The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-10 00:00:00

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LONDON, WEDNESDAY, FEB. 10.

IN the House of Lords yesterday the Chelsea Pen-
sioners Bill went through committee, and the Buck-
wheat, &c., Importation Bill was read a third time.
Lord STANLEY presented a petition from the church-
wardens of Manchester on the subject of the parochial
funds received by the Dean and Canons of the colle-
giate church of that pariah, and who claimed to be
exempt by their charter, on the payment of
a fine, from residence and cure of souls.
The Marquis of le essuowNE, in answer to the
allegations contained in the petition, read a letter
from the Dean of Manchester, a copy of which will be
found in the parliamentary report. The LORD
CHANCELLOR was of opinion that the object the
petitioners had in view, was that the rectorial tithes
should be appropriated to the spiritual wants of the
parish, which co.eld only be effected by a special
act of parliament. Lord BROUGHAM brought under
the notice of the house the report of Captain Wynne
on the subject of public works in Ireland ; which was
followed by a discuasion on the subject of the reduc-
tion of the oluty on rum, as affecting the interests of
the Scotch distillers, originated by the Earl of HOLM.
TON ; after which, the Marquis of LANSDOWNE, in
answer to a question from the Marquis of SALISBURY,
stated that it was not intended to take any step with
respect to the law of settlement, until the committee
appointed by the House of Commons had made their
report, and it bad been considered by the government.
In the House of Commons, after a discussion, the
second reading of the Regent's Canal and Railway
Bill was postponed. Sir JOHN HOBHOUSE, in answer
to an hon. member, stated that a despatch had been
transmitted to India, reinstating the importers
of salt in the same position in which they
stood in 1836, but of the advantages of which
they had been deprived by the regulation
adopted in 1841. Mr. WARD, in answer to a question
from Mr. W. CoLLErr, said, that a bill was in prepara-
tion for the purpose of effecting the enlargement of
Holyhead Harbour. The CHANCELLOR of the Ex-
CHEQUER stated, in answer to Lord CASTLEREAGH, that
the government had caused an inquiry to be made with
reference to Capt. Wynne's report on the subject of pub-
lic works in Ireland. Mr. RICARDO brourit forward
his promised motion for a select committee on the
Navigation Laws, which, after a debate, was resolved
in the affirmative by a majority of 94. A
debate ensued upon a motion of Mr. Humes for re-
turns on the subject of flogging in the navy, but
which, for reasons stated by the SECRETARY of the
ADMIRALTY; were withdrawn by the hon. member.
The reports on the Destitute Poor (Ireland), the
Brewing from Sugar, and Distilling from Sugar,
Bills, were received.

I

DEEP and universal, not only in the public, but
amongst political men before the opening of the ses-
sion, was the aerate of the immensity of Irish distress,
and of the necessity of not only relieving it tempo-
rarily, but going to the mot of the evil, and employing
permanent, however costly, means of remedy. Such
was certainly the feeling with which parliament met,
such the conviction with which ministers met it. It
might have been fairly calculated, and it no doubt
was, that the influx of Irish members, fresh from the
terrible scenes which they had witnessed, the eloquent
narratives and conduct of gentlemen so deeply inte-
rested, would have had the effect of greatly increasing
the existing sympathies for Ireland, of giving an im-
pulse to the determination, already general, to apply
English energy, power, and capital, to the regenera-
tion of Ireland, and to screw up the courage of par-
liament to meet the financial sacrifices and difficulties
incident to such an effort.
Parliament is now some three weeks old, and we
regret to say that not, perhaps, the sympathy for
Ireland, but the impulse to deal largely and gene-
rously with it, has considerably relaxed. The recri-
minations of Irish landlord. the bluster of some,
the timidity of others, the discordant views of all,
except in matters immediately acting their inte-
rests as a body, have made a most unfavourable im-
pression. And all those of the permanent measures
for Ireland which are based on advances to the pro-
prietors of the soil are beginning to be viewed with
distaste, and scrutinised with severity.
For our own part, we cannot but repeat the opinion
that throughout the greater part of the south and
west of Ireland, not only is the population so dispro-
portioned to capital, that universalemploy is hopeless;
but it is so disproportioned to property, that no poor-
rate could meet the mess of deetitntioa. The permanent
measures contemplated by governmentcould alone have
restored somewhat of the right proportions. But of
these Lord Jon's: RUSSELL himself almost despairs of
emigration; whilst Sir Roemer PEEL, for the sake of
a joke, has put an extinguisher on the Waste Lands
Reclamation. As to advances to Irish landlords to •
improve their own property, although such advances
would be infinitely more to the immediate relief of
the rustic population than rail-mad employ, still
the very idea instantly recalls the necessity of a loan,
and its effects on the money market. And hence a
growing disposition to do little for Ireland beyond the
exigencies of the sent famine. When the CHAN-
CELLOR of the Exciteutee shall Come down on
Monday week with his deficit of ten or twelve mil-
lions, who will have the courage to add to them?
Most English members seem to think that a good
Irish Poor-law will prove the great panacea. The
hosts of interests which start up hereat to insist
upon conditions, will give an idea of the diffi-
culties of a poor-law. Lord CLEMENTS a fair
representative of the better class of Irish land-
lords, accepts the poor-law, provided he have full
power over his land, and the population on
it. Others stretch this further, and demand
that each estate should care for its own poor
and no more, which means that the mass of poor,
that belong to no estate, or what is tantamount to no
estate, should be huddled into a poor-house, to be
supported from English, or, as a more decorous phrase
has it, from imperial funds.
The only mode of avoiding this is by rendering
Irish districts assessable to the one poor rate, large
enough to contain a fair admixture of poor and rich
proprietors, of domains and farms, hogs and vil-
lages. If this be not done, the poor law would
.prove
a mockery. There is an ably drawn-up paper in one
of the Blue Books lately laid before Parliament,
The Boned Works' Series of Correspondence re-
specting Relief," which seta forth the reasm of the Irish
government for preferring the electoral to the town-
land division in levying the labour rate.
" Let the tax raised from the townland be declared exclu-
sively applicable to the townland, and the restriction of its
expenditure to the inhabitants of the townland will in-
evitably follow. • • • One district of the country will
be marshalled against aaother ; and the destitute, who have
become so because their proprietary are absent or neglectful,
will be banned and excluded by the prosperous and im-
proving. The helpless and destitute population of ill-ma-
naged estates will thus be punished for the incapacity or
errors of others, and the dispensation of Providence will be
made to visit them alone because of their poverty.
Nor are the tendencies of two systems of townland and
electoral division less politically opposed. The distribution
of assessment by baronies and electoral divisions is in many
respects unequal, and might probably be much amended.
The letter are said to be too large for practical purposes; the
former generally are so. But they are public divisions,
made irrespective of personal consideration ita public con-
venience and for public policy. Being fiscal, they imply re-
presentative control. They combine men of every illation
for certain ends, and for other than sectarian cc party ob-
jects. They bring them periodically into each other's pre-
mace, and Teed them ti take measurea together for the
public good of the locality, Are not tberi among the
truest lesson% of political civilisation ?