1839.] 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



1.31 



the Joint Stock Companies, choosing the best lines for themselves, in the 

 first instance, and leaving others only the bones to pick, and eulogising 

 the conduct of the government in taking fat and lean together ; lo ! 

 we find at the last moment, that the teetotals do not like bone-picking 

 any more than any one else, and that their measures in the first instance 

 are to be restricted to the grand trunk lines ! The good-natured lord 

 very candidly admits that the line now proposed to be adopted is of 

 sufficient magnitude to test the value of the intended experiment. 

 Yes ! no question of that, for choosing one of the best lines, the govern- 

 ment will appeal to its productive results prepared to spend money, 

 and the non- paying lines also. With equal generosity and with all 

 forgetfulness of his former story, that "Jack Sprat could eat no fat," he 

 now very kindly expresses his intention of leaving a portion for private 

 enterprise. A work of true charity, stealingan ox and giving the hide 

 among the poor ! As an encouragement to the Englisli farmer, and 

 an inducement to the corn law supporters, he informs them that the 

 most striking benefit would be, the agricultural produce coming from 

 Tipperary, Cork, Limerick, Clare and Waterford. A very striking 

 feature truly, and one which may well prevail upon John Bull to 

 disburse the money for the procession, although to vidgar minds it 

 might appear more equitable, that if such landliolders are so fond of 

 giving locomotive powers to their cattle, that they might do it at tlieir 

 own expense. The principal inducement to commence the first line, 

 the ridiculous line from Dublin to Cork, is that there are neitlier canals 

 nor navigable rivers in tliat part of the country ! Perhaps the acumen 

 of another twenty-thousand- pound commission might enable the noble 

 lord to find a still more eligible site, one in wliioh there would not be 

 even any people at all ! As a bonus to the Liverpool people. Lord 

 Morpeth informs them, that his plan will open a communication between 

 the Lancashire manufacturing district, and the south of Ireland ; but 

 in the dregs we find that, as Cork is much resorted to by vessels trading 

 to America, it will be in effect facilitating the communication with 

 the United States. Cold comfort this for the Liverpuddlians, and it is 

 very doubtful whetlier this piping will have any efect in conciliating 

 their sweet voices. We should like to know, however, why Cork is to 

 be made an American port at the national expense, when no inter- 

 ference was exercised in the recent instance of Atlanticsteam navigation, 

 which by the means of private enterprise is so much promoting the 

 American trade of Bristol, and so competing with London and Liver- 

 pool. \Vc hear nothing either in these plans about any benefit which is 

 to accrue to the Soutli of England by these splendid plans, or what 

 possible inducement can be inged on them for their promotion. Surely 

 the Monster people might be satisfied with their agricultural trade 

 through Bristol, without forcing us to pay through the nose for giving 

 them an outlet to the north. The noble lord vaunts the disinterested- 

 ness of ministry, and their non-interference with the patronage of the 

 Irish Board of Works. We shall leave others to decide how this may 

 be, but it is a strong argument against the nonsense of superior 

 responsibility. The various ministerial arrangements would have the 

 effect, he trusted, of preventing a profuse expenditure of public money. 

 We should be very willing to believe this, but " wolf" has been cried so 

 often, and we have so many instances of tlieir extravagance before us, 

 that we regard them with the same eye that we do a prodigal son, 

 applying to his parents for another supply of money. It will be a very 

 great consolation to those companies, the merits of whicli have been 

 disparaged by the job-ation, that Lord Morpeth believes that the 

 operators have purposely underrated tlie amount of profits. A silver 

 plate on their coffins, or a statue to a poet dead of starvation, are just 

 about as gratifying as this testimony of the resources of Ireland, which 

 have been ruined in the eyes ofall capitalists. Tlie noble lord concluded 

 by developing a plan, which he had very probably received like the armour 

 of Achilles from his goddess mother, or perhaps froniQueonMab as a speci- 

 men of the manufactureof Messrs. Cobweb, Peasblossom,and Mustardseed. 

 England is not to advance one farthing, she is only to accept the bills, 

 and the security is most eligible, for if the drawers, ;. e. the railways, 

 do not pay, theamount is to be reimbursed by the Irish themselves. It 

 is needless to say, that this most fiimsy contrivance will only ensnare 

 people who like to be robbed with their eyes open, for there is no great 

 genuis required to foresee that the railway grants must go the way of 

 the tithe million, and so many other sums which wander like ghosts on 

 the Stygian shore, far from the land to which they owealh'giance. We 

 do not think it necessary to state the impression which this speech made 

 upon us, for in truth it was none at all, and we rather think that our 

 comments will make the greater impression of the two. 



Mr. Redington acknowledged that the committee were very candid 

 in their report as to his part of Ireland, for in page 43 they state, that 

 with respect to railways west%vard they had not thought it necessary, 

 under existing circumstances, to make any enquiry; being doubtless 

 engaged in the consideration of their jobs elsewhere, and not being de- 

 sirous of executing the purpose for whicli they were alleged to be ap- 



pointed, viz., to examine and decide upon a general system of rail- 

 ways. 



