The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-26 00:00:00

hire succeeded ; how far I -think that they have been
deficient
and then to state ',shut we is ili proceed to do
_or the general emergency.— (Hear, hear.) After having
__ltlylejhat statement, I shall ask the attention of toe House
while I proceed to invite them to some consideration of
other measures which are calculated, in the opinion of
her
Majesty's Government to improve the stare of Ireland,
luid to lay the foundation for her permanent welfare asd
tranquillity. I shall then take the liberty oC mentioning
some other subjects which, although tl.ey have beeu
under consideration, have not received a full discussion.
the
we propose, in conclusion, to ask the authority of
) House tor the introduction of two Bilis ; by one
01 these Bills we propose to make valid certain Acts
;The under the authority of the Lord-Lieutenant of Ire-
land, and communicated in a letter to my Hight lion.
i,ssnd who sits near me (Mr. Labouchere). The second
pill is for the purpose of approving the present estimates
lu regard to Ireland, in pursuance of the Treasury mi-
nute of the Ist of December last.—(Hear, hear.) In
~Pr°e-eeding to consider the present condition ot that
-,.irutrYt I think it will be the safest course for me to
gearded
IMity h• and careful information respecting the cala-
'oh has overtaken Ireland, and for that purpose
propose to take the results of the Commission ot In-
quiry the Pour-law, and to ask the House to inter
how -great that calamity. has been—representing an
almost total failure of the potato crop. Sir, in the first
report of that Poor-law Inquiry Commission, composed
of
gent'emen of considerable experience and autho-
rity in Irish affairs, it is represented that the great
EreoPertion of the population is continually fluctuating
iween the condition of paupers and ;nd. pendent la-
ourers.—(Hear, hear.) Scare. ly one class of the
lion g population Iti n are permanently beyond the condi-
os
pauperism. lt is stated further that there are
isew small resident gentry; that the clergy and laity exhi-
bit much variance with each other, and that these
'gain are at issue with the labouring population.
This state of feeling has occssioncel great difficulty in
giving effect to the measures a:ready passed to improve
tue Condition of Ireland, both in the construction and
Working of the parochial boards and other bodies or-
ganised for that purpose. In the third report
the same Commission, which, with the others,
go to form the general report of the Commissioners,
the following facts are given :—lt appears that in Great
Britain agriculture constitutes one-fourth of the business
,or the people, whereas in Ireland it foams twostnirds.
An 1831 the number of persons engaged in agriculture in
Great Britain was 1,651,000; in Ireland it was 1,131,715.
At the same time while Great Britain had 34,360,000
acres in cultivation, Ireland had but 14,600,000.—(Hear,
hear.) Ireland had therefore, in proportion to its extenss
five agricultural labourers for Great Britain's; one.
At the same time, while in Ireland the wages of
the labourer was from 6d. to 9d. a day, it was
in Grist Britain from 2s. to 2s. 6d. (The Noble Lord
gave some other items in addition to these, as further
illustrative of the relative position of the two countries
in regard to agriculture, but he read them in such a low
and hurried tone as to be perfectly inaudible in the gallery.)
A great portion of them were not sufficiently
provided
at any time with the commonest necessariesof life.
Their habitations were wretched hovels, in which se-
veral families slept upon straw, covered sometimes with
a blanket, sometimes without even that protection.
Their food was dry bread, and some of them were
obliged to stint themselves to one spare meal a-day, and
instances had been knows of persons, driven by hunger,
being compelled to seek sustenance from wild roots.
Their employment was scarce and uncertain, some going
in search of employment to Great Britain during the
harvest time, some going on a similar errand in Ireland,
and many having only casual resources to fly to for the
lluPport of their children. Such, therefore, Sir,
is the description given by the most undoubted autho-
rities of the state of th e labouring classes in Ireland.
The state of Ireland may be imagined, when I say that
those who had not sufficient food are those who are best
off, and yet they had scarcel enough, and those who
had been before on the brinky of famine, have perhaps
been unable to resist the calamity. Such has been,
unfortunately, the case during the present year,
and during the visitation of a calamity which is, per-
nalls, almost without a parallel, because it occurs in a
!try large population—a population of eight millions,
"hich has gradually increased to that amount, while the
famine is such as has not been known in modern times.
"S-S-liear, hear.) I should say it is I;ke a famine of the
tnirteenth century, so destructive and universal are
its. effects. Such, Sir, being the general nature
of
this ease I will state what was the course adopted
during the' past year, from the sitting of Parliament to
the present time. When Parliament met last year it
as apprehended that the potato crop, having been
much injured, there was about-to be a great scarcity in
Irehiod.
