The Sun. — London, England, 1845-02-24 00:00:00

t. Jan. 4, with 13 feet wat er i n h er h o ld ; crew saved. The ;:zamps on , o f I rv i ne, took lire this morning in the Prince's Dock, but sustained little or no damage. R o C h L ME, FELL. 9 1.—Arrd. Akb ar , Giles, Jllauritins ; Vibelia, ens, Ichaboe. Sld. Arganne, Calcutta; Casket, Jamaica. CitooKnivEs, FEB. 19.—Arrd. H enry B e ll, Wood, Ichaboe,with loss of bulwarks, & c ., at Ichaboe. • SuNnEttt_txn, FLIT. 2 Minna, Cape of Good Hope. LAN(.%ISTEIt, EEB. 9 2.—Arrd. Caledonia, Irvine, Ichaboe. CI ADE. FEB. 21 .—Arrd. Argyleshtre and Fellowship, St. ..ohn's, New Brunswick. LEITH, FEB. 29 . — Wind Capse, Jamaica. Cokk. •21.—Arrd. Spy, Bennett, Ichaboe. tWIIITF.ILAVEN, FEB. `)9.—The .Alciope, Bennett, front aunghetainahsletroer.e near Workin g t oo , has been got off and Seve ral ves,els arrived at Bahia prior to Jan. 14, from -dliboe, in ballast. MARE NEWS.-(TiIIS DAY.) I ,, s R-N-EXC II A N G E.-31 OND AY. ) • ea - I.l l .7, t _orns for the past week show a full average time-oi brid eBii i .val of English Wheat from Lincolnshire and Cam- . ( Itlart el ' r e, but a limited one from Essex, Kent, and . othei 4rah, • Of foreign Wheat, and most other articles of . fiats, , the ~ imports were scanty, but the fresh supplies of s ire . , ' ,Jj eci aii3• from Ireland and our own coasts, were exten- . Wh ea - t '' of fair average quality. Fresh up the receipts of riage m q home produce, coastwise as well as by land car the hh a o - ,: sa , r oPle, were by no means large Notwithstanding i og th, -° ` millples of that description of Corn was, consider . . wasin-.'ePorted arrivals, rather limited, the demand for it both i.,„"iverr sluggish state. However, the finest parcels of t o_ (hose a nd white found buyers, at prices fully equal ' 4 4(13 ; P a id on this day se'nnight ; but all other co mpares somewhat easier to purchase. Although rt forw ard `.l,vely little free Foreign Wheat was brought 48 the h' " i e i nquiry for it was in a very depressed state, yet, t generallyolders were firm, last week's quotations were pretty gi i suPported. In onside under lock . so little _ 10 . 1%. of b a ;„ . st the rates may be cored nominal. I' le sl Th e b ''), both English ' and Foreign, was moderately good. kitsest Malting parcels moved off at low rates. All other Vdiol a we re a mere drug, at barely stationary prices. On . the kig-'',!ore business was doing in fine Malt, but other kinds t0e8,,,,""e been purchased on somewhat easier terms. l_n t , r ttti -l ei. tie ; ne e of the large arrival of Oats, that article was ex uot oic ilae tive. The best parcels supported previous rates , 414 Se " "Ids were somewhat lower. Beans, Peas, I . lour , -, tfet a very slow inquiry, at last week's quotations. VI I ~ Ctr,..,_ - '---..t....-_,....CY PER IMPERIAL MEASURE.. , i t A a Kent, Malt—Chevalier..... 