account, until steps be taken to remodel the political and social condition of the community ; his chosen instrument, of all others, being the House of Commons !

While the troubles and necessities of the country are mocked by this off-hand proposal in the Commons to put all to rights, the other branch of Parliament no less lightly postpones a crying and particular want of the people. Disease, arising from bad con- struction and management of towns, yearly carries off a number estimated to exceed the standing Army at home, Constabulary and all: Committees and Commissioners have been " inquiring" about the matter for years ; there is still inquiry going on ; and when the Duke of BUCCLEUCH is asked how soon something is to be done, he does not even say "Some day," but says that some day another report will be made, and after that perhaps something may be done. What ? when ? It is all in the clouds—that is, the remedies ; for the grievances are substantial, tangible, sickening enough. There are, in the apprehension of statesmen, two ways of satisfying the grievous wants of the people,—to remedy them, which is very troublesome and "difficult," and very expedient to evade ; and to inquire and report upon them, which is easy, and almost as creditable. Is the number of Committees and Commissions to be wondered at ?

Something, however, is to be done, and that in a characteristic manner. Last year, Lord ASHLEY exposed the pitiable ignorance of the masses' and Sir JAMES GRAHAM proceeded to the rare task of doing something. But he attempted it in an impracticable way ; which is, in effect, not much more satisfactory than mere inquiry. This year he reproduces his Factory Bill, only the Education part is thrown overboard ; and the bill is now no more than a restriction on the labour of children, " young persons," and women, with provisions against accidents. Having leisure, says Sir Jamas, the children may use it in receiving instruction ; which is the present extent of contemplated State provision for popular education. Legislation very often borrows the method of a Dutch auction, in which the auctioneer puts up his wares at very high prices and gradually brings them down to a mere nothing. The bill, however, may do a little good in its way. It appears, indeed, to be an alarming violation of political economy : but that science must be rendered more perfect and all-sufficing for social wants before its apparent infringement can be assumed to be a final condemnation. In another measure a special want of "the people," meaning the poorer classes, has been borne in mind. Mr. GLansross has pro- pounded a very timid project of "inquiring" into the Board of Trade's regulations respecting Railways, with a view to improve the law controlling railway companies, to be established or modified here- after; and both in his speech and in other speeches the wrongs and wants of "third-class passengers" were a main object of attention. In the pursuit of lucre, railway companies deliberately subject third-class passengers to certain hardships, intended to force all who can possibly afford it to use the dearer trains ; and the Honour- able House, with all deference to "vested interests" and consistent adherence to its own past blunders, contemplates interposition. Properly-drained dwellings for the poor, the laws affecting their means of subsistence, political enfranchisement, are matters de- ferred sine die; but their travelling-carriages are to be roofed in. Well, that is something. Post-office reform has been talked about : Mr. GOULDURN does not mean to renew the Committee of' last session. No more in- quiry—he has had enough of that ! But Government are not guilty of positively intending to throw the revenue away, in the name of improvement, for the mere purpose of spiting Mr. Row- LAND HILL: at least, they will not avow the intention ; and there• is some decency in that too. In one matter there has been extraordinary energy and promp- titude; and there also anxiety for the welfare of the poor is pro- fessed. Cricket-players and other village-sporters are threatened• with certain mysterious visitations called " qui tam actions "— which means "law "—and that, as everybody knows, means mulct. It is quite true that lawyers seldom proceed in that sort of way. - with village-sporters, just because no pelf is to be screwed out of them as damages : summary• process and treadmill are readier means to keep the poor in order. It happens, however, that the more dristocratic sportsmen of the turf, who can pay, are obnoxious to these qui tam actions ; indeed, such actions have actually been begun : so, by a singular accident, the Duke of RICHMOND'S' bill for the protection of cricketers and other Arcadians will happen also to shield the Arcades of Goodwood and Ascot. The House of Lords have set to work in right earnest to forward this cricket- er's protection bill ; and it is an agreeable reflection, that as the bill will also happen to protect gamblers, it will be a rare instance of virtue rewarded.

