The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-02 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 2, iBll.

deficiency must be made up by some extraordinary t which thus found their way into these poeltete nttlie returned
means ; but with respect to the amount to be j back to the soil in that mariner in which it is returned by the
contributed by England, he was disposed to leave that : landlords of Erielend, lit the improvement of their estates, in
question to be settled by the House. It must be remembered, ' Int,lt lig after their tenants, andbenefiting the condition of the
however, that whenever England went to war, Ireland had to , people.. Such was the condition of by far the largest propor.
contribute her money and the erterg-y of her valour towards : Lion of the Irish landlords. There was, however, an exception
maintaining the contest; and whenlreland was visited by aI to this class. He believed that many of the absentee landlords calamity very similar to a war, she ought not to be thrown I instead of deserving the censure which had been so lavishly be-
upon her own resouacee He had no Hesitatiou in telling I
the stowed upon them, were, on the contrary, deserving of praise.
House, that had the Irish Parliament been in existence
thie lie believed, and he could mention the names of many Noble
effort ; and et een he was told that Ireland could ,' found to be among the number of the most beneficent landlords
not meet the distress out of her own resources, iin Ireland. lie need only mention the name of a Noble Mar-
he only pointe dto the fact that the year previous I quis—the Marquis of Lansdowne—in order to satisfy the
to the union, Ireland incurred a debt of from seven I House of the truth of his assertion. He (Mr. Roebuck)
to
eight million
.s sterling, for the purpose of maintaining the saw one great source of Irish evils in having the people abso-
lver. How , aifferent, however, was their position. The , lutelv bound to the soil, and unable to depend upon or to de-
neglect of the Ministry had left the population in a state of j part -front it. It they were sent from their holdings, they would
terrible desti .tution. He did not think the Noble Lord had I be perfectly .unable to obtain their living. Of all the ob-
given sufficit tnt reason why he had not opened the ports weeks i nervations which fell from the Noble Lord at the head of
ago, nor ha d the Chancellor of the Exchequer shown good I the Government when he last addressed the House,
c for r lot supplying the people with food. When the i that one who had studied the subject of Ireland so much,
people wer e starving, no tioetrines of political economy ought should have stated that the sub-division of property in that
to stand i n the way
and had of the relief of a starring population ; I country was nut an evil—that surprised him most. That part
sairctuhleat ' aeyernweent had less scruples about interfering with 1 of Ireland which he adduced in order to prove his assertion,
wors and trade, they would not have heard of portions was a manufacturing part of Ireland. The land in that district
population dying of starvation. Rather than suffer was held by persons who maintained themselves by other occu-
such a circumstance as that, Government ought to have i nations, and those little holdings in the neighbourhood of
scoured the world from one end to the ether for 1
Armagh, to which the Noble Lord bad allu'led,
corn ; but, instead of doing that, they had were encour held more by way of recreation than any-
, aed speculations in demanding, not trade, but mono- thing else. As well might the Noble Lord have
pePoolypit:ices. He came now to the question of employing the said that the suburban districts of London were divided into a
resseectO4 public works. He would express an opinion with number of small divisions, and endeavoured to infer from that,
to tam to one of theeneasurts of florernment. He alluded that the sub-division of land was not injurious. He would
if ti.,.‘a r.noney proposed to he expended on public works ; now again briefly allude to the great master evil of Ireland. The
„(.,
t. money were to be expended on works of national im- unfortunate division of land into these petty holdings, from
r , t.ance the landlords re; Ireland would not object to contri- which the landlords could not remove their tenants, they being
flaws.
The Government proposed an extension of the poor- in reality more the possessors of the land than the landlords
aatvs. Now, he had been always favourable to the themselves. What was then to be done ? Was it possible by
principle of the poor-laws, and when the Noble any means so to fashion the legislation of the Government as
that
said
_.that there was an indisposition to carry out to make it the interest of certain parties to watch over and
rate principle of the poor-laws, he did an injustice to the peo- prevent this constant sub-division of land ?If the Govern- ' gale of Ireland. ‘s).,Then the Noble Lord alluded to Castlebar, went could not do that, they must throw down their hands and
lie had forgotten to mention the fact that in Ireland there was give up the tasks. Until that could be done, it was useless to
Ines much larger number in the poor-houses than these establish- hope to do any good for Ireland. He thought, however, that
vied were originally intended for. The poor-laws, car- it was within the legitimate means of Parliament to accom-
out to the extent proposed, would amount to confiscation plish that end, but he must deprecate ()eery attempt on
in Ireland. With respect to what certain gentlemen had ad- the part of the Government to become a land-jobber, a corn-
vanced with respect to giving relief in Ireland, he had only to factor, ur a road-maker. All those things were beyond
observe
r
~tleat no poor-law however comprehensive in principle the province of Government, and the Noble Lord had stated
evii r." 1?, ate in detail could meet such a calamity as the present most truly that it was impossible for the Government to feed
gatssetbwatith
afflicted Ireland. Therefore the principle promul- a whole nation.. He would take upon himself to say that no
respect to the duration of
relief win hic
h had been people could be directed in the application of their industrial
promulgated, that if there were spoor-law
Ireland they powers by any Government. All that Governments could do
would meet the distress, was erroneous. Now the was to protect life and property— to give the means, and
Noble Lord had said that after the passing of the make easy and. certain the transmission of property—to make
measures he had submitted to the House he would secure the titles to property, and thus subsidiarly to protect
introduce subsequent subsidiary measures. After that Itfe and property, and to raise the condition of the people by
bhaadrvest they should have as great a pressure as they education. No Government in. the world ever went beyond those-
at present, therefore they must take some prompt and bounds without doing mischief, and never was so striking an
efficient, measure for the absorption of surplus labour. instance given of the mischievous results consequent upon
(Hear.) Considering the loan proposed to be advanced with over-stepping those bounds than had been given in the history
reference._ to this subject, he would throw out a suggestion to of the last four months. A return had been laid upon the
the Government that it would be desirable that the amount table of the House this morning containing the correspondence
the °, charge for investigation, together with the mods, of its of the Board of Works. Although he had not been able to go
a,PPlication, should be carefully inquired into. He held in his through the whole of it, still from whatiittle he had seen he must
stand a letter from a gentleman who stated that the amount say that such an exhibition he never witnessed as the waste-
that would be advanced by the Board of Works, for ful expenditure which that book disclosed. He did not say
the purpose of subsoil would be very beige in- intentional waste on the part of the Government, but in spite
need.---(Hear, hear.) He now came to the application of of all their best endeavours to prevent it, they were totally
money for the reclamation of waste land in Ireland. The incapacitated properly to distribute money. The moment they
N, obleLord had stated that there were six millions of waste set themselves up as the buyers of labour—labour directly left
'and in Ireland. He was quite satisfied that if they reclaimed its accustomed and legitimate sources to flow into their channel.
land of that character they would confer a great benefit on the —(Hear. hear.) The Irish people left profitable employment
People of Ireland, because they would create a greater number in the north of England, and even Liverpool. They struck
(4 small proprietors in fee—a most desirable class—and the by thousands, and said that they were going to Ireland to take
4leaeme, if well managed, would work most successfully. With the Queen's money. All agricultural labour was suspended,
=respect to encumbered land (we understood the Honourable and the consequence, starvation in its most aggravated forms
Gentleman to say) he thought it was most injurious was made apparent for the ensuing year. What was it that
to have land possessed by proprietors who had a had done this? Should not the Government take
bilmoirtV influence from their position but no cepa- warning by this example? It had overstepped its proper
of improving their land. The Noble Lord had also limits, and had taken upon itself to be the provider
Proposed to introduce measures of a temporary character for the of food and labour for the whole people, and the at-
commutation of tithes. That, lie believed, would effect much tempt had proved an utter failure. What had it done ? It
good. With respect to fisheries, ho would offer an observe- had demoralised the whole nation. It had taught the people
lion. There were 90,000 parsons engaged in fisheries in Ire- this great, dangerous, and mischievous lesson—that if they
itituanelrewho might be employed in augmenting the supplies for could
only make it appear to the Government that the distress
years. The Noble Lord should have recollected it had was general, there was then no necessity for their doing any-
„sepe pressed, year after year, by Commissions on the subject. thing for themselves. He wished the Government to under-
-lel I extension of these fsheries would, as he had already stand that it had to legislate for England as well as for Ireland.
Stated, augment the supplies of food, and, therefore, were Ought they not to look to the comforts of their own labouring
entitled to the consideration of the Government. With respect population ? Ought they not to look and carefully guard
to the subject of emigration, he would detain the House for a against that moral pestilence which, like a mighty tide, would
few moments. They must only send out to their colonies as roll its waves from the shores of that unhappy country to this?
Many as those colonies could receive. But 200,000 persons If such conduct were to be pursued towards Ireland as had re-
could be sent out to the colonies, independent of those who cently been pursued, was there not a danger of the English
might emigrate to the United States. The Noble Lord had labourer becoming discontented, and asking the unanswerable
omitted to mention in his measures one thing that was more question, why he should be oppressed with toil and bowed
important than all of them. He meant a measure that down to the earth by its continuous weight when he saw the
Would secure to the tenantry of Ireland the right Irish pauper fed with his money, they themselves doing nothing
of compensation for their improvements, and that to lighten their burdens or to ameliorate their own distresses ?
