The Sun.
London, England, 1848-03-10 00:00:00

MARC If 10, 1846

Nnvember, 1848, as stated in the Gazette of 3d March,
1848.

OFFICE OF ORDNANCE, MARCH 9.
Royal Regiment of Artillery— Second Captain Fre-
derick Alexander Campbell to be Adjutant, vice Forbes,
promoted, Nov. 21, 1846; Second Captain John Russell
Domvile to be Adjutant, vice Riddell, who resigns the
Adjutancy only, Feb. 5,1847.
Commissions by the Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire.
Worcestershire Regiment of Militia—Major Thomas
Clutton Brock to be Lieutenant Colonel, vice Cox, de-
ceased; Thomas Clowes, Esq., late Captain in the Bth,
or King's Regiment of Foot, to be Major, vice Thomas
Clutton Brock, promoted; Henry Giles, Gent, to be
Ensign; Henry Giles, Gent. to be Assistant Surgeon,
vice Jeffries, who resigns the Assistant Surgeoncy only,
Feb 29.

Commission by the Lord-Lieutenant of the East Riding

of York.

East York Militia.—Robert lieynard, Esq. to be Cap-
tain, vice Locke, resigned, Feb. 21; George Holmes,
Gent. to be Lieutenant, vice Smith, resigned, Feb. 22.
Commission by the Lord Lieutenant of the West Riding

of Yorkshire.
2d Regiment of West York Militia.—William St.
Leger, Gent. to be Ensign, Feb. 29.
Yorkshire Hussar Regiment of West Riding Yeo-
manry Cavalry.—William Alcock, Gent, to be Cornet,
vice Wilson, resigned, Feb. 29.
WHITEHALL, MARCH 6.
The Lord Chancellor has appointed John Brooks, -of
Ashton•under-Lyne, in the county palatine of Lancaster,
Gent., to be a Master Extraordinary in the High Court
of Chancery.

WHITEHALL, MARCH 7.
The Lord Chancellor has appointed John Reed
Donald, of the city of Carlisle, Gent., to be a Master
Extraordinary in the High Court of Chancery.
BANKRUPTCY SUPERSEDED.

Edward Beck, doctor of medicine, Ipswich.
BANKRUPTS.
_ _ __

John Wing, innkeeper, Cambridge.
Watkin Williams, draper, Brecon, Brecknockshire.

John Milroy Hannay, stockbroker, Birkenhead.
James Oliver Mason, John ilason, and Alfred Mason,
merchants, New Broad street, London.
Samuel Prentice, licensed victualler, Boxford, Suffolk.
David M'Kee, wholesale cheesemonger,Upper Thames-
street.

George Saunders Naish and Thomas Inkson Glennie,
general ironmongers, Farringdon-street, Snow-hill.
William Lee, builder, Honiton.
Walter Tyler, stationer, Bristol.
John Bryant Chapelle, victualler, Bath.
James Plumley, market gardener, Bower Ashton, So-
merset,hire.
Joseph Randell, painter, Bristol.
Richard Evans, stationer, Carmarthen.
Thomas Chandler, innkeeper, Brimscombe, Glouces.
tershire,
James Shepherd, leather seller, Bristol.
James Baker, victualler, Staunton-upon-Wye, Here-
fordshire.

Thomas Harrison, earthenware manufacturer, Church
Gresley, Derbyshire.
Henry Prince, furrier, Exeter.
Edward Roberts, saddler, Toxteth-park, Lancashire.
John Owen, brewer, Dawley, Shropshire.
George Thomas Bateson, ironfounder, Warrington,
Lancshire.

William Tomlinson, butcher, Rochdale, Lancashire.
William Parkinson, cotton manufacturer, Blackburn,
Lancashire.
William Helm, cabinet joiner, Lancaster.
Edward Charles Blackwell and Janes Newman Duns-
ford, brewers, Newbiggin, Nort humberlandshire.

PRICE OF SUGAR.
The average price of Brown or Muscovado Sugar, computed
from the returns made in the week ending March 7
1848, is 245. led. per cwt.

LATEST PRICES OF SHARES,
LN BANKS, ASSURANCE, AND OTHER COM

PANIES' STOCK. __. __
From the Official List,
PUBLISHED EVERY TUEADAT AND FRIDAY EVENING.

