The Sun.
London, England, 1842-07-09 00:00:00

BILL.

Lord JOHN RUSSELL wished to know whether
it was the intention of the Right lion, urable Baronet,
the Secretary of State for the Home Department,
to proceed with the -Ecclesiastical Corporations
Bill. It could not be considered until after the Poor-
law Bill and other measures were gone through ;
and as it was a measure of considerable importance, and
his H.m. Friend the Member for Oxford had given notice.
of a motion on the subject, he trusted the Right Hon.
Baronet would not press the Bill this session.
Sir JAMES GRAHAM said (as we understood) that
it was not his intention to do so in the present session.
MEDICAL CHARITIES (IRELAND) BILL.
Mr. LITTON wished to know from the Noble Lord,
the Secretary for Ireland, whether it was his intention
to bring in this Bill during the present session, and it
so, whether he intended to proceed with it ?
Lord ELIOT hoped he would be able to lay the Bill
on the table in a few days ; and, as he did not think
that sufficient opportunity for discussing the Bill would
be afforded in the present session, he only intended to
ask the House to sanction the principle of the Bill, and to
allow it to be read a second time. The public in
Ireland would then have an opportunity of considering
the measure.

LAW OFFICERS (DUBLIN).
Mr. SHAW wished to know from the Right lion.
Gentleman, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether
it was the intention of Government to, alter the licenses
of the officers of the Law Courts in Dublin ?

The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that he was in course of framing a Bill on the subject,
and would submit it to the consideration of the House.
He was not prepared to say that he would proceed fur-
ther with it at present.
ADJOURNED DEBATE ON THE DISTRESS OF
THE COUNTRY.

Sir G. CLERK having moved that the House do re-
solve itself into a Committee of Supply, -
Mr. O'CONNELL said he hoped it would not be sup-
posed that, in rising so early in the evening to address
the House, he did so because he felt himself inadequate
to discuss the subject in the manner it deserved. He
believed that great perils were at hand ; that
the social state was in danger. There was
no dispute that distress pervaded the country. He
never knew such unanimity upon any one subject as upon
the general statement of distress. Ireland was suffering,
though, alas, that was nothing new, to a direful extent at
the present moment. There were two sources of the diffiss
eintieS-of Ireland. There was one in its nature temporary,
which often occurred there ; another* of a more per-
manent nature, and for the relief of which he saw no pos-
sibility of any measure being adopted which did not
first secure the prosperity of England. The first
kind of distress was the consequence of three bad harvests.
He had a confident hope that the poor man's harvest
was likely this year to be abundant ; but the wheat har-
vest and the' oat harvest were likely, he feared, to be
very deficient. He wished it might not be so, but he
was afraid there was great accuracy in the information
which he had received on that subject. The other kind
of distress, which was more permanent in Ireland, was
the distress of those who were engaged in any
kind of trade, and especially the retail dealers.
ACcounts from every town with which he was
acquainted stated that the business of the shopkeepers
was diminishing daily; and he saw no possibility of their
being relieved from their difficulties except through the
prosperity of En4land. The Right Hon. and Learned
Gentleman then read an extract from a newspaper
upon the distress in Mayo and Galway. Now (he con
tinned), could it be doubted that equal distress existed
in this country ? The statistics of miss ry had been re-
peated. again and again by every gentleman who had
risen on that side of the House. The question had
been •-not whether distress existed, but what
place was most affiicted,—what class of opera-
tives were most distressed—'s here the families
which were pining in want and suffering were most
numerous. Such was the condition of this great country,
a country which held a proud station among the nations
of the earth, a country which was first in arts, in
sciences, and in arms, in commercial industry, in genius,
iu talent, and in mental power, a country which had
once been the envy and admiration of the
world. How was it fallen ? The scream of dis-
tress, the cry of wants, families famishing with
want in every direction—he could not depict in lan-
guage strong enough the extent of the misery
of the country. Were these things to remain
thus ? Were they safe in remaning thus ? Was
the social state .safe, if they remained thus ?—(Hear,
hear.) lie had listened with great attention to the
speeches of the Right Honourable Baronet, the Se-
cretary of State for the Home Department,
the Right Hon. Baronet, the head of the Government,
and the Noble Lord the Secretary for the Colonies; but
he could not find that they held out any hope
of ' relief. The speech of the Noble Lord,
was characteristic—it was a reply, and, of course, an
able reply—but it had no more to do with the distress
of the people of this country, or of any mode of
relieving • that distress, than_ it
_had to do
with the late Cabinet of Shah Soojah, or the convocation
of Mandarins at present established in Canton.—(Laugh-
ter.) The Noble Lord gave a long catalogue of the causes
of this distress. What -signified it what were the
causes—the grand question was how a remedy could be
be applied. The speech of the Right Hon. Baronet was
equally bare of hope. He too, held out no prospect of
relief. In his objections to • the words of the motion he
was perfectly triumphant ; but there would be no
difficulty in getting rid of words, provided they
could get rid of things. The Right Honourable
Bart. concluded his speech by stating that the quantity
of corn admitted for home consumption this year was
equal to that admitted last year, and he went
on to tell them that some new mills were !