Gould tend more to the employment of surplus labour in Ire- Were they, he would ask, to see this moral pestilence per-
land than perhaps any other measure that could be proposed. vading the land, and he unwilling, or hesitating, or afraid, to
Without venturing upon the subject which the Noble !stem.. Nit it down? He would not be terrified to do so ; and in the
her for Lynn intended to bring before the House, he would name of his own poor countrymen, he protested against the
say that the employment of labour in Ireland upon railways proceeding of the Noble Lord. He protested against the
should be afforded by every possible means. There was one Government providing constant employment to the Irish. He
other subject to which he wished to allude,—namely, ab- protested against the hard won earnings of the English people
aenteeism, as he felt fully persuaded that until being applied to the drainage of Irish waste lands. He lastly
they had adopted some measure to induce the absent proprie- protested against the inefficient poor-law, proposed to be es-
tnry to perform their duties towards Ireland, it would be im- - tablished. He wanted to know did that Bill give to the
possible to produce that state of felicity which the Noble Lord people of Ireland a legal and necessary relief ? If not, then,
contemplated. 4,000,000/. were drawn from Ireland in absen- they bad no poor-law. If it gave them a right to legal and
teeism, and it was impossible to conceive that a country under necessary relief, then it must give a right to relief
these circumstances could flourish. He would take an oppor- in some place. And if it gave therm that right there must be
tunity of testing the opinion of the House upon this question. also a law of settlement and of removal, and there must be
There were several details which he would not feel justified machinery to carry it into effect.—( Hear, hear.) There was
in entering upon at present, but which hereafter the llonse no such thing, however, and he predicted that if they attempted
would have an opportunity of discussing. He would not con- to go on as an Hon. Gentleman said to-night by such bit by
elude without expressing a hope that the Government would bit legislation, they would never establish any permanent im-
employ the national resources of Ireland on works of national provement in the condition of Ireland. —( Hear, hear.) A
advantage. wise statesman would take advantage of the present emergency,
Mr. ROEBUCK said, that as a Member representing an and one effectual mode by which the recurrence of it would be i
English eounty, he hoped it would not be considered imper- prevented, would be to fix upon the land of Ireland the support
tinent in him to make a few observations to the Government, of the poor.—( Hear, hear.) He protested, therefore,
on the subject of the present condition of Ireland, because, if against the poor-law of the Noble Lord. What then
the representative of that country were to be allowed to make were they to do ? Let then introduce the English
their statements of misery and want, it might be fancied that poor-law. If it was good for England it should be equally
distress did not extend beyond the shores of Ireland, or that good for Ireland, and would, he had no doubt, be effective in
relief was needed by none other than her unhappy population. preventing the destitution which so widely prevailed in that
There were, however, others who suffered, but who suffered country. In addition to this, he would also like to see a
in a different spirit from those who were represented by the searching reform into the whole property law of Ireland, mak-
lion. Members for Ireland—who suffered, but without corn- ing the transmission of it easy, and better securing the title.
blaming of the misconduct of Government—and who, while There must be no tenderness evinced in this respect, for ten-
they suffered, laboriously endeavoured to help themselves, derness to the landlords would be cruelty to the people.
and that, too, by their own unaided energies, who ( Hear, hear. ) In referring to the condition of Ireland, he
animated by a desire to help, disdained to throw themselves in did not wish to detract from the share which England, by her
abject and almost helpless impotence before the House, but bad legislation, had contributed, to produce such a state of
strove manfully, boldly, and energetically to ameliorate their things. The injustice of England was now recoiling upon herself.
condition and minister to their own necessities. He knew He acknowledged it. He deprecated, however, the attempts
that it had been insinuated that a malignant spirit dictated the which were being made to repeal the union between the two
opinions of those who held opinions 111,0 n the present duty of countries, for he believed that would be the greatest evil which
the Government similar to those entertained by himself. He Ireland yet suffered from. There was not a single benefit
threw back the inuendo with its deserved contempt. Ho had which the people of that country had a right to that he did
a duty to perform to his own country, and that duty he was de- not support. He believed they bad long been a misgoverned
termined to fulfil to the utmost of hie abilities. The House people, but in no case did they suffer so much as in respect to
Was now called upon to legislate for Ireland in a particular religion, and he thought that, irrespective of this consideration,
emergency. The Noble Lord at the head of the Government, it would be wholly and entirely hopeless to regenerate the
in introducing his measures to the notice of the House, had, it Irish character. If they left the Irish Church Establishment
aPPeared, proposed other measures not having for their object remaining there could be no hope for Ireland. They were
the immediate relief of the people of Ireland, but for the re. trying to reconstruct the character of the Irish people,
generation of that country.—( Hear, hear.) The measures hut, so long as the house left that mischief
of the Noble Lord might be separated into three dis- existing as it was then their efforts would be utterly and en-
tinct parts, first, the amelioration of the distress of the tirely hopeless.—(Hear, hear.) He had no antipathy—be
country ; secondly, the re-construction of its national cha- had no fear of Catholics as opposed to Protestants—he looked
racter; and the third, relating to what was passing in the upon both with the same eye, and he could not help remarking
mind of the Noble Lord, when he made the mysterious corn- that if they left the Irish priesthood in the condition they then
Arlunication to the House upou the subject of the future con- were, the unhappy state of things which lie had been deserib-
ulti°n of Ireland. It behoved the house well to consider ng would continue to prevail. That was a subject which at
when they contemplated the state of Ireland, that there were present occupied awns' minds much, and was one on which
!n that country two broad distinctions between the classes of few were disposed to express what they really felt. He
its inhabitants, there was a large majority of the people living thought it his duty, however, to declare what no one seemed
asi a labouring population upon the land, and there was another disposed to avow, that as long as the Irish priest-
class, consisting of persons, who were the so-called proprietors hood were left in the position in which they
of the land. Both of these classes were now as mendicants then were, so long would they find it their interest
before the House—the one asked of the House that the people to perpetuate the unhappy state of things which existed. He
should be relieved from starvation, time other demands, in a did not want the Government to come forward and propose a
commanding tone, that the landlords should be saved from State endowment, for the Government which attempted to
ruin, it was necessary for the House to consider the condition make a State provision for them, would not, he believed, stand
of those two classes. The labouring population of Ireland for 124 hours after.—( Hear, hear.) But if they did away with
were habitually bordering upon starvation, they were always the law of mortmain, and enabled priests to acquire land by
upon that great calamity; the brink of tkat misery, into the gift or otherwise, to the amount of 300/. a year, such a meas.'
abyss of which they had fallen in the present year, sure would tend to the pacification and improvement of Ireland
They were a people who had always been reduced to subsist more than any other yet proposed. There was only one
on the lowest species of food in which, in a civilised condition, other means to attain that object—namely, by a repeal of the
it is possible for a human being to live, and upon the smallest nnion, and by allowing each municipality under the federal con-
quantity of that unwholesome and inefficient food. They lived stitution which would then exist, to pay any priesthood it pleased.
upon the smallest holdings of land, not as in other countries But any attempt to pay the Catholic priesthood out of the im-
where remunerating wages were given in return for labour, but peril treasury would, in the present circumstances of this
where the return was small, uncertain, badly and unskilfullt country, be accompanied by the destruction of that Ministry
applied, without rhea asssistance which capital could render, or who made such a proposal. When they did this, they should
the skill which.edution could confer. Their labour was the provide as far as possible for the education of the Irish people.
Power of mere brute force applied by numbers to the land, Arid for this purpose they had funds in their own hands,
having for its return the smallest quantity which a soil, natu- namely, the surplus revenue of the Irish Church Establishment,
rally fertile, could produce. In this condition the race had after suitab!y providing for its wants. He deprecated any pro-
Multiplied exceedingly, and the multiplication of the numbers vision from the imperial treasury for this purpose. Nothing
of that unhappy people had been aided by its proximity to could be worse than this dependence en Government support.
England, for in spite of every means which could be adopted to One Gentleman asked the Government to carry on public
Prevent it, capital, however small, had dribbled into Ireland, wog ks ; another, fisheries ; another, to purchase seed corn ; an-
and those small sums had had only the effect ef increasing the other, to promote drainage ; and another, to make railroads.
amount of population, without in the least degree elevating their Government was to do everything. The Hon. Member for
national character. Such was the physical condition ef the Limerick said that they should provide food for the people of
great body of the labouring population of Ireland. Nor were Ireland, and of all places in the world, that they should go for it
they to be considered as in a chronic state of disease, the pre- to the Faulkland Llands—(Laughter)—barren islands, from
sent was but an acute form of the disease ; starvation was at which no produce could be brought. He wanted to know what
Rresent existing, mere starvation was constantly threatening. Government was not expected to do ? He supposed they were
et-hey were not a class of persons who, although they laboured. to feed, to clothe, and to shave every gentleman.—(Laughter.)
