to state the matter of my speech in the form of propositions. ed," he said, " that he had the mortifi"cation to see forty young men drawing "gravel carts, like horses, that morning "before he left home." "Well, then, 66 THAT all that I should now meddle with were, the REAL OBJECTS; and the fatal CONSEQUENCES, if this you have too many people in your pabill should pass. That, however, before "rish." His answer was, "that there I proceeded to these matters, there "was not a man too many; that they were two errors to be swept away, both were all wanted upon the land; but of which we had heard from the lips of "that, owing to Peel's Bill and the the hon. Member for SHREWSBURY: weight of taxation, the farmers had the first was, the notion of a surplus "not the means of employing them, and population, or surplus labour; and the "that the lands were falling out of other was, the idea that the mal-admi- "cultivation." After this, to hear talk nistration of the poor-laws by the ma- of a surplus labour; to hear talk of a gistrates caused the riots of 1930, in the new colony, with bands of projectors and south of England. speculators, leading farmers and la THAT, with regard to the first of bourers to their certain ruin, is really these, we had upon our table a report, enough to deprive a man like Job of made by thirty-seven of the greatest his patience; but, at any rate, I do hope landowners in the House, having that the Right Hon. Secretary for the amongst them many gentlemen of great Colonies, who sits there, will not, by literary ability, and most extensive know- the flatterers in the newspapers, whose ledge of rural affairs; and they stated to object is to plunder poor farmers and us, and produced evidence in support of labourers of their little money, their their statements, that the lands of Eng- health, and their lives; I do hope that land had fallen greatly out of cultiva- he will not, by these flatteries, be intion; that in some cases farms to a duced to believe, that, compared with great extent were wholly thrown up to him, his two predecessors were obstiwaste; that in other cases they were nate, ignorant, and conceited men, beonly half cultivated; and that in no cause they refused to give countenance case were they sufficiently cultivated; to these at once wild and greedy proand were altogether much less produc-jectors; above all things, I hope that he tive than formerly. And, what is the will not be induced to give the countecause of this? The want of a sufficiency nance of the Government to these at of labour bestowed upon those lands! once ignorant and unprincipled specuThis also is told us by that committee; and yet (hear it all the world!) here are we sitting to contrive how we shall get away the labourers out of England! lators. THAT, in the year 1828 (month of poor-laws by the magistrates, they were July), the House ordered to be printed caused principally by the hired overseers a report, laid upon the table by the hon. created by STURGES BOURNE'S bills, Member for SHREWSBURY himself, com- which bills had taken the power of ining from a committee of which he was terference out of the hands of the magischairman; a committee appointed to trates; or, at any rate, had greatly inquire into the causes of the increase of limited their power. That, when I pauperism. The hon. Member pushed made a similar statement in the House all the witnesses upon the point of sur- before; when I ascribed the breaking plus population. Amongst others he out of the riots to the hatred in which had before him, Mr. BOYES OF WALDER- the people held the hired overseers, and SHARE, in Kent, a great farmer, and a mentioned particularly the county of most intelligent and upright man, well Sussex, I was flatly contradicted by the known to all the members for the coun- hon. member for SHOREHAM (Mr. Goty of Kent. Being asked, " whether the RING), who thought it becoming in him labourers in his parish were all employ- to ascribe the riots to my speeches and my writings, and who trumped up the counties of England; surpassing, as it old story about THOMAS GOODMAN and does, every other spot of God's earth, in his confession. That in proof of the able and adroit workmen, in cleanness truth of what I had stated, and of the of houses, cleanness of dress, neatness error of the hon. member for SHOREHAM, of gardens, manliness in the men, and I might refer to a great deal better and delicacy in the women; still I am very far from saying, that this excellent and admired county, or any portion of it, is quite worthy of being represented by the hon. member for SHOREHAM. fuller testimony; but I would take the report of the Poor-law Commissioners themselves. At page 26, they inform us, that the labourers met throughout the rape of HASTINGS, and entered into THAT, with regard to this most porresolutions, the first of which resolutions tentous hill, which was then to receive related to their wages; and the rest the final decision of the House, the stated that there should be no assistant- REAL OBJECT was, in my opinion, to overseer! At page 33, a magistrate, reduce the people of England to the whose