648 to Gss "Itto 1 — ..,%• ••• .. 386 to 47s Oats—Yorkshire and ~ l'iorr elic t u .. t . e . ... .. .. 43s 546 Lincolnsh., Feed. 22s -3s i„ T . ld Lin- Potato° Mite W , iced— • . ?Ss 46s Youghall and Cork, In . h • - late... . 4.), 50 3 Black ....... 218 22s )I .} : t h 7 tto ' ..% lt . (kl , .• • • ...... - - 8 —a Cork, White . .... 528 23s e-- 1(1 . 41 te. ..... —s —s Scotch, Feed. .... 23s 24s 35s 37s & W IC, ." • • ..... Ws 34s Beans—Tick 11 -,--- ~,,•; ••••• • • • • . 35s 3Gs Pigeons I talian •• • • 23s 285 Pease—Grey . i. elle •ng Maple 44 1L,s ti 'kl_ler ....... 396 —s White ... .. . • ~,,_ ulk and Nor- Boilers ...... • nre,.. 4 '• • • . ... .. ... 58s 6.2 s Flour—Town-Ina e„ It . • ......... 466 60s Stifiulk • de ... 4 1 's 458 33s 358 ''''''gston and Ware 63s 646 Stocktn & Norfolk 335 35s he „ -- , F OREIGN GRAIN AND FLO UR IN BOND. II 414t1 Urgh c. — oantzi 32s to 368 Beans .......... t, '. . •• . s k' .... V —s P, 24! to 29s C 1'). ,,,• 27s 29s r ;.-Aw ....... .... 17 s 19s ted ... ......... 15s 17, D u • SMITHFIELD. fq,. llog the week, ending on Saturday, the imports of V i gh stock into London, comprised 65 head of Beasts, and 1 14 1 . Sil eeP, all from Holland. At the outports no arrivals 114 taken place from anv quarter. As to the general it eli 1. of the above importations there were some extremely 6 i 4 8 11 : 1 e - up Beasts amongst them, but the Sheep were not 11 '1101„ good condition as we have before noticed. The h 'tide ° f the above stock having been disposed of here o Sh ee 4 Y, we had none on sale ; but a large number of Beasts and_ i ( .11„P r naY be expected in the course of a few days. rh . esupply leie,lsfroin our own districts being somewhat on the increase. So ni "le attendance of both town and country buyers by iltstii„e4tte numerous the beef trade was extremely dull, at a Blb "e the currencies obtained on Monday last of 2d per si the • Il lg 4 8 lery highest figure for the best Scots not exceed • l lorf o ieet,' 814 and a clearance was not effected. From , 1 443 5e0 , S , offolk, Essex, and Cambridgeshire, we received es, ,!.. 3 and Homebreds • from the northern midlandin, Miort-1 T e ta 500 ~ lerns ; from' the western and dis !•egiaro ilerefords Devons, Runts, &c. ; from other parts of Se 1 ,„`: , , 4 00 of various kinds • and from Scotland, 140 home- Dig tZttu Sep t`. The number of Sheep were tolerably good, 1 1.1. 3' si.t°34Y extensive. For most kinds the demand was Ast w o aaeY, at fully,e.b t at nothing quotable, beyond l'e, r811;„`"'' currencies Prime u old Downs produced 4s 4d ' n e tllv i - v We had a very limited number of Calves on offer, I l letat,„• „eal trade was heavy, on easier terms—the extreme s i ‘: kk _ere fs'nuf,..,l:ot exceeding 5s per 81bs. Neat small Porkers h uelit 2,`"r request, but all other qualities sold he . avily. -t rket. " u u shorn Sheep and 9 00 Lambs were in the 'ease 2sB 32s F lour — American ..... 