§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland the following Question, of which he had given him rather short private Notice:—Whether his attention had been called to the statement in the morning papers, through Reuter's Agency, that 15 Irish emigrants were found in a starving condition at North Adams, Massachusetts; and, whether any of them had been sent out by grants from the Government?
§ MR. TREVELYANYes; I have received a statement respecting these men; but, of course, the field it covers is very large, because the number of Irish emigrants is very numerous, and the Government emigrants form a very small portion of those who were sent out. In addition to this, it is further improbable that they are Government emigrants, because Government emigrants go out under conditions which make it less likely that such a thing should happen to any of them. However, I thought it very likely that interest would be raised in the House on the subject, and I therefore inquired into the matter; but it may be some time before I receive an answer, as there is no emigration agent near the spot where the occurrence is said to have taken place.
§ MR. T. P. O'CONNORpointed out that the statement was that those emigrants had gone to North Adams from Boston, where a large number of the Government emigrants had arrived. The right hon. Gentleman knew that the conditions upon which the emigrants were undertaken to be sent by the Government should preclude the possibility of their being found in a starving condition in Massachusetts. When there was supposed to be some danger of persons starving in India, the Marquess of Salisbury, though the cost of telegraphing was very great, sent inquiries by telegraph.
§ MR. TREVELYANI have ordered the communication to be made by telegraph.