The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-30 00:00:00

Lt ruing -41111 t

LONDON, THURSDAY, APRIL 30, 1846.

Until some decisive measures are adopted for the
alleviation of distress in Ireland, our sympathies must,
if possible, become more intense, and our commentaries
more frequent and more urgent in its behalf. As long
as privations continue to extend both in urea and in
poignancy, it is impossible—it is utterly impossible—to
maintain a callous and continuous silence. Our most
solemn duty as journalists would forbid it.
Every emotion of our heart, every dictate of
our reason, every principle of our morality,
would tend to confirm us in a sense of that
duty, and even urge us on to its fulfilment., This is no
theme to be exhausted ; it is not a subject to be dis-
carded as tedious or impertinent ; it can never bo in-
sisted upon too frequently. No, not until! those dread
scourges of famine and disease have been either dissipated
or abated. Such, unhappily, is our position tvith regard to
that fertile but ill-omened country. We cannot consci-
entiously remain voiceless spectators of its wretchedness ;
each would be repugnant to our very nature. A great
moralist, we mean SAMUEL JOHNSON, once exclaimed, in
accents of passionate enthusiasm, " That, man is little
to be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon

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the plains of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow
warmer among the ruins of lona." And, in a similar
spirit, we might reprobate those who could regard Ire-
land in its present hour of tribulation without feelings of
the liveliest commisseration. An island so endowed by
nature to humanise the minds of its people with the holy
splendour of its scenery, and to nourish them with the
most prodigal profusion ; an island whose inhabitants
have evidenced by their historical character a singular
proportion of generosity, bravery, and devotion ; an
island so many years abandoned to misgovernment, and
so many years remarkable for its patient obedience to the
constitution—he must, indeed, be devoid of all capabi-
lity to appreciate misfortune who can listen unmoved

to her story, or remain indifferent under a knowledge of
her present sufferings. It has been said, and said well,
that the most sublime spectacle in nature is that of a
good man bearing up against affliction ; how much
more sublime must that subject become when it refers
to the aggregate multitude, not to an isolated instance—
to a nation, not to a man ! And such is the spectacle
exhibited by our Hibernian countrymen at this moment.
For it would be alike illogical and preposterous to im-
pugn a whole population of criminality because some in-
famous members of it are addicted to the perpetration of
the darkest deeds of moral, political, and social sin•
Assassins and marauders there are undoubtedly, but
they are still distinct from the mass of the populace ;
granted that these wretches are numerous, nevertheless
they are still but an infinitessimal portion of the commu-
nity. Ireland, therefore, in an abstract sense, has an
infinite claim upon our sympathies, and this claim
becomes only more apparent and more determinate
as we descend to practical, and economical,
and (if they can so be termed) selfish principles.
With an eye to its own stability, Government would, if
on that account only, be impelled to a consideration of
Irish wants ; the Ministry would be driven to an in•
terference, if simply upon an economical account, or
with the purpose of relieving itself and the whole em-
pire of a most grievous encumbrance. Everything con-
spires to direct the attention of the people of Greatßritain
to the lamentable exigencies of Ireland, and to require of
the Legislature some active movement for their removal.
This is a proposition admitting of no denial. Common
sense attests its accuracy. Nevertheless, those exigen-
cies are still allowed to exist ; nay, more, they are per-
mitted to widen over the land and to settle with a horri••
ble intensity into the very core of society. Nothing de-
terminate is done, though much is spoken of, and though
much also, we believe, is sincerely intended. The great
national wound is left open, no healing balsams are in-
fused, and the virus is spreading over the limb with
horrid rapidity. We speak facts : we do not attempt to
deepen the tone of a picture already sombre enough in
its hue, GOD knows ! And we do this, and shall con-
tinue to do this, at the risk of repetition. Scarcity is
extending too visibly over Ireland to admit of any taci-
turnity on our part at least. The distress of the
people is still attended by all its fearful concomitants.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM announced the other evening from
the Ministerial benches that the riots in various parts of
Ireland were, he thought, permanently suppressed. Yet,
notwithstanding this declaration from a Home Secretary
so remarkable for his cautiousness, fears in many quar-
ters are still entertained of their renewal. A party of
dragoons has been summoned into the town of Ennis, to
prevent by their presence the realisation of certain appre-
hensions as to disturbances. The Clare Journal mentions
the general fear of a tumultuary incursion of the neigh-
bouring peasantry into the town, and similar sentiments
of alarm are prevalent in other districts. But the most
heartrending evidence of the calamities now rife in
that unfortunate land is that of a memorial to the
Lord-Lieutenant and Relief Comirissioners from the
" poor resident cottiers on the ploughland of Clennagar-
nane and Clohannes." To this memorial, given in ano-
ther column, we refer all who are interested in the
condition of Ireland—and who is not ? It unfolds a
sample of the wretchedness of our fellow-countrymen
harrowing to hear of, mentioning the extreme destitu-
tion, in that small corner of the land alone, of somewhere
about one thousand souls, and setting forth, in the simple
language of agony, that they are " the most miserable
beings on the face of the earth." A more frightful pos-
ture of affairs for the island can scarcely be conceived.
And shall they continue thus without an effort on the
part of the Legislature for their amelioration?

He is the greatest benefactor of mankind who shall
cause two blades of grass to grow where one alone could
before have been raised. This is a truth which has
stood the test of centuries, and still commands universal
assent. Were it not for the improvements in agriculture,
by which an additional produce can now fairly be
counted upon from the same quantity of land, and also
from bringing new territories, which hitherto have re-
mained unoccupied,into cultivation,it would soon be impos-
sible to procure a sufficiency of food for the vastly increased
and increasing population of the world; and these new
lands have been sought for with avidity in all climes and
countries. The hardy and enterprising yeoman, who
finds it impossible to procure a farm in his native land
under terms sufficiently favourable to enable him to live
with comfort, takes with him his skill, his industry, and
his capital, and seeks in another hemisphere fur that in-
dependence which his exertions cannot obtai❑ for him in
this. Let it not be supposed that the emigrant has
no love for the soil where he was born, and
on which he sprung up to manhood, that he is in-
sensible to the domestic ties of family and friends, which
bind him to his home. No, far from it; his heart is
wrung with many a bitter pang when bidding a long
farewell to all that had been dear and cherished, but he
feels that if he remains at home he must sink in the
social scale, or become a burden to friends, and with
that energy and indomitable spirit, which has ever
animated the British heart, he sacrifices all
considerations but those of earning his own live-
lihood by his own exertions, and feeling
the proud consciousness of independence ; and
thus has Britain lost many of her most useful children.
This would not be the case were there in our own land a
locality to the improvement of which they could devote
their energies. In our sister kingdom, Ireland, this is
particularly the case, and a still greater necessity exists
for the adoption of any means by which employment can
be afforded to, and a house procured for, the myriads of
unemployed, and destitute labourers in that country.
There is no amount of national expenditure we would not
joyfully sanction to attain so desirable an object, even
without the slightest hope of return. The British nation
some time since sacrificed 20,000,000 sterling to remove
the stain of slavery from her dominions, and, large as
was the expenditure, few voices were raised against its
application, because it was felt to be a great act of moral
justice, and surely our countrymen would not object to a
sum less than one-tenth thereof being applied to raise the
more destitute of our Irish brethren from poverty and
i retchedness to comparative independence and comfort.
It is hardly credible that at this moment there are in

Ireland over 60,000,000 acres of waste lands wholly un-
productive, of which from 4,000,000 to 4.500,000 might
be reclaimed with profit, affording on the one hand ex-
tensive employment to the labouring population, and on
the other a fair rate of interest and return for the
capital employed in its improvement. Hitherto it has
been left to private enterprise, to the landlords to whom
this large amount of soil belonged, to take the initiative
for its reclamation—and few indeed have been the in-
stances in which active steps have been taken. When-
ever it has been done, we believe we may safely
assert that the person through whose instrumentality it
was effected, not only realised a considerable profit for
himself, but, no matter what might be his creed or his
politics, he was respected and beloved in the country.
The Irish peasant possesses high and generous impulses,
though easily led away, and, alas! too frequently plung-
ing into crime. Convince him that a real and earnest
solicitude for his welfare exists, and a more grateful
and tractable being breathes not. Some Irish land-
lords have indeed exerted themselves. The Premier,
a few nights since, mentioned in the most laudatory
terms the conduct of Lord G. HILL, who in less than
ten years has brought into cultivation no less than from
16,000 to 17,000 acres ; the late Mr. CAREW, father of
the present Lord CAREW, by continued zeal and atten-
tion, by a residence amongst his tenantry, and a foster-
ing care for their welfare, made what, when he came
into possesion, was little better than a furze brake, a
magnificent and profitable estate, now yielding
a greater number of thousands per annum to
his son than it did hundreds to himself when
he came into possession of it, and his proudest
boast towards the end of his long and useful life was
to point to his demesnes—to a happy and contented
tenantry, all possessing interests in their lands, on which
they could live with comfort, and from which they were
sure of obtaining for their awn use a fair return for
their labour, and say, see what I have myself effected !
Mr. HUGO, of the county Wicklow, might be mentioned
as another honourable instance of similar care and at-
tention, attended with equally beneficial and happy re-
sults both to his tenantry and to himself. Several others
instances might be adduced, but, unfortunately, they form
the exception, the very small minority ; many causes
instances heavy nsso that the nominal pos-
property,
prevent the great majority of the landlords from them-
selves coming forward. In many i
encum-
brances affect the
sessor is in reality in the enjoyment
by receivers and mortgagees, who have no in-
terest in the improvement ti
he property, And
a of but a small
annuity from his estates, which re really managed