The Express.
London, England, 1847-03-02 00:00:00

HIGH WATKII AT LONDON-BUDGE.

'ems DA,iicriinir,l7.l67;l4l-17"--Aft:60-7474 ad& pat L
To-Blos.aow—Yondag, 3 mahs. past 3 ; Afternoon, IS WA. pet L

LONDON, TUESDAY, MARCH 2.

Is the House of Lords, yesterday, the Earl of
AUCKLAND, in repl to the Murquia of LONDON-
DERRY, stated that the surveyors employed by the
Post-office had given it as their opinion that Port
Patrick was not a favourable point for Post-offioe
communication with Ireland. The Duke of MON-
TROSE complained of the defective state of the postal
arrangements at Glasgow, by which letters which
arrived there by an accelerated mail at eight o'clock
in the eveuing were not delivered until the following
morning. The Marquis of CLANRICARDE admitted
the inconvenience, stating that steps were taking to
have an evening delivery, if possible. The Labour-
ing Poor (Ireland) Bill, after a short debate, was read
a second time. Earl GREY intimated that ou moving
the second reading of the Custody of Offenders Bill,
on Friday, he would state what measures the govern-
iment intended to propose in consequence of the dis-
continuance of transportation.
In the House of Commons the New Zealand Bill
was read a second time, Lord J. RUSSELL observing,
that until that moment he was unaware that such a
bill had been introduced, and previous to its further
progress he would make inquiries on the subject at
the Colonial-office. The noble lord announced that
her Majesty had summoned a council in order to fix
a day for a national fast. The noble lord, in answer
to Mr. HINDLEY, also stated that the sums to be pro-
posed in the miscellaneous estimates for the purposes
of national education would be the same as last year,
and that it was not his intention to introduce any
new regulation as to the application of these funds.
A discussion on Irish and Scotch distress ensued,
' after which the CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER an-
nour.ced, in a committee of ways and means, that he
had that morning entered into an arrangement for the
loan of eight millions voted by the committee on a
former night. The offer made was 89/. Its. for every
100/. stock, the interest on which would be about
V. 7s. Gd. per cent, the contractors being the Mears.
Rothschild and the Messrs. Baring. Mr. HUME Me
demned the course taken by the CHANCELLOR of
the EXCHEQUER as calculated to afford facili-
ties for combination between the contracting parties,
whereas, if the loan had been open to public compe-
tition, leaving it to the bidders to name the amount
they would take, half a million of money might have
been saved. Mr. W. WILLIAMS considered that an
issue of Exchequer Bills would have been a prefer-
able mode of investment, by which means the fund-
ing might have taken place at periods when the
Money Market afforded the best opportunities for so
doing. A discussion on the Poor Relief (Ireland)
Bill followed ; after which, on the motion for going
into committee of supply, Mr. HUME and Mr. W.
WILLIAMS urged the necessity of retrenchment and
economy. The house having gone into committee,
Mr. Fox MAULE brought forward the army estimates,
and on the resumption of the house brought in a bill
for shortening the period of enlistment.

THE action of the government, with a view to the
relief of distress in Scotland, was unquestionably cha-
racterised by promptitude. A few letters from that
country, intimating that assistance might be necessity,
were written in the end of July. During August,
they began to become numerous. What may be
called official notice of the destitute state of the Wed-
ern Highlands and Islands was transmitted by Sir
JOHN 'M'Neitt, of the board of supervision for the
relief of the poor, on the 31bt of August, and by the
LORD ADVOCATE on the 2nd of September. On the
11th of September, Sir E. 1',",--FrtN received orders to
proceed to Scotland ; on the Ifith of that month we
find him in Edinburgh busy collecting information ;
and by the beginning of October we Mad him in the
heart of the distressed district.

The conduct of government towards Scotland
has been quite as much characterised by prudence
and judgment as by promptitude. Finding zea-
lous and intelligent coadjutors in the country,
ministers remained satisfied with pointing out what
might be done, advancing the means where necessary,
and checking what Deemed to them misdirected real
and energy. The late and present Lord Advocate,
the gentlemen constituting the relief committees in
Edinburgh and Glasgow and other places, and many
' private individuals, were men capable of giving
and receiving suggestions ; and, with such se-
militants, Sir E. COFFIN and his staff found their task
comparatively light. While the Irish landlords met
to clamour, agitate and embarrass, the parties in
Scotland whom we have named, met to act, and the
influence of their example awed into silence a large
proportion of the Highland gentry, who had all the
will in the world to follow the example set them by
those who may be termed, in the language of the old
Scotch acts of parliament, "the Erschrie of Ireland."

In the distressed districts of Scotland, as is Ire-
land, the main cause of the destitution has a deeper
root than the casual failure of the potato crop. The
disease is chronic : the poverty perenniaL In IMO,
we had begging missions from that quarter holding
forth at the Memnon-house, and not a year has
passed since, but destitution might be found lurk
m some nook or corner of it, as snow may be foetid
all the year round in some chink or crevice of Ben
Nevis or Shihallion.

This has not been overlooked by government, and
its efforts have been directed with the view of affording
immediate relief in the manner most likely to pave
the way to a social regeneration. Eleemosynary do.
nations and public works have been discouraged, end
the proprietors stimulated to find such employment
for the poor or labour:uvrlass as was calculated to be
re the germ of future employment. The opera'

I