about to be opened. It was a kind ot: mystification;
there was no hope afforded of better times. He
answered to that mystification that the people were
starving. The Right Hon. Baronet . boasted of the
superiority of his tariff to the plans of the late Ministry,
and he entered into several details up en the subject. He
arwvtred to. that tariff aruu-tuul th.) Ayo:e
starving. The wave which overwhelmed everythiug in
its course formed an apt 'illustration
_of the evils under

which England now suffered. Day after day one,
trade and then another was declining.--(Resr'l
Day after day more operatives were -discearged frog
work, and more want and woe ensued. Nobody deli
wised any remedy for the evil. For his part,
that ; and yet, there they {Aare, without having yet de
j
he cola-
not divest himself of the impression that soinethisge
fatal to this country was approaching. The Noose
should not forget that they were class legislators—t''''
they represented almost exclusively the wealthier classes:
and especially the farming interest. They
forget that the people were as well aware of that a; 031
could be themselves. They should not forget that it els
generally alleged that that House was strong with Peeve'
suns who owed their sorts to the most barefaced eel
scandalous bribery. Why. that was admitted on„,a
bends, although the admission might be qua"-h,
more or less. Was it a wonder, then, that the Port
should say that Members owed their seats
the worst and foulest means ? He had seen scl
shoal they
strong language in print upon that subject-400
stronger than any he had heard in that House. The,
knew that Anti-C,,rn law Delegates from the I,„e
rent towns of the kingdom were at this moment slang
11 London. lie suptoted there was no Mem",
present so insensible to passing events as not to
ha
read the speeches delivered before that bode."
(A laugh.) Ile was net with a laugh. Such a circals:
stance only confirmed ids apprehensions that some stool;
calamity was about to befal this country. The Hobe
seemed disposed to treat with ridicule a description o h
public miseries. He would read an extract from a sPf.e,j,!,
,lelivered before the Delegates, to whom he had refeLq„ „
The Right Hon. and Learned Gentleman then reaa:.,,
following extract from a speech of Mr. Taunton, of re,
ventry, delivered at the Anti-Corn-law Conference,.
Had not the working classes and the middle Cl
reason *to speak with unqualified contempt of the 1,1M,`
of Commons ? Had they not been returned bl_Fiel
bribery ? Had they not all declared such .e.. 14
the case ? Had not the -aristocracy of 1117'sri
and also the money-bag aristocracy, assift.r..,‘
bringing about that consummation ? be
caused thousands of honest and independeit mina. t'°„o
brought 'to commit mental and moral tress to
against their country ? Would they not aborohtt
that system that scourged men into vassalage, iii'
cursed them with slavery, that maddened them into
!lades, drove them into rioting and • incerldilst;is(ei
and under "which, if they did not end theif "jed
on the scaffold, they were made paupers, and betest
as such ?" It should be remembered '; that 0.
language was not used by what are called professed 61'
in the
tutors ; but that was the language of men t
middle class of life—of men devoted to' inclustrieai.
