POSTSCRIPT.
SATURDAY NIGHT.
In the House of Commons, last night, the order of the day for consi- dering the report of the Poor-law Amendment Bill having been read, Mr. WAKLEY moved an instruction to the Committee to divide the bill into two parts. He proposed to separate the clauses relating to the law itself from the clauses relating to the continuance of the Commission ; and thus, be said, he gave an opportunity to those who wished to render the measure permanent, without prolonging the Commission beyond the five years. Mr. Wakley indulged in a denunciation of the cruelty of the law as it is at present administered. He told a story of a child who had died while its mother was in the workhouse : it had been taken from her to be weaned, and died of convulsions ; its death was concealed from the mother, until she heard it accidentally ; she ran after the body to the burial-ground, and there the first thing that she heard was that it could not be taken into the church, because it was supposed to have died of the smallpox. He warned the landed aristocracy that this law would endanger their seats ; and he pronounced the House—the Re- formed, he could not call it the Amended House of Commons—that could sanction such a measure, worse than the old Boroughmongering House of Commons.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL looked in vain for any reasons in Mr. Wakley's speech for the proposal of dividing the bill: he had merely repeated the inflammatory topics which were intended to produce a prejudice against the law. As to the Reform Bill, now denounced by Mr. Wakley, its opponents had objected to that measure in its progress, that mis- chievous demagogues would be returned for the large Metropolitan districts ; and that if lawyers were returned, and they should happen to sit in courts of justice, they would use their position to turn these courts into arenas for political discussion. Lord John was not quite sure but that the prediction had in some points been verified. With respect to the child alluded to by Mr. Wakley, Lord John had been told that it was kept from the mother in order that excitement might not aggravate its malady ; but the concealment of its death was exceed- ingly blameable. Lord John reasserted the principle, that a poor-law is meant to provide simply for destitution. After some further discussion, Mr. WAMLEY, finding his amendment against the sense of the House, suffered it to be negatived without a Mr. TOWNLEY PARKER then moved, that the House should go into Committee on the report that day six months. This was followed by another general discussion on the bill, not characterized by much- no- velty ; and ultimately the amendment was negatived, by 247 to 51.
The House then went into Committee.
Sir EDWARD KNATCHBULL moved to postpone the first clause, be- cause he could not agree to the term of duration fixed for the Commis- sion. Lord dons RUSSELL would consent to no further reduction of the term; and Sir ROBERT PEEL supported Lord John. That amend- ment was also negatived, without a division. A proposal by Colonel SIBTHORPE, to leave out of the bill "every Assistant-Commissioner" was rejected, by 191 to 46. On the motion of Mr. WOI.VERLEY Arrw000, after some faint oppo- sition by Lord JQUN &sant, the Chairman reported progress. Before going into Committee on the Consolidated Fund Bill, the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER moved an instruction to the Committee of Supply, to insert a clause for appropriating 161,0001. for the excess of naval expenditure for the past year. Sir GEORGE CLERK said that the Estimates showed the outstanding claims against the naval service to be 1,421,000/. : the whole sum voted under that head had been 1,000,0001, ; and he wished to know how the actual excess of 421,0001. was to be provided for by the 161,0001. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER observed, that the Estimates were made up for the natural and not for the financial year. But he objected to being asked such a question without notice ; and, after a few remarks on both sides of the House, the motion was postponed, to allow the Chancellor of the Exchequer to obtain further information.
In a Committee of the whole House, the CHANCELLOR of the Excite- QUER moved a resolution, to advance 155,000!. out of the Consolidated Fund for the payment of the overdue bills and expenses on account of the colony of South Australia. Sir WILLIA3I MOLESWORTH objected, that the proposed vote did not include the 56,000/. which the Select Committee had recommended to be repaid to the emigration-fund. The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER replied, that the present grant was merely meant to provide for immediate necessities: Sir William Moles- worth's proposal should be urged when discussing the final settlement of the question. The resolution was agreed to.
In the House of Lords, the investigation into the irregularities of the Irish Poor-law Commission Office was continued. Mr. Nicholls was examined. He did not add much to the information already elicited- His memory failed as to some particulars respecting Mr. Bagwell's letter objecting to Butler's appointment ; but he admitted that if Mr. Phelan had interfered, his conduct was reprehensible, and that his cha- racter for veracity was at stake. Mr. Nicholls said that the Poor-law Commissioners held themselves responsible for the subordinate appoint- ments ; but they necessarily relied on the Assistant-Commissioners for obtaining information as to the fitness of the candidates. He thought that Mr. Stanley had not exercised a sound discretion in the mode of omitting the passage in Butler's letter of application. Mr. Nicholls corrected a mistake which Mr. Stanley had made : the Lord-Lieutenant had not called frequently at the Commissioners' office in Dublin, cer- tainly not more than once or twice.
In presenting a petition from Newfoundland, for a change in the constitution of the House of Assembly, Lord ABERDEEN drew attention to the abuse of the constitution granted to the island in 1831-2. The most improper persons obtained admission to the Assembly : one member was a menial servant, receiving wages of 101. a year. And at the late elections very great outrages had been committed by the mob ; to such an extent, that the Governor had told the Assembly that he should abstain from calling a new Parliament, unless the election- law were altered.
The Marquis of NORMANDY conceived that the Governor only meant to postpone the writs for a time. Unless the House of Assembly deal satisfactorily with the question, Government must interfere ; but Lord Nonnanby hoped that Lord Aberdeen would leave the matter for a time in the hands of Government.
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