LONDON. FRIDAY. MARCH 10.
JOINT-STOCK BANKS.

Dividend Amount
Name of Company. per of Paid. Price
Anima. Share.
..........111,1M..M11..1.1.1......... •••••.....,
A s. d. A s. d.
kastralasia .......... 40 0 0 40 0 0 -
.iritshNorth American 51. per eent. 50 0 0 50 0 0 43
Ceylon ........ •••• •• 61. per cent. 25 0 0 25 0 0 -
2.'onantercial of London 61. per cent. 100 0 0 20 0 0 -
3olonial. -
Gloucestershire ...• .• 151 per cent. - - -
lonian ........ •• •• •. 6/. per cent. 25 0 6 25 0 0 -
Londn and Westminstr 61. per cent. 100 0 0 20 0 0 23%
Ditto ..... . - - 13 0 0 -
i..ondon Joint-Stook ... 61. per cent. 50 0 0 10 0 0 -
Provincial of Ireland.. 81. per cent. 100 0 0 25 0 0 -
Ditto, New.-- • • 81. per cent. 10 0 0 10 11 0 -
National of Ireland .. 51. per cent. 50 0 0"22 10 0 -
Nat. Provncial of Eng. 6/. per cent. 100 0 0 35 0 0 -
Ditto, New......• • • 51. per cent. 20 0 0 10 0 0 -
South Australia ••• . • • - - 22 10 0 -
Union 01 Australia.... 6!. per cent. 25 0 0 25 0 0 -
Ditto
- - 2 10 0 -
Union of L0nd0n..... 61. per cent. 50 0 0 10 0 0 -
Union of Madrid ..... - 40 0 0 40 0 0 -
INSIIZANCEI CODIP.AXIZS.
Dividend Amount
Name of Company. per of I Paid. Price
Annum. Share.
-
Ibion .........• •• • • 31. 10e. 500 0 0 50 9 0 75
Alliance Brit. and For. 6 per cent. 100 0 0 11 0 0 17%
DIM) Marine. •• •• •• 61. per cent, 100 0 0 5 0 0 -
Atlas
Itrltisti Commercial .. 7s.per share 50 0 0 50 0 576
Clertcl,Med.& Gen. Life Si. per cent. 100 0 0 10 0 0 30
31. 100 0 0 i II 0 0 -
0:*()TIII •• *. *a .. .• *. 13s. 50 0 0 5 0 • II
Eagle . •
Eng.& Scot. Law .• .. 51. per cent. 50 0 0 212 6 -
European Life ...• • • 5% per cent. 25 0 0 All paid. -
Family Endowmot Soc. 41. & bs. 4 0 0 4 0 0 -
F. eemasons' . -
Glot.e ..... ...... •• • • 61. per cent. Stock. - 119
Guardian ...... •• •• • • 5/. per cent. 100 0 0 36 10 0 45
!mperial Fire .....• •• 12 per cent. 500 0 0 50 0 0 220
imperial Life •• -- -12 s. 100 0 0 10 0 0 14%
Indemnity Marine.• • • 11. sh. & bs. 100 0 0 SIS 1 -
Law Fire ............ - 100 0 0 211 0 ...-
Lew I /fa.- - ...... 1/. ss. 100 0 0 10 0 0 45
Legal and General Life - 50 0 0 2 0 0 -
L;oldcu Fire -- - - 101. 25 0 0 12 10 0 13%
London Skip • .•• - -10 s. 25 0 0 12 10 I 13%
Starine -•-.. - - - - 100 8 0 15 0 0 -
Med. Invlidk Gen. Life 4% /. per et. 50 0 0 20• 2%
National Lean Fund.. Si. per cent. 20 0 0 210 0 -
National Life .....• .•. 81. per cent. 100 0 8 5 0 0 -
Palladium Lite 5l. per cent. 50 0 0 2 0 0- -
- - - 33
Pticeaix - - -
"'iotecter Life.... ••. 51. per cent. 20 0 0 I I 0 -
rovident Life.- -•• 11.55. 100 0 0 10 0 0 -
Itock Life ...... -- •• 4s. 50 0 010 0 4%
Royal Exchange 5l. per cent. Stock. - --
San Fire. - - -
Ditte Life 11. 6s. - -
Universal Life.,...• .. 103(1. pr cut. 100 0 0 810 0 -
Vidoria Life . - - 4 0 0 -
DOCKS.
Dividend Amount
Name of Company. per of Paid. Price.
Annum. Share.
-- -
A s. d. A s. d.
Commercial .... •• .•. 4/. per cent. Stock. - 70
East and West India ..• 6!. pr cent. Stock. - 119
East Country - 2t
Landon 5/. pr cent. Stock. - 101
Ditto Bonds • - 41. per cent. - - -
91. Katharine .... -.. S per cent. Stock. - 77%
Ditto 80nd5........ 4%1. pr cent. - - -
Southampton ••• .. -.. 21. per cent. 50 0 6 50 0 0 32

