The Express.
London, England, 1849-03-06 00:00:00

prirmating selloolimos and hatits of industry in proms
who were able to work. Bet if the policy was
writhe; the House of Commons was the erring party, and
ought not to istietthe penalty on other,. Hey ad voted far the
60,0001. ; and if there • ere no ethos .cane—whateverether
measures he might propose in cyder to avert future evil, and
beaseforth amend each a C32/90—lie did not holm,"
to my he weal giro Loathe: vote of the kind
rather than leave the pe'p's to perish in that way.
(Hear, hear.) Upon that groped he would give his We
for contlauleg osiraam from lON ether source than the
property of rodeos in Irelord. Thera came the snood mir-
th" keen what swum ought that sasisance to come ? He
thought that other parts of the ..airs had a right to al
spM Ireland to mils a stmsuous effort to rescue them hos
(thee burden. Hs did not rest that opinion on the principle
*meth" tansies of Ireland w s unequal es compared with
that of England. It he put it on that ground the killed
dedusties wee—the edoption of equal taxation. (Hear.)
Übe were satisiled that Ireland ;sight to pa, the essessed hues
and be sieltiested to the become-tax, he could net consent
to relearn her hem the ebligoticia of contributing equally
with England, by only suliecting her to 6d. in the pound
on a certain description a prnperty only. By that 0011190
he would be subjecting real property and exempting per-
sonal property, which ought net to be done in the case of
the 12001110-111 x. If it was said that this 61. in the pound
was to be in lieu of an ii.ciene-tax then, es conceuo, it was
oretteeded that personal property ought to b 3 exempted.
He thought, therefore, that Irelaed ought to. make
a great effort t 3 penult the tremendous con-
noised with the present distress, on several grounds.
Is this country the principle win adopted in the co, of a
take reaniketly unable to support its poor, of subjec'ing the
vicinage to the bathes. They did not call upon the public
revenue, but took the next parish, and, if that did not punks,
they subjected the next parish to that same penalty. At first
sight, there appeared no gnat justice in subjecting one du-
Wet, which wee able to support its own poor, to the sup-
port of their neighbours, with whom they had .no
001111•110411. Bat it was net objected to, and worked
well In England. If they were to try the same
plan in Ireland, they would go en rendering
adjoining parishes liable, or.e Liter another, until they were
all involved is the servo calamity. (Hear, hear.) Ile
would peter a general rate in aid. Another reason foe
asking Ireland to make a vigorous effort towards her own
relief was this: she hal net yet repaid the advance of
1,300,0001. for workhouses. Why did Inland refuse to pay
that t He had heard no repudiation of, or refusal to pay,
the debt due fa this country to the Exchequer for money
advanced to erect union workhouses. He bad with regret
heard it stated that the government could not ievy
the proposed rata except at the expense of a rebellion.
When he looked to the private contributions given in aid of
thelrish people, he could Lot toile's that any Irishman could
be found, certainly not in that house, who would counsel Lis
countrymen to resist it. The 1,200,000?. for workhouses was
advanced to Ireland with the fall convicticn that it would be
repaid, but he believed not only that no mon than 36,0001.
hadlessarwsid, bat that thith was an actual repudiation
of diereeasladsr. There erne, certainly, same exceptions
—the melon of Newtownarets for example, had paid I
their full share. But whet was alsent'ng in the
matter was this—that some -,f the prosperous onions were
sating, " What have you collected in the south? If you have
collected nothing, then we ads north will not pay you
anything." (Laughter.) If Ireland would make a vigorous
effort to pay that debt within a short space of time, and not
spread It over many years ; if she would say, "Let us pay it
in the way you popes°, by GI. in the pound." be was not
sure that he would not accept it. (Laughter.) Now, although
they ridiculed by an incredit•,:us laugh the idea of repay-
ment of a debt which was paid in England, and
ought to be paid in Ireland, he thought be might very
*al give a preference to a gene.al aid over that which would
make the next union ropor.sible for the depths of its
neighbour ; sad he was even willing to oppose the proposi-
tion of the noble lord, if Ire'oad would undertake to pay the
balance of the 1,200.0001. by a general rate of 6d. in the next
three months. (A laugh.) If they would n A de that, and
would not point out any other mods by which Irel .red could
be made to contribute, ho could not mien! to oppose
the noble lord's proposal, lac n.-olete and ineffectual though
he feared it would be for the present necessities of Inland.l
There was a still more important matter to which he hoped
the house would direct is amnion, namely, what was to be
the condition of Ireland in future ? (Loud cries of " Hear.")
