The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-17 00:00:00

halite demand of 7,000.0001. was crroneeus, notwithstanding
the noble lord's proposition. He would not contest his esti-
mate of the number of persons whcwould' be employed, but
he doubted, even if his bill pansedughakthe expenditure for
immediate relief would be MatengMy lessened. Now, with
respect to the employment which it would afford, he heldin
his hand a map of the railways which received the sanc-
tion of parliament, and he found that the observation of
the Chaasellor of the Exchequer was correct, namely, that the
railways were principally confined to the east. There were
two email lines running immediately to the west, one from
Sligo to the Shannon, for rich the estimate wan only
100,0001., and one from Limerick to Killaloo, the estimate
I for which was 300,0001. There was no other railway in the
west, except one in Kerry. In Donegal, Roscommon, Lei.
trim, Sligo (except the small line he bad mentioned), Mayo,
Galway, Clare, there was no provision made for railroads, so
that there would be no employment for the destitute in these
counties. He believed that men might come from distant
parts to work on the railroads in other places, but when
they had families it would be no small evil in itself, that
they would have to leave them behind. Still making all
allowances for these circumstances, the government would
have to provide for the emergency in the present
year in a large part of Irelaiel, and also to pro-
vide a substitute for the loss of the potato. (Hear, hear.)
The result of the attempts at promoting ialand navigating. in
Ireland by the aid of government had sufficiently demon-
strated the futility of such attempts ; had exhibited in the
strongest light the great contrast between the effects of en-
terprises fostered by government grants and those under-
taken ana tarried on by individual zeal, energy, and indus-
try, even under the utmost difficulty and discouragement.
By the Irish parliament the inland navigation of 'lreland
had been exceedingly fostered, and on exactly the same
grounds as those on which the hon. member now invited the
house to give the enormous grant now in question. By the 25th
Geo. 111. there was a corporation established for promoting
and carrying on inland navigation in Ireland, the project
being the magnificent one of uniting the Irish Channel
with the Atlantic by means of a great canal, and the
most glowing promises were made of the returns
which would be realised by this fine speculation_
carried on by government assistance. The preamble of the
act recited that such works being for the public benefit in
the encouragement of tillage and the employment of the
poor, it was fit and reasonable that they should be carried
on at the charge of the country. What was the result of
this grand scheme? That in 1787 the affairs had gone on so
badly that the company were diseolved. (Hear, hear.) Did
this result operate as a warning ? Not at all; on the con-
trary, the only effect was that another renal cempany of the
sass description wag started, in the same way and the same
masse, and in the same direction ; so that after awhile,
there were two canals, the Royal Canal and the Grand
Canal, both of them incomplete, running within • mile of
each other in parallel lines. (Hear, bear.) The annual
estimate for the new scheme was 188,0001., and the govern-
ment at first advanced 60,0001., and there was got together a
mm of 134,0001. of subieriptione, and this others thought
would suffice. By no means; further means were given, which
proved equally inadequate, and at last in 1811, the affairs of
the company being in utter confusion, there was • public
inquiry into its history and condition. What was the result
elf this inquiry ? that up to that time no less than 186,0001.
of public money had been granted to this canal with this
effect, that the company owed 842,0001. beyond what it had
received, and that it wanted a further heavy sum to proceed
with its operations, altogether a very excellent specimen of
the promotion of inland navigation by government aid.
(Hear, hear.) The income of the company, it appeared, was
15,0001., the maintenance of the works requiring the annual
deduction of 11,0001. from the amount, leaving • balance of
4,000/. towards paying the interest of the debt,
to 49,6001. (Hear, hear.) Upon inquiry it = inJ
that the company had made dividends among he
proprietors at a period when not only there had been as
profits, but when they had been compelled to meet the in-
terest upon their past loan, and the payment of their perm&
neat expenses by fresh loans. (Hear, hear.) The essersity
then came to him, he being at the time Secretary Ibr In-
land. end said, unless you give us 15,0001. the whale mak
will be at an end ; the additional sum was granted* we
the company from ruin, but unavailingly, for the ciasepay
was dissolved. So much for the result of government inter-
ference in this grand scheme for inland navigation in Ire-
land. The career of Mr. Bianconi afforded a striking
illustration, on the other hand, of what might be
done without the slightest government aid by indi-
.

victual zeal, ability, awl enterprise. toe 037 bof
that career was given in Mr. Drummond's most aot
report on Ireland, conclusions as to railways,
Peel) dlesentaxl fn;cn some of its .
for the ability with
heregeMed with the. >< hest
informative.aduilmu°llwas er-
Which its various and :'°'" valuable. .
a productio. n which, though he (Sir R.
singes..'.ir prescience it displayed. By
tion of judicious meaty to well-cone. ,
of
ranged,
Sian' anoodru Wi7oleheenterpr, .tesidatareda ueanwdsese:thede .7tilleieeoi
the south of Ireland, and a great Pr. f4l, the west, had
been, within the lest twenty years, toppliOt with the means
of internal communication. His care no* traversed the
crawroeds in every direction, securing regular intercourse
between towns and places which, before hie time, had been
utterly isolated from each other. Had this man any great
&drainages ?—had he a large capital I—had he influential
connections in the country ? By no means. On the
unwary, he came into Ireland a total stranger, a
Milanese, scarcely able to make himself under-
stood in the language of his adopted country, and with just
enough capital to start the one ear with which he com-
menced operations between Clonmel and Kilkenny. But
fortune, or rather the due reward of industry and integrity,
favoured him, and he increased the number of his cars until
at length, when Mr. Drummond wrote, he had 94 cars in
constant occupation, running a distance of 3,1100 miles
a day—(hear, hear)—and this in a district which was ever
described as the focus of wild violence and barbarism,
where neither life nor property was safe, and where the
exercise of honest industry mu out of the question. (Hear,
hear.) Where would Mr. Bianconi's noble enterprise have
been had he heeded such theories as these of the hon.
member for Shrewsbury, instead of pursuing the course
dictated by his own sound good sense and honest industrious
impulses? (Hear.) Ho (Sir It. Peel) would entreat of
the landlords of Ireland to imitate the example of Mr.
