The Sun.
London, England, 1847-01-26 00:00:00

POOR LAW.

The Earl of STRADBROKE presented a petition from
a place in Suffolk praying for an alteration in the law
of settlement.

The Duke of BUCCLEITCH presented a petition from
the poor-law guardians of Leeds, in Yorkshire, praying
for an alteration in the Poor Removal Act passed last
session.

SUGAR AND MOLASSES.

The Earl of STRADBROKE presented a petition
from the brewers of Bury St. Edmund's in favour of
the measure for the admission of sugar and molasses
into breweries.

IRELAND.
Lord MONTE AGLE presented a petition signed by
nine Peers of Ireland, praying their Lordships to
►ake into consideration the state of Ireland.
COHN•LAWS AND NAVIGATION SUSPENSION

BILLS.
The Earl of CLARENDON moved the second reading
of the Corn-laws and Navigation Suspension Bills. The
Noble Lord entered into a brief statement of the causes
which led her Majesty's Government to introduce these
measures. Great distress prevailed throughout the
world, and the prices everywhere were so much
on an equality, that the throwing off the
4s. duty which remained on the importation of foreign
corn was a measure which the circumstances of the ge-
neral famine, and the great emergency which had arisen
in Ireland, rendered necessary. He deprecated the idea
that the duty would go into the pockets of the dealers
in corn ; but, even allowing that some portion
of it did go in that manner, it did not furnish a
sufficient reason why they should not try to alleviate
the distress by endeavouring to enlarge the supplies.
With respect to the navigation laws, he would trouble
their Lordships with a few observations. Vessels arrived
with a large quantity of grain at Marseilles. The
Americans were taking up all the ships they
could procure, and the consequence was the
freight was considerably affected. They did not
apprehend any great advantage from the removal
of these laws, but they would have the satisfaction of
that they had done all in their power to miti-
gate tke evils that at present existed.
Lord BROUGHAM would not, under the circum-
stances, make further objection.
The Marquis of SALISBURY agreed with the Noble
Lord opposite.
The Earl of MOUNTCASIIEL said, as these mea-
-1 sures were not to be permanent, he should decidedly give
them his support.
The Bills then went through Committee, and were read
a third time and passed.
STATE OF IRELAND.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE said he now rose
for the purpose of submitting to their Lordships the
motion of which he had given notice on a former occa-
sion, and in doing so he thought he should be wanting
in respect both for their Lordships and of consideration
for the unfortunate country itself, if he were not
to lay before their Lordships a full statement of
the facts of the case. The Noble Lord then proceeded
to comment upon the magnitude of the calamity which
had befallen Ireland, and said he should read to their
Lordships a calculation which would show the immense
loss sustained this year in Ireland. Now, taking the
valuation of each acre of potatoes at 10/., the total loss
shown to have been sustained in Ireland by the
late visitation amounted to 11,350,000/., while it was
shown with equal clearness in the oat crop, the loss
amounted to 4,660,000/., making a total deficit in the
ordinary supply of food to the amount of about 16,000,0001.
sterling. 'I he conduct of the landlords of Ireland had
formed the subject of varied :ind strong opinions, but
although exceptions might be taken to some, yet, within
the last 10 years, there were others who had left no means
untried to ameliorate the condition of the country.
Fault had been found with them for allowing the popu-
lation to be dependent upon such an uncertain and low
description of food as potatoes ; but he thought this was
not the most opportune time to discuss that question.
It was as little appropriate as finding fault after a
calamitous fire with the sufferers, because their
building was not erected with marble or Portland stone.
If they had not been able by their own effort to ward ,
off so great a calamity, it was equally true that no
Government could prevent it. In considering this, the
nature of this question ought never to be
forgotten, that it was not a question of
money, but one of food—food for a nation,
which, whatever system might be adopted for
its distribution, could never hive been created by any
Government, yet that was just the existing necessity.
Were it a question of money, he was prepared to say
that there was no sum of money which the Government
would not feel it their duty to propose to Parliament to
give for the extinction—if by such means it could be
extinguished—of so great an evil. But if the Govern-
ment hail applied 10,000,000/. to such a purpose, would
it have been adequate? If ten millions of money had
been spent in the way proposed by those who held this
argument, the effect would have been, that, whatever
might have been the price of corn at the time, it would
have risen, until it would have been found that, not
10,000,0001., but 20,000,000/., and next, not 20,000,0001.
but 40,000,0001, would be necessary ; because, the mo-
ment the action of the Government was felt in the
markets of this country, or of Europe gene-
rally, they would come into the market
known to be the most powerful purchasers, and
the effect of it would be, that no other pur-
chasers would be able to contend against them. In fact,
Government was the worst agriculturist and the
worst merchant and therefore increased obstacles
always lay in its way in the case of meeting
such an emergency. The Noble Lord said he
would refer their Lordships shortly to the
