1843.] 
THE GARDENERS’ 
CHRONI 
CLE. 147 
Several Peers agreed that the House ought to lose no time, con- 
wnsend, in taking imme- 
e suggestion of the Lorp 
HOUSE OF COMMONS, 
Monday - r. T. Ecrrron entered into explanations with 
respect to the treatment of the Chartist prisoners confined in 
Knutsford House of Correction, which had been commented on 
y Mr. T, Duncombe, in his speech on the motion relative to 
Lord Abinger. Mr. T. DuncomBe defended the correctness of 
his allegations, reading statements in support of them. If he got 
a committee of inquiry into the state of our prison discipline, he 
would see that the condition of Knutsford gaol was particularly 
inquired into. Sir James Grauam undertook that the whole 
member of the cabinet. 
Sir R. Pers replied that there was no constitutional rule against 
it, and many instances could be cited i 
But in very recent 
times, the Duke of York, Sir David Dundas, and Lord Hill had 
commanders-in-chief under similar circumstances. 
true, that these latter personages were not political characters, but 
then the Master-General of the Ordnance and the First Lord of the 
Admiralty had frequently seats in the Cabinet, and the principle 
was the same in all. Upon the retirement of Lord Hill, he had 
no hesitation in recommending to her Majesty to give the Com- 
mandership to him who had so often led our armies to victory. 
ie whole conduct and character of the Duke of Wellington were 
sufficient pledges that he would never allow his political opinions 
to interfere with the public service. He (Sir R. Peel) claimed 
for himself and his colleagues the entire responsibility of this 
ii which he i was in unison with the public 
feeling, and conducive to the public advantage, 
On the motion for a committee of supply, Mr, S, CRAWFORD 
moved the postponement of all further supplies till the estimate 
of the whole expenditure of the country should be first furnished 
to the House, The amendment, after a short discussion, was 
lost by a majority of 47.—Sir H. Harpiner moved the army 
estimates for the year. The decrease from the charge of last 
year, on the whole effective and non-effective force, would be 
139,225., and the reduction of men proposed was 5,740.—Mr. 
UME moved a further reduction of 5000 men. The committee 
‘divided, and the amendment was lost by a majority of s6,—The 
next vote was for 3,639,327/., for the expenses of the army, which 
‘was agreed to, as were remaining votes. The vote for the 
expenses of the volunteer corps was objected to by Mr. Williams, 
but was carried by 98 to 28. 
Sir James Granam then moved the second reading of the 
Registration of Voters Bill, reserving discussion toa future stage. 
Tuesday.—In answer to Dr: Bowrine, Sir R. Pexr said that 
the Porte had never given its formal sanction to the building of 
the Protestant church at Jerusalem, or to the residence of 
Bishop Alexander, in! his Episcopal character, But no official 
confirmation of the rumour had reached the Government that 
the Porte had interfered to stop the building of the church.—Sir R. 
Peru, in reply to Lord J. Mawners, said that it was the opinion 
had been of the late, Government of this 
pleased, might seriously affect the tranquillity of Spain.—The 
SOLICITOR-GENERAL brought under consideration a statement 
of the Sergeant-at-Arms with respect to an action at law 
brought against hiya and Mr. Bellamy for trespass and false 
imprisonment, in the case of Mr. Howard, the attorney, There 
‘were two courses, either of which might be adopted ; to order its 
officers to let judgment go by default, in which case there would 
be no opportunity for explanation, and a jury might naturally 
agsess heav; ages; or to direct the Sergeant to plead the 
authority of the Honse, and thns bring the matter to an issue 
before the Judges of the land. fhe latter course had been 
adopted on previous occasions, as inthe celebrated case of Sir F, 
he would therefore propose that the officers of the 
House should be instructed to appear in the present action, and 
plead its authority.—Sir Tuomas WitpgE urged the House, while 
they gave every consideration to the proposal of the Solicitor- 
General, not to come to a decision without further thought, He 
suggested the appointment of a committee to inquire into the 
merits of the arrest, and to make a compensation to Mr. Howard, 
should the justice of the case demand it.—After some discussion 
it was suggested by Sir T. Winpm and the So1iciror-Genxy 
to ensure the happiness of a nation was the es 
ofa 
sound and religious system of education. He could quote on 
this point the testimony of distinguished officers, both in the Navy 
rmy, and he found that they uniformly admitted that 
no discipline for those who served with them was so good as that 
which was implanted by education. They declared that virtuous 
conduct almost uniformly followed a religious education; and 
the House would find the same opinion expressed on a recent 
ion, in most emphatic language, by that good man and 
Christian Judge, Chief Justice Tindal. Men who had received 
the benefits of a religious education were not found among the 
insurgents against the public peace, because such men knew 
that however grievous their wrongs, they owed obedience to the 
law, not from acalculation of the consequences of violating the 
Jaw, but from conscientious motives. f 
would, ere long, pervade one-half of the entire world; and 
great the blessing if they but carried out with them our freedom, 
our morality, and our religion. These were the grounds, such 
the arguments, and such the plan which he had ventured to 
bring forward. Itwas, he was aware, but a portion of what the 
country expected, but the rest would come. The poorer classes 
of our countrymen were often accused of improvidence, of im- 
morality ; and the charge, unhappily, was but too well founded ; 
but let the upper classes bear in mind that that imprudence, that 
immorality, were the result, i ‘eat measure, of their uwn 
neglect, and, in no slight degree, of their own example. 
