The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-21 00:00:00

5...........5...361.
associated with a Committee for the relief of distres...
s, but in
that time they had never accepted is. of the Government
ehHey, because they could not act up to the Government in-
actions.str
. l\ o one who had not attended these relief com-
mittees could understand the anxieties under ehich these gen-
Zen: en laboured, or the difficulties they had overcome, but
' under who had filled similar situations in other places. and
mode
er
osifmmilaerectileregumstances. He felt convinced that the best
these difficulties would have been to suspend
the poor-law for the time being; in fac, he was sure that this
was far better than the Labour Act, which had turned out
teh a complete failure. It was very true that what
t▪
he Hon. Member for Stroud had asserted was correct, that
sllrt some eases relief was refused. The fact was, that the price
ul food was so enormous, that in some cases it was impossible
to supply it. For his own part, he thought that many bard
taunt's had been brought against those Members who were
connected with Ireland on the subject of the poor-law of that
eeettnlr)•; but Hon. Members should recollect that it was the
'el,' Ministry which now exiseed that had introduced that very
t°!relaw. They were told of many measures for the good of
and.rel
h,
, , Emigration was pointed out, public works were este-
,e,eesned, and other measures had been stated as a panacea for all
HI se evils. There could be no doubt that some one mu,t suppert
the destitute poor, but if no one could do so, the Government
of the country were bound to provide some funds fur the pur-
thpose. He had, with great pleasure, heard the statement of
e Noble Lord, that he had anticipated the subject, and that
, e state of Ireland would be shortie, brouget before the
House, and the means explained by which Government hoped
to avert the evil. The workhouses in Ireland were in an
awful state. Few of them could accommodate more inmates,
and in the workhouse of Skibbereen, of which mention had
been made once or twice that night; the deaths had exceeded
by 200, the amount of mortality in the corresponding period
of last year.—(Hear. hear.) Numbers of the inmates were
aal i cted with fever, and even in the workhouse of which he was
chairman, the daughter of the master and the schoolmaster,.
were also afflicted with fever. But it had been asserted that
• the guardians of the workhouses neglected their duty. He had
lately received a communication from a friend of his, who
abated that two of the guardians of the workhouse in his locality
were lying ill with typhus fever, caught whilst in the discharge
of their duties. In the western part of the county with which
he was eoneeeted, the state of the poor was most alarming; but
as he did not wish to say anything that might create
a difference of opinion in this debate, he was willing to give
every credit to the Government for their intentions with respect
to Ireland, but they committed a fatal error when they decided
upon doing avvay with depots in Ireland. The Hon. Member
for Stroud had stated that a large amount of corn yet re-
trained unthreshed in the farmers' possession. He (Lord
Bernard) wished that he could confirm that statement. No
• doubt the farmers had some corn for their own consumption,
but as a proof that at the present moment it was by no means
plentiful ; he might inform the House that in the corn market
of Cork (the second market of the kingdom), the supply did
not exceed the general average of July. As they
would soon have an opportunity of discussing this question,
when they had the information promised them by Government,
he would not further trespass upon the attention of the House,
but before sitting down he might express a hope that some
cheep might be made in the unfortunate Labour Act, under
which a vast sum of money had been expended for no possible
use, and that some measures would be adopted instead, which
would have the effect of inducing the peasantry to attend to
the cultivation of the land, and they might then expect that
another year would exhibit Ireland more prosperous then the
present, and her sons more contented and happy.
Sir GEORGE GREY admitted the fearful extent
of famine under which the people of Ireland were then suffer-
ing, but which h e hoped, that the presence of Parliament would
mitigate in some, degree that calamity. He knew that no effort
of human prudence could create abundance, where their was
felt scarcity. He admitted it was the duty of Ireland to avail
itself of all and every means within its reach, by which it
could arrest the progress of disease and death, and
Friend the
Chancellor of tlae Exchequer had given instructions that soup
kitchens should be established where distress was most preva-
lent; the object being to bring food within the
reach of that class who were incapacitated from
labour. He -would inform the Hon. Member for Stroud,
that the papers relative to the distress in Ireland would shortly
be laid aeon the. table of the House, and he would then per-
ceive the reasons which had induced her Majesty's Govern-
. went to advance money to the poor-law unions in Ireland.
