MR. MAC IVERasked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether Her Majesty's Government have considered the many influential Petitions which have been presented to the House praying that the whole of our able-bodied convicts, or any other National resource which may be necessary, shall be applied without delay to constructing or improving harbours of refuge or ports of shelter round the coasts of these islands to save the lives of our sailors and fishermen; whether they are aware that the French Nation is expending the sum of five and a half million pounds sterling for a similar purpose over a district of only 250 miles; and, whether Her Majesty's Government have it in contemplation to expend any considerable sum of money in providing similarly improved harbour accommodation on dangerous coasts in Great Britain and Ireland?
§ SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT, in reply, said, the House had already authorized the employment of convict labour on the harbour at Dover, and that absorbed all the labour of that kind that was at present available. There appeared to be a general impression that such labour could be employed in many parts of the country at the same time upon works of this kind; but this was not the case, for convict labour could only be employed when the size of the works and the length of time they would take to carry out justified the 1495 building of a large prison in the vicinity for the accommodation of the convicts.