The Express.
London, England, 1847-04-02 00:00:00

..... ge parties of the public press has advocated the canes of
inw hearality more disinterestedly or more successfully than
gnie_that, in ease another dogged agitation of the
naa have . .
...i•-- edeacripaon •should occur in future,fwhat has appeared in
'Year columns may be referred to again with advantage.
Thin has been a great dealt** much cant for a long period
about " the voluntary principle," and on arrogant auump-
lien of ill merit which may attach to it,
as belonging exclu-
unity to the &reenters; as if all the exertions of the church
' the eduoitien of the poor had been " made grudgingly
is
of necessity," or that all its cost had been defrayed by
the state. It is time that the truth should be asserted, and
the public undeceived, for although the Church of England
has not been forward is sounding the trumpet of
neitapplause, it must not be forgotten that every
national school to which government aid has been given,
was first founded by means of funds voluntarily contributed
pa this and former ages by the members of her communion,
se thst in truth this voluntary principle,
, so daparagiogly set
ap, caning a reproach upon the Church of England, and
much talked about by Mr. Baines and his admirers, is,
ryear all, no new principle, but has been for ages, as it now
is, consistently acted upon by that very church. An lin
awry instance there has n a voluntarily-formed fuud as a
ingem, before Resistance has been solicited for any school
elanseted with it. If dimenters have not $3 often obtained
minutiae, or if they affect to decline it, it is not
baton it militates against a fixed principle (for in numerous
betimes they have already accepted it), but because they
Woe not had true charity eaough (spleen may perhaps now
port • bastard benevolence) even to lay the nest egg for
onamencing the liberal education of the poor. Mr. Baines
bly may know something of the circumstances of Leeds
although even there he does not appear to have been c.nsi-
infillible), and may probably have persuaded himself
that his own dicta ought to be received as unerringly
vim ' and sagacious in reference to large towns and
opulent districts. That point I will leave him to
Amass with Dr. Hook and others, more competent judges
um myself; but I will venture to till him, without
ths least apprehension of well founded contradiction,
that if he expects his principle to affect country wishes be-
neficially, he is most profoundly ignorant, and it we are to
wait until the poor are educated in those localities on the
"boom principle,without government aid, no one now living
same it scomnpliahed.
.1 a icores of country parisbes,Part len-
tally where agriculture is the sole employment of the people,
then is but one school, and this (especially where there is
coo resident landed proprietor, which is very frequently the
sus), n and has been in numerous instances, for generations.
tzty, and sometimes solely, supported by the voluntary
and allowances made by the sucausive clergy. With
mji waited means as were at their disposal, it would have
ben impossible that education should Lave been as perfect
es
was deniable. Is it, then, to be wondered at that the
*IV and others really wishing for the educational advance-
Mai oldie poor, should hail with joy and gratitude any
Sae which may second their endeavours and improve their
micas? Is there not much more cause for surprise that it
should be opposed by those who have been ostentatiously
theorising about the improvement of the condition of the
peer, bat who, now that there is a chance of its practical
accomplishment, with malicious industry invent the most
mtillmal scruples to thwart this most just, most benevolent,
and most unobjectionable proposal of the goverem oit—a
proposal which will have greater effect in drawing to it the
sympathy of all well-thinking men of all parties, than any
ntesenre which has been proposed by any government for a
very long period ? In many country parishes, the imperfect
edocatioa, principally afforded through the instrumentality
of the clergy, has always been received thankfully, even by
dissenters ; but no sooner does government offer assistance to
improve what is defective, and to render them more effec-
tive, than up spring unthought-of and before unheard of
temples, not of native growth, but sedulously instillcd'iato
the minds of the simple and unsuspecting, who, being triable
be read, or not having !enure for it, and so to
judge for themselves, become easily led dupes, as they are
worked upon by the exaggerations and unfounded insinua-
SOW of envious, discontented, and designing demagogues,
who teach them most erroneously to believe that they are
exerting themselves in "the cause of religious liberty,"
when, in reality, they are upholding a tyranny
ever the minds of the ignorant as oppressive, as
injurious in its effects, as intolerably subtle and jesuitical,
se withering to true Christian knowledge, and consequent
liberty as has ever been exercised by the priesthood of Rome,
r different from the mild charity (I do not call it tolerance))
of the Church of England as light is from darkness, and
whose motto !ought to be " In ignorance lies our power."
