England. We shall see tenants | the midst of abundance must be fall and Landlords fall; but we the consequence here as well as shall see no famine. The diffe-in Ireland, unless prevented by a rising of the poor and a forcible seizure of the food.

rence between England and Ireland is this. There the Landlord

་་

What would have been the consequence, if your Bill had been

comes, or Parson and Landlord come together, and they sweep away all. Here they would sweep passed, is much easier to imagine away all; but here is the Over- than it is to describe; but here we seer, who comes before them; who have a practical illustration of its comes monthly or weekly through-injustice, and especially of its exout the year, or as often as he cessive folly. What can be more pleases, and takes away from the unjust than any regulation, any land a certain portion of food suffi- law, which shall leave a part of the people exposed to starvation? Can law be said to exist in such a state of things? Will you, or will any Lawyer, have the front to tell me that man can be doomed to starvation according to law? Will you have the front to tell me that civil society is in existence with a large portion of the people dying with hunger in the midst of plenty? Or, is this what they mean when they talk of social

cient to prevent the poor from starving. In Ireland, where there is no Overseer; where there is nobody to arrest, in its progress to the Landlord and Parson, this portion of human sustenance, the poor creatures starve. And this is the true history of the famine in Ireland, where we now behold the

best possible proof of the wisdom

as well as of the justice of the

Poor Laws. If the Poor Laws were abolished in England, the order; and when George Rose farmer, would pay to the Landlord talked of the "blessed comforts of and the Parson that which he now our holy religion," did he mean pays to the poor, and famine in the rites performed by Parish

Priests over their starving flocks, starve. But, I have some excelwhile, from every port the ships lent allies, that have recently were carrying the food out of the joined me. There is no evil, they country? Was this what he say, without some good arising out meant? And did he congratulate of it; and even the famine in Ireus because we had secured these land seems to have produced a blessings from being taken from good; for it has brought Mr. WILus by the Atheistical French ? BERFORCE and Mr. BROUGHAM to

Malthus's project has been on be strenuous advocates; not for foot about five-and-twenty years. charity towards those who are in It has been a great favourite with distress, but for giving them relief Landlords and Parsons. It has as their right. A principle may been working its way, and trying be good, and the application of it to get into practice by degrees. bad, as we shall presently see; It produced the Select Vestry for the people in Ireland have by Bill. The Hampshire Parsons no means the same sort of right to were its great patrons; but it was relief from the English and Scotch your Bill that was to bring it into as the people of England have to efficient operation. Malthus con-relief from the lands on and about tends that the poor have no right which they live, and on and about to relief. I have proved, over which their labour is bestowed. and over again, that their right is much clearer than that of any man to his estate, being founded, as Blackstone says, in the " first whom I have a crow to pluck, reprinciples of civil society." And lative to this matter. On the 27th certainly, if there be a principle, of June, during the conversation, that stands before all others, it is in the collective, about the famine this, that, as long as there be food in Ireland, Mr. WILBERFORCE in the community, no man shall said, that the grants for relief

But now let us hear Mr. WILBERFORCE and Mr. BROUGHAM, and particularly the latter, with

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ought not to be looked upon as then, indeed, there may be some proceeding" from generosity but meaning in his simile; for, we "from justice; as in a ship with well know, that they have a supers "short allowance, it would not be abundance; because, all the time "thought generosity for those who of this famine, they are sending "had a superfluity to share it thousands of quarters of corn "with the famished crew." This every week to England!

was a bad simile, Mr. Wilber

Mr. BROUGHAM improved upon

force a bad illustration of the Mr. WILBERFORCE, and said, that case; for, if there be a superfluity the grant ought not to be under

stood as a favour, but as matter of right, and that he would have

in the ship and belonging to the ship, there can be no "short allowance." If you mean, that pas-it so proclaimed to the nation.

sengers may have a superfluity, though the ship's stores may run short, that is another matter; but, in that case, what right have the

Now, then, what was this claim? It was a claim of the Irish, they being in want, to be fed by the English, out of taxes raised upon captain and his crew to come to all classes of the people; upon the passengers, who have paid the labourer mind, as well as their money for being conveyed; upon the lord; and to relief and who have a right to a well-from this source, the Irish, heing fed crew to convey them? The in want, had a right. Mr. fault is in the Commander, whose BROUGHAM recollects, perhaps, duty it was to be amply provided. that, during the season of SixIf, indeed, Mr. Wilberforce re-Acrs, that same season, during gards those parts and persons, in which you called me a "conIreland, who have a superfluity; temptible scribbler," though I had if he regards these as passengers, never mentioned you in the whole

course of my life; Mr. BROUGHAM

thing for the services of the crew; recollects, perhaps, that, during

that season, he took occasion to few months after the publication pronounce a high eulogium upon of my letter to Malthus, of which the project of Malthus, and on I shall always be proud, and the humanity of those who es- more proud than of any thing poused his, what I deemed, dia- else I ever did or can do; for in bolical project. He talked of that letter I proved, as clear as the distress arising "from the daylight, the right of the labourer "great increase of population to marry, to have children, to be beyond that of subsistence," and relieved out of the land, in case he added, "one of the worst ef- of want, arising from sickness or "fects of the worst part of the other calamity or from want of 86 press was its constant exertions employment.

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Parson Malthus

had a great number of adherents ;. but no one to answer that letter, except by this fling in the House of Commons. I do not think Mr.

BROUGHAM has much to do; let him answer the letter now; he will find it

published on the 8th May 1819. Let him answer that letter; and there will need no more hinting

"the kindest feelings towards "their fellow-men, had delivered in Vol. 34 of the Register, No. 33, "sound and sensible opinions "upon this subject." He afterwards went on to say that such writings tended to render a man and flinging about the matter. unpopular who should espouse He appears to have laid by his these kind schemes. He afterHe after-" Education Digest;" and as wards said that he feared nothing there is legal distress I am was to be done, till the distress happy to know, he may have had subsided.

Now, Lawyer Scarlett, these kind observations were made a

some leisure; some hour or two, at any rate, to spare. I'll engage he has ten times more leisure

time in a week than it took me amiable and kind-hearted crea to write that letter. It has been tures. I will not content myself three years without an answer, with representation. I will take though the Edinburgh Reviewers the words of the great Malthus have been alive all the time, and himself. Not his speculations; not are not yet quite dead, though his theories; but his practical sinking fast to the grave. If measure; his proposition of the those writings (and mine were thing to be done; bis proposal of the only writings upon the sub- a law; and when we see it, we ject), have done such mischief, shall see how it squares with this why not put them down by doctrine of right of relief, which answer, by exposure, by refuta- this same Mr. BROUGHAM has tion Yet, never has there now conjured up for the benefit been one attempt of this kind. of the Irish.

Before I cite this proposition

I shall by-and-by have to examine this doctrine of the let me observe, that, at the time. increase of population beyond when Malthus wrote chis book, subsistence; but, first of all, here the Boroughmongers began to is Mr.BROUGHAM condemning me; be alarmed at the increase of

the poor rates. They boasted of

calling mine the worst part of the press, on account, of my constant wonderful national prosperity; exertions to shake the opinions wonderful ease and happiness; of men with regard to the doc- wonderful improvements in agritrines of Malthus, and charging culture and manufactures; wonme with taking great pains to derful increase of imports and destroy the characters of those exports; wonderful increase of amiable and kind-hearted persons education and comforts amongst who had espoused those doctrines. the "lower orders; " but still, Let us, then, now see what were with all this increase of comfort, the doctrines espoused by those the poor rates wonderfully in