POSTSCRIPT.
SATURDAY NIGHT.
The business in Parliament last night was of a very miscellaneous and the speaking of a desultory kind. The Lords sat for a very short time.
In the House of Commons, the greater part of the evening was spent in Committee on the Poor-relief (Ireland) Bill. Before going into Committee, however, Mr. CALLAGHAN and Mr. Sn.sw made some explanations respect- ing Mr. Courtenay, the gentleman who had been charged with keeping seventy dogs at Mallow, and doing nothing for the poor. It is now stated that; Mr. Courtenay has never kept more than twelve dogs; within the last twelve months he has kept none; he expends 251. or 301. a week in the employment of agricultural labour in the neighbourhood where he lives; and has given 151. to the poor of Mallow. Lord JOHN RUSSELL paid an emphatic compliment to the noble and munificent subscriptions now made in the United States of North America for the benefit of the Irish poor.
The House went into Committee. The first clause of the bill directs re- lief to be given in or out of the workhouse to persona "permanently " dis- abled from sickness, infirmity, or other MUSSEL Mr. POULETT SuROPE moved the omission of the word " permanent," considering that it would ex- clude from relief three-fourths of the infirm persons whom it was most de- sirable to relieve out of the house. There was a very animated discussion upon this proposal; which was opposed by most of the Irish Members, by Ministers, and by the leading ex-Ministers, as likely to occasion abuse. Eventually, following up a suggestion by Sir ROBERT PEEL, Lord JOHN RUSSELL said that he would not consent to leave out the word "perma- nent," but he had no objection to consider if words might not be introduced which would meet the case of a father of a family reduced to utter desti- tution. On that assurance Mr. POULETT SCROPE withdrew his motion.
In the course of this discussion Sir ROBERT PEEL incidentally touched upon a future question— He had remarked that the mere pecuniary effect of the measure was less im- portant than the moral effect which it might have on those who had to earn their living by labour in Ireland; for to familiarize the Irish with reliance on parochial relief would inflict an injury on their country, would demoralize them, and would be felt as a calamity even by England. It had, however, been very truly said, that little dependence was to be placed on the permanent effect of voluntary sub- scriptions; and, upon the whole, he could not help coming to this conclusion, that a much more stringent measure than the present Poor-law would be neces- sary to meet the pressure of the existing emergency. He was perfectly ready to cooperate in trying any rational and promising experiment having that object in View: always bearing in mind that it should be an experiment not so much in- tended to affect property as to operate on the habits of the people. Clause 2 empowers the Commissioners to authorize out-door relief should workhouses be full. Mr. SHAW enlarged upon the portentous diffi- culty of supporting 3,000,000 persons by public charity; and he moved that the clause be struck out. Lord JOHN RUSSELL defended the clause at considerable length. The present amount of destitution is not to be taken as the usual state of Ireland. Irish labourers prove apt at various employments in England, Belgium, and elsewhere; and he saw no reason why they should not apply their capacity for useful labour to their own land. He anticipated that the Poor-law would have similar effects on social order, industry, and commerce, to that which it has had in England. The impatience of the House now became excessive and clamorous; some other speakers addressed the House almost inaudibly, the increasing tu- mult reducing their speeches to dumb show. Eventually the clause was affirmed by 242 to 36.
The Committee adjourned about a quarter to one o'clock, until Monday.
Earlier in the evening, Mr. BORTHWICK referred to certain rumours re- specting the conduct of the French in the Mediterranean— Those rumours asserted that an arrangement had been agreed to between the Governments of France and Spain, in virtue of which a French military hospital, protected by an adequate guard, was to be or had been established in Port Mahon, on the Isla del Rey, or some other spot. It was added that a coal-depot was also to be established, on a ground which every one acquainted with the navigation referred to would see was transparently absurd,—namely, that it was required for the supply of the steamers which ran between France and her African settle- ments. After referring to the vast military, and naval preparations which France is making in a time of peace, Mr. Borthwick asked Lord Palmerston whether he had any official information of the kind ? Lord PALMERSTON replied, that Government had received no official in- formation tending to confirm the report to which Mr. Borthwick had re- ferred; but that, on the contrary, the general tendency of the information which Government •had received would lead them to imagine that that re- port was unfounded.
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