Bianami, end depend upon themselves. If they felt really
oonviaeed that railway enterprises would add to the value of
tlieirli=ety and lame& their country in any thing like
the rignemedul by the melte member for Lynn,
let them %Mate the ocenprien ea* lend for this pur-
pose; let them do their unwed tas p
ewee
sad party and reli-
gious animosities, and to primmate pewee sad the security of
life and property ~ let than eve innenees to their own per •
sons of praitiW disinterminftles, of practise& benevolent*,
of energy, of mod, of industry; let them net in common
concert, forgeW af vellgiame er pelitkal date cos, fee the
removal of all OMNI impeihnenmerbiihbedlitherie steed is
the way of Iridt pregame soda( dm maid mei morel tregneve-
meat of the Winona dependent upon diel Mai Sher =de
met good.; they would do none by ite in a o ie•
spar, casting all the blame upon other people, and Pii
their whole wretched reliance upon government grantrand
government ratronagc. (Cheers.)
Lord G. BENTINCK replied. He said that Mr. Bian-
cud and his cars seemed a standing stock in trade with the
right hon. baronet. When in 1839 Lord Melbourne's go-
vernment proposed a scheme for railways in Ireland, the
right hon. baronet made a speech, nearly the same in words
with that which he had been delivering for the last half hour.
Whilst in this country there were 2,600 miles of railroad ;
in Belgium 375 miles ; whilst la Austria and Germany there
wen 3,000 miles of railroad, and in the United States of
America 3,200, in Ireland. where enterprise had been left
unaided by the government, there were but about 123 miles
of railroad. (Cheers.) Would the house then listen to the
policy of the right hon. gentleman or to his (Lord G. Ben-
no& a) 'proportion, and let the government come in aid of
private enterprise ? (Hear, heer.) The right hon. gentle-
man had entered into the finances of the country, but had
failed to show tluit the proposed measure would inflict atty great
tax on the country. He said they would require 7,000,0001.
sterling fey Ireland, but be forgot that that sum was to be
paid in unproductive works. He (Locd 0. Sentinel) pro-
posed to wend 4,000,0001. of money, to be railed on the
credit of the government, to which two other millions
would be added from private capital, and of the 6,000,0001.
two-thirds would be expended in labour. Thus, the plan he
proposed would deduct to the extent et 4,000,0001. from the
sum which the government would otherwise expend. (Hear,
bear.) As to the exchequer-bills, the price of which
the right hon. gentleman intimated would be raised, the
proposed measure would but make a difference of
270,0001. a year in that respect, whilst the right hon. gentle-
man did not object to support the government plan, with an
army of 11,000 Oman at the annual oast 6178,0001. (Hear,
hear.) ti
The pan, . genstemea had takes credit for the
semis the royal emedl, but he (Lead
te.v=, did not before know that he was Irish Scare-
' qty in 17111, when the bill for that canal passed the legisla-
ture. (A tabgh.) There was, however, no calculation, it
[ weal& eggser, or estimate whatever made with
ielhiaana -16 that undertaking. The right honourable
answering the speech of his noble friend
rran'ember, for Stamford, had said that if it were
tree that railways would be so useful to the fishermen, why
sot the fishermen make the railways ? What, did he expect
the pose reed to make the railways 1(" Oh, oh.")
It our only lea your that the rightirw. baronet himself pro-
s .asenhe the amineuee 4 thine 6M:sem (Hear,
=.l ) ba eltierten km. bernme Whims found to
int
be • bet nothing 4 that wee ft be found in
the . bill' before the lessee The honourable
.sisinifies Kilkenny had told them that one ass* of the
It wan aterviog, but still the right boa.
weleht nerelem the emu which be hod gresileed
memeiesesift lin. men yawn The right him. breast lisi
pessed neillie (Lewd 0. Bentinek's) heenelsi Mite-
ismilitiZie a heWot sines, which showed datioefteed of
Wall" kis plan would add six Sr erveshandred
pleamad pomade to the Dugs of (
three, but in that
pl bed now rue the gins ef lhrimillars et the
ezehequer and ow ei=e ,he tailed that be
slight rely on Amine the(Hear.)
The right hcat.paselif 'the rlght Chan-
' ease of the • . said that the railways to be
[ embied were an eon meet ahlinthe distills
our Y the wen t Ask had IV never crocturefillei Om right lee.
bises* theklio poseinse of the railways atilW eguang he
160 &nose et Oh Mitre e=? (Hear, hear.) Mistier; mbeiv
was there risfira dine than In Cork ? and yet bur oi-
-1 armed ken MO city. (Heart hear.) Hi bill NW
to Died railways he the wen, but, if it became law, line
wee not a county in Iceland which would not be
by eafterads. As (Ifeest,ear.) The right
bereent bad also lainned them that theigal valid
le peat difficulty hi rag,
ye
-messy; but did
he recollect that daring: the War yen ot the war we I
spent 103 millions a yeas, and that hit year Irndllioni were I
shut up is awaits Who Omit or Chewer/. (Beer, hear.)
ThThe rightkon benne talked of the dint en the funds; but
e year, after railway bills to the anaemic of 124 'millions
had the hail, which in June were 93 per cent., in
December toe, to 97. But gemming money had already