The Sun.
London, England, 1827-10-04 00:00:00

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Iniitee are fart'her' of opinion, that litit i;anie feeling
would lead them more eiteksively to avail them-
selves "(as they would the be able to do) of the pro-
yisions of the Act already alluded to, for preventing
the recurrence of the evil; in which case alone the
removal could be beneficial to the proprietor or to ,
the country. If all Irish proprietor were to remove
500 personlaeltdi---,46 100 heads of fan:lilies, from
Lis estate, for the purpose of throwing that estate
into le.kger farms, and were to pull down the 100
cottages in which thoSe 100 families may have lived,
and not suffer them to be re-occupied, no compari-
son can exist, with reference to the advantages of
Xmigration, between a supposed state of things, and
the mere abstraction of leiourers to the same amount,
whose "tenements may be immediately inhabited by
a similar class of persons. That which is true in a
sintle instance, is equally true in considering emi-
ligation as a general measure in Ireland. It will be
Impossible to show that so great a ratio of increase
can be expected to take place, in consequence of the
migration of pauper tenants, as would have taken
place in the. population that Noight have existed in
Ireland, bad they not been removed to the Colo-
, Tielt. Your Committee, however, are not prepared
to recommend that any legislative provisions should
be made to prevent by law the re-occupation of those
Cottages, or to enforce their destruction, because they
are satisfied that it is from the
,growing opinion,
which is spreading itself among the whole gentry of
Ireland, that the principal security is to be derived
fpr their not being again occupied; if. it were not
for this growing opinion, that it is to the interest of
the proprietors, in the best understood sense, to re-
sist all collateral circumstances in favour of the ex-
cessive growth of population, your Committee are
aware that any . liTielative measures of a compul-
sory nature might in various ways be evaded. With
these ollservations your Committee dismiss this part
of the subject, which peculiarly applies to the cir-
cumstances of Ireland.

They would, however, recommend to the atten-
tion of the House, the evidence at large, as furnish-
ing very detailed and valuable information. The
testimony which was uniformly given by the practi-
cal witmesses, who appeared before your Committee,
has been confirmed in the most absolute manner by
that of Mr. Malthus ; and your Committee cannot
but express their satisfaction nt finding that the ex-
perience of facts is thus strengthened throughout by
gen►_ral reasoning and scientific principles.

Mr. Malthus was asked, whether he had taken
into consideration what may be the effect of the
continued increase of the population of Ireland, upon
the condition of the labouring classes of England ?
lie stated, that in his opinion the effect Avill be most
fetal to the happiness of thu labouring classes in
England, because there will be a constant and in-
creasing emigration from Ireland to England, which
will tend to lower the wages of labour in England,
and to prevent the good effects arising from the su-
perior prudence of the labouring classes in this coun-
try. He stated, that he has understood that in the
western parts of England and Scotland in the manu-
facturing districts, particularly in Manchester and
Glasgow, the wage,* 'of labour have been lowered
essentially. by the Coming over of the Irish labourers;
which opinion., your Committee beg to observe, is
confirr ed say the evidence that has been given by
witnessr_a resident in those districts. Mr. Malthus is
of opinion that this emigration will tend materially to
alter the habits of the labouring class in England—to
force them into the habitual consumption of a sort of
food inferior to that to which they are now accustomed,
namely, potatoes; and the danger of the use of the
lowest quality of food is, that it leaves no resource in
a period of scarcity; whereas in the case of a popu-
lation habitually living on wheat, there is always the
resource of potatoes to compensate for the failure of
an average crop. He is also of opinion that it will
throw a grater number`of the English labourers
upon the poor-rates, inasmuch as, if there be a re-
dundancy of labour in any English 'parish, the pre-
sence of Irish labourers universally seeking for em-
ployment would prevent such English labour from
being absorbed. He stated, that he was satisfied no
permanent improvement would take place in the case
of the English poor, if a portion of them were re-
moved by Emigration, as long as this influx of Irish
labourers into England continued without a check.
Mr. Malthus stated, that unless a change took place
in the management of the land in Ireland, he can
only anticipate an increase of poverty and misery ;
and that such change cannot take place, unless
something is done to remove the people. He ad-
mitted that if the people increase and continue in
their present state, there can be little prospect of
allay greater degree of tranquillity and security in that
country ; and for these reasons be is of opinion that
it is particularly expedient to attempt to introduce
emigration on a large scale from Ireland, especially
as he understands there is an intention on the part
of landlords to make the change in question in the
management of their properties. He was finally
asked, " What is your opinion of the capability of
Ireland to become a very rich and flourishing coun-
try ?"- he answered, " My opinion is, that it has
very great capabilities ; that it might be a very rich
and a very prosperous country ; and that it might be
richer in proportion that England, from its greater
natural capabilities."—" Do you think any one cir-
cumstance would more tend to accelerate that state
of things, than a judicious system of emigration put
into force in that country ? I think that a judicious
system of emigration is one of the most powerful
means to accomplish that object."
Very important evidence, by Mr. Leslie Foster
and Mr. Nimmo, will be found, with respect to the
cultivation of the bog lands of Ireland; but what-
ever may be thought of the advantages which might
arise from such an application of capital, they wou!d
in no degree supersede, in the opinion, of your Com-
mittee, the benefits to be derived from a contempo-
raneous and systematic principle of emigration.