The Sun.
London, England, 1863-02-21 00:00:00

whether the Government would afford their support to
Ismail Pacha in the execution of his declared intention to
abolish forced labour in Egypt?
Lord PALMERSTON replied that the Government
would, to the best of its ability, support, if needful, the
excellent intentions of Ismail Pacha.
THE NEW ROAD, HYDE-PARK.
Viscount ENFIELD asked a question of the First Com-
missioner of 'Works relative to the closing of the carriage
road that was opened last year through a portion of Hyde-
park, between the districts of Bayswater and South Ken-
sington.
Mr. COWPER replied that he intended to reopen the
new road of: last year to the public, except for cabs and
omnibuses, as soon as the repairs were completed.
COTTON.
Sir L. PALK then rose to call the attention of the house
to the distress existing in the manufacturing districts; and
to move an address to her Majesty, praying that a Royal
Commission may be issued, to consider the best mode of
obtaining a permanent supply of cotton. The hon. baronet
reviewed the principal features of the distress, and asked
what prospect was there of receiving such a supply of cot-
ton as would be adequate to give employment to the opera-
tives of the distressed districts.
Mr. M. GIBSON said no doubt the hon. member had
given a correct account of the distress existing in different
parts of the country. Every member of that house sym-
pathised with that distress It was not necessary therefore
to say more than that every one entirely concurred with the
hon. baronet in the feelings which he had expressed of a
deep interest in the future of the cotton industry. But the
remedy which the bon. member proposed was one which
was very questionable He could not understand that any
report which such a commission could make would justify
the Government or give Parliament reason to undertake
the direct encouragement of cotton cultivation by the ad-
vance of money, or by commencing itself to bo a cotton
cultivator or a cotton trader. He thought the Government
would best aid the cause which the hon. baronet had advo-
cated by taking no steps to interfere in any way. (Hear,
hear.)
The motion was then withdrawn.
DISTRESS IN IRELAND.
Mr. MAGUIRE asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland
if the attention of the Government had been called to the
distress now existing in Ireland; and whether any mea-
sures of relief were in contemplation?
Sir R, PEEL said the distress of Ireland had arisen from
causes over which man could exercise no control. A. suc-
cession of bad harvests and unfavourable seasons had led
to that distress; whereas the distress of Lancashire had
arisen from very different causes, and it had been met by
rates and by efforts of great public generosity on the part
of the people in all parts of the world. It was very difficult
for the Government to promise grants of money to relieve
distress in Ireland. The hon. gentleman had alluded to
the work performed by the central relief committee in
Dublin. It appeared, from the reports of that committee,
that people in all parts of the world had subscribed for the
reliet of Irish distress ; and he believed that Dr. Miele
had mentioned £40,000 as the sum collected.
Mr. MAGUIRE—Oh, no; only £B,OOO.
Sir R. PEEL said he had there the report of the Central
Committee, which stated that £B,OOO had been received and
disbursed by them, besides which at least five times as much
had been collected and expended all over the country.. The
Australian papers had stated that upwards of £7,000 had
been subscribed and forwarded by Australia alone for the
relief of distress in Ireland. Therefore, whilst he did not
deny that a very serious amount of distress existed in Ire-
land, he did not think the present was the proper time
for the Government to come forward with grants of money.
With the exception of Cork, Limerick, and the South union
of Dublin, there were no crowded workhouses. The entire
number of persons receiving indoor and outdoor relief in all
Ireland at present was only 75,000. If that were compared
with the state of Lancashire, the difference would be seen
at a glance. In the town of Rochdale alone there were
20,000 persons at present receiving poor relief ; whereas in
all Ireland, out of a population of 5,700,000 persons, only
75,000 were receiving poor relief. Looking at it in that
light, Ireland did not appear the melancholy object which
some people represented her to be. He did not deny that
the agricultural returns showed a great number of acres of
land thrown out of cultivation, and that the live stock had
decreased. That was very true. The farmers had had to
contend with several hard seasons, and they had turned a
good deal of their lands to grass. (A laugh.) As to the
rates, out of the 54 poor-law districts into which Ireland
was divided, there were only eight in which the rates ex-
ceeded ss. in the pound. The average of the entire country
did not exceed Is. 2d.—a condition which he thought was
really satisfactory. A good deal of harm had been done by
persons who, in speeches and newspapers, represented the
condition of the country as reduced to great distress, and
who asked how Ireland could be saved. It was very wrong
to speak in such terms of people who were really improv-
ing in condition. (Cries of " Oh, oh.")
Colonel DICKSON—Oh no, no.
