The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1847-05-11 00:00:00

THE LIVERPOOL STANDARD.

England can get timber (a necessary of national existence) in
sufficient quantity no where but in Canada ; and I expect to
see the Minister impeached who introduced Free Trade, if Free
Trade loses that noble colony to England.
This, however, will not bring back our supply of timber; and
it is monstrous for statesmen not to he able to show where they
are to get their timber elsewhere than in Canada, before taking
the steps they have. Where will they look, it Canada, even as
a colony, at once raises the duty for cutting timber on the pub-
lic lands from one dollar per load to five dollars? That they
will do so, or put on an export duty, is very likely, for the im-
port trade has so decreased that the customs will not be suffi•
cient to meet the Province's expenses, unless the debt is repu-
diated.

This step would satisfy the Home Ministers, which nothing
else seems capable of doing, that the timber trade is only an
English interest, not a Canadian interest to any great extent.

The Montreal and Quebec export merchants, Who have little
more community of feeling or interest with Canada than if
they resided in London, loudly proclaim the timber trade not
only to be a Canadian interest, but the great Canadian interest.
Those who compose the body politic, however (the farmers),
take a very different view of it. They say that the timber
trade benefits them, or Canada, just to the extent that flour,
pork, butter, and any other Canadian production is consumed
by the woodcutters, but that the great bulk of the price of
timber is paid for in English manufacture or produce.
Many people in England say, Why can't Canada compete
with the Baltic? being ignorant that
Firstly—The timber trade is not the natural one forthe Cana-
dian settler (which is the growth
.of wheat), but one which was
created, and can alone be sustained, by Act of the Imperial
Parliament. The Canadian lumberer is an owner of land, and
adopts lumber merely for more than agricultural wages. They
cannot, or will not, therefore, compete with the serfs in the
Baltic.

Secondly —The freight from Quebec is 40s. a load against
20s. from Memel.

Believing, as I do. that Free Trade will be persevered in by
English statesmen for shame's cause, just as the Americans
(in the true spirit of the Democracy which England has practi-
cally adopted) persisted long in their Banking theories, though
these showed themselves wrong by upsetting every interest, to
support which was their whole object and end; and believing,
therefore, that, in the meantime, Canada will be lost to the
Empire, 1 feel as if the discussion of the details of ameliora-
tion required internally in Canada were very useless now.
I beg, however, to mention two things, which I have long
urged as wanting to the practical good government of Canada.
First—l think that Canada has been misgoverned, partly
through the ignorance and partly through the want of hands
in the Colonial Office; and, as a remedy, I propose that each
important Colony should get a separate room in Downing-
street, and should have for the future two Private Secretaries,
one of whom should be in the Province and in London alter-
nately. Each colony would thus have an intelligent machinery,
in London with which colonists could co-operate for their re-
spective interests.

-second—The Queen's subjects in Canada, from their position
have no influence at the Horse Guards, the India House, or in
the other services ; so that not only should their title to their
local offices be viewed the stronger on this account, but the
Governor-General should be armed with a certain number of
Commissions in the different services in each year to reward
Provincial, Parliamentary, and other services and merit; for
we may rely that if the energies of the Canadian youth are not
used by the British Government, they will be used against it.
I take the liberty to send herewith some of the pamphlets
and writings which, from 1836 down, I have published on the
subject I am now referring to.
I thought, too, of strengthening my appeal by sending, for
your Excellency's perusal, various LETTERS OF THANKS from
the Government, sent me by Lord Metcalfe, but I cannot lay
my hands on them :.t the moment, and Mr. Higginson, (than
whom no official knows so much about Canada) can tell your
Excellency the degree of credit attachable to my opinions.
I shall send a copy of this to Earl Grey.
I have the honour to be,
Your Lordship's obedient humble servant,
ISAAC BUCHANAN.

The Right Hon. the Earl of ELGIN,
Governor-General of British North America, &c., &(
(For the continuation of Mr. Buchanan's paper, see our Bth
page.)

MEASURES FOR THE PERMANENT IMPROVE-
MENT OF THE IRISH PEOPLE.

