The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-06 00:00:00

_seer
erfectly necessary. In a country like Ireland, where
the sustenance of the people was chiefly dependant ut on
Manual labour, and there the • relat'on between the em-
ployer and the workmen was only of a temporary nature,
he admitted the full force of the argument, that the
idle should be supported by the industrious. He thought
that true policy, as well as hurnanite, would suggest that
a provision should be made for the sick, poor, and desti-
tute of Ireland, as well as for those of England. And
the only question now for their Lordships to consider
was, which was the best mode of affording that relief,
and most consistent with the interests of the community.
Happily the case of England was a warning against in-
flicting upon the Irish people a system calculated
to demoralise the peotee of that country.
It had been urged against the poor-law that no state of
deStitution would dispose a man to resort to the work-
house; and on the other hand, it had been observed,
that no extent of workhouse accemmodation would be
sufficient for the numbers that would demand admissiott.
Both those. objections had certainly been met by expe-
rience. Experiance had ale ays shown that the workhouse
test of destitution was as available in Ireland as it was
in England. He could state from his own observation,
that the workhouse did afford to the infirm, the aged,
and the destitute, a comfortable asylum. The pauper
children were trained and educated in a manner to fit
them for an after-life of usefulness, and the destitute
able. b )(lied poor found the meins of refuge in the time
of their diStress. He only regretted that., as it had been
found necessary to have a central beard of Poor-law
Commissioners in Ireland as in England, they had not '
obtained the confidence of the Irish people. Great allow-
ances should be made for the gentlemen who were sent
over to Ireland to introduce and to administer
a law such as the poor-law, when it was considered
that, es 'Englishmen, they were wholly unacquainted
with the people of that country. With respect
to the difficulty of collecting rates in Ireland.
their Lordships would remember that the reports laid
on the table of that House showed that the collection
of those rates was frequently resisted. This difficulty
was owing to the fact of the rate-payers having been
disappointed in their expectations of the effect of the •
law. They were led to believe that a poor-law would _
remove the miserable objects who crowded the streets
and highways, but the contrary was the resu't. At
this moment Ireland prevented as much misery as before e tee -secl;ii
the introduction of the poor laws ; and, infleed, th
objects which presented themselves to excite- the fee essl,We
logs ,f the caarleebl were in many instances more--•
degrading to the country than they wore fur many
years before an.) thing like a poor-law existed.—(Hear.)
The system of rating land is Ireland fur the poor-rates
was, he thought, greatly to be deplored, but only one
class of men had had the courage to complain of it, and
that clas,, being poor clergymen of the Established
Church, were, in his opinion, very seriously injured by
the system. The value of the land, when rated for
pans • h tithes, was always under estimated, but the land-
lord took care to increase it when his doing so tended
to relieve him from a portion of the poor-rates. He
hoped, howevers before long to see the oarriers which
bad been raised- up between the landowners and their
tenants on account of difference of creeds would be
broken down, and that no more of those scenes of
bloodshed end violence e }rich disgraced the country
woul 1 occur. He hoped the proprietors of property
would do all in their power to alleviate the
sufferings of the people of that country. There was
another point to which he wished to call their attention.
It was this—that persons of the Protestant religion, who
were compelled to go into the unions, were molested by
the other inmates on account of their faith—that fre-
quently there were no Protestant clergymen in them,
and that many of the children of Protestant parents
were handed over to the tuition of those who professed
the Catholic religion, wia:eut any reference to those
who alone should exercise parentel control over them.
The Noble Lord then read a statement from a Protestant
clergyman, setting forth that numbers of children were
thus removed, and calling on the Protes-
tant religion to put an end to such pracices.
In South Dublin Union Workhouse there was an evil
exist!ng, which he would bring under their Lordships'
notice—he alluded to the classification of the inmates
by their religions. Roman Catholics were separated
from Protestants. He could not consider a more lament-
able consequence could possibly arise, than the separa-
tion which exists in this otherwise well conducted asy-
lum. He considered it necessary, that in all workhouses
where there was a Catholic chapel, that there should be
also a Protestant chapel. He considered the duty of the
guardians ought to be more defined than at present. The
Nob!e Lord concluded by moving the appointment of a
Select Committee to inquire into the operation of the
Ist and 2d of Vic., cap. 16, and the other laws relating
to the relief of the destitute poor in Ireland ; and also
to inquire into the operation of the medical charities in
Ireland, which are supported wholly or partially by
grants from the county cess.
Lord BROUGHANI said, the Noble Lord bad made
an unfounded charge when he said his motion had not
been sufficiently attended to. Why he had himself been
listening to the Noble Earl for the last hour and three
quarters, and what was the motion after all ? Why he
had made an unopposed motion for the appointment of a
Committee, and was it likely that a motion for a Com-
mittee would draw their Lord-hips together in large
numbers ?—(Near, hear.) And what had the Noble
Lord done in moving for the Committee ?' Why, he bad
stated everything he intended to bring forward in the
Committee. Why the Noble Earl had defeated his ob-
ject in lotting out the-re what he intended was to 63
issued from the Committee. He would urge the Go-
vernment in the strongest words he could use to bring
forward those measures which were really necessary for
the peace of'lreland, which wereall.nled to in the Speech
from the throne.—(Hear, hear.) lie hoped and trusted
that they would be brought forward at once, now they
had ample time and opportunity to discuss them, and he
was sure they would meet with full attention ; and he
ventured to say they would pass without opposition.
Every body seemed to be of opinion that' these measures
were absolutely necessary, and he had merely risen to
say that he was quite confident they would pass without
any opposition, framed as he had nodoubt they would
be, in a spirit of wisdom and mercy.
The Duke of WELLINGTON said he had not the
slightest objection to the appointment of the Committee,
or to the appointment of any other Committee for the
same purpose.
The motion was then agreed to, and the Committee
appointed.

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PUBLIC WORKS (IRELAND) BILL.
This Bill was brought up from the Commons, and read
a first time.
Their Lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, Thursday. Feb. 5.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock pre-
cisely.

The Sheriffs of London (Messrs. Chapman and
Laurie) presented petitions from the Lord Mayor,
Sheriffs, and Common Council, for certain alterations iu
the corn-laws, and for the regulation of Billingsgate
market.

NEW MEMBER.
Mr. FREWEN took the oaths and his seat for East
Sussex, in the room of Mr. Darby, resigned.
NEW WRIT.
A new writ was moved fur for the town of Bucking-
ham, in the room of Sir Thomas Fremantle, who has
accepted the office of Stewardship of the Chiltern
Hundreds.