EMPLOYMENT OF THE POOR IN IRELAND. (Hansard, 17 May 1822)

§ Sir N. Colthurst
expressed his approbation of the grant, and was confident that the noble, generous, and humane manner in, which the people of this country had come forward on this occasion would make a lasting impression on Ireland, and inspire the sincerest gratitude.

Mr. Becher
said, he was gratified at the introduction of such a measure. It was a source of high gratification, that the liberality of, the people of England was now endeavonring to remedy the evil caused by government; but as prevention was better than cure, as employment was preferable to alms-giving, he should have been better pleased if timely measures, had been adopted by government, by which much of the present distress might have been avoided.

§ Mr. J. Smith
gave his warm support to the present measure, and thought that thanks, were due to the right hon. gentleman by whom it was introduced; though he could not extend those thanks to the government generally; seeing that they might by timely measures have prevented much of the evil. Still he hailed the present plan, because he was satisfied that it would be productive of considerable relief. He had become acquainted, in the committee at the London tavern, with scenes of distress now prevailing in several parts of Ireland, which he almost shuddered to think of, and which he could not detail to the House. But, from all he had learned, he had come to this conclusion, that the want of employment was the great cause of the evil. England was now imperatively: called upon to assist the sister island. We owed her a great debt, which we ought now to discharge. We had in our prosperity acted towards her with oppression; and we were bound at this trying time to do every thing for her improvement. It was in evidence before the committee for managing the Irish subscription, that in the barony of Moyarta, in the county of Clare, there were not less than 10,000 individuals without the necessaries of life. A large portion of them were deprived of the assistance which they might have expected from a resident country gentry, and were left to perish from want of food; as he had no doubt many of them had done. Now, be contended, that the hundred of Brixton in Surrey, or of Ossulston in Middlesex, had not a better 700 claim to the. Sympathy and relief of the country than the barony of which he spoke, and therefore every thing which could be done ought to be done for its relief. There was one point which he wished to press—that no distinction should be made between persons of different religion in that country.

§ Mr. W. Smith
said, he would mention to the. House one class of absentee landlords, whose benevolent example he trusted would have many imitators. The parties to minim he alluded were two corporate bodies of London, who possessed estates of considerable extent in Ireland. The first was the Drapers company. They had on their estates, tenantry of not less than 1,791 families, consisting of 10,740 persons, for whose relief they had done every thing which could be expected. The other company was one to which he had the honour of belonging. They had come to the possession of a considerable estate in Ireland, on the demise of the late king; and since then they had expended seven-eighths of their income in improving the condition of their tenants. He was sorry that the subscription opened for the Irish poor had not the names of many of the Irish absentees.

Mr. Martin
, of Galway, expressed his gratitude to ministers for the measure they had proposed. He trusted that no person would exaggerate the distresses which existed in Ireland and play off the calamities of that country to disturb the empire. He felt it his duty to call the attention of the House to the conduct of an hon. member. That hon. member (Mr. Hume) was usually very constant in his attendance in the House, and he had heard him talk of this thing and that thing; but when the present subject came to be discussed, the hon. member yawned, and walked out of the House. The hon. member was soon to treat of the tithe system of Ireland. He would supplicate that hon. member to leave Ireland to other gentlemen, and the legitimate ministers who represented that country in the House. The hon. member, he dared to say, would come down to the House and bewail the sufferings of Ireland-but what was Ireland to him? What's Hecuba to him, or he to Hecuba, That he should weep for her?

Mr. Hutchinson
thought it was invidious and unjustifiable to allude to any member in the manner the hon. gentleman had done. If the hon. gentleman alluded to the hon. 701 member for Aberdeen, he would say that a more sincere friend to the interests of Ireland was not to be found in that House. With respect to the question before the House, he certainly felt grateful for the assistance which had been afforded to Ireland, but he at the same time felt humiliated that the state of his country should be such as to require it.

The Marquis of Londonderry
said, he could assure the hon. member for Norwich, that the most strenuous efforts were making in various parts of Ireland to raise subscriptions for the relief of the distressed sufferers.

§ Captain O'Grady
regretted the observations which had fallen from the hon. member for Galway. It was exceedingly improper that any gentleman who might originate a measure in that House, should be subjected to the foul imputation of making it a party question.

Mr. Martin
said, that his observations were intended to apply exclusively to the hon. member for Aberdeen. He was sorry that the hon. member had not been in his place when he addressed the House. His absence was a bridle in his mouth, and had prevented him from saying a great deal more. He would willingly repeat in his presence all that he had said in his absence.

Mr. G. Lemb
thought it would have been better if the hon. member had refrained from alluding to the conduct of an absent member.