pursuits—who under the pressure of the eal!'we
ties from which the country suffered, were ciro•
to the use of expressions which, under other ciiiresao
stances, they would never have employed.—{ The
Well, that was a symptom of a cause for alarm. the
Right Hon. Baronet said, that in the towns where
distress prevailed, there were persons engaged
citing the people to acts of violence and destrueL.re
He told them that upon the authority of the First roll";
sister of the Crown. He then gave them the inferoie
tion—a kind of melancholy consolation—that there ot
sufficient physical force, sufficient military power, iPee.
down any outbreak of the people.- This- was e wawa for
eholy consolation. He was happy to find protectiont,
the social state, but it was melancholy to think
were given the information. When the sufferings Prot
people were treated with recklessness, would thise,ol
excite revenge, added to the violence of passion oau_eo
by misery? He put it to the gentlemen and the 1,
;is
of wealth, the proprietors of this country, who ?
a state of luxury and ease, if they could rest in secutlle
Were their states secure—were they not surreal
with perils ? Would they have their manufectorie' bile
blaze ? Would they have their farms set on fire, ',foe
they stood by, expecting something better and dail!!..o.
thing ? He was surprised that there was so much Tip
sibility among men. He was not accusing them %tee
that
the
insensibility of not feeling for the wants of their ft the
creatures, but the , more kind and good they werre,vd
more was the insensibility which seemed to Prreeef
amongst them. This was to him totally inexplicable• eo
were tauntingly asked what scheme do you PIA) ;sot
e hat plan of relief ? He (Mr. O'Connell) would at
000,
make an experiment to relieve the situation of the Cope
try. It only required a fair experiment: The lilt eel
were hungry ; the plan was easy—to feed them. oisd
a plan which every prudent houeewife would sugges Go'
earry into effect. They wanted food. They (the tell
vernment) said they bad it not to give. Let al 00
him no such thing.—(Cheers.) There were 1,5° :see
quarters of wheat in bond in this country at the li v.
no me nt —locked up, waiting till the prices sit° `i t t it.
come so high that the holders could afford to
p is
They should recollect that that corn was locked get,
order order to have higher prices for the corn in the taueo,)
in order that they might get more rent.—(Loud „ire
If the present distress had not been of so awful a °s o,
he would not thus urge the question. But the distress id
so awful that they ought to make experiment of relelice
this 1,500,000 quarters. It would afford at least a prc",l,r,
of alleviating the distress, and would take away th,;)eld
gument made use of by those who, it appeared, %.13(ete
instigate the people—the argument that they were loe
sible to their sufferings.—(Cheers.) The starving Prii`ee
knew that this food was in the warehouses-they the
that—they knew that it was locked up to increa.`olo
rents of the country, for the benefit of one. Parrs:
class. He knew that. those belonging to that cles;-',,otte
that it was for the benefit of all classes that, thei-ssid,
laws were kept up. In answer to that, the PeoPeer
" You prosper, but we are starving."—(Cheers.) 0
literally true that the masses of the country' werdeottl
starving condition. They were told that if this stirs
were released, many manirracturers would at once tbe
on fresh hands, and yet they refused them 1
0
relief. He proposed the release of this 0,1. that
a measure of relief. Let •it not be saei",,,so
he had not proposed something practical.—(nee it
At least let the experiment be tried. If it suceee„
weuld be well—if it did not, it would at least shovi.'„,
sire to do something to relieve the distresses °nil! if
ple-. • Let them at least inquire into the subjectity of
would not take much time to ascertain the Von ithe
wheat in hond, and the effect which the releasincesete
corn would have upon the market.—(Cheers.) nt be
sible men meeting together and . consulting could et: la
long in making up their minds upon that sub:lecke this
the name of the people he called upon them to ea° t 111°
experiment.—(Cheers.) At the present most. •°p!
whole social system was in a most perilous condi"; veil
(Cheers.) This was not the first time they ha 't the
in peril. Let them recollect what bud occurred flthere
end of the last Tory Administration. The s°ostee
counties of En land were at that time in a state of 've
rection. Barns had been fired-, houses had been attse ie
lives had been lost. England was at that tiluebeee)
worse condition than Ireland..--(Hear, hear, the
A Special Commission bad been issued, ae",ietil'
Judge had called in the hangman for the ‘'• veil
cation of the law. The King had not dared te Def
the First Magistrate of the first city ot the empire'
had escaped from that danger—wt they sutras,sutras,e ss
would continue to escape ? What 1.e.. the distiv en,
that time to what it was now ? 't .vas Plc° 'loot'
abundance then to what it was at the present goinor
Oh I do not then wait till another insurrectional 004
went of that description occurs in this country. d suffer
was no nation on the face of the earth that woe' „, t, °ir?
