The Sun.
London, England, 1846-04-18 00:00:00

means of conferring vast benefits upon the people.—
(Hear.) There was much truth in the observation of
the Honourable Gentleman, with respect to the Drainage
Act ; it might have been introduced earlier
there was no doubt, but it was
introduced when the emergency was found to be press-
in,. There was no truth in the assertion that
there had been no opportunity for advances of money
under that Act : he was happy to say that there
were many already ; and under the Public Works
Act from 30,0001. to 40,0001. had already been ex-
pended.—(Hear, hear.) Works undertaken under this
Act he had no doubt would add permanently to
the wealth and power of Ireland, and temporary distress
would be the means of advancing and securing her pros-
perity. He was therefore decidedly an advocate of the Pub-
lic Works Act, as a legitimate means of affording relief.
All the recommendations of the Commissioners on the
Public Works in Ireland were laid before the Govern-
ment, and they were then judged by their merits. The
Hon. Gentleman had said that an Irish Parliament, and
an Irish Government, would have acted in a different
spirit with regard to the distress in Ireland. He
(Sir J. Graham) really could not think that an Irish
Parliament would have acted in a spirit more frank,
more generous, or more just, than the British Parliament
towards Ireland under the present circumstances. He
relied on the feeling of that House ; he relied on the
feeling and generosity of the other House of Par-
liament for such measures as would relieve the
wants of the people of Ireland. He was sure
that any recommendations for public works would be met
in a proper spirit, such, indeed, as the emergency de-
manded. The Hcn. Member in alluding to the landlords
of Ireland, told the House that they employed as many
labourers on their estates as their fortunes would allow.e
He considered that a system of parochial relief to
th.
able-bodied labourer would reduce him to the degrad-
ing
position of a pauper—his spirit would be lowered
generally . deteriorated
and the tone of society
He did not consider that a proposition of that
nature should be entertained without consi-
derable caution. It has been proposed by another
Hon. Member to call an Irish Parliament as early as
possible for the purpose of considering these matters.
The Government were not responsible for not doing so.
—(Laughter and cheers.) He did not consider that the
great question of reform could any longer be postponed
with justice to Ireland; he thought that an immediate
settlement of the question was necessary to alleviate the
distress in Ireland. It was not possible to do so out of
the public funds. He did hope that they might now pro-
ceed with the first reading of the Irish Protection to Life
Bill. He did hope that after—he would not say the un-
necessary delay—that after the five nights' debate
which they had already had upon the subject, that
Irish Members would allow the first reading to take place,
and that they might proceed with the question which
now pressed for an immediate decision. He alluded to
the proposed measures for reducing the amount of duty
upon the importation of foreign corn.—(Bear.)
Mr. E. B. ROCHE said, that although he did not
concur with the Right Hon. Baronet who had just sat
down as to the desirableness of proceeding with this
Bill, he would not detain the House at any great length
with a view of interrupting its progress. He did not be-
lieve that the Government intended doing much for
the substantial relief of the people of Ireland. It
was quite true that the Right Honourable Baronet had
uttered sentiments of commiseration and feeling for the
Irish people. The Right Hon. Baronet had also uttered
a strong rebuke to the landlords of Ireland for not
aiding the Government to the best of their power
in relieving the wants of the people. For those
sentiments, as far as they went, he (Mr. Roche) thanked
him ; but, at the same time, he should be better pleased
did he hear the Right Honourable Baronet coming
forward as the representative of the Executive Go-
vernment of this country, and saying that the Go-
vernment did indeed, in point of fact, intend
doing something substantial towards relieving the
calamities and distresses of the people, and that it
was their intention to provide ample means for supply-
ing the people of Ireland with food. He did not intend
to make any allusion to the question between his Hon.
Friend the Member for Limerick and the Right Hon.
Baronet, as to whether an English or an Irish Parlia-
ment would do most for the relief of the people of Ire-
land. He would also refrain from saying anything
about the vexata questio of the poor-laws, but this
he would say that the Government of this country, if
they took upon themselves the government of Ireland,
ought to do something more plausible than making plaus
ible and feeling speeches—they ought to do something
more substantial for supplying the people of Ireland
with food. Now the Right Ifon. Baronet had thrown
himself to a certain extent (if he might use the expres-
sion) upon the in lulgence of the House with regard to
the difficulty which the Government felt in obtaining
and introducing into Ireland food for the people.
—(Hear, hear.) The Right Honourable Baronet
had told them that there was a great want of
machinery in the Government. His Honourable Friend •
the Nlernbsr for Limerick had alluded to the mode in
which the Indian wheat had been distributed by the offi-
cer of the Government in the city of Cork. Now, with.
out imputing to the Government any intention of aggra-
vating the distress of the people at the present
moment, he would, at the same tine, tell them that the
effects of the acts of the Government, with regard to the
distribution of that corn, was to aggravate, in a very serious
degree, the distress of the people in the south of Ireland.
