The Sun.
London, England, 1847-05-17 00:00:00

TO THE RIGHT HONOURABLE
SIR CHARLES WOOD, BART, M.P.
Sir,—l delayed addressing you upon the subject of the
statement you made respecting the difficulty of framing a
Bill for the reclamation of waste lands in Ireland, in the hope
that the discussion on Mr. Scrope's motion, on Tuesday last,
would have elicited that explanation which certainly appears
necessary, for, although report assigns to you a hostile feel-
ing to the measure, yet no person would fancy that you
could in the face of Parliament state difficulties that you did
not believe to exist.
Your statement was, "That after attempting to put the
Bill into a practical shape, and after consulting with several
lawyers and other Members of experience, &c., &c.,1 I do
think it would have been impossible to pass a Bill which
could have been brought into operation this year." Now, I
believe I shall make it appear as clear as the sun at noon
day, that your lawyer of experience must have misled you,
and that it would be difficult to find a lawyer who would
not prepare a Bill which should come into operation, not
only this year, bat the week after it had received the Royal
Asses t.
Your Bill when put into a practical shape must have been
based on one of the three following principles :-
Ist. Government taking the power of purchasing the unre-
claimed lands of every proprietor, although he was himself
willing to employ the people in reclaiming the land.
2d. Government taking the power of purchasing the unre-
claimed land of any proprietor who will not employ the people
in reclaiming it.
3(1. Government taking the power of purchasing the unre-
claimed land of any proprietor who was desirous of selling.
The first may be termed Mr. Scrope's plan, the second that
which I had the honour to propose, and the third as one
which could not possibly have done any injury to any indi-
vidual, and which might be productive of essential benefit.
I have always considered, and reflection confirms the
opinion, that the plan proposed by Mr. Scrope would be a
measure of great injustice, and still greater irnpolicy ; as it
has been abandoned, it is useless to adduce reasons in support
of this opinion.
I cannot conceive that the principle of the second plan
contains anything approaching to injustice. It is too late
now to question the soundness of the principle that" property
has its duties as well as its rights," and the present Govern-
ment have worked out that principle by declaring that the
first duty of property and the first burthen upon it, is to sup-
port the people. That is the principle of your Irish Poor-law
Bill, but society has a right to expect that such principle
shall be carried out with the least possible injury either to
the giver or the receiver. There is only one possible mode
of effecting this object—employment.
If this be correct, then comes the question—Has any pro-
prietor a right to say I hold 10,000 acres of unreclaimed land,
which I choose to keep in its present state for my amuse-
ment., and although its reclamation would give employment
to all the industrious in the district, it shall not be touched,
and I prefer feeding them in a state of idleness rather than
part with my land. Has any individual a right to hold this
language? Does that property perform its duty to society?
And if all right-minded persons would immediately answer
such questions in the negative, is it unjust to compel such a
proprietor to sell his land at a just price, that the people may
be employed and fed?
The third principle is one which could not possibly injure
any individual, and to judge of its beneficial importance,
suppose the Government had possessed such a power during
the last winter, would not the reclamation of waste lands
have been a better return for the millions which have been I
expended than the roads which have been made?
However good the harvest may be, the Government will
again have to feed a portion of the Irish people. Of this
there exists no reasonable doubt, and you should be prepared
with every measure which may enable you to give that food
for wages fairly earned. There would' not be the slightest
objection in the present Parliament to vest discretionary
powers in the Government, and you ought to apply for them
unless you are prepared to be accountable for another year of
that profligate waste of public money, which, under the pre-
tence of feeding the destitute, has been freely given to parties
possessed of ample means.—l have the honour to remain
your most obedient servant, RIGBY WASON.

WINDSOR, SUNDAY EVENING.—It is stated that her
Majesty will arrive at the Castle, for the Ascot Races, two or
three days earlier than had originally been contemplated—
Monday, the 31st inst., having been the day fixed upon for
the Court to leave town for Windsor. It is now expected
that her Majesty and the Prince Consort, accompanied by
the Royal Family, will arrive at the Castle on the 28th inst.,
the day following the Drawing- room to be held at St. James's
Palace. The Court will not remain at Windsor, it is stated,
beyond a week or ten days.
VISCOUNTESS PALMERSTON'S ASSEMBLY.--ViSCOUt
and Viscountess Palmerston entertained his Excellency Mr.
Bancroft, the Earl of Clare and Lady Isabella Fitzgibbon,
Viscount Melbourne, Viscount and Viscountess Mahon,
Lord Howard de Walden, Lord and Lady Ashley, the
Right Hon. Sir Robert Adair, Sir Augustus and Lady
Clifford and Miss Clifford, &c., at dinner on Saturday last
at their residence in Carlton-gardens. At a later hour of
the evening her Ladyship received a brilliant circle of the
corps diptomatique and nobility, among whom were his
Serene Highness Prince Lowenstein, his Excellency the
Austrian Ambassador and the Countess Dictrichstein, his
Excellency the French Minister and the Countess de Jarnac,
his Excellency the Turkish Minister and Princess Callimaki,
his Excellency Baron de Benst, his Excellency the Bavarian
minister and Baroness de Cetto, his Excellency the Portu-
Reseunt Nsclihnitteraro sad
.Baroness Moncorvo, his Excellency
Minister and thrlirtiali;cl('
Baron Hugel, the Swedish his Excellency the Brazilian
chioness di Lisboa, his Excellency
Rehausen, Count Re Charge. d'Affaires, and Baroness
the Marquis of Clanvreic'a Cdce"
the Marquis of
t G. Revel, Count Potocki,
Marquis of Granby, the
Marchioness of Ailesburyr the
Ladies Mary and Olivia' ayleur the Earl anlide&dunfortest
ofd
St.TGlierEmllanospanctniii:stiotte,rB43.wc.warhich
we have had
weather, have
in the past week, with somewhat
proved highly beneficial to every kind warmer
regetation
hops, partaking of the genial influence, have
yet all
maa• The
progress, but we perceive that they are not yet all posiecf,'thde
backwardness of the season not having recinind
tkis Opera-
tjou 5o early a ILllMl........Canterbury Journal.