§ MR. C. P. VILLIERS, in moving for Copies of Reports made to the Poor Law Board on the education of Pauper Children, availed himself of that opportunity to call attention to a letter addressed to him by Mr. Farnall, one of the Poor Law Inspectors, which, in justice to that gentleman, he felt bound to read. Mr. Farnall considered that a speech recently made in another place by a noble Lord affected his character, and he was desirous that he should be set right in that House. In a letter addressed to him (Mr. C. P. Villiers) Mr. Farnall called attention to the report of the speech in The Times——
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid, the hon. Member was out of order in reading a letter with reference to a debate in the other House.
§ MR. C. P. VILLIERSI did not say the other House; I said "another place." A noble Lord made a statement affecting the character of Mr. Farnall. ["Order, order!"]
§ MR. SPEAKERThe right hon. Gentleman is not in order.
§ MR. C. P. VILLIERSA statement has been made respecting the character of Mr. Farnall. ["Order!"]
§ MR. SPEAKERI must again call the right hon. Member to order.
§ MR. C. P. VILLIERSI trust the House will not be unwilling to allow this gentleman to vindicate his character. He has done so in an extremely respectful communication, in which he replies to a statement which he considers erroneous, ["Hear!" and "Order!"]
§ MR. SPEAKERThe right hon. Gentleman cannot read a letter commenting on a debate in the other House.
§ MR. C. P. VILLIERSWhen a public servant whose reports have been referred to in this House has been assailed, I thought that the House would allow me to make some statement in his vindication. ["Order, order!"]
§ MR. SPEAKERIt would be equally out of order for the right hon. Gentleman to comment on any statements made in the other House, as to read the report of any Poor Law Inspector upon them.
§ MR. C. P. VILLIERSI hope I may be able to say that a statement has been made by a noble Lord somewhere——["Order!"]
§ MR. SPEAKERWhat cannot be done directly cannot be done indirectly. If the right hon. Gentleman proceeds with his observations, he will be out of order.
§ MR. C. P. VILLIERSsaid, that he would take the opportunity of moving for the Returns, if he was not allowed any other, of referring to an Inspector whose name had been much mentioned in their recent discussions. Mr. Farnall had been appointed by the Government as a special Commissioner to proceed to and report upon the distressed districts in Lancashire, and he had been selected as a man of judgment, intelligence, and humanity. Members in that House, and many persons out of that House, had borne favorable testimony to his conduct and to the wisdom of the choice; the hon. and gallant Member for North Lancashire (Colonel W. Patten) had specially referred in that House to the excellent manner in which Mr. Farnall had discharged the difficult 1199 task imposed up on him; and he believed that he had given offence nowhere, unless it might be where that small-minded pedantry prevailed which seems to believe that the Poor Laws are never soundly administered unless when done in a spirit and in a language that makes them hateful to the people. He had cautioned Mr. Farnall against adopting this course himself, and counseled him to conciliate, and, if possible, to acquire the confidence of all those who were engaged either in administering the relief, or who were destined to receive it. This Mr. Farnall had faithfully accomplished, and those who employed him had been well satisfied with the manner in which he had performed his duty.
§ Motion agreed to.
§
Return ordered,
Containing Copies of Reports made to the Poor Law Board on the Education of Pauper Children by W. H. T. Hawley, esquire, Robert Weale, esquire, Sir John Walsham, baronet, and Andrew Doyle, esquire, Poor Law Inspectors.