21s —s Baltic In t no Per albs, to s s. d. to e. 0. S t n im r 1 '444 P. 0. s. d i • ir4: l4 llty,ii;." 2 6 210 Second quality ditto 3 10 4 0 rrin,- • 5k. 4, 31e 0 •;'°• 3 0 3 4 Coarse-woolledditto 2 1.48 A -°4 -• 3 6 3 8 Soutlidown Wethers 4 4 4 l'ri n j o -Eirs t c •• • •a 10 3 0 Ditto out ofthe wool _-0 3 8 8 4}4 - 1 41 a11,11,Z 1 Yes 310 4 6 Large Hogs • . 14,0 ditto '• 4 8 5 0 Small l'orkers 20 0 I Sheep '•• It 0 30 0 Quarter old Pigs l6 0 il, • • 2 10 3 2 Lambs ••••• • • • • • a Ut. 1 S IIPPLY AT MARKET. Sheep. Fr0m '4 1.,,, ,3t I .1 Calves. I rigs. I 321 8 wt e ..26,340 64 411. L . ur 8 40 I, e()tlitilei-c AND I.3B4sll"r i li , X ih li e receipts thouNg"tered a r , and various parts of ,since m s eam ° nOt s,, ` e at, up to these markets, Monday last, qn4a.6ly fir..eXtensive as in the preceding week, have been Oith e i N:. , .and, of for the . most art of fair average inkti extellsiuPplies Meat killed in London have been rt ae' geh- ;we have, in consequence, to report a very fon„ * .a. "ral demand t in some instances, drooping cur "4d. bi, everriatl f c a a i r r ca p s r e i s ' e a e l s ;f: Foreign Beasts and Sheep have - 3'ers, li kr , At per stone, by the Carcase. d to s. d. ` , ...' 11 411 0 , S. d. to sd. ' s. • 3 0 ..,... kiddla; • •• •2 G 2 . 8 I Mutton, inferior '"'-• ki, el" •••• 2 10 3 o 1 -- middling 3 2 3 ! `%t Annie s 'rg aii e '• 303 2 ! prime.... 3 g 8 • •• •• 4'- '" •• 3 4 3 6 . l'ork, large.... •.• • 2 1 4 2 L . .• ••,,,•• '• small •• • • .. 3 8 Rl' --‘ IVA - , WEEK. 1, 4 14 44.. LS DURING THE I AST Beasts Sheep Calves Pigs. , 1 '4)11.' 18 4 •• '' •• • 30 400 450 .on , • • .... ...... , , 580 L i rt .,, ,,;i l :: ..... :: :: .... :.... ... .. .. .. 2 1 5 0 500 ,0 •••••_ 100,0 k.., 11 - getili;,„•' ••• • . .. 15 100 11.•CZly • • •'` •• . ••• •••• • • • • 20 160 100 on% •.•••••:..•• • • • • • • • • • • 25 200 140 300 „'44, -31 1re • • • ... ••••• • • • • • 30 . 300 210 360 u tli re '•,. •• •..••••• • '' '' '' 40 20 • tt Dart;' '••• . : : • ....... •• • • — 2O 190 80 90 k •••'••• • :: :: .. :: :: :: Go 208 Go 200 tri0,8•1:e,a1k,............. — 235 I — ,9r 420 2,290 blit et 8 ar nval...... 325 2,550 43 0 2,420 t iles kr, ~ ij uh 4.404:ce our last ..... . 90 570 60 130 ,111/i`ll4 th." 11411 AND SPITALTIELDS K ttel 4 save Ptaat week the arrivals of Potatoes from most •411 4 13 „ 1 , 11 dn t .; e ,en on an extensive scale, they having . con " fell h",„•:',100 tons. The best qualities are in fair de ttllier i i - ' e s , In other kinds very little is doing. 