The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-03 00:00:00

IRE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENING, MAY 3, 1362.

and Forests !" as it is nowadays, with more elegant '
fastidiousness, "of Parks and Palaces !"]—against
the notion of this delegation of an inquiry to a set
of Royal Commissioners, Mr. COWPER on Tuesday
evening raised his voice with something like indig-
nation. The Minister frankly acknowledged that
he objected to it because it distinctly tended to super-
sede the responsibility of the Executive Govern-
ment. And, certainly, for inasmuch as that
was his objection, we cannot but very heartily ap-
plena it. For it was a manly objection enough
upon the part of "the" responsible administrator, in
the very department the motion related to. But
not satisfied with giving that right-down good rea-
son, Mr. COWPER must needs at once damage his
argument, so far, by backing up the good reason at
once by an unmistakeably bad one. The right hon.
gentleman actually objecting to the motion of Mr.
BAILLIE COCHRANE upon the score that, at the
present moment, its acceptance by the House would
be exceedingly inopportune, for inasmuch as the
inquiry by the Royal Commission therein proposed
would, in all human likelihood, lead to delay. Now,
really and truly, unless Mr.COWPEIt has made up his
mind to take the initiative here himself forthwith,
in his ministerial and administrative capacity, we
don't exactly perceive how the non-appointment
of a Royal Commission of inquiry, just now, will
guard us, in any respect, from the possibility of
any further delay ! Of course all that the right
hon. gentleman could seriously have before him,
in his mind's eye, at the moment of raising this
objection to Mr. COCHRANE'S proposal, could only
be the delay that might interfere with the now
imminent labour of reconstructing the Foreign
Office. But that one exceptional difficulty might
have been readily enough guarded against.
Allusion was only made to it at all parenthetically,
and quite by the way in the course of Mr.
COCHRANE'S speech introducing his motion to the
House. It was thrown out purely as a casual
suggestion by the hon. gentleman; and might►
therefore, at once have been got rid of. It was
in no way essential to the integrity of the motion
then before the House. In point of fact, strictly
speaking, it bad nothing whatever to do with it.
The reasonableness of the motion might have been
admitted by the House of Commons, the Royal
Commission might have been appointed by the
Crown—and the reconstruction of the Foreign-
office need not necessarily have been thereby inter-
fered with or definitively postponed. However, as
the event fell out, it was rejected, as we have seen,
by a clear majority of 67 in a house of 165. And
therefore all we have now left for us to do in
regard to it, now that the notion is thus quietly
cushioned, is to consider for a while—and for our
futui e guidance—a few at least among the abundant
reasons there are for a reconsideration (shall we
say, at any rate may we not hope, next session ?)
of the whole question relating to those among our
Public Buildings which are set aside for the use of
the various departments of the Government.

Accordingly as the system now stands, we are
actually spending for the hire of ugly, scattered,
and incommodious houses to be used as public
offices, for the repair of those building and for the
expense of furnishing them, an annual rent of
£BO,OOO ! Otherwise over and above the yearly
interest of £2,500,000. Now, let it be borne in
mind at the same time, that by the expenditure of
precisely that very sum of .£2,b00,000 we could
secure, for once and for all, to the nation a magni-
ficent site and build thereupon a noble pile of build-
ings, capable of containing under its roof the whole
of the now scattered, and many of them ill-housed
departments of her MAJESTY'S Government. The
feasibility of this has been demonstrated. It was
proved upon authentic and reliable evidence before

