The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-12 00:00:00

THE Sf 3 N,

THE RECLAMATION OF WASTE
LAND IN IRELAND.
LETTER 11.

TO THE RIGHT HON. LORD JOHN RUSSELL, M.P.
MY LouD,—l proposed in my last letter to show
to your Lordship that, independent of the fact that
Government must decide whether they will feed the
people in some unions in Ireland, or give them work
in exchange for food," there were other considerations
which rendered it imperative on a just Government to
put aside the "saws' of the "One-eyed men," and to
give employment to the people.
The foremost of these considerations is, that the
Imperial Government has neglected its duty ; only
anxious to obtain the support of the Irish represere•
tatives, it omitted years ago to pass a poor-law for
Ireland, end the inevitable consequence of such
neglect has been that the salutary check upon the
subdivision of land which operates in England was
wanting in Ireland.
Suparadded to this was the influence derived from
the number of forty-shilling freeholders, whose votes
the landlord could command, giving him a certain
political importance and an uncertain rent-roll. Had
a poor-law been established in Ireland soon after the
Union, and had the forty-shilling freehold been made
a real and not an imaginary interest in the voter, the
present calamitous condition could never have attained
its fearful height.
I assume that your _Lordship will feel no difficulty
in assenting to the proposition, that it is the boun-
den duty of Government to render the imposition of
a new tax as little burdensome as possible, and that
this duty becomes more imperative, if the previous
neglect of Government has rendered the tax more
onerous than it otherwise would have been.
And if this be consonant to the principles of justice,
and if Government being compelled to distribute food
in many unions in Ireland, can make the distribution
in sucb a manner as to render the tax less onerous,
surely a considerate Government should not hesitate
in doing so.
But when in addition to this there exists the indis-
putable fact, that the present mode of distributing
food inevitably tends to demoralize the people, and
to incapacitate them from future exertion, no Go-
vernment, deserving the name of such, should hesi-
tate as to the course it ought to pursue.
But then the " One-eyed men," in and out of Par-
liament, they protest, forsooth, against Government
employing the people; but Government are feeding
the people, and must continue to do so in many unions
for years to come. Although the " One-eyed men" are
vehemently opposed to poor-laws, not one has yet
had the audacity to propose that the people shall be
suffered to perish.
Look at the " One eyed men" in the House of
Lords, in the House of Commons ; mark how bitterly
they are opposed to the poor-law, especially those
who have property in Ireland ; true, they attempt to
disguise their hatred by professing to object only tb
details; yet examine their objections, and your Lord-
ship NI, ill see that it is the principle of the poor-law to
which they object.
And no doubt an attempt will be made in the en-
suing session to emasculate the poor-law under the
pretence of improving it. The fiat has, however, gone
forth, and cannot be recalled, in spite of the wise saws
of " One-eyed men"—in defiance of the dangers
which statesmen well know surround a legal provision
for the poor, the nation has resolved that the first
charge upon the land shall be a poor-rate.
It has therefore become the duty of Government to
apply the poor-law with such wisdom as to prevent
the anticipated danger ; a difficult task in England,
but infinitely more so in Ireland; and therefore re-
quiring a greater variety of measures to avert those
dangers which assuredly attend a poor-law unless
most wisely administered.
Yet the One- eyed men" and the other haters of
a poor-law resolutely set their faces against every
measure which has been proposed to avert the painful
condition of Ireland except one—they wish the Go-
vernment to expend the money of the people in
clearing the estates of Irish landlords from a super-
abundant population.
And this measure will be forced on the attention of
Government with all the zest of interested parties ;
the Irish landlord, backed by those connected with
Canada, Australia, and the other colonies requiring
labourers to make their speculations more profitable;
will cry out with a loud voice, Emigration is the only
panacea for the ills which afflict my country.
Passing over the glaring injustice of applying the
national funds to benefit Irish landlords or colonial
speculators on the Shannon or in Canada—a Mont-
eagle or an Ellice—your Lordship is well aware that
the difficulties attendant upon an emigration so ex-
tended as to produce the desired effect are insuperable,
and that any partial application of the national reve-
nue to such an object would inevitably be attended
with jobbing never yet equalled, both in selecting the
estates to be cleared and the colonies to which the
emigrants would be sent.
Assuredly I do not undervalue emigration as one
of the means of conducing to a healthy state the con-
dition of the labourer both in Ireland and England ;
indeed, your Lordship may possibly remember that,
two years since, I strongly recommended the policy
of assisting emigration from Ireland, in certain cir
cumstances.
The Government were passing an Act of Parlia-
meet to lend Irish landlords a large sum of money,
for the purpose of improving their estates ; now it was
notorious that, in many cases, the first step towards
improvement was the consolidation of the small
patches, miscalled farms, and therefore the necessary
eviction of the tenants.
It occurred to me, and subsequent events have
confirmed the opinion, that if Government lent to a
landlord money, rendering it his interest to turn out
of their homes those who he had permitted to dwell
there for many years, it was its bounden duty to pro-
tect the poor, as well as the rich, and to have made it
one of the conditions of the loan that some portion of
it should be applied to enable the evicted persons
who desired to emigrate the opportunity of doing so.
No, said the " One- eyed men," that would be an
interference with the rights of property, quite for-
getting, or rather overlooking, vith their character-
istic short- sightedness, the fact, that the conditions
on which the lease was granted contained almost
every interference with the rights of property, which
could well be imagined, even to the injury of credi-
tors and infants.
Now had not the " One-eyed men" been' success-
ful, and had my proposal been adopted, the really
humane landlord would have felt sincere pleasure that
his intended improvements would be carried out with
the least possible injury to his poorer fellow-subjects,
and those of different feelings would have been com-
pelled to assist the poor as a condition of themselves
receiving the assistance of the State.
And what scenes of misery would have been spared ?
exaggerated in some instances they may have been,
but not in all, or one of the most talented members of
the Government would not have called them in the
House of Commons "barbarous evictions."
In my next letter I will point out instances still
more glaring and unjust, if, indeed that be possible,
in which proposals made for the purpose of alleviating
the ills of Ireland have been rejected by the influence
of " One-eyed men." Let the public decide whether,
like the case I have mentioned, they ought not to
have been adopted. •
I have the honour to remain,
Your Lordship's most obedient servant, •
RIGBY WA SON.