live by the wages of labour, for in most eases they had the It might not appear a matter for jesting, but he never heard
worst of all masters—the Poor man himself. This was the anything so lamentable as that such a demand should come
class who came to that house and asked for bread to keep them from a nation whose soil and climate were as good as theirs—
from starvation. starvation. It was not because the people of England so intellectual and populous a nation—their equals, and
did net sympathise with their distress that they hesitated to he never denied that they were so, in intellectual
assuage it, but it was because they believed that any relief and physical capacity.—( Hear, hear.) There was one
would only extend the distress they sought to remove, and to great difference, however, between the two nations, and that
Multiply the horrors they so fervently desired to avert. He difference consisted in moral courage.—( Hear, hear.) This
would now advert to the other body who demanded to be re- was the quality which enabled the English people to sustain
deemed from ruin. He spoke not of all the landlords of Ire- themselves under the pressure of opposing circumstances, and
land. He took upon himself to say that the nominal pro;
7,iaffivecutlhteiems
wahnicinhhmeriegnhtt
obstructtopower them ; and
tsterugglesure did notssfully hesitatewithall
prietors of Ireland were not the landlords of that countr
—(Hear, hear.) The real landlords of Ireland were the
self-
mortgagees and the tax-gatherers. The Irish landlord had all hope to be running in the same race
the desire
ors
.ip could eestow, of
t.Och:aaLtehattheifythmeiglhrtisshoopielople once acquired this virtue of
far show which landed es ri t h. }s 1
but they were not po•ssessed of thePwePalteh which should be the
support of that pride, and the maintenance of that love of dis•
diseases
ry- 'heir country permanently e tablished.--(t.heers.)
play, and the consequence was, that, like their poorer t surrounded
completelytto
ee
t he
removed,evi lcols
by
and which
the greatnessth., ey w e
r.aen and t
powerp rpresent
tf
men, the landlords, too, were in a state of chronic
always on the verge of ruin and heavily in debt. They ago net
winch led to the unfortunate state of things VI
Lord BERNARD deprecated then diseussinhgichthie)recyluilseeds
the masters of their own estates, and are obliged to live from
hand to mouth, craving at everything, grasping at everything in Ireland at a time when, according to the Noble Lord (the
Premier) a famine of the thirteenth century was operating
which really devolved on a o ulation of the nineteenth. While they
and totally unable to perform the duties really devolved
for-
upon the possessor of the soil. When he saw such men a, were disPcuPssing on these points it should not be for-
these come to demand sof the House to be preserved front ruin gotten that thousands were passing away from time to eternity..
._ . He read various letters which he had received from the part of
he was driven to inquire, what was the cause of their forlorn the country with which he was connected ( Bandon) to show
condition. Unhappily the landlords of Ireland had been in that the Government had not established depots at those places
at which they had promised they should be established, and
reality the cause in a great measure of all the miseries which
the consequences which had resulted, particularly in the south
of Ireland. Then, again, at the worst period of the famine
had befallen their unhappy country. They had always been a
favoured class by that House. The whole of the legislation
There was a general and disgraceful combination amongst the
corn merchants to raise the price of corn. lie read volugminous
for that country had been dictated to by landlords. The Govern-
Ment had passed the multitudes of the people in order to give
documents to show how
combination had been to large numbers of std` additional strength to the dominance of the landlords. They
general and how injurious this
referred to, commissariatillustratiy
had Riven
all those powers which suncessive Governments,
e
favour,
cCorkclass
"ad given them, and had now brought themselves to the brink people. One letter from a
he particularly
of ruin, anti the whole body of the i eople to the brink of star-
vation.
means which the Governmentadopted
But how has this been effected ? The steps were of traders whom the Government seemed disposed
Pertain and clear. It was impossible to mistake' and reluctant to interfere with. He had no hesitation i.on 1
hestiot tin
in.t the
hem. The general character of the Irish landed saying that the
Phroasprietor was some years past one of ioyous auternn• fell far short, and were consequfernotmlythme
eiv it
which nh ge
y twhwaeosyulmdoasetcouinnat-s
pitality ; their national character was, that they had dequate to meet the emergency, because,
passedutsct haveacalled t
hs heuoepwric nnd
11.0 prudence ; and the consequence of the deficiency of that whichto
ohe
mfue
full
meet. The
cwTnehtreec
Labour-rate
ntaibiteohue rh- calamityra
abti
e habit rAf
whichre e
virtue was, that their hospitality brought them constantly int.
, becoming indebted, they looked around them in order tr.
discs -
this ver how their present wants could he supplied ; to attain of last session. had done much to injure the country, as farmers
the end, every possible resource was ransacked and at length and their labourers forsook their legitimate labour for the
to_ ,n?ohstreus grievance which now overspreads the country purpose of labouring on the roads. Then the proceedings at
took
its rise, anti the distribution of land into small divisions ,he sessions were often conducted in clamour, and unfairly,
. Place. Then it was that the poor men commenced a and works were devised which were of little, and
systeme of competition with each other to obtain possession of „stee of no advAntage, to the country. (Hear.)
Oilierparcels;,, anti the most extravagant demands of the landlords were House that the calamity was not a national one, and that it was
seZl'l3' complied with by the parties who so eagerly desired pos- one which it was the duty of resident landowners to have
rent,.un. The consequence of this had been, that the met, without aid from the Government ; but in his opinion, if
in rents Ireland were much higher than they were ever there was a national calamity, that which had afflicted Ire-
i,_
the pockets
A larger return from the land went land was certainly one which came within that category,
`‘`? the pockets of the landlords, and of all the larger alms • Ireland had contributed her fair share to the aggregate talm

flint to clischame the burdens of the three countries, and had a
right, when s.O visited, to relief out of the coffers of the nation.
In dealing with the Indian revenue, upwards of twenty
years ago, Sir Robert Peel spoke of our Indian
posQessions as having a right, in the case of an
insufficient revenue to meet the expenditure, to assistance from
home. The Hon. Gentleman the Member for Bath (Mr.
Roebuck) had attacked the Irish iandlords, but he thought he
was justified in saying that the Irish landlords, during the
present calamity, had done all in their power to alleviate the
distresses of their country. He had already stated his opinion
that the poor-law of both countries ought to be assimilated, and
he was still strongly of that opinion ; but he warned the Govern-
ment, that at such a time, they would find it utterly impossible
to raise the rates necessary for the support of more workhouses.
He believed that the surest way to benefit Ireland was by the
application of capital in the development of her resources.
They would thus teach Ireland to make use of the advantages
which lay al ound her, and then he trusted that a happier day
awaited her.
Sir R. H. INGLIS said that, notwithstanding his great
tr
he
es p
beginninge ft o the r o
fNob
his Noble
speech,
eLoecrd he could
h,,
he had
hadp„ndoet butayou observe
redtorevityhat,
edoci.n-
trines which he (Sir R. Inglis) cot- ir3ered to have been long
ago exploded. The Noble Lord be., his speech by saying
that in the city of Cork there had been a combination
amongst the sellers of earn, by which the price of corn had been
raised in the market. Now, it should be remembered that the
city of Cork contained 100,000 inhabitants; and, admitting the
fact, which he was by no means willing to do, that there had
been such a combination, were there not such cities as Water-
ford, Dublin, and Bristol? And could any man seriously be-
lieve that, supposing there were ten ships engaged in the com-
bination, some one of the number would not—to use a vul-
garism—strip over—( Hear, hear)—and the rival dealers
from those towns would soon put an end to the pressure in
the market. He rose immediately after the Hon. and Learned
Member for Bath, because he had, in his first sentence, stated
that he rose as an English Member, recognizing the principle
that the question before them should not be treated as one of
local, but of national importance. Availing himself, there-
fore, of the privilege of being an English Member, he wished
to take the earliest opportunity to object to a large portion of
his speech. Indeed he should have thought, that in the pro-
posed measures there would have been ample food for legisla-
tion to the most voracious appetite. But not content with
the three Bills upon the table, the Learned Member, with inex-
haustible ingenuity, had contrived to bring in ery other
vexata quest-n.—(Hear, hear.) For the special accommoda-
tion of one Hon. Member, he proposed to revive the appro-
priation clause ; and for the accommodation of other Hon.
Members he proposed several other additions to the policy of
the Government. The Hon. and Gallant Member who spoke
from the bench behind him (Sir R. Inglis), also surprised him
very much, in not referring to the comprehensive policy
of the Noble Lord, and by viewing it as a bit-by-bit policy. If
ever there was so large a measure proposed for the regeneration
of a great nation, he had read history but to little purpose;
for whether it was right or wrong, he looked upon it as most
comprehensive. His immediate object in rising was to bring
back the consideration of the House from extraneous subjects
to the real question, namely, the miserable condition of the
great bulk of their fellow-subjects. At that moment the
eyes of the empire were concentrated upon the House with a
deep sympathy for the sufferings of their fellow creatures in
Ireland. And when the Member for Bath talked of express-
ing the indignation of the people of England at the measures
of her Majesty's Government, he, for one, hoped that be would
find himself mistaken, and that the English people would feel
nothing but an intense desire to promote the present benefits about
to be conferred upon the Irish people—he limited himself to
the present benefit—for both with respect to the cause and to
the remedies, he did think it their first duty to consider in what
manner those evils might be relieved. He at the same time
quite concurred wiih much that had been stated with regard to a
great mass of their fellow-countrymen in Ireland—he meant
the landed proprietors—there might be still such
cha. asters as these which had been so inimitably
depicted by the talented novellist, in " Castle Rack-rent."
But whether they do commit a series of faults, they have been
stricken by the hand of God, and it became them to give their
readiest, their most cheerful, and their most active sympathy.
And how had the calamity been borne by these poor people?
He did not recant any praise which he had bestowed upon the
people of Scotland, but the debate was on Ireland
exclusively, and he did not in the least exaggerate when
he said that they bore their sufferings with
unexampled patience. He desired to draw the attention of the
House to certain reports made by the agent of a most benevo-
lent religious body—the Society of Friends, who had deputed
certain members of their body to visit Ireland with the
warmest and the most intelligent desire to promote their in-
terests. The statement which they give of the actual distress
is one which it is net pleasant to read, but he desired permis-
sion to draw attention to it, in order to show how well the
people had earned their warmest sympathies. The Hon.
Member then read several extracts. One was that the poor
starving creatures in the districts of Louth and Leitrim
were keeping each ether alive by sharing their last morsel.
This was a general statement, but he could give hundreds of
individual cases. He could not ref, -in front one in particular.
The visitor entered a cabin of about four feet high, and about
nine feet square, on the side of a road, he found the inha-
bitants to consist of a widow and several children ; in
addition to the family, he saw an old superannuated wo-
man, sitting in a corner, and rocking to and fro her
matted grey hair, which fell over her face, and added to her
squalid and wretched appearance. She was scarcely
clothed ; immediately behind her was her pallet of damp and
dirty straw, which she hardly ever left. It appeared that she
was no relative of the widow of the house, who allowed her to
stay there merely from a feeling of charity. Might they not say
of her as of the widow of old—" She gave more theta they all."
The Right Hon. Baronet proceeded to read statements, exhi-
biting the lamentable state of distress in different parts of the
country. An Hon. Member had referred to the workhouse ot
Castlebar, exhibiting the utmost degree of destitution, but he
( Sir R. H. Inglis) knew of other circumstances equally
afflicting. One union was 2,000/. in debt, and notice was
given the other day that unless the rates were paid up the
guardians would be obliged to sell the house and turn the
wretched inmates out upon the world. He knew another
instance, where the inmates of the union were obliged to sleep
upon the straw, as they had nothing in the shape of bedding
The whole appearance of affeirs indicated great approaching
social change which would not only affect the peasantry,
but the landlords also, and could it be wondered that such a
change should take place when the rents of that unhappy
country had so greatly increased without any corresponding in
crease in the value of the soil. He thought that some mean,
should be adopted to induce Irish absentees to return to the
localities, which would be much benefited by their pre-
sence, and although a direct tax might not be expedient, still a
virtual impost by an efficient poor-law might have the effect ot
inducing them to remedy the evils which were so created
in a material degree by their lengthened residences in other
countries.
Colonel CONNOLLY said, that while thanking the Noble
Lord for the wise and benefleent measures to Ireland, and
with respect to the particular measures before the House, he
thought that net above two or three objections could be urged
against them. He considered, however, that these
might be advantageously met in committee. They
might, for instance, limit the facilities which the
measure gave for the exertion of local patronage. But there
was another and a much greater objection. He regretted to
find that many lion. Members, and with them the Hon. Mem-
ber for Stroud, had one panacea for the ills of Ireland—
namely, the opening of the poor-law to its fullest extent.
Every workhouse except the workhouse of Castlebar, had been
made to contain as many paupers as they could possibly hold ;
and he was persuaded the evils of the system would be
much increased if they extended relief to the able-bodied
labourers who might seek it under the arrangements proposed
by the Noble Lord at the head of the Government. Ile con-
sidered the present poor-law sufficient for all the purposes
required. He was bound to say that it had worked admirably
well since it was introduced, wherever it had been
properly carried into effect. Iu his part of the
country, near to Dublin, this had been the ease,
though it might not have worked so well in the remote parts
as was desirable. He confessed he looked with apprehension
on the extraordinary rates that would be required, if they ex-
tended, in the manner proposed, the plan of relieving the able-
bodied labourers in the workhouse. The proposition of the
Noble Lord was one he was desirous of treating with great
leniency, still, he (Colonel Connolly) could not avoid pointing
out the difficulty that would arise from the plan
under the consideration of the House. With respect to
the Castlebar proceedings, which had been referred to, he had
been informed by Lord Lucan, that the reason why a rate had
been objected to there, was the fact that 2,000/ of an old rate
remained uncollected, and it was considered that that should
be got in before a new rate was levied. Neither was he satis-
fied with the Government proposition for the cultivation and
improvement of the lands, and thought it would not operate so
beneficially as was believed. There was another point to
which he wished to refer; it was the proposal to
advance 50,000/. for the purchase of seed for
the land. Ile considered this was too little, and hoped the
Government would extend the loan. Some apprehension was
expressed that many of the Irish estates were so encumbered
with debts and mortgages that they would not be able to re-
deem the advances, and that the property would pass out of
their hands. However much he might regret that, be did net
doubt but that in many instances it would be attended with
good results. He knew of two estates in the county in which
he resided, which had changed hands with the best effects.
While in possession of the previous proprietors, there was no-
thing but misery and litigation. Two-thirds of the cases
brought before the county magistrates were from these estates ;
but since they had passed into the hands of the Marquis of
Clonmel and Mr. Barron, there had been a vast change for the
better. A more rapid transition in the condition of a body of
people he had never known.
Mr. HUME—The Hon. and Gallant Member who had last
spoken said that he trusted her Majesty's Ministers would not
allow the able-bodied men of Ireland to become a burden upon
tieyordnLf iiodifilotrrar
the land. Did the Hon. and Gallant Member mean that they
should become a burden upon the people of England?—( Laugh-.
ter and cheers.) Some Irish Members entertained proper opi-
nions and principles on this subject, for they avowed that Ire-
land should support its own oonr, and so raise themselves in the
scale of society and national independence.—( Hear, hear.)
What appeared to him (Mr. Hume) the most singular feature
Member, it was
rettohnt
atbogitemenEeobpont:g)ris
dlyeaeoain;nktdbtheihytdteheateiwnheawini:Aitaidihls
ettori:sidbmltilrl
in the case, was that the Hon. Members expressed their grati-
tude to her Majesty's Ministers because they gave them money.
—("Hear, hear," from Colonel Connolly.) "Hear, hear," said
the Hon. Member. Why, because the Government gave money
to the landlords of Ireland. If that was the opinion of one so
eminent, and so distinguished, and so well known, as the Hon.
appear
opftaysuhenklwal
adrdrt
re
the rtabehoi
netendhhoG:di
money,
,roaraaisrng,
fnedtgrreec,enyar:_-rnwerne at
er
edmw
d
Govern-
ment not to give money to the landlords of Ireland.
down in this futile attempt to remedy the miseries of Ireland.
so"mdadt
thei n
fl get
husaeapffiymo
c:rrttaoiunl could
statementssee
dis-
posed to take a proper view of the remedies fitted
for that country. There were indeed some omis-
sions, and he ( Mr. Hume) had taken it upon him-
self to point out a few of them. While they
were trying means of palliating these distresses, he
did not see one measure calculated to afford a hope of any radi-
cal improvement or radical change. It was, therefore, a mat-
ter of the most serious importance to the HOW.° to have be-
fore it the principles which were to guide Ministers in these
matters, and he (Mr. Hume) thought that before they agreed
they ought to have a distinct statement
to grant one shilling
Ministry
de d
tnten to pursue. When
of the course which the
the House heard nothing advanced for the purpose of relieving
Ireland but money—money—
money— (Laughter)—he could
tell the Ministry that their Seventre o treasury
eightowull mvhilrlyions ofsoon
be empty.—(Hear, hear.)
he believed that if no reme-
ded and
money were to be expended,
h would require to spend
dial measures w. re introduced t ey
I
three times that amount. They might upon it that
might
the best time to meet an evil was at the commencement ; and
it was better to do so by other means than by spending the
by d
h.ch was left full their pre e-
cessors. If a want of employment balance in an Exchequer vit
was felt in this country
and in Scotland, with a decrease of exports, and a diminution
of wages, ho should like to know how at that time they would
be enabled to procure ten or eleven millions of the
of the whole
way of loan. Why, it would shake the credit w
country. lie thought that some permanent, and not merely
temporary measures ought to be adopted in this crisis.
Let
them look to the degraded state of Ireland, the system of
land
tenure prevalent there, the state of the landed proprietors and
the degraded state of the people altogether, and he would defy
them to produce another country so truly wretched. He
acknowledged that a great part of this arose from the manner

in which that country was treated by England; but even if
that were the case, no one would deny that a remedy
could be found. And before they tried to fled the re-
medy, it might be well to ask what it was
that brought Ireland into the state in which
ttA,,chito:
neemu Another
Irelandi
tthnhrt
etywere
there
gentlemenfegneeri
grievance
interference
ftcoeahepno;
trc
she was at present—what but the unequal loss, the unjust
oppression, and the continued strife which existed between the
of the country used to be arrayed against the other half, the
rival parties marched out with banners flying, and it required
hs7 teat that
Not
eoaiynfnewdaoatarfh: Ireland.
ago,
that
()line t
h( (Mr. i Hume)
oiJuly, re coonl lee ct
halfed
thheilodgsseevsentaheeir
wtehrseo,fantdhethlaatneith,
Ivorefs. re
nHov mePunl:m-rneeetsi g;
hit
oppression
nrhs esae nodf
the preventth
abolition c degradationlpvtilo
pwleaboory.ff
tithes ; he was told that the Protestant Gentlemen of Ireland
11,1
le they
ot Isere
therefore contented
fall
intowith
etybactout
his (Mr. Hume's) veiws. He was assured that Ireland could
never rise in the scale of nations until they removed the mon-
strous inequality that had arisen from their penal laws. They
ought to remove that dormant Church—they ought to give
satisfaction to the people of Ireland—they ought to extend the
same civil rights to Ireland that England had, and then they
ought to tax every Irishman equally with every Englishman in
this country. He knew that these opinions were not perhaps
palatable or satisfactory to Irish gentlemen; but he knew also
that it was not satisfactory for Englishmen to provide for the
pauperism of the sister country. A passage had been quoted
from Fletcher, of Saltoun, to show the deplorable condition
of Scotland at an earlier period. But Scotland had now risen
in the scale of nations, and why should Ireland not rise in the
same manner 1 But it appeared that Irish gentlemen in this
and the other House were banded together for no other pur-
pose than to get as much money out of the country as possi-
ble.—(Cries of "Ohl oh !") Why, let them read the resolu-
tion—that was the tenor of it, and it was, therefore, for her
Majesty's Ministers to consider whether at the end of next year
Ireland would not be in a worse condition than it was now.
They should next year require eleven millions of money, and
he should like to know where it was to be got from. Let them
give the people of Ireland equal laws—let them protect capital,
and employment to the people would very soon follow.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that he
had, during the whole course of this debate, in vain listened
for some suggestions or some indication by which they might
guide the course which her Majesty's Government had in-
tended to pursue, and for some valid objection to the measures
of the plan which his Noble Friend intended to pursue. He
had heard, it was true, several objections from his Hon. Friend
the Member for Wycombe (Mr. Osborne), and had heard
much of the evils of a dominant Church, aid the mischief
of advancing capital to Ireland, but not one single objection to
the object which his Friend had in view, although he had
listened with the greatest attention. It should be recollected
that the chief object of his Noble Friend MA to provide for
the necessities of the people under the awful calamity which
had befallen Ireland, and for which, under the circum-
stances, it was so difficult to provide. He had hoped
for some intimation, for some suggestion by which the Ministry
might the better steer their course. But it was in vain, yet he
could not but congratulate the House on the feeling which had
been exhibited on all sides. He felt this question to be a most
important question ; one the importance of which could not be
exaggerated, and which had engaged the most anxious attention
of her Majesty's Government, and they were earnestly desirous of
taking that course under the circumstances, and God knows
the circumstances are sufficiently difficult, and such as were suf-
ficient to embarrass any set of man. Many objections had been
made to the course which the Government had pursued, and
accusations had been brought against them, and one Hon.-Member
had criticised in his speech the proceedings under the Act of
the last session for the employment of the peor. The House
would recollect that the Act passed during that session was
for the purpose of employing the poor during the spring and
summer months in consequence of the failure of the potatoe
crop. That Act went on what was called the half and half
system—that is, that one-half of the money was to be advanced
by Government, on condition that the other half should be
contributed by the resident gentry of Ireland, and it was
expected that this outlay would bring out the expenditure of
a much larger amount of capital. And did the Hon. Member
know, that since the Ist of September, that the sum of 290,0001.
had been advanced for that purpose. It was well known that
the expenditure had been used in the payment of wages, and
that it had had the effect of raising the price of labour
in the labour market.— ( Hear.) In Scotland and England
there had been a deficient harvest as well as in Ireland, but for
those two countries no outlay whatever had been made.
—( Hear, hear.) The public works on which this money
had been spent had only been stopped until a presentment
had been made from the farmers to the effect, that the exer-
tions of the labourers were necessary to gather the harvest.
The Hon. Gentleman now told them that this measure of last
session was a baseless, ill-considered measure, and that it had
the effect of charging real property with the support of the poor
in Ireland, and he thought that this observation was worthy of
consideration. It was arranged by the terms of that Act
that presentments should be made, and that then the Go-
vernment should advance one-half of the money, end that
the sums advanced should Se charged partly on the funds ga-
thered for the maintenance of the poor, and partly on the
funds of the county session. The.failure of the potatoe crop
had put a stop -for a while to the public works,
but he was sorry to sty for the sake of the Irish
landlords, that when it was discovered that the contributions
were to be made, two more presentments were made, and
those which had been made were withdrawn. For sake of the
absentee landlords he was bound to remark, that one absentee
landlord, Colonel Wyndham, had advanced rations to ten thou-
sand poor people daily. He was unwilling to charge the Irish
landlords with negligence, except to the extent that he thought
they ought to have interposed to prevent, or at least to
cheek the abuses which had been committed under the Act.
He did not wish to say anything without authority, and there-
fore he would take the liberty of drawing the attention of the
House to a report which had been received from the Board of
Works. In that report the duties of the relief committees
were clearly defined, and acontrast was drawn between those
duties and the practice of the committees. One of the duties
was to ascertain and investigate distress from week to week,
while Government had to execute the works provided by the
presentment session, and pay the labourers employed upon
these works. In practice, however, the sessions presented
works without previous local inquiry, the relief com-
mittees exercised little or no discretion in the
performance of its duties, and hence the system
had proved defective. It might have been difficult for the re-
sident gentry to perform the duties of relief committees, but
he asked any gentleman whether he thought that those duties
.hould be performed by an officer of engineers, whose province
it was to superintend the execution of public works, or by the
resident gentry ? (Hear, hear.) It was true that there was
not the same parochial machinery in Ireland as in this country,
hut when the local gentry said it was not their fault, but pro-
nounced
officers that the system had failed, teey attempted to throw upon
that board a stigma which they did not deserve. Nevertheless he
thought the effect of the system had been good. No doubt it
e
had occasioned a good deal of expense, but when they consi-
deredd. and their
that half a million of persons had to be pat.
se. When
labours suspended, how could it have been otherwl
he told the House too, by the aid of one officer in the county
of Clare, 3,000 persons were taken off the works b-cause they
had been improperly placed upon them by the Relief Com-
mittees, and reminded them that these duties had to be per-
formed by the officers of the Board of Works in addition to
their proper functions, he did not think it was quite
fair I. throw blame upon them for the non-execu-
tion of duties which did not belong to them. Still
the effect of their efforts had tended to alleviate and prevent
distress. An enermous amount of relief had been afforded to
the people, and thousands had been prevented from dying of
starvation, and although they might regret that the money
had not been so well spent as they could have wished, they
could not but be gra' ified that so much suffering had been
averted. It had been reported to Government that in some
instances it would be better to give food than work, because
there were some poor and destitute persons who were altogether
from age and from other causes unable to work ; and
in order to prevent such poor creatures from ac-
tually dying from starvation, it was proposed to
give them food without allotting them work. He
wished to make a remark or twe before he sat down in re-
ference to an observation which had fallen from a Noble
Lord who had taken part in the debate, with regard
to the supply of food to the people. But first, he must give
the House some idea of the distress which prevailed, and for thethe
of
purpose of doing so he would bring under the notice ..
House another report which had been mane by the Boatel
of
that in
Works. From that report it would be seen
0_
the district of Kilmow, - where the total number
era theeo.
inhabitants was 7,800, of that number 7,000 werein
by
public
nt
destitution. He had said that the system of relief y_
had de-
termined had broken down, and they (the Government)d
to enable
to distribute food in different districts, an
food
the local committee to distribute to a large extent cooked
throughout the country. There were many
of
th"e
relief
com-
mittees in actual operation at present; and from the reports
House, that
they received, he was happy to be able to state to the
from the reports which had been received from their officials
and other sources, that their efforts had been attended with
most beneficial results. It had been said that the
carrying out
of this system had been more advantageous
nits effects than
by the suste-
nance other. It had enabled the labeuring classes '
nance afforded them to go to the public works, and it would
,here had
also enable them to cultivate the
,o ' Train in Ireland.
been great exaggeration about the sowing of l
g spring crops,
A large number of the crops in that countrywere
'
and it was therefore the more essential that immediate relief
should be afforded the people to enable those who were engaged
labour. did
in the works of agriculture to prosecute their
to adopt the sugHe ges-
not think therefore that it would be rightee
wrea
tion of the Hon. Member for Wii.gan T
hereh ase
ther distrgeret
ss,
difficulties pressing on Irelan•of
the world, an th
almost unparalleled in the annals
of taking p
system of the people lace wind theere was
social
also a most important change
that country. The food of
potatoes were being changed.
A large portion of e people of
maintained by p
ground, and depended upon food raised entirely by themselves,
while they were in
no measure dependent upon what they pur-
chased, supposing the potato might retain its position, but
even then it was not expected that so large a portion of the
d derive their sustenance from that as
of Ireland woul
people
nle of Ireland were to buy their food in
hitherto. If the 1:)°.0,,, people to sell them, and he believed
detail, there must be s
rester blessing than the establishment
that there could not be ahgom
they might purchase their f I
of small dealers from
whom y
it would be highly c"..
Ile thought that in ge
Y
oneylender, but in the in. improper
for the State to became
bridge over the t • ' esent
order safely to e trans state of
stance, and in ore he measure exceeding) •
thought ty desirable.
With people, he
reposed measure of the .
With reference to the P
the waste Government
• of tne was lands, the object of the
for the reclamation
t from what. it had been
measure was very differenof
lend in the ' •
represented,
there were large
tracts
as these tracts which
hossession of mere
nominal owners, and it was
for
the the Government
reclaim. The measurepromotion of the
proposed to
aid als o be beneficial, although lotteries he thought wo .
of that he was
upon the success measure net so sanguine
estates was also calcul tel
were. The sale of es a t to do much
At all event
good in the country. .
.ng
there moat prom
Ireland was opt and
the part of th
earnest attention on e Government.
• h
come forward with a,si3ta
It behoved them to coince to a greater
h e
extent, and he was sure t e country
h . woro
( not be unwilling to
respond to the requiremen p '
ed that next harvest
that t feared
would be more abundant, but he
that " there would be a
great amount of suffering beforehperiod arrived. In ad-
dition, however, to the assistance
which be extended to
the people from this country, a great duty was also imposed on
Irish gentlemen; and vritheut their co-operation the Government
could not hope to meet the emergency. It was necessary that
agency, the food should be distributed through resident
and it
was necessary that those best acquainted with the nature and
extent of the distribution should administer to its relief. If he
could impress upon them his own feelings with regard to the
calamity, he was sure that from private and public resources
they would be able to grapple with the distress, and greatly
alleviate the sufferings of the people.—((sheers.)
On the motion of an Hose. MEMBER., the debate was then
adjourned.
Lord J. RUSSELL hoped the House would allow the
debate to take precedence to-morrow.

CHELSEA PENSIONERS BILL.
This Bill went through Committee.
BUCK WHEAT, £ec., IMPORTATION BILL.
This Bill was read a third time and pasted.
The other orders of the day having been disposed of, the
House adjourned at a Quarter past Twelve o'clock.

DESTRUCTION OF EASTON
LODGE.

THE LATE FATAL ACCIDENT ON
THE GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY.
ADJOURNED INQUEST.-
SOUTHALL, FEB. l.—This morning, according to the ar-
rangement made on Wednesday last, the coroner and jury
.1 re-assembled at theßed Lion Inn, Southall, to conclude their
inquiries as to the deaths of Henry Bishop and Henry Halt,
killed by the fall of a fragment from the broken tire of
the "up" express engine, while passing the four o'clock
" down" train, in which they were passengers, this day
week. The proceedings of the inquest were, it will be
remembered, adjourned, that the jury might be enabled to
visit the scene of the catastrophe by daylight, and that
the evidence of scientific men, free from the possible sus-
picion of bias, might be adduced as to the cause of the
accident.
• After a very, careful inspection of the carriage in which
the deceased met their deaths--of the fragments from the
broken tire of "The Queen's" driving-wheel, and of the
condition in which that engine was left by the accident, the
following evidence was adduced before the coroner and the
jury:—
John Fawcett,' smith to the Great Western Railway Com-
pany at Swindon for the last three years, said, that it was
his duty to superintend the making of, and to examine all the
wheels and tires which had to be made by the company, and
to see the latter fastened on the former. His usual mode of
examining tires was this:—They were sent to him a little
under the size required, and after heating them he had them
placed on a stretching-block until they were of the size re-
quired. Such a process might weaken the tire a little, but if
the outside skin or the inside of the tire was unsound they
were generally able to see it by such means ; and he had
strict orders not to put a tire on if he saw the least flaw in it.
lie did not remember the blocking of the tire which had
given way, but, as a general rule, much greater attention
was! paid to the tires.of driving-wheels than to those of
ordinary wheels. When a tire was found to be unsoundly
welded, it was generally welded anew. It appeared to him
that the broken tire of the Queen was Welded before it came
to them, by having the two ends cut off at an angle and
brOught together in the form of aV, and then a V-piece
welded into the vacant space. Though, when an accident of
the kind happened, the wheel was generally brought to him
to be repaired, he did not always know that the giving way
of the tire was the cause of the accident. If an old tire
broke the wheels were condemned, but not so if the tire was
a new one. He had had no experience in the making of
tires or wheels before he went to Swindon. It was his
opinion that the tire had broken at the weld—the unsound-
ness of it having escaped observation at the manufacturer's,
and afterwards by him. All the tires sent them were not
tested ; for some they received of the proper size,_which it
would not do to stretch. He could not, therefore, swear
positively that it had been tested by " blocking," although
he believed it had. He must, however, have examined it
when red-hot, and must have seen any flaw had such been
visible at that time.
James Almond, the engine-driver of the Queen, and who
was examined at the previous sitting of the inquest, ex-
plained a misunderstanding as to his previous evidence, by
which it appeared as if he had denied that the Queen had
ever previously thrown a tire.
The COI:OMER—When did she throw a tire then? Wit-
ness—l think it was about seven or eight months ago. No
one was injured by the occurrence, which happened when
they were travelling at a speed of about sixty miles an hour.
On that occasion the tire was thrown from the other driving-
wheel, and a new one was put on the wheel at Swindon.
l'he tire which has caused the present accident was no doubt
examined at that time.
The CORONER—Suppose the tire from one of the carriage
wheels was broken, is that on the fellow-wheel taken off in
consequence? Witness—That depends on its being worn
from long use. When the tire came off the fly-wheel of the
Queen before, that on the fellow driving-wheel was so little
worn as to make no difference between it and the new tire
by which the broken one was replaced.,
The Coto:lea—How often have such accidents happened
to you lately? Witness—Three times within the last eight
or nine months, and in each case it was the tire of the driv-
ing-wheel which gave way. Witness did not recollect such
an accident having ever occurred with the tire of a carriage
wheel. Witness attributed to the same cause, viz., bad
welding, the breaking of both the tires on the driving-
eheels of the Queen.
Mr. B. Cubitt, the engineer, stated that he had had expe-
rience in the construction of tires and their application to
wheels, and that he attributed the breaking of the tire from
the driving-wheel of the Queen to an unsound welding. The
mode generally adopted in welding a tire was as follows :
' The two ends of the tire having been cut off at an angle were
brought together in the shape of a V, and then a V-piece
was welded into this V-space. In Mr. Gooch's plan, as he
had described it to him, the V-space was filled with three
V-pieces. He considered this much the best mode of effect-
ing a good weld, and it was the process generally adopted at
the Haigh Foundry. The other plan was more in use for
tires which were all iron and not steeled. He was now loco-
motive engineer of the Great Northern Railway, but had
been employed -on the Brighton and Dover line. The steeled
tires of the latter company were welded in the way which he
had described, and he had them from the same place as the
Great Western Railway Company. The steel tires of the
Brighton line were not riveted on to the wheel as the iron
tires were—as it was conceived that the effect would be to
weaken the tires, though that could not be the case to any.
:onsiderable extent. The rivets required to be soft, and
,yhen they wore away, the surface of the wheel would be
rendered uneven. Not one-tenth of the wheel tires on the
Brighton and Dover line were steeled, so that nine-tenths of
them were riveted. The part of the tire where the fracture
took place on Monday last was so defective that it would
never have been put on if the fact had been known.
The CORONER—Had the inspector any means of ascer-
taining that the-tire was so defective? Witness—l don't
iee how he could. for it had been tested by "blocking," and
also by being rolled in hoops.
The CORONER—\V bat would you recommend to prevent
he recurrence of such accidents? Witness—l only know of
.ins thing, and that I don't think certain in its operation.
mean putting in lai-inch screw rivets from the inside of
he wheel over every 18 inches of the circumference of the
ire. I should recommend that the screws pass through to
be steel, or as near it as possible. This would, at least,
;revert the fragments of the tire, when it gave way, flying
-o far as they have done on this occasion.
Mr. J. Mitowitsee, an engineer, lately in the employ of
he Bristol and Birmingham Railway Company, but now
,uperintendent of the locomotive department of the London
and North-Western Railway, said, that having seen the
broken tire from the driving-wheel of the Queen, he had
same to the conclusion that it had been badly welded in the
irst instance. From the section shown by the fracture. he
,hougt,t that only the pieces cut from the extremity of each
irm of the V., and-from the point of its apex, had been
inited—that the whole bad not been properly fuse I to-
4ether, owing to an improper mode of working the weld.
Joe large V-piece had been introduced over almost
[he entire breadth of the tire, and that V not
being of the exact form of the V-space, which
it ought to have filled, had not united except where it re-
ceived the blows of the hammer. He had seen tires welded
with two V's meeting in their centre. He had also just been
informed by Mr. Gooch of the plan pursued by him at
awindon, and which with slight variations he had seen
mactised before. He considered Mr. Geoch's plan more
likely to produce a solid weld than any other which he knew
of. It was quite possible that with ordinary care the un-
soundness in the broken tire might have escaped the eye,
particularly when the outer skin presented a sound appear-
ance. He bad known tires, in frosty weather, break at other
parts than the weld. It appeared that the fibres of the
broken tire were changing to crystals. He could not say
whether that was the result of the iron being of bad quality,
or of some other cause. Different circumstances would pro-
duce such a change at different periods of time. If the wheel
were overbalanced it would be produced very soon. The
fracture did not take place from the iron- being crystallized.
On the Bristol and Gloucester line steel tires were much used.
but none of them were ever broken at the weld. They were
not fastened by rivets, and many of them were made at the
same works as those of the Great Western Company. A
very small proportion of the wheels used on the Bristol and
Gloucester line were riveted, and the riveting was to
strengthen the wheel, and not to keep the tire on. When
they broke asunder from frost, they did so most commonly
at the rivet-heads.
The Conoxisa—Would you recommend the suggestion
already made to us by Mr. Cubitt? Witness—l think that
by introducing a screw from within the wheel you would en-
ure safety if a fracture of the tire did take place, and I would
recommend the adoption of that plan.