name is suppressed, tells us, state of the people of Ireland; to make "that he is quite sure, that there would them live upon potatoes, at best; and "have been no riot in the parish of to submit to occasional famine, in "BREDE, had it not been for the reso-order that the landlords may put into "lution of the labourers to turn out the their pockets, not only the amount of "assistant-overseer. Some of them the poor-rates; but the amount of one "proposed to go to a magistrate to re"late the treatment which they had re"ceived from this overseer; others opposed this, as they had so often appealed in vain" (N. B. Sturges Bourne's bill took the power of redress from the magistrate). "He is sure that they had no idea of a riot, for several " of them said that they would not mind half of the wages which the labourers now receive. That I, by no means, imputed this wish to a majority of the landlords, or to any considerable portion of them, thinking them much too wise, as well as too just, to entertain any such wish; but that I most firmly believed this to be the real object of the inventors of this revolutionary project, and of proceed to give my REASONS distinctly, one after another, for entertaining that belief. THAT, in the first place, there were three countries, over whom this Parliament had to exercise supreme power: in one we found, in spite of all the fatal changes that immense taxation, and destructive monopoly, created by papermoney, had produced: we still found, generally speaking, the labourer, particularly in this reprobated south, lodged in a cottage, with a clean floor, with his "being poor, if they could but be used its official supporters; and that, I would "with civility. There was not a man of now, under the indulgence of the House, "them who wished to do mischief, but "all were resolved to get rid of ABEL, "the hired overseer." At page 57, of the same report, comes Mr. CoURTHOPE, chairman of the magistrates, at BATTLE, during the riots. He, being asked for information respecting the causes of the riots, gives this answer: "The several causes of discontent to which I allude were, the reduced allowances from the poor-rates, principally effected by the " assistant-overseers, which rendered "them the first objects of attack by the "labourers." Now, if I were in the bed up stairs, his little table set with a place of the hon. member for SHORE- cloth upon it three times a day; that HAM, I would at once acknowledge my cottage surrounded by a neat garden, error; but, whether he do, or not, decorated more or less with flowers, wholly forgiving him on the score of containing a variety of vegetables, with THOMAS GOODMAN and his curious con-a *, situated in that spot dictated fession, I will say this; that super- by decency, by native modesty, and by excellent as the county of Sussex is, in purityof manners and of morals. We have all respects whatsoever; pattern as it is, another country, where the labourer has to all the rest of the world, even to the earth for the floor of his dwelling; where ** a few boards knocked roughly together great stalking-horse pretence is, that, form his bedstead; where his bed is if the poor-rates be not put a stop to, heather, or straw, and his bedding the they will devour up the land. Speaking most miserable of rugs; where table in round numbers, there are eight milcloth, knife, fork, or plate, never ap- lions a year collected by the overseers. pears; where an iron pot, a brose (oats Pretty nearly three millions of these coarsely ground) bowl, and a bit of are for county-rates, and other purposes, cow's horn for a spoon, are his only not at all for the relief of the poor. Not goods, furniture, and utensils. We have a word is said about the land being dea third country, where all the household voured up by these; not a word is said goods put together is a pot, wherein to about reducing the amount of these and boil the roots, upon which the family yet these have gone on increasing much and the pig all live together, in a shed faster than the rates paid in relief. So without a chimney, and covered with that, if the poor-rates could be abosods. In the first country all persons lished altogether, here would be still are clad from head to foot: in the se- something to devour up the land: this, cond, a large part of the women and therefore, is another false pretence. the children, have bare legs and feet; THAT the poor-rates were never so in the third, even the bodies of a large low as they are now, in proportion to part are half-naked, and some quite the taxes which the labourers pay. naked. They have very much increased, cerTHAT there is, perhaps, not another tainly, within the last forty years; but assembly in the whole world; not what man of sense and of sincerity, another six hundred and fifty-eight men, will not ascribe the increase to the ingot together under one roof, who, hav-crease of the taxes, and to those fatal ing these three countries at their abso- changes in the distribution of farms, lute command, would not set to work which have arisen, not out of any change instantly and never cease till they had of character or