One ill-used subject has been touched upon—the "right of search " ; about which, for a long time past, nothing appears to be done that ought to be done, but every thing that ought not to be. Lord ABERDEEN has stated, that the French Government desire the revision of the treaties of 1831 and 1833, in order to render their operation more palatable to the French nation : negotiations have been opened; but the British Government will do nothing to cripple the efficacy of the treaties in keeping down the slave-trade. A hopeless issue. Nothing, now, will render the operation palat- able to the French ; so that the claim on their side covers a move forward to abolish the treaties altogether. As it has been de- monstrated that the treaties are not efficacious in keeping down the slave-trade, our pretext for obstinacy is untenable. Partisans ob- ject that Lord BROUGHAM was satisfied with Lord ABERDEEN'S ex- planation ; and Lord PALMERSTON has repaired the defect, by giving notice of a resolution that would block out any move at all in the matter,—keeping open one of the sore places remaining in French feeling towards us. Lord PALMERSTON knows how to lure and employ the aid of the Anti-Slavery " profession " ; and the standard that he has hoisted for contest has this self-adjusting ad- vantage—it will help to render Lord ABERDEEN, in his quiet policy, uneasy and embarrassed; while, with the Viscount's own meddle- some policy, it would be a diplomatic dispute nicely reopened against the return to office of PALMERSTON and the Whigs with their "armed peace." Wielding the mysterious anathema of the Anti-Slavery priesthood, Lord PALMERSTON overawes the Three Estates ! There is not a man in the House of Commons—not one man, capable of a demonstrative exposure of the case—that dares to declare the truth about those worse than useless treaties.

The wrongs of the Ameers of Scinde have occupied the House of Commons only for one night as yet' Lord ASHLEY having moved an address to the Crown, praying a favourable consideration of their case; and Mr. ROEBUCK, some sweeping resolutions con- demning Lord Axiom...km:1's policy, pronouncing Lord ELLENBO- ROUGH'S the unavoidable sequel of what had gone before, and de- daring it impossible to restore Scinde to its former position. The Ameers—gentlemen who stand accused of something worse than treachery to England, inter alio of flogging their wives with brass whips, and of oppressing their alien subjects as cruelly as the Egyptian Fellahs are oppressed—will excite little sympathy in this country, apart from the influence of Lord ASHLEY'S character and earnestness. England's own honour and dignity, however, are con- cerned in seeing that the deposed tyrants are hospitably treated; and there appears no reasonable room for doubt on that score. Sir ROBERT PEEL urged the most specious plea for our unceasing encroachment in India—that where the strength of civilization comes in contact with the weakness of barbarism, the latter must yield. This, no doubt, is the original charter of all our dominions in the East. Still it would be better if cur strength were relied upon to avoid ever-recurring acts of encroachment and bad faith. Lord ELLEN- BOROUGH'S inconsistency in disavowing territorial aggrandizement, and forthwith seizing Scinde, has long been obvious. The Ameers of Scinde may be as little immaculate as the tyrants of Rome ; but can we say that we have never broken our engagements with them ? Let the treatment of the people of Scinde redeem the wrongs done to the rulers.

For some time, it seems, there had been an absurd rumour that the Queen is in debt ; and Mr. BLEB-ITT, the Member for Gossip, popped the question to Sir ROBERT PEEL, whether the tale was true ? There are things whose incredibility is sufficiently proved by the fact that certain people believe them : Sir ROBERT needed not to have " wondered" that his querist was so "credulous." The Queen, as we have heard it expressed to her praise, " pays her bills like any private person." Some old-fashioned folks, indeed, might regard debt as one of the attributes of British Royalty : but Queen VICTORIA has no illicit pursuits to drain the Royal exche- quer, not to be named in Parliament ; nor has she yet—nor, if wise herself and surrounded by sensible assistants, will she ever have— sons whose sallies necessitate humiliating applications to Parlia- ment. The present current of the Royal expenditure flows in the face of day, freely, but not insidiously or unmeasured.