The Sun.
London, England, 1846-03-14 00:00:00

into the distress arising from the failure
of the potato crop in Ireland, announcing that in almost
every country where the disease in the potato had made
its appearance cases of fever had increased very much
of late. Under these circumstances, the t overnment
f. el it necessary to take some measures to alleviate the
distress and danger arising therefrom, and I now ask
for leave to bring in a Bill for that purpose. I ask for
a Bill to grant to the Lord Lieutenant the power to esta-
blish a board of health, formed of a Commission, not exe-
ceeding five persons,with three Assistant-commissioners.
It is proposed, also, that in establishing this board of
health. power be given to the Lord Lieutenant to appoint
in each union in Ireland a medical officer, who will at-
tend to the state of the inmates ; and from the representa-
tion of that medical officer, if he thought it necessary to
make such representation, stating the appearance of
fever in such unions, that the power be given to the
boards of guardians to build temporary fever hospitals,
and in failing to build such hospitals, at once to esta-
blish some place in the union for the reception of
the infected. The sick people are to have the
support of medical assistance and medical comforts
at the expense of the uniun, and power shall also be
given to the board of guardians to defray all the ex-
penses from the poor- rates. The Bill is limited in its
operation to September, 1847. On the representation of
the board of guardians that the fever has ceased, such
report shall suspend the operation of the Bill. With
the permission of the House I now move that leave be
given to bring in a Bill for the alleviation of this distress
in Ireland.
Mr. WARLEY said, that in such eases as the present
he thought prevention better than the cure. The Right
Hon. Baronet stated that he intended to place fever-
hospitals iu certain towns, but he (Mr. Waklev) would
rather that a supply of food were given to the people, and
that that would be given immediately in no stinted measu! e ;
and he would assure the House that if anyt!ing would
counteract fever or pestilence in Ireland, it would be an
immediate and wholesome supply of food. By the late
pamphlet written by Dr. Carrigan, it appeared that no
change of weather, that no difference of c'imate, would
so much arrest the progress of fever as a liberal supply
of food. He considered that the supply of food would
be found much more efficient than any supply of
me.licine.

Mr. COLQUIIOUN said, that whenin th rar 1823 a
very serious famine bad broken out in Ireland, an appli-
cation had been made to Parliament, but the chief
want then was a supply of food. So it was in 1831,
when a similar famine and fever p7evailea. ID thought
that these evils might be fully m' t by a supply of food.
Mr. OSBORNE thought the Government were ob-
liged to provide employment for the people, and if the
Irish Railway Bills, which had been passed last session,
hail been sufficiently supported, he thought that this
dearth of means would not have existed. If Govern-
ment assisted the railway schemes which in consequence
of limited funds had not yet laid a spade in the ground—
by advancing a given sum, then employment might be
found for the Irish people, thus saving them the neces
city of asking for eleemosynary re'ief.
Lord G. BENTINCK thought, that before asking
relief for the Irish people, the whole of the papers relative
to Ireland should have been laid upon the table.
Mr. lIUME 3aid he was in hopes that the introduc-
tion of Indian corn into Ireland would have had the
effect of introducing a desire amongst the pe3ple for a
better description of food. But he would advise the
Government to be chary how they voted, lest their mis •
taken kindness might be abused by importers.
Mr. O'CONNELL h:lged to recommend that the
Government would lend as much money for the pur
p)ses of railroads in Ireland, as had been advanced by
way of deposit. He would not recommend them to lend
more money than had been actually advanced, and they
shouH lend that merely by way of lean. There was
great difficulty in getting in the calls, and if they were
made (as they must be unless some such course as he
proposed be adopted) it would greatly increase the ex-
isting want.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said that the Government
had established depots in the different parts of Ireland for
the purpose of supplying good at first-cost price.
The lion. Gentleman should be aware that in the present
session, several Acts had been passed, advancing loans of
money to the amount of 3 or 400,0001., for the purpose
of encouraging public works in Ireland ; and there was
nothing that the Government could do to remedy the
existing distress that they did not do.--(Hear, hear.)