Now, what were the facts ?—and one fact was better
than a thousand arguments. The distress in Cork was
very great, and the gentlemen in that city assembled
and formed themselves into a relief committee, and
elected a secretary. At that time there was a depot
in Cork, containing a large supply of Indian
meal. An application wis made to the secretary of the
Relief Committee in Dublin, stating the distress of the
people—distress which he (Mr. Roche) knew, from his
own knowledge, was not exvgeretecl—and calling
upon him to allow a distribution of the Indian
meal in depot at certain prices—in fact at
cost price. The steretary, after some deli
beration, acceded to this request, and a considerable
quantity of meal was distributed among the poor to
Cork. So far, so good. But when the quantity which
they were all() wedto distribute was expended they re-
newed their application to the Secretary in Dublin,
and their first letter was unanswerc d.—(Hear.)
Oa the second application, they received a letter,
which :his Hon. Friend had read to the House,
and which was written by the Dublin secretary. That
letter stated that in point of fact the Government had
changed their minds with regard to the distribution of
the meal, and that the people of Ireland were to be
thrown upon their own resources. The consequence of
this was, that an impression went abroad that not
only for the present, but for a long time afterwards, the
Government were not prepared to do anything for re-
lieving the distresses of the people. Thus, they
created a very great discontent among the people
of Ireland, because they, in the first instance,
raised their hopes by holding out to them, and in
part realising, that food would be afforded them
at reasonable prices, and afterwards they turned round
and said in effect we have food here, but you shall not
get more of in That course, as he had said, created a
feeling of dissetisfa.ction ; but it did even worse, for
the speculators in corn in Cork, and Liver-
pool, and other places, had the opportunity
of reading this letter, as well as those to whom it wa3S
addressed, and they naturally enough said to themselves
this food is to be shut up for some months still ; and
they therefore raised the prices of Indian meal. Those
prices were raised in consequence of this letter which
had been received from Dublin.
Sir J. GRAHAM seemed to express dissent.
Mr. ROCHE—The Right Hon. Baronet seemed to
express dissent, but he (Mr. Roche) had a painful know_
ledge of the fact, because he was then in treaty for the
purchase of a large amount of Indian meal
for his own people in Ireland, and ho teas aware that
it was much higher than it had been a fortnight ago.
He entreated the Right Honourable Baronet to consider
the dissatisfaction and discontent that this pitiful
mode of distributing relief in Ireland was cre-
ating among the poorer classes in that country.
It was impossible for any man to exaggerate the distress '
and the want of food that existed in every district in
Ireland. He knew himself that in a district of the
county of Cork, which for years past had sup-
plied the whole of the country with food, at this
ea meet the people were actually consuming for pre-
sent. use the only potatoes they had kept for
sew tor the folloiewin
_g year. He would wish to impress on
the
bi
lgeh
ft trio 0(
in
o.v arernomneent
tthteo consideration, that if it were
supply of Indian
meal, there never was a timgeivwe any
he it would be of so
much importance to the people, asit
would allow them to
lay up somerstood ething fo r the following year.l hoped he had
the Right Hble
he had misinterpreted that partonoura of hisßaron
spee,ch)rwreaht
conveyed to his mind the impression that, in point' of
fact, the supply of Indian corn in the country was a
mere trifle—he could say that it would give him great
pleasure. In answer to the Right Honourable Baronet,
as far as his individual experience went, the land•
lords in his part of the country—always excepting the
abseatees—were doing what in their power lay towards
relieving the distress of the surrounding people, but
they found that it was almost an impossibility to obtain
rood for them. He understood everything relating to
practical farming. He commenced very young, and he
had farmed 1,000 acres before he was nineteen. He had
since farmed larger quantities of land, and at this mo-
ment he had the management of from 3,000 to 4,000
acres. He employed, at a moderate computation, over
400 people. He paid them, but could not give them
food, and every one knew that they could not eat the
money. It was almost an absolute impossibility to obtain
food; in fact, the difficulty was so great, that as soon as
he could be free from an important duty which he had
to perform, and which he might perform in the course of
next week, and perhaps not so soon—(" Hear, hear,"
from the Opposition)—he should go to Liverpool, in
order to obtain a supply of food for his own people.
He trusted, therefore, that the Government would im-
mediately turn their attention to the increase of the
store of Indian meal, for it was upon that alone that
a great portion of the population depended for their
food, and the obtaining any other kind of food
was quite out of the question. They would understand
this when he said that the best description of potatoes
cost one shilling per stone, and that ten-pence
was commonly given for them, which was altogether
under the mark. The regular price would be
threepence for the common sort,
and fourpence and five-
pence
for the best. He did not mean to say that the
people commonly obtained potatoes
andtoeslt
if that price, for
that price was merely nominal,
he were to
go to a man who had 100 tons in his pdoidssession, his
nAontdknthoiw
answer most probably would be that ho
whether he had sufficient for his own seed.
was the case with every portion of Ireland, and he
s
believed that if they were permitted to use
their seed potatoes, they would not have
three weeks' consumption remaining throughout the
country.—(Cheers.) He had made it his business to
inquire, from his own neighbourhood right up to the
mounts.inotts districts, and what he had just UM* In