:11, X 5 T Or SCOTTISH COBIPANI:

Dividexel

Name of Company.

Amount

Bank of Scotland
British Linen Company
Caledonian Bank
City of Glasgow Bank .
Clydesdale Bank .• • •
Commercial Bank . • • •
Eastern Bank.. • • • • • •
Edlub.k Glasgow Bank
Exchange Bnk of Scot
Isle of Man. Company
National Bank
North of Scotland Bank
North British Bank • •
Royal Bank of Scotland
(Tilton Bank of Scotland
"Vestern Bank • • • •
Aber leen Fi•e and Life
B. Accord. Life and Fire
British Guar,ntee Ins.
Caledonian Fire Insur.
Church of Eng.and Ins.
City of Glasgow Life
Edinburgh Life Insur
East of Scotland Life
Eng. & scot, Law Life
itercules Insurance Co.
incur. Co. of Scotlnd • .
Life Assoc. of Scotland
Mercantile Life

National Fire and Life
North British Incur. • .
North & West of Soot.
Scottish Life and • :uar.
Scot. Mai. and Gen. Life
Scottish Union Ingram
Stan lard Life ...... • .
United Dep. Assurance

per
nuum

Name of Company.

Hungerford . .....
Southwrk, Nw Sub. AT.

Ditto Nw of 754 p. e.
Waterloo ............

Ditto Old Ann. oft 1.
Ditto Nw ditto of 71.
Taux.hall .... ... AT

71. per cent.
81. per cent.
81. per sent.
61. per cent.
61. per cent.
71. per cent.
61. per cent.
61. per cent.
61. per cent.
71. per cent.
6/. per cent.
71. per cent.

61. per cent.
Si. per cent.
Si. per cent.
121. per cent.

10!. per cent

51. per cent,
Si. per cent,

51. per cent.
V. per cent.
51. per cent.
Si. per cent.

Si. per cent.
s)i 1. pr cent.

St. per cent.
GUI. pr cent.
51. per cent.
51. per cent.

DRIDG:

Dividend
per

Annum.

Share

,
355. per cent.

X s. d.
100 0 0
100 0 0
10 0 0
10 0
20 0 0
500 0 0
25 u 0

5 0 0
100 0 0
10 0 0
50 0 0
20 I 0
50 0 0
100 0 0
100 0 0
50 0 0
12 10 0
20 0 •
10 0 0
100 0 0
50 0 0
25 0 0
100
10 0
50 0 I
100 0 0
100
10 0 0
10 0 0
10 0 0
200 0 0
10 0 0
20 0 0
0 •
20 0 0
50 0 0
10 0 0

♦mount
of
Share.

X. I. d.

632 12 8
50 0 I
100 0 0

:CES

Price.

167
197%

144
1034

6153

'BoB.od.

21. 9s

17k,
11P.6d.

11. Is

10s. 0;1
1/. Os
914
12s.

Price.