so much as England would from such a rnoeeel'd', ell
from eny outrage. Society was too complieltebotel
classes depended too much on each other; thy, larttf
depended for wages and food on the safety 4"a brei:e
of the manufacturer. If a convulsion of societY oe.e.
up the • manufactories, if an end were put tc:, the
establishments—no matter who might triumPh I,e'
hour in consequence of such an iesurrectionary bei
mint—deep miseries of every description wAliteefir
the result. This, then, was an ai"€
motive for their compassion and generositt the
their adopting some expedient that *should car pea:
maddening N
influence of the distress under which
e,en
toe laboured ; it was an additional instigation o' 0,14
make every experiment to relieve them. Tb,cet is
did they defer it ? Did they wait till the mil:111,0'
cendiary set his torch to the manufactories of the se,
till their vast silk and cotton mills should be seell yoll!"1;
wring forth flames to the midnight skies ? Y,t's;se)
selves (continued the Hon. and Learned Gentle° nit'
ou
such a state of things cannot be safe. But if y I„gielr
no effort to afford the people relief, if that class- by the
tion which has been introduced into this House
means I have described, obdurately continut s t°
to nap'
relief, I, at least, shall have done my lutyibe;eef
mum meant. I have suggested some m, asureof , II
an earnest of my desire to see it afforded. But us oh',
wrung, let us have some suggestion, let s
close on the people the door of this Houee.estie
Ministry have not announced any seig7otlleto
i,
they hold out no prospect of doing so ; their!, of pori!dei
make a vigorous effort to burst the trammeivon 0
Let us show some wish to retrace our ,peps'pt f>
course of legislation which led to the .ello
511 gee
these Corn-laws, that have caused such deer. a
110
ral distress.
Lord ELIOT said the Hon. and Learned eeltferntibge t
referred to a particular case, for which 11,21:
..41)50
the authority of a Galway newspaper. :-rwiiegistlef
received a communication from a stipendi.Ori„enuse.
of the county, which he would read to the j'ins. epti°,/1,,41
should not mention the names of the parties s sgl":"tig
in the letter, because it involved serious chargeoteuete,
them, and he had not had the opportunity of ea:1'110650So
with them. The letter was from Mr.Brough,thePi:_:"eteti
terre odd
The Right Hon. Gentleman then read a let
that the reports were greatly exaggeratedeAmbeen
underrate the statement of distress that n 5" Wit 0
by the Right Hon. Gentleman, but he must eserfaietre
landlords of Ireland had shown themselves the
deelyi
existed. aeuve* bee
Mr. ESCOT'r wished that the Right Hon' ea oel
would bring forward some remedy for the eat axis s,
complained of. He believed that the distress
offer esr.ee
had not arisen from legislation, but from o__„. tbilt,4o
That distress had beerespoken of in languor. of 070,
must condemn, and it was not the languao-v ei,
who were poor, but those who were in ertonetl.
stanc. It had. been said that " the curse pubic
cracy was upon them." He heard the 10,1,1.° the no
Learned Gentleman use such languageitutticrih must be
where they were now debating ; but Flo" wddeesee"esci
people to whom such language was atestoc'o, I
surprised if. they were aware chat ..st Won
meant the government of the best Ow nol'inietrs, of
He heard the policy of the present -1%-'
totebercoe,
the late Government. But was not
arraigned by three NoLle Lords oprsite:l policlds 1)1
damned in two ,necessive Parliament-, and 1, eeclt°,l tee
the whole country? He stated that the err But tee
tration had done nothing for the peopl 400 ascot
repeal of the Corn-laws was good, the reality() pr ,sflef
duty by on!: half which was effected 11
Government, muit be a benefit. Was the t"1.• the el° of
He did nut think that 1. tees cat,t of
AI -;••• _
come into the coutary t _ , and sere
.• eaf
this couterye bat lie butievc,i 1,, • - OW"
inferior meat would be imported. le asks dee f woo
.ois,