The Express.
London, England, 1847-05-07 00:00:00

CASE OF MR. R. G. BUTT.

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Mr. FERItAND wished to know whether it was the in.
tention of the government to return to Mr. Butt the line of
1,0001. which ho paid at the time he was prosecuted for
spreading the report of the death of Napoleon.
Sir 0. GREY said the fine was never remitted in the case
of Lord Cochrane, although he had been restored to his
rank and half pay, and the government could hold cut no
hope of repayment in the case of Mr. Butt.
SALE OF FIRE-ARMS IN IRELAND.
Sir W. VERNER rose for the purpose of bringing for-
, ward the motion, of which he had given notice, on the sub-
ect of the importation and sale of fire-arms in Ireland. He
had stated to the house, on a former occasion, that in his
own county 1,000 sten:l of arms had been disposed of, and
100 f. worth of ammunition bad been Feld by a single indi.
ridual, near his own residence. Ile was prepared with
other doeumente of a similar nature ; but before bringing
them under the notice of the house, he thoeght it sight to
refer to the statement of Lord Eliot, when he moved for
leave to introduce the Arms hill, in 1843. The hon. and
gallant member then quoted from Lord Eliot's statement
the opinions of Col. Miller and Col. McGregor, with respect
to the desire of the peesantry of Ireland to possess themeelves
of tire-arra', and the dangers with which any facilities for their
introduction and WO in Ireland were likely to be attended.
If there were any grounds for the introduction of an arms
bill at that time, they applied with ten-fold greater force et
the present period, notwithstanding which the people bad
the greatest facilities fur procuring firearms, and were, in
fact, Fenerally in possession of them. The house should
bear in mind that the people of that country were now in •
starving condition, and was it fit, he would ark, that such
persons should be permitted the poesession of fire-arms He
believed it could net be disputed that 09 out of every 100 who
purchased fire-arms, had not the means of procuring a
mouthful of toed for their families. It was a significant fact
that, in the county of Tipperary, which was the most dis.
turbed in Ireland, the greatest quantity of fire-arms was
disposed of. The hon. gentleman read several letters from
gentlemen in Tipperary and other parts of Ireland, stating
that large quantities of fire-arms bad been sold by auetiou in
their localities, and that the greatest aaxMty was manifested
by the peasantry to possess themselves of a gun.
The system was not confined to any particular district, it
extended to the whole of Ireland. The hon. member then
read the charges of several Irish jutiges, for the purpose of
showing the prevalence of a system of intimidation. Baron
Leiroy said that nearly all the serious offences in Ireland
were connected with the use of firearms; and Baron
Richards gave similar testimony. Mr. Serjeant Howley, in
addressing the grand jury of Limerick, said that no precau-
tion, no care, no vigilance, could preserve life from the
armed bands who traversed the country. He had • letter
from Lord Olengall stating, that, in Tipperary, auctions for
the sale of arms weer constantly being held. The venders
were principally of the lower class of traders. Another letter,
signed " W. Wilson," said that the police were mostindefatige-
ble in their endeavours to discover the murderers of bin eon,
but they had not yet succeeded. Spain was never in so bad a
state as Ireland was at the present time. You could actually
get a man shot in Ireland for half-a-crown. It est sold be a
great misfortune to Ireland if she ware to lose the present
1mo:1-lieutenant—no one could regret such an event more
than himself. That noble lord, however, was reported to
have said when he went to Ireland that he would govern that
country without an arms bill. He regretted that such an
opinion should have been entertained by the government,
and hoped that they would now came to a different conch'.
aion. The hon. baronet cot:eluded by moving for certain
returns in reference to the subject before the house.
Mr. LABOUCHERE slid he had no wish to complain of
the course taken by the hon. baronet, but he could assure
the house that the eh ‘le condition art Ireland had engaged
the serious attention of the government. The fact of their
having consented to part with the powers before ezieting,
had increased the responsibility of the government, end they
felt that it was no light matter to undertake to conduct the
affairs of Ireland, at such a period, without haring recourse
to extraordinary powers. He was able to show that the go-
vernment had not acted rashly itt pursuing the course they
hgd done. The outrages committed in 1847 were undoubtedly
more numerous than three committed in 1846; but the house
could not corns to a correct conclusion without looking at
the nature and character. of those outrages. The re-
turns on the table showed an immense themese in the
number of outrages directed against property, but in the
can of outrages against life and the peace of society, the in.