We have of late been to peruse, usryue ad nauseam, aC'
counts truly harrowing of the fearful condition of the
suffering poor of Ireland; and individually, as well as
nationally, the people of England have endeavoured at
least to do their duty, in taking measures for its improve-
ment. Vast sums hdve been lavished by the state, some
uselessly, and the bulk upon a bad principle, calculated
to perpetuate pauperism whilst it relieves suffering, and
by teaching the people to look to the national charity for
support, instead of to their own industry, incurring the
certain consequence of a great portion of the soil being
left uncultivated, and the necessity of furnishing support
being indefinitely prolonged.
This cannot, however, be said of the employment of
the funds raised by private subscriptions, and applied for
the assistance of the Irish people by the St. Jude's and
other committees. By the aid of local committees and
agents—principally the clergy—the relief given` has been
dispensed to really deserving objects, and an effort has
been made, with the best results, to give a spur to the
sinking energies and industry of the people, by requiring
productive work in return for the good and assistance
afforded. Of the successful working of this principle, and
the certainty that in the Irish character itself there is
nothing to prevent the people of that country becoming,
by the assistance of British capital and generous encou-
ragements, self •dependent, we have abundant and satis-
factory evidence in a pamphlet before us, by a gentleman
now resident amongst us—Mr. J. Wilson Browne.*
To satisfy himself as to the real state of Ireland, Mr.
Browne has recently visited a portion—the western dis-
tricts of Ireland—and the picture of famine, disease, and
death, existing in these unfrequented parts, which he lays
before us, is harrowing to contemplate :
"In every part of Connaught I found the signs of past ma-
nufactures and commerce. In the cabins were broken spin-
ning wheels,—in some of the cottages dilapidated looms
people talked of flax which used to grow, and of kelp and
limestone once exported ; but it was evident that the want of
capital here, and the increase of money and energy upon the
eastern coast, had caused a transfer of most of their trade to
another province. The ease with which they lived upon the
potatoe formerly made them careless about the effect, but the
feeling now is totally changed. In some cases the clergyman
of the place had paid for having the looms repaired, had
bought flax, and had given the latter to the people who pro-
duced materials which proved to be worth their cost. But the
risk, and the employment of money so scarce in that district,
and so much required at this moment, caused their labours to
be very much confined. The perfect success of the plan may
be judged from the fact before mentioned, that the Rev. G. It.
Gildea, of Newport, has COO persons at work on linens of va-
rious kinds alone ; that lie he has by his own efforts among
private friends in this country, at the cost of immense toil
and loss of time in letter writing, and arranging of other mi-
nutiae, of which the receiving and acknowledgment of money
in small sums forms a large item, sold the produce of the
starving people of Newport to the amount of $2OOO and more.
He has forty looms at work in the cottages of the poor
people.
"The following statement, written by Mr. Gildea, will be
read with interest :

"`April 10th, 1847.
"`The Rey. George Robert Gildea, Rector of Newport,
Mayo, disapproving of the system of gratuitous relief, as tend-
ing to perpetuate pauperism, and instruct the alms-taker to
fall back periodically upon the hard-earnings and self-denial
of others ; and anxious to induce the people around him to
make some industrial effort to help themselves, and also to
keep the females off the toad works, in January offered them
employment at spinning flax, for which he proposed the fol-
lowing plan :—For any sum of money sent to him he engaged
to return the amount at cost price in linens, such as are manu-
factured by the Irish peasantry, of pure flax, hand-spun, hand
wove, and grass-bleached, of the most durable kind, and inva-
luable for all household purposes—sheeting, towelling, ser-
vants' table-linen, twilled linens, plain diaper napkins, and
- - . -

" This plan has been so extensively supported, that over six
hundred persons are now employed in their own cottages, at
the occupation most suited to their habits and skill; a very
decided industrial exertion is called forth • self-respect begins
already to show itself as one of the results, and, with God's
blessing, more extensive benefits are looked for.
" ' Premiums in articles of clothing are given weekly, for the
most punctual observance of time, as well as the quantity and
quality of work done.
" ' Mr. Gildea is anxious to be enabled to offer to these
people, as premiums, and to others, at a very reduced price,
flax seed, in order still further to excite to industry. The land
is particularly suited to the cultivation of flax, which is more
valuable than any white crop. Various causes have combined
to render the people of this district indifferent as to whether
they sow the land or not; and little or no spring work is yet
done—in• fact, up to this, 'not ten acres of two thousand, the
average number in tillage of a district containing fifty-five
thousand acres and thirteen thousand inhabitants, are yet
touched. It is almost late for anything but flax. No local
help can be had, and before one month four-fifths of the inha-
bitants will be on the relief lists.'

"April 16th, 1847.
"The results of our reproductive labour plan are most satis-
factory; not only are the habits of industry and exertion, hi-
therto little understood here, showing themselves, but also an
evidence of proper self-respect among the people employed,
which strengthens my opinion of the evils of gratuitous relief,
and the very great and important advantages of industry.
Had the sums of money which the bounty of England has in
this day of Ireland's necessity poured in upon every distressed
parish, been extended in some industrial employment, under
even a defective management, a great amount of good would
have been the result ; but fortunately it has not been so ; and
we are now reduced to the melancholy position of confirmed and
hopeless mendicancy. Any remnant of moral feeling among
the people at large appears departed; and the country is in a
most deplorable and melancholy state. To stand alone against
all this is not easy, but God Almighty has, I feel sure,
blessed our efforts, and given us fruit.
(Signed) GEO. ROBT. GILDEA."

We shall not take our reader through the scenes in
question. Our object is rather to lay before a sympathis-
ing public the remedy which he proposes for the perma-
nent improvement of this part of Ireland, and the dove-
lopement of the industry of its people. In addition to its
natural resources, its quarries of stone and marble, its
fisheries, its kelp, and other advantages for the employ-
ment of capital and industry, Mr. Browne says,—

"I went prepared to see misery general and unprecedented
such as had scarcely
_been equalled in extent or in in-

tensitn—but although I did not see one--tenth part of the.
suffering going on continually around me, I was Quite unnPe-

pared for what I met. Death seemed to pace the streets—in
districts where I had before observed a fine healthy race of peo-
ple, I encountered collections of skeletons, whose haggard
looks spoke volumes of hopeless misery. Wretched counte-
nances—emaciated forms—the dying and the dead—funerals
and desolation caught the eye on every side—busy villages
were becoming cemeteries cabins are being turned into
charnel-houses. I was awe struck. To appreciate such misery

we must

our own she