Should the house consent t e impose up-in Ireland exclu-
sively something in the way of taxation, whatever its nature,
for toe purpose of relieving her in her present difficulties,
still that temporary advance would not relieve them fros
the duty of considering whet were the future prospects of
Ireland. (Hoar, hear.) He had read the papers before
them with deep and painful *repliers. He would not weary
the hoses by adverting to the details of the different unions,
but take a single union which formed a fair example of the
net, and Wady state what were the unquestionable farts
prevented by these pipers, given them from the
highest official seared; and he would then ask the
horse to consider what, after the present
were to be the condition and future prospects of i=c4llli
He would take the Union of Bailin, se it stood separate
from the other', and as there was more recent informatics
respecting it. He toned Mr. Bourke stating that on the
27th January, 1849, there were 3,270 perms occupying the
workhouse, and in addition to them, that then wen 18,879
receiving out-door relief. Mr. Hamilton calculated that the
number of person likely to require relief in his parties of
the union before next leant at, was 27,000, bieuding is sea
eutdoor relief, and that of these 4,300 were able-holleill
and 14,000 dependents. Surely it became the duty of Sat
house to look before them a little and consider what wadi
be the condition of that %/Skil after the croon premised
relief should have been afforded. (Hear,- hem)
Ile found that the lusentatie state of this ursine could ash
be fairly imputed to the proprieton of land. (Hear, hem)
Let those who thought °there're, and supposed that these
gentlemen had made no sufficient exertion to meet this
great calnmity, read the papers connected with this union.
The &moon of rate and the arrears was now 17,0001.;
12,0001. had been collected, as the government officer
stated, with bat little trouble to the collectors, without the
necessity of frequent legal proceediogs, without easistance
from the military or the polio . He had read the evideace
of gentlemen connected with that union; and the amount
they pee of their own exertions, the number of persons they
had relieved, the redactions they bad made he their estab-
lishments, their willingness to contribute to the utmost of
their power to midgets the prevailing d'atrese, showed that
great credit was due to them for their efforts.
(Hear, hear.) The vice.ereardian employed by the
government said—" The striking another rate under
present circumstances would extinguish the little hops which
is still to be found in the union. There are thousands of
sans, formerly occupied and cultivated, which have now
more the appearance of ea; been devastated by an enemy
than anything I can compare it to. The Ent failure of the
potato crop brought to light the miserably rotten social state
of this part of the kingioni. (Hear, hem.) The poorer
classes are saving their ',weaves for seed, and would ea soon
part with their lives as women them. (Hear, hear.) It is
very doubtful whether the future success of the potato crop
would enable the landlords to pay fair wages for a fair
day's work. If the potatoes succeed. the principal effect
will be to raise the price of land, and bring about the old
state of things, notwithstanding the bitter experience of last
year." (Hear, hear.) What a melancholy prospect this
was for Ireland ! And it did rot arise from the neglect or
misfeasance of the landlords; they appeared to have made
every effort to contribute to the rata. The reports of the two
veryintelligent vice-guardians, with evidently wished to
do their duty, who spared no one, hut acted with
forbearance, showed that any further attempt at exacting
rates would only involve the union in greater distress. What
a melancholy prospect did this afford for the future with re-
gard to that nylon. If they eultivaed the potato, they
were exposed to the same miserable calamity as had occurred
in the lest three or four years ; there might be a false reli-
ant" on this fbod he one or two years, then entire depend-
cnos on it, to the neglect of other means of subsistence ; and
then would come a recurrence of the sum wretched condi-
tion of affairs as before. (Hear, hear.) Let it also be re-
membered that, from despair, many portion of the land, for-
merly cultivated, were now no longer so. (Hear, hear.) Twe
onuses were in operation which it was most important to wa-
nder. First, the danger of relying on the potato for the
future subsistence of the people, even if sufficient could be
extracted from the ground for that puree, for one or two
years ; and athe next place, several portions of
the union were going out of o-ltivation. Ia
providing the necessary relief, and ensuring the subt-
een of these people, by extraneous aid for one year or
two, was it not most importast to consider what other mea-
sure would be ad*ted to mitigate the horrors that might
otherwise again overtake them at a very early plod—Stan
rate, to lay the foundation of a better state of tagi? (Hess
hear) The peeped was moot discouraging. There wer;
no means of giving such abundant subsistence to the people
as by the potato, provided the season were a favoarable
At the same time it was most unwise to rely on that means
which, in three successive years, had failed and left the=
in absolute want. (Hear, hear.) In ether yews, in
to the potato, the people in this union bad derived material
aid from the "Imply of fish ; but such was the lanasatali•
condition of affairs that the supply of fish bad failed m well
w potatoes. The return, stated that the total number of
fishermen registered, formerly 2,989, was now redeem& to
1,368, and the number of boats bad been rained from 486
to 224. It was added that the boa's were in a very bad eon-
dation. Jest let the house picture the future old&
union—the land largely thrownout ofeoltivat
of fish almost cut off, the boats ruing into a worse=
tion, and the number of persons employed scarcely one heif.
