The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-31 00:00:00

O'Brien should prove so pertinacious, when it is recol-
lected with what obstinacy he opposed the entreaties of
the Irish on the question of attendance on Parliamentary
committees. In spite of every entreaty ho persisted,
and the consequence was that he got locked up in jail.
He did not go there in vindication of any public prin-
ciple, but solely to indulge a whim of fancy, and for his
pains he was laughed at by the whole House of Com-
mons. The present was the last occasion on which he
should advert to the " secession " or the seceders. It
appeared as if Mr. Smith O'Brien was walking in the
steps of Mr. Feargus O'Connor, who had ruined the
reform party by his inculcation of the principles of
physical force. But he would assure Mr. O'Brien that
he should not destroy the Repeal Association by any
such means. The Association now stood on a fair and
intelligible basis, which he trusted the machinations of
the evil disposed would never he able to shake. In con-
clusion, he announced that it was the intention of the
Association, before the end of the week, to issue an
address to the people to give up all force and violence,
and to abstain from plundering property, and interfering
with the transmission of provisions from place to place.
Mr. J. MOLLOY, barrister, read the following petition
to the Legislature on the subject of Irish distress ;
" The petition of the undersigned members of the Loyal

National Repeal Association of Ireland,
" Humbly showeth,—That in this, the 46th year o,
the union, life and property in Ireland are rendered in-
secure by distress and destitution of the most appalling
nature, the horrors of which are aggravated from the
consciousness that none but an Irish Parliament can bo
expected to have the local knowledge and intimate local
interest requisite for devising adequate means of relief.
" That for eight months to elapse, until the harvest of
1847 relieves their immediate wants, 4,000,000 of the
Irish people must be mainly supported upon the grain
supplies imported from foreign countries, or the British
colonies ; and that the Executive does not appear to
have as yet estimated and provided against the deficiency
of food for such a lengthened period.
" That the merchants of Great Britain and Ireland
cannot procure sufficient freightage to transport the re-
quisite supply of bread-stuffs to the Irish ports.
" That the suspension of the navigation laws, prohi-
biting importation in foreign bottoms, would do much
to supply the deficiency in tonnage requisite for the
transport.
" That several of her Majesty's frigates and war-
steamers, now lying idle in dock or elsewhere, might be
usefully freighted for that purpose, with the collateral
advantage to the state of keeping able seamen in em-
ployment. _ _ _

"That the Lords of the Treasury should purchase and
store food at convenient depots, such food to be trans-
mitted with dispatch to the districts where food has
risen to famine prices.
" Therefore your petitioners humbly pray that the
navigation laws be forthwith suspended, and that such
vessels of her Majesty's navy as shall be deemed requi-
site for the purpose shall be made available to the mer-
cantile interest, or in their default to the Lords of the
Treasury, for the prompt importation of the required
supplies of food, and that depots thereof be formed at
convenient places for sale below famine 'prices, in order
to mitigate, in so far as human efforts may, the fearful
calamity with which it has pleased Divine Providence,
for its own wise purposes, to afflict Ireland.
" An I your petitioners will ever pray."
Mr. JOHN O'CONNELL, M.P., in bringing up a second
report of the Parliamentary Committee, took cccasion to
advert to the very laudable anxiety which existed to lay
the foundation of a peasant proprietary in Ireland, The
Allorring Chronicle had assumed that the former report
of Captain Broderick should bellooked upon as the mani-
festo of the association on the subject, to which every
member of it should consider himself pledged. In prais-
ing a considerable portion of that report, the Morning
Chronicle complained that it did not go far enough in its
recommendations as to what was to be done with the
waste lands. But that report was merely the first of a
series, and did not profess to dispose of the matter en-
tirely. The Honourable Gentleman reiterated the de-
mand of Mr. O'Connell for a loan of 30,000,0001. insist-
ing that, in strict justice, England ought to confer that
sum as a gift on Ireland, in consideration of the finan •
chit injustices committed on her since the Union.
At the conclusion of the proceedings the rent fur the
week was announced to be a7l. 7s. 4d.
The meeting then adjourned.

THE LATE TREASURY MINUTE,
LETTER OF MR. MORE OTERRALL, M.P.
The Dublin Evening Post says :—The following is
the letter alluded to in the Treasury Minute of the Ist
of December, addressed to Colonel Jones by Mr. R.
More OTerrall, M.P. :

"Dublin, Nov. 9, 1846.
Sir—l address you, as First Commissioner of Public
Wallis, on a subject relating to the reproductive em-
ployment of the labouring classes, although the decision
of the question with which I shall conclude belongs ex-
clusively to her Majesty's Government. That decision
may be influenced by your report on the validity of the
grounds which I allege in favour of my views, and,
therefore, it may save time to address the Government
through you.
" The magistrates, rate-payers, and principal pro-
prietors of the barony of Carbery, county of Kil-
dare, having, at meetings assembled by public no-
tice, taken into consideration the several Acts
passed in the last session of Parliament for
the promotion of employment among the labour-
ing classes, and having given full consideration to Mr.
Labouchere's letter, unan,_mously resolved to act under
the 9th Vic. cap. 4, commonly called the provision for
summary proceedings to facilitate drainage, which was
passed, as stated in the words of the title, To afford
facilities for Increased Employment for the Labouring
Classes in Works of Drainage during the present year.'
It received the royal assent on the sth of March, 18-16,
and expires in August, 1847. I request your attention to
the words of the 45th clause—' And whereas, by reason
of the failure or destruction of a portion of the potato
crop of the last season in Ireland, there is reason to ap-
prehend that in certain districts great distress may,
during the ensuing spring and summer, prevail among
the labouring classes of the population, and it is expe-
dient, with the view to alleviate such distress, by provi-
sions of a more summary nature than hereinbetore con-
tained, to give for part of the present year increased
facilities and powers for commencing, without delay, and
carrying on various works of utility connected with the
drainage and improvement of lands in such districts,
whereby remunerative employment may be afforded to
the labouring classes. Be it therefore enacted, &c., Sec.'
"It appeared to the meetings that this Act was ad-
mirably framed to effect the object of speedy and remu-
nerative employment ; that under its provisions pro-
perty would be better protected; that public loans would
be better secured, and greater facility afforded for re-
payment of principal and interest than by the plan pro-
posed for reproductive employment—by drainage and
sub-soiling, under the terms of Mr. Labouchere's letter,
That the provisions of the Act of Parliament being
clear and precise, no delay could arise from mistakes of
form, and no impediment intervene from want of suffi-
cient authority, and, consequently, that the unemployed
would be sooner set to work than if we held sessions
under the 9th and 10th Vie., cap. 107, commonly called
The Useless Employment Act.' At each of the meet-
ings above referred to, a number of applications under
the 9th Vic., cap. 4, were signed and transmitted toyour
office, amounting to 21, for opening the main outfalls of
all the lands of the barony, which comprises 38,352
arable statute acres.
" You are aware that the barony of Carbery is
bounded by the rivers Boyne and Blackwater, and that
the latter has been opened under the provisions of the
sth and 6th Vic., cap. 89, at an expense under 10,000 L,
and that the Boyne is now in progress on an estimate of
26,0001.
" The object of the proprietors is; therefore, to take
advantage of the means :to improvement afforded by
these two great works, and by opening up the small tri •
butaries through every part of the barony, to enable all
the laud to be thorough drained to a depth of three feet.
The great impediment to drainage hitherto in flat coun-
tries, has been the want of sufficient outran, or the power
to maintain it if once established.
" The drainage Acts of the sth and 6th Victoria, cap.
89, and 9th Victoria, cap. 4, have fully and beneficially
supplied these advantages—the latter of which cannot
be obtained for drainages executed under Mr. Labou-
chere's letter.
" Many thousands of pounds have been wasted on
drainage in Ireland from the want of co-operation on an
extended scale to maintain the outfalls.
" Unfounded apprehensions prevailed as to the ex-
pense of works executed under the Board of Works,
which the experience of the works on the Blackwater in
some measure removed, and a disposition prevails to
have the smaller works executed under the same super-
intendence. The high rate of interest charged for loans
under the 9th Vic., cap. 4, still offers some impediment ;
but I have strong hopes that when the proprietors con-
sider calmly the amount of expenditure proposed, cons.
pared with the benefits to be conferred, they will give a
ready assent to most, if not all, the works now under
survey. You will observe that the sinking of the outfalls
is only a preparatory work to the large and useful under-
taking of thorough drainage.
" The sinking of the outfalls, if generally assented to,
may occupy our surplus labour about six months ; but
the thorough drainage will afford employment for some
years with large profit, when conducted under a proper
system.

" There are many matters of an engineering and agri-
cultural character which will require close and careful
consideration beforo we can undertake the rough drain-
age on a large scalp ; and, therefore, it is desirable to
make all necessary inquiries while the outfalls are in
progress, to enable us to come to a satisfactory decision
without unnecessary loss of time.
" If thorough-drainage is carried on simultaneously
on each estate, the charge for the best professional advice
will amount to a small contribution from each proprietor.
Tile manufacturers, of skill and experience, will be in-
duced to establish works by the large and constant de-
mand, and can afford to sell them at a very moderate
price, from the low cost at which peat fuel can he sup-
plied, which will again afford employment for a class of
labour unsuited to the more skilled operations of thorough
drainage. A system of general employment and improve-
ment will tend to establish a market value for labour in
the district, according to its quality, raising the intelli-
gent and industrious man from a class in which there is
no emulation, because there has hitherto been no reward.
The price of labour will rise according to its quality;
the farmers can afford to pay for it like any other com-
modity which is high or low in price, according to its
quality and supply. There will be, I trust, a constant
and growing demand throughout the country for well-
instructed foremen drainers; and in this way, by being
early in the field of improvement, I trust our barony
will be able to dispose of the growing stock of labour,
without resorting to those means of compulsion which
has brought discredit on Irish proprietors, and accumu-
lated misery on the poor.
" The effects of individual proprietors in improvement
are necessarily very limited. There is a point at which