„ denied only by those who would close theirs ears against unimpeachable testimony, and their eyes against scenes of rare and unexampled suffering. We did hope, however, that the calamity might not have been en -tirely as appalling as it was represented. 32 But the "first meeting of our Committee has entirely dissipated those flattering hopes. The state of the people in the various districts of Mayo was patiently and dispassionately considered. Instead of indefinite representa1tions of distress, to which we resolved not to listen, we have been furnished with an accurate census of the inhabitants of many districts, together with the quantity of provisions with which they were supplied; and the most 1 stubborn unbelievers in the present public - calamity" maya be furnished with adequate proofs of its truth fa

ག་ མ མ ། པར

horrible as this. Ah! I do thank God, that Englishmen would not live upon

potatoes. "We not live upon po

EMIGRATION WORK.

that the pensioners are to have no further claim to their pensions.

Now I do not know that this statement "tatoes We I live upon po- is true; but if it be true it is another of the "tatoes!" And they things, another of those many thousands potatoes. But, the Irish are too happy of things, which call aloud to the people to get the accursed root! The accursed to take into their own hands, by means root is sent them as a blessing. There of honest and diligent representatives, was an Irish yagabond, who, last winter, the management of their own money. expressed his indignation at the refrac- But can such a thing be legal even tory conduct of the English labourers, now? We will talk of the expediency when they were "living in such comfort, of it by-and-by; but can it be lawful compared with those of Ireland." Ah! thus to expend the people's money vagabond, you will not talk thus in two without the authority of an Act of Paryears' time. There must be an end to liament? Can any Paymaster, or this: it cannot go on much longer. It Commissioner, or any-body else, warrant is for the people of England to choose the First Lord of the Treasury in issu a parliament that shall put an end to ing our money to pay pensions in adthis dreadful state of things. vance? The law authorises the pay ment of a pension; but it authorises only the annual payment. If the Ministry can take upon themselves, without any law for the purpose, to pay a pack of these fellows in advance, it is Ir has been stated in the newspapers, clear that they can take upon themselves and accounts from Chelsea make me be- to pay other pensioners' in advance; lieve it to be true, that there is an emi-and as there seems to be some notion gration of military pensioners going on that the Lord and Lady Pension List from Chelsea, and of the out-pensioners may possibly be swept away, in a year too. If these people choose to go away, or two, why may not the Ministry pay Amen, say I This is what my la four years' pension in advance to any bourers, proposed to the Parliament, in of their own relations or friends, who their petition of March, 1830. They happen to be upon that List; and if thought that the whole of the dead- four years in advance, why not twenty weight might be shipped off with ad- years in advance? This never can be vantage, and that the people who work legal; I do not say that the thing ought to be suffered to remain. How has been done, or is to be done but ever, it is very well for these common if it be, it never can be legalo soldier pensioners to go; for never will the Ministers can p pay four years' pen they work; at most, but one in twenty sion in advance to Tom Clodpole, the ever earns a half of what he devours. late common soldier, why cannot they But if if the newspaper statements be pay four years, or any number of years' true, there is a condition of their emi-pension in advance to the whole of the gration which I deem an act of crying injustice to the industrious part of the nation. The statement is this that ships are engaged to go, some to VAN DIEMEN'S LAND, and others to the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA; that the pensioners are to go in these ships; that the Government is to pay them tico years' pension in advance before they sail, and another two years pension on their landing in Van Devil's Land, or in the United States of America; and

eight thousand (I think it is) of officers on half-pay and why not pay the widows in advance also, and pay every widow for a number of years, according to the fancy of the paymastervor the Minister? In short, do they mean to say that it is lawful for them snow to pay in advance the pensioner of esthe Countess Dowager of MonÊN TỔNG C of Mrs. Fox, or her oddaghters, y busóf CANNING' Sister 198 Dosthed medqosq say this, and look This1nition in the

445

21ST MAY, 1831

they find law for paying the above-adding to the rich for the purpose of

いい

face at the same time? An
And, if they and put into that of the Americans; just
allow this to be unlawful, where do so much laid out for the purpose of
power of that
mentioned persons their pay in ad- rival country, and for the purpose of
vance? I do not say that the thing is diminishing the riches and the power
done, and I hope that it is not, and that of England.
it will not be done; but if it be, here Oh, but you get rid of these men and
is work in arrear already cut out for a their families; you relieve this country
reformed Parliament. Now for the from a parcel of women and children
expediency of the thing. If these pen- that would become paupers, and add to
sioners be hale and young men, and the surplus population which Peter
have the use of their limbs, to give Thimble, who is the great light, which
them a pension at all has been a most the Ministers appear to follow, has
scandalous thing. The war has been shown to be the only cause of our
over seventeen years. Nobody would manifold calamities and troubles. Get
scarcely be so impudent, so profligate, rid of them, do you? You get rid of
as to give a soldier (unless made a the pension, indeed, by the relinquish-
cripple in the service) a pension under ment, which I suppose the pensioner is
fifteen years' service; and it formerly to sign; but, far, indeed, are you from
was twenty years. Fifteen and seven-getting rid of him; for, what is to
teen make thirty-two; so that, unless prevent him when he has landed in the
there has been profligacy enormous in United States, and has got the seventy-
the granting of these pensions, the pen-seven pounds in his pocket, from com-
sioners must either be crippled or ing back again immediately, which he
blinded, or be, on an average, fifty years can do for ten dollars a head for him-
of age. Go to an actuary, and ask him self and wife, and three dollars for each
how many years' purchase such a pen-of his children. A man and his family
sion is worth; and you will find that, can come back at any time for six
upon an average, he would not say that pounds; so that, back they come with
they were worth three years' purchase,
besides the interest of the money; and,
besides, upon the eve of having a Par-
liament to whom it ought to be left to
decide, with regard to the durability of
these pensions.

seventy pounds in their pocket, having
spent one pound in grog to drink
health and success to Peter Thimble.
Better, then, give the man the seventy-
seven pounds a year. Ah! says Thim-
ble, but then he will spend it, and then
But this is far from being all. If come to the parish. But, Peter, will
the pension be a shilling a day, it he not spend it after he comes back
amounts to eighteen pounds, five shil- from America? no: he will not; for
lings a year; and the four years' pen- he will spend it there, and then he will
sions amount to seventy-seven pounds. come back. If you send a thousand of
Suppose a thousand of these pensioners them to America, no one out of the
to be paid in advance, here are seventy-thousand will ever go to work. They
seven thousand pounds, just about equal will get drunk, and live drunk, and
to a year's poor-rates for the whole of their wives will flaunt about in Peel's
the county of Bedford. But what is to
become of this money? If taken to
Van Diemen's Land, it is very hard to
conceive how it is ever to do any good
to those who work and toil and sweat
to pay taxes in England, out of which
taxes this money is to be taken; but if
it go to the United States, then it is
clearly so much of the earnings of the
people of England sent to that country;
just so much taken out of our bucket

rotten cottons till every penny is gone. If they get there in the winter, they will blaspheme until the month of March against the piercing cold weather. If they go in the spring, they will blaspheme all the summer against the sun: man and wife will join in an affidavit, if you choose, that the country is not fit for a Christian to live in. Back they will come, without one single farthing in their pockets; some

EMIGRATION WORK.

448

Englishman having, out of charity, paid them in this respect? And if the Parthe American Captain for bringing liament make this adjustment, which it them overjinn London (or Liverpool must make, or else it will soon be rethey land, and to the overseer of the formed again, what a pretty figure will parish they imaiediately go He passes those make who have paid these double them on to their parish; and, perhaps, pensions four years in advance! They here is a charge of ten or fifteen pounds, will then have need of all the profundity or more, for the unfortunate parish to and acuteness of their great master, Peter pay. Reproaches upon the head of the Thimble, to extricate them from their gallant old soldier are useless; he and difficulty. vode arouwe zalbas edito his family must be maintained, and maintained they will be; and this is tunity of exhorting the Ministers to In conclusion, let me take this oppor. the result of the profound political abandon all their projects for getting rid philosophy of Peter Thimble and his of the people of England. The projects desciples. The deed of relinquishment will fail, to a certainty; and if they is a silencer for the gallant Gentleman could succeed, they would only bring at Chelsea; but it is a piece of waste ruin and disgrace upon the kingdom. paper in the hands of the overseer of What is the spectacle which we now the poor, at fou Those who are stupid enough to go bourers in agriculture to be found; all behold Hardly a sufficiency of lato Van Devilman's land may find it dif- are busy: the higher ficult to get back again; but old brought them upon the lands, away soldiers know how to get over difficul- from the infernal stone-pits and crackties: they won't be frightened at the ing-hammers. While this is the case thought or the sight of the seas: give with regard to them, the working peo them some grog, and the winds may ple in this great place, who provide the blow and the thunders roll for them; articles of luxury, are experiencing, in short, they will get back again even from that country; but as for those who go to the United States, their expedition will consist merely of carrying seventy-seven pounds each of English taxes to be given to the Americans, and the having what they themselves call a GLORIOUS DRUNK.00 GbR BEIN

have

though in this best season of the year, want of employment most extensive, and proportionate suffering; and why? because the money detained in the country for wages deducts from the quantity of money that came here in rents and tithes, and in the purchase of However, this measure is, as I said ers. Here is a lesson worth a whole luxuries for the employers of the labourbefore, only one of many thousands, series of lessons from Peter Maculloch which, if it be really carried into effect, and his cousin, Peter Thimble. There a Reformed Parliament will have to is no surplus population of working peooverhaul. What! are we to labour here|ple employed in works of utility: there like horses, to raise heaps of money to is not a man of them too many; norda be given to these men, that they may woman nor a boy nor a girl too manys carry it to foreign lands? Are we to the surplus population, consists of toil for the raising of money to be thus placemen, pensioners, men, womenand bestowed, to be thus paid even before children; sinecurists, men, women and there is any pretence of its being due? children; grantees of both sexes and of Since the time when the amount of all ages, from DADDY COKE down to these pensions was fixed, money has the children of Lord Rosslynd date been more than doubled in value. Will foreign ambassadors, blatesconsuls, a Reformed Parliament be so unjust to late commissioners, retired clerks of its constituents as not to restore the descriptions and numbers infiniter equilibrium; will it be so wicked as not dead weight men, women and children, to make an equitable adjustment will swallowing up millions a year, not fe the people exact no pledges from their getting the nice little bunch that we pay new representatives to do justice to inunover, and ouot forgetting the

"

French and the Dutch that we still pay. EGERTON in Cheshire, Lord NORROYS

I might go on for a whole page; but here is enough as a specimen; and Peter Thimble, who says that the Government must be overturned unless English ploughmen can be brought back to the infernal potatoes, or can be sent out of the country; Peter never proposes to thin the population of any of the endless swarms above described. Ah! but there will be men that will propose to thin those swarms before this day two years. And those men will have the nation at their back in phalanx as firm as the Ministers have it now for the purpose of making the Reform.

REFORM BILL.

PROBABLE CONDUCT OF THE HOUSE
OF LORDS.

in Oxfordshire, STEWART in Bedfordshire; to see in eleven counties of England the sort of hereditary Members drop down, as it were, in a fit of despair, and not to tender a yote, nor to attempt it, is more and far more than I could possibly expect. FLEMING in Hampshire was, to be sure, a mere mushroom in himself; but HEATHcore was one of the hereditary Members. The latter did not dare, offer himself; and the former did not dare go to the poll. But to see old BANKES; the old fixture of the House of Commons, to see him beaten in the most disgraceful manner, and that, too, by a member of the WELLINGTON administration, who turned about only about six days before the Parliament was dissolved; to see old BANKES, who for more than forty years has been the favourite supporter of PITT and his proFIRST, however, a few observations geny; to see this old money-drawer for with regard to the elections. If, before the British Museum; to see this man these elections took place, it was ex-cast aside for Calcraft, was really too pected that a great number of those much to expect. The putting down of who before voted for the second read-VyVYAN is not a trifle, but the turning ing of the bill would, when the danger out of LYGON, the pulling down of the of dissolution was passed, turn about proud family of Beauchamp, is certainly and vote against it; if this was sus- the glory of the cause. TYRRELL, in pected before the elections took place, Essex, is signal, on account of the man and I did suspect it, that suspicion whom the people have preferred before would be removed, and has been re- him. To those who fell down in the moved, by the conduct of the people fit, we must add COTTERELL, of Hereduring these elections. Who could fordshire, and the insufferably proud have expected that which we have BEAUFORTS in Gloucestershire. seen? I expected the people to act these are things which we could not well; I expected them to answer the expect; and the good of it is, that call which the Ministers made upon these things are only a foretaste of that them to bestir themselves; but one which is to come. For the people have cannot bring one's mind to keep pace now, in showing their power, their with the people who have been long sense, and their courage, had but oppressed, and who have risen in all one simple object in view, namely, that their native energy to put an end to of securing the passing of the Reform their oppressions. I expected great Bill. They have not, in all cases, taken disinterestedness; I expected to see the men of their choice; there was not men break through their trammels, and time for that. They seem to have said, to set self and all selfish considerations in every case, "No matter what he is, at defiance; but to see KNATCHBULL in so that he will vote for the bill." But Kent, DICKENSON in Somersetshire, when they come to choose the men that ACLAND in Devonshire, PALMER in are to relieve them from their intoleraBerkshire, CHAPLIN in Lincolnshire, ble burdens, they will very well MANNERS in Leicestershire, PATTEN in the characters and abilities of those men. Lancashire, DUNCOMBE in Yorkshire, They will have new pledges to propose;

"

Why,

canvass

: