The Express.
London, England, 1847-02-09 00:00:00

3
pied. Whenever it is practicable, etch food will be sold i
but gratuitous distribution will be senetioeed in canes in
which no Meeill of parehesing iit exist. If flour or meal
U sold, it will be neemery to adhere to the rule hitherto
enforced, by which such food is required not to be
sold at lees then the cod price. But this rule will not
he enforced in the case of soup, which is the kind of
food, which will be chief?y distributed by the relief com-
mittees. The mode of distribution will, in fact, be similar
to that which in now in extensive operation, by means of
soup kitchen, established in many ports of thecountry, from
which wrap is supplied to large numbers of persons at • very
moderate price. This mode of relief appears to he the most
economical so well as the most efficacious which has yet
been adopted. By its general application,whenever required,
through the agency now about to be established, her Ma-
jesty's government trust that the most effectual means
within their power will be taken for relieving, on the most
extensive Seale, and at the kite expense, the pressing
and urgent wants of large numbers suffering I
from destitution, and who are not included in
the direct means of relief hitherto adopted by the govern-
ment. One mein object of the proposed alteration of the ,
system of relief, under the present eireunetances of the
country, is, to restore the ordinary relations betwecnowners
and occupiers of land and the Ishourii.g class, and to remove
the alleged obstacles to the employment of labour in the cul-
tivation of the land. It is of the greatest importance that
this object should be constantly kept in view, and that the
relief to he afforded should not be an inducement to idle- 1
nem, but should, if possible, be made a stimulus to labour.
Gratuitous distribution should, therefore, not be sanc-
tioned in any case in which it is ascertained that the per-
sons applying for relief have the opportunity of obtain-
ing employment and wages sufficient to provide them-
selves by their industry with the means of purchase. .
Upon this, and other important matters of detail, the
Central Board will have to exercise a vigilant superintend-
i
core, and will issue from time to time such instruction* to
the relief committees as may appear to them to be required.
The relief committees, with a view to the calm and deli-
berate discharge of their duties, should at their dis-
cretion admit those persons only from whom they may
obtain information. or applicants for relief: their meetings
will thus not be liable to the interruptions and disorders
which have so frequently arisen from the indiecti
minate admission of all persons at the presentment
sessions. Such indiscriminate edmiesion, then for.,
should be forbidden by an order from your Excellency.
The proposed plan is intended to be a aubstilute I.A. the
mode of relief provided by the to N'ic., c. 107 ; but it is
impassible that the change l'iom the one system to the other
can be carried into effect at once, and simultanieualy,
throughout the country. The vast extent of the relief
works in progress renders this change one of no ordinary
difficulty ; and the men arc to be discharged gradually, and
with great caution. Sir John Burgoyne will be authorised et.
to select from among those at present employed in connelion • .
with the relief works, a certain number of officers to be ,
placed at the disposal of the board, to proceed to any part of
the country from which representations of urgent distress t
may be received, either for the purpose of local investigation
or of superintending or assisting in the measures which may
be deemed essential for the relief of such decrees. i
IRISII RELIEr' COMMITTEE. •
SIR,—In your edition of the 28th ult., your Dublin
correspondent indulges in some very free animadversions on
the conduct of relief committees in Ireland generally, and is •
Galway and Clare partiedarly ; and he ascribes their alleged
malpractices to the corrupt tendencies of the landlords. l'cr-
mit me, Sir, as • member of a Clare committee, to say a few
words on t' is matter. Your correspondent cannot be ac-
rinted with the constitution of relief committees, when h. I
ma the landlords with all their supposed misdeeds.
I will not wrong your journal by suspecting it of a share
in the plot, to mini ad the public as regards this country, and
to dry up the fountain whence the stream of charity had
begun to flow towards us from generous England, and I
trust that you will allow me an opportunity of explanation. I
It is not my intention to undertake the defence of every
committee in Clare. In such Ca" the true way to inform I
the public is, that a writer confine himself within the limits 1
of hie own experience. To avoid all risk of error I will not
go beyond my own district, which happens to be the iden-
tical one where the Major Ball, quoted by you, resides. It
comprises three parishes, via., Kilchreest (Major Ball's),
Kildysart (mine), and Kilfidanc. Of these the second and
last are large parishes. Now, air, the committee for this
district, according to the usual practice, consists of magis-
trates, police officers, clergy of both persuasions, and pour-
law guardians. My parish, Kildysart, is represented by a
county magi-trate, a police officer, five clergymen, and two I
poor-law guardians. Surely the nsi,deeds of this committee
cannot be chargeable on the landlords. The fact is, that
with the exception of another magistrate, who seldom visits t
this part of Clare, Major Ball himself is the only large
1
landed proprietor on the committee, and no one can justly
accuse him of unduly extending the limits of relief. The
case of his tenant, Chambers, was, es you inform the public,
mentioned by Major Ball. This occurred at a meeting held
at Kildysart for the purpose of going through the lists with It
Captain Wynne, " the excellent inspector" of your cores-
pondent. If it be true, as alleged by Major Ball's informant,
that Chambers possesses a freehold property in another parish,
the general committee were ignorant of the matter. This
man, no doubt, redden on Major Ball's estate, but that
' gentleman ie not a regular attendant at the committee
meetings, and was not present when Chambers was
recommended for work in the last list mode out. No
other landed proprietor from Kilehreest attended; yet the
recommendation came from one or more Kilchreest member',
Consequently the person chargeable with it was not a Claire 1.
landlord. hone of the Kildysart members recommended
him. I can acquit myself of all blame in the matter ; for I
hare no knowledge either of the man, or of his means. At
all events do not, in this instance, blame a Clare landlord.
