State of Ireland. House of Commons, April, 8.

New Zealander, Volume 7, Issue 557, 16 August 1851, Page 3

State of Ireland. House of Commons, April, 8.

r Sir H. W. Bahron moved that the House should resolve itself into n committee to take into consideration j the stale of Ireland, T.'ith » view to relieve the distress there existing. He proceeded to contrast the state of Ireland in 1815 with its present condition, and said that in the former year the poor rate amounted only to ,£310,000, while la.st yeai it wus no less (hen .£1,471.000, This wss nol the worst of the matter, for lie had found since the yenr 1815 that 1,100,0 ( '0 acres j of arable land had gone out of cultivation, and the ex* portation of ,swine and sheep had decreased by i' 1,51 0,000 sterling in value. The very land itself, which in 1845 would have sold for 24 years pmchasc would now scarcely brinjr 14, while the value of house piopertyin towns had fallen GO per cent. Tr.'de was utterly de&tioycd, jmkl death and eniiaration thinned the land of its inhabit mis. All this distress incicdiblp by Englishmen as to its fi-aiful extent, was entnely the Jesuit of bad lcgis'ation. The facts he had stated lull} justified the appointment of the committee for which he kad asked. Sn 3.,. O'Bkien defended the ch.iirman of the union of Kiliush fioni tli" attacks lmde upon him in that House, and also fiom the malignant attacks made upon ilic same gentleman by the Rev. S. (i Osborne in the Times ncwspnppr. The Kill sub union was lated already to the extent of Us. in the pound, and othci unions weici««ted still high' r. The estimate (orlhe Kcnm .reunion for the] resmt )<ai was Lfis. in the pound, and under such circumstances he wished to know how the Government meant to act? 'Ihry had the rate in .'.id this year, but how were they to provide loi the exigencies of the yeai ensuing ? Mir AY. Someiuille contended that within the last two or ihree years theiehid bern a progii'ssive impioveiin nt in the misciable condition of liclai.d as was sufficiently evident liotn the poor-law ietiun'. In 1848 the c\pen iitnre of the pool was £425/'OO ; in 1849 it was I'SOG 000 ; and in '850 it fell to .£247,000. Ey a tefoieiK-c to the nuniluis on the ie licfhbt a simil-.j icsnlt was discernible, for m ]BlSthe mimoer was 585,000 ; in I«'i9 it was enly 290,000; and in ) 850 it was reduced to 200 000 With respect to the amount of cul ivated lind J» lieland, he quoK<! t'le returns of Cijiiam La/km to show that, in point of iact. die iotJ amount of stub land had ltiiMcsfd within the lastjear. Le wished lie <<iu'd state tint lieland was in a prosperous condition, hut lhis lie cou'd not. lit' could only s,iy ib.it wiibai the li-t r.wt yearb theie weie i>tio:ig sj >nyioms of inijiiou'inent In conpi'juence ol the Itiic^ at the ]\o\>. Mr. O>hoi"H>, lie

should fee 1 it his, dun to lay on the table tho repom of the poor-law inspectois and also th° repiy of the poor law i>uanl'ans witli respect to ib 'Ti.ic'is I'C had nic'de upon thorn. They had already even mtoiiuation it Hah possible to obtain js to tho sut<?ot Ire 'and, and he th<nfoie l'op (j| l tho lioust *ovVi\ lugiitive the motion ot the honourable baronet the only t fleet of uhitli *ould be to iaae hoptb whioh utvti could lie lenlital. Mr. Ueynoidi mpporteil th« motion of Sir. U, W. Kannn, though he could by no miMni* approrp or hn h|>PS(/h, which, if it MicHiit any thnig \t nwnt th ut they nhouM tt-jjeftl ihf foot" - law and go buck to prediction. He vas nt n lo»3 to sec fl.e 6\ni|>(omft of iHipiovctrient jf>ftTi«l to by the nuht hon. b.uonet. 'j he workhou&ee nt>r« orer ciowdcd, and m (he Kilrush and £umst}mofi union iho people were dying nt the rnte of 70 per *pt>V m ihe woik-bou'-es for want of the eoiniuou rst-O f n>'*'"if » of lite. The landlords were for the mot t jurt ia the E»<u:uhen>i Estates court, r.nd nil (hose who hid Ihe nieaua weie emigrating from the c»uutrv. Mr. M. J. O'CoNNfcLr, w«8 fiorry ths,* the right hon. Secretary i'or Ireland had refused bis m*ont ro the motion, though he could not agree *»uh the extreme vtev\s taLcn by Sir. H. \\ . Barrou uod Air. Reyuoklj on opposite sides of the question. I\lv. S. CiiAwroßD mored ag an amendment that words should be added to the effect that the coramiUep should especially consider the law relating to landlord and Una nt. Sir H. W. Bakhon said he would not object to th^ amendment. LoulJ. RussLTLsaid it was impossible that f\ comnuttee of the whole house could enteitam t«ie inott>»n .is nmonded, and he was quite sure that no u-ciul untile could follow. After some observations from I\lr, French and Sir. 11. W. Darion in leply. The house divided, and the numbers were— Foi the motion.. , 129 Against it 138 Majonty against it — 9 The announcement of the division wns received with loud cheering horn the opposition benches.