The MARQUESS of LONDONDERRYrose to ask a question of the noble President of the Council, on which he had been obliged to trouble their Lordships often before, but on which considerable doubt and uncertainty still prevailed. He was informed that Her Majesty's Government were at present about to abandon the 366 packet station in the north of Ireland which was used for the purpose of conveying the mails between Port Patrick and Donaghadee. He showed on former occasions, when this subject had been under discussion, the reports of the different Committees appointed to examine into it, as well as the opinions of the naval officers best acquainted with the facts, had all been in favour of keeping up that station. Moreover, the opinions of the First Lords of the Admiralty during three successive Administrations had been given decidedly in favour of our keeping up those harbours, as the best calculated to convey information in the shortest time between Ireland and Scotland. He did not complain of the arrangements made for the sailing of packets from other quarters; he only complained of the intended abandonment of those harbours. In former years, by granting votes in driblets for their improvement, expectations had been raised that the stations would not be abandoned; but now he was told that they were forthwith to he given up, and the reason was, that it would accelerate the mails if the communication were between Glasgow and Belfast. Now, he had some reason to believe that this change had not been made for such considerations, but for considerations purely political. He had recounted all the circumstances to the First Lord of the Admiralty, and yet he had stopped the improvement in these harbours altogether. He complained that if you went to the authorities at the Post Office on this subject, you were referred to the Admiralty; and if you went to the Admiralty, you were then referred to the Treasury; and that, after all, you got no material information for your pains. Their Lordships were then going to impose a rate in aid upon Ireland for the relief of the destitute. At present a number of poor persons were employed in improving the works of the harbour of Donaghadee; and if the present grant of 10,000l. were withdrawn, there must be a great increase of destitution in that vicinity. He was therefore of opinion that it would not be a wise economy to stop the communication between Ireland and Scotland which was now carried on by Port Patrick and Donaghadee. It was said that when the railways now in contemplation between Kirkcudbright and Wigton and the Caledonian Railway were completed, you might send letters to Dublin more quickly than by the present route. The noble Marquess read a letter on this 367 subject, and concluded by stating, that if he did not receive a satisfactory answer from the noble Marquess to his question, he should certainly move an address to Her Majesty, praying that She would be graciously pleased to give instructions that the works at Port Patrick and Donaghadee be continued.
§ The MARQUESS OF LANSDOWNEwould do no more on this occasion than give a brief answer to the question of the noble Marquess. The Government had satisfied itself that it would not be authorised in allowing any further expenditure for the harbours of Port Patrick and Donaghadee. Ministers were convinced that the communication between Ireland and Scotland could be carried on more rapidly and conveniently by Belfast and Glasgow than by Port Patrick and Donaghadee.
The MARQUESS OF CLANRICARDEhad no wish to disavow that he had advised the Treasury and the Admiralty to reduce these packet stations. Without saying a word upon the money expended upon them before, he would merely inform the House that there would be a clear saving of 4,000l. a year to the public, and the communication would be better carried on by a better channel. Any further expenditure on the harbours of Donaghadee and Port Patrick would only be throwing good money away after bad. The public had given a decided proof of what they thought the best means of communication; for the traffic and the passengers conveyed in the packets from Port Patrick to Donaghadee had been diminishing for some years past, whilst both had been increasing in the same time in the packets between Belfast and Glasgow.
The MARQUESS OF LONDONDERRYthought that the decision of the Government on this question had been hastily and incorrectly formed. Did the noble Marquess believe that if the railways were carried on from Port Patrick, the communication between Belfast and Glasgow would be more rapid than it would be in that case between Donaghadee and Glasgow? If the harbour at Port Patrick were not attended to, it would soon be filled up with sand.