Mr. CLEMENTS addresse I himself to the quer.
tion of the poor-law uniens, eb erving that he dif
not think the Commission promised by the Govern''
meat for re-modelling those unions could be at•
tended with adv•mtage. They were all anxious to,
have the poor-law fairly tried in Ireland, but it could
never be done unless the area of taxation
were greatly reduced. The unions in Lire
land were three times the size of o°3°
in England; and as the Right Hon. Gentle-
man the Secretary for Ireland had not given 2119:
pledge for the diminution of the area of taxation, be
Lopea the contemplated commission would be abas•
dolled. They had suffered in Ireland already too
much by the habit of trusting to the Government 4",.
the country more than to themselves, and to that
own efforts.—(Hear, hear.) if it was determine°,
that the poor-laws should be administered in that
country by paid guardians, their administratien
would inevitably be much more oppressive than even
it was at present. lie trusted, therefore, that the
Right Hon. Baronet would see the necessity of re:
considering the matter, and that the Governineei
would show some regard for the opinions of so mangy
gentlemen connected with Ireland upon the subject
of having the poor-laws administered by P!!!
guardians. There was another matter worthy
the consideration of the House —he alluded to
d
medical relief. Persons seeking relief in Ireland
constantly applie,l on the ground of sickness
„
The boards of guardians had no possible wane °'
ascertaining whether the applicants were fit Ace,"
for relief, or what sort of relief should be grant
It would, therefore, be necessary to employ a larger
number of medical officers. There must be upon all
average at least five medical officers to each union.
The whole system was too cumbrous; and it Wei
impossible for boards of guardians to attend to the
proper discharge of the duties of their officers. There
were altogether in Ireland 944 medical officers, 689
collectors of rates,- and, upon an average, seven re.
lieving officers to each union. In many cases there
were nine, ten, eleven, and even twelve relieving,
officers in an union, and he need hardly say he diaar:
proved of the expenses as well as the organization of
the unions and electoral divisions in Ireland. ll°
thought there should be a general reduction in the
area of each electoral division, so as to make the OA'
ministration of relief effectual.
Sir W. SOMERVILLE, with reference to an ob'
servation made by one of the Hon. Gentlemen w h°.
had previously spoken, denied that he had attributed
personal motives to any person.
Sir G. GREY said that the motion before the'
House had been altogether lost sight of, but the Hen'
Gentleman (Mr. Clements) who had given notice of a.
motion, which stood fourth on the paper, was deter-
mined the House should nut lose the benefit of his
speech ' • and the result was, not one word had bee°
uttered by the Hen. Gentleman with reference to
the question under consideration. It was a dangerous
example, and he (Sir G. Grey) hoped other
Gentlemen would abstain from following it. As t°
the poor-law boundaries and their proportions, the
Government would be happy to receive suggestions.
and Hon. Gentlemen would see there should be more
sanguine grounds for satisfaction than seemed to he
anticipated. The question before the House was dig'
cussed at very considerable length about BeVen
months ago. The clause was not in the original Balt
but it was introduced in committee by Mr. Gregory,
the then Member for the city of Dublin, and there
were only found nine gentlemen to oppose it'
Six of these nine were English Members
and three were Irish.—(Hear, hear.) The
clause was adopted in consequence of the state l°
which Ireland was situated, and the manner in whi,,eb.
the soil was suffered to remain uncultivated. De
regretted to say there was still a great deal of par
perism in Ireland. There were many persons there
who held quantities of land—in some instances se
much as 20 or. 30 stores; who were living at the
public expense, and neither cultivated the soil thew
selves nor would surrender it to the proprietors, wh°
would have it cultivated by others. The land was
thus suffered to remain uncultivated, and it was
quite clear a material injury would be inflicted upon
the country if something was not done to prevent the
continuance of that state of things. He would ask
the House, under these circumstances, whether it wee,
wise, because there may have been some individual
cases of hardship arising from the operation of the
clause in question, that the restrictions it imposes
should be removed and the door again opened
to a repetition of such evils ?—(Hear, hear.)
The hardships enumerated by the Honourable
Member for Nottingham and other Hon. Member*
could not have arisen from the operation of the
quarter-acre clause. The. Hon. Member (Mr. O'Con•
nor) said that when persons who had been compelled
to receive relief from the
.poor-laws returned to their
dwellings they found them levelled. Now, the clause
did not require the occupiers of land to give up pos'
session of it ; but as they had absented themselves
from their dwellings, and being, in the majority of
instances, only tenants at will, the landlords no doubt
exercised their privileges, and put an end to the
tenancy. In whatever way the House might think
fit to deal with the clause, he felt bound to say that
the Government now relied exclusively upon the
operation of the poor-laws, as the only source Of
maintaining the poor of Ireland. He was sorry to
have to repeat that pauperism and suffering existed
still to a very great extent there, notwithstanding
the large charitable expenditure which was being
made in aid of the ordinary rates. By the returns
it appeared that from 94,000 to 100,000 children
were fed for many months past, and continue to be
fed by daily rations distributed through the instru-
mentality of agents connected with the British Asso-
ciation for the. Relief of the Distress in Ireland and
Scotland. By another return it appeared that 150,000
children were fed from the same source where dis-
tress was severe, and that 20,000'. a month were
distributed in relief in 25 or 30 unions where poverty
and destitution were excessive. He had not, in
enumerating those sources of relief, referred to the
land improvement loans, or the other moneys available
for the improvement of Ireland.—(Hear, hear.) He
wished then to take that opportunity to refer to I
question put to him a few evenings ago by the Hon.
Member for Galway (Mr. O'Flaherty), whom he
then saw in his place. The Hon. Gentleman's
question related to an application .made to the Lord-
Lieutenant of Ireland for temporary relief for the
prison of Galway, which was represented to be
greatly overcrowded. It was said the ',or&
Lieutenant had refused the application on the
ground of expense, and he (Sir G. Grey) thought
he had explained the matter. However, he found by
the report in the Times that the answer he had given the
Hon. Member had been completely misapprehended.
He had looked over all the other morning papers,
and he found his answer had been correctly reported.
He wished! now to repeat what he wished then to
convey distinctly. He had not denied the fact of the
gaol of Galway being overcrowded to an inconve-
nient, even to an alarming degree. But it had been
stated that the application had been made to the
Lord-Lieutenant for temporary relief, and that it
had been refused upon the ground of expense. What
he had stated was, that he was convinced the Lord-
Lieutenant of Ireland was most anxious to remedy
the evil complained of, and to provide such accommo-
dation as could be legally given ; but if the persons
who were imprisoned were not under sentence of
transportation, they could not legally be removed to
a hulk.

