COLONEL DICKSON,in moving for leave to bring in a Bill to amend the Law relating to the Drainage of Land in Ireland, said, it was not necessary for him to dwell upon the details of the measure, which was similar in most respects to the Bill which he introduced and which was discussed last Session. There were, however, two points of difference between that Bill and the present. One was a power to borrow money under the provisions of the Bill, and the other a power to make alterations in the bridges over the waters proposed to be drained, He regretted to say that great distress existed in Ireland—distress peculiar to itself, and which fell heavily at periodical seasons upon the people. He hoped he would be distinctly understood as not asking for charity; but he meant to say the distress in Ireland was such as no person in this country could have any idea of. It was distress such as no description of his could exaggerate, and was beyond the means of the resident gentry to remedy. He did not ask for any temporary assistance—that they obtained in former times, but instead of its having been employed ns it ought to have been, it was, on the contrary, expended in the most extravagant manner to the amount of millions. If they could get a power to borrow money, great good would arise to the unemployed labouring classes of Ireland, He therefore begged to move, in conclusion, for leave to bring in the Bill.
§ MR. HENNESSYseconded the Motion.
§ SIR ROBERT PEEL,in replying, on the part of the Government, to the observations made by the hon. and gallant Member, said, that as he understood the Bill to be similar, in most respects, to that brought in last year, and recollecting that the Bill had been well received by the House, he should not offer any opposition to the Motion. There were, however, se- 178 veral points in the Bill of last year, particularly as regarded the limits of drainage, which were deserving of serious consideration. With regard to the power of borrowing money, he might observe that within the last fifteen or twenty years money Bills had passed through that House in relation to the draining of land in Ireland, and amending previous Bills; and if his hon. Friend should be more successful than others in the objects he had in view, he should be very glad to assist him in carrying out those objects.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ Bill ordered to be brought in by Colonel DICKSON, Colonel FRENCH, and Mr. HENNESSY.
§ Bill presented, and read 1o. [Bill 7.]