After all their experience of the uncertain nature of the
potato crop, unless some decided effort were made to impress
the moral and physical condition of this union, the reeds
alone would evidently be the only food on which they weal&
have to reel . They would have to run all the risha-Bdet
from the diminished quantity, owing to the thousand' of
acres of land that were thrown out of cultivation ;—"ini
then from the thanes of an early recurrence of that calamity,
whisk might not be annual, but which might arise from MIS
mysterious cause with which we were unacquainted. (Hear.)
That failure, occurring for three or four some=
was a subject of considerst on of the utmost ha
It showed the dependence on the potato to he most hall;
for, with an apperanni of fertility at the comet of
the mason, in three or 'four summit" years, exesphig a
temporary revival in 1847, the autumn had witnessed
the a nthe failure of that article of food. Bellows es
such a supply, therefore, must be attended with great
doubt and hesitation ; and hence, evenif the means of 'wh-
etstones for these people were temporarily supplied by pm-
lament, the future eonii-i n of that union—and it was a,
spectates of the rest—must be a subject of great anxiety end
moat serious consideration. There were now 27,000 pmeons
to relieve; and these must Le provided for till the next har-
vest. He for one was willing to make any effort to rescue
them from famine ; but it was impossible not to see that
their future and permanent condition was that which de-
manded the most. serious attention. (Hear, hear.) He
offered any engirt= for the mitigation of these calamities,

tkow.
Tient
built,

or for diainishieg the deign in prospect, with the utracet
kesitatioa ; bat he did feel that the remedy on which they
could alone place Talking, whisk mai be slow in its opt
ratica, but was the oily an oaring a lope of safety, wm
the tatnedasdea of sew prigeisters--(thissrs)—who might
eater se the remake of the lead hoe hem its present in-
sumbrarggs, low these itho thud is its cultiva•ka
would do so with new inspired with new
hopes. (Chem.) That would be most
aloft weltered by say of the rights of
pre_m_sizi..Nothing we to airy as to suggest remedies,
those *his of property which it wee
the duty Bala lighlethos la the first instance to
uphold. At the same Mae, he theught this was a right of
so Mk value to the pima* progeistors, if the racumbreases
ea the had were to les &Obliged, and with its !meth
t be could ad help thinking it possible he
gerriParameat, with the mein of this borsy takisi ea
saluted view date while ealiest, to devise sem means W
which new capital might lie ialielased loco *kookiest's.
of the had, sad by which the iiithetthe and whisk
asoimarily Wag over the must proristela Wed
mowed. (Ler, beer.) This rate in ad *Oa prelims&
'miles from the wit& of Inked. gad wampaskailtallos4
maldletted sm smut nothing
else were dew% masa willinehatiaresieratina for Ireland?
(Beer, hear.) Might it not, at the expiration of • certain
period, be is precisely the ease condition ? (Hear.) Would
they rely on the cultivation of the potato? Probably the
next failure might be lases frightfully fatal. They ought
rather to give dos onadderatisa to a mews which would
probably invadable a better stara of things. He
might revert to a period when the condition of
things wets not wholly different from that now
existing. In the reign dismiss 1.. when the settlement of
Ulster Leek dap, hails eintatiss of Ireland there was a largo
rani" abed la the seethet, dioNlt met so large as the,
gtheafie that shirt mew he hed la die west of Ireland by
Ithaniplatiat with the greprietoes, as anangemont to which
then weld be no obisollea in that lima. At that time I
(he quoted ham the of the brat Idetideits of the pitied,
Parke) land to a great othant bed lam hellited--theat
500.000 acres in six cearatise—whiek bed meffared
17
in the war, and were reedit to amy diesiste
Ines country was tall of weals and ravines, whisk Warded a
shelter for ems and a retreat for robbers. • great mem-
ber of the ithabitants had perished by the sword, a Rath
greater by famine ; the rest were reduced to such extreme
poverty that they were not able, even if willing, to manure
the ground ; so that the land laid waste in time
lof war was likely to continue so in time of peace.