If Mr. Baines wishes to know the real state of the case,
he should apply to the " dissenting schoolmaster" who has
written so sensibly and practically in the Daily News on
this subject. His own views, if adopted in reference to the
country, would cause the greater part of England to remain
in a stagnant state of ignorance and darknes., whilst the
rest of the world is advancing in knowledge and civilisation;
and perhaps there is no stronger cause for anxiety that the
whole country should be so educated so to be able to judge
for themselves, than that they may not become a prey to the
narrow-minded (perhaps self-deceiving) sophistries of this
liolon of Leeds, to which place I trust he will hereafter
confine his lucubrations. . ... . _

111. se jectet in auls,"
but ever remembering the schoolmaster's charge,
"Ne sutor ultra erepidam."
I am, Sir. your humble servant, V.

EXTRACTS FROM CORRESPONDENCE OF
BOARD OF WORKS, ILLUSTRATIVE OF TILE
STATE OF IRELAND.
Mr. Parker writes, Feb. 6, from Armagh :—" Capt.
Olsacoot proposes giving spinning-wheels to the females. In
some localities that I have visited, there is no resident land-
lord, and not even an agent ; and were it not for the admir-
able exertions of the clergy, Protestant and Catholic, the
peer would be left to starve."
Capt. Broughton writes:—" The roads I visited are all of
the greatest importance to the country as reproductive work',
and will advance the civilisation of those parts at least thirty
years ; by which, I mean, that under ordinary cii eumstanees,
being a district in which no grand jsror resides, these works
would never have been executed, whilst by opening some
1,000 acres of flue mountain land, the future means of sub-
sistence, to a large extent, will be Increased.
Kr. Denyer to Captaia Larcom.—" Ballyquirk Castle,
Burrischane, Feb. s.—The parish priest here, at our last re-
.llef committee, Lorha end Darks, represented to me that
the pressure on the works was gone too far, and that the
sooner we could stop cash payments the better. There
were over 100 persons pressing to have their names put
down. He told of one, a widow's son, who was employed
to enable him to support his mother ancefamily, who bought
a gun instead of taking home his earnings, which gun was
taken from him again. The lads, who never touched a
shilling in their lives, are now, since the potatoes' departure,
wild, past the control of their clergy, gambling, dissipating,
or buying arms or ammunition. Such was the parish priest's
report to me. We talked over a plan, a sketch of which is
enclosed, which, though not perfect, for still they might
gamble for the tickets, or the shopkeepers might buy
up the tickets at half value for cash, yet still these
are comparatively small evils to the present, and
with the present scarcity, would not be so likely to be
abused. Fray give it your consideration end bring it to
notice if it appears likely to prove generally useful."
From journal of Lieut. Milward : "The parishes of Killen,
Clonleigh, Touebboyne, and others in the north of this
baiony, are the best in the county. They are principally on
the Marquis of Abcreorn's estate, and there is very little
destitution among them. I find generally that the people
on the Marquis of Conyngham'a estate are the poorest. This
property is much neglected ; it comprises an immense tract
of land, principally waste, but a large proportion of it could
be easily ree:aimed ; however, not a shilling has been spent
on it. The other great estates in my district are Lady Anne
Merely's, which is under Chancery, and so situated that
sothing can be done with it; Lord Alaercorn's, which is very
rich ; and Colonel Cenelly's which comprise^ a large tract of
waste land, and some very good. Colonel Conelly is very
averse to drainage under the board, and as the baronies of
Banagh, Boylogh, and Turugh belong principally to him,
Led, Anne Murray, and the Marquis of Conyngham, it is
not likely that any drainage will be adopted in those ha-

From Capt. Hancock, Fermanagh : " The markets are
Mill very high in this county, but I fear that any increase of
wages would not be advisable, as it would tell against the
farmer, who is nearly as badly off as the labourer. The rate
of wages at present is 10d., and the farmers do not seem in-
clined to take any of the men off the works, even at that
rate ; indeed they are doing little to their land at this time.
The drainage in this county seems to be given up till the
laadlorils see what will be done by parliament."
From journal of Major Clarke, county Galway, Feb.
20.—" No further appearance of the usual preparatory
fuming operations of the season ; I do not see a plough, or
an individual employed in top deeming. I think that the
possessors of mall holdings of land look forward with plea-
eure to expected assistance, with food and seed corn, in pri-
vate tillage, but the mere labourers and squatters would
prefer public employment. In my exertions to further the
extension of soup establishments in my district, I have had
to struggle against the passive obstacles of non-resident land-
lords, and the very active although private oppceitiou of corn
and meal dealers, who frequently succeed in frustrating our
exertions, notwithstanding the liberal contribarions of go-
vernment. I have not seen a single soup establishment suc-
ceed, union the precaution recommended by me was adopted,
namely, of allowing the people, as far as practicable, fre-
quently to see the soup in process of cookery, to prevent
thew credulity being imposed on by the monstrous reports
put in circulation, as to the ingredients and materials, by
interested persons."