fore that Committee that the whole of the
houses and grounds lying between St. James's-park
and the river Thames, skirted upon one side by
George-street, and upon the other by Richmond-
terrace, could be purchased for £lOO,OOO. And
that the huge block of Government buildings then
and there proposed to have been erected would
have cost £1,500,000 additional. So that
literally for £2,500,000 altogether—the very sum
the interest upon which we are now paying down
to the tune of £BJ,OOO in the miserably unsatisfac•
tory way already particularised—we might perma-
nently bring together the whole offices of the
Government and house them in a structure for
ever afterwards belonging to the nation, and cal-
culated by its architectural beauty to lend its aid
in the lasting adornment of the capital.
Surely if it could but once tend to confirm
beyond the possibility of denial the perfect accuracy
of these really startling estimates, a Royal Com-
mission, such as was proposed on Friday night to
be prayed for from her MAJESTY by an economic
House of Commons, would be no waste of time
after ell ! It appears upon the very surface so
ignoble and peddling a course to pursue—this
one which in this matter we have so long, and
systematically, and perversely been pursuing !
Hiring baildings for public offices at great expense
and at miserable inconvenience ! Instead of the
Nation haying its own offices : and those offices
worthy of being the home and habitation of the
British Government. In lieu of adopting any bold
and imperial determination with a view to rid
ourselves at last of what in regard to this jumbled
question of our Public Builings, is hero again
in STEPHEN BLACKPOOL'S despairing phrase,
"aw a muddle"—we are so enamoured of this muddle
by usage that we must still cling to the chance of
its continuance i❑ spite of all remonstrances! If
anything whatever is done in the way of improving
our public offices, those that are, by right of posses-
sion and of ownership, our public offices—we must
yet persist in doing it piecemeal. We must spend,
as we did not very long ago, £lOO,OOO in building
up a bran new edifice as an office for our Inland Re-
venue Department. And yet we must so do this
that that same department shall still require (as it
actually does to this day) as many as ninety rooms
in Somerset House! Ex uno disce omnes : it is the
same throughout. For instance—what could well
be a more reckless piece of stupidity in its way
than the purchasing, as long ago as in 1825, of that
piece of ground near Downing-street, which was
actually so purchased at a cost of about £25,000 to
the nation, with a view to the enlargement of the.
site of the Foreign Office, and which has neverthe-
less during all these thirty-seven years past been
lying there, a local eyesore, a bit of waste land, a
litter of dead cats and broken potsherds ? 0 ! but
for one or two years of a really bold and sagacious
despotic Improver of the Public ,Buildings of the
Metropolis! We should then, at last, have a clean
sweep made of all these unsightly and melancholy
anomalies. We should then, at length, see some-
thing in the way of a series of really comprehensive
improvements. We should then no longer be
patching and cobbling at Public Buildings alto-
gether unworthy of the name. We should, at
length, have a grand palatial edifice down at West-
minster, not unbefitting a structure set apart for
the abode of the British Government.

Irish starvation fed a rather long debate last
night. The real object, of course, was to attack
first and chiefly Sir ROBERT PEEL, and also the
Government which he represents. Professedly Mr.

MAGUIRE and the rest of the " brass band" had no
party feeling in the matter—they were animated
by motives of the purest philanthroplay ; and we
may safely give many of them credit for the usual
share of that amiable virtue, only the virtue dis-
played itself most vigorously in proving Sir ROBERT
PEEL and Lord CARLISLE, and all of the Govern-
ment who had to do with Ireland, cruel and close-
fisted withtthe nation's money. Disguise it as we
may, we know that the whole thing is a got up
case—intended to punish Sir ROBERT PEEL for
having drubbed Archbishop CULLEN in controversy,
and the Government for its fidelity to the case of
Italian liberty. The hints and references in the
debate made this plain to everyone. The battle was
against Italian liberties, and for the POPE'S tempo-
ral supremacy, but it was fought, oddly enough,
over Irish workhouses and potato patches. Major
O'REILLY of course took his part in such areaffray,
and proved himself a worthy Irish hero.