crease was very alight, while in what were called agrarian
outrages, there bad been an actual diminution. It was
impassible to cemider the sot jest properly without
inquiring how the law was carried into effect in
Ireland at that moment. He had the satisfaction of
repeating his former statement that the execution of the law
by means of the ordinary tribunals had never been in such
a satisfactory state as during the past year, and that there
had never been such a check put to that impunity of
crime which had been ono of the most fearful features iu the
state of Ireland. Now he was not prepared to say that there
bad not been a considerable importation and sale of arms;
but be believed there was very greet exaggeration in the
newspaper reports on that subject. He had obtained from
authoritative soure's acceuata which gave a very different
picture of the state of Ireland from that which was
given in the extracts read by the hon. baronet.
Col. M'Gregor, who commanded the constabulaiy in Ireland,
informed him, that upon the whole the errantry was never
more free from political excitement, secret combination, or
agrarian outrage ; and that any addition to the crime of the
country arose from the distress under which the people suf-
fered. He observed further, that the returns showed the
rumours respecting the increased sale of tire-arms to be
greatly exaggerated ; and that a very large proportion of
those arms which had been recently purchased, had been
bought by respectable farmers, to arm themselves and their
dependents against the attacks of depredators. (Hear, hear.)
He (Mr. Labouchere) believed that statement to be entirely
correct. It was of course natural that immediately after the
repeal of the Arms Act a great increase in the sato of arms
should have ensued. Forbidden fruit was always sweet;
and the Irish in many eases looked upon the bearing of arms
as • mark of distinction. But the government had doge all
in their power to prevent the abuse of arms faring into im-
proper hand.. The existing law in Ireland crave them
sufficient powers for this purpose, without new statutes.
The set known as the Whiteboy Act gave them the means
of severely punishing persons who appeared in arms to the
terror of their neighbours. In Tipperary recently a body
of men who appeared under arms to prevent the sale of
' cern at an suction were found gull,' and sentenced to im-
prisonment, and 'teen and ffurtet n y:ars' transportation.
It war unneeeleary for him to go into details, or he could
prove that the majority of the outrages during the present
year were not outraues connected with the use of fire-arms.
The hon. beronet hid referred in becoming tomes to th e noble
person whose name he could not mention without emotion.
whose fate it had been during :he Late unhappy year 90

govern the Meted people of Ireland. That estimable
nobleman bed lent all his influence to secure ptaco and
tranquillity in the country. lie had been most efficiently
supported by the army end the police, whose exertions had
been most valuably assisted by the clergy of all denomina-
tions. ' The government would continua to exert their
authority to secure peace in time to come, and believing the
powers they pommeled to be amply sufficient he must decline to
accede to the hon. morals% rte proposal to introduce: an Arm,
Biller species of statute which had always proved a failure.
With regard, however, to the motion with which the hon
baroset had concluded, there leo no objection to it on the
pert of the government.
Mr. SHAW did not think the present state of Inland at
all setisfacton;' and expressed a strong opinion that the go-
vernment Indacted unwisely in surrendering the powers
given them under the art which expired lot :euriou. He
did not think the Whitebny Act would give th-in the autho•
city the right ton. gentleman anticipate; and he rued that
mummer later they would hive occo:on to recur to the former
course of legislation. He concluded by expressing his con-
currence in all the tributes which had been paid to the Lord
Lieutenant.
The motion war then agreed to.
COTTON CULTIVATION IN INDIA.

Mr. BRIGHT then moved for a select committee to in-
quire into the progress of the cultivation of cotton in India.
He said that this questiun was of peculiar importance in the
present state of the cotton manufacturing districts of Len-
cashire. What the ratite was to Ireland, he might say,
the cotton plant was to Lancashire. Tke failure of the
one could not be attended with more misery than would in-
evitably follow any failure in the other. There were no lees
than 316,000 persons now employed in the cotton mills of the
United Kingdom, and it was not an over-estimate to say that
2,000,000 of persons were subsistiug upon the profit of the
trade. The miestion was not one, therefore, of a local or a
temporary character, but was of a permanent and notional
interest; and if the house could do anything to extend the
cultivation, it would do a permanent and national good.