He was sorry to say that there was a general disposition on the
part of the board of guardians to shrink from the most onerous
duty imposed upon them, viz.—that of collecting the out-
standing debts ; and when they found that pal ties who were
well able to do s o p: offered the plea of inability as a reason for
avoiding payment of the rates demanded for the sup-
port of the poor, he was sure tbat Honourable Mt-mbers
would not blame the Government for having exercised due
caution before advancing money for this purpose to the unions.
liesveouldin m staie the Castlebar workhouse, because it had not
been supported 'sot of the public funds, where the people were
away
Sfrom the doors without relief, and numerous
.!Neests were held on those who had died from starvation.
Y that workhouse could accornmolate 600 persons, and the
Board of Guardians had so neglected their duties, that not
more than 130 were admitted into the house. No answer was
returned by the to the repeated remonstrances of the Poor-
aw Commissioners, and as they had refused to make due
Provision for the support of the poor in their neighbourhood
s,_eas determined to dismiss them altogether, and supply their
rulia,: with a paid :board. Before sitting down he would merely
•• laud, to the state of distress in the West Highlands of Scot-
tie had been more immediately in correspondence with
i:
tihcatouttyliatpnroprietorn in the West Highlands, the Lord Advocate of
d, and :Sir John MtNeil, and it was due to the house
of the should know that the distress in the:West Highlands was
• praise.
had
ruarrdesst severe kind ; but the sacrifices which the landlords
• thargeabl
eTvistere of a nature to entitle them to the very highest
ate created,
exception to eel
t. . e ein a. _
.ey had almost in every case rendered their estates
occurred, but 1:.•1 large sum of money for works which they
only in one instance had he heard an
general conduct. Upon this estate two deaths
hilitating the e Iva' ha to say that that proprietor now was
that Scotland etainPl
t we , eof others. He had every confidence
difficulties. It "Illid struggle successfully through its present
vas natural that the state of Ireland should
occupy More attention,
Without refbut he could not resume his seat
e
prevailing "l
thereg to the West Highlands, and the destitution
e*
ea --...e, .GRAN
. hot o great was.
ad to thought that some means should be
compel the depots on the coast from Donegal to
esotkato open their stores of food forthesupply of the people.
the distressof that country, that the work-
ilnses were utteo:r J 1
tuontable to contain the numbers which it was
cottager,
eeell to thr
_ho:l,,ny, id,
for
c
e , had been k o them,. arid it was well known that the
pod their rates, ad . d been
_,.% as .landlord back. the money that should have
reserving it for their private use
eexi plereletecilhthwahtich hewinter. He did nut blame them, though
himself, especially when he saw the state of
Nttied in thth he country was plunged, for it could not be
utaunrtiantgoedth 1 e money which was required for food should be
e improvement of their farms.—( Hear, hear.)
number fortee latter part of the year, the number of paupers
Present which
workhouse at Cork was 2,900, whereas the
oh it was adapted was only 2,000, and at the
mates ae ist there were absolutely as many as 5,000 in-
t, enetneledated in the house. He would not trouble the
ouse itn
pre,,,,hiss any further remarks, but would conclude with im-
-I:47wehuoephrotaenti,ro:hefieoroGhdov.ernment the necessity of cm- bling the
.. Air.
is without the hardship of being thus im-
ealth and the country alike suffered.
to the linkingToOrhNisthdottutyght that he should not be doing jus-
titahr for their'to the country, if he did not thank
eaer periodreadiness to meet the necessities of Ireland,
coulties?eiallY for the establishment of soup-kitchens. Ile
h - ""e rushed
,but
lat that this measure had been adopicd at an ear-
- 'a in th,!._
classes his grateit as
it came, he would not refrain from
nde for the boon, for he felt that to all
claountry it would prove an immense benefit, and
zw_o9ld have
door el. f
la the Quee"7lll
‘srlad if so Henotification of it had been given
guardians of tlhe
measure of teeels.
oveders for ,het regretted, hoxever, that some
co which tlaey le had not been devised so tl,at the
raclietoetreasof pr . • Poor rni h
have been divested of their cha-
Hornitissionees with s
With • Cewireons would People, and he trusted that the
were
relieve them from the responsibility
_ y. He could notweel -
invested. The law had clothed the
his geraotirtude to the upreme
bilite" °f Ceinelous d Power, and it was heped that the
relieve them from their responsi-
mirtliostwever, sit down, without expressing
people of Ireland.
ah..l e Xl* relief of
but
io.h-, 0,,e interest of the
the ry for the exertions which they had
at heart, st. 4 •RMAN CRAWFORD said that, feeling, deeply
bef r °"` tna the should people of Ireland, he thought it
ere the H oulcl make some ob t• son the subject
serve con.