Sir It. PEEL—The part of the country from which the
hon. and gallant gentleman came was undoubtedly in a very
bad condition; but a most charitable lady, Miss Burdett
Comte, had communicated with him to know how she could
aid in the relief of Irish distress. He had placed her in
communication with the parish priest of Cape Clear, Father
Leader, and, through his instrumentality, she had paid the
expenses of a large number of families who emigrated. He
believed they had got over the worst of the pressure in Ire-
land, and that the condition of the people was sound and
satisfactory.
METROPOLITAN RAILWAY SCHEMES.
Mr. HARVEY LEWIS rose to call the attention of the
house to the great number of railway schemes affecting the
metropolis (upwards of thirty) introduced in the present
session, and to ask the President of the Board of Trade
what protection is afforded to the public interests in this
matter by the department over which he presides; and also
to move for copies of any reports made to the Metropolitan
Board of Works by their engineer, or other officers, upon
the railway and other private bills affecting the metropolis
during the present session. He said that the Metropolitan
Board of Works had done much for the improvement of the
drainage of the metropolis ; but they should take care that
the many schemes which were now projected or in progress
for the passage of railways through London did not injure
very materially the works which had been constructed so
well by the Board of Works. No less than thirty railway
bills had been brought forward. It should be admitted that
the communications between the east and west ends of Lone
don were as bad as they could be at present, and they re-
quired improvement. But it was incumbent upon the house
to take care lest they should get to a dead lock by the inter-
ference of the projected works with the sewerage and with
one another. The engineer to the City Commissioners of
Sewers reported that the condition of the various railway
lines that were to meet in Finsbury was most unsatisfactory.
People wishing to proceed from one to another would
have to cross the Circus, and those who came
by the Underground would have some seventy steps to
climb in order to reach the level of the station of
another line. He (Mr. H. Lewis) did not see what was to
be done unless the Government took action in the matter.
Something should be done to prevent the destruction of the
metropolis. Some of the projected lines avoided the sewers
very successfully at the high or low levels, but they were
likely to interfere with the middle level. In 1843 a com-
mission was appointed to examine and report upon the vari-
ous railway projects in connection with the metropolis; but
after the report was presented nothing more was done. Mr.
Bazalgette, the engineer to the Metropolitan Board of Works
presented a report on Jan. 28, 1863, in which he enumerated
36 schemes which affected the metropolis; a great number
of which interfered with the drainage in a manner which
he considered to be most injurious. Having read portions
of the report, Mr. Lewis said that he had now read enough
to show that, unless something was done by Government,
very great injury would be done to the metropolis and the
ratepayers. He proposed, either that the Board of Trade
should take up the matter, or that power should be given
to the Metropolitan Board of Works to appear whenever
they might think it necessary, when these railway bills were
under consideration. If something of the kind were not done,
London would soon become impassable. The injury done
by the Metropolitan Underground Railway, which was now
happily finished, was very great. During its progress the
people on the line of the New-road were not only seriously
inconvenienced, but some of them were actually ruined.
He thought that the
.Metropolitan Board of Works ought
to have the power of appearing and protecting the public
interest in the manneriin which he had indicated, and that
that might be done by a standing order of the house framed
for the purpose. (Hear, hear.) The hon. member concluded
by moving for a copy of the reports.
Mr. TITE also regretted that the public were not re-
presented in some manner before the railway committees
of the house. It was clear that some remedy should be
devised for the growing evil, but he was at a loss to sug-
gest what ourse ought to be taken in the matter. It was
said by a French traveller that London was the biggest city
he had seen, and at the same time the ugliest. It was
growing bigger every day, but there seemed little chance
indeed of its becoming one whit less ugly.
Mr. MASSEY said that he had ascertained from his
right hon. friend the President of the Board of Trade that
he was not prepared to propose any special mode of dealing
with the particular class of railway bills in question. For
himself, ho thought it much more advisable to leave such
matters to private enterprise than that they should be
undertaken by Government; but there could be no doubt
that the subject of railways in the metropolis was a matter
of special concern and imp Atance. The house might, if it
pleased, say at once that it was not expedient to encourage
such enterprises; and, if that were its opinion, it might, by
very summary process, dispose of them ; but if, on the con-
trary, it was of opinion that it was desirable to relieve the
pressure upon the great thoroughfares by encouraging
such schemes, and by facilitating communication with the
great termini of the metropolis, then it should be prepared
in some way or other to address itself to the question.
(hear, hear.) He agreed with the hon. member for Bath,
that it was desirable, in a case of such peculiarity as that
before them, that the public interests should be protected
by giving power to some body to represent the public
before the committees, and to watch their proceedings.
Little was to be expected from the Board of Trade in the
matter, and indeed he should have much more confidence
in the action of the Board of Works than in any Govern-