The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-23 00:00:00

DISTRESS IN IRELAND,

Mr. MAGUIRE drew the attention of the house to the
distress prevailing in the south-west of Ireland. He said
that cases of the most harrowing description °centred in
the district to which he referred. (The hon. member then
cited several cases of distress in Skibbereen and other parts of
the south-west of Ireland, and inferred from them a general
statement as to the destitution of the district in question.
Sir R. PEEL said that the Government had adopted all
the means their power to ascertain the actual state of
the south-west of Ire and, and from the result of that in-
quiry they were satisfied that the statements of the hon.
member (Mr. Maguire) were very much exaggerated. There
was much exaggeration in reference to Irish matters.
He thought the house should place more reliance on the
information obtained by Government than any obtained by
agents for newspapArs, upon which the hon. member (Mr.
Maguire) relied in the statement he had made to the house.
He repeated that he much regretted the distress that pre-
vailed in the south-west of Ireland. but he was happy
to inform the house that in that part of Ireland the green
and cereal crop was iu a very prosperous condition. He
did not deny that distress existed in Ireland, but ho con-
tended that, contrasting the state of the country somayears ago with its present state that there vas an
improvement. He strongly deprefiated placing implicit
reliance on the reports to Irish newspapers as to the condi.'
tion of Ireland, as they were generally too highly coloured
and founded on inaccurate information.
PUNISHMENT IN CASES OF PERSONAL
VIOLENCE.

Sir AL PETO called the attention of the house to this
subject.
He said that the punishments inflicted by magis-
trates for this class of offences were most capricious. In
some cases they were deservedly severe, and in others they
were strangely light. Looking at the importance of the
subject he thought it was a matter that should be taken up
by the Government.
Sir G. GREY said that the law necessarily placed con-
siderable discretion in the hands of the magistrates, and
did not think thAt ih referehoe to the general question

~_
finvolved, that it was necessary to go into the particular
cases cited by the hon. baronet (Sir M. Peto).
EXPENDITURE ON NATIONAL DEFENCES.
Sir R. CLIFTON drew the attention of the house to the
immense expeu4;ture for national defences in time of peace,
and moved •or papers respecting the armaments of France.
Lord PALMERSTON said that no thinking person
would for a moment suppose that, in the present state of
the continent of Europe, this country should be deficient in
military and naval preparations.
[LEFT SPEARIN G .1 I

HOUSE OF COMMONS—YESTERDAY.
EDUCATION IN IRELAND.
The O'CONNOR DON drew the attention of the house
to this subject, and said that although unanimity did not
exist iu Ireland in reference to this matter, still it was oc-
cupying a considerable portion of public attention in that
country. Ho then adverted to tho great objection in
Ireland to the system of national education, namely, the
disseverance of religious and secular instruction in
public schools. The hon. member next alluded to the gene-
ral piinciple of Government interference in national educa-
tion, and he contended that such interference should be
limited merely to assisting and not originating any compre-
hensive scheme of education, except under very exceptional

circumstances.
Sir R PE EL observed that this questi,n had been often
debated in that house without any other effect than to con-
firm the principle and policy adopted in Ireland, and it was
impossible to contend that the sy tem of teaching had not
succeeded. He referred to returns showing the satisfac-
tory results of the national system, and, with respect to the
Queen's Colleges (the main point of the O'Conor Don's
attack), which it was said had not met the object for which
they were established in 1845, he insisted that they had,
on the contrary, been pre-eminently successful, and had
answered the purpose of those who had founded them. Sir
Robert entered into copious details to establish his position,
and, in conclusion, expressed regret that some of the Ro-
man Catho'ic prelates should have condemned the system
of mixed education and stigmatised the Queen's Colleges,
striving to narrow the basis of secular instruction. Ho
hoped that the Government and the Legislature would
scrupulously maintain that system of combined secular
edu ation from the influence of which such beneficial
results had flowed, which had led, year by year, to the
moral improvement and social advantage of the people of
Ireland,

