Punch (12.1847)

Vol. XIT.1

INTRODUCTION.

[Janttaey to June, 1847.

PaOe

to the Duke of Montpensieb has given rise to a corre-
spondence between ray Government and those of France and
Spain.

" The extinction of the free state of Cracow has appeared to
me to be so manifest a violation of the Treaty of Vienna, that I
bave commanded tbat a protest against that act should be
delivered to the Courts of Vienna, Petersburgh, and Berlin,
which were parties to it. Copies of these several Papers will
be laid before yon."

The Government met the Irish difficulty loldly and hu-
manely, and immediately gave employment to above 450,000
persons, and sent over large supplies of food, which they
stipulated should be paid for in part at some future time. A
large sum was voted to complete the Irish Railways, and
other measures of relief were proposed and carried. A Bill
of Indemnity for the past proceedings of the Irish Adminis-
tration, was carried without a division after the slightest
opposition. The amount of Irish relief amounted, in one way
or the other, to about seven millions, and a Poor Law was
projected which appeared to give general satisfaction. Me.
Smith O'Beien was vehement in his denunciations of English
misrule, and attributed much of the existing misery in
Ireland to that cause. Among other proposals was one for the
cultivation of waste lands, and which met with a cold reception
from many of the Irish Members and Sir R,obebt Peel.
Me. O'Connell proposed to levy an income-tax on Irish
landlords, and declared that there were over three millions of

the population in a starving condition, and yet he continued
to collect his " rent." The Corn and Navigation Laws were
suspended in order to facilitate the means of procuring an
immediate supply of food from other countries, all parties
voting for the resolutions. A proposal to remove the duties
on sugar, so that it might be used in the distilleries in
lieu of corn, met with much opposition from Loed Stanley
and those acting with him, but his Lordship's amendment was
defeated by 37 to 25. The Chancelloe of the Excheqtjee
proposed a loan of eight millions to meet these extraordinary
demands upon the Government, and the resolutions were
agreed to very readily. Several other measures were passed,
among them the Bill for Limiting the Hours of Labour in
Factories, the Limited Enlistment Bill, Public Education
Grant, and the Bishopric of Manchester Bill.

Certain resolutions proposed by Me. Httme, on the annex-
ation of Cracow by Austria, occasioned a very interesting
debate, which it would be impossible to summarise in the
space allotted, and it must suffice to say, that all parties agreed
that a great wrong had been committed. There was little
else in the proceedings of Parliament worthy of notice. Loed
Moepeth having deferred his Bill for the Sanitary Regulation
of the Health of Towns (and which was violently opposed by
the Corporation of London), the important measure relating to
the owners of Encumbered Estates in Ireland was also post-
poned, and the Parliament was dissolved on the 23rd of Julv
by the Queen in person.