The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-14 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON,.

The Government have adopted the suggeston offered
by the Duke of WELLINGTON while the Landed Pro-
perty (Ireland) Bill was in Committee, so far as the
payment of the labourers under that Bill is concerned.
It would scarcely have been proper, however mis-
chievous the practice complained of had been, to in-
troduce a clause interfering materially with the em-
ployment of labour throughout the country in a Bill
which was only intended to afford facilities for the
improvement of their estates to certain landlords, who
might elect to take advantage of its provisions. The
subject is of sufficient importance to warrant the in-
troduction of a measure exclusively devoted to itself.
Nothing can be more objectionable than the practice
of including in a single Bill different subjects which
have no immediate connexion with each other. Many
persons might strongly advocate one of the principles
and be as strongly opposed to another. It also leads
to the greatest confusion when matters legislated
on are not even alluded to in the preamble of the
Act. However just or proper the limitation of the
hours of labour in factories in itself might be,
it could scarcely have been introduced as part of a
measure for a repeal of the duty on raw cotton, or for
an advance to certain manufacturers. The principle ,
should stand or fall on its own intrinsic merits, and
not receive any adventitious aid from another with
which it had been coupled. The Ministry have
therefore acted discreetly in limiting the operation of
the clause to the measure then in question, and to
that extent it has been most properly sanctioned. It
is not for the benefit of the Irish landlords only that
the sum of 1,500,0001. is about to be advanced from
the national Exchequer. It is to enable them to pro-
vide that employment which, from their own limited
resources, they could not hate afforded. It is to

enable them to direct the vast quantity of labour now
remaining useless and unproductive into the most
beneficial channels. It is particularly important that
the whole of the money granted by the Legislature
should be appropriated to the purpose for which it was
intended, and that no portion should be applied by the
borrower to his own use, unless some such safeguard
was introduced. This could easily have been effected.
The landowner, who is empowered to select for him-
' self the men to whom he will give employment,
might not have taken any who would not consent to
take a portion of land from him at an exorbitant
price, and to devote the greater part of their wages
to the satisfaction of the rent. This evasion will be
rendered impossible by the additional clause, which
provides " that the payment for labour under the Act
shall only be made in the current coin of the realm,''
and the interests of the labourer will be protected in
the most efficient manner.

Generally speaking, any interference between the
labourers and those by whom they are employed is
objectionable ; but when the nation has been called
upon to advance large sums of money for the support
of the starving people, and thus to take upon itself a
duty which should have been performed by the owners
and occupiers of land in Ireland, it becomes necessary to
take steps that may prevent the recurrence of a si-
milar necessity. One of the chief causes that have
led to such an unhappy result, undoubtedly, has been
that the peasantry of the country have been taught
to place their whole dependence on a precarious
crop. In place of obtaining a pecuniary remunera•
tion for their labour, as in this country, and then
purchasing therewith the necessary supplies of food
for their families, they got a slip of land for which
they mortgaged their labour. If it turned out un-
productive, their only resource was in casting them-
selves upon the charity of the public. This cause has
led to periodical famines, and so long as it is suffered
to continue, the like effects will be produced. The
sooner, therefore, that some general measure can be
introduced to do away with the grievance the better
for the country, and we know of none more calcu-
lated to attain that object than a provision making
void any agreement for the payment of rent by the
labour of the party taking land, and enabling him to
recover the wages of his labour in money, notwith-
standing any such agreement.

The Frankfort Gazette, of the 9th instant, states,
that disturbances connected with the high price of
provisions occurred atLeutmeritz, in Bohemia, on the
Ist instant. The people cut off the ears of a speculator
in corn. The Hanover Gazette, of the 6th instant,
states, that since the 17th ultimo, horse flesh has been
introduced as an article of food amongst the popula-
tion with the best effect ; .5,000 lbs. has been already
sold for consumption in the different towns of the
kingdom.

