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

Sll N, JANUARY '26, 1847.

COURT CIRCULAR.

WINDSOR, MONDAY.—Count Alexander Mensdorf is ex-
pected to arrive at the Castle to-day on a visit to the Queen.
The Earl Fortescue and the Earl of Aberdeen are also ex-
pected on a visit to her Majesty.
The Queen and Prince Albert took their accustomed early
morning walk.
Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of Wales, Prince
Alfred, the Princess Royal, and the Princess Alice, took walk-
ing and pony exercise, to• day, in the grounds around the
Castle. Her Royal Highness the Princess Helena was also
taken an airing.
His Royal Highness Prince Albert enjoyed the sport of
shooting this morning.
The royal dinner party at the Castle this evening, is ex-
pected to include Count Alexander Mensdorf, Earl Fortescue,
and the Earl of Aberdeen.
The band of the Scots Fusilier Guards will attend during
dinner. Her Majesty's private band afterwards attend in
the Castle.
A deputation from the parish of Hackney, consisting of
the following gentlemen :—John Simpson, Charles Bradshaw
Stutfield, and J. R. D. Tvssen, Esqrs., Mr. Homer, and Mr.
Charles Horton Pulley, the vestry clerk of Hackney, accom-
panied by Sir William Clay, Bart., one of the members of
the Tower Hamlets, had an interview with Viscount Mor-
petb, yesterday, at the office of the Woods and Forests, in
Whitehall-place, on the subject of a new approach from the
parish of Hackney into the Victoria Park.
The Earl of Lucan had an interview with Sir George
Grey, yesterday, at the Home office.
Mr. John Wood, Chairman of the Excise, had an interview
with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, yesterday, at his offi-
cial residence in Downing-street.
Dispatches were received, yesterday, at the Colonial-office,
from the Governors of the West India Colonies. Dispatches
were also received yesterday from the Governor of Gibraltar.

FRENCH PLAYS, ST. JAMES'S
THEATRE.

A new vaudeville entitled Le Barbier du Roi d' Aragon was
produced here last evening. With.the plot of this amusing
farce our playgoing readers must bevell acquainted as it has
been played at almost every theatre in London, under the
title of the Barber Bravo. Frederic Lemaitre was of course
the Barber, and the part afforded him admirable opportuni-
ties for exhibiting the astonishing versatility of his talent, of
which be knew well how to availliimself. He was exces-
sively amusing throughout and kept the house in an ecstacy
of delight. He was called for of course at the conclulion.anthve
doubt not but that Le., ' -will betrequen'repeated
-durtngibe demi* -4PMC' int It was preceded by
the new vabdeville of Louisette ou its Chanteuse des Rues,
in which that talented actress, Mademoiselle Clarisse, sus-
tained the principal character in a -manner deserving of the
highest praise. The house was crowded. Among the com-
pany
present we observed the Duke and Duchess of Beaufort,
the Earl and Countess of Chesterfield, his Excellency the
French Ambassador and the Countess Dietrichstein, his Ex-
cellency the Russian Minister and the Baroness Brunnow,
the Marquis of Bristol, the Count and Countesss de Jarnac,
the Count d'Orsay, the Countess 'of Blessington and the
Misses Powers, the Baron and the Baroness Rehausen, the
Earl and Countess of Listowell, Lady Rendlesham, Sir John,
Lady, and the Misses Burgoyne, Lady Jodrell, Sir Henry
Webb,' &c. •

SPIRIT of the PUBLIC JOURNALS.