owed to the humbler classes the long withheld debt of kinder 
language, of more intimate intercourse. This was no fanciful 
obligation on them; the people of this country were more alive 
than the people of any other country to an honest zeal for their 
welfare, toasympathy with their distress, on the part of those 
above them in condition; which zeal, which sympathy, fall, 
though it oftentimes might, on unimpressible hearts, never 
failed to find many that it comforted, many that it saved. He 
trusted that the Parliament of the country, that the more fa- 
voured classes of the coantry, would without delay enter on a 
better coursethan they had hitherto pursued ; that they would ear- 
nestly seek to secure the temporal peace, the eternal welfare of 
their humbler brethren, and in this noble effort half their task 
would be accomplished. The blessing of God would rest on their 
labours ; and theold ij 
the noble Lord had spoken with that 
glowing fervour, with that elevated generosity of soul, with that 
fervent piety, which so eminently distinguished his character. 
For himself, he had been rebuked as seldom rising above the 
low level of party strife; it had been asserted that political hos- 
tility was the feeling which predominated in his mind, and which 
actuated his entire conduct. If the rebuke were a just one, he 
could only say that his example was one which it behoved all 
other men to avoid; but, without staying to vindicate himself 
from the charge, as to other occasions and other subjects, this 
let him say, most honestly and sincerely, that upon this occa- 
sion, and this subject, all party, all political considerations were 
utterly absent from his thoughts, The sole question here was a 
‘uty—an immense, an awful duty—which they owed to the mass 
S no question of party, 
nor should it for a moment be considered or treated as a question 
of party; the matter was simply and assuredly this, that in the 
great course of public affairs, itnow behoved them carefully, and 
calmly, and kindly, to consider the present moral and religious 
condition of the working classes. The Government had entrusted 
Mr. Chadwick with the preparation of a measure for the improve- 
ment of the habitations of the poor; and whatever they could do 
Church on the one hand, and the honest scruples of the Dis- 
senters on the other, no greater boon could be conferred on the 
people. After showing, from what the Committee of Privy 
Council on Education had done, what might be done, he pro- 
ceeded to state what the wer it 
was not desirable, at first, to attempt too much. District schools 
are proposed to be established for the education of pauper chil- 
dren in the metropolis and large towns under the superintend- 
ence of the clergy of the Established Church, with provision for 
that the Sergeant asking time to plead could not be considered 
eant-at-Arms was therefore desired, 
without any formal resolution, to serve notice to that effect, and 
to report his proceeding to the House, 
HLEY then brought on his motion for an Address 
praying her Majesty’s immediate consideration of the best 
means for diffusing moral and religious education among the 
working classes. After enlarging on the general importance of 
education, and the greatincrease of population during the pre- 
sent century, he drew the attention of the House to the present 
state of crime and ignorance, and of moral and intellectual degra- 
dation, in Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and other populous 
districts, among the lower 
m. was that of the ex- 
There was evidence 
the mob. vu 
daith and fear to this necessary work, there ye' 
as many prospects of peace, for they had the authority of some 
of the best and greatest men, that the safest of all proceedings 
Is, and by the Roman 
Catholic Schools, in the case of Roman Catholic children ; the 
schools to be open to the inspectors appointed by the committee 
of Privy Council on Education; grants by the Government, to 
be made in aid of local exertions for the erection of such schools; 
anda sum not exceeding three-pence per week, or one.twelfth 
of the earnings of each child, to be retained by the employer in 
aid of a fund for education. In these schools religious instruc- 
tion to be administered, through the medium of the authorized 
version of the Scriptures, with the aid of portions of the Liturgy, 
under the superintendence of the clergy of the Established 
Church, but with a proviso in favour of the children of Dissenters. 