Substituting for these words, " land laid waste by the opera-
tion of famine," the description was exactly applicable to
the present state of the country ; though the land
was certainly not now the refuge of robbersand out-
law', but of those whose fortitude ander their scum
privations had givtn them the strongest claim to sympathy
and consideration. (Hear, hear.) The historian add, d,
that the lands so laid waste were made a source of great
prosperity. Sir Ralph Chichester, then lord lieutenant,
caused surveys, to be taken, &Ili the lands to be di-
vided into portions of 2,000, 1,500, and 1,000 acres, which
were disposed of to 104 English and Scotch proprietors, 56
surveyor., and 286 native Irishman, they giving bonds to
the government for the performance of their contracts.
There was this defect in the settlement, that religious dis-
tinctions were permitted. (Hear, hear.) If It were possible
to make any such new settlement, his earnest advice, and
the universal feeling of the house, would be that no such
%durations Vito be made. (Hear, hear.) Whatever
rangsmints might make, no distinctions in point of
ion ought tolnfluence them in any future appropris.
(Hear, hear.) The historian added that, in coma-
eof this, lands ware cultivated, towns and villages
trade sad coouneruccanied on and extended; the
,pie in general were gradually weaned from their former
..entrage and disorder, and began to apply themselves to Is-
boar and industry. It might be quite impossible
now to apply any such principle, in its fall extent,
to Ireland ; but, unless it could be applied in some degree,
be saw no hope for the future prosperity of the country. If
they were to leave matters exactly where they found them
each union either relying on others, or on votes of pablie
money, he taw no hope of permanent escape the cala-
mities now pressing upon Ireland. Bat if could, with-
out violating any right of property, make suck en arrange-
ment with regard to the possession of land, taking care not
to establish any distinction on account cf religions profession,
des it might be possible, if not to the IMO extent, at least
to some extent, to lay the foundation of future prosperity in
lee d. He was quite aware an act was wand last session
"Meg facilities for the acquisition of land • bat he greatly
'meld it would not be effectual without some additional aid
and distils. on the part of the government. (Hear, hear.)
Ede had been established, he earth say very wisely by the
ONO of Olismeny • but he math feared, particular{ with
the alma= models that law at a later period of the ses-
sion, that the object it bad in view, of introdudng new pro-
Crinto Ireland, would be defeated. (Heal.) He greatly
illithere would not be this transfer of proper') ; be
greatly feared the effect would not be that infasion of new
blood into the west of Ireland which was calculated on.
(Hear, hear.) He offered any sammeitisa with the utmost
hesitation ; but he felt stesagly thee if wliament contented
itself with either voting messy or Ovft • rate in aid over
the whole of Ireland,temdag Is the potato and to the pre-
ssed disedhation dined is Irdead—ai the expiration of the
two yanks whYlt this set s was spented the condition of
Ireland would les se better. (IlasOmmr.) He feared, too,
that if they relied on individual purchases they would make
no thrum. He thought it would be pprruaddent to appoint
mac thweidssicm he the purples of eemddmfag the proposed
mho" awl teoseeklee the -parthility, **, addes aad
inameation, of aides that thane In by the posieston of
whisk wee iadispeasaWe to say great Improvement
Prolfrimatrz. (Hear, Mar.) If they dies to leave the
present proprietors on drab land, htiWtnesiviag a nominal
rent, incumbered with debt, with ao ONlolllllXleek to
exertion, their property so oveshartheid
peer-
rates that it was hardly pomade to find ehis
a purchaser or an occupier-then he saw no hope
whatever. But if they mall ociatrive, through the
intervention of the ',ceramist sr the beisiablElN to 011iab-
lislt some intermediate agent, who cold get parmeisa of the
property on perfectly equitable terms, sad then arrange its
redistribution, he should then see Imp of a better date of
things (Hear, hoar ) If nothiag of the kind were dome,
unless they maid, by some MOW andetant with jetties and
equity introduce new capital, saw views of improvement,
and new enterprise, in the plan at that despair and poverty
which now overwhelmed the country, he had no hope what-
ever: of its future regeneration. (Hear.) He would do in-
Justin to no man, but he would, through the intervention
of a easspeunt authority, acting under government, sp-
t.:ldend supported by them, and having their entire con-
, endeavour to take a comprehensive view of the con-
