LORD DUFFERINsaid, he desired to offer an explanation of the part which he had taken in recommending Mr. Young to the First Minister for a pension, as it appeared to have been alluded to in "another place" on Friday night. To the best of his recollection he did not sign the memorial, but he wrote a letter in support of it. Having recently paid a visit to Derry he had naturally taken an interest in the historical associations of the town, and in that way he became acquainted with Mr. Young, who had published a very interesting volume of poems, the greater portion of which were not original; but which he had collected, edited, and annotated with considerable care. There were pieces in this volume of great interest to the historian and antiquary. In the same volume were other poems written by Mr. Young, of no very considerable merit, but inoffensive and evincing a certain amount of intelligence, which was the more worthy of notice as he had been a working artisan, and had raised himself by his own exertions. Upon his return home he received a letter from Mr. Young stating that he was in distressed circumstances, and that owing to his advanced years he was no longer able to support himself by manual labour. He (Lord Dufferin) retained so pleasing a recollection of Mr. Young's book, and of the real and bonâ fide value of his contribution to the literature of the Province, that he was induced to afford him some pecuniary assistance—a circumstance to which he might appeal for the purpose, showing the sincerity of his opinion. It was afterwards represented to him that Mr. Young's friends were anxious to present to the Treasury a memorial requesting that a 455 pension of moderate amount might be granted to Mr. Young, so as to keep him out of the poorhouse. It had been said that unless a person felt himself justified in contributing individually to the assistance of an indigent man, he had no right to recommend that the State should do so. He, however, was perfectly convinced in his own mind that Mr. Young had in his humble sphere made a very tangible and valuable addition to the literature of the North of Ireland, and it was this ground that disposed him to accede to the request which was made to him. That disposition, moreover, was confirmed by the fact that the memorial contained the signatures not only of Protestant magistrates and citizens of Derry, but of the Roman Catholic Bishop of Derry, and of a great number of Roman Catholic magistrates and citizens of the district. Anyone acquainted with the North of Ireland must be aware that it was not a common occurrence for those two classes to act in concert; and the natural inference would be that works which had obtained the commendation of both of them must possess considerable merit. It was on that account, as well as on account of the personal consideration in which he was held by his fellow-citizens, and of the literary character of the book, that he had felt himself justified in recommending Mr. Young for a pension. He should be inclined to urge upon the noble Earl (the Earl of Derby) the propriety of persisting in the course which, as he understood, had been adopted, were it not for a circumstance which, he was sorry to say, had been brought under the notice of the other House, but which had not come within his own knowledge—namely, that immediately after the pension was granted Mr. Young's friends adopted the extraordinary proceeding of destroying his works. If that were true, it was a very ill-advised act, and reflected great discredit on those who advised it; but if it were not true, it certainly ought to be contradicted.
§ THE EARL OF DERBYThe noble Lord opposite has an advantage, if it be so considered, over me, inasmuch as he is acquainted with Mr. Young's works, whereas I have not read a single line of them, with the exception of some quotations which have been read elsewhere, and which have certainly not impressed me with a very high opinion of his poetical genius. It is perfectly true, as has been stated by the noble Lord, that I received various memorials in favour of this gentle- 456 man, stating that he was originally in very humble life, and that he had made a valuable contribution to the literature of the North of Ireland. I found that he was in pecuniary difficulties, and I had recommendations from both Roman Catholics and Protestants stating that the tendency of his works was to inculcate obedience to the law and good feeling between all classes of the community, and that there was considerable merit in many of his productions. Indeed, there could not have been a stronger testimonial. I may here take the opportunity of stating that the amount of the fund at the disposal of the Crown has been rather exaggerated in the discussion which has taken place elsewhere, inasmuch as the whole sum which can be granted in any one year is not £1,500, but £1,200; and I can assure your Lordships that there is no more painful task than to have to decide on the various claims which are made, it being in many cases impossible to make an adequate grant. No doubt, claims are occasionally made in which the persons concerned have not sufficient merit to deserve a pension; but in the present case I cannot accuse myself of any want of caution. Considering the recommendations which were given by the Roman Catholic Bishop, the Protestant Bishop, and by gentlemen of the highest character of every party and persuasion, I cannot think that I acted incautiously in assigning him the small pension of £40 to save him from the workhouse. It has been said, indeed, elsewhere that those who have to dispense these pensions ought to make themselves personally acquainted with the works on behalf of which they are claimed. I can only say that such an examination of works by various authors on various subjects—philosophical, chymical, historical, political, and literary—would occupy very much more time than, in the situation which I have the honour to hold, I have to dispose of; and, if I did not grant a pension without making myself personally acquainted with the works of the claimants, the result would be to leave a considerable surplus even in the small sum of £1,200 which is at my disposal. I can only do the best in my power, by acting on what appears to be the trustworthy evidence of persons who have the means of knowing the character and merits of those whose cases are recommended to my consideration.
§ EARL STANHOPEdid not think the 457 noble Earl open to censure, considering the strong terms of the memorials which he received from persons of various persuasions and parties; but he could not help thinking that those who signed the memorial were not wholly free from blame, and the noble Lord opposite (Lord Dufferin) would excuse him if he did not regard his explanation as on all points satisfactory. The noble Lord had stated that the volume which he read was not written, but simply edited and annotated by Mr. Young, and he could not think that such a volume was sufficient to entitle him to a pension. It must be remembered that only a limited amount was available, so that if grants were improperly made, an injustice was inflicted on those whose claims were well founded. He thought the signatures to the memorial had been attached without sufficient consideration, and such a laxity was neither just to the Government nor to the public.
LORD DUFFERIN, in explanation, said, that Mr. Young's labours had not been confined to the particular volume alluded to by the noble Earl. That volume, however, contained some of the most spirited ballads he had ever read, which otherwise might have perished or would not have been accessible to the public; and very often a greater service was rendered by such labours than by the publication of original works. He quite agreed that great care ought to be exercised in signing memorials, for not a week elapsed without his being asked to affix his name to such documents; but he had been careful not to mislead the Government or to overstate Mr. Young's merits, and in the letter which he wrote he simply stated that he thought Mr. Young deserving of a small pension, having always understood him to be a very respectable person, and that he had conducted himself in a highly creditable manner.