IRELAND. (Hansard, 2 June 1848)

§ THE MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNE

said, he wished to take that opportunity of calling their Lordships' attention to some papers respecting the state of Ireland. He might, perhaps, have laid them on the table of their Lordships' House without making any comment whatever; but, as repeated inquiries had in that House been made with respect to the state of Ireland, he did think it well, under present circumstances, to say a few words. The first paper which he proposed to lay upon the table of their Lordships' House was one which had been called for a considerable time ago, and which, if he recollected aright, had been called for by a noble Lord whom he then saw on the bench opposite. That paper, he trusted, would enable them to see the amount of loans which had been granted for the relief of the suffering part of the population of Ireland; and it would, he believed, at the same time enable them to sec the various objects to which those loans had been applied. The general result of these documents would show that a sum had been advanced to the Irish people amounting to no less than 8,787,000l., which included 339,000l., which had been advanced for the purpose of pro- 243 moting railways in Ireland. These loans, as doubtless their Lordships were already aware, were repayable at several periods, varying from one to twenty years. It was his duty to lay a statement of those loans before the House; but he did not by any means feel himself called upon to vindicate all those loans: at the same time, he had no objection to say that those loans were originally made at a time when the Government had no alternative. It was true that those loans had not always been applied to the best possible advantage, for want of sufficient organisation. The parties concerned in the administration of those funds were obliged to take their chance for success. The fact was, that they had been obliged to make those advances without requiring surveys or organisation; for if they had required those as preliminary conditions, that would have defeated their design altogether. He knew perfectly well that many of the statements contained in those papers would disappoint their Lordships. The results of attempts to create an artificial demand for labour in Ireland, could not be otherwise than disappointing to those who wished, as every one ought to wish, that attempts should be made to effect a substantial and permanent improvement in the condition of the people of Ireland. The real regenerative principle for that part of the United Kingdom was to be found, not in large grants, but in an awakened spirit of industry amongst the people themselves. But, though strongly influenced by these sentiments, Her Majesty's Government were not for a moment insensible to the claims which the distress in Ireland had created; and he regretted to say that in some parts of Ireland much distress was still to be apprehended, though no doubt two-thirds, or at all events one-half, of Ireland was in the enjoyment of comparative ease. In those parts of the country, however, where the people were dependent upon one article of food, where that failed there could be no doubt the distress was extreme; and he could confidently assure the House that those parts of Ireland had obtained, and should continue to receive, the utmost attention from the responsible advisers of the Crown. The House would see from the papers which were to be laid before them, that from time to time assistance had been given to the people of Ireland in various forms, and that a certain amount of and had been conveyed to them through the instrumentality of the British Association; 244 and here he must be allowed to say that the manner in which that body carried out their operations did them immortal honour. Their charity and benevolence were greater, he believed, than had ever been previously known in any country; and he believed that upon examination their system would be found more perfect than any other that had ever been adopted for such a purpose. The mode in which it had been thought most expedient to apply that fund, was one which had more than once been noticed in that House, and which he rejoiced to say had been productive of happy results; it was assistance given by feeding and educating children in large masses. At a time not very distant from the present, there were no fewer than 201,000 children thus provided for at an expense of 3,000l. a week. He must invite the particular attention of their Lordships to the papers and correspondence of the British Relief Association, as containing valuable testimony of the manner in which the plans adopted by the Government had operated, and of the good that had been effected. [Here the noble Marquess read one or two passages from the papers,] He did not, indeed, believe there was a clergyman or an inspector in any part of Ireland, in which these measures had been taken, who was not prepared to come forward and bear the same testimony. Up to the last two months the sum of 78,000l. had been expended in this manner. The Government had also taken measures so as to continue the means of education and relief until after the next harvest. This was a subject which he felt there was some difficulty in dealing with, so as to avoid exciting delusive expectations, and giving rise to importunate demands. He would, however, say, with respect to the advances that had been made, that Her Majesty's Government had come to a resolution, under the present circumstances of Ireland, not to require the payment of any one of the instalments, although many were due, until after the approaching harvest. He could not quit this subject of the British Association without calling the attention of the House, not only to the general spirit of benevolence which had prevailed, and which had been so usefully and discreetly applied to the mitigation of this fearful distress, but to the merits also of one individual whose merits and disinterested exertions deserved the highest praise. He alluded to Count Salitzky, a Polish nobleman resident in this country, to whom, 245 after much deliberation and communication with the Committee, the Government had come to the determination of intrusting the management of the distribution of these funds—a task for which his previous habits, his high character, and his unquestionable benevolence, eminently adapted him. He had also to inform their Lordships that, after discharging the onerous and responsible duties which he had undertaken, Count Salitzky had positively refused to accept the smallest remuneration whatever. The noble Marquess then expressed the gratification he felt in being able to state that, in the parts of the country to which he had been alluding, there was a greater amount of cultivation now going on than had been known in any former year; and he read two letters, one from Mr. Griffith, and another from a gentleman dating from Cork, descriptive of the improved aspect of the country. The noble Marquess concluded by laying upon the table the accounts and papers relating to the distribution of the grants for the relief of the distress in Ireland.