manners in the people, made the last two countries like the but out of those injurious monopolies, first; instead of which, we are at work created unwittingly by this House. to make the first country like the two THAT these things are so well known last; or, rather, like the third; and to be true; it must be so well known professing, all the while, that we want to every man of common sense, that if to better the lot of its people. This is half the poor-rates could be lopped off my first reason for believing that which by this revolutionary project, nothing I have stated to be true. would be accomplished in the way of explained to this House, and which the projectors of this measure have thought it prudent to disguise. THAT my second reason is, the ma- saving upon the whole. These things nifest insincerity which appears upon are so manifest to common sense, that the face of the whole proceeding. The one must conclude that there is somegeneral instructions to the poor-law thing at the bottom, which has not been commissioners laid down this, as a rule to be observed, "that if the poor-rates " were found to be diminishing, or even "stationary, then it would be desirable "not to attempt to make any change " at all." A return lies upon our table, showing that they have diminished 3 per cent. in England and Wales, during the last year. Yet the scheme is per THAT the bill provides for getting rid of the working people by taxing the parishes to send them abroad; that, in order to get a pretence for doing this, a circular question was sent to numerous gentlemen throughout all the counties severed in contrary to the professions of England and Wales. The question of the schemers themselves. Here, was this: "What do you think would therefore, there is manifest insincerity; "be the effect of an enactment enabling and where you find that the professions " parishes to tax themselves, in order are false, always suspect the real object. " to facilitate emigration?" This quesTHAT (as to my third reason) the tion (Appendix, B. I. part 5,) is put to 1,717 persons, gentlemen, magistrates, sort can afford relief to agriculture; clergymen, overseers; out of whom that when, therefore, in the face of all two hundred and one seem to approve this, we see this project persevered in, of the project, seven hundred and seven we must conclude that there is somedeprecate it; great numbers say they thing at the bottom not openly avowed; have not a man too many; a consider- and that something quite other than able number say that they have not be tering the lot of the labourer or the enough in harvest time; one gives an farmer is at the bottom of the scheme. answer in the word "horrible," and THAT, however, in addition to all these reasons, which are founded on the evidence suggested to our senses by the nature of the case, let us see what is recommended to us by the papers laid upon the table by the noble lord. If nothing more; the rest either give no answer at all, or express their doubts as to the propriety of adopting such a project. And yet this emigration provision is contained in the bill; and a new colony is to be formed, and a company the noble lord has not thought proper of speculators is to be formed for send- to give the House time to read these ing the farmers and labourers out of the country. This is another and a striking proof, that the projectors of this measure mean something that they dare not openly avow. papers, or a fiftieth part of them, we are certainly at liberty to conclude that the noble lord had read the papers himself; otherwise it is, in reality, "the blind leading the blind." There are two commissioners of the names of TUFNELL and JOHNSTON, whose report I find in Appendix A. part 2. After tel THAT the distress of agriculture is imputed to the poor-laws; and that, therefore, the bill is necessary to remove that distress; that this question, or ling us how the heritors of Scotland, rather these two questions: "Is the "amount of agricultural capital in your "neighbourhood increasing or diminish"ing? and do you attribute such increase or diminution to any cause con"nected with the poor-laws?" These assisted by the parish ministers, contrived to evade the Scotch poor-laws, and to reduce the people to the greatest misery, they give their noble employer this advice: "If then it can be shown, "that in spite of these advantages, questions are put to 1,717 persons, as "wherever poor-laws have been introbefore. With two or three exceptions, "duced, evil has resulted, it will go far they all say, that the agricultural capital "to prove that the sound policy is to is diminishing; that is to say, that the "aim at their entire abolition...... farmers are poorer than they were. "That the very basis on which all But, in answer to the second question, four hundred and one positively assert, that the poor-laws have had nothing to do with the matter; eleven hundred and twenty-nine ascribe the distress to other commending the IMMEDIATE abo "poor-laws must be founded, the giving "to the distressed a right to relief, is " essentially productive of evil....... "We would not be understood