That apprehension was not fully justi-
fiedbY the event.—Otter.) It was impossible,
think,
4,
for any man exactly to see what the
extent of the misfortune would be ; but I also think,
previous
that having had a very plentiful crop of potatoes in the
outs year, although there was a great quantity of
belt:no:to much Injured, yet the quantity of food in
Parliament
not very deficient.—(Hear.) However,
took means very early in the session
for the supply of food for the destitute, by means of giving
Vork on roads and public works. It was enacted by
paParliament that at the request of the sessions in a barony,
the
should be empowered to advance money from
is%
_Treasury in loans for the execution of these works.
vuotedder this law
".?:.ceret,tion
of the Government, on the 31st of August,
a sum of 1,373,0001. for the relief of distress, by
public works. There were presentments
and
to the amount of 476000 i. for these works,
ti(or out of this sum 290,0001. was actually expended,
s_ero e the end of the last session of Parliament, on the
7ril mendation of the present Government, Parliament
passed a further Act, by which, on the one hand, the
Presentment
of Ireland was permitted to order
sessions, and, on the other hand, in
order to check an extravagant expenditure, it was de-
termined that these sums- should only be granted by
way of loan,
and the money was to be repaid
I'a.o th
.e Treasury. Sir, very soon after the session of
rharnent had closed there was a great desire evinced,
inmany parts of Ireland, to have presentment sessions,
tho order that public works begun, but more especially
se .
1, üblic works which had alread been sanctioned
Parpliament, might be proceeded with. Some objec-
rns were urged, that these works would be better
deferred then, because there would be a great demand
tor labour, inasmuch as the harvest was coming in, and
therefore it would be advisable to defer the construction
of the works at that time. But the operation of the law
Was, by the demand of new works, made extremely diffi-
cult to the Board of Works, notwithstanding they
were reinforced by the addition of ten gentlemen, in
every way competent to its duties. After
these works were commenced great complaints
were received from the proprietors of land and country
gentlemen in Ireland, that the works had been found
quite useless, and that, s
e pee•ally, the roads which had
been begun were not wanted. Ido not attach any great
force to these objections, the object being to afford
relief by providing a certain amount of labour, which
would show that industry was not entirely abandoned ;
and the productive nature of the work was a matter of
secondary importance, as the object we had in view
ris the preseivation of the people in the first place
from loss of life, by providing labour, and not by
an ill-judged and indiscriminate charity. The poor rates
in the last five years had increased from 4,000,0001. to
5,000,000 L, being an increase of a million and upwards;
41;" I do not believe from the mode in which that mil-
"'lb had been expended that any great amount of
productive labour has been engaged, but that
that sum
has been employed in the partial
and inefficient relief of local distress.—(Hear.)
;,-2(iet not, therefore, attach any great value to the ob-
jections thus made, but, at the same time, as it was most
desirable to obtain the co-operation of the landed gentry
of Ireland, and as it was desirable, if possible, to have
the works of a productive kind, the Lord-Lieutenant
of Ireland, with the consent of the Cabinet, after the
cane having keen fully represented to them, sane
''''ned a plan by which the sessions were allowed to
Present for productive works instead of works of an
unproductive nature. This plan bad not long been
adopted before a further desire was expressed for a town
land division, and the presentation of works for such
town lands. These town lands are of various dimen-
sions, some of them very small, not more than 100
acres; the general average of the whole town lands do
not, however, contain more than 350 acres. The ques-
tion for her Majesty's Government to consider was,
whether it would be possible to accede to this request. It
was quite obvious that if it were permitted to every per-
son, who was the proprietor or occupier of town lands,
only to make himself responsible for his own town land,
there would be no general interest in the welfare of the
community, or in providing for the destitute; and more
especially, the possessors of gracing land, or lands from
which clearances had been effected, would have only some
two or three destitute persons to provide for; while
hundreds of others, who were possessing a demesne in
town lands would contribute more than their full
share. In the opinion of the Lord-Lieutenant, and
also of all persons who had paid any attention
to the subject, it was thought that this plan
could not be beneficially adopted. But, Sir, it was said
that, although that plan couldinot be adopted, still there
was another scheme which might be adopted, and one
which would prevent the evil ot those who were ready to
employ labourers, and to improve their estates, from
being obliged to maintain the tenants and labourers of
those who neglected their occupations and their duties.
The plan' was one for allowing the town-land division to
take place, but obliging the proprietor and occupiers of
town-lands to employ a certain number of destitute, so as
to spend the whole of the amount of the assessment
laid upon the barony. Upon this subject Ido not know
that anything better can be said upon this plan than an
observation made upon it in a public letter written by
Mr. Smith O'Brien, M.P., in a letter to the proprietors of
a public journal. He said that he thought this plan
was much better than the one in actual operation.
(The Noble Lord then read the opinion to which he re-
ferred. It supposed a district of a county belonging to
two proprietors in which 100 persons resided, one of
Who employed fifty independent
toylbourers, whilst the
°tiler did not ; therefore, to order get rid of the main-
tcleinscahn4cregoef the other fifty, who would thus be thrown
fpr support upon the rates, he would be compelled to
his workmen ; thus one hundred persons
would be thrown upon the land for support,
as Paupers : so that if he were compelled to empity
themo in that capacity, they would not be subject to his
"It Control, and would not perform his labour in so
efficient a manner as the independent labourer. They
would be paid out of the poor rates, to which he would
Only
This e called upon to contribute his share.
enterprisesoar
individual Prise, andsuw
Ihavin' g,. generally, an injurious
()Aeration.conceive that these observations
91' the Honourable Member for Limerick are pefectl)
Justifiable, Our
experience in England has proved
that the system works as he has described. The la
bi4orera lent by toe parish to labour occasionally on a