Two bills were already prepared for carrying out the objects he 
had stated; he hoped that they would not be viewed in a party 
light; and if they were passed during the present session, a 
large advance would be made in favour of the moral and religi- 
ous improvement of the rising generation. 
Lord Joun Russgut read an extract from the second report 
on the employment of children, in order to show the condition 
of a portion of the juvenile community of Yorkshire—a county 
which annually raised large sums to send out missionaries 
abroad, Whilst anxious to protect the feelings both of Church- 
men and Dissenters, he thought that in the present condition of 
the country it would almost be wickedness to cavil at the details 
of the measures stated by the Home Secretary. It was o! 
importance to provide for the training of schoolmasters ; and, 
looking at the aversion of parents to sen eir children to 
school, whenever any pecuniary temptation presented itself, he 
thought that some advantages might be held out to them in 
order to Overcome their reluctance. It was also worth consi- 
deration to provide for the education of the class immediately 
above the working classes.—Lord Sanpon expressed his satis~ 
faction at the prospects which this evening had opened.—Mr. 
Ewarv desired to wave theological differences, for the sake of 
the great object now in yiew.— Sir C, BurreLt concurred, but 
Mr. SHAW was disappointed that nothing had been said about 
the extension of the educational principle to Treland.—Mr. C, 
Bus1ER reminded the House of the vast total of charity funds 
specifically applicable to education, amounting to about 300,000/, 
ayear. There was another class of charities, founded for giving 
a 
small sums to the poor. . Such small sums were not only useless, 
ut mischi they were generally expended in drink, and 
would be much better applied in education. The amount of the 
wn int 
e a duty to attempt the propagation of what we 
ourselves believed to be the truth. (ies 
the suggestion of diverting any charitable foundations from the 
purposes of their fow 
more available than at present. 
ir R. Pex said he was afraid the interference of the Legisla- 
ture would be of little effect, unless among the ed 
wer possessed 
of wealth, and the responsibility for the use of wealth—that they 
had been all individually neglectful of the education of the poor ; 
and he trusted more to the moral effect of the :demonstra- 
tion of to-night encouraging individual exertion than he did to 
the interference of the Legislature. In expressing his gratitude 
to Lord Ashley for the time and attention which he had deyoted 
to the subject, and the manner in which he had introduced it to 
the House, he could not but feel that it was greatly owing to 
him, to his character and discretion, that they might attribute 
Baie dubh 
us. He would be content to admit some modifications o: 
which the clergymen o: 
f England alone.—Lord Asuiry, in 
reply, thanked the House for the reception which it had given to 
his motion, which was then unanimously carried. 
Wednesday.—Mr. Rorsuck brought forward his motion for a 
select committee to inquire into the circumstances that led to the 
war in Affghanistan, and to report the evidence and their own 
observations thereon. He accused the late Administration of 
rashly running into a war which was wholly unnecessary, 
impolitic, and unjust—and without the sanction of Parliament. 
The mischievous activity of Lord Palmerston had excited war 
and injustice from the western shores of America to the coast of 
China. Lord Auckland had issued proclamations which contained 
positive falsehoods, and which were therefore derogatory to the 
De 
a 
speech marked by passages of extraordinary 
severity by declaring that all he asked then was inquiry, and not 
ion.—Mr. Hume seconded the motion. 
J. RussrLt maintained that the whole substance and 
form of the motion was unusual and unparliamentary. Mr. 
Burke’s motion for ani i 
mi 
argument applied against the other cases cited by Mr. Roebuck. 
The terms of falsehood lavished upon Lords Auckland and 
as applied to those persons; and on 
hearing them he thought of what the Prince of Condé had said of 
the enemies of the late Govern- 
supposed that he ha 
policy of the expedition—on the contrary, subsequent events hed 
confirmed that opinion. But then, could he lend his sanction, as 
the _polic; - ur year: 
nich, when in opposition, he had not thought fit at the time "4 
move for? Hec not; nor would the public interest be ad- 
vanced by the inquiry. Were this ¢ 
would be demanded, and the result woul c 
Government would be transferred trom th ckowsl totenionae 
of Commons. The disasters had been retrieved, and the insults 
avenged; and his counsel to the House was not to risk a disturb- 
ance of our present most friendly relations with Russia, or 
edent Which would act most disadvantageously to 
, by voting for this committee, 
SS activity ; for, as that gentleman’s notion of mischief 
was notoriously 
man engaged in the public service, such an accusation was as 
high a compliment as could be paid'to him. 
that used by the Member for Bath was derogatory only to him 