That there are several cases of indivdual, and
perhaps of what may be called local distress, is
likely enough. The question is whether it be such
that Government ought to interfere with it, cr
whether the Poor-Law guardians out to meet it.
Those who pay the Poor-rates in Ireland found it
essential. in order to avoid overwhelming imposi-
tion, to adopt the sytem of relieving only through
the workhouse, and refusing out-door relief. In
Ireland, as in England, there is the strongest re-
pugnance to entering " the House," and probably,
in both countries, many, if feeble or diseased, would
jeopardise their life and health rather than do it.
We heard, a few days ago, at a meeting of Man-.
cheater operativPs, certainly not less tried than the
Irish in Lialwdy, or the repugnance or woihweu L.
become paupers. Now, it is certainly no secret that
it is not this which troubles an Irish-
man. He would only be too well pleased if he
could pocket the ratepayers money, or the Govern-
ment's, he is perfectly unconcerned which, and lay-
ing it by, or giving it to his priest, live on his
potatoes, and such jobs as he could get. Paddy
would make very merry over this, and think he
had done a clever thing. This is notorious. All
the Irish members know it as well as we do. It
is useless, therefore, to think of attempting a
system of out-dour relief in Ireland.
Equally will the country be slow to sanction
Goverment loans. If, indeed, they can be ad-
vanced on unquestionable security, be the system
right or wrong, if we can borrow at little more than
three per cent. and get five in return, the Govern-
ment cannot take much harm from turning agri-
cultural banker by help of the national revenue.
The country, however, and the Government may
well demur to loans secured on railway extensions,
which are next to certain not to pay, and to which
capitalists would not be tempted by the offer of
usurious interest. Drainage was mentioned, and
if the benefited estate proprietors would consent to
its becoming a first charge on their estates there
might be little objection, but the Irish members
must be made to understand that their support can-
not be purchased by loans to make unprofitable
railways to some favoured estates, nor to drain lands
for which the land itself is not the security. Lan-
cashire millownera have surely a far clearer case to
come to the Government with, than Galway can
have. The stoppage of the ordinary sources of
wages there is undeniable, and the distressing con-
sequences patent to the world. Still as yet the
members for the district do not send round circulars
to get up tales of horror on which to base an appeal
to the national treasury, nor do the Lancashire
clergy go to war with the Home Secretary, nor
even with his under secretaries.

The answer of Sir R. PEEL to Mr. MAGUIRE'S
shocking stories of deaths from from want, was as

- -
fair sample of all the rest, with which, indeed, Mr.
MAGUIRE seems to have been " crammed" in the same
way, and to have been almost as credulous, as Mr.
BOWYER in regard to Italian matters. A Rev. Mr.
MACDERMOT wrote on the 25th of March that four
of his people had died of starvation, and that he
expected others would follow. Sir R. PEEL had
these cases investigated by testimony delivered on
oath. In the first case the man was 70 years of
age; had a good crop of potatoes not consumed at
the time of his death ; in his illness his landlord
forgave him his rent, and sent him delicacies, and
his wife sent him plenty of bread and tea morning
and evening. He refused, indeed, to subscribe to
his coffin, but it was because the daughter paid
2s. 6d. for the priest to say masses for his soul,
which he thought would more honestly have
gone towards the coffin. Such was the
the character of at least some of the deaths from
starvation to which Mr. MAGUIRE treated the
House last night. "In none of the cases," said Sir
ROBERT PEEL emphatically " was there the
slightest ground for the allegations that had
been made." Mr. MAGUIRE wrangled hard with
Sir ROBERT about one case in which long disease
and scrofula had been the immediate cause or death.
It came to this, a jury—an Irish one—had added
to their verdict " hastened by want" An sedition
which might certainly be made to the greater part of
the entries of deaths from similar diseases, among
the poor of London. Want of better quarters, of
fresher air, of more healthy occupation, too frequently
of dietary comforts, accelerate the deaths of most of
those who suffer from consumption and scrofula in
our back streets. We wish we could hope that we
had heard the last of these Irish complaints. The
best help towards which would be to settle the
POPE himself.

