The Sun.
London, England, 1849-05-19 00:00:00

On the motion for the third reading of this Bill,

Earl GLENGALL said as there bad been a full dis-
cussion on that measure before, he did not intend to
trespass on their Lordships' time at any great length.
He certainly objected to the measure, because he did not
think that 330,0001. could be raised in Ireland, conditioned
as she was at present, by this sixpenny rate-in-aid, for
the 13,000,000/. that have been generally represented as
the rental of Ireland, does not amount to more than
9,000,0001., and consequently it was impossible that the
330,000/.!could be collected from that income. It should
be known to their Lordships that this was not the only
measure touching the rating system in Ireland, for there
was another proposed by the Government in another
place, which would place the majority of unions in Ire-
land under an additional shilling rate. He considered
that this latter Bill should be a part of the former
measure, that is, of the rate-in-aid. He felt assured
that 330,0001. would not answer to meet the distress
of the 21 or 23 bankrupt unions in Ireland, for it
the distress and famine that prevailed in the three
past years were to occur in 1349 he felt assured that
thirteen of those unions would not only swallow up all
the money callected last year fur the relief of the dis-
tress, but would after a short time require more. He
warned the Government against the general feeling pre-
vailing in Ulster against this measure, and apprehended
that it was a dangerous measure, and might tend to the
separation of the two countries. The people of Ulster
had strong grounds fur complaint, because they were not
able to meet such an exorbitant tax, for instead of the
4s. or 6s. that had been stated to have been the maximum
of the rate, he was authentically informed by a Noble
Friend of his that in some unions it amounted to ss. 9d.,
and in many other unions to Os. in the pound. He should
also remark that there were many unions represented as
solvent in the county Cork which were rated at from 9s.
to 10s. and 1 ls. per pound, and that these unions were
not able to meet such a heavy tax, and he therefore
contended that, on the authority ot gentlemen whose
opinions should be valued by their Lordships,
the people of Ireland, after three years' famine, could
not and would not contribute this tax for the support
of their poor. He thought it very curious for Govern-
ment to propose to perform three miracles in the condi-
tion of Ireland, which miracles he felt assured would
break down. The first was the supposition that this
rate in aid would support the twenty-three bankrupt
unions, which he felt assured would not be the case.—
(Hear, hear.) The second miracle was the advances of
certain sums for the relief of Irish distress out of the
Consolidated Fund, must be repaid through this mea-
sure. This too, he did not think could be done. The
most extraordinary in his opinion was, that the sums
collected through this Bill, as shown by one of its
clauses, was, that a part of it should go to aiding and
assisting emigration, for the purpose of remedying the
evils arising from a superabundant population. He, for
his part, had no objection to any measure that would re-
lieve distress and assist emigration; but some other
means should be derived, for he look upon this Bill as a
perfect fallacy. He, therefore, wished that the Irish
Members would press more strongly on the Government,
and induce them to alter their unsound and prejudicial
opinions on the subject, and introduce some other mea-
sure, for he considered as there existed a political union
between the two countries, so should there be also a
fiscal union. The condition of the Irish landed proprie-
tors should be also consulted, for most of them have not
received their rents for the last three years, in conse-
quence of their tenants pocketing the price of their
produce and emigrating to America, which is now well
known to be a very prevalent system in Ireland. Nor
did he wonder that the Irish farmers should emigrate to
America, as they do not now get half the price for their
corn that they formerly got. When Sir Robert Peel
introduced the repeal of the corn-laws, he Sir Robert
Peel) said that his greatest apprehension of that mea-
sure would place Ireland in a dilemma, and words
more true he (Earl Gengall) believed that the Right
Honourable Baronet never spoke. He thought,
considering the loss of the export trade in Ireland,
that the Government had taken a most extraordinary
view of the state of that country, particularly when
the Poor-law Commissioners represented that the
country was overtaxed. He certainly made some allow-
ance for the Government respecting this measure, be-
cause he knew that they were severely pressed by the
Manchester school to desist from giving any more grants
to Ireland; but the gentlemen of that school should
have considered that Ireland had been at all times pre,
viously to the last three years of famine an invaluable
market for the sale of English manufactures, for every
article of iron, from the steam engine to the nail, was
brought to that country from England. It was owing
to the British legislature that that country was without
her own manufactories. For from the deys of Oliver
Cromwell to the year 1782 there w as a heavy prohibition
imposed on the manufacturing trade of Ireland. From the
time of their setting foot in Ireland to the reign of Henry
the Second, down to the reign ot William the Third, their
aim had been to invaee unscrupulously the rights and
privileges of the middle classes ot that country, and
to confiscate property without discrimination; and now
they were going to root out the body of the landed aris-
tocracy by throwing their lands into the hands of trium-
virs. Instead of excusing this spoliation, and driving
from Ireland the 8,000 Anglo-Norman proprieters, they
ought to know those men were their mainstay and the
chief supporters of the Irish Protestant Church, and that
they could not enforce this system of legislation against
them without endangering their establishment in that
couutry, not to eay am full sway of their authority,—.