The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-05 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT
HOUSE OF LORDS. June 4.
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat on the Wool-
sack at Five o'clock.
REPRESENTATIVE PEERS OF SCOTLAND.
Lord KINNAIRD presented the report of the Select
Committee on the election of Representative Peers for
Scotland, which was ordered to lie on the table.
CLERGY OFFENCES BILL.
The Bishop of OXFORD presented a petition
from the city of Oxford in favour of this Bill ; also
several other petitions to the same effect from clergy-
men and others in the counties of Oxford and Wilts.
The Bishop of EXETER was as desirous as any that
an effectual measure should be passed, and so were the
clergy in his diocese ; still they considered the present
Bill to meet the desired end was objectionable in many
of its provisions. He. trusted it would be remedied in
the Committee up stairs.
PROSTITUTION.
The Bishop of OXFORD presented a petition. signed
by the clergy and churchwardens of Cambridge, praying
their Lordships would introduce a measure to facilitate
the punishment of prostitution.
BIRMINGHAM AND OXFORD JUNCTION
RAILWAY.
The Duke of RICHMOND moved a Select Com-
mittee to consider the case of this railway, and named
the Noble Lords to constitute that Committee.
Lord BEAUMONT said he had intended to have
moved an addition to the Committee named, but, as the
House seemed to think it was unnecessary, he withdrew
that notice of motion.
The motion was agreed to, and the several petitions
were referred to the Committee named, it being ordered
that parties should be heard by one counsel on each side.
HEALTH OF TOWNS.
The Marquis of NORMANBY presented petitions
from the incumbents of two parishes, from the medical
gentlemen, and the working classes of the city of
London, in favour of the Bill brought in by the Govern-
ment, and praying that it nay pass into a law.
PORTUGAL.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE laid upon the table
of the House, in answer to a question put to him by
Lord Brougham on the subject, a number of papers, and
a copy of the protocol recently signed by the Ministers
of France, Spain, and England, with respect to inter-
ference in the affairs of Portugal.
Lord STANLEY did not think that the papers laid
before the House were of such a character as should
induce either House of Parliament to prenounce an
opinion upon the course the Government had put sued
with respect to Portugal. and it would be very unwise,
in the absence of any further information, to enter into
any discussion upon the suject in either House of
Parliamen r.
Lord WIIARNCLIFFE moved for certain returns
connected with the removal of Irish and Scotch paupers.
—Agreed to.
The Bishop of EXETER gave notice of his intention
to put a question, on Monday next, to the Lord President
of the Council relative to the minutes on education.
NAVAL PRISONS BILL.
The Earl of AUCKLAND moved the consideration of
the report on this Bill.
The Earl of HARDWICK moved the omission of
certain words in the first clause, with the view of throw-
ing the responsibility of coasmittine and punishing of-
fenders wholly on the captains of ships, instead of alter.
nately on the commando* of ports as well as the cap-
tains of ships.
Lord AUCKLAND resisted the amendment, which
was ultimately withdrawn.
The report was then agreed to.
EMIGRATIi )N.
Lord MONTEAGLE then rose to move the appoint-
ment of a Selec•. Committee respecting emigration as a
means of relieving the distress of Ireland. He regretted
having to bring the question under their attention so
late in the session, but the reason of it was, he did not
like to distract their attention with it while other mea-
sures for the immediate relief of Ireland were in pro-
gress. Now that obstacle was out of the way, and he
trusted he would be able to make out a strong case fir
the motion he was about to submit. The facts he would
lay before their Lordships were such as, he was per-
suaded, would fully justify some steps being taken for
the advancement of colonisation. When he considered
what their colonial empire was, that it contained a
population of from five to six millions, and was scattered
over every pert of the globe, though he had the greatest
respect I.r the efforts of the Colonial-office, he con-
hicl,?red it required assistance and information in the
work of advancing the interests of these colonies,
and it was with this object that he was about
to submit the present motion. In the present instance
they had eight millions of people in Ireland to deal with,
and therefore it was their duty to see that emigration
was well directed, and that the parties wbo went out
were so situated as to produce for themselves the greatest
amount of food. While he wished to stimulate emigra-
tion, he wished it to be distinctly understood that in
any measure be proposed he did not mean to dsturb the
present course of colonisation. When he said that the
amount of emigration from Great Britain to the colonies
from 1825 to 1836, was 1,500.000, he exhibited a strong
case for the consideration of Parliament. The effects
of it would not be limited to Ireland. The question to
be considered was whether this emigration shoal,' fib •
in a direction towards England or to the colonies an
dependencies of the country. He thought that some
protection might to be given to this country against the
o'-nir fir in -6 atie'bdurit?True'vagg' *ere-Ewa-7%—Ni
the other, it would be quite in vain to expect that legis
lative interference could prevent the influx of poor from
the country where the lower wages were paid to the one
where higher wages were made. It was only by a fair
and impartial system of equality that this state of things
could be rendered such a state of things as should tend
to improve the condition of the people of Ireland. Re
ference had frequently been made to this mode of treat-
ment by Committees of their Lordships' House upon
various occasions. It was quite certain that either the
standard of the Irish character should be raised to the
st indard of England, or that of England should be de-
pressed to the condition of Ireland. One or other of
these things must be done if the condition of Ireland
was to be permanently improved. An opinion entitled
to the greatest possible respect was pronoucced upon the
subject a few years ago by his Noble Friend opposite
(Lord Ashburton). His Noble Friend declared, when
he was in office, and a member of the then House of
Parliament, that Ireland could only prosper under a free
and liberal system of emigration. Lord Fitzgerald also
entertained a similar opinion a few years back, and if
such a system were acceded then, how much was it.
