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

Col. Cockburn had sent in to the Colonial Department'
and for a Copy of which itwet hit intention to move.
The Right Honourable Gersten's', then TeAd an ea„„c;
from the' Report olCoL.Cieelibrirs, which stated that if
an emigrant was seetleddtpon good land, he could at the
espiration of 6volt:tie afford td pay 51. per annum in
produce; hut that if that sum were required from him
in specie, the chance of his being able to pay it would
be greatly diminished. Colonel Cockburn, said the
Right Hon. Gentleman, visited the settlers who had
emigrated in 1828 and 1825. It was right that he
should then acquaint the House that there had been
three kinds of settlers; the Lanark settlers, who were
to repay the money advanced to them in ten years; the
military settlers, who were old soldiers entitled to a
pension, which they had relinquished for their settle.
ment ; and the settlers of 1823 and 1825: Colonel
*Cockburn regretted that he had not taken down the
precise words of the settlers, but a Mr. Morris, who had
a storehouse, and was in constant communication with
the settlers, had made the necessary inquiries. The
first settler who had been interrogated was a military
one. He said, that when he arrived in Canada he had
not a halfpenny in the world ; that at the end of five
years, after having lived in plenty, he would not have
taken 1201. for his stock and other property, and that at
the time he was questioned, nine years after his settling,
he said he would not take SOU for his propeity. Eleven
other settlers had answered much to the same effect;
and the whole twelve had agreed in stating that, in
their opinions, settlers would be both willing and able
to pay 51. per annum in produce After a certain period.
They moreover stated, that settlers would become de.
sirous of making the repayment, with' a view to their
own perfect independence. Then looking at these facts,
could it be supposed that men enduring the miseries
which a great portion of the Irish peasantry labour-
ed under, would hesitate to embrace such an oppor-
tunity of relief, or thnt, after they had embraced
it, they would fail to fulfil their agreement ? He
was convinced that no one looking fairly at the
question, could entertain a doubt upon the subject.—
But in addiion to all the evidence he had quoted, a
witness of the utmost importance, of the highest possi-
ble authority, had accidentally appeared. That witness
was Colonel Tibia, who settled twenty-five years ago
in Canada. That Gentleman settled on Lake Erie, and
when he first arrived there, there was not a European,
excepting in his own establishment, within one hundred
miles of the spot where he took up his abode, and yet
at present there were within the same space between
20,000 and 30,000 European settlers. Colonel Talbot
himself had been the main cause of those settlers ap
peering, he had watched the progress of their establish.
ments and the increase in their numbers ; he knew their
means, and he knew what they were capable of effect-
ing; and it was therefore impossible to conceive a more
competent witness than he must be. Colonel Talbot's
opinion was, that if the repayments would be taken in
kind, there could not be the shadow of a doubt that the
emigrants would be able and wiling to make them.
Such was that Gentleman's opinion, and if c tiled to the
Bar of that House, he would give it without hesitation.
Then with respect to the repayment being made in kind,
he (Mr. Horton) could not see that there was any thing
objectionable in that; because ass() much was required
for provisions, it would be available for carrying on
further emigration. He had next to observe, that the
expense for future emigrants would not equal that in-
curred for the first. Those who arrived in the country
after there was in it something like a population, would
not have the same difficulties to contend with that their
predecessors had. If, h iwever, after all the evidence
e had quoted, there should still any who were scep-
tical enough to tecriire fur ther confirmation of the justice
of the positions which had been taken by the Comm tee,
he would read to the House extracts from letters which
had been received from the emigrants by their friends..
The flight Hon. Gent. then real a letter, in which the
writer advised all hii relations and friends to hasten to,
Canada. He state,] that he lived in plenty, had all his
earnings without being interfered with by the tithe
proctor and high rents—(Hear !)—and that he kept
Christmas with as much merriment as they ever did in
the old country.—(The Right Hon. Gentleman con-
tinued).—He had read that letter, and could refer to
many others, as the best answer that could be given to
Mr. O'Connell when he stated that emigration should
be avoided by Irishmen, and that it increased their
wants. The next point was, to prevent the vacuum in
the'population which would be occasioned by. emigra-
tion from being filled up. He maintained that that
would be effected by such an alteration in the Poor
Laws as should render it no lunger compulsory upon
parishes to provide labour for their efficient poor, and
by doing away with the pernicious system followed. in
Ireland of sub-letting. It had been stated, and he be-
lieved with truth, that the landlords of Ireland could
not make up their minds to send forth tire multitudes
who held under the Sub Letting Act, as they would
then be without resource. He was convinced that the
subject only r quired.to be understood in order to meet
with that attention, and to be discussed with that
seriousness which its importance demanded. And when
he heard that cheer at the expressions of tithe proctors
and high rents, he could not but remark, that those
high rents arose in a great measure from the desire of
persons to obtain land on any terms, lest, not obtaining
it, they should be left to starve. Ir had doubt-
less been the opinion of the Irish landlords at some
preceding period, that the higher the rent the better for
them. But they should have remembered that there
was little chance Of such rents being paid in full, and.
that if pe severed in, the natural consequence of such
a system of agrarian law must be the equalization of
property. The greatest relief to Ireland would arise
fres% the abolition of the Sub-Letting System, and
Migration was the only means of effectually doing
away with it. It fiad been said that manutacturing
capital would flow into Ireland, and give it relief, it
encouragement were given. He denied that such would
be the case while labour met with no adequate remu-
neration in that country. OUr manufacturers were'
not in want of labour, modern* inventions bad super-
seded the necessity of borliV labour to ,a great ex-
tent, and" whit the Waagacturers wanted was a
market for their prodice. Aid with respect to agri.
. -
cultural 'capital,, he denied that that world fl,w into
and relieve Irelands' ;1f there were waste Ueda in
that corintry;viould it be contended 'that they were
aifertile aii-the laud of Canada, where, alter clew'
ing the ground, it was only necessary to scratch it
and sow the seed, and a crop was the consequence.
' But if it were said that it would be better to U-
pend the'bioney in cultivating waste lands than :in'
encouraging elniaration, he must reply that be did not
,baieel there was a man in the country who was
'WOW Sp to as.ao iarbority upon the subject, who
'aiii4l64 'Caine tt!ur of thist.H.ouse and support such
*Fo.6ll:ion• Anus if 24, 'bought it expedient to try
'64 tisap irlii,isot kr, the exprosersr 9e. coutempora-
y made with, one upob cailgratiaa7 All that was
Pf9F",,
;Dieu wits-fu find out pigs
.9( .proCuting eiri•
oyiseht lot 4te Fors couple4'vrithe fair pile* tor'
labour. *BM he se* die Lord °mining,