Mr. WM. SMITH O'BRIEN said he was bound to
tell the Right Hon. Gentleman that as far as his (Mr.
O'Brien's) information extended, he should say that not
a single guinea had been expendei.—(" Hear, hear," from
Mr. O'Connell). He should also inform him that hun-
dreds, nay, thousands of his countrymen were famish-
ing.—(Hear, hear.) He had himself seen whole families
sitting down to potatoes, such as Hon. Gentlemen, sit-
ting there, would not give to their dogs ; and under
such circumstances it did become the duty of that House
to consider well the subject. He should say that as far
as he ( Mr. O'Brien) was concerned, he would not appeal
to the charity of England. They had taken the revenues
of Ireland, and then taunted his countrymen with
being beasts.—(Cries of " No, no," and Hear hear.)
But he would not dwell much longer on that subject.—
(Hear, hear.) He, for one, was prepared to say that he
thought the people of Ireland were able to provide for
this calamity out of the national resources of Ireland, and
he believed if they compelled the proprietors of lend in
Ireland to do their duty to the people—(Cheers)—that
there would be neither disturbance nor starvation.—
(Hear, hear.) He would, therefore, point out measures
of that character, and he would tell them in the first in
stance that they ought to introduce some measure to
remove the evil of absenteeism. He would not object to
the levying of an equitable property-tax. He wished
to apologise for speaking in a tone which he felt sa-
tisfied would not be acceptable to the House, but, cir-
cumstanced is they were in Ireland, they could not re-
main passive spectators of the proceedings in the English
Parliament. If the British Parliament were to legislate
justly, they would compel the landlords of Ireland to do
their duty, which would be quite sufficient to meet the
present evil condition in Ireland.
Mr. AGLIONBY feared very much that speeches of
the description which they just listened to would have
the effect of creating- inflammatory feelings in the minds
of the Irish people. The House he was sure sym-
pathised with their distress, and they still more deeply
sympathised with them under the sickness with which
they were afflicted. He hoped that something more
might be done than that which bad been sanctioned by
her Majesty's Government. The Hon. Member for
Finsbury had proposed a plan which he had shadowed
forth in terms so vague and indefinite that no one under-
stood him, and he (Mr. Aglionby) thought that he did
not seem to care whether the House understood him or
not. The Hon. Member proposed apparently that
eleemosynary aid should be extended to the famishing
Irish. If that was the Hon. Member's view, he (Mr.
Aglionby) was certainly opposed to it, and was strongly
of opinion that such a grant would tend more than any-
thing else to demoralize the nature and destroy the better
principles of the Irish people. The introduction of
Indian corn and maize would to a certain extent be suf-
ficient to alleviate the distresses in Ireland, but that was
not sufficient. Large sums of money had, he understood,
been voted for the purpose of proceeding with public
works in Ireland, but the money had not yet been ex-
pended for that purpose. With respect to the
Bill before the House, no one he was sure could ob-
ject for a moment to its being broul,ht in. The
relaxation, however, of the corn duties would be totally
inadequate to furnsh relief, neither would the admis-
sion of maize at a very low duty make much differ-
ence in reducing the distress in Ireland.
Sir ROBERT PEEL was very sorry to hear the Hon.
Gentleman (Mr. O'Brien) speak in such vituperative
terms of the measure which had been promoted by the
Government to alleviate as speedily as possible misfor-
tunes of the sister country. Nothing could be more
strongly marked than the eager wish of the House to
adopt every measure which could by any possibility terrd
to evince their sympathy for, and desire to relieve, the
distress and disease which existed in Ireland—even
those Hon. Gentlemen who bad thought proper to dissent
from the course which had Leen taken by her Majesty's
Government in affording relief to the Irish people. He
(Sir Robert Peel) was of opinion that the evil was not
of a temporary nature, and, therefore, the Legislature
were justified in providing something more than a tem-
porary alleviation. Upon that point the whole of the
House had bee* unanimous, and were, also, of opinion
that the relief should be instanly afforded. They
had given precedence to the measure which was
proposed to mitigate the evils and distresses of
Ireland before any other measure. The lion. Gentle-
man, about two months after the measure hed been
brought in, tells the House that he scorns and repudiates
the offered bounty of English generosity, and proposes
as a substitute the levying of an income-tax. It would
be impossible to levy an income-tax upon the Irish pro-
prietors. Try it for six months, and see what would be
the result. No ; he (Sir R. Peel) would say at once
that unless the rish proprietors can be induced to come
forward and co operate with the Government, all that
can be done will be almost entirely useless. He was
perfectly certain that if her Majesty's Government were
to propose the grant of large sums for the Irish people,
they would be granted without hesitation by the House
of Commons ; but he would advise them to take care
that this generosity do not defeat itself. The moment
that the proclamation goes forth that the Government
will provide for the poor, the people will net be so
ready to stir themselves in their own behalf, as they
would probably under circumstances of a different
nature. He had found the English clergy most anxious
to exert themselves on behalf of the suffering poor in
Ireland. Unless the relief was afforded with caution,
greater evils, which it would be difficult to remedy,
would ensue. Much had been said of the advantage
which the execution of public works would be to the
labouring classes. As to the railroads, it was a
great question -whether it would be advantageous
to bring at once large masses of the male popula-
tion into different districts, tia-ay from their wives and
families, and those who were dependent on them. This
was a matter which required great consideration before
it could be satisfactorily entered upon. He apprehended
that if the construction of certain works were deemed
requisite and proper, there would be no difficulty in ob-
taining the necessary supply of funds. He must confess
that he was somewhat surprised that an Irish Member,
who had taken no part in the discussion on the proposed
measure, should come forward and say at the eleventh
hour that the Irish people scorned the offer of English
generosity. If the Honourable Gentleman would en-
deavour to stir up the Irish landlords in his neighbour-
hood to co-operate with the Government in their desire to
mitigate the evils of Ireland, he was sure the Honourable
Gentleman would be employing his time to much better
purpose than in giving utterance to the opionions which
he had just expressed.
Mr. J. O'CONNELL said, although the Honourable
Gentleman (Mr. O'Brien) was absent from the discus-
sion on the present measure, yet he was doing his duty
properly in another part of the country. He (Mr. J.
O'Connell) was, however, present, and could bear testi-
mony to the enthusiasm which existed in every
part of the house to provide a remedy for the distresses