The Sun.
London, England, 1849-03-06 00:00:00

'LONDON, TUESDAY

and to appease control ersy, and the like." He will not
trust to these vice-guardians which you have acting in
individual parishes without concert, who are struggling
against the greatest clifilcultiei, and who are doing an
they can to overcome their difficulties, still finding their
Efforts useless.—(hear, hear.) He says, therefore, "Of
all things a commission is the most necessary, both to
direct and to ence,e controversy and the lice." Then,
referring to the commissioners, he thinks it absolutely
necessary, instead of directing the proceeding at Somer-
set-house, " that they should for certain times reside in
some habitable town in Ireland—(Laughter)—near to
the country where the plantations shall be." Then
he foresees the objection which the Secretary of State or
the Ministers may make. They may say "we need not
have a separate commission for that purpose; there is a
capital privy council sitting in Ireland; they may dis-
charge all the duties of the commission, and therefore let
it go to the privy council." Lord Bacon, with that habi-
tual sagacity which belongs to men in office—(Laughter)
—gave his answer to such an objection; he sai 1, " when
I speak of a council of plantations, I mean sonic persons
chosen by way of preference, upon whom the labours
may rest, for although his M ijesty hath a grave and
sufficient council in Ireland, yet that supplies not the
purpose whereof: I speak.—(Laughter.) It will give a
greater expedition, and some better protection, in the
direction and resolution of matters that are to be con-
sidered beforehand, if such considerations be left with
those who have the control and care of the cause."
You would have no difficulty in carrying out this
plan.—(Hear, hear,) Such, I hope, is the real desire
among all classes to promote the prosperity of Ireland;
and such, I hope, is the conviction of the immi-
nence of the danger—the great and impending danger
hanging over the country. I cannot help thinking that
if you advise the Crown to select able and qualified
persons to meet this particular danger, causing surveys
to be made of the whole of these unions, devising the
best means of effecting, as speedily as possible, the
transfer of property consistent with equity and justice,
guaranteeing to the future possessor of the property
security against unlimited demands for taxation, and
giving employment to the able-bodied men—so long as
the necessity for it exists—in making roads to hitherto
inaccessible places, and even if you will, employing
them upon the cultivation of that land which is now
thrown out of cultivation—that such wonld be a much
better course to adopt than voting unlimited sums of
money, leaving them to be distributed by vice-guardians
who are not acting in concert, and trusting simply for
the future to the chance of the potato crop
being batter in the next year than it has been for the
last few years.—(Hear, hear.) Again I say, I think the
main hope for the improvement of Ireland is in the
transfer of property by means perfectly consistent with 1
equity and justice. For no consideration ought you for I
one moment to violate the principles of justice or equity.
But in the condition in which the greater part of the
west of Ireland is at present placed, and the calamitous
position to which it is reduced, I see no hope but in the
exchange of property—the transfer of property to other
hands—that transfer to be effected not by individual
parties, but through the intervention of Government, or
of some commission acting in concert with it, taking a
large extent of that district, considering its liabilities,
its existing incumbranees, and the best means of rescu- '
ing it from its present lamentable condition.—(Hear,
hear.) Well, but I hear great objections to this plan,
and I also hear great willingness to come forward with,
soap either means-for the purpose of supplying the wants,
of the country, end I understand -that some.of .those plans!,
vs eaore4feetual after •I have got tlsfq;r4teireatid.
(taughter.) lam very unwilling to assume the func-'
Lions of Government, or to propose anything in lieu of the
present measure; but all I can say is, that if the repre-
sentatives of Government should consider that a fair and
equitable proposition could be devised for taking a tax
upon personal as well as upon landed property, I shall
be most willing, after having got the rate in aid—
(Laughter)—after having that vote, I should be most
willing to listen favourably to the proposal made by one
whose suggestions are entitled to the utmost respect, both
on account of his personal character, his knowledge of
Ireland, and his attachment to its best interests—l allude
to the lion. Member for the county of Limerick (4r.
Moasell). I shall then be most willing to adopt his sug-
gestions, and substitute a property-tax levied upon per-
sonal as well as upon real property, in exchange for the
proposed plan.—(Hear.) If I had a property tax levied
in Ireland, I am not sure that I would not consent
to a proportion of the proceeds of that tax being ap-
propriated, for a given time, in order to relieve us from
this most painful position; that is to say, if I had a pro-
perty-tax now in Ireland levied upon the principle of the
property-tax in England, but varying in its details, ac-
cording to the circumstances of the country, I should not
object to apply the proceeds of that tax in order to assist
her out of her present difficulties, considering the pecu-
liar character of the misfortunes with which she is as-
sailed.—(Hear.) I confess, at the state of the west of
Ireland, I am in perfect despair, if the present state of
things is to continue,—(Hear, hear.) I carenot whether
you can get three or four hundred thousand pounds this ,
year, and the same next. year; I am convinced that un-
less you make some more vigorous effort to rescue that
country from the calamities under which it is now suf-
fering, at the expiration of the two years for which this
rate is intended to last, the condition of Ireland will be
worse even than it is at present.—(Hear.) There will be
no habits of self-dependence contracted on the part of
the people; there will be hope paralyzed; property will
continue to decrease in value; the amount of rates will
increase, and the land become perfectly unsaleable.—
(Hear, hear.) Unless some vigorous efforts be made to
change the state of things, to improve the tenure of pro-
perty, and give motives for the improvement of the bend 1
by limiting the charges on account of the poor-law, I I
foresee nothing but wide-spread ruin and public calamity.
