440 POLITICAL CAREER. 



it in a letter to Mr Croker, " of the Queen's cousin," 

 which, if sent at once to New York, might have 

 brought back 100,000 quarters of grain, and saved 

 a large proportion of a million Irish lives, sacrificed 

 through the ladies of the Government. 



Undoubtedly Lord George, if he had ever held 

 high office, would have been a favourite with the 

 Irish. It was his earnest desire, following the lead 

 of Mr Pitt and Mr Canning, to provide stipends 

 for the Roman Catholic clergy in Ireland ; and, as 

 I have already stated, he proposed to advance 

 16,000,000 to be expended in Ireland on railways 

 and other public works. 



In 1848 the parliamentary session opened with 

 a motion, brought forward by Lord George, asking 

 for a Select Committee to " inquire into the present 

 condition and prospects of the interests connected 

 with and dependent on sugar and coffee planting 

 in her Majesty's East and West Indian possessions, 

 and in Mauritius ; and to consider whether any, 

 and what, measures can be adopted by Parliament 

 for their relief." The Committee was granted, and 

 witnesses of every class connected with the subject 

 merchants, planters, distillers, brokers, members 

 of Parliament, Secretaries of State, and East India 

 directors gave evidence before it, with the result 

 that Lord George, who was Chairman, carried his 

 report, and greatly enhanced his reputation as a 

 laborious and able leader. 



" He did so," writes the anonymous author of 



