Star.
London, England, 1828-06-25 00:00:00

seeking Mout in this eonntry.• But he begged to ask,
whether the introduction .01. such ,a surplus popula-
tion was no deterioration of the English working
P • poor Let any man me whether, in ths districts in
which Irish labourers abounded, the food of the Eng-
lish labourer was not deteriorated—whether bread was

- -
not giving place to potatoes—whether potatoe food was
not gradually and generally extending itself amongst
the working classes of the country ? His Hon. Friend
wished to introduce the Poor Laws into Ireland; and
another Honourable Friend thought it would be ad-
visable to introduce a law preventing Irish labourers
from coming into this country. For himself, he could
only say, that he never would consent to any pre-
vention of a free intercourse of commodities, or a free

intercourse of the King's subjects between the two
countries. He thought the suggestion of his Right Hon.
Friend, with respect to the introduction of the Poor
Laws into Ireland, rather preposterous. If relief was
/1 be afforded to Ireland, it most be by emigration.
The only way to improve the condition of the people of,
Ireland would be to make both landlord and tenant

contribute to the expense of transporting the Irish sur-
plus population from misery and di•tretes to a country,
in which they would enjoy comfort and happiness. If
:Ministers would only take up this subject, he doubted
mot that the Irish landlords and tenants would find suffi-
cient fonds to carry it into execution. The Honourable
Member concluded by giving his warmest support to
the motion.

Colonel TRENCH thought this measure one of the
deepest interest for Ireland. The system proposed by
the Right Him. Gentleman was not like a single blood.
letting to relieve a plethoric patient, but a temptation
to an annual and growing recourse to emigration, which
would weaken this country, the strength of which con-
sisted in its respectable peasantry. whom it should be
our ambition to preserve. GOD forbid he should im-

pute a want of feeling to any one, but he would say
in that House, what he had said at his neighbours tables,
that the landlords of Ireland were deeply responsible

for the situatitm of their tenantry ; and he believed the
statement of Lady Glengall to be tree—that the filth,
degradation, and misery of the peasantry were .such,
that every respectable person despaired of being able to
apply a remedy to their condition. He thooght that
one-fourth of the sum required for the purposes of
emigration would, if applied in the way of capital to
the labour of Ireland, produce results infinitely more
beneficial. One of the great causes of the evils of Ire-
land was to be found in the system of misgovernment
under which the had suffered for ages. Within the last
few years that system had been changed; and until
that ill-omened Society had worked upon the feelings
of the people, and bad taught them to look upon that
House with distrust, the humblest peasant in the most
distant parts of Ireland (with whom he bad been obliged
to communicate by means of. an interpreter) had felt
convinced that if be suffered a wrong from a wealthy
or powerful map in Ireland, he might apply to the
Honourable Member tot Aberdeen, or any other Mem-
ber; and he would have his case laid before Parliament,
and would obtain redress. The true remedy for
the evils of Ireland would be, to give employment
to her agricultural population, instead of looking to
Poland or elsewhere for a supply of cora for the
British market. If they did that, in vain would the
agitators of Ireland attempt to excite the feelings of the
people of that country. There were now two millions
of people there, who were needy naked; and if they
were employed, as he thought they might, and were
taught the necessity and advantage of improved habits.
the-effect produced would be better than any Legisla-
tine-measures could attain. If. he were to throw out
erg loose suggestions tpoo the subject, he should say
that -the Subletting Act was an inestimable blessing
to Ireland ; and that if the 40s, freeholders were
abolished, thete would not be those speculations in
votes that were now carried on, in the hopes of a
saes obtaining in return for his influence in the
election of a County Member the place of an exciseman
for a relation. He would much rather send the in-
dustriosss labourers from one country to another, than
transport them at once to Canada. At the same time
he must acknowledge that, hi should be very glad if the
Right Hon. Gentleman could relieve the country from
one milhon or 500,000 of the people at the present mo-
ment; but be thought a system of emigration, instead
of encouraging a manufacture of linen, would encourage
a manufacture of men for exportation. In his opinion
helead wanted a small advance of capital; and it was
gratifying to know, that at a meeting in Limerick, when
the remnant of he magnificent sum raised in this
country in 1822 was distributed, it was stated that there
was no want of accuracy with respect to the payment of
the advances that had been made to small dealers in the
time of their distress. The people of Ireland had often
been called idle, drunken, and quarrelsome, but in his
experience be had found them the reverse, and they
only needed a little English skill and Eoglish capital to,
have their industry , beneficially and productively di-
rected. He feared the system of emigration would
withdraw the class of small capitalists—a class which,
for every reason, they should endeavour to retain. He
was not so anxious to see manufactures as agriculture
encouraged there; and be was quite sure that, if this was
done, Ireland would be the right arm of Great Britain.
Mr. MAURICE FITZGERALD observed, that the
Honourable Member for Cambridge, who had just
spoken, and the Hon. Member for Wicklow, claimed
to have a practical knowlege.of Ireland, and on that as-
sumption had intimated opstrons to which he thought it
accessary to make some sort of answer. The Han.
Member for Wicklow had censored Lk Right Hon.
Gentleman for the little progress be had made in this
Matter ; but surely that Hon. Member as much deserved
Unsure for the little progress he had made in getting
dos plan of Poor Laws in Ireland put into practice. He
ncurred with the Hon. Member for Cambridge, that
Irish agriculture ought to be encouraged, and he thought
the policy of England should direct her to afford
that encouragement; but surely that Hon. Member
Could not be so ignorant of the real state of Ireland as
set to know that agriculture there was carried on by
manual labour, and that by encouraging agriculture in
that country, we should either increase the numbers of
Ater peasantry by appearing to afford them increased
means ok subsistence, or we should, by introducing the
skill of England, throw out of employment a very large
proportion of her agricultural population, and in either
VaY increase the evil we sought to remedy. Hon.
Gentlemen spoke as if emigration was by this plan re-
commended to small capitalists. No such thing.—
Unfortunately, they were a class that in the present
state of things would emigrate; and the object of this
plan was to discourage their emigration, by encouraging
that of the men who were a burden to them. A body
of two hundred and forty Quakers, all men of
respectability, had emigrated from Queen's County,
because, as they stated, they bad been literally squeezed
out of the country by the growth of the pauper popu-
lation about them. That was the evil which the pre-
sent plan sought to remedy. The Honourable Member
for Cambridge had said, tbat the Irish landlords were
ucei ty respoubib.e for the condition of their talantry;