Colonel CONOLLY 'vindicated the landlords of
Ireland, and opposed the motion.
kr. E. B. ROCHE supported the motion. He
admitted that the Irish landlords were very badly
treated in that House. Whenever a difficult question
relating to Ireland was to be dealt with by the Go-
vernment, they deliberately turned round and made
the Irish landlord the scape. Even the Secretary for
Ireland took a fling at them that night.—(Laughter.)
That Right Hon. Gentleman held up his hand, and
seemed horrified with the " exterminator." But he
(Mr. Roche) would show him a greater exterminator
—a greater criminal than the Irish landlord—and
that was the present Government and that House.—
(Hear, hear, and laughter.) 'The people of Ireland
had no other resource but their potatoes, which failed.
On their failure they were driven to the necessity of
obtaining any advantage or relief the poor-laws
afforded, and by the clause now proposed to he re-
modelled or repealed, that House enacted the law,
that if the poor man retained his hovel and his quarter
of an acre of land, he should not receive any relief
from the poor-laws. He, therefore, told them plainly,.
that the British House of Commons and the British
Government were the real exterminators, and were
much more guilty than the guiltiest and most op.
pressive of any of the Irish landlords. They were
now in an age of social revolutions, but before he
further adverted to that topic, he wished to say that
he was not amongst the three Irish Members who
voted against the clause in question. The question
whether the people should live by their industry, or
be converted into paupers, was one of growing im-
portance, which must ere long compel attentic;
however thin the House might be on this occasion.
Nothing more revolted the feelings of the poor than
going into the workhouse; and this was one of the
great difficulties in the way of working the poor-
law. It was, therefore, moat unfair in the Right
Honourable Baronet the Home Secretary to allege
that if this clause were repealed, numbers of small
holders would grow their potatoes during one
Ralf-year, and go into the workhouse in the
other.—(Hear, hear.) They would not do this,
but if the exterminating system were persevered
in, they would soon be beyond the reach of poor-
laws or any other laws. The political economists
alleged that Ireland would soon right itself; if it &I s°.
no thanks would be due to the British Parliament or
the British nation. The much vaunted charity of
the British Association doubtless did good in its
way, by supporting a number of poor children, but it
was not a subject which ought to be continually
paraded before; the House by a Minister.