Mr. J. Braithwaite, engineer to several railway compa-
nies, and residing at 39, Bedford-square, said that he had in-
spected the broken tire, and having heard the evidence al-
ready given considered there could not be a doubt that the
unsound welding was the cause of the fracture. The imper-
fection occupied about 60 per cent. of the section, and the
strength of the wheel was, therefore, not one-third of what it
ought to be. No human foresight could on examination have
determined that such an unsoundness existed. He had him-
self been a manufacturing engineer, and he bore testimony to
the superior quality of the work produced from the Haigh
Foundry. Welding was a very difficult process, but the way
in which the weld of the broken tire bad been effected, though
it would save time to the workmen, was such as he thought
the authorities of the Haigh Foundry would not approve of
or allow, if for nothing else, fur the sake of their reputation,
which stood deservedly high. There being enough of metal
in the tire to support many tons' weight, blocking did not
sufficiently test its unsoundness, which was rendered invisible
by the outer skin of the wheel. The mode adopted by Mr.
Gooch was that in which the weld should have been effected.
He considered the screw from within the wheel a more per-
fect way than riveting for avoiding such casualties in future.
He decidedly preferred the screw to the absence of all fasten-
ing, which some recommended; and from the fact that the
broken tire of the Quern, though not one-third of its pro-
per strength, travelled with that engine some 20,000 miles,
he contended that no tire could be weakened by the bore of
allYrinch, or a Ik-inch screw. Such a plan would give the
public a greater degree of security, as far as opinion went.
The fractured metal appeared to be very much crystalized.
An axle had a greater tendency to-crystalize than a wheel,
as it was subject to greater alternate action and reaction.
Steeled tires were ,in his opinion, for some purposes stronger
than any other, but perhaps they were more subject to the
influences of weather. The advantage of them, however,
was so great, that it was the duty of every engineer to use all
precautions possible in continuing them.
Mr. Gooch announced that for the future the screw would
be used on the Great Western R tilway, and that he had not
used it before because be thought it would interfere with the
strength of the tire. (Mr. Gooch then read to the coroner
and jury a long letter which he had received from the Haigh
Foundry Company, with respect to the unsound tire made
by them, which had caused the accident. The letter stated
that the tire could not have teen made according to their
orders; that they had endeavOured in vain to discover by
whom it was welded; that the men employed by them on
such work were their best hands, the work being of a very
difficult character; that being well paid, they had no excise
forcarelessness ; and that, as a security against defective welds,
they were required to pay the expense of replacingany that
might fail, besides making another tire, if
.n thenecessary,
instructions
Ivithout
pay.) Mr. Gooch then proceeded to explain
given by him for effecting a good weld in t
tires._ The.. ends
of the tire being brought together and united for a small por-
tion of its breadth, a V-piece, for which a space is prepared
in the shape of the ends, is then welded in. On the base of
that V-piece, a section of the base of a larger V-piece is then
welded in, the ends of the tire here again corresponding to
the angular ends of the section, and these ends extending
beyond the base of the V-piece under it.. Above this section
of a V-piece is welded in a second section like it in shape,
extending beyond its base, fitting into the ends of the tire,
and occupying the whole remaining breadth of the tire, The
space round the angular ends of the last section is then cut ou and a new piece of welding put in. A piece is also cut out
at the apex of the welded V-piece first inserted, and a
new
piece of welding put in. The different stages of this process
are all performed at separate heats, and
weldthey are so contrived
that the facilities for effecting a good
are -
creased, while the operations being multiplied, the chances are that a sufficient number of them will be successful
even though others may fail to secure an adequate strength.
He had at Swindon, as an additional precaution, adopted
means, by iron bands, of placing the resistatice nearer to the
strain during the process of welding.
The CORONER then briefly addressed the jury.—It wasquite
clear, he said, that no blame attached to the railway people,
and that there was none with reference either to the engi-

(From the Essex Herald of this day.)
Another of the proud and noble mansions of England has
fallen by fire—Easton Lodge, the residence~of Lord Viscount
Maynard, which possessed a peculiar interest in this part of
the kingdom, not only from its presenting a noble pile in
he Elizabethan style of architecture, modified by the taste
and the luxury of the present day, but as forming the
" stately home" of the lord-lieutenant of Essex, the highest
official representative of the Sovereign in the county. It is
cnooswtl y and
a heapvoauflbablale ckprroulinesr,ty.beneath which lies buried much
This calamity, which has laid the main body of the fine
old house in ruins, occurred at an early hour on Sunday
morning, and the first signs of the fearful destruction that
followed appear to have been discovered by his Lordship
himself. It seems that at three o'clock in the morning,
while the Noble Viscount and Lady Maynard were in bed,
their attention was attracted to a strange crackling noise
in some of the other apartments ; and the first thought
that suggested itself being that thieves were endeavouring
to effect an entrance, his Lordship rose and proceeded to his
dressing-room. There he found an enemy far more formid-
able than human robbers. The whole apartment was
filled with a dense smoke, and the flames were already curl-
ing up the walls of one side of the room, though the imme-
diate cause of the ignition did not appear, and it seems from
all the accounts that have reached us that even up to this
time it remains unknown. His Lordship, with great promp-
titude and presence of mind, endeavoured in the first instance
so to apply the carpet as to smother the flames ; and all the
household being aroused, the servants set vigorously. to work
with buckets of water to endeavour to check the first progress
of the destroyer. Thin it was soon found was vain. The
older part of the mansion was built chiefly with timber, and
the flames taking a stronger and deeper hold of the ponder-
ous beams of the ancient architect, defied all the efforts of
the family to arrest them in their early stage. It was then
resolved to summon the aid of the neighbourhood by means
of the alarm bell, when it was found in this they were foiled.
The rope of the bell had become entangled, and thus rendered
useless; but the situation of the mansion was soon after an-
nounced to the inhabitants of the district by the red glare
that illumined the sky.
When it was seen that all the efforts of the parties imme-
diately around the mansion were vain, and that the small
engine belonging to the lodge was useless to stay the
flames, Mr. Griggs, his Lordship's butler, was dispatched on
horseback for the large engine at the police-station at Dun-
mow, which was instantly got out by the force, well manned,
and promptly on its way to the scene of conflagration, fol-
lowed by the two smaller ones from the same place. Hun-
dreds, too, began to flock in from the surrounding country,
farmers, tradesmen, and labourers, all evincing deep regret
at the prospect of destruction, and all anxious to put forth
every effort to save the house and property. Another engine
shortly arrived from Thaxted, and every exertion was made
to get the engines into play. But in the mean time the
flames had made fearful progress. They were ascending and
bursting through the roof, and at the same time descending to
the hall, the drawing and dining-rooms, and ruthlessly con-
, suming those elegantly fitted-up apartments, with their
costly contents. The whole middle portion of the mansion
was one entire blaze, and the south front presented a scene of
destruction terrifically grand. Anticipating this, many per-
sons who had reached the spot early had directed their efforts
to the saving of the books, pictures, and other valuable
articles in the library and billiard-room, in which they hap-
pily succeeded, so that the valuable paintings, with few ex-
ceptions, were saved and placed in the granary, and a large
quantity of plate and costly furniture stowed in the coach-
houses and other buildings, about twenty horses having been
turned into the park in order to make room and preserve
them from danger.
While the work of devastation was going on the Noble
Viscount was busy directing with great calmness and fore-
thought the efforts of the firemen and assistants, and Lady
Maynard and the Hon. Miss Maynard, notwithstanding the
cold blast of a wintry morning, maintained their place upon
the lawn, watching the destruction of their princely home,
and somewhat consoled, we doubt not, by witnessing the
strenuous efforts made and the deep feeling which the cala-
mity excited in the multitude, hundreds of whom had so
often had their wants relieved and their sorrows cared for at
the Lodge. At daylight a heavy rain drove the fair sufferers
to take refuge in some apartments of the building, distant
from the scene of desolation which then presented itself; for
in spite of the continued play of the engines, and in defiance
of all human effort, room after room of the main or centre
part, the most ancient c:f the whole, was consumed; roof
after roof fell in, and the whole was a mass of blackened
ruin. At a quarter before five the handsome old turret clock
caught fire, the hands stopped, and enshrouded in a sheet of
flame, the whole fell into the burning mass below. Of this
portion of the building nothing was left except the curious
and antiquated brick chimneys.
About six o'clock all efforts were directed to cutting off the
communication over the billiard-room, and this saving the
part not then ignited. By the incessant labour of a strong
body of persons this was effected, by a large stream of water
being poured by the engines upon the burning rafters of the
centre rooms, and wet blankets placed to deaden the effects
of the flames. This, with the left wing of the building, is
the only part left standing.

UNITED STATES POST-OFFICE.

