The Sun.
London, England, 1835-11-14 00:00:00

springing from a central cansc. Evils of the same
kind, only differing in degree as they exist -under
certain trifling modifications of circumstances, are much
wore easily deal!, with by the Legislature, and eradicated

by the Executive Government, than if they differed in
kind from each other, and so created a necessity of ap-
_

It is

plying particular remedies to particular districts.
because the history of the sufferings of thelabou. ring-poor
in one parish, in any one given year, furnishes a correct
epitome of the parochial history of the sufferings of
the same class in everypart of the kingdom for half a
century, that we are so sanguine on the subject of a
general remedy. In our .former articles, touching the
Report of the Commissioners, we made abstracts, show-
ing the state of the pocr in certain parishes in the
county of Galway we now find that the condition of

the poor throughout the whole of the West and South
of Ireland, is precisely similar to that of the inhabitants
of these parishes. That no doubt, however, may be
entertained on this head, by persons who may find it
difficult to conceive how a country could exist, the
mass of whose population was reduced to such misery,

. .
we shall make a few extracts fr-nn the evidence, em-

bracing the important subjects of employment, physical

privations, and morality :
PARISH OF OMAY.—EMPLOT ENT.—" During the
months of December, January, February, and the first part
of March, every man is out of employment."
PRIVATIONS.—" At this time they are in a state of want,
and strive to live when they have not half enough to cat ;
for one meal they cat in comfort they cat two in want ;
when one stone of potatoes would do them, they must be
satisfied with three-fourths of a stone."
During the summer of 1822 upwards of fifty persons
died [in this parish] of disorders brought on by hunger."
" The poor exist, they draw their breath, but that is 211."
MORALITY.—" I never knew an instance of a person
committing a crime for the purpose of being sent to gaol
and supported ; want never causes them to keal."
" The frequent recurrence of want will break down a
man's spirit ; the more hope of improvement the more a
man will exert himself ; but still the man without a jacket
will work like a slave."
PA RISII OF TUAM.—EMPLOYMENT.—" There are some
periods of the year at which the labourers in many cases are
out. of employment. If a labourer has land, he is not re-
duced to fewer meals at this period ; but the meals of those
who have not, and are out of employment, when buying at
the close of the summer, must be more scanty. Potatoes,
in or out of employment, are their constant food. There is
no fund for their relief, when thus unemployed."
PRIVATIONS.—" In summer, when the man goes from
home in search of employment, the wife and children gene-
rally beg for a time each year."
" The poor are frequently in the habit of obtaining pro-
visions on credit, I should rather say at the rate of the
most un-Christian usury ; not only provisions, but the seed
necessary for the soil. It is a common practice with many
landlords in this province (Connaught) and with the agents
of others, to seize the crops of their tenantry, or to force
them to sell them in the winter season, in order to buy
their crops themselves, and then when the Spring comes
round, to sell at double price the very grain which the
tenantry were obliged to send to their stores. This prac-
tice continues from year to year, so that, besides the rack
rent of the land, the landlord or his agent contrives to ex-
tort an usurious profit of cent. per cent. upon .the . crops
which are reared by the labour of the wretched tenant."
MORALITY.—" I have never known any persons to com-
mit crimes for the purpose of being sent to gaol, except in
the case of poor diseased prostitutes."
" do not know many instances of people stealing, to
relieve themselves from present want ; I question whether I
recollect one."
" Numbers would rather starve than expose themselves to
the shame of a prison, a feeling, however, which increasing
distress is wearing away.
" I have not observed that the labourers are in a reck-
ess state."

The evidence, as far as regards the condition, mora
and physical, of the last-mentioned parish, is extracted
from returns made to the Board of Inquiry, by the Pro-
testant Archbishop, and the Catholic Bishop of the
diocese of Tuum. No two men differ more in their
general sentiments than the Most Reverend the Hon.
POWER LE POER TRENCH, Archbishop. of Tuam,
and Dr. MACIIA LE ; but on the qtlestion of.the con-
dition of the poor, they are of the same opinion. Both
express themselves most favourably of the moral sen-
timents of the great bulk of the people, not only within
the limits of their respective spiritual charges, but
throughout the country. The Archbishop says ex-
pressly, that the midnight associations and illegal com-
binations into which the labourers are too often led,
originate solely in a hope cf thereby bettering their
condition, and not in depravity of disposition.
This we believe. However unfortunately such
combinations terminate, or whatever outrages are
committed by those who belong to them, they
have their beginning in a laudable desire to im-
prove the habits, and better the circumstances of the
members ; or in an attempt to make head against op-
pressions, to which the poor are particularly obnoxious.
Much must be done, before any very striking im-
provement can take place in the social condition of the
poor of Ireland ; but the first thing is to find them
plenty of employment. Without work, all efforts to
eradicate the evils which afflict that country, must be
unavailing. We are borne out by the testimony of
most respectable persons, conversant with the internal
state of Ireland for more than a quarter of a century,
in saying, that the best educated man, obliged to live
by his labour, could not provide against periodical
seasons of extreme hunger, in any part of the pro-
vinces of Munster and Connaught. Education, there-
fore, is not the fist remedy demanded, by Ireland.
We know that education among the mass, would en-
able them to compel the Legislature to accede to their
just claims ; but the process of relief would go on too
slowly for the pressing distresses of the people. The
people want bread in the first instance—books after-
wards. None value the blessings of .a sound- system
of popular instruction more than we do ; but when the
question is, whether it be the first duty 'of a Govern-
ment to provide bread or .books .for its subjects, we
unhesitatingly answer, let the most pressing wants be
supplied first—fasting for a week will destroy the
body; neglect for a year may be remedied by the growth
and culture of mind—the bread by all means.
To relieve Ireland, by supplying the bread for the
.sustenance of her starving population, the Govern-
ment must frame a system of Poor Laws for that coun-
try, based on the principle of the statute of EL IZA..
BET 11. This law must be efficient for the prevention
of vagrancy—one of the greatest moral curses of the
kingdom. It must also make—for a certain number
of years at least—the support of the poor, able and
willing to work, but destitute of employment, a charge
upon the land—the heaviest part to be borne by ab-
sentees neglecting to employ any part of their tenantry.
A tax should also be laid on all wastes, thus compel-
ling the landlords to cultivate their estates, and thereby
giving employment to the able-bodied labouring po-
pulation. To effect this in every instance it might
be necessary to establish a Board, which should be
empowered to take possession of all wastes, by per-
mission of the landlords, holding them in the name of
the Government for so many years, as might be ne-
cessttry to cover by the sale of their produce, the ex-
penses incurred by reclaiming them. A few words,
developing this scheme, may appear not uncalled for by
the public.
Many of the Irish landlords are poor—many of
them are deeply in debt—and many more have their
estates mortgaged to the last farthing they can raise
upon them. None of these could clear wastes or drain
bogs ; and a law to compel them to give employment
• to their tenantry would be virtually a law for the confis-
ii
cation of their estates, inasmuch as the entire rental would
not defray the wages cost of labour. Now, for the benefit
of these classes of landlords, a Board might be esta-
•blished with powers either to advance certain sums of
money, chargeable on the rental of reclaimed wastes,