The Sun.
London, England, 1822-05-11 00:00:00

[BRITISH PRESS.]

The distressed state of Ireland was made the
subject of some debate yesterday evening in the
House of Lords, when the Earl of. Darnley
moved an Address to the Crown, for a Copy of
the Correspondence which had taken place be-
tween the Government of Ireland and the Secre-
tary of State for the Home Department. The
Noble Earl spoke warmly of the apparent
neglect of the Government in not exercising
the means in its power to alleviate the fa-
mine that rages Sin the South of Ireland, and • to
prevent the dreadful evil of 'pestilence which must
be expected to follow the miseries that are
now beginning to be suffered. The Earl of
Liverpool repeated what fell from him on a
former evening, and declared that the Govern-
ment could not interfere with the markets of the
country ; but he added, that measures had been
already adopted by the Government to remove
the present distress, and to prevent its return
until the next harvest. The only measure which
has hitherto, at least to the public eye, been
adopted by the Government, is that of advanc-
ing the sum of a million to the projectors of pub-
lic works ; but if this be the limit of the
efforts used by his Majesty's Ministers for
the relief of perhaps a million of starving
peasants, Lord Liverpool attributes far too
much to its efficacy. The advertisement in
front of our Paper shews the deep interest
which is felt in this city for the sufferings of
the Irish peasants. The subscription for their
use is advancing rapidly, and money has been
already transmitted to the distressed districts, to
mitigate the extreme severity of their sufferings.
There is no want of food in Ireland of the best
quality ; there is enough of wheat and other
grain for the consumption of the country ; but
bread is, unhappily, a luxury to which the
wretched peasant of Ireland seldom aspires ; his
food consists almost exclusively of potatoes, and
it is in this article alone that the failure has
been complete. It would be well for Ireland
if this species of vegetable diet were not so uni-
versal there, and if the peasants could once be
taught to look upon animal food and wheaten
bread as essential to their existence, thf,y would
not so easily suffer themselves to be ground to
the earth, as they are at present, by their incon-
siderate or rapacious landlords. This country may
estimate the character of the system that pre-
vails i❑ Ireland from the circumstance that thou-
sands of the peasunts, as hardy, as industrious,and
highly gifted men as are to be found in any part
of the world, are at this moment suffering all
he horrors of famine in their native Country,

•••.•
•
from a• casual deficiency in one article of agri-
cultural produce, while at the same moment other
articles of human food continue to be exported
from Ireland for the use of other people. We
have no hesitation in saying that it would be
happy for Ireland if the cultivation of po-
tatoes were as much discouraged in that country
as it has been hitherto promoted. Lord Darnley's
motion for the paper was negatived on a division.
The Earl of Liverpool stated yesterday evening,
that if the biddings upon the proposed scheme
for farming out the pensions and half-pay list,
did not rise to what he and the Chancellor of
the Exchequer anticipated, they should not be
accepted. In such a case the Government would
suffer the Commissioners for liquidating the Na-
tional Debt to undertake the contract ; but, in-
stead of adopting so circuitous a mode of pro-
ceeding, it would be far more advisable to take
, the amount at once from the Sinking Fir. d.

AFRICAN INSTITUTI6N.—Yesterday the Six-
teenth Anniversary Meeting of this Institution
was held at the Freemasons' Tavern, Great
Queen-street, Lincoln's-inn-fields ; when up-
wards of 1500 persons of the greatest respecta-
"bility assembled in the. Great Hall, the majority
consisting of Ladies. His Royal Highness the

Duke of- GLOUCESTER took the Chair about one
o'clock. His Royal Highness stated the object
of the Meeting, and called upon the Secretary to
read his Report of last year; which commenced
by statinc, that a wonderful increase had taken
place in ther Slao Trade, since the last Annual
Meeting; The whole of Western Africa,-front the
river Senegal to Benguela, had during that pe-
riod swarmed with slave vessels, and an active

and increasing slave. trade had also been carried
on on the Eastern shores of that Continent, par-
ticularly from the island of Zinzebar; It had
been ascertained that the chief seat of this traffic
was in the river Bouny, and at Calabar, and that
190 slave ships had entered the former river, and
162 the latter, for the purpose of purchasing
slaves. Lord Calthorpe, the Marquis of bans
down, Mr. • Wilbefforce, Lord Nugent, Mr.
Brougham, and other gentlemen, addressed the
'Meeting, expressive of praise towards the Insti-
' tution, and. recommending its support. The
greatest praise was bestowed by several speakers
on the liberal Governments of North and South
America.

DRAMATIC COPYRIGHT.—In the matter of
MURRAY v. ELLISTON, the Court of King's
Bench have certified their opinion 'that an action
cannot be maintained by the plaintiff against the
defendant for the representation of Lord BYRON'S
tragedy of The Doge of Venice, at Drury-lane
Theatre.