' Ire!' • oese. He had listened with much attention to the
taration of the II
he aste( hi r- L abou hi gh t Hon. Gentleman, the Secretary for
ich haa
elenss-r`u 'Would be eere.) But there were some facts, which
d ,•-' and nothing brought under the consideration of Govern-
4:lttzte s,one g was more prominent than the state of the
been and in connexion with that, the restrictions
wor Ittousit etasfkarthing was
soot,. distivt placed on the disbursements to relieve the
reception
he
granted for this purpose.
reception eof ibbereen, the place was formed for the
there 'of 800 inmates •and
d. - was not , yet, at the preset moment,
tsesi,,. es less than 1,169. The nurse had demanded her
~, 'et The apothecary had given notice to quit. The phy-
Al -•" w, 'as linable to evneread attend hod his duty. In the workhouse of
kith s seven children were put into two beds, and three
Ids_ a Were put into the same number of beds • and •
4etetsn adult in one case
Plerick th a were put into seventeen beds. In Down-
gam! e same principle was observed, when the-power of
,841,_g outdoor relief was denied. He could not deny the ad-
sioe'lasifss of the measure of Government, although he much
for he whether the abuse of the labour-rate had been just,
the end
recollected that when that rate was discussed it was at
he _end of the session, and but few of the Irish Members could
he is_r!t together. If they objected to that rate, inefficient as
wactlowed it had been, they ought to have been in their
*04,7, te state their objections, when the Government
thing'their assistance and advice. Yet the principal
g of which he would complain was the mistake which had
keen made in the wages allowed to the labourers for their ex-
enions on the public works. These men were only paid •
eightpence or ninepence a day, arid because this was only the
Price at which labourers in general were paid, there were bet
few who sought the relief. The Ministers of the Crown had not
?lied upon the assistance of voluntary contributions, for if they
rpazided Open voluntary contributions they would be most
miserably deceived. This fact would show, that where the
le . ity_ was the greatest the contributions would be the
byast.
theitlre trusted that the Government would take warning
the principle, and that, while they adopted
It appeared,' 'toy they would improve upon the practice.
1844, as many Pus 1,800
()returns, that during the year
from Ireland, an d as ma,uoo quarters of barley were exported
Meal. Why way it that sTshislse
f902n,720 tons of oat and other
the people were, starving ? This
was exported from Ireland
looking to. Them there was : was a subject well worth
future crops. Seed must b another consideration
as to the
e provided for
were to be taken, from the produce of the these crops; for if it
Only be reducing the amount of those pile:lnt year it would
needed for preseent subsistence. Such
was the
les which were
ject which should engross the attention of
Mintitestpeorartata. sub-
; but he
desired particularly to impress upon the Government the
ctietssity of preve.sting the supply of food from being drawn ee
e Crop of the present season.from
~_ Mr. FITZF;TEPHEN FRENCH rose to address a few
i'boards to the I louse, solely on account of what bad fallen from
ss,e 'light Hera. Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home
plapartment, in reference to an occurrence that had taken
eis,e, ill the workhouse of Castlebar. Now, if he had been
ssae_utlY inform ed, the guardians of Castlebar had found that it
807etettait-
e, ey irrepossible to collect the rates in that district, and
sibeaitef them, therefore, took upon themselves the respon-
mese?' of feeding the inmates of the house, and by these
months the Jeaupers were supported for more. than. two
this us,s•-(Cries of " Hear, hear.") He readily believed
In uuermation, because a similar circumstance occurred
k his ovrn count
ecl'iede that Y• There, he knew of his own perso ial
Private ex ; tat, the paupers had latterly been supported at the
not: „Helease of the guardians, and yet because they could
failed ee t
seem the rates, now that their own private resources
Of the so, , they were to be handed over to the tender mercies
parsh•L clor-law Commis • stoners. In the case of the Castlebar
but he•ana the commissioners had already come to a decision.
liee guardians Strongly inclined to doubt its legality, in so far as
Ilettrabl ad never refused to art. There wore many
canon ~, e Members in the H ' • %tell L° statement that in House who could. bear him
ree.'eeted they were 1. h • the county with which he was
e' were given ii lighting their candles at both ends—their
it, -J4 distress erip., and still they were unable to relieve eve ry
W t.",l•llcinskris he- u st.Lering that Caine to light. —( Hear.
f0°,41.- take th could °els, assure the House, i' - ' f nosy
-"el th • theouble to inquire "et ,
it it in into the matter, it would be
ea eve ,western and souther cl. •
%Kt not by n istricts of Ireland the
any possibility be collected; a
anm in many