Star.
London, England, 1828-03-05 00:00:00

should or shoold not be bell( jabiotfie House.
And, before he made the rem s should feel
it his duty to offeepbehogimiit ay, that he came for-
ward As entitle! unconnected pith the Government.
WithticGitir ent he had no communication upon
'"" the sullect, and e knew not what was its opinion
respecting it. He must also state, that it was not his
intention to propose any substantive measure. His
object was to call the attention of the House to a subject
which he considered to be of the utmost importance.
He could not fail to observe, however, from the state
of the Houle—[tisc House was very thinly attended]
....that a emit number of Uonourable Members were
of a different opinion. Still he should not ikrink froth
the duty he had to perform; but he would persist in
claiming the attention of the House—well convinced
that, whatever might be the feeling at that period
respecting the importance of the subject, the time would
arrive when its vast consequence would be acknovi-
'edged by all—(Hear.) In 1823, in consequence of the
great increase of the superabundant population in
Cork, and that part of Ireland, Government resolved,
as a matter of experiment, to send out a number of
voluntary emigrants to Canada, under the super-
inteadance of a Mr. Robinson, a Canadian. It was
never supposed by Government that that measure
would afford substantive relief, but it was adopted
principally to learn truly whether emigrants could ob-
tain a livelihood in Canada, and whether their condition'
would be so much superior to that of the unemployed
poor of E•igland and Ireland, as to hold out to them a
fair, temptatiou to leave their native country. That
experiment had entirely succeede I; and in consequence
of the success of 1825, 2,000 additional emigrants had
been sent out from Ireland to Canada, under the direc
tion of the Mr. Robinson who had attended the first ex-
periment. Again the emigrants were entirely successful,
and planted themselves in Upper Canada. But when
more money was required at the hands of the House,'
the House had said very properly, t. Let us know how
this money is spent," and appointed a Committee to ex-
amine into the subject. That Committee sat in 1826,
and another sat in 1827. As the Reports of those Com-
mittees were in the possession of every Hon. Member,
it would be unnecessary for him to go into them; but
theie *ere some particular points and positions esta-
blished to which he wished particularly to call the at-
tention of the House. Those Committees had come to
the conclusion, upon the evidence and inquiries they
had gone into, that there was a superabundant popula-
tion in England, and in many districts in Ireland; that
therefore there was not an adequate demand for labour,
and that in consequence labourers were compelled to
work under prior. The Committees moreover esta-
blished that the labourer, for whose • labour there was
. no actual demand, did not by his labour produce a
return which was equivalent with the charge his pro-
vision was to the community. And he ought then to
' mention that the Committees had never contemplated
any other thin voluntary emigration; but taking
into their consideration the great distress, and misery
which a large portion of the Irish poor were said to be
enduring, they did not imagine that it would require
an, extraordinary temptation to induce them to leave
their native country. He was also justified in stating,
that it was the opinion of that Committee, that unless
measures were taken► to prevent the filling up of the
vacuum which would be occasioned in the population,
by putting in force an eaten ive scheme of emigration,
all efforts upon the subject would be unavailing as to
producing any permanent relief. Now, although he
had long given the subject his most serious attention,
he should be most ready to allow that his opinions were
entirely erroneous, isere they not .:upporsed .and con-
firmed by the views adopted, after mature deliberation,
by the Committee and other authoriiies. He therefore
'Louts main am, that the experiments of 1823 and 1825
had fully succeed-d, especially with respect to the con-
dition of the emigrants; and he felt it the more neces-
any to e. force that point, becau e a great number of
misstatements had been made, and the state of the
emigrants had been declared to be most wretched.
That, !weever, was so far frcm being the fact, that
they were in reality removed from misery to comfort
and plenty. Indeed, he would venture to assert, that
theist was no example to be found in history in which
emigration had been so entirely successful with respect
to the improvement in the condition of the emigrants—
tHear).—And considering the immense fertility of the'
Pamir!,
sit was scarcely possible to imagine that per-
sons emigrating thither should not be 'successful, or
that the country would hesitate to :afford itself relief,
when, at the same time that it relieved itself, it would
afford benefit to those who left it. With a view to
..:legroing the real state of the case, the Committee had
examined the cololial witnesses. Those witnesses were
entitled to the fullest respect: they could have had no
Interest' in endeavouring to' mislead the Comm:ttee—
inclired,'had they not merited full confidence, the Com-
mittee would never have ventured to come to thuim-
tinitant conclusion, upon their testimony, which it had
done, namely, that a system of .em;gration could be
Pla.nnest Which might
.he carried into execution
without expense; he meant real expense, such as
'int. Imlay of money where there would be no re-
turn': And be was prepared to show that the con-
clusion was a just one, for that the emigrants would
bi.ready and willing to repay by instalments the money
advanced to them at the outwit. The witnesses had been
asked bow much it could binecessary for the head of
to possess tnplant himself and family in Canada?
The reply was thai 601. sterling, or 661. currency would
be sufficient; some of the witnesses thought that much
less would suffice. And it appeared that 401. of the
661. was to be laid out in provisions, in order to enable
the new settler to gb on until he gathered his first trope.
All the witnesses concurred in not placing the estimate
higher; and he begged incidentally to temark, such
were the probabilities of success, that notonly had not
one of the settlers of 1823 and 1825 rettirned; but, on
the contrary, they bad implored their friends.th Procure
A passage out to them, and had tendered their assistance.
The nest qtrestion which' had been put to those ten co-
lonial witnesses was, whether the emigrants would be
able to pay 44. a year, in discharge of the sum advanced
to them, alter a certain time ? The unanimous answer
was, that they Would be able to do so. The nest
linestion was, as to whither the emigrants would be
inclined to resist malting such 'a repayment ; sad the
Mayer was .1 No." IT* Witisesies bad then been ask d,
*bather they eonsidere that the land held by thed
21:ents. ;w94lff• bons its improved condition, be ain •
:tient peewit,. air .the suite advanced ? and the ani er
Was"", Yes." He should hiviethougbe that that eiidentie
vial toticient if It had hot beep' confirmed ; bat it so
happened that it'. had lreei confirmed;
,lri 18
6ogreflipeat aiai met Lic. at,,colOaa Coe kiwis, for e
piripose of iisquiling into the'itiiite of 'A ea
ricaatojoaies; lbaraiag' conditiak &A' dis •
of
_the ati tants; and surveying?* teribriry Ad
*MSc*. entitled . • •
o comnren scion of
.
oirksclaco*T: liedadutztdtti Itaisetu.