The smack Speedy arrived on Wednesday, at Fal-
mouth, from Lisbon in six days. The mission of
Colonel WYLDE had, it was hoped, proved effective ;
and at the time the Speedy sailed negotiations were
going on between the Junta and the Government.

The Levant mail brings intelligence from Constan-
tinople to the 26th, and from Athens to the 30th ult.
The French fleet, under the command of the Princa
DE JOINVILLE, has arrived in the Archipelago, as has
an Egyptian fleet, MEHEMET ALI having tendered
the services of his fleet to the Porte against Greece.
The Russian Ambassador at Athens has received
orders to support the demand for satisfaction made
by the Porte. COLETTI is tottering to his fall : his
majority in the Chamber of Deputies having dwindled
down to one vote, and that one vote his own, he has
had recourse to the desperate step of a dissolution.
The Illoniteur Grec of the 26th publishes a decree
dissolving the Chamber, and convoking a new one
on the 26th of July.
-.11111,
Madrid papers of the 6th have arrived.

The QUEEN, accompanied by her uncle and her
sister-in-law, left Madrid on the sth for Aranjuez.
The ICING did not accompany her MAJESTY. The
financial plan of Senor SALAMANCA will, it is said,
be carried into effect by a series of royal decrees.
The funeral of CASTRO 1' OROZCO, took place on
the Gth, and was attended by the Members of both
Chambers. There were 180 carriages in the pro-
cession.

MADRID BOLSA, MAY 6.—The Three per Cents. were
done at 31% for cash ; the Five per Cents. at 19* ; the Debt
without Interest at 5)<3 ; and the Coupons at 16.

We have received the Paris papers of Tuesday.

The severance between the Guizot Conservatives
and the Progressive Conservatives is now complete.
The Debats thus commences its reply to the attack
made by the Presse of the preceding day on the
Ministerial party :

" We will not enter into a long discussion with the chief
and organ of the defunct party of Progressist Conservative!.
There are no longer any Progressist Conservatives ; the mask
is thrown off. They have taken a defined position, and they
declare to the majority that its policy conducts to a terrible
revolution! That is frank and honest opposition."

The Debats then proceeds to attack, with great
severity and sarcasm, the conduct and projects of the
Progressist Conservatives, and concludes as follows :
" A great and very dangerous misunderstanding is for the
future cleared up. It is now notorious that a cunning oppo-
sition wri-tgled itself into our ranks, and laboured by sap and
mine to ruin the Conservative party. We had some idea
that t his was the case when we saw the chief of these pre-
tended Comiervat %tits blame, under pretext of independence,
sometimes the foreign, sometimes the domestic policy, of the
Government and the Chambers. Whoever has followed the
history of the last Legislature, is not ignorant that all the erria

1 leave our coffers to pay the foreign producers—that
the restrictive conditions of the Bank of England
Charter would consequently impote a serioui check
upon credit—that our manufacturing interests would
feel its effect; and that the demand for labour would
dimini.h, which, combined with the probable dear-
ness of provisions of all descriptions, would inevitably
lead to great national privation and distress. All this
might be very true, but until he actually fell it, he
would not compromise his accustomed tranquillity.
The prophecy is now, in a great measure, fulfilled;
and accordingly communities of all sorts have sent
up their representatives to Downing-street to detail
their pressing grievances. Much more, however, de-
pends upon individuals themselves than upon the Go-
vernment. Practical conduct is just now the one thing
needful. Economy should be universally sanctioned.
Prudence demands thus much, though we are far
from sharing in the apprehensions entertained by
many that the present crisis will be of some dura-
tion. Example is better than precept. Her MAJESTY
has taken the lead : an order was yesterday issued
by the Lord Steward, commanding that for the pre-
sent no description of flour, except seconds, shall
be used for any purpose in her MAJESTY'S household,
and that no person in the Palace shall have more than
a pound of bread each day. We hope this patriotic
example will be speedily imitated throughout the
land. The poor will feel thankful, and the country
will be largely benefited.