FROM THE MORNING PAPERS OF THIS DAY.
CHRONICLE.—Lord John Russell explained last night
to a deeply-attentive House of Commons, the measures
which the Government have been able to mature for re-
lieving the distress and improving the social condition of
Ireland. Never, probably, did the chaste and impressive
eloquence of the noble speaker appear to greater advantage.
Skilful in arrangement, perspicuous in narration, pointed and
full of matter in reflection, preserving throughout the high
and earnest tone of feeling and the statesmanlike dignity of
manner which great occasions only seem to have the power
of calling forth, Lord John Russell never once suffered at-
tention to flag until he wound up a two hours' speech by a
peroration which touched as if by magic every chord of
generous sympathy in the bosoms of his auditory, and drew
forth from men, who must have heard his general state-
ment with the most opposite impressions, a burst of unani-
mous and delighted applause. Deeply, most deeply pained
are we to say, that our admiration for the noblePremir's
speech cannot extend to his propositions. The policy which
he developed last night is not a policy that will regenerate
Ireland. It is almost enough to say of it—
it is a scheme for improving that country
through and by means of the landlords. They are
to derive great and immediate benefit from it. We doubt
exceedingly whether any considerable part of the good will
go further; we speak with reference mainly to those of the
proposed measures which are to have permanent effects.
Before noticing them more particularly we shall dismiss, in a
few words, those which are intended for the relief of the
present distress. At this moment, 500,000 destitute persons,
representing a population of at least two millions, are re-
ceiving relief from the Government in the shape of employ-
ment upon public works. The expense for the single month of
January will be three-quarters of a million sterling. This
ruinous system is to be replaced cautiously, but as speedily
as possible, by a plan for giving relief in food, through local
committees, without exacting work in return. The peasantry
will thus be free to work for farmers or on their own hold.
ings, and the expense of supplying them with food will be
defrayed by local rates, subscriptions, and Government
donations. Of the probable expense of this new
plan no estimate is given. -We fear it will be enor-
mous. In connexion with this 'subject, we learn that
of the vast sum already expended in poor relief on
public works, end which was advanced as a loan, one-half is
to be remitted. We do not know the precise amount, but a
million sterling, or perhaps more, will thus be presented as a
gift to the 1..-litocllords.. _Tree- ilia, al Lord John Russell
says, that this; will be a hesn'y burden upon the finances of
the country at a time when dear food and slackened com-
merce already threaten us with a financial disorder and de •
pression. True it is, as he also says, that it will prevent him
from proposing other measures of a remedial kind, because
the State cannot afford the expense of those measures in ad-
dition to the gift to the landlords. True it is, as he again,
and with true and lively feeling says, that the money thus to
be given away is money that has been paid on their soap,
and their beer, and their tea, and their sugar, by the indus-
trious, self-helping, and now suffering people of this country.
Nevertheless, these hard-earned, hard-wrung pennies are to
be swept in a mass into the pockets of the Irish land-
lords. Why this great injustice should be committed we
really do not know. But our readers will doubtless
examine Lord John Russell's speech to see if it contains
a reason. The chief remaining measure proposed for the
relief of present distress is a loan of 50,000/. to the landlords,
payable within a year, to enable them to purchase seed for
their tenants. So much for temporary measures. But the
measures for permanent improvement are those which deserve
our chief attention. Their object should be, in the memo-
rable words of the Speech from the Throne, "to raise the
great mass of the people in comfort, to promote agriculture,
and to lessen the pressure of that competition for the occupa-
tion of land which has been the fruitful source of crime and
misery." What is the first of these measures ? A new
series of loans to the Irish landlords for the improvement of
their own estates. We are not jesting, as some of our readers
may possibly think. The matter is far too serious. The next
measure is excellent in principle, but likely to be so limited
in its operation that we should be sorry to stake the
credit of the principle upon any practical results which
can be expected to flow from it. The Government
will undertake the ,reclamation of such waste lands
as no private owner, even with the temptation of
a loan from the State, can be tempted to improve.
The last of the measures determined upon by the Cabinet is
the extension of the poor-law. We do not wish to pronounce
an opinion on this part of the plan without an accurate
knowledge of the details, but we are quite sure that " the
discretion of the guardians" will turn out in practice to be
no discretion at all. It is painful in the extreme, we must
repeat it, to be obliged to speak as we have done of the
policy of the Government in reference to the greatest subject
upon which they have to legislate. But we cannot, con-
sistently with our own convictions, and with the views which
we have repeatedly advocated, take any other course. By
the proposed measures we believe that the landlords, and the
landlords alone, will reap important benefit. They will be,
in truth, as they have long been, the spoiled and petted
children of the Legislature. Out of the starvation and dis-
ease and manifold wretchedness of their country they will
find the means of repairing their shattered fortunes. A great
public calamity they will feel and remember chiefly as having
come opportunely to relieve them from the penalties of past
improvidence. We confess we should have been heartily
glad if a line of policy productive of such results, since it
seems the inevitable doom of Ireland to be so afflicted, had
been adopted by any other statesman than Lord John
Russell.
HERALD. —The intentions of the Government in relation
to the relief of the famishing poor in Ireland were last night
stated at considerable length by the Prime Minister in the
House of Commons. The evil working of the public-works
system has become so glaring that it is impossible that any
Government should continue to pursue such a course. It
was burdening the land, exhausting the Treasury, leaving
agriculture neglected, and yet failing to afford any adequate
support to the people. While the peasantry were employed
upon the highways by day work they relaxed at once their
minds and their muscles by conversation and discussion, and
when this evil was attempted to be remedied by task-work,
a wonderful accession of activity certainly took place, but
th&PablifrariVorin'ailiarAl 41 To'ficieet thisSt
evil, the Government proposes to allow the passing of no
more presentments, and for the purpose of facilitating the
transferring of the people to other kinds of employment, to
use the relief committees in each electoral division, which
committees are to "receive subscriptions or donations from
Government, and relieve the famishing people." This is pro-
posed as a temporary remedy, and Sir John Burgoyne goes to
Ireland to organise the plan. Another temporary remedy is
menti•ced, in the shape of a vote to enable the landlords to
supply seed for the next year to the small farmers who are I
unabled to procure it of themselves, so that the next year's
crop may not be found wanting, and the, great scarcity be so
perpetuated. Of more permanent remedies these are three
—the first, an Act to authorise the advance of money to
landlords, for the purpose of draining, at 31A per cent., pay-
able in 22 years, and to enable tenants for life to alienate
part of their estates; the second, the expenditure of a million
in the reclaiming of waste lands; and the third, a reform of
the Irish Poor-law, by which the poor shall have a right to
relief, which at present they have not; by which out-door
relief will be given to the old and infirm, and where the
workhouse is full to the able-bodied. These are in substance
the measures by which Ministers propose to meet the crisis
—measures which, had some of them been adopted when
they were pressed upon the attention of Governments fre-
quently within the last half century, would have tended to
save us from the occurrence of such distressing disasters as
that under which Ireland now labours. As parts of a plan we
must approve highly of some of these. Two of them we
have taken all proper :occasions to advocate—viz., the 'ad-
vances for drainage and the enlargement of the poor-law.
The advances for the purpose of drainage, when made with
strict secarity that no malversation shall be committed,
cannot fail to be of infinite advantage to the country. It is
lost time to inquire how it has come to pass that the Irish
landlords, are so poor as to be utterly unable to expend that
money in drainage and improvement :which the condition of
the land demands. For statesmen it is enough to know that
the fact exists, and that it is a fact with the nature of which
the mode of its coming into existence has nothing to do.
Attack and denounce as much as you may think right the
extravagance of the last generation of Irish landed pro-
prietors, it may, perhaps, have some miraculous
effect upon their successors; but do not use these
assaults as a sufficient answer to a proposition for
the amelioration of the people, and the removal of
the annually-recurring distresses which make Ireland at once
a loss and a disgrace to the empire. It would, we are satis-
fied, astonish the public more than any other monetmonetary re-
velation, if it were possible fully to expose the usurious in-
terest which Irish proprietors have been compelled to pay
for money, owing to those multitudinous and complicated
embarrassments of their property which are sufficient to
puzzle the most acute. An early and sufficient measure of
the nature of that which Lord John Russell now proposes
might have done much to avoid the disastersothat have since
resulted. Late as it is, however, much good may be done
by it, more especially as it relieves the borrower from the
necessity of having all operations performed under the super-
ntendence of the Board of Works.

