arony of
Ballina, 6,400 processes have been entered, of which 4,000 are at the
suit of the landlords for rent. The same letter further states,
that--"these proceedings have almost depopulated the country, the people
having fled with all they possessed to prevent their property being
seized, or themselves thrown into prison, under decrees. There are
districts in this barony where the townlands hitherto occupied by 400 or
500 persons are now uninhabited." This, he said, may account, perhaps,
for some of the thousands landed on the quays of Liverpool from the
Irish steamers; and if the same course were to be generally pursued, I
should despair of the country ever being relieved.

Towards the close of the debate, Sir Robert Peel spoke against the Bill,
and made one of those weak, hollow, plausible speeches for which he was
justly famous. His two chief objections against it were--(1), that they
had not the money to spend which Lord George Bentinck asked for, and (2)
if they had, he doubted if they could not find a way of spending it more
profitably for Ireland. He doubted:--yes, his habit was to kill every
measure he did not approve of by doubts and fears. When Lord John
Russell, at the beginning of the Session, proclaimed the determination
of his Government to take in hand the reclamation of the waste lands of
Ireland, and said he would begin by allocating for that purpose the, not
extravagant, sum of L1,000,000, Sir Robert, in his blandest accents,
expressed a hope that the noble lord would _pause_ before spending so
much money on such an object. Now, it is railways, Lord George Bentinck
asks the Government to lend, not the public money, but the national
credit, to raise a loan for extending railway accommodation, and save
the lives of the people; but Sir Robert tells him England has not the
money for such a purpose, and if she had, his idea was that some other
way of spending it could be devised, which would be more beneficial to
Ireland; but he did not favour the House with what, according to his
views, that better way was.

Some weeks later, the Chancellor of the Exchequer introduced a Bill,
empowering the Government to lend the paltry sum of L620,000 to Irish
railways, which Sir Robert also opposed, saying that "the measure of
Lord George Bentinck was free from some of the objections which forcibly
applied to the present measure." He offered no objection to the giving
of money to Ireland, as a pauper, but he would giv