The Sun.
London, England, 1845-11-04 00:00:00

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.. '.Now,.to prevent such a. frightful calamity,
_ 1
the long run.
0) •-•;-,;eille would sill upon that meeting to IthrnOre of the Govern-
i ti;s7ilserit-to cifie forward an'd open the ports, stop distillation,
-\,-`7j laid raise Oc advance money to give employment, ; for in-
.o.e',....fitance, to advance five or ten per cent. more than was in-
';'•:4ki4ended.to each of the railways for which Bills had passed,
`-?es, • • '/-
--,-i-,-..._art-orfler lO,set them at work at once to give employment, or
All.--`-..;`,'' ado Vie suggestion that Mr. Mahony would lay before
\,....44
*b - eetmg, for draining and reclaiming the country.—
beers.) If some remedies were not adopted, fevers of the
4.2 t
worst kind would infest the country, and spare neither rich
nor poor ; therefore, if all men, of all ranks and politics.,
did not join hand in band to avert the impending calamity,
it would be their own faults.—(Cheers.) And 'the sooner
a Committee was formed to wait upon the Government the
better, for a plan should he at once adopted for immediate ac-
tion.—(Hear, and applause.)
Mr. HENRY GRATTAN, M.P., agreed with his friend, Mr.
O'Connell, as to the necessity of immediate action ; and
called upon the Government to hold a meeting of the Privy
Council on the following day (to-morrow) to stop distillation
and exportation, and to do everything in their power to
provide for the famine which the country was threatened
with.—(Hear.)
Mr. P. MAIIONY next addressed the meeting, and referred
to the report of the Drainage Commissioners to Parliament,
laid upon the table of the House if Commons in July last.
He said that it appeared by it that 4,200,000 acres of unre-
claimed land could he reclaimed for 750,000/. ; and he stated ;
that the Government could not follow a better course than to
advauce money to give employment, and improve the coun-
try at the same time.—(Hear..) The learned pentleman then
proposed a resolution embodying his suggestions, similar to
to one adopted by the Royal Agriculturiil Society on the pre-
vious day, and suggested that it should be presented by the
Committee that would be appointed to wait on his Excellency
the Lord Lieutenant when the deputation attended at the
Castle.
The Duke of LEINsTEn said that his motive in coming for-
ward to attend that meeting was not for the purpose of al-
leging that the Government were not doing all in their
power to provide for the impending calamity which it was
feared would befal their country—(Hear, hear)—but to join
with his fellow-citizens of all classes to make arrangements
for the support of the poor. He did not even come there to
make a speech as to the state of the patato crop in his county,
but to propose something at once, in order to have every
means adopted to feed the poor in case of a famine coming
upon the land.— (Hear, hear.) He would, therefore, move
that the following gentlemen should be added to the Man-
sion-house Committee to wait on the Lord-Lieutenant on
the following day :—Lord Cloncurry, Mr. Richard O'Gor-
man,
Mr. J. Classon, Mr. Henry Grattan, M.P., Mr. J.
Perry, T. C., Mr. Pierce Mahonv, Sir James Murray, Mr.
J. A. O'Neill, Mr. T. M. Gresham, Admiral Oliver, Dr.
Gray, the Rev. Mesars. Young, Courtney, Smith, and Yore,
add himself.—(Hear, and cheers.)
Mr. O'CoNNEta. suggested that the Committee should wait
on his Excellency at 3'oelock oa the following day, and meet
at the Mansion-house at 12 to consider the best mode fur
them to adopt.
Mr. J. A. O'NEILL said he would recommend the holding
of simultaneons meetings throughout the country, so as to
have reports from all quarters to lay before the Government
in a f.-ey clays as to the state of the disease in each locality.
•
—(Hear.)
- . Admiral OLIVER next addressed the meeting. and re-
.quested that his name should be erased from the Committee.
• as he did not feel competent to act; he was. however, com-
petent to give advice, and he would do so.—(Hear, hear.)
Gentlemen had referred to fands out of which they pro-
:.,"'pOsed to raise money to purchase food for the poor, but he
-'would suggest the application of another fund—the repeal
fund—to that purpose.—(Loud cries of " Order, order," and
" Put him out."
Mr. O'CoNxELL—How much did the Gallant Admiral sub-
scribe to that fund ?—(Laughter.)