THE JAPANESE AMBASSADORS. INTERVIEW
WITH EARL RUSSELL.—Yesterday afternoon, at three
o'clock, the Ambassadors from the Emperor of Japan were
introduced and had an audience with Earl Russell, at the
Foreign-office, 'Whitehall. Their Excellencies remained
in conversation with the noble earl for upwards of an hour,
and did not take their departure until twenty minutes past
four.

NEW TAXING-MASTER IN CHANCERY.— On Mon-
day Mr. Henry Ramsay Baines, one of the taxing-masters
of the Court of Chancery, died at his residence at Esher,
Surrey, and Mr. Skirrow, the recen' ly-appointed solicitor
;o the Admiralty has, it is understood, been appointed
;axing-master in the plats of Mr. Baines, who filled the
office for a number of years. The salary is £2,000 a year,

ILLEGAL FISHING.—On Thursday at the petty
sessions at Upton-on-Severn, Worcestershire, Wm. and
John Mann, father and son, fishermen on the Severn be-
tween Upton and Tewkesbury, were convicted, at the in-
stance of the Severn Fisheries Protection Association, of
fishing for salmon in the Severn with a net the meshes of
which were of less dimensions than eight inches in circum-
ference, and were fined in the penalty of £2 10s, with £1 18s
costs. The men were seen to take a salmon of about 141 b.,
and on the policeman proceeding to seize the net they en-
deavoured to capsize the boat, telling the officer that they
did not mind drowning him, as they could swim.

ROYAL INSTITUTION OF GREAT BRITAIN.---At the
annual meeting of this institution yesterday, the Duke of
Northumberland, K.G., Vice. President, in the
chair, the annual report of the committee of visitors for the
year 1861 was read and adopted. The conttibutions of mem-
bers and subscribers in 1861 amounted to £3,013 10s, the
receipts for subscriptions to lectures were £740 lls 6cl;
the total income for the year amounted to £4,693 9s. On•
December 31, 1861, the funded property was £28,655 17s
2d; and at the balance at the bankers £968 16s Bd, with six
Exchequer Bills of £lOO e, eh. A list of books presented
accompanies the report. Sixty-three lectures and twenty-
one evening discourses were delivered during the year 1861.
Thanks were voted to the President, treasurer, and secre-
tary, to the committees of managers and visitors, and to
Professor Faraday, for their services to the institution dur-
ing the past year. The officers for the ensuipg year were
then elected, the president being the Duke of Northumber-
land, K.G., ; the treasurer,. William Pole, Esq.,
M.A., F.R.S.; and the SeGretary, ripary Bence Jones,
MiA.? M.D.I

LATEST NEWS.

PARIS, MAY 3.

The Moniteur of to-day announces that the Cha-
rivari has received a warning on account of an
article entitled " Quiquopros Goyon."

NAPLES, MAY 2, EVENING.
To-day the King received a deputation of Sena-
tors and Deputies.
In replying to the address presented to him, his
Majesty expressed his affection and gratitude at the
splendid reception which he had met with.
The King concluded his speech with these
words :

"Extension will be given to public works.
"Public safety is not yet re-established, because
Rome is the centre of conspiracies ; but believe
me when I say, that as much as the Italians wish
to recover Rome, the French wish quite as much
to terminate their occupation of it."

TURIN, MAY 2.

It is asserted that the Italian Government has
granted the concession for the construction of rail-
ways in Southern Italy to a society of foreign and
Italian bankers represented by Messrs. Rothschild.
The capital of the society is 300,000,000 francs.

MESSINA, MAY 1.
The Viceroy of Egypt has arrived here, and was
received with appropriate honours.
He is expe3ted to leave this evening for Naples.

GENOA, MAY 2.

Yesterday six thieves, armed with pistols and
dazeers, made their way into the offices of one of
the principal bankers in the city. They garotted
the officials, and carried away the sum of 800,000 f.
The police are upon the traces of the offenders.

NAPLES, MAY 1.
Prince Napoleon is expected here on a visit to
King Victor Emmanuel.
It is stated in official quarters that General
Goyor, has been recalled from Rome.