Mr. AGLIONBY, after expressing his determina-
lion to adhere to the question itself, said he ad
mitted that few Members had an accurate knowledge
of the condition of Ireland, and few English Mem-
bers, himself included, could form any just
idea of the relations of the rich and poor
in that country. They were mainly led by the re-
presentations of the Irish Membkrs, which were
themselves sufficiently various. Probably he shout.]
have supported the " quarter-acre" clause, and have
voted with the 117 against the seven, had he been
in the House, but now he thought the clause a mon-
strous one. Under its operation a poor family might
die in a ditch, without any possibility of the clause
being relaxed in their favour.—(Hear.) It was in
effect a sentence of death, under certain circum-
stances : even the Lord-Lieutenant himself could not
give relief in such cases.—(Hear, hear.) It was
said that the destitute parties might give up their
holdings—(Hear, hear)—but they had no power to
do this in many cases, where the land was held in
common by several individuals. The evidence before
Captain Wynne's Committee, of which he had been
a member, had led to the conclusion that neither the
Clare board of guardians nor the officers of the
board of works had acted in contravention of the
law; that, in fact, there were many cases where the
Possession of several acres of land and heads of cattle
could not possibly be any test of circumstances.—
(Hear, hear.) It often happened that the landlord
would not take the land if thrown up; so that the
tenant could not possibly bring himself within the
terms of the clause.
After a few words from Major MACNAMARA,
Mr. R. M. FOX advocated the continuance of the
quarter-acre clause, as absolutely necessary for the
efficient administration of the law.
Mr. REYNOLDS, believing that the proposal be-
fore the House would remedy one of the most ob-
noxious provisions of the new poor-law, should give
it his support. He deeply regretted it should be
opposed by the Right Hon. Secretary for Ireland.
The question was simply whether pauperism was to
be increased or diminished.—(Hear.) It was said
the poor-law commissioners in Ireland had placed a
humane interpretation on the quarter-acre clause, by
allowing destitute tenants to divest themselves of
their holdings. If this were done it would be a
fruitful source of increased pauperism. A man, sud-
denly impoverished, who held 10 acres, might claim
relief by giving up 91 acres ; he would thus be de-
prived of his means of support, be reduced to a quarter
of an acre and a mud cabin, and must remain a
lsuper always.—(Hear.) There were doubtless some
iberal and kind-hearted landlords, but they were a
small minority; the great bulk of them were of far
different character, and were largely responsible for
the destitution of their countrymen.—(Hear.) Anxious
as he was to maintain the principle of the Irish poor-
laws in its integrity, as the foundation stone of the
prosperity of Ireland, he should support the motion of
the Hon. Member for Rochdale.—(Cries of "Divide.")
Mr. MONSELL conceived that the repeal of the
quarter-acre clause would afford means for landlords
to throw their tenants on the poor-rate. The com-
plaint now was that the rates were over burdened,
while the proposal now made would vastly ag-
gravate that burden. In the Rathkeale union, at the
present moment, about 25 per cent. of the population
were receiving out-door relief ; the rate was 7s. 6d.
in the pound on the whole union, and yet the amount
of relief only averaged ninepence a head. Let the
House imagine the effect of throwing a large number
of persons on the rate. The consequence would be to
deprive the whole population of relief. It was a
great mistake to introduce the poor-law alone ; it
should have been accompanied by measures for the
reclamation of waste lands, and for promoting emi •
gration. The evil of enforcing the poor-law without
other remedial measures had been much aggravated
by the size of the unions. The Hon. Member for
Cockermouth was suite in error as to the construc-
tion of the quarter acre clause, by which he supposed
relief in urgent eases was prevented.
Mr. WAKLEY said that was clearly the common
sense interpretation of the clause, which had been
well described as a sentence of death against the poor
occupiers. Better would it be for the House openly
to doom these poor wretches to destruction than to do
it in this insidious way.—(Hear, hear.) He took
blame to himself for not being in the House to oppose
the clause when it was passed. Its effect was even to
preclude medical relief from being administered in
the most urgent cases. He could not conceal his
conviction that this House, largely composed of
landowners and rich men, had little sympathy with
the poor. This conviction was growing and spread
ing ; and he warned the House, gentlemen calling
themselves Conservatives especially, to beware of the
result. If some landlords could be made to change
places with their miserable tenantry it would pro-
