The Express.
London, England, 1862-05-20 00:00:00

IRISH DISTRESS.

Mr. MAGUIRE gave notice that on Friday next he would
call attention to the serious and increasing distress in the
western and south-western districts of the county of Cork,
and put a question to the Secretary for Ireland on the
subject.
THE POLICY OF THE GOVERNMENT.

Ile CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER having
moved the third reading of the Customs end Island Revenue
-•••• • • • •

Mr. DISRAELI once more directed attention to the serious
position in which the finances of the country were placed,
the most alarming feature of which was the occurrence of
constant deficits. A reviving trade and a good harvest might
poNsibly rectify a deficiency and create • surplus,; but it
was difficult to say that such weans could materially change
the whole financial system where the ordinary expenditure
mainly depended upon those sources of income which ought
to form the reserve. But whilst the government admitted
that our finances were in an unhealthy condition, they
took no steps to restore them. The branch of our
public expenditure which had most conduced to this auto
of things was the grant for the military and naval aervixis,
which, as compared with the year 1858-59, when Lord
Derby held the reins of power, exhibited an increase of
s,tidJ,ooo/. sterling. Why had we all this euormous expen-
diture, when the nations were disarming, and no chance
of war seemed to be impendiug ! It might be a question
whether the policy of iucreased naval and military ex.
peuditurs recommended by the government of Lord
Derby in 1659 was correct or not ; but one patent fact
was, that that expenditure had been occasioned by
exceptional and extraordinary circumstances. These
exceptional circumstances no longer existed, yet the ex-
pendittu e still went ou ; and he thought it was the duty of
the house to consider what was the cause of the evil. The
Chancellor of the Exchequer had thrown no light upon the
subject ; bat the noble lord at the head of the government, ,1
with the frankness that was hie characteristic, had tinheai-
tatiugly declared it. The noble lord said that France bad
for a long time been labouring to equal and even surpass the
naval power of Bingland ; and he agreed with the noble
lord that, if she was contemplating such • result, and
had been working for that eud, it was a ground for the
increased armaments of England. But the noble lord stated
in 00 same breath that he found no fault with France, and
had no objection to her bemuse she had pursued that
policy. There, then. he joined issue with the noble lord.
If France was pursuing this policy of attempting to rival or
excel the naval power of England, he was against alliance
and against cordial relations with Francs. For what did
that policy main, if France. which, as compared with Eng-
land, had • very small foreign trade, and no tranamariee
possesahas, demanded the services of a large fleet. It
meant that France was armiog in a manner which
must ocoasion great public suspicion and disquietude,
and necessarily increase the burdens of the toe-paying
people of this country. That being the case, was France
the pow- r that we ought to adopt us a friend and an ally !
On the contrary, in his opinion, it was ground foe serious
distrust and jealousy on the part of England : nay, more,
it would even justify England, if opportunity Wend, to
declare war against France. Was it • fact, however, that
France was following out this policy ! So far as he could
form an opinion the French government had not yet
realised the programme that was put before the govern-
ment of this country in lasi. The noble lord said
that France was building more iron ships than we
wen; but that was a question which was too much in its
infancy to be produced as • test of the relative power of
the two countries; and his own impression was, that if our
relative naval strength was to be decided by armour-plated
ships, we had a huger number of better ships and were
building more ;whist in gunboats and naval batteries we had
ye...kik-ably greater furze thau France, and, iu short, bad
double the number of seamen and treble the ships of war. The
real question was, were Drees preparations made by England
on the assumption that France was • friend, or on the
assumption that she was • foe. if they were made under
the impression that Francowee our foe, what was the coo-
sequence? Panic, precipitation, eatravagoice, wasteful-
ness, squandering, blunder's& and inefficieucy. We got
the worst article at the highest co 4, amt that moat be the
necemary result of the inconsistent and incoherent policy
of the noble lord. Yet this was the policy for which
reformers bad rsooommed reform and economist, relin-
quished retrenchment. Rightly was the noble lord the
bead of the liberal party; for their only remaining title to
that once illustrious epithet was their lavish expenditure
of the public money.
Lord PALMERSTON—The right hon, gentleman takes a
starting point in 186 ti, and he says that the relations esta-
blished between the government of which he wu • mem-
ber and that of France formed a striking contrast
to the jealousy and suspicion which has prevailed towards
the government of which lam a member. Bet does the
right hon. gentleman recollect what led to the change of
government at that time! The government of which I had
the honour to bo a member proposed to this house • roes-
sere eminently calculated to conciliate the good will of the