4 Nth, e°ll tin Ittv irCerc aop MARKET. t o vre t ,ta 43 to be a good den - and for bags of last 3 : •ear's 41 itei er •tist , olds at very full prices. In pocket!, Y litelthstanding tile supply is very small, compa h The eiB duilig. Go co ~,,Ilbliort„ 'WOOL MARKET. Oth CI, kliste of of Wool int o, L on d on, s i nce t hi s d ay se ' nn i g h t, Nee IN ' about 100 bales and bags. Tile accounts kte at 44 r1 fa"ar ing districts being favourable, the de -,llt i.? every description is and the . late ini- Th 4 th e th t e h,_ quotations is supported without difficulty. la le ti i4ri tet li T.a.x.x.ow. o r eel 4 4(1 i 14 been steady. Prices are maintained, and 41,11R4ktliti7fin,31q.uAdd, as will lie . seen by the delivery. Small iic s rit,;; of this on the spot, are not easy to obtain • a . t the % t rt c . I t llor n i ng . h et t e 4 je : e gliest iit t price is 39s to 39s 3d r . Town Tallow is whilst for the ordinary description 1 , 39, r 3' litti 40s 6d. hi new I .C. for the . aut . umn, lo tsi Cd. e Inclination to do business ; the price is 39s h ti r „---- "nC ONIMERCIAL NEWS. l ' i i 44 ll , C 7 • h fin t 'llo„ l 4 8 b ut IY, QUARTER TO THREE. . t io' i lash,. °4 Sa t 4 Moderate business traesacted in Cotton at d. kst er -°' Of 41!•443.9 tilt` total sales amounting to 3,000 or hilNatiet, Y ltieli 1 00,-, - •-• , a , Were on speculation. There was let14 (.411111. 41)a e Prices• —Shares were dull, and prices were and 411!4d• 381rdeen • 2%; Caledonian, 7t ; h„ tl atikter nil ; Ditto and Holyhead, 8% 8 ; Dublin and 71 4 111f rie 17 36 1 .'', 6- A ; Ditto and - Drogheda, 77 %; ;1‘; ; (4' a nd A -r-9,inburgh Eastern and Glasgow, 61 ; Glatigow, 4 in, est ‘... ~arlisle 18' 1, 4 (1 t r e, 41, - -Nrtb , b. 6d. 16s. 6d. ; Churnet Va v l ley, 'l. "l • 2 8 4 1 . Pt England 401., 43 ; Kendal and I in tttaiii4llieheattr, •Lancaster and Pr.ston, 49% • Liverpool 4t , 1 , ; a4 441 ,232 2°2 ; Ditto, Half, 102 1 /, ; London and std ,N it ' h 3, bq Ditto, 32/ Shares 423 i ts' ; Ditto, Quar 14t I ts "'We' ; London arid Brighton, 5 / 8 1 ,4 58 ; London .rii°, 'll64bitaerbe 9 % • London an Turk, ali,,,,' l t4t a ? 81" --g‘l,!ain, 6•;• Ai . dl. d Counties, 126% 125 3 A ; 7 1 A ; Man ...C.11;41(1-'1 ici 'l l, ; ..i *\ "Yeas-the I c a l l' Carlisle, 122% • North fO t ei• 4 4 ii" . 4 a nd La by7 l , • Scottish Central ' , 4% % 1)4 4 4 N 1,411. ncliester g Qiia ' rt ' e l r, ' 1 9 7{ ; Shrewsbury and ktlct 2,4 6 4Y,712 9 ' 3 ,84) A, at h - astern 40 D itto, (No. 3), 8%; Int, too, N Central 1• 1i) 411 lie li ; Orle-nreB7B,;Pa'ris and Lyo n 's, 3 ; 'ar and Strati 1, e , Ss,; 53-; ',lours, and Bordeaux 6%; Boulogne krt s4l lei ) 41 tiv a i s of France, 14%; Northern of u lon _ t rB br "iluPurtance this morning are the corn- Vith,„7 khieli ',Uiglit y the Overland Mail the principal o es 4fr airs have been delivered. It . is ' satisfactory to /' „Slls Th - Wer e stead , , idea atn„ ere W ash 3, and progressing in a favourable ,Nei... 11t of ,owever still, as respects trade, a con ptittl,etv. it Nish ma nufactures on hand at the three etVge t , l ees, tOPPears from the contents of some of the tii,N4iO4 1•1 11 01 , i 'lt at 1-1 n - "g - Ron .