measures which had been adopted by the Government
at the beginning of last year, before speaking of mea-
sores which were pow to be proposed to mitigate the
present evil. The Government at that trine, tes
Labour • rate Act was passed, did not anticipate so great
a calamity as that which had fallen upon Ireland, and
therefore the measures they had proposed were merely
temporary, hoping they might have been able thereby to
bridge over the difficulty into another year. The prin-
ciple of that Act was to unite profitable employment
and poor relief, an object which was not by any means
easy to be obtained. It was contemplated at that time
to employ the poor only on work, which would prove to
be permanently useful, and this was effected to a cer-
tain extent, and so far the result was beneficial. But
a panic was stirred in the popular mind, fears and
dread of the impending calamity grew mere pressing,
and from that time the beneficial employment of the
people failed. The panic that resulted when the extent
of the distress became fully known was such that the
people were reduced to a state of recklessness and de-
; spate. Some idea of the extent of the machinery em-
ployed in administering relief may be formed from the
following statement :—There were employed in carry-
: ing out the provisions of the Labour-rate Act, 385
engineers and surveyors, 2,832 cheque-clerks, 6,894
overseers, 132 assistant-clerks, and 495 pay-clerks, making
between eight and nine thousand individuals. He would
ask them it, with such an immense number of persons,
it was possible to exclude a great amount of abuse
from the operation of that law ?—(Hear, hear).
With respect to the Board of Works itself, he
thought they should speak with the greatest respect,
as he believed they had given the most undoubted proof
of their efficiency. This much, however, could not be
said of those whom they had occasion to employ ; but
the emergency which arose put it out of their power to
act otherwise. The effect of these operations was to
create a bounty upon indolence—a means of enabling
the idle population to take advantage of the relief in-
tended for the poor. By thus offering a premium upon
idleness the working classes were taken from their
habitual pursuits ; thus were the very worst passions
called forth and stimulated to the highest activity.
" Et doles insidheque et amor sceleratus habendi."
To a fearful extent were those sources of evil augmented.
Many were there amongst the people of Ireland who
were not exposed to the degree of want which had been
somewhat inconsiderately predicated of the whole popu-
lation ; those men quitted their own possessions for the
purpose and with the intention of getting employment
from the State in a manner neither advantageous to them-
selves nor the country. He had now briefly stated what
were the vices of the system, and the motives which
influenced Government in advising those measures.
He did not feel surprised that applications were made
that the Government advances should be applied for
private purposes. They had concurred in the funds
being applied in that manner, and he was therefore
gratified to say that a very great amount of relief
had been given by Mr. Labouchere's letter, which
act ho trusted would be legalised by their Lordships.
There were 950 relief committees established over the
ttei le i eGf
"intrY, many of which had to some extent received
r
vessels,overnm
of rv°emr nmt heen t°einnt.refeßrleunechehtoadwlhieieehn saidh about
to observe that the Admiralty could not interfere
with wished
the
course. of foreign trade, but with regard to the distribution
of food, their efforts had been attended with the greatest
employedsuccess. There had hmadanbneeern,
and4o of
before her Majesty'sawee
elapsed
k
vessels
there would be five more.
Lord MOUNTCASIIEL—WiII the Noble Lord have
the goodness to state the amount of food which has been
distributed in Ireland?
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE—The Noble Lord
must see that his question was not relevant to the state-
ment he was then making, but he would refer to that
on another occasion. The amount of tonnage of the
vessels thus employed was 28,232 tons, and the
steam-vessels employed were 8,3.73 horse-power. lie
had also to state, though the details might appear insig-
nificant, that there had been no means omitted to meet
the evil, and there heel been every endeavour made
t') establish soup-kitchens, and means had been placed
for that purpose at the command of her Ma-
jesty's officers.—(Hear, hear.) All that had been done,
and it formed a great deal beyond what could reasorrably
have been expected; and, having now gone through all
that had been done, he would proceed to state what they
looked to for the future. To continue on the present
extended scale the whole of the works that had been

commenced in Ireland, and to add to their number the
works that had been projected in that country, would be
not only impracticable and unwise, but would be, at
teuded with the most ruinous consequences. To :adopt
such a course would be at once to deter the people
from pursuing their usual work, and to teach them to
depend upon the Government fur support. He bekieved
that those who were most competent to cultivate the, soil
would no longer cultivate it, but would greatly ptvAer to
receive the Government dole. During the recent
operations of the Board of Works task-work had been
resorted to most properly, and with great success. That
led to the advantage of getting more work done, but,
even with all its benefits, it was not free from
some drawbacks; it was not unattended with
some disadvantages ; and the best workmen
were monopolised by the system adoptec/ 1,7