Now, at the end of 1815, the state of cotton in the porta of
this country was 1,060.000 bales, or thirty-five weeks con-
sumption ; whilst at the end of 1816, it was only 515,000
b dm, or only eighteen weeks' consumption. The prior,
which, in 181-5, was 4d. per lb., VAS this year 7d. per In.. or
75 per cent. extra. The consequence was, that many of the
mills were stepped. The cause of this was a failure
in the cotton crop of the United Stat. in the year 1846.
But it was not a very long period since England
was comparatively ini'ependent of American cotton, deriving
a great portion of her ',spray from her own dependencies iis
the east. But during the last thirty years, whilst the United
States had increased their growth 600 per cent , India had
only increased her growth 50 per cent. The Indian entann
ales was by no means improved in quality. It came here in
a very dirty state, which was a greet disadvantage to the
grower, both as respected the freight he hrd to pay, and the
amouat he received for it in the home market. To discover
whether this cultivation might not be improved very greatly
was the object of the inquiry he desired to institute. lie
knew that in India cotton had been grown and used for
clothing during the last trio centuries. It was said that
there were 24,000 square miles in India suited for the cultiva-
tion of cotton. The Court of Directors, in 1822, expressed
an opinion that the crop would be improved iu quality ; and
in 1819 they stated, 10 a report to the government, that
their cotton was greatly esteemed in the London markets,
and that nothing but attention and persevermace was required
to make cotton-wool an export of very great importance.
He was quite willing to admit that, dung the last 30 years,
the East India Company had been making considerable
efforts to improve the cultivation of cotton in India, but, for
various reasons, these efforts had not been eatended with
anything like tho requiaite success. Certain it was, how-
ever, that our 'ous in the East Indies were in every
way calculate for the growth of cotton ; there was ample
space nt land adapted for the purpose, and there was an
unlimited supply of industrious and intelligent labourers,
whose pay involved far less cost than the employment of
slave labour. The question was. Low this cultivation could
be most effectually carried on, and it was for the purpose of
ascertaining this, as clearly an possible, that he desired the
select committee for which he now risked. It was im-
portant to know what had occasioned the experiment of the
company to fail, notwithstanding all their care and expendi-
ture, what were the obstacles they had encountered, and in
what manner these obstacle.' could be obviated. He would
urge upon the house that this was a most important subject,
for if, by any calamity in America, our supply of raw cotton
thence should fait, no lugnage could express the utter
misery that must befall vast masses of our industrial pima-
lation—(hemaliear)—and this calamity might any year befall
as from circumstances which no human precaution could
avert. It uses further to be borne in mind that in the
United States this article was the produce of slave labour ;
there could be no question that, sooner or later, by fair means
or by violence, 'las cry would be abolished in these states,
and this very abolition would, for a time at all events', hurt
our supply of the article. The hon. member then
moved that a select committee be appointed to inquire into
the progress of the cultivation of cotton in British India.
Sr J. C. HOBLIOUSE said it was not the intention of'
the government to oppose the appoiatment of this com-
mittee. and ho need not, therefore, enter at any length into
the subject, nor had he occasion to offer any defence of the
East India Company, the lion. member having in no way
specifically accused that company of either ignorance or
neglect. 110 would, however, briefle advert to what
the company had done in the way of promoting the cultiva-
tion of cotton in nor Indian possessions. He apprehended
that the hon. member quite over-estimated the effect of the
inguily he proposed, if he imagined that it would ever make
—at all events in our time—the people of India producers of
cotton to an equal extent with the people of America. That
competition appeared to him quite nut of the question.
There were such differences between the two countries, that
he doubted extremely whether any failure of our supply
from the United States would ever be remedied by the
supply from our Indian possessions. One of the reasons why
the cul'iration of cotton in India had fallen off of recent
years was, that we ourselves, in becoming exporters of cotton
goods to India, had, to a great extent, destroyed the cotton
manufactures of that country. (Hear, hear.) The lion.