Sir Robert Peel combated the measures of the ministry with his 

 natuial talent, and the aptitude he had acquired from his commercial 

 connections. He pointedly remarked the scramble among the approved 

 candidates as to who should have the first finger in the pie, and urged 

 tliat if begun, tlie plan could only end in an extravagant expenditure 

 of English money. The principle, he said, was neither more nor less 

 than to take the capital of individuals in different parts of the country, 

 for the purpose of sanctioning one particular scheme. He asked why, 

 if poverty were to be admitted as a claim, Wales should not put in her 

 demand, because her customs returns were even smaller than those of 

 Ireland ? The real question, said he, is 



Whether or not it would be for the benefit of the country to teach it to rely 

 on the intervention and support of tlie government, or leave competition free, 

 and allow Ireland to follow the example of her neighbour, trusting for the 

 .same prosperity, and the same facilities of communication, to precisely the 

 same means which had insured them in England. He found in this report 

 ample proofs that if individuals in Ireland were enterprising and intelligent 

 tliey would succeed. What said the report with respect to a single individual 

 having every ditficulty to contend with V In order to convince him that it 

 would be proper for government to interfere in a else of this kind, a report 

 was produced having for its object to show how enormously profits and pros- 

 perity increased by opening railway communications. That was one object 

 of the report; and it did prove that position most conclusively. It took the 

 case apparently the most surrounded with difficulties, the least tempting 

 speculation any one could well imagine another individual to enter into ; it 

 took the case of a native of Milan with very little capital, who determined to 

 settle in the county town of Tipperary, undeterred by all the accounts of 

 violence, and all the prejudice which might operate against him — a foreigner, 

 single, unsupported, ignorant of the language, bringing intelligence and in- 

 dustry to individual enterprise, and acting by that love of profit which ac- 

 tuated all speculators ; and what was the result ? " With a capital little 

 exceeding the expense of the outfit, he commenced," says the report," running 

 a car between Clonmel and C'aliir," — then in a disturbed state. " Fortune, or 

 rather the due reward of industry and integrity, favoured his first efforts, and 

 he soon began to increase the number of his cars, and has now 94 public 

 carriages in constant work, and the distances traversed by them exceed 3,000 

 miles per day." " These results, '' said the report, " are the more striking 

 and instruutive, as having been accomplished in a district which has been long 

 represented as the focus of unreclaimed violence and barbarism, where neitlier 

 life nor property can be deemed secure." 



As to the absurd claim of deficiency of public works, Sir Robert 

 justly observes, that they might as well call for the establishment of 

 cotton factories in Ireland, because England has a great many, and 

 Ireland none. 



It really was a great insult to the people of Ireland to suppose that they 

 were not capable of appreciating the benefits of railroads, and that it was 

 necessary for a public department to introcuce among them all the improve- 

 ments whicli had taken place in that mode of communication. He knew how 

 plausible it appeared at first sight to advance English credit in support of 

 such an uuderlaking; but, although he took no objection in point of expense, 

 his firm belief v.-as, that the moment government interposed and supplied its 

 credit, it must inevitably disparage native intelligence, industry, and enter- 

 prise, besides being a most unfair interference with the capital already in the 

 field. 



The introduction of government capital, he said, was an unfair com- 

 petition, which no private individual could sustain, although he might 

 be ready to abide the consequences of fair contest with individuals or 

 public companies. Sir Robert calls ou the landholders of Ireland 

 themselves to execute these linos, if they are so convinced of their ad- 

 vantages, and boldly urged the moral bearing of the question. 



When they shall have done that, the moral improvement produced upon 

 the people of Ireland, from its landowners relying upon their exertions, will 

 exceed tenfold that which would be pioduccd by a Government Board with 

 enormous patronage, interposing in such a concern, and proceeding on the 

 old assumption, so much deprecated on the other side of the house, that the 

 inhabitants of Ireland are an inferior people. He called upon the govern- 

 ment consider well what ihey were about to do. Tlioy were reversing all the 

 principles on whicli they ordinarily relied. Tlicy asked the house to grant 

 municipal corporations to Ireland, on the ground that it would enable its in- 

 habitants to superintend and manage their own concerns, and yet, in the 

 pre.'ent instance, they called upon the members for, and indeed upon the 

 whole people of Ireland, to consent to their own disqualification in so impor- 

 tant a matter as the formation, construction, and supervision of theirrailroads, 

 and to abstain from doing those things for themselves, which had been done 

 in the poorer districts of Great Britain. 



The political consequences, and the manner in which the working 

 of this plan might be used as a cat's-paw, are shown with equal force. 



They would convince him that this measure would be for the permanent 

 impiovement of Ireland he would at once withdraw his opposition to it; but 

 if the cmplojTiicnt which it was lo give to the people of Ireland was only to 

 be temporary, and was merely meant as an adjunct to aid the operation of 



