The Sun.
London, England, 1846-08-18 00:00:00

es
hoped the Hon. Gentleman would be persuaded to lay it on The House then resumed. I
the table, that he (Sir Charles Napier) might speak to it in The Contagious Diseases Prevention Bill, and the Turnpike
answer. Such proceeding was most indecorous in his opinion, Roads ( Ireland) Bill were read a third time and passed.
and he felt it the more that it was a matter on which be was The Tithe Amendment Bill was read a second time and or-
most anxious. He considered the whole affair was scandalous; dered to be committed.
the officers had been tricked ; they had been written to, and RATEABLE PROPERTY (IRELAND) BILL.
many of them had sent in their names, saying they would The report on this Bill was brought up and agreed to.
accept of the retirement ; the plan was rejected, and SMALL DEBTS BILL.
the names were kept up in the Admiralty—kept The House went into Committee on this Bill, the clauses
up there as a rod over their heads. The conse- of which were agreed to.
quence to these officers would be, that they would never MEDICAL PRACTITIONERS BILL.
get employment, for whenever they applied the Lord of the Sir GEORGE GREY said that the profession did not ap-
Admiralty would refer to the said list, and his observation prove of this Bill, and it would only be fair to give them an
would be, ;" Oh, why hers I have this man's name down for opportunity of discussing it.
retirement, and yet he asks to be employed." In his opinion, Mr. WAKLEY said he would be content to go into Corn-
the whole proceeding had been most reprehensible and most mittee, pro forma, and to take the further consideration of the
scandalous. The present plan, he said, was that the first 100 Bill on Friday next.
old captains should:retire, if they thought proper, on 255. a day. PAWNBROKERS' ACT.
How inconsistent this was the plan was, if they would take it, Mr. WAKLEY obtained leave to bring in a Bill, amend-
-255. a-day, and the hope of rear-admiral. But then if 10 only ing the Pawnbrokers' Act.
took it, and though that was an extreme supposition, yet it THE ECCLESIASTICAL PATRONAGE BILL
might occur, if 10 only took it, why, then, only 10 would retire, was read a first time, and ordered to be read a second time on
and that would be the working of their plan. The next 000 Thursday next.
on the 14s. 6d and the 10s. 6d. list, if they took it, retired on EJECTMENTS (IRELAND) BILL.
11. and IBs. a day; and many, lie had no doubt,frould accept it; This Bill was read a third time and passed.
they would retire as captains, only they could never rise higher MARRIAGES (IRELAND) BILL.
than 360/. a-year, and might ob'ain promotion to rear-admiral, This Bill was also read a third time and passed.
which they might have got in the natural way. This he con- The other orders of the day were then disposed of, and the
sidered to be injustice, if all the 100 got to be rear-admiral House adjourned at Half-past Twelve o'clock.
and 4601. a-year. The plan which he ( Sir Charles Napier)
would suggest would be the following. He supposed
that the Government gave all the officers, within the first 100,
4601. a-year, which he thought was only fair; and for this
reason, because if one cfficer would get to be rear• admiral in
the course of five years, he had a right to the 4601. ; this,
then, gave all at the top of the list the same privilege of re-
ceiving the 460/. If 60 or 70 took it, he did not see why
those that were left of the 100 should be punished. After
having applied this to the first hundred, he would allow the
rest to take 360/. and retire. Thus, then, when the one hun-
dred had received the 4601. and the promotion of rear-admiral,
they would allow others to retire on the 364/., till the money
was absorbed. He said absorbed, for he was not'of opinion
that more money should be voted than 30,000 L ; he did not
want more money, but more judgment, applied to the case ;
indeed he thought 25,000/. enough for the first year. There
was another objection which he had to this plan, an insur-
mountable objection, an objection which he would never yield
while he sat in Parliament.- It was that the adoption of the
plan would be forcing the officers to go on the retiring list ;
and the oldest officers were allowed to ask employment till
they were black in the face—(Laughter)—but in vain; they
were forcing the oldest officers on the list—Captain Gordon,
for example. At present the oldest officer, and very soon his
Hon. Friend opposite (Captain Pechell) would be affected in
the same way; to accept of the retirement—to accept it in spite
of their teeth.—(Laughter.) That was the very practice
which the Duke of Wellington, at the head of a Commission,
had done away. That Commission brought back many from the
retired list, and gave them employment. The present proposal
was to undo all that the Commission had done. It put a man
on the retired list—yes, and more, it put a dot against his name,
to the effect that he could never be employed again. Why,
there was a friend of his, still but a you ig man—he was a
younger man than he ( Sir C. Napier) was—(Laughter)—but
he bad been asking employment for the last thirty years—
( Laughter)—yet it was in vain. He said the Government
positively disgraced a man by the plan proposed—the plan
which the Honourable Gentleman opposite kept very snug
in his pocket ; he thought it was most degrading. But,
again, while the sum of 30 000/, was being given by the
country, the House ought to have an assurance as to the
number of those who were to be promoted. The plan which
had been pursued was most irregular. In 1830 it was ar-
ranged to be one promotion in three. What, he asked, should
the House and the country understand by that? Why, that it
would be religiously observed. But what was the fact? Why,
instead of one in three, it was three in one. Every man who
distinguished himself was made the one in three ; that one in
three promotion was given as the private patronage of the First
Lord of the Admiralty. The First Lord of the Admiralty
monopolised all the patronage. A friend made a call upon him;
the First Lord of the Admiralty went to his board,
" Gentlemen," he said, " I have a pressing case ; my
own patronage is up, let us make it a special case."
The list, he said, woul show wht he aid ; but let
ompare the list of 1830 with that', of 1846, and
them only c
the House ought to be satisfied how this was to be settled. He
thought that 15 admirals and 15 captains dying during the year,
the 30 ought to cover the year's promotions. He said that one-
half of the vacancies that occurred would be on the com-
mander's list, and one-half on the lieutenant's list, which would
give the First Lord of the Admiralty more patronage than any
First Lord had ever had who had been there. The conse-
quence of the plan pursued at present, was that the
service was in an inefficient state ; their commanders
were old, and their captains were old, and they
could not get lieutenants sufficient for the service.
He hoped the late motions on flogging in the army and in the
navy would have the effect of directing attention to the state of
the navy. He hoped the Government would follow the ex-
ample of a private merchant, who had a fleet of twenty-two
ships, and had established a seamen's home for his men, and he
found it most economical after all. He (Sir C. Napier) did not
see if it was most economical for a private merchant to provide
for the comfort of his men, why it should not be so for a Govern-
ment. He hoped the Government would adopt a different system;
would improve the men's pay, and would desist from paying off
the ship's crew when she came home.
Mr. HUME said lie had called the attention of the House
to the abuses in the navy, and at that time he found,
for every captain employed there were seven relays, and an
equal proportion for each commander.—(Hear, hear.)
This was not a system of retirement, but of patronage. If
returns were laid upon the table of the House, they would find
that the navy was solely kept up as a means of bestowing pa-
tronage. The Hon. Member proceeded to read extracts, to
show that many were placed on the retired list, and on the
promotion list, who had never served. The House of Com-
mons should not permit a superannuation to be made unless they
had a list made out agreeable to these returns. It appeared,
from the returns printed in 1838, that the actual service per-
formed by 638 captains was only a period of four years. Now
they wanted, at the present time, to put 200 of these
men on the retired pension list. Out of 1,188 com-
manders in the navy, 49'2 never served a day as
a commander, and 102 only served one year; leaving a
balance of 594 who never served at all. For every officer
in service there were six who could not get employed,
and thus, when vacancies were required, they were obliged to
pension off some and promote others. This was a system
which could not be allowed to continue.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said that a
great many things in the system might be altered and modi-
fied, but the Government were in office too short a time to
be able at the present moment to give it the attention which
they desired. The present system owed its origin to the
enormous number of officers who were employed during the war.
Mr. HUME—That is the old story.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER—It may be
the old story, but that does not make it the less true ; and it
has been found that it was impossible not to place them in
such a position which they deserved, and so much merited.
Hence arose the over-stocking of the navy ; and the men who
at present served would not continue to do so unless
they had some hope of some reward, particularly
as the pay of the Admiralty, was not as liberal
as he considered it ought to be. Though brought up in the
school of the Honourable Member for Montrose, he had ever
advocated an increase of pay to officers in active service.
Mr. CORRY was very glad that the Admiralty had taken
up the question, as it gave great promise that a wholesome re-
form would take place in the present system,
Admiral DUNDAS hoped the Hon. Member for Montrose
would not oppose the vote. He considered the plan submitted
was necessary for the efficiency of toe service.
Mr. WILLIAMS thought they would not effect any good
until they had cleared out all the old captains; but to do that
they ought to have a properly digested plan of retirement.
He could not consent to the vote merely because the Govern-
ment asked for the money, but they ought to lay down a plan
before they asked the House to agree to the vote. He would
certainly divide the House on the question
Mr. GOULBURN hoped the Hon. Member would not
divide the Committee on the question. He considered it was
impossible to bring any definite plan before the House upon a
mere conditional arrangement, which depended on the accept-
ance of the officers whose retirement was desired, in order to
give it effect. He trusted the Hon. Gentleman would allow
the vote to go on the responsibility of the Government.
Captain BERKELEY said that the object of the Govern-
ment was to make the list of admirals progressively effective,
and it was for that purpose this vote was proposed.
Captain PECHELL complimented the late Chancellor of
the Exchequer on the speech he had made. It had made him
sorry that the Right Hon. Gentleman had gone over to the
other side of the House. He complained, however, that the
• plan propose was not clear and intelligible; and, although the
Hon. Member for Hertford had stated how the plan affected the
145., the 125., and the 10s. 6d. list, he did not state how it affected
other officers in the service. These points were unexplained
and they could never have confidence in the arrangement until
this was done. On the other side of the House, it was pro-
posed to retire 300 officers, but on that side of the House it
was proposed to retire 200; and if he were to give
his opinion on the two plans, he would admit that
his bias was in favour of his friends below him.
He thought, in the absence of any plans, the Hon. Member for
Coventry was justified in pursuing any course calculated to
throw light upon the subject. The public wanted to know
what the Government plan was, and would not be satisfied till
they were put in posssession of that information.
Mr. COWPER supported the vote, and in doing so said he
should be happy to communicate the plan of the Admiralty to
the Hon. and Gallant Member privately.—( Hear, hear. )
After a few words from Captain Pechell, the Chancellor of
the Exchequer, Sir Charles Napier, and Admiral Derides,
Mr. HUME said, if captains were to be bribed to retire,
he could see no reason why officers of a lower grade should not
enjoy the same privilege.
After a few words from Captain PLUMRIDGE,
Captain PECHELL said that with the Hon. and Gallant
Meraber,he agreed that the retiring officers should be better re-
munerated, but he had very great objections to the plan of
giving a different amount of remuneration to different officers.
Mr. WILLIAMS said he had intended taking the sense of
the House on this question, but considering the present state
of the House, he would not persist in bringing the House to a
division.—( Hear, hear.) He would, however, bring forward
the subject on some future occasion.
The vote was agreed to.
After which the House resumed.
The CHAIRMAN reported progress, and the report was
ordered to be brought up to-morrow.
The Miscellaneous Estimates then went through Committee
and the report was ordered to be brought up to-morrow.
SPIRIT LICENSES AND DUTIES BILL.
This Bill, with some amendments, was read a third time
lilneomesataidx,
and passed.
NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT BILL.
This Bill was read a second time, and ordered to be com-
mitted to-morrow.
HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICERS BILL.
This Bill was read a third time, and passed.
INCOME-TAX DEDUCTION BILL.
The House then resolved itself into a Committee en this Bill.
Mr. J. COLLETT wished to know, from the Chancellor of
the
Th
The
CHANCELLOR Exchequer, wha t w was the
of objecttho of
EXCHEQUERt sßi
hithertot ere wenroet ebeeretaninl
iaebffilecetorsthatand
the payment of the
in the Court of Chancery who had
thisT hweasctlaoumseaskewtehreemagpareye.
diol,authge House
hter.)
rrresumed,oow and the
Bill was ordered to be read a third time to-morrow.
COURT OF EXCHEQUER (IRELAND) BILL.
The Bill went through Committee, and was ordered to be
This Bill was reeljadS
read a third time tomorrow.aT
secondOA 1 S BtliniLLe, (aNndo.
02; ) d
esjoiltstedTßtycmTorrLe dered to be com-
as
ASYLUMS (IRELAND) BILL.
On the order of the day for the House resolving itself into
Committee Captain
LAYARDon this Bill,
proposed a question to the Government.
In
Therep lyto which
CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said the
salary had been settled by the late Government, b
Mr. J. O'CONNELL was happy to hear t
be happy to consider the case.
heußtighhetwHoounld.
Gentleman say so.
After a few words from Mr. WAKLEY on the Haydeck
Asylum, the House went into Committee on the Bill, the
clauses of which were read and agreed to.
The report was ordered to be brought up to-morrow.

IRELAND.
THE POTATO FAILURE.

DUBLIN, Auci. 14.—We regret to state that, amidst a long
catalogue of reports from all parts of the country, there is not
this day a single account calculated to mitigate the alarm
for what is now felt to be the advent of a great national cala-
mity—the almost annihilation of the early crop of the only
food of the poorer classes. Last year there was unquestion-
ably some exaggeration, which had the effect of creating
what was called an anti-alarmist party, who, deprecating the
cry of famine, sought to restore confidence by a counter cry
of "no scarcity," if no monopoly or no jobbing. And this
turned out, to a certain extent, to be the truth. This year,
however, the case is totally different, and journals of every
shade of politics concur in the belief that there is no hope for
the future, save in the united exertions of all parties
(Government inclusive) to provide a remedy for an infliction
which seems to be inevitable.

The reports received through the provincial papers since
Thursday would occupy too much of our space; it must,
therefore, be sufficient to say that the last accounts repre-
sent the pestilence as rapidly spreading through the counties
of Westmeath, Antrim, Down, Armagh, and Fermanagh
In the market of Enniskillen, on Wednesday, potatoes, owing
to their deteriorated quality, suddenly fell from Bd. to 2d. per
stone, while here, in the metropolis, from the same cause,
prices range from ls. to 7s. per 1001 b., the sound kinds be-
coming every day more scarce.
A highly-respected clergyman of the Established Church,
the Rev. J. R. Cotter, has addressed the following seasonable
letter to the Prime Minister upon the present state and pros-
pects of the poor :
" bly"Lord,—lmpelled by an imperative sense of public
duty, I take the liberty of addressing you upon the present
state and future prospects of our poor in Ireland. Your
Lordship has, of course, been already informed of the failure
of the potato crop. Last year the loss, though heavy, was
in some degree partial, some few favoured districts escaped
the blight ; but this year I regret to say that the devastating
disease has been universally diffused, nor am I acquainted
with one: single potato garden in these localities which has
been untouched. The great majority are either wholly de-
stroyed, or vegetation has been so completely arrested, that
the tubers have not attained one-fourth part of their natural
size, and a large proportion of those which are sound at pre-
sent will, we fear, in a very short time, by the spreading of
the disease, be rendered unfit for human food, as we know
happened last year. This is no exaggeration ; my wish is
neither to exaggerate the distress, nor to make too favour-
able a representation. The potato crop is gone, gone so far
as not to be depended upon as constituting the support of the
poor. Now, my Lord, what is to be done? There are thou-
sands upon thousands who have been accustomed to live en-
tirely upon potatoes; that source has failed. Divine Provi-
dence, for some wise purpose, has destroyed the potato crop,
and it remains to be considered in what manner the starving
poor are to be supplied ; and, my Lord, be assured, if assist-
ance be not afforded upon a large and liberal scale, the con-
sequences will be fearful. The late Government wisely sent
into the country large supplies of Indian corn, and this pre-
caution had the effect of keeping dowse the prices, and
enabling the poor, with the most rigid economy, to exist.
" But, my Lord, at the present time they are in a totally
different position. The farmers, who were accustomed gene-
rously to assist all who solicited relief, with a few potatoes,
have now none for themselves. This source is dried up, and
the poor labourer having no potatoes of his own, having no
friends able to relieve him, is thrown entirely upon the
produce of his labour, which he has latterly been accustomed
to lay out in the purchase of Indian meal from the relief
committee of his district. I would wish, here, to make a
distinction between gentlemen's labourers, who have constant
employment and enjoy perhaps some little advantages, and
the far more numerous classes of those who have no constant
employment, and belong, if we may so express it, to no one.
Besides, there are many sick, with large
,helples families;
many aged, who have hitherto depended upon casual charity.
It will be said, perhaps, by some, Let them go to the poor-
house.' The poorhouse is the only fair test of real desti-
tution.' It is unnecessary for me here to enumerate the
causes of the strong prejudices of the Irish peasantry against
entering the poorhouse, some, I admit unfounded—many I
think most reasonable ; but, my:Lord, I will freely assert that
it is most fortunate that these prejudices do exist—for if they
were removed, four times the present number of workhouses
would not suffice to contain the applicants, and those who
could not obtain admission must then be given outdoor
relief. We ought, therefore, to keep the poorhouses out of
view when considering what is to be done during the present
emergency.
" Let us now inquire what the wages of labourers are, and
look to the present prices charged for Indian meal by many
of our relief committees. I think it will appear that they are
wholly inadequate to meet the exigencies of the family of
the buyer. Labourer's hire varies from Bd. to 10d. per day.
Suppose a man has four children ; he has then, including
his wife, six to provide for ; in the great majority of
instances these all depend upon his daily wages for their
daily food.
" I would assume as an average sufficiency of Indian meal
for such a family, 21b. per head, large and small ; here we
have 121 b. per day. Many of our relief committees charge
Is. 2d. per stone, that is, ld. per pound; some even higher.
How, then, can the labourer's 10d. wages purchase 121 b. of
meal, to hich the Sunday allowance is also to be added ?
We say nothing of milk to use with his Indian meal as
stirabout, and if he is working at a distance from home, he
must use Indian bread ; although meal made into stirabeut
is more economical, still this latter cannot be carried to a
distance. My Lord, I am here putting forward the
most favourable case, but consider the number who have
not this constant employment. How are they to exist ?
How are they to be clad ? Where is their firing,
bedclothes, and rent for their cabins to come from ?
Many have removed their bedclothes—what is to become of
them when winter arrives, when cold and wet are added to
hunger? They cannot now afford to purchase or to keep a
pig, by the profits of the sale of which they were once
enabled to pay the rent of their cabins, and to supply them-
selves with many little necessaries. It comes to this, my
, Lord—wages must be raised, or the price of Indian meal and
other food considerably reduced by private subscriptions and
by public grants.
Employment will not suffice, unless the produce of that
employment is equal to the support of their families. You
cannot throw them entirely on the head landlords ; many of
the most distressed are located on estates held by middlemen,
who possess large terminable interests, much larger than
what the head landlord possesses, and who cannot reason-
ably be expected to support persons whom they have not
brought upon their estates, of whom they know nothing,
, and whose condition they cannot improve until the termi-
nation of the existing leases. Tenants should be left
entirely to their landlords. The landlord is bound to assist
, and protect his tenants who hold immediately under him,
, and do not sublet ; no assistance should be afforded by
relief committees unless to the labouring classes and un-
employed tradesmen, or tickets granted to none without the
closest investigation, and limiting the quantity of relief,
either at reduced prices or gratuitously, which must be given
in many cases to what was absolutely required for the con-
sumption of the family. Circumstances may oblige me to
address your Lordship again upon this subject, and, my Lord,
• I have the honour to subscribe myself
" Your obedient, humble servant,
" JOHN ROGERSON COTTER,
" Rector of Innoshannon, County Cork.

" Innoshannon, 12th August."
Subjoined is the reply given by a landlord of the county of
Cork to an application from one of the local relief com-
mittees:—

" Skibbereen, July 4.
" Sir,—l have the honour of acknowledging the reeeipt of
your note of the 2d inst., together with a copy of the resolu-
tions adopted at a meeting of the inhabitants of Upper
Church, held in the chapel on the 2d of May, to adopt the
best means of relieving the poor of their district.

" Possessing some property in the parish of Upper Church,
I readily recognise the right of the inhabitants of this parish
to call on me for aid towards the relief of the proor in their
district, and in transmitting to you the annexed order for 101.
on the Provincial Bank, 1 feel that I am only discharging a
duty which devolves on me as a landlord.
" The proposition enunciatedlby the immortal Drummond,
that Property has its duties as well as its rights,' is now ge-
nerally adopted, even in Ireland, and of those duties I con-
sider none more imperative than that of relieving the poor in
seasons of distress and destitution. _ _

" The demand which the resolutions adopted at Upper
Church made on me in behalf of those suffering from distress
in that district, is enforced by the additional consideration of
self-interest, for, whilst the duties of property are discharged
with punctuality, its rights will be acknowledged and re-
spected, the laws will be observed, peace and order will pre-
vail, and those unfortunate crimes which have disgraced
some of our provinces, and which bring down the maledic-
tion of Heaven on the perpetrators, shall be far more effec-
tually prevented than by Coercian Acts, or a suspension of
our constitution.

" I have the honour to be, faithfully yours,
" DANIEL WELPLY.
" Mr. Andrew Ryan, Upper Church
Relief Committee."
To the foregoing the Cork Reporter appends the following
statement : _

" We have it from private authority, in which we impli-
citly confide, that in and around Skibbereen, and through
Carbery in general, the crop both early and late is doomed ;
that the distress is frightful, and that the small farmers can-
not subsist much longer on the miserable and unwholesome
fare they spend the whole day in digging from their fields.
No garden, or part of a garden, says our correspondent, in
this country has escaped the prevailing disease, and in gene-
ral they are not considered worth the labour of digging
them. The Skibbereen Relief Committee have done every-
thing in their power to provide employment and food for the
labouring classes, and they have already 500 men employed.
This, however, is but a small relief amongst so dense a po-
pulation, and where both farmer and labourer must hence-
forward depend on their labour for support. I have no diffi-
culty in telling you, and as you are the organ of public opi-
nion, you should have no difficulty in telling the landlords
and the Government, that unless measures be at once taken
to meet the present emergency, that neither law nor private
property can be much longer respected. The masses of idle,
hungry people going through this town and neighbourhood,
looking for work or food, publicly declare that they cannot
stand it much longer, that it is as good to die by the bayonet
as by starvation.' "
The Cork Examiner of yesterday contains the subjoined
memorial from the Kinsale Relief Committee :
TO HIS EXCELLENCY EARL BESBOROUGH, LORD-LIEUWENANT
GENERAL AND GENERAL GOVERNOR OF IRELAND, &C.
" The memorial of the undersigned members of the Kin-
sale Relief Committee humbly showeth—That your memo-
rialists, after the most careful and minute investigation,
have come to the conclusion that the potato crop in this ba-
rony is altogether lost.
"That in a fortnight from the present date the agricul-
tural labourer will be thrown out of employment, as the har-
vest will be then gathered in; and as the farmers are unable
to provide them with food, or to pay them wages, they will
consider themselves released from the obligation of the con-
tract catered auto at the coauktaucetaellt of the season.