• as well as at Canton, a t 4/ 4 Q4 , tit te ll . t he:l ll°- was en tertained that there would be a ' l 'ili th,u. the ut 3' on tea proposed by Sir Robert Peel in 11 f li es i„ 4 e pass pres ents n ession of Parliament. As this is not 4 i f th' e l on t. 'elt . -whetoosiderable degree of disappointment . ;lOil sine, Sn, ,a the exposé of the Premier tit ilv t4e y 44`ettIllot adveieter Ist of October last, down to the date ,t m en paid ti eti , the 4, 1 , 4, h, to lib, exports,, of tea to Great . Britain 41 4 th -. Yel l for f ., r ut i,7 49 ,0971b5. `Very high prices V in NI, elceit,L' een teas, and, for the reason above ,14 r ie i tl h-e'reett.4 eba'unellt.existed in the market at Canton. al t tits 1 11 a, r g' in the duties, green teas would have %., o li 0 1 ock h. eater pruportion than black. . . I,tIISLIt ion'llaitnortulinarket there has been a very trifling i,, tl lii," the - " , i, bu,,g• Consols for the Account have been ath_ lii..4,oPie, lies el ms ellers while for transfer t0`441104 `4411o4 , n 1 ). 11 tz ti. 8 dd froi ' n 100 to 9”6• The 14;: Ai, 41"equer-bills continues t advance ; it has ), A i 11 4 1 , 1 , 1t stcilZti at i4,41g• The Three-and-a -Quarter per I t' x, tt t4 l( lem ~,a t 2121 / / u t° 76 . India Stock at 283 282 ; Gll°llU "(elt.ua'in I. If 3,.,1 4 . 1i 8. to. da _ . s ..as been transacted in the Dutch k r tiet: Ilr,:!F p er •.‘, at prices from 98% to 99%. fhe 10 1 ,1i4C,,,at a511144.1,,i,,,,,ent5. have been, pretty steady at irk k k.414 4 , 1 (i . X ; of Per, Cents, are firm at 89%9 . 0 / ; I•;' r ae t' r 4t 27% t e ,I ortuguse Converted at 40A ; Y 4 0 NI Nan 4 eti on ° 2B ; and the Three per Cents. at tkr i 8 , 4 1)p,., " °118 t 6 ir k 010 1 - ) :i • 14 e h -t led • e 'day, b -.a.iway Shares have not been , P 11 40i' es Pecinii , ti, in general, prices have been 4q l k id t_ 3 tor the Birmir 7 ham and Glouces iiah of stet, the Manchester and Leeds, &c. zttb:li;tatt.k.;_'itnt'lll•l:o•l;s::.}:lj....-12.8..• ..... °2'cQlL2l/28c K. CLOSING PRICI S. 213 )11. Ai iltoeekas ........... 100 , 1/ 100 1 4 In g 4 r , .... • ••• / 8 ~), ~ ~... tt ............ 1 00 1 4 9 - 9% h 4, 4 4Oltie ..... 9 (. 74 : 41, Ar,_. ti t° ....... lO4 - 1 tc,,' , Vea eZPireja .Slip itNi /S 104% atq„ „ock i • •••... 11. 12% 12% ft in„ or A ••• ....... . Dial': 4kt -`eteutit ••••••• 2 3 282 282 I) rik...,,&:148t'..14...7..............1........11.11./2.;.:(..1............... 1 6 6 6 1 1 7 . 7 , 0001 °° rillN Qilll t _.•• ". ...... -- 213 213 99% in, 70 pm. 70 Pm. 70 ' ....... .... _ ink the offal. le C ali, . nr ity tbi amts ple Cl °ses S. p er Fig' 0 She ; o7f• 41 1; eno' wl , , f ) DA ppelo o pa $ Droog be , (1 0111 , 'Age* :,,aeo o ,be sT for rai gel , ol d j ten d a tli" reigi° DA f) 0 0 °' , tig' 011 1%) p oti in", o f jury . 0 r, tel tan .d 0 0 4 1) 1; 0 nog th e eelf .11% vs- Ip ,l .10°'" )A 8 :0 '1