in Spanish Actives, and Spanish Passives, and Spanish Deferred—­and the funds will fall of course.  Send as you did, in 1836, millions to Ohio for the construction of canals, and millions to Pensylvania, Illinois, and Virginia for the same purpose, to be invested in bonds of those and the other States, the borrowers of which sums set out with the determination to turn public swindlers; and the funds will certainly fall.  Spend L100,000,000 in this manner, and it will lead to commercial distress, but it will be otherwise when you come to spend your L100,000,000 on the employment of your own distressed people in productive labour.”

6.  Thirty years were to be allowed for the repayment of the loan.

“Sir,” said Lord George, “I have heard it said, at different times, that there is danger of an outbreak in Ireland.  We have heard this story a thousand times repeated, and as often refuted, ’that the starving peasantry of Ireland are purchasing arms with which to commence an outbreak in that country.’  Sir, I do not believe one word of any such representation.  I can only express my great surprise that, with the people starving by thousands—­with such accounts as we have read during the last two days, of ten dead bodies out of eleven found lying unburied in one cabin; of seven putrid corpses in another; of dogs and swine quarreling over, and fighting for the dead carcasses of Christians; of the poor consigned coffinless to their graves, and denied the decencies of Christian burial, that the price of the coffin saved might prolong for a few days the sufferings of the dying, I, Sir, for one, look with amazement at the patience of the Irish people.”

He solemnly promised the House, that if they allowed this Bill to pass, and that the Irish people could have good food and good clothing, he would answer for their loyalty.  “I, the Saxon,” concluded the noble lord, “with my head, will answer for the loyalty and the honour of the Irish people.  Yes, Sir, I, the Saxon, will lead them, through their wants fulfilled—­their wishes gratified—­their warm sympathies and grateful hearts—­not to sever but to cement the union with England.”  Loud and prolonged cheering greeted this peroration.

When Lord George had concluded his masterly statement, the Prime Minister rose and complimented him on his zealous desire to benefit the people of Ireland, but at the same time declared that the Government did not think employment on the construction of railways the best suited to meet the general distress in that country; he did not deny that there would be a permanent benefit, but with such extreme destitution existing, he did not think it wise to devote L16,000,000 to the promotion of railways, as such an expenditure would check the outlay that was, at the moment, necessary for the support of the people.  He would not oppose the first reading of the bill, but announced his determination to resist its further progress.  After an animated discussion, in which Mr. Bernal Osborne, Mr. Roebuck, Alderman Thompson, Mr. Hume, Smith O’Brien, Mr. John O’Connell and Henry Grattan took a part, the bill was read a first time, and the 11th of February fixed for the second reading.