Had you, sir, been present at the meeting, you would not
have left it under the impression that in our district the
landlord chug were guilty of lavishing relief. Captain
1 .
Wynne and Major Ball came together to the meeting from
1 Portfergus, the mansion of the latter gentleman, and they were
evidently prepared to support each other in the work of exclud-
ing the small farmers from relief. The only active opposition i
they encountered was from three clergymen—one Roman
Catholic, and two Protestant. The Kildysart poor-law guar- I
dam did not speak, but were known to disapprove of the
exclusion of the small farmers, many of whom are reduced to
extreme poverty. The Kilehreeet poor-law guardian acted
with the other party. The Killidane members were absent.
Do not, then, blame the landlord in this case Self-interest,
if not • ranee of supposed duty, is enough to deter
him from taxing himself overmuch for the relief
of the distressed cultivator of the soil. He will
not let himself be ruined that the poor man may
not part with his cow. So much for the landlrad.
But why say so much of him? lie can defend himself.
There is one that cannot. The poor struggling farmer
wearily endeavouring to support a family on the scanty pro-
claim of a few cold wet acres on the bog skirt, and the bleak
mountain-aide. You will confer on me • great favour, sir,
by granting me a little space at another time to state fairly e
and briefly the case of the poor small farmer of a little-
favoured
locality. And from the explanation in my private
letter, you will admit my position to be such so ought to free
me from the trammels of prijudice or views of self interest.
I am, sir, your very obedient servant, A MEMBER or •
CLARE RELIEF COMMITTER.
—.—.—.
PROVINCIAL. •
CLARA:MTS.:Rem RE. I
ANOTHER ARGUMENT COS • MORGUE. —The Broolol ,
Mirror says :—. The revolting circumstance of a dead body
having been left exposed in the public paths of our city, F.
which we noticed in our last paper, has again occurred in
the course of the present week. The corpse of a man that
was discovered floating in our river was conveyed by some
watermea to Rownham Ferry, where it wee suffered to re-
main with no other covering than a little straw, procured '
at the expense of • policeman, as the officers of our public a
hospital and poor-law unions refuse to receive such bodice or to
have anything to do with their interment. We know not what
was done in the case which occurred last week, but if the in-
torment was eventually undertaken by any public officer,
there can be no reason why it should not have been done in
this instance slat, without permitting public feeling, es well !
as decency, to be again outraged, as on the former occasion.
If there be any doubt, and which appears to be the case, as •
to who are the parties legally liable to the requisite eapenses r
under such circumstances, surely the law officers of the cor-
poration, in whose government the city is placed, should have
the point decided."
Altaic.
..
MR. Hu LLAree HISTORICAL CONCEZTS. Ile e ,
11,
second of these aoncerta (of the nature and purpose of whistle
we have already given some account) took pleas Let evening
I
is Exeter-hall. The programme embraced an kJ:Wrestling
period in the history of English music—from the restoration
to the end of the seventeenth century ; and contained a
selection from the works of Routes, Humphreys, Wise,
, I
Blow, Creyghton, and Purcell. The concert, like the Let,
was divided into two parts, the one comfiest( of sacred, and .
the other of secular music. The anthem► were fine speei- s
mens of our old ecclesiastical school ; particularly Pureell's
verse anthem, " Behold, I being you glad tidings," which,
being one of those written ter the Chapel Royal after the
Restoration, was accompanied by en orchestra of stringed
instruments. The principal past of the secular music was
' the drat act of Purcell's opera, , • Dido and looses," which,
though a juvenile production of its illustrious author (having
been composed by him at the age of nineteen), is strongly
marked by his powerful and original genius, Probably Mr.
Hullah's plan of giving an entire art of this opera was the
bestow the connection of the several :pieces was thus pre- , •
served ; but some things might have been found, in the
second and third ants, more beautiful and expressive than I t •
any of those Which were given. As it was, however, the per-
formance was exceedingly interesting. The air, " Ah, my
Anna," was very finely sung by Miss Rainforth ; and the
dialogue in recitative between the Queen and Anna, " Grief
11
increases by coact ding," was equally well delivered
by that laay and Mine Dolby. The celebrated duet and
dome, " Fear no danger,' was deliciously sung; and
we may say in general, of the chorus singing throughout the
evening, both in the sacred and secular music, that it was
admirable, and not to be equalled by any other choral
singing that can be heard in London. The body of voices,
numerically large, is not only tires and powerful, but so die
eiplined and subdued as to be capable of giving the finest
'shade* of expression and effect. The principal vocalists •
besides Miss liaintorth and Miss Dolby, were Mr. Lackey, .
Mr. W. Seguin, and Mr. Machin, all of whom acqnitterl
themselves with great ability. The performances were
much upplauded, and • number of the pieces encored.
CLERICAL.
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