member had referred to what the company had been dying
since 1780 in the way of promoting the cultivation of cotton
in India. The result of their inquiries and of their experiments,
conducted with the utmost energy, sad at very heavy cost,
was exhibited in an infinitude of folio volumes; an analysis,
meisenting a masterly review of the whole subject, was eon-
rained in Lord Auckland's minute of 1339. A minute with
other documents would be laid on the table in a day or two,
and which, had the hon. member waited for it, he would
perhaps have regarded as rendering the committee he sought
unnecessary, so full was the information it c mveyeri, and so
lily piepared the theory it propounded as to the best mode
of cultivating the article in question. It was not to be sup
posed that the growth of cotton in India was neglected as the
hon. gentleman's speech might seem to suggest. That growth
was earnestly promoted by the Indian government, and
though in particular districts the experiments made hod not
been so successful as could he desired, yet, upon the whole,
the experiments were decidedly satisfactory, and gave good
hopes of solid progress. (Hear, hear.) Another reason, why
the imports of cotton from India had seemed on the decline,
was that latterly the imports from the United States had
been so enormous and at suck prices, that the Indian mer-
chants had not found it worth while to send over their
goods to such a wholesale extent as formerly. A third rea-
son was the diversion of capital i..to the channel of opium
speculations, which had last year occupied upwards of one
million and a half more of the capital of Indian emenda-
tors then had been engaged in the same trade the ysar be-
fore. He would repeat that the promotion of this cultiva
tion was a constant anneal with the Indian government, No
despatch went nut to India which did not emphatically ad-
, Tern to the subject, and especially in connection with the
promotion of canals and roads, for without the means of
conveyance to the ports, the production of cotton in the in-
terior of India would be of comparatively little avail. (Hear.)
Lard G. BENTZ NCH. was more sanguine than the right
hon. boronet as to the good that would arise from further
inquiry. It had been the declared opinion of Mr. Huskinson
that, with due protection afforded it, enough cotton might be
raised in our East Indian possessions to supply, not only
Great Britain, but the whole world besides—l Ileac, hear)
and Mr. Huskisson hod pointed out, further, that every bale
of cotton imported from our Indian possessions must be
brought into this country in British bottoms. The hon. gen-
tleman opposite, in talkeng of the increase of cotton produce
in the United States, had not observed that the cultivation
of this article in that country bad all along been fostered by
protection. (Hear, bear.) Whereas, its growth in India
was impeded by the most disadvantageous circumstances.
There was a great tax imposed upon it, which Ilene rained
its pike to tho extent of three half-pence in the pound;
while, on the other band, American cotton had been relieved
from the payment of duty in this country. We ought most
to encourage our fellow-subjects in India. While the United
States took but 1,056,0001. person. from us in cotton manufac-
tures, our Indian possessions and Ceylon took, lastyear. more
than four millions and a half worth of these goods. (Hear.)
He hoped that the committee would be instructed to inquire
into the subject of railway communication in India. The
antediluvian media of canals were of little use in giving
facilities for the transit of goods. At present the mode of
conveying goade, under very favourable circumstances, was
by tong, drawn each by two bullocks, and carrying six bales
of cotton, of 1201bs. each, twelve miles a day. But the more
usual conveyance was a bullock with a pack, which carried
two hundred weight eight miles in the day, the
cotton often rolling with the bullock in the water.
Such difficulties could only be overcome by incressizig the ,
means of internal communication. This naturally led them
to the question of railroads in India, and on this point Lord
Havdinge had said that railroads there would make a differ-
ence to the government of four regiments of infante'', cost- ,
ing 50,000/. a year, being the interest of one million of !
money. Here was a sum at once which would go far towards
constructing a railroad. (Hear. hear.) This was a point
; which in his (Lord G. Bentinek's) opinion should not be
overlooked by the committee. There was another point,
which if he had mentioned in the previous year he would
surely have been coughed down by the free traders, but now
Ire apprehended it would be received with a little more
attention. If we should be enabled to get our supplies of
cotton from India, they might be paid for in our manufac-
tures, instead of sending away our gold as we were doing at
1 present. Last year the prime minister had told him he
should be glad to see the gold going sway for
the produce of foreign countries—would the noble lord ex-
press a similar joy now? (Hear, hear.) He begged to
reconne end it to the committee to consider whether, by en-
couraging the growth of cotton in Indi a by diminishing the
' government rent, and by other means, we might not get the
article of which last year we had manufactured to the value
of four-and-a-half millions without sending oat to the United
States ear gold, and that, too, of the newest coinage, PO as
that there might be the smallest possible loss from deficiency
in weight. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. MANGLES rose to address the house, but
An Hon. Member moved that the house be counted, and
forty members rot being present, the house adjourned at ten
!nitrites past eight o'clock.