From report of Capt. Bull, county Leitrim, Feb. 20 : " I
bee to state that I have used every exertion to induce the com-
mittees to strike persons off the lists who have means of sup-
porting themselves, or who ought to be employed in the
fields, but I have failed ; and the only ones who have been
struck off are three I have ascertained to eb improper per-
sons to receive relief. On the other hand, the demand for
employment increases daily. At one committee application
was made for upwards *1 600 people to be received on the
Puts ; and on my representing the total impracticability of
such being done, I was told by one of the committee, " that
he should send the starving and dead bodice in carts to my
house."
From Sept. Hutchinson, Feb. 13: " Them is a feeling of
apathy among the forming clam prevailing to a great extent :
the occupiers of small holdings are unable to till their land,
they cannot feed or pay the labourers ; and in the whole of
Connemara, with little exception, the dismal prospect of an
entire country lying waste and unproductive is too &p-
-een n.."
The account from Mays, end of February is, that " Small
fanners will not cultivate, expecting government to furnish
From Longford, end of Feb. ;—" The spring work is com-
mencing with some degree of activity among the better
(dames of farmers, but the smaller are too entirely dependant
na the public works for their own and families' support to

be able to devote any portion of their labour to their own
ground."
From journal of Mr. Cabmen, county Wexford, Feb.
6:—" But from all that I can learn the e are
very badly off. Farmers holding 30 acres of lan , Irish,
being obliged to seek employment on the public works, and,
consequently, suspend all operations on their own farms.
Farmers holding from 50 to 70 Irish acres, generally speak.
ing, are tolerably well off, yet not empioying the number of
hands employed for the proper or profitable management of
their farms. Men holding two to five acres, Irish, are in
almost utter destitution ; dime who hold no land at all, and
who ere able to obtain employment, are best off."
From journal of Captain Norris, county Tipperary,
Feb. 6.—" I regret to say it is very difficult to keep im-
proper persons off the works, in consequence of some of
the committees not performing their duty. The leading
members of many of the committees are priests, who have no
landed property, and consequently no interest in keeping
dorm taxation, but, on the contrary, have an interest in
enabling their flocks to pay their tribute. Some of the resi.
dent geutry, from disgust at the proceedings, rarely attend
the committees, and others who do are afraid to perform
their duty ; for if they object to improper persons being put
on the lists, the small farmers, who are also often members
of the committees, and only one degree removed from those
employed on the public works, soon legit be known out of
doors who are the members of the committees who prevent
their friends being returned. The police are tee only per
from whom I can get correct information; and I
am satisfied that, if every. list returned by a relief com-
mittee was given to the serpent of the police at the nearest
station to the work Mr whim the men were returned, and
the veracity of the return inquired into by him before the
men were put on the work, that halt the abuses inflicted on
the country by committees would be avoided."
Mr. Lowe to Col. Jones.—Jan. B.—" It may seem irre-
levant in my expressing an opinion op political economy,
still I cannot avoid saying that emigration offers one of the
beat modes of enabling us to get through " the eziW," and
it has one material point to recommend it, namely, that it
coincides, as I have reason to believe, with the wishes of the
people themselves. I have no doubt that it will he carried
out to some extent by one class of the community without
the aid of legislative interference. I mean by those farmers
who have made the present calamity a pretext for not paying
either their rents or other claims upon them, and having sold
their stock and corn, are preparing with the proceeds thereof
to remove themselves out of the country. We have, how-
ever, the " labouring poor" to provide for, who have net
the mesas to purchase even a change of raiment,
much less par passage money and procure provisions km
a voyage; the expense of their transit must therefore
be defrayed out of some public fund. The plan I would
adopt for their conveyance would be to make our vessels used
as transports for troops available for the purpose of carrying
them to whatever colony they are disposed to go to, and the
sum that would be paid for passage-money to a merchant
vessel, say V. to 34 per head, would be a great aniliaolllll
either to procure outfit here or to support thorn till they
could get employment in their adopted country. As, bow-
ever, the offer of a free passage ' would hold out
meats to imposition by making persons who could afford te
paTelieflr their removal feign inability to do so, acertilleModaw
by soma controlling body, similar to the press* vend
committees, should be made the condition on which any per-
eon would be taken on board, due regard being had thatonly
a proportion of the population (the per centage to be fixed
by law) be allowed to leave any townland."