Admiral OLIVER—My Lord,—(Shouts of "Order," and
"Sit down.")
Mr. P. CosTELto—My Lord Mayor, I must call this per-
son to order; It is highly disgraceful for any man to obtrude
political questions upon such an assembly, and I hope and
respectfully call upon your Lordship to call him to order.
Admiral OLIVER—I again repeat, my Lord Mayor, that
the repeal fund is the fund.—(Loud cries of "Order," " Sit
down," " Put him out," &c.)
Mr. Dixos.--No politics, Sir—sit down.—(Cheers.)
Admiral OLIVER—There are no polities in it. It is only
the repeal fund I am talking of —(Tremendous uproar, and
cries of " Order.")
The LORD MAYOR—Admiral, I cannot allow you to inter-
rupt this meeting; you must sit clown or leave it.—(" Hear,"
and cries of " Put him out.")
Admiral OLIVER—The repeal fund, I say—
Mr. O'CoxNELL—My Lord Mayor, ask the Gallant Mini-
mal how much he subscribed to that fund, for he shall have
every penny he gave returned to him.—(Hear, and laughter.)
Admiral -OLIVER—I will not say a word more. I have had
my say; I am knocked down, and can tire no more broad-
sides.—(Hear, and laughter, and cries of "Put him out.")
Lord CLONCURRY having seconded Gut appointment of the
Committee, the resolution passed, and it was arranged that
the members of it should meet at the Mansion-house at
twelve o'clock, to prepare for the interview with his Excel-
lency at three.
Several other gentlemen then addressed the meeting, all
of whom corroborated the previous speakers as to the disease
being general, after which
Mr. O'Connell was called to the chair. and the meeting
adjourned to Tuesday next, at two o'clock, to receive the
report of the Committee.
Government, in the meantime, are taking further
active steps to mitigate the impending calamity. The
cork .Reporter of yesterday (Thursday) contains the
following important announcement:—
" Orders were this day received at the Cork Custom-house
directing returns to be -forwarded to the Castle, Dublin, set-
ting forth the quantity of potatoes shipped from this and all
the outports of the district since the Ist of September last ;
and also directing that returns should be made every Satur-
, day of the quantities exported during the week—distinguish-
ing, in all cases, those shipped to England, coastways, and
to other places. This looks as if some step to prevent the
exportation of the people's food was in contemplation."
An influential meeting was held in Cavan on Wednes-
day last, at which Lord Farnham presided, for the pur-
pose of devising means for preserving the crop from
further injury; and also with a view of explaining to
the peasantry the means whereby diseased potatoes can,
by admixture with other substances, be converted into
wholesome and nutritious food. One of the speakers,
Dr. Charles Halpin, strongly objected to some of the
recommendations put forth in the first report of the Go-
vernment Commissioners. which, he contended, embodied
several glaring errors, such, for instance, as advising the
potatoes, if planted in a dry soil, and the weather fine,
to be left in the ground for the present; and again, that
should the weather be bad and the soil wet, they should
be dug out immediately, the consequence of which he
asserted would be to e. divert them into a rotten heap in
less than a week. The meeting, having been subse-
quently addressed by the Right,'"Rev. Dr. Browne, Ro-
man Catholic Bishop of Kilmore, and several other gen-
tlemen, it, was ultimately resolved that an adjournment
to that day three weds: should take place, in order to
afford time for testing the various experiments that had
been submitted in the course of the proceedings.
PRIVY COUNCIL.
-

NOVEMBER 1.-A.Privy Council assembled at the
Castle at. four o'clock this afternoon, and sat in delibera-
tion for about three-quarters of an hour. The object of
the meeting has not transpired; but it is supposed that
it relates to the condition of the potato crop, and with a
view or taking into consideration the various suggestions
upon the subject which have been laid before Govern-
ment during the present week.
DEPUTATION TO THE CASTLE.
Yesterday, at four o'clock P.NI., a deputation from the
Royal Agricultural Society waited upon the Chief Secretary,
Sir Thomas Fremantle, to communicate to him their views
respecting the present condition of the country and the
means which should be adopted to avert the threatened
scarcity. The deputation was named on the motion of Mr.
