The Sun.
London, England, 1846-12-24 00:00:00

int antra Pi"

LONDON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 24, 1846.

Perplexed as the Government have been, and stil
continue to be, with the complicity of Irish affairs.
they cannot but feel grateful for the disinterestec
manner in which many individuals, public as well a.
private—men of figure and of considerable ability—
have come forward from time to time, and samitted
in the shape of public letters, the various views ane
schemes which they severally entertained as the best th.
Executive could adopt for extricating Ireland from he
unhappy condition. Among these patriotic and in tellec
tual contributi.ins, we have been favourably impresser
with a series of letters which have been addressed b)
Mr. RIGBY WASON to Lord JOHN RUSSELL. Inde•
pendently of the excellent simplicity with which he
handles a momentous subject, viewed either as to the
principle he advocates, or the statistical details ht
furnishes in support of his recommendations, the
value of his advice is enhanced by the consideration
that he has himself experimented, extensively and
successfully, in the reclamation of waste lands. A
similar territorial redemption in Ireland, it is nos
universally conceded, would go further than any-
thing else to restore to her the blessings of pros-
perity. Any advice, then, emanating from such a
source should be seriously reflected on. This gen-
tleman's counsel is tendered to us in the most favour-
able manner, because it is practical and upheld by
the fruits of his own individual experience.
Apart from the good service of suggesting a sound,
economical, and reasonable plan for the steady and
sure amelioration of the present distracted social con-
dition of Ireland—not in its entirety (for that, it is
admitted, can only be expected to be effectuated by a
series of well-digested measures, acting in: harmo-
nious combination), but to a prodigious extent—Mr.
RIGBY WASON has felicitously demonstrated by
actual figures, that Mr. POULETT SCROPE'S scheme
is quite impracticable. He shows that the limited
sum of 2,000,0001., proposed by Mr. Senors to pur-
chase the fee-simple of lands, and to bring into cultiva-
tion the waste tracts, amounting to 3,000,000 of
acres, would not even suffice to meet the expenses of
enclosure. At first we were dispcsed to review with
becoming calmness any suggestions of Mr. ScaorE,
unsound as, at the very outset, vt e described them to
be ; but the violent tenor of his subsequent produc-
thie deons has completely changed this disposition. When
s endedto unseemly vituperation, and because the
Premier, forsooth, did not think fit to embrace his
hold
own Peculiar policy, solemnly averred he should
Lord J. Itusszu. responsible for every death
regardoccasioned
mr bys starvation
ainvlcr.eland, we could only
safelyiious
itfanter, and one
whose counsels might bei 7rcd to pass un-
heeded. Sir GEOIGE GRIT,
the Poor-law Union of
'afterSkibbereen recentletter to
noticing the
fact that 300,000 men are at present
public works, used the following la relieved by i
nguage, mathe
propriety and truthfulness of which every of
common sense must at once concur :—"I am, bow..
ever, desirous of stating distinctly the conviction of