Page:History of the Radical Party in Parliament.djvu/368

 354 History of the Radical Party in Parliament. [1846- under the hand of a master. The prorogation took place on the 28th of August. The continuance of commercial distress, aggravated by the deepening horror of the famine in Ireland, where a recurrence of the potato disease had left the people in 'a state of helpless misery, marked the opening of the year 1847. Men looked to the opening of the last session of the expiring Parliament, not for exhibitions of inventive statesmanship, but merely to see what temporary methods it could devise to alleviate the sufferings of a starving people. Parliament met on the iQth of January, the main interest of the Queen's speech being con- centrated on the clauses relating to Ireland. Although the Coercion Bill had been withdrawn, the Queen was able to tell " My Lords and Gentlemen," that they would " perceive, in the absence of political excitement, an opportunity for taking a dispassionate survey of the social evils which afflict that part of the United Kingdom." The efforts of ministers were directed, however, to measures intended to relieve the imme- diate distress. The royal speech had said that various bills would be laid before Parliament which, " if adopted, may tend to raise the great mass of the people in comfort, to promote agriculture, and to lessen the pressure of that competition for land which has been the fruitful source of crime and misery." Ministers, however, had nothing to propose touching the action of the artificial land laws of Ireland, which, founded on those of England, were utterly inadequate to the social condi- tions of the sister country. Whilst the discussions of the pro- posals for relief were going on, Sharman Crawford introduced this most important question by moving, on the nth of February, a resolution " That no measure would be effectual which did not include such amendment of the laws of land- lord and tenant as shall give to the improving tenant in occupation a sufficient permanency of tenure, or else establish the tenant's right to claim by law full compensation for all benefits created by the expenditure of his labour and capital on the premises in his occupation." This resolution was with- drawn with a view of bringing in a bill to effect its objects.