The report of the United States Poet-office department re-
cently presented to the President, is this year of more than
usual interest, as it gives the experience of the first twelve
months of the new system (based on the plans of Rowland
Hill), adopted on the Ist of July, 1845. It appears that the
annual average income for the ten years preceding the abovt
date was 4,364,624 dolls., while for the first year of the new
law it was 3,487,199 dolls., showing a diminution of 877,425
dolls., or about 20 per cent. The receipts for 1844-45 were.
however, less than the average above mentioned, so that the
actual diminution of income under the alteration as compared
with the preceding year was only 802,624 dolls. "No incon-
siderable portion of this deficiency," it is alleged in the re-
port, " may be traced to other causes than a reduction in the
rates." The system, as a•lopted in America, does not embrace
io,nffie'eacneg'dYelieltadhs. annual
r
a uniform, but a graduated rate (five cents under 200 miles,
and ten cents for a greater distance) and hence the temp-
tation still still exisis, as regards distant points, to sem:
letters by private expresses, " which still continue n
be run between principal cities with as much regularity a,
the mails." It is also common to enclose more than on,
letter under a single half-ounce cover, " and even packages
of letters, addressed to different individuals, are collectee
together under a single cover and directed to some third per-
son for distribution, by which means 100 letters, weighing
eight ounces, are charged under 300 miles 80c., and over 30i.
miles 1 doll. 60c., when the department is entitled to receive.
under the law, 5 dolls. or 10 dolls., according to the di,-
twice." The immense mass of dead letters, averaging an-
nually between 1,500,000 and 2,000,000, besides an excessil ,
number of unclaimed newspapers, is also greatly complaine•
of; and, to remedy these evils, it is proposed to limit th-
single letter to one quarter instead of the half-ounce, and tc
require that all newspapers should be pre-paid. An increase
on the rates of postage on newspapers to be regulated accord-
reference to thei,
Bever been looked
sizetinogiat
Ist
aotnal
dc:seeowruitiearnicignietheotNdf: erisxsetalla, tietkineoeusuv
rest
.ihsee Prconditions,ehocesot average
the 10 years preceding the new law was aboutr9 ,),000 dolls..
smallness of this latter deficiency,
ast
t r icboumt apb lre t o with
the
might have been anticipated, being
attributable
expenditure having;
some-
what remarkable circumstance of
_.ofl
,etreeted. in the letting. 01,
new
and under the alterationitwihtahs
tbheeenadoop,7l,oaon9e7d doitltlhise., tht
been reduced concurrently
1 1 ed that th
t increase of letters which
measure, and despite the g
the mail contracts;
the department has, in
consequence,
been occasionally greatly-
impaired,
their obligations. Another effect of
the contracts having
ke
beentwean sa° ,s‘i' nearlycg e-theirdservoficetlf,
taken in many instances
of doubtful character and means, altogether by persons
iti,orsotsfihroc
over-economy is also reported in the fact, that of the 14,793
of fulfilling
goluntarily vacated their appointments
post-masterssince the passage of the new law. These officers were paid
it
sisoatna cr
eethdeedApttaorrtniaen
incapable iitil.
theT l'
eunr buteitdeti,litc
by a per-tentage, sand when the system was put in force
which reduced their receipts while it increased their work.
no alteration was made in their mode of remuneration.
assume
maned t thheuosffis succeeded Finding, however, the universal flight that was taking place,
respectability
the
alteration, to a
and that it would soon be impossible to get any person of the
General construed the law as enabling the department to i3ti'
crease the compensation to the same amount as that of the
in arresting the resignations.
rearslightest

EXTENSIVE BANK ROBBERY IN
GLASGOW.
Yesterday afternoon (Friday) a clerk of one of the most
respectable houses in Glasgow was sent to do bank busi-
ness. He repaired to the Union Bank, and drew a cheque
of 1,200/. He then proceeded to the Commercial Bank, in
the same street, with the money upon him. He was writing
some order at the bank counter—after finishing which, he
put his hand into the pocket of his outside coat to draw out
the money, where he thought he had it snugly deposited
The 1,200/. was gone! It is more than probable that he
wwahsomrecwoennloeiatrenr,edarbeynsorr prowlingomeexpertEanbgoluisth e
the cf,it3s,e. Gyeralla
as_
gow formerly was a rich field for them. But let every mat.
who goes to the bank have his eyes about him, and not trust
to his outside pocket. We have other particulars about thi:
robbery; but it is prudent to conceal these till we see what
the police does.
We hear that another bank robbery of 2471. was commit-
ted yesterday. Citizens take care I Query—Should the
banks of Glasgow not arrange to pay their cheques in a dif-
ferent the receiving houses in London P— Scotch
Reformers' Gazette.

MEAL RIOT AT MACDUFP.—The
this
excite-
ment prevails at all the shipping ports in neighbourhood,
in consequence of the enor
_ mona shipments of grain which
have been taking place for some weeks past, and the rapid
advance in the price of food. Thea quantities shipped at Port
soy, Macduff, Fraserborough,
saasmwpleoldl,as at Banff, for the
last two months, have been
toun3e.xt;
meal has risen from 18s,while the price of
per boll ; oats to 40s. ;
and barley to 50s. per quarter. The other evening,
a formidable mob assembled at Macduff to prevent
the shipment of a quantity of meal and grain which
had arrived in carts, and for the time they succeeded.
They placed a high barricade of railway sleepoefrehacros; the
way to the vessel, and stripped off her to
prevent her going to sea. A meetingbf tlaineemagoinsertzgailar
called to consider the matter. The committee
thet community have resolved to make various demands on
f
he magistrates, one of which; is, that they adopt all lawful
measures to prevent speculation in, and exportation of, grain
from the port; and also that the magistrates petition Par-
liament to put an entire stop to all monopoly and speculation
in food. Unless something is promptly done to pacify the
people, disturbances will ensue. —Edinburgh Weekly Register.
SOUTH PETHERTON.—On Monday last, about six
in the evening, the inhabitants of this town were consider-
ably alarmed by a large number of men, principally agricul-
tural labourers, amounting to nearly two hundred, congre-
gating in the town, their assembling being, it was understood,
for the purpose of obtaining an increase of wages. After
passing through some of the streets, they stopped opposite
the house of Mr. Pottinger, and after some haranguing
Mr. Pottinger fired upon them, but whether the gun was
loaded with anything more than powder we cannot say.
This, however, had the effect of exasperating the mob, who
immediately commenced smashing the windows with stones,
which they followed up till nearly or quite every pane of
glass in the front of the house was broken. The noise and
alarm continued till about eleven o'clock, after which time '
the men dispersed without doing further damage.—Somerset
County Gazette.
MILITARY COLONISATION Or NBW ZEALAND.—On
Saturday a circular was forwarded to several out-pensioners
of Chelsea Hospital stating that Government were ready to
grant a free passage to New Zealand to such of the pen-
sioners as chose to emigrate to that colony, together with
their wives and families, who are not more than forty-seven
years of age, an outfit to be provided, and on their arrival in
the colony they will be given an acre of land and 2s. 6d. per
day for seven years, during which period they will be
military colonists; at the expiration of that time they will
receive a grant of ten acres, and be free colonists—the wife
and family, in the event of decease, to have a free passage to
England, should they wish to return.

neer or the driver. After reviewing the evidence, he said
that the object of their inquiry ought to be to prevent the
recurrence of such a calamity. It appeared to him that they
could come to no other conclusion th2.n that the deaths of
the deceased were strictly accidental. At the same time,
however, such an accident held out a very useful lesson. In
this case two lives were lost; there might ' ha-re been fifty.
In fact, when they considered the speed at which an express
train travelled, there was no knowing what might be the ex-
tent of the calamity if anything went wrong. The tire
might have flown off at a plgforin crowded with passengers,
and killed sixty people. Thehfore, it gave him groat satin-
faction to see persons of such high repute present, and all
agreeing that it would be a safer and better plan to adopt
the fastening by screws. Common sense told thorn that the
recommendation was a good ene. He hoped that wherever
steeled tires were in use, the screw should be also used as a
fastening; and after that recommendation, if any engineer
had the hardihood to go on with the old practice, and any
calamity arose therefrom, as in the present case, such an en-
gineer would incur a fearful responsibility at law. The Co-
roner concluded by thanking the jury for the patient atten-
tion which they had given to the case.
A juryman—Is railway travelling limited as to speed?
The CORONER—No. sir; not by law.
Juryman—That appears to me a great omission, for if a
coach or other vehicle is driven furiously the driver is liable
to a penalty.
The CORONER—There is no such limitations as to railways,
and the public are principally to blame for it, if it is a fault.
Directors find that they can scarcely satisfy the public in
this respect. A gentleman got into the quarter to 10 o'clock
express train to Exeter some short time ago, and almost
immediately fell as'eep. He did not awake till the train had
stopped ot Exeter at a quarter past 2 o'clock, when, pulling
cut his watch and seeing the hour, be called but to the
guard, " God bless ine, can't you manage to go a little
hister?"—(Great laughter.) I believe in a shortliine there
must be some arrangement on this head.
Juryman—l don't think there can be a better man than
the Hon. Member for Finsbury to forward such an: object.
The jury having retired for 20 minutes, on their return
the foreman delivered their unanimous verdict to the follow-
ing effect:—" That the deceased came by their deaths acci-
dentally in the manner described, and that it was advisable
that in future the tires should be fastened on the 'wheels in
the manner recommended by the engineers who had been
examined."

•
TO THE SPANIARDS.
" Now's the day, and now's the hour," to place not only
yourselves, but your country on the high pinnacle of honour,
glory, and independence. Yon have been dictated to in the
cases of your recent royal marriages, yon have witnessed
how aFrench Prince has been forced upon your royal house--
a forerunner of an attempt at a future day to force a sove-
reign on your throne. France herself repudiates the mode
by which her executive Ministers have brought about the
accomplishment of her Sovereign's ambition. Arouse your-
selves, show your independence—call upon . your Ministers,
your Cortex, to introduce a law to exclude the Infanta, and
all descendants of the marriage of Prince Montpensier from
the throne of Spain—settle the line of succession in case of
failure of issue of your Queen—you wiH then place your-
selves, your country, in a proud position, and rank with the
whole of the countries of Europe—yes, even with France, for
she resents the acts of her Ministers as affecting Spain.
Spain will then become noble and free. -
Feb. 1, 1847.