Mahouy, at a meeting of the council of the Society on the
previous day, of which the above is a report, and the laws
of tie, society were relaxed to permit the resolution then
adopted to be submitted toethe .conaeil Thtideplltlion.
consisted of the fielpessiug gentlemen :—Mr. G. A. Hamilton,
M.P., Chairmep ; Mr. Blaney Wade, Mr. Lambert, Beau-
pare; Mr. Armstrong, Callum; and Mr. Pierce Mahony;
Griastaecoa. • ~The,,eteetleg • of the council! of the 50..,
.., liety from ;which • this, deputation emanated was. at-.
.1 tentie4.l by thirty ..nseuabers,, whom ,it immediately re-
preeented, as mediately it represented the Irish. landlords
who compose the society. The names of the gentlemen who
composed the meeting of the council were communicated by
the deputation to Sir Thomas frementle. , The unanimity of
the meeting by which. the deputation was- appointed gave
their repreeentation.e additional. importance. The Chief Se-
cretary received the gentlemen with great courtesy and
frankness, and they remained in communication with the
Right Hon. Baronet from 4 o'clock to 6 o'clock P. 31.
Mr. HAMILTON and Mr. MAllwr, on the part of the depu-
tation, as well as other gentlemen, having submitted the.
drainage plan they recommended, impressed on Sir Thomas
Fremantle with great seriousness the view that they repu-
diated strongly all contemplation of eleemosynary relief for
their countrymen, and that Irishmen would repudiate relief
of such a nature. The country had resources sufficient to
meet the evil, and through the development of
those resources only did they desire that relief should
conic. They impressed on him, the circumstance that
this, their view, was strengthened by the concurrence
of the Royal Agricultural' Society, consisting of members
of all creeds and parties, as well as by the declara-
tions of the meeting of the citizens of Dublin held that
day—all joined in the expression of that opinion. This con-
currence of parties, in the Society and among the citizens,
was sufficient to justify the deputation in assuring Sir Thomas
Fremantle that the Government would receive an united and
national support in any measures they thought fit to recom-
mend ti,r the protection of the people against disease and
famine, and they assured the Chief Secretary at the same
time that for that protection their countrymen should give
their labour. That labour should be applied to the perma-
nent improvement of the country. Nothing was so repug-
nant to the Irishman—the Peer or the peasant—as receiving
gratuities under any form or under any terms. The de-
putation further stated that they asked for no grant—that
they needed no grant. All they required was the aid and
use of the fair credit to which Ireland was entitled; and they
were willing that the expenditure they recommended—the
expenditure for local and general employment, under the
existing necessities of the country—should be fully repaid
• by those portions of the country permanently benefited
by the expenditure. In short, they wanted the resources of'
lieland to be brought let° action for Ireland's relief. They
arcked no boon for peasant or landlord, but they called on the
Government to conduct the general drainage principle on
their responsibility, because the national benefits which must
result would Le immense, as was developed in the third re-
port of the Drainage Commissioners, presented to Parliament
in July last—a report, by the way, prepared without the re-
motest reference to the impending evil. Moreover, the de-
putation strongly enforced the necessity of taking measures
for this purpose, and thus meeting impending evils by bold,
prompt, and decided measures, regardless of the oppoeition of
ignorant or selfish landlords, who might oppose the measures
recommended by the deputation, always hearing in mind
that while property had its rights it also had its duties.
Sir Thomas Fremantle received the representations of the
• deputation, not merely,in the most courteous, but in the most
favourable manner, and the gentlemen parted with him under
the strong impression that he considered their proposal the
most practicable as well' as the most suitable which had up
to the present reached the Government ; at. the same time,
the Right Hon Baronet did not pledge himself to details.
It is due from ne to state, as public Journalists, that from all
we have heard, each member of the deputation retired with
••• the conviction that the Government had determined to ward
• off famine and disease at every cost and risk, by means of
provision for the employment of the people, the necessary
funds for the accomplishment of this object to be, however,
e' 'repaid by the landlords or communities who shall be espe-
daily benefited by the expenditure.
•• s The following appears in the Evening Freeman
saw 34.1, " This day the two Committees, the one appointed by the
oe net eaoporation and the other appointed yesterday-by the meet-
in* of the citizens, assembled at the Mansion-house.
Ills Grace the Duke of Leinster, Lord Cloncurry, the
labehtor, Henry Grattan, Sir James Murray, Sir John