The Sun.
London, England, 1847-07-09 00:00:00

. _
AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

Mr. NEWDEa-kPE wished to know from the Right
Hon. the President of the Board of Trade. when the
returns would be laid upon the table of the House, which
he had moved for some time since, with respect to agri-
cultural statistics.
Mr. M. GIBSON hoped to be able to inform the Hon.
Member to-morrow when the returns would be ready.
The Board of Trade had no control whatever over the
preparation of the returns.
GOVERNOR OF MALTA.
In answer to a question from Mr. HORSMAN,
Mr. HAWES stated that Sir Patrick Stewart had re-
signed his office of Governor of Malta in consequence
of his having been refused leave of absence. Upona
former occasion Sir Patrick Stewart had had leave of
absence, and Government did not think it consistent
with the public service to grant it a second time.
CHARGE AGAINST MR. HUME.

On the question that the order of the day be read for
going into Committee on the Destitute Persons (Ireland)
Bill,
Mr. SPOONER said it had been his intention upon
that occasion to bring a matter under the consideration
of the House of which he had given notice, but he did
not feel himself justified in doing so in the absence of the
Hon. Member for Montrose. He begged therefore to give
notice that upon the order of the day being read to-
morrow he should bring a subject under the attention of
the House which would imperatively require the Hon.
Gentleman the Member for Montrose to give some
explanation upon it.—(Cries of " What is it ?")
Mr. B. OSBORNE said the Hon. Gentleman the
Member for Birmingham ought to state what the subject
or charge was. He did not think it fair to bring
forward a sort of shadowy charge like this, to which
the Hon. Member for Montrose could not return a specific
answer.
Mr. SPOONER said he had taken care to specify in a
note to Mr. Hume what the charge was.
THE COLLIERY EXPLOSION AT WIGAN.

Mr. HINDLEY would take that opportunity of urging
upon the Government the necessity of instituting an
inquiry into this lamentable occurrence. •
Sir G. GREY said a coroner's inauest was now being
held upon the bodies of the sufferers ; but should it ap-
pear, at the close of the inquiry, that any further inves-
tigation was necessary, Government would take care
to institute it.
Mr. T. S. DUNCOMBE said that ho had suggested
to the Right Hon. Baronet that he should send an
officer on the part of the Government to watch the pro-
ceedings, for he thought that great negligence bad
caused the deaths of these persons, and that suggestion
was not attended to.
The subject then dropped.
DESTITUTE PERSONS (IRELAND) BILL.
The House then resolved itself into a Committee upon
the Destitute Persons (Ireland) Bill.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that the vote which he was about to put into the bands
of the Chairman was for a further grant of 300,0001_,
secured upon the payment of rates, for the relief of the
people of Ireland, and as ho was about to propose fur-
ther grants in the course of the evening, he thought it
desirable that the people of this country who had ad-
vanced their money should know how it had been spent"
and that the people of Ireland should know how they
had been benefited. The operations for the relief of
Ireland commenced in the spring of 1846, and was at
that time principally effected by giving employment to
those who were in a destitute condition. That relief
terminated in the month of August, and during the
period over which that relief extended about 734,0004
were expended, about one-half being advanced as a loan,
and the other half being by grant. At the commence-
ment of this year the mode of administering relief was
changed—for very soon after the assembling of Parlia-
ment the universal failure of the potato crop became
known, and universal alarm and despondency was felt
throughout the country. The relief committees were in
active employment all over the country, and many
abuses crept into that mode of giving relief—partly
from the want of proper management, and partly from
a very strong and humane feeling on the part of the
proprietors of Ireland. Intimidation had a good deal to
do with these abuses, and in consequence of all these
causes uniting together, the number of persons upon the
public works increased to so great an extent that the
most active exertions on the part of the Government were
necessary to keep down this source of expense. In March
of the present year, the number employed upon these pub"
lie works was 730,000 persons. In the month of Marco
the Government were compelled to order, peremptorilio
the dismissal or a great number of these persons, in
order to drive them to more necessary and more pro-
ductive exployment in the tillage of the ground. 1°
May a further reduction took place—and at the present
time no greater number than 22,000 were employed ; In
fact, no more than were absolutely necessary for the
continuance of those works which had been began'
From May the Government had fixed the amount of
money to be expended in this manner, at 100,000/ per
month. He wished to state at once to the Hon. Mem-
bers representing Ireland, that the Government bad
emphatically declared that in no case would these publio
works be continued beyond the termination of the ac-
tual pressure of the necessity, or at least beyoud the
month of August ; for the Government had anticipated
and, as it seemed, not altogether unjustly, that a de-
mand would be made upon them for the continuance and
completion of these works. A letter bad been written
by his (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) direction,
which distinctly stated that these works were not coin;
menced for themselves alone, but only for the relief of
the people, and that the moment the necessity discon-
tinued, they would cease also. The whole amount
which had been expended upon these relief works since
the 15th of August last year, was 4,900,000/, under
5,000,000/, and these works were being wound up as
fast as possible. Besides this, large depots of corn were
established in Ireland, some of which had been discon-
tinued upon the commencement of the operations of the
relief committees ; but as many as thirty-four had been
established in the county of Donegal this year. The
Government, in doing this, had taken great care t°
avoid any interference with the supply of corn which
was furnished by private trade ; and, indeed, he might
say, that no complaint of any such interference bad
ever reached the ear of the Government. In the Trea-
sury minute, of August 31st, it was ordered that the
corn depot should not be opened until the people were
enabled to obtain proper supplies of corn from the
private trade of
,the country, and that even when they
were opened that the corn should be sold at such a price
as to enable the private trader to sell without loss at the
same. Besides these depots furnished by the Govern-
ment, a considerable number were established by private
contributions, and a large supply of corn and provisions
had been sent from the United States. The third mode
of relief was that of establishing relief committees for
the distribution of food to the people of Ireland. These
duties were to distribute food and to raise subscriptions,
and ho must say that this portion of their duties were
discharged, upon the whole, in the most satisfactol
manner. They raised last year the sum of 101,000/0
and it was impossible that the money could have been
expended to greater advantage. In the present year the
relief committees had raised the sum of 199,000/., and to
this sum was added 191,0001. by the Government as $
donation, making nearly 400,0001. expended this year
for the relief and sustenance of the people of Ireland.
There were in Ireland 2,049 electoral divisions, and in
1,386 of them relief committees were appointed, and to
the greater part of these advances bad been made by the
Government upon tho security. of their rates. These,
operations had been conducted with so much success that
he was enabled to state upon communication made to
him from the best authorities, that in those parts of Ire'
land which had been most afflicted with famine the sr -
pears:lces of want of food had almost entirely disaP:
p aced, and th It the markets were well attended auL;
supplied. The mortality among the population Win
greatly decreased, and under the Fever Act the operation
of oleaming and white-washing had been itutilfeltcor!