Captain Wynne to Captain Wynne, R.E.—Ennis, Jan. 9.
I received a very kind and encouraging letter from
Larcom to-day, which is some consolation under the fright-
ful pressure upon me this moment from the unprincipled
conduct of the committees e they are sending in upon me
lists containing thousand@ of names, which it is quite impos-
sible to employ, even if they required employment. I have
come toe stand-Will ; shut shop. They refuse no applicant,
and throw the entire odium of refusal on me. You may
imagine what the consequence is the last two days ; I am
hunted by thousands seeming me of refusing them relief,
and intending to starve them. I am puzzled how to meet
this move of the committees. I am afraid they will
checkmate me : however, I shall persevere to the
end, only taking a little additional care and pre-
caution, which will be now indispensable, as I feu
my popularity, even amongst the very poor class, is at an
end for a while. From my knowledge of the people, and
from various inquiries I have made amongst them, I am
clearly of opinion that the plan of paying which I send you,
would knock a third of the people off the public works, vie,
to pay in food instead of cash. The committees, who at pre-
sent receive a portion of the cash payment in the shape of
rent, dues, &c., would no longer have this inducement to be
dishonest, and few men would work fur food who had it of
their own; many would be ashamed to work for meal, who
would not scruple to grasp at cash under any. circumstances ;
the circulation of food would insure no against starvation ;
whilst the circulation of money is a strong temptation to dis-
honesty. I have no doubt of this plan haying the effect of
sending thousands to till their farms, and thereby saving the
country."
Capt. Wynne to Mr. Walker.—" Ennis, Jan. 17.—1 have
just returned from my week's excursion, a most eventful
one, indeed. The amount of destitution is very alarming,
snialthough the present amount of employment, if fairly
and honestly distributed, is fully sufficient to meet it, still, in
some localities, it is not met, in consequence of the commit-
tees filling up the lists (to the number they conceive them-
selves entitled to) with those persons in whose welfare they
have most interest, and leaving to limiest and supplementary
lists those whorled/km are strongest upon the inspectingofficer,
and will afford them the strongest grounds of complaint should
additional employment be refused. My committees are in tole-
rably good ordereeith the exception of two,which ought not to
exist, being slices from the legally constructed ones, at Mil.
town Malvay, and Kilrwih. The former hex been sanctioned
by the lieutenant of the county, without any notification to
me ; and in neither case have pains been taken to acquaint
me with their separate existence ; they have been formed
only a short time. I shall just mention a very shameful
ease thateame under my observation at the Kilian committee,
the latter of those alluded to above. On leaving the cora-
-1 raittee room, a man half starved, and considerably more than
half naked, bare head, bare legs and arms, nothing to cover
him but the skeletons of an old pair of breeches and waist-
wet, which upon inquiry appeared to bo all he was poseenied
of, seised me by my coat with the grasp of death, and m-
inded upon being beard, when I found an interpre-
tation of his tale was simply this None of the'
committee had any interest in his life, and be was
therefore left to die. I brought him into the committee and
exhibited him before them. lt was a picture well calculated,
as I thought, to bring the colour to their cheeks ; but I can-
not compliment myself on my success. It is hard to deal
with such heartless met. Under such circumstances the Re-
lief Works must fail to keep the people from starvation. I
met with many similar cases, and immediately redressed
them ; but I cannot discover lin 60. I stated my intention
dulling upon the lieutenant of the county to abolish these
ennemittees, if within one week these abuses were not cor-
meted. There are, at present, employed in my district one
in four of the population, according to the census of 1841 ;
Clewing one-fifth increase since than, it leaves, at
present, one in five, which, at the present average al
wages and price of ed, would give nineteen-twentieths
eif • pound of Indian corn per day to each mouth.
It Is difficult to conjecture' what the result of a
in the works just new may entail is the way of
additional cost; yet on yesterday there was no alternative
but to stop the works, or submit to be mastered by the mis-
guided creatures we are all endeavouring to benefit. Distress
prevails to a fearful extent in and around this district, yet
such is the infatuation of the labourers, that for the last four
or five payments, I had repeatedly to pant away from the
works women who come round on such days to sell whiskey
to themen, and it is (in spite of my instructions to have
those whiskey vendors removed) sold to numbers on such
days. Now, this would be considered evidence of anything
but distress; I can only term it infatuation, for want, to the
greatest imaginable extent, is nevertheless every where per-
oeptible: