The Sun.
London, England, 1846-11-06 00:00:00

.. 0. T' idit.S --- nit

LONDON, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1846.

Shall it be declared that Ireland is not in a state
ofdestitution ? Is the potato disease a matter ofno com-
parative consideration to her peasantry ? Can the
prosperity of a few individuals, or even of an entire
class of individuals, be any testimony that the popu-
lation: of a country is in a flourishing condition ?
When, indeed, extensive tracts of land are lying in a
state of temporary desolation, when multitudes of
emaciated labourers are assembling almost daily on
the hills and in the streets to adjure the superior
members of the community to afford them some im-
mediate assistance, or to pillage from the unprotected
tradesman and corn-factor, when men and women
are dying by the wayside from an, incapacity to ob-
tain even the commonest and coarsest de-
scription of meal, we do conceive that any
denial of the impoverishment of Ireland
is nothing better than
4 flagitious and into-
lerable perversion of the truth. We do conceive that
any endeavour to bring the earnestness of the sup-
plicants for relief into derision, or to abate in any
manner the charitable ardour of those who are repon-
sible for the suffering million is a wilful misprision of
justice and a grievous effort to temporise when there
is an absolute necessity to act. Nothing can well be
more lamentable than the division of parties in Ire-
land, a division which survives all the encroachments
of starvation. While the• hearts of the wretched
peasantry are sinking within them from the com-
bined influences of despair and inanition, the so-called
chainPims of national independence are vapouring

over idle names and indulging in malignant vitu.
peration.

On the 3d of November the Young Ireland party
assembled together in the Rotunda, at the extremity
of Sackville-street, Dublin. Instead of attempting
by any means whatever to diminish the general des-
titution, either by pecuniary aid, by timely recom-
mendations, or by a strenuous mediation with the
authorities, the proceedings of the meeting were re-
stricted to the utterance of contemptible personalities,
the delivery of panegyrics upon an individual whose
most memorable achievement was to turn sulky in
the House of Parliament, and to pass a most
wordy resolution of an eulogistic character,
having reference to a wild and almost incendiary
publication. Only a few days previously to this exhi-
bition of self-sufficiency on the part of a political fac-
tion, a woman had dropped dead from famine upon the
high-road of Ballycastle, in the county Mayo.
During the inquest held upon the corpse of that
wretched creature, evidence was given by a respect-
able witness that deceased, at the period of her death,
was carrying about a pint of meal which some
generous person had given her, and that she was, to
all appearance, making her way as rapidly as her
enfeebled limbs would enable her to the nearest
dwelling•house to get it dressed. The verdict of the

coroaer's jury was to the effect that " the death of
BRIDGET TOAUSH was hastened by the want of
sufficient food for a length of time." Is it seemly
that such assemblies of the physical-force men should
be convened in the capital of Ireland, while the people
of Ireland are perishing like that in the provinces ?
The instance adduced is unhappily no solitary occur-
rence; others have already fallen victims to the
dearth of provisions. It would be well, however, if
the Young Ireland party would reflect more upon the
necessities of the BRIDGET TOMISHES than upon the
personal characteristics of the SMITH O'BRIENS, if
they would strive to alleviate the miseries of the
former instead of pandering to the egregious egotism
of the latter.
Other evidences of the continued wretchedness of
the Irish people have been afforded. A mob, num-
bering upwards of four hundred souls, is described
as having entered the town of Kinsale, for the pur-
pose of sacking its provision stores ; and the bakers,
with the intention of preventing yet more calamitous
proceedings, actually handed the bread into the
streets themselves. Can anything be more significant
of the poverty by which the peasantry are there
oppressed ?

Even where assistance has been nominally afforded
to the destitute, circumstances have sometimes ab-
stracted from the advantage of the boon. The la
bourers upon the public works at Kerry, for example,
are spoken of by the local newspapers as having been
engaged during nine or ten days in arduous toil, and
have, nevertheless, received not one farthing of wages.
It is such a circumstance as this which would, more
effectually than anything else, tend to bring a Go-
vernment into discredit, and to remove from the po-
pular mind all confidence in the Executive. It must
undoubtedly originate in some oversight in the su-
bordinate agents of the Board of 'Works, but it is one
of those matters requiring instant and active interfer-
ence. If, indeed, this procrastination in the payment
of wages be traceable to any individual culpability,
we mean distinctly to assert that such culpability
merits some summary and extraordinary punishment.
Examples should be made wherever any personal de-

linquency appears to threaten the effectual distribution
of Government moneys. Without some such an ex-
ample we fear the peasantry will be subjected to yet
greater privations. One man has already perished
from a similar oversight : we would on no account
hear of a repetition of this official manslaughter.

A meeting of the independent electors of West
Gloucestershire took place on the 3d instant, at the
county town, to take their present political position
into consideration. The meeting was convened by a
circular, which was signed by twQlve gentlemen, and
extensively distributed. It seems to have been pre-
viously determined that Earl FITZHARDINGE, the
nine gentlemen who attended the meeting held in
Gloucester on the 15th of last month, and their own
representative, should be, one and all, precluded
from being present at the intended deliberation ; but
that all these parties should be apprised, by post, of
the assembly in contemplation, to which they were au-
thorised to address written communications, if they
thought proper. It also appears, from what fell from
the chairman, Mr. JOSIAU HUNT (who, for the sake
of impartiality, ought never to have been suffered to
preside, seeing that he is charged by Mr. GRANTLEY
F. BERKELEY with having "published a violent
letter" against him), that a distinct understanding
was come to that no gentleman on behalf of the
press should attend ; but that, upon his own responsi-
bility, he had procured the attendance of a gentleman
from Bristol to take notes for the assistance of the
meeting afterwards, it it should be necessary, but
with the distinct pledge that the notes should not be
published, except it was the desire of the meeting.
Anything more objectionable than the entirety of
these arrangements we cannot well conceive. Nothing
stamps the proceedings more unfavourably than the
precautionary resolutions in relation to the
press. It looks as if they dreaded some
exposures affecting their electoral independence,
which would not bear the light, and were, therefore,
decided upon preserving the power of suppressing the
publication of their conference if matters did not go
off to their satisfaction, or, at any rate, of controlling
and moulding any statements that might be submitted
into a shape the least obnoxious to themselves.
The public naturally regard any such arrangement as
this with grave suspicion. Again, nothing shows
more clearly the sheer stupidity, or gross ignorance
of their duties, or truckling subserviency to the domi-
nation of wealth and rank, than the fact of these
worthy electors having been at the pains to intimate
to Earl FITZIIARDINGE that he could not join their
counsels, though he might write to them. What
was this but admitting that his Lordship had
intermeddled with their political functions, and
that their deliberations might be influenced
by the views, or statement, which it might please
a Peer of the realm to submit to their reflection !
Could any admission be more glaring or degrading,
could conduct be more unconstitutional A fortnight
ago we protested against the notion of any member
of the Upper House foisting his influence, through
the medium of his purse, upon a body of electors,
appointed to return Members to the House of Com-
mons, as well as against the breach of political faith
committed by those who submitted to receive such
improper contributions. It may be that a consti•
tuency is wholly immaculate, pure as the driven
snow in their motives, and thoroughly inde-
pendent in their conduct ; but it will be
quite impossible to persuade the public that
they are possessed of these ennobling qualities
so long as they suffer a Peer to defray their electoral
expenses. But if anything were wanting to render
manifest the extreme impropriety of the untoward
influence which has overshadowed the electors of
West Gloucestershire, it is supplied by the letter itself
of Earl FITZHA.RDINGE, which was read at the meet-
ing in question. His Lordship boldly writes—.
" I believe it is known to most or all of you, that ever
since the contested election of 1832 for the western divi-
sion of this county, the entire expense of the registra-
tion of voters, and of defending their votes when objected
to by the opposing party, bas fallen on myself alone.
And lam not aware that the fact of my endeavouring to
secure for a man the mere right of voting for his represen-
tative in Parliament can necessarily entail on me a moral
or political delinquency."
We are quite at issue with the owner of Berkeley
Castle. For the reasons we have now and previously
urged, a moral and political delinquency, of a very
serious nature, has been perpetrated. That Earl FITZ-

ILIRDINGE has considered the drains upon his purse
by the electors to have conferred the privilege of his
dictating to the constituency just as be pleased is
plainly deducible from the entire context of his letter.
His Lordship complains that his brother made re-
peated demands for money, and threatened, uni.ess
these were satisfied, to accept the Chiltern
Hundreds. This, by the way, is a pretty
strong demonstration of the servile state in

which the brothers respectively considered the consti-

uents to be in with reference to the Castle. Under the

above circumstances his Lordship innocently remarks
" what course, then, had Ito pursue ? The return of
Mr. GRANTLEY BERKELEY to Parliament seemed to

me not only inexpedient, but almost impossible. Yet
what steps could I take ? It was not possible for

me, in my own person, to convene a public meeting

or to publish an Address on such ;subject, and I