Mr. MAGUIRE replied to Sir. R. Peel, and controverted
some of his statements, denouncing the national system of
mixed education as, in many parts of Ireland, a monstrous
sham. The whole thing had tailed, he said, in every pro-
vince but one, and there the system did not produce the
beneficial results which it had the credit of producing, All
that was asked in Ireland was a national syAern under
which each religious body should have the training of its
own children.
The discussion was continued by Mr. P. Urquhart, Mr.
Lefroy, Mr. M'Mahon, Mr. Hadfield, Mr. Macdonogh, and
Major O'Reilly.
Mr. WHITESIDE animadverted upon the intempe-
rance of language in which some of the speakers had in-
indulged, and upon the attacks made upon the Established
Church, contrasting these aberrations from the question
with the temper, ability, and moderation with which it
had been argued by the O'Conor Don. He disputed some
of the remarks made by Sir Robert Peel with reference
to the University of Dublin, which ought not, he said, to
have been dragged into this discussion. With respect to
the charter sought for the Roman Catholic university, ho
remarked that it was not explained how the charter was to
be drawn, where the authority was to be lodged, and
whether the Crown was to be excluded from all control
over it.
Mr. MONSELL insisted that there existed iu Ireland a
restriction upon Roman Catholics desiring that their chil-
dren should have religious instruction without being de-
barred the means of obtaining academical degrees, which
should be opened to all without the sacrifice of conscientious
convictions.
Mr. HENNESSY called attention to the letter recently
laid upon the table respecting the foundation of additional
scholarships in the second year's course of the faculty of
arts in the Qaeen's colleges, and to the official returns on
the subject.
Lord PALMERSTON, interposing, expressed a hope
that, considering the lateness of the hour (half-past 11),
and that there was other business before the house, gentle-
men who desired to speak further upon the subject would
defer their speeches till another opportunity.
The discussion was, however, resumed by Mr. O'FER-
RALL, who charged the Government with a breach of faith
in the matter of national education in Ireland.
The motion for going into a committee of supply was
withdrawn.
The report of the committee of supply having been
brought up,
Mr. AYRTON, on the vote for the harbour at Alderney,
said he hid satisfied himself that the works could not be
completed for the sum estimated by the Government, and
insisted that it was absolutely necessary to have some dis-
tinct information as to the character at.d nature of the
works, and as to the sum required for their completion. He
moved for a eel, et committee to inquire into the amount for
which the harbour and fortifications at Alderney will be
completed.
This amendment was seconded by Mr. BEN TINCK , who
wished to know what, in the event of a lea!: with France,
would be the cffe't of the works—the harbour and the for-
tifications —beneficial or otherwise, supposing the works
were finished, lie believed they would be not only useless,
but detrimental to the country.
Sir H. WILLOUGHBY asked to what extent the Go-
vernment had been committed in these works.
Mr. PEEL said the plan had been laid before the house,
and he believed the works would be completed for the sum
estimated by the Government, £1,300,000. He saw no ad-
vantage in the appointment of a select committee.
After a short discussion, in which Mr. Monsen, Mr.
Liddell, Lord C, Paget, Colonel Knox, and Mr. Baxter
took part,
Lord PALMERSTON said the Government only asked
the house to enable them to complete a work which they
believed would be of great national advantage. In reply to
Mr. Bentinck he observed that he had already stated that
the harbour would bo of the utmost importance, in the
event of war, with reference to the Channel.
Sir M. PETO pledged his professional reputation that
the harbour, as now proposed to be made, would be per-
fectly useless.
Sir H. VERNEY defended the vote.
Upon a division, the amendment was negatived by 174
to 118, and the vote was agreed to.
The Unlawful Oaths (Ireland) Act Continuance Bill
was read a second time.
Several bills were forwarded a stage.
Sir G. LEWIS obtained leave to bring in a bill for
amending the Rifle Volunteer Grounds Act (1860).
The house adjourned at 1 o'clock.