dition of all these unless. (Hear, hear.) Despair was now
overwhelming the proprietors, and without toms Riddance
they mild net pruggle ea. The proposed sixpenny rata in
mid Mould merely aiiieispr temporary relief to the poor in
asme of the tanker, while the Lath would be left still gut-
lest to a penman bertha whisk would discourage either
occupation or pardiess ; he mikes some guarantee could
be obtained as to those there would evidently be
as one disposed to the (Hear, hear.) The
question was, eoald not the gourament, by the intervention
demo such commission isle had proposed, give a security
he thus ratio ? The rules drawn up by the Court of Chu-
mp might be very proper ; but they might depend on it
thew mould he se individual purchases under the present
=edg, man might be found who would gratuitously
hetheir time to rescue Ireland from this state, who
weld bosom a sodium between the purchaser and the
seller, between the government and the occupiers. The con-
dition of twenty unions was so wretched that it had bees
band necessary to reject all boil auktenes, and to entrust
their management to noe-guardians. Witold it not b 3 poi-
odds, by the intervention of soma each interrnediatesathority,
to assist in relaxing the legal difficulties in the purchase of
lead, to supply a channel through which arrangements
might be made for the transfer of this property, to suggest
the mode by which this might be effected,—giving is future
a title that should not be liable to question—
(hoar, hear), •—t Nelda, situ mature consideration
the rid of pediment for the confirmation of
that title, I. Nees way or other limiting the
antetha datums im theme of the put to which the lands
amid he sediselith *es giving security to the tenant, and
ales alvlig opal itsarity to the purchaser against legal dis-
Iladtemmiea asoisall damn in the title ? (Hear, bear.) He
mush, he use, see with great satisfaction the government
gonmed, with the intention of re-distributing it, of that
peed odds which wee now on sale in Connemara. (Hear,
hear.) Ategasebei was the date of things? Here was
one Rahn b llllpport4,soo able-bodith paupers, and
that mei he a time. The malt would be, these
able-balhell mmmaid OM, to interim with the labour of
' dla eeuatry, while the women and children would be lotion
the head, demanding retie( front the poor-rates. As thsland
was situate, it was highly improbable that any one,
without the interveation of a . third party, would
purchase property. There was a magaifloeut estate
of 200,000 aces, on the west west of Ireland ; if it were
aturaired to another proprietor, he might improve the
mantry, open up roads, and lay the foundations of future
I:4ity in the district. Even an intelligent commissioner
this labour to dispose of, might employ it in the
NM way. But, though that estate contained valleys se fer-
tile as any in the ematry, no one would be foolish enough
to advance 60,0001. it, with its mama incumbrance of
150,000 i., and the wesertainty about the rates. Bat
were an intelligent appointed, who might take
pissed= of tk• progeny br a time, divide it, and open up
Imams of sathennisation,—,security being given for lu or 14
yeah *at a eseesin amount of poor rate should not be ex-
ceeded—ism that class of men would be called into sake
who howl the lead in the time of James 1., and the faun.
dation off future prostesrity would thus be laid, care being
taken ahem all to avoid the establishment of any religious
dieting's& (Hear, hear.) He would not attempt to remove
zgeetsspleter on amount of his religion, but wadi
to Wass now blood and new enterprise hate the
esnalay. He would have division of the property, essarity
dills, and would give a stimulus to industry by guarantees-
=
a e future proprietor against beim suddenly over-
by the amount of poor rates. (Hear, ;bear.) Ne
, mown short of that was likely to be ruconsful. He greatly
I detheed whether, by the bill of last session, there would be
thy transfer of property—whether some intermediate autho-
dty weed not be required to act between the Court of
Cheisegy sad the purehaser. That was the:course whisk
Jams the Pint had taken, after asking the opinion of the
highest authorities. He went to Lord Bacon, who knew
nothing at all about Inland ; bat his treatise upon the plan-
tation of Ireland was well worth, on account of
his prophetic sagacity, the consideration of the pre-
sent more enlightened race of mou. There were
then 500,000 t•cres to be planted. Then would
be more than 500.000 acres now for the evil would go on
increasing No efforts were making, hope seemed waived,
and the people, instead of relying any longer
.on
would depend on the expectaion of a wretched sub•istenn
of an eleemosynary kind. (Hear, hoar.) These grants of