duce a wonderful alteration in their views. For a long
time all parties, Whigs and Radicals, as well as Tories,
had opposed the introduction of any poor-law into
Ireland, and it had only been introduced at the last mo-
ment. Had such a law existed there since the time of
Elizabeth we should now have heard little, of Irish
distress. It was a gross calumny to call the Irish
an idle people. In their own country they had not
the physical ability to work, owing to their destitute
condition ; but, in London, where properly fed and
paid, they performed work which Englishmen could
not do. Out of twenty thousand bricklayers' la-
bourers in London, ;only about five hundred were
English—the rest were all Irish.—(Hear, hear.) The
inevitable consequence of the House persisting in its
late course of legislation towards Ireland must be
that the people would, themselves, take possession of
the land • they must either do this or starve ; and
they could not be expected to lie down and die
quietly. He, for one, should be perfectly willing to
let the Irish gentlemen try the experiment of legisla-
ting for themselves.—(Hear.) It was his settled
conviction that there would be no proper legislation
either for this country or Ireland so long as the aris•
tocracy had such a powerful share in the Legisla-
ture. He had been in this House eleven years, and
he felt it his duty to his constituents to make this
declaration. The Hon. Member for Rochdale was a
kind and benevolent landlord, a practical man, and
intimately acquainted with Ireland, but not being one
of the aristocracy, nor a rich man, he had not been
able, during the ten years he had been in the House,
to obtain the passing of any of the numerous mea-
sures which he had proposed for the benefit of his
country.—(Hear.) Last year Government had held
out promises of remedial measures for Ireland ; those
were still unproposed, still in process of preparation.
Did the Government propose to meddle with the
overgrown Church Establishment of that country ?
Not at all.—(Hear.) Unless remedial measures
were proposed, and that soon, he feared that a feeling
of indignation would spring up in that country which
would endanger the existence of the throne itself.
Mr. DRUMMOND said that the picture which
had been drawn of Ireland in 1642 by Dr. Madden
might serve, by simply altering the date, as a repre-
sentation of that country in 1848. That House
should not be charged with the misery of Ireland,
because the people of that country were the same
now that they were several centuries ago. He main-
tained that the House departed from the true prin-
ciple of a poor-law by admitting the quarter-acre
clause at all.—(Hear.)
Colonel DU NE thought that there should be
inquiry before any alteration was made in the law.
He considered that there should be some limit to the
right of relief. With regard to occupation, Jie be-
lieved that it was not necessary to give up the title to
the land to acquire a right to relief.
Mr. M. J. O'CONNELL said that the clause under
consideration was an unpopular one, but it was easier
to cry out against evils than to suggest remedies. He
bad supported the clause when it was introduced, and
he saw no reason to regret that course. He thought
the cases which had been referred to as having taken
place in the west of Ireland should be investigated,
and the Government would not discharge their duty
if they did not punish those who committed the illegal
acts alluded to. He looked upon those who committed
those criminal acts as more guilty than the criminals
of Tipperary and Roscommon. The question they
had to determine was, whether the right to relief in
Ireland should be unlimited. He thought that by
giving such a right the great benefit ;of a poor-law,
which was designed for the really destitute, would
be altogether defeated.—(Hear, hear.) It would
keep up that system which had been found so inju
rious in Ireland—namely, of having persons who
were neither farmers nor labourers, but something
of both.—(Hear, hear.) He should, therefore, give
his vote against the motion o f the Hon. Member for
Stroud.

After a few words from Mr. CRAWFORD,
Sir W. SOMERVILLE said that where a poor
person offered to give up his land, and upon inquiry
the guardians found that the surrender was not a
bona fide surrender, he would not thereby obtain a
right to relief; but where he made a bona fide sur-
render of his land, even though the laadlord would
not accept it, he would be entitled to relief.
The House divided, when there appeared,—

Against the motion
For the motion 2l
Majority —93
POOR•LAWS (IRELAND).
Mr. FOX postponed his motion for a Bill to sub•
stitute townlands for electoral divisions as th© area o:
rating.
EXPIRING LAWS.

The following Members were appointed as the
Committee on Expiring Laws : —Mr. Parker, Mr.
Tufnell, Mr. Attorne- General, Mr. Bernal, the Judge
Advocate, the Lord Advocate, Mr. Hume, Mr. Ag-
lionby, Mr. Forbes Mackenzie, Mr. Bellew, Mr.
Greene, Mr. Gibson Craig, Sir G. Clerk, Mr. Cripps,
and Mr. Stafford.