required now when the populadon of the sister kingdom
had almost doubled,. He had given their Lordships an
array of authorities in favour of emigration, but he had
omitted two which he was desirous of communicating to
their Lordships. No man had taken more interest in
the subject of emigration than Lords Durham and
Sydenharn, who had given it as their opinions that
emigration, when judiciously conducted under
Government supervision, not only benefited the
parent kingdom, but added to the import-
ance and increased the value of her colonies.
Re had thus placed before their Lordships the autho-
rity and opinion of men of all parties on the subject of
emigration; and having done so, he would proceed to
impress up-,n the heisse the reasons why the question
was peculiarly important now, and why steps should be
taken to extend colonisation. At the present moment
it was admitted that at least one-fourth of the food of
Ireland was destroyed; the country therefore was, to
some extent, in the prisition of several millions of people
_ being suddenly added to the population without the
means of supporting them. In such a case they would
have at once to decide how to increase the food to the
number of people, or take measures to send them when
food was plentiful. This was the present position of
Ireland; a state of things which, he submitted, could not
be mended by the present system of emigration. Nay,
so far from that, he believed the present voluntary sys
tern only made matters worse. To show this, he need
only say, that the emigrants which left the country were
those who had small capital, or those who were the ablest
of the industrious of the population. A drain on tin
capital of the country was thSrefore continual!)
going on at a time when it' could least af-
ford it. The Noble Lord read extracts from returns
respecting, the various districts of Indand, in support of
the statement which he had made. He had no objection
to the small farmers going to the colonies to improve
their condition if they could, but their Lordships should
take such steps that these men would not be the only
emigrants, as appeared to be the case now. With re-
gard to Ireland, he could., assure them that, however
lunch parties differed on other questions, they all agreed
-on this ; and this feeling did not arise from any feeling
that haul been unduly raised, but proceeded from the
conviction raised through letters received by residents in
Ireland from their friends in the colonies, who had been
successful settlers, and encouraged their relatiene at
home to folh.w their example. He did not wish that the
people of England should be called on to bear the ex-
pense of a system of emigration for Ireland, for he was
persuaded that the proprietors of that country were so
persuaded of the benefits of the system, that the re
sources of Ireland itself would be found sufficient to
carry out an efficient scheme with effect. Nsy, he had
no doubt that the soil itself would contribute a great
tienl towards the expense of such a system. Besides the
(*.sionista would also give it, for their interests
ea eneouratuid emigration, and he thought no
better
eon public coioni be adopted than to set the emigrants
means
(4.
realising
works, which works would be a great
funds for seeding other emigrants out.
Ms decided opinion
was, that the reason why the Ame•
titan States made such rapid progress, while Canada
made such slow progress
, was not because the former had
a more fertile soil, or because of political institutions, but
on account of the energetic- evienwrantei of the American
State Governments. In thiswh.er, he wt supported by
not alone restricted the report of Lord Durham,
Seneral of
Canada. But they were
an
their
stadess. The Australian
colonies also npere to the
ex-
tensiveCa-
field of colonisation. He did hope that
Lordships would adopt the motion he had pieeel
the paper. It would be taking another Step toward.
improving Ireland,
and if the inquiry resulted in the
establishmset of colonisano
•
some system of upon
large and .else Scale, he was sure it would go far to get
rid of many of the evils under which Ireland was at pre-
sent labouring.
Earl GREY would not detain their Lordships at any
'treat length in following in detail the statement of the
Noble Lord who bad just sat down, but there were one
or two points which henould not pass over without offer-
ing a few remarks upon' them. He did not agree with
the Noble Lord that emigration could remove the evils
from which Ireland was suffering. The task of trans-
porting large masses of people from one quarter of the
globe to another was not so sasily accomplished as his
Noble Friend seemed to think. He valued the im-
portance of emigration and colonisation as mach as any
eoue when confined witlan proper limits, but while deal-
ing with this motion he could not conceal from himself
that a large number of noblemen and gentlemen, in a
memorial they had presented to their Lordships, had