The Sun.
London, England, 1828-04-03 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIII

Meetings ,of physicians at Liverpool, Marl.i.-
chester, . and 3irmingham, have taken or..,are
taking place for.the purpose of petitioning•Pa
liament on the subject of the laws which 'flour
affect the dissection of dead bodies. ,We think
the profession requires and deserves some relief;
but we also think that it belongs to its members
to point out the method by which assistance can
be afforded them, for it is a matter of much
difficulty. The system of stealing bodies is
dreadful, and is connected with every other
crime, though we have ceased from saying any
thing on subjects of this kind. The Liverpool
physicians
0 fsubje e t
sita f. 0- said,
anat anatomical
at that at a u
studies
sffici
might
number
t be had,
provided unclaimed bodies were given up to the
surgeons."— Times.

lightthe numberon
aw h subjectiavi
ti
aweinaa each Itwisotialyitesceaulirp'
Lord Darnley moved last night for a Return
of the number of Deck and Steerage Passengers
brought over front any Port of Ireland, and
landed in any of the Ports of Great Britain,
during the years 1826 and 1827, distinguishing
waswi t hn
now forcing ifeL
nogt littrsoevi%f,
itotnnhnteoolpipsuo.
this country
tnicrooo:nt:twiiciole—tifriynf
Irtoeheltaeaiuniesdx toe.dr:Niotbtnoy:tohotfhinne:gThteci emigration
aensd
baye destitution
m nightoor
ef
ipnostehethHato, uasse
aof:Com-ttrhuaet than
was
perma-
nent system, a different law for the* poor could
exist in England and Ireland. Since the Union,
and the intercourse that had resulted from the
steam navigation, _it was manifest that the law>
of the two countries must be assimilated."
•WhileVhowever, " he was so far from thinking
the Poor Laws an irrational institution, that,
properly modified, he thought them essential to
the good government of any State ;" he, admit-
ted, that in the present state of the Irish popu-
lation, " the introduction of Poor Laws would
all but monopolize the rent."—This is treating
the question candidly and intelligibly. We wish
we could say as much of what fell from Mr.
William Lamb, which
,mostly consisted of un-
meaning phrases, having no bearing on the
question.—" It .was evident to him (lie said),
that the Finance system of the country could not
be relieved by schemes which began with great
outlayings and vast expense, while the prospect
of returns was questionable, and at all events dis-
tant; nor was it possible that Ireland could be
benefitted by anything that tended to impoverish
the rest of the Empire. If than country was
unfortunately in a distressed condition, and it was
the wish of this. country to afford it some relief,
it had but one course to pursue—enduring pati-
ence, continued perseverance, rigid economy,
and industry in its labours, were the lessons
that they should teach it, No doubt these were
hard lessons to leant ; but they were the only
ones which. could confer a lasting benefit on
Ireland, or bring her to a state of real prosperity."
There are people, who, on hearing this delivered
with becoming gravity, and appropriate nods,
might imagine that it emanated either 'from
absolute wisdom, or something close, akin to
it. But what application, in God's name,
has it to the subject—the poor of Ireland ?
To whom does the sententious Irish Secre-
tary-address his recommendations of '‘‘ endur-
ing patience,' continued perseverance, rigid
economy, and, industry?" Why to the' wretches
who are in such numbers that their labour, is
valueless to them—to wretches, to whom a patch
of land is a condition of existence—to wretches
in the very lowest depth -of misery, of whom,
according to the evidence before the Emigration
Committee, 60,000 in one year passed through
the hospitals of Dublin, and who, when deluded
from their hovels, have no alternatiVe before
them but refuge in England, or -death by want
and the diseases which follow in its train in their
own. Rigid 'economy, continued perseverance,
and industry ! Admirable preacher ! 'Economy
to men who, have nothing to save, industry to
men who have no field for exerting it. Why,
the grand problem to be solved is to obtain for
the-people
.a field for their industry. What is
wanted is employment for the people„--1-to reduce
die people to the level of the employinent, or to
raise the employment to the level of the people.
Tell a man, naked and starving, that he ought
to clothe himself well, and keep his belly well
filled, as the best preservatives against cold and
hunger—tell a drowning man that the best way,
of avoiding a watery death is to remain on dry
land. Such is the nature of the exhortation of
the sapient Irish Secretary. Mr. Peel did
,not
deliver himself of such unmeaning, rhodomantade
as this; but his speech was a continual see-saw,
" Letting 1 dare not wait upon I would,
Like the poOr cat i' the adage."
He did. not question the position, that the popu-
lation of Ireland was in an inextricable state of
destitution, nay, lie described satisfactorily enough
the Causes to which the excessive multiplication
of hunian beings and consequent wretchedness
were to be traced ; namely,. the extreme subdivi-
sion of land, and the inducements to young
Men to marry after the example of .their fathers.
He expressed himself also, satisfied, that front
the facilities of communication, the poor of Ire-
land would necessarily be thrown on England.—
He did not contemplate- the possibility of a ces-
t;atidn of the activity of the causes which are
plunging the population deeper and deeper in
wretchedness ; nor did he• point to any m,Lans by
which tie communication of that wreteTedness.
to this country might. be prevented. But he-
would net consent to the introduction of Poor
Laws into Ireland. But "the burthens which
the poor of Ireland brought on the property of
Enaland deserve consideration ! But .what.
are You to do with the poor of Ireland? 'Why
ilo you not grapple boldly with the subject ?
You must either raise Ireland to the. condition of
Enaland, or England will, sink to the condition of
Ireland. unmanly to evade the question. Do
~,„ wish the population of.both countries to sink
lower ? Perhaps you do. I£ you do not, then you
rnot wish to adopt means for improving the con-
dition of the Irish. And where the people greatly
exceed the employment. for therm, these means
must either be
the removal or the destruction of
part. • A number of Irish landlords, we know,
give the preference to the destruction of the po-
pulatitx :over.the removal, as being ;equally effec-
tive, while it costs them nothing. Before he
determine on: the latter we 'cad recommend to
him the'following ob. from the able
writer in:the Westminster' • ew,. to whom we
yesterday alluded It becomes matter for
grave consideration, how far the Mai landlords
are justified in inflicting so enormous an evil
upon this country: ..;This is not a question to be
settled by a short appeal to the usual standard
-of proprietary rights; :but one to be referred to
the, first principles of the social union by which
those rights are at once sanctioned and limited.
The landlords of Ireland form a class of men,
who, for a, century and a half,- to go no further
back, have wielded according to their own plea-
stire the whole force of the government of their