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

FEE SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY EVENIM, MAY 3, 1862,

MAGUIRE and the rest of the "brass band" had na
party feeling in the matter—they were animated
by motives of the purest philanthrophy ; 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 with'the nation's money. Disguise it as w(

may, we know that the whole thing is a got ni
case—intended to punish Sir ROBERT PEEL fo
having drubbed Archbishop CULLEN in contreversy
and the Government for its fidelity to the case
Italian liberty. The hints and references in tle
debate made this plain to everyone. The battle VOS
against Italian liberties, and for the POPE'S tempi-
ral supremacy, but it was fought, oddly enougl,
over Irish workhouses and potato patches. Major
O'REILLY of course took his part in such an affray,
and proved himself a worthy Irish hero.

That there are several cases of indivdual, ar,d
perhaps of what may be called local distress, 8
likely enough. The question is whether it be Bull
that Government ought to interfere with it,
whether the Poor-Law guardians out to meet't.
Those who pay the Poor-rates in Ireland foundit
essential, in order to avoid overwhelming impsi-
tion, to adopt the sytem of relieving only throigh
the workhouse, and refusing out-door relief. In
Ireland, as in England, there is the strongest re-
pugnance to entering "the House," and probahy,
in both countries, many, if feeble or diseased, wo.ld
jeopardise their life and health rather than do it.
We heard, a few days ago, at a meeting of Mtn-
chester operatives, certainly not less tried than ;he
Irish in Galway, of the repugnance of workmei to
become paupers. Now, it is certainly no secret tat
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-door relief in Ireland.
Equally will the country be slow to sanction
Goverment loans. If, indeed, they car 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 •evenue.
The country, however, and the Government may
well demur to loans secured on railway extensions,
which are next to certain not to pay, and ':o 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 millowners 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
complete as it was possible to be. One case was a
fair sample of all the rest, with which, indeed, Mr.
MAGUIRE seems to have been "crammed"in the same
way, uaa 4 -Imest as credul-n-, no 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 Manta 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 caset," said Sir
ROBERT PEEL emphatically " was lore 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 of death.
It came to this, a jury—an Irish one—had tdded
to their verdict "hastened by want" An ackition
which might certainly be made to the greater part 3f
the entries of deaths from similar diseases, among
the poor of London. -Want of better quarter*, of
fresher air, of more healthy occupation, too frequently
of dietary comforts, accelerate the deaths of most of
those who stiffer from consumption and scrofula in
our back streets. We wish we could hope that Nit)
had heard the last of these Irish complaints. The
best help towards which would be to settle th 6
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 recently appointed solicitor
to the Admiralty has, it is understood, been appointed
taxing-master in the place of Mr. Baines, who filled the
office for a number of years. The salary is £2,000 a year.

ILLEGAL FISIIING.—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 X 2 10s, with £1 18e
costs. The men were seen to take a salmon of about 141 b.,
and on the policeman proceeding to seise 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, E.G., Vice. President, in the
chair, the annual report of the committee of visitors for the
year 1861 was read and adopted. The conti ibutions of mem,.
bers and subscribers in 1861 amounted to £3,013 10s, the
receipts for subscriptions to lectures were £740 lls 6d ;
the total income for the year amounted to £4,693 9s. On
Deeember 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, ch. 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 oMcers for the ensuing year were
then elected, the president being the Duke of Northumber-
land, E.G., ; the treasurer, William Pole, Esq.,
!eLA., '.R,S,; and the Secretary, Henry Bence Jones,
>,4,4., M.D., F,R,S.