as re 66 "lition of the English poor-laws; we are simply desirous of stating the "conclusion to which we have been led causes, and state that those other causes arise principally from PEEL'S BILL; while only one hundred and fifty-nine ascribe the distress to any thing con- by the evidence, that ALL POORnected with the poor-laws, or their "LAWS are in their essence impolitic administration; and of those one hun- "and uncalled for, and that consedred and fifty-nine, FOURTEEN ARE "quently their FINAL ABOLITION ANONYMOUS, and Two of them are " ought to be the ultimate object of any stipendiary poor-law commissioners change that may be made; an object, themselves! That here, then, we have however, that it is not supposed can the opinions of the noblemen, the "be attained without being preceded gentry, the clergy, the magistrates, the " by years of careful preparation for it. most considerable farmers, the guar"E. CARLETON TUFNELL. dians of parishes, no measure of this "P. F. JOHNSTON." THAT the noble Lord has certainly commissioners who are now going to read this before he laid it upon the Ireland, to ascertain what can be taken table; and yet I hope he has not; for, from the church there! Aye, and if in another of the papers of these hire- there be any friends of the church preling commissioners, I find myself libelled sent now, let them take warning; for by name seven or eight times. What they may be assured that one fragment ought to have been was this: the noble of her property will not be left to her, Lord should have read the papers care- if this bill be passed into a law. Put fully in manuscript before he laid them the circumstances together of TUFNELL, who is to go and decide as to the property of the church, and who is "a student at law." He was found to be a fit man for such a purpose, having given on the table of the House, and moved for them to be printed. I hope, and believe, that he did not read that paper which contains the libels on me; for, if I could believe that he deliberately this specimen of his regard for the rights procured the printing of these papers of the poor. His doctrines, as laid by the House, and thus effected the in- down in the paper which I have read, famous libelling of me with impunity, made him a favourite. His Irish comI should speak of him and think of him missionership is a reward for his Scotch very differently from what I hitherto have done. report. To tell us after this, that this is not the intention of these projectors, is to insult us in the grossest manner. THAT, however, with regard to this recommendation of TuFNELL and THAT here are a sufficiency of REAJOHNSTON, he shall not tell us, that this is not the ultimate object of his bill; he shall not tell us, that he means to stop with "correcting the abuses in the administration of the poor-laws"; he shall not tell us that he does not mean to abrogate them altogether, as soon as SONS for my believing, that the ultimate object is, to grind down the English labourers to potatoes and sea-weed; that, however, there is still another reason, which will, I think, make the measure run over. A barrister was appointed to draw up this bill; and it was he can; and he ought to have avowed necessary to tell that barrister what purthe object, and then we should have poses the bill was intended to answer. known what we were about. How It was necessary to give him written stands the matter? The noble Lord INSTRUCTIONS with regard to those lays a manuscript upon our table; by a purposes. He had such instructions motion he obtains our consent to the given him; and those instructions ought printing of that paper; he puts that to have been laid before the House; paper into the possession of us all, because the bill itself did not discover as containing information and recom- any ultimate intention; but it is boundmendations, upon which he asks us to less as to the power which it gives to pass this bill. And we find in this the commissioners, who are to be appaper, that all poor-laws ought to be pointed by the Ministers, and removeable abolished; that their utter abolition at their pleasure. The commissioners ought to be the ultimate object of any are to take away all power out of the measure adopted upon the subject; but hands of magistrates, overseers, and that, in England there ought to be a every body else all over the country, careful preparation for that ultimate and to make rules and regulations for object. Now, are we not to conclude ordering and governing the poor. It that this is the object of the noble Lord? Let him deny that this is his object; and then we will ask him why he laid that paper upon the table? But, in further proof, if any were wanted, we have the recent promotion of TUFNELL, who gives this recommendation. TurNELL is, it appears, to be one of those was, therefore, of the utmost importance that the House should know something about the intentions of the Ministers, as to what sort of rules and regulations will be adopted when they once got the bill passed. I had heard something about the contents of these instructions given to the barrister who drew up the |