—(Haar, hear.) Seeing all this, I think, if you would
act upon the principle adopted by James I.—if you could
induce security for life and property, give to the pur-
chaser a good and certain title, and a knowledge of the
fixed charge for some years to come—l say these would
afford opportunities for improvement in the country,
which, speaking comparatively and relatively, no other
part of the world appears to give.—(Hear, hear.) The
present state of Ireland, and the evils impending over
it, appear to render its condition perfectly hopeless: that
which is bad will become worse, and the state of things
will be getting more and more hopeless. I therefore
woufd advise a strict regard to the plan adopted by
James 1., and the adoption of measures which shall faci-
litate
the transfer of property to other hands, give to I
the new possessors of that property a guarantee against
uncertain and enormous amounts of rate, and thereby
encourage the exertions and industry of the people. I
see a great world that is growing up on the other side of
the Atlantic; I see the great facilities afforded of com-
munication to it by steam; I see also the great facilities
for communication by railway; and I see every reason
why Ireland, if an alteration were made in the tenure of
property in that country, should be the most prosperous
and improving country in the world.—(Hear, hear.) I
recollect some lines in a ballad, which were written at
the time of the unfortunate rebellion of 1798, when men
of talent were directing their abilities and their efforts
to the propagation of disaffection, and which made a
deep impression on my mind; they were—
'• When Erin first rose from the dark heaving flood,
God blessed the green isle and saw it was good;
In sun, and in soil, and in station thrice blest,
With her back turned to Britain, and her face to
the west."
And her face will still continue to be turned to the west.
I think we have now an opportunity of conciliating dis-
affection in that country. If you leave her to rely upon
her own efforts she will be overwhelmed by poverty and
despair; but now, by the adoption of vigorous measures,
in which every part of the empire can join, it appears
to me that you have the power, by a new constitution
of property, by the aid of the Government, by the in-
troduction of new capital for the cultivation of the soil of
the country, of materially improving its condition, and,
it you should succeed, of extracting from its present
state of calamity and affliction the means of securing
future prosperity and happiness to herself and strength
to the United Empire.—(Cheers.)
Major BLACKALL slid, though he was one of those
who voted for the grant of 50,000/., lately voted by the
House for the alleviation of the distress in Ireland, he
could not support the present measure. In the union
with which he was connected there were fifteen electoral
divisions. The rateable property in these was about
80,0001, and the rate in aid drawn from it would conse-
quently amount to 2,0001 But in seven of those elec-
toral divisions the rates, up to September last, had not
been paid, so that the imposition of this sixpenny rate
would entirely fall upon the remaining eight divisions,
who would have to pay both their own share as well as
the share of the other seven. But then this rate in
aid was justified on the ground that Ireland was
exempted from the income-tax, the assessed taxes, and
the excise. Now his objection to the rate in aid was,
that it would have to be paid principally by the tenant-
farmers of Ireland. Upon those men the income-tax.
though extended to Ireland, would not fall, neither could
they be made liable for the assessed taxes, though in
operation in Ireland the same as in England, and as to
the excise there were few instances in which they could
be brought within the reacts of the laws referring
to that department. The argument, therefore,
did not hold good, as the parties on whom the rate in
aid was to be imposed could not be brought within the
pale of the exemptions stated, though the taxes referred
to were imposed in Ireland. He had long considered
that all those grants, given for the support of pauperism
in Ireland, had been productive of but little good. They
had in papers now before the House the state of nine
unions in the west of Ireland, and from these papers it
appeared, that notwithstanding all the Government aid
that had been given them, they were, at the end of last
year, in a much worse condition than they were at the
commencement of it. On the 29th January, 1848, the
number of paupers relieved by those nine unions was
69,303; and on the 29th January, 1849, the number
claiming relief was 119,624, being an increase during
the year of 50,321. The debts of those unions on the
31st January, 1848, amounted to 34,8424, and on the 31st
January, 1849, to 83,1881., showing an increase during the
year of 48,346/. It also appeared from a calculatio❑ by
the vice guardians of those unions of the probable in-
come and expenditure of them for the five months com-
mencing the 5.11 March, 1849, that there would be a de-
ficiency of 18,7771; so that, notwithstanding that there
had been granted by the Government, in 1848, 131,3601.
in aid of them, and rates collected to the amount of
54,352/., there was an increase of the debt upon then
during that year of 48,346/, and an increase of the
number of paupers relieved of 50,000. He did not mean
to say but that had the money thus given in aid of these
unions been expended otherwise than in the purchase of
food for the paupers, better results would have followed;
but so long as it was expended in that way, and not laid
out in a manner which would give employment to the
people, and develop the resources of the country,
no other results than these which had taken place
could be expected. He had always supported a
poor-law, as he considered that must form the
basis of any measure introduced for the improvement i
of Ireland. It would not, however, better the condi-
tion of the country alone, it must be accompanied with