The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-25 00:00:00

DISTRESS IN IRELAND.

Lord BROUGHAM—What course do you intend to
adopt on Monday next?
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE had stated upon a
former occasion that it was his intention to move
for the production of certain papers with re-
ference to the subject of Irish distress. Those
papers would necessarily be of a very voluminous nature,
consisting, as it would, of the correspondence which
had taken place between the various members of her
Majesty's Government and the different functionaries
in Ireland. The effect of the production of those papers
would be to put. their Lordships in possession
of every circumstance attending the numerous and
still increasing difficulties with which the Government
had to contend, in consequence of the unexpected and
unexampled scarcity of food in Ireland. Those papers,
ho hoped, would be ready to be laid upon their Lord-
ships' table within a few days after he had moved for
them. He did not wish, in answer to further ques-
tions from his Lordship, to make any further statement
as to the course which her Majesty's Government in-
tended to adept towards Ireland until some of the Bills
which had been proposed by the Government were
brought up from the other House. It Noble Lords
wished to take any discussion upon that subject before
the introduction of those Bills, they would of course be
' competent to do so. In a short time one or two Bills
on the subject, to which no objection was likely to be
taken, would, he had no doubt, be laid upon their Lord-
ships' table, with reference to the advances of consi-
derable sums of public money towards the relief of the
distress in Ireland.
Lord BROUGHA ‘st said a permanent alteration in
the colonial and agricultural policy of the country was
almost as serious a matter as suspending the Habeas
Corpus Act, and be very much doubted whether they
ought hurriedly to agree to some of those measures which
had been so speedily passed in the other House of Parlia-
ment. No doubt, the corn and navigation-laws ought,
under exir ing circumstances, to be suspended for a given
period; but, as to the other nseasure, which was in-
tended to be made permament, he was not inclined to
give a ready assent to that. On Monday, however, .he
should have a better opportunityjof going into the question.
But it should be remembered that that measure was not
a permanent measure, either with respect to the colonial
population or the slave population. He trusted their
Lordships would not allow any consideration to pre-
vent them from taking measures for alleviating the
distress in Ireland, but they should recollect, at the same
time, that they had last session passed a very important
measure, which had not yet come into full operation.
That measure was calculated to lower the price
of sugar, and he believed would exercise a - very
sensible effect upon it. The price of sugar at
present was found to be much lower. He thought that
had the measure only been introduced as a tempo-
rary measure there would have been no opposition
about it. They had introduced two measures, viz., one
for a temporary measure, and the other with a permanent
object. The Noble Lord had also stated that he was
about to introduce some money Bills. Now the House
had no power whatever to interfere with money Bills,
except one—except that of throwing them out alto-
gether. His Noble Friend also spoke of the
_delay
of the remedial measures for Ireland. They
were now at the 23d of January, and if they
had met on the 23d of November, two months
would have been saved, and much distress would have
been prevented. There was another question which be
wished to put on the present occasion, as it might bring
up much discussion. That question was relative
to the Bill which was to be brought up from the
other House of Parliament upon the poor-
law. It appeared that the pressure from without had
had its usual effect. A number of persons out of doors
had raised an unscrupulous and busy agitation,
at the success of which they, no doubt, were
sufficiently rejoiced. It was got up partly from
ewbaesnsetfia t
e do
fbythtehelsaendpleokr,dplse,
bthuattththeeir pLo.orrd-
slaw
ps personal spleen and partly for political objects.
Itth
way for
recollect that when this measure was passed, the express
object of their Lordships was, as he believed, to benefit
the poor and not to benefit the rich.—(Hear, hear.)
He hoped that the Bill would be introduced in a manner
which would ensure for it the most deliberate considera-
tion, and that no part, not an inch of that corner-stone
of the system—the centre authority, should be inter-
fered with without the greatest circumspection and the
mot-t mature consideration. He would have preferred
on this account that the measure had been introduced
int., this, rather than the other House of Parliament.

The Marquis of LANSDO NNE concurred with the
Noble Lord that no subject of greater importance could
come under their consideration, or more required the
attention of their Lordships. He could not,
however, allow the statement of the Noble
Lon! to pass unnoticed. It was not intended
to interfere with the system in the manner
stated by the Noble Lord. It was not intended to do
away with the central authority, or to make any other
changes which were not required by the circumstances
of the country.
Lord BROUGHAM did not hear any reason why the
Poor law Bill should not be introduced into that House,
as he was persuaded it would be much more deliberately
and calmly discussed than if it were first brought into
the other House of Parliament.
Earl FITZWILLIAM was, with the Noble and
Learned Lord (Lord Brougham), very much afraid that
the Bill would not be so well considered than if it were
first brought into their Lordship.' House. But he
rose to express his satisfaction at what he had heard
from his Noble Friend, that the Government did
not intend materially to interfere with the mode of
administering the law.—(Hear, hear.) He was certain
from his experience as a guardian, since the passing of
the law, that it was absolutely necessary to have central
superiagendence, tLough, at the same time, he did not
think there should bi• constant central intereference.
Whether there should be, in the ndministration of the
poor-law, a Minister who might be perhaps made more
responsible to Parliament by being in Parliament, than
one who was nut, on that point he would not give an
opinion, but he was quite sure that it' a Minister of that
kind were introduced on that board, that he
ought to be there mer•-ly fir the purp.,se of being
qa,stioned in Parli teat,nt, and that he ought not to be
there for the purpose of superintending the administra-
tion of the poor-law. That would be most mischievous,
and he trusted that no pressure from without, nor any
desire of conciliating party in the other House, would
melte the Government flinch from the principle that the
real superintendence ought to be in the hands of those
persons wl),, rot !;.:ibte to c!:?rT. with the 4.:hvlge
; (4. d

Lord iiiioiAiiii/1;11 rose to move that two resulu-
tions, agreed to by the House on the 3d of July, 1845,