MARRIAGE IN HIGH LIFE.--The marriage of Sir
Henry Lytton Bulwer, late Minister of Madrid, with the
Hon. Georgina Charlotte Mary Wellesley, youngest
daughter of the late Lord Cowley, and niece of the
Duke of Wellington, was solemnized on Saturday even-
ing last, by special license, in the chapel at Hatfield
House, Herts, by the Rev. Gerald Wellesley' assisted by
the Rev. F. Faithful', rector of Hatfield, and the Rev. B.
Stuckey. The bride was given away by the Duke of
Wellington. There were also present the Marquis and
Marchioness of Salisbury, the Marquis and Marchioness
of Douro, the Marchioness Dowager of Downahire,
Lady (Dowager) Cowley, Lord Sandy:, Lord C. Wel-
lesley, Lord Eustace Cecil, Lord Robert Cecil, the Hon.
Colonel and Lady M. Hood, Sir E. B. Lytton, Bart., Mr.
J. and Lady B. Balfour, Mr. E. R. Bulwer, Mr. Bulwer,
jun., Mr. Culling Smith, Mr. Sehedel, Mr. Johnson, &c.
Lord Cowley and his lady were prevented from being
present by his diplomatic duties at Frankfort. The
bride and bridegroom, after the conclusion of the cere-
mony, received the congratulations of the company, and
left Hatfield House in a chariot and four, for Knebworth
Hall, near Stevenage, the seat of Sir E. L. Bulwer. The
nuptial festivities were kept up at Hatfield, in the old
baronial style, until midnight.
His Excellency Count Reventlow returned yester-
day from Copenhagen after au absence of nearly two
months. The Count, who passed through Brussels on a
special mission to the King of Belgium, is accompanied
by M. Tresckow (Conseiller de Conference), who has been
appointed to take part in the negotiations between Den-
mark and Germany, which wilt soon be re-opened in
Loudon. Owing to the state of affairs in Germany, these
negotiations are likely to take a favourable turn tor the
cause of Denmark, and we are glad to learn that the Cen-
tral Power has recently given proof of its disposition to
listen to the voice of moderation and of justice. We hope
therefore, that Lord Palmerston will not fail to throw his
weight into the scale of the injured and weaker Power,
whose cause has met with such warm sympathy amongst
all classes in England.-7 intes.
The Duke and Duchess of Marlborough are en•
tertainiog a select circle at Blenheim Palace, near
Woodstock.
The Duke of Richmond yesterday left town for
Goodwood Park, Sussex, the Duchess and the Ladies
Lennox having previously arrived there from town.
The Earl and Countess of March are staying at their
seat near Goodwood.
Viscount Alford has left town for his residence
near Northampton, which he has taken for a term, of
the Earl Spencer.
The Marquis of Northampton has gone to Castle
Ashby, Northamptonshire, where a distinguished circle
will assemble for Christmas.