DEATH OF ADMIRAL D'ARCEY PRESTON.—This
distinguished officer died on the 21st inst., at Askar, in the
county of York, aged eighty-two. He was a native of that
county, and at a very early age entered the naval service as
midshipman. His various commissions were thus dated :
Lieutenant, November 10, 1790; commander, April 4, 1794;
post-captain, June 13, 1796 ; rear-admiral, August 24, 1819 ;
vice-admiral, November 12, 1840; and admiral of the blue,
November 23, 1841. The latter rank was obtained by the
brevet of November, 1841, on the occasion of the birth of
the Prince of Wales. By the flag promotion of the 9th of
November last, the gallant officer was advanced from the
blue to the white. His services were chiefly rendered by
coasting, cruising, and watching the enemy in their strong-
holds, &c. He commanded the seamen of the Boyne at the
reduction of Martinique, and at the storming of Forts Royal
and St. Lucia in 1794. He was captain of the Blanche
man-of-war, in company with the Minerva, in the action
with the Spanish squadron in 794. Te deceased was a
magistrate, as well as ljeputy-1 Lieutenahnt of his native
county.
DESTRUCTIVE FIRE.—Yesterday morning, at
oant
early hour, a fire, nearly attended with loss oil
lifellroorkfieldus.
at the Dyers' Arms public-house, 58, Long-
a
The flames were first discovered in the kitchen,eaYn' d had com-
municated with the club-room and spirit stores before any of
the inmates could be made sensible of their danger. After
censiderable trouble the residents--eleven in number—were
aroused; but the house was so full of smoke that some of
them were unable to descend by the staircase, and Mrs.
Chapman and another party were saved by the escape be-
longing to the Society for the Protection of Life from Fire. Two
of the lodgers did not effect their escape until the fire had
penetrated their room, and they were triflingly injured.
They were placed in a cab and conveyed to the workhouse.
The engines being set to work, the tire wasextinguished,
bat not until several rooms were burned, and the dwelling
house and contents were seriously damaged by fire. The
building and contents were insured in the Sun and Licensed
Victuallers, Fire-offices.