April 21st 1828.

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Emancipation.—­Will oppose it, (April 1828,) unless he sees a great change in the government.

There is no person in this house, whose feelings and sentiments, after long consideration, are more decided than mine are, with respect to the subject of the Roman Catholic claims; and I must say, that until I see a very great change in that question, I certainly shall continue to oppose it.

April 28th, 1828.

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State of the Poor in Ireland.

I am thoroughly convinced that no part of his Majesty’s dominions so imperiously requires the constant and particular attention of his Majesty’s servants as Ireland does.  A noble earl has stated that there are in Ireland 8,000,000 of people, the situation of 6,000,000 of whom demands inquiry.  He has told your Lordships likewise, that all the wealth of Ireland is not sufficient to give employment to those people.  Now, certainly, I cannot but think that this is an exaggerated statement on the part of the noble earl.

It cannot be supposed that there are 6,000,000 of the Irish population who require employment—­I cannot admit that the whole of those people are unemployed.  It is not true that they suffer this distress at all times,—­it is not true that they suffer the same degree of distress in different years; but it is unquestionably true, that they do suffer great distress at various periods, owing to the casualties of the seasons, and to the particular species of food on which they subsist.  Such is the plain fact.  The noble earl has stated, that the people are able to procure that sort of food on which they chiefly live, at the rate of three-farthings a stone.  Now, really, if those people do not suffer distress, except that which is occasioned by the untowardness of the seasons; if those 6,000,000 of people can get provisions at the price mentioned by the noble earl, in favourable seasons,—­it does appear to me that the case hardly calls for inquiry, except at a time when their food has failed in consequence of an unproductive season.  But then the noble earl has asserted that the distress arises from want of work, and that it would take more than all the wealth of Ireland to procure employment for the people.  “Let us then,” said the noble earl, “relieve the sick, the lame, the aged, and the impotent.”  The noble earl has said, that one of the great evils of Ireland is want of capital; but I must beg leave to tell the noble earl, that profusion of capital alone will not prevent the existence of a numerous body of poor, and to prove the fact let the noble earl look to the situation of England.  There is no want of capital in this country; the noble earl has told your lordships that there are invested here L9,000,000 of capital belonging to Ireland alone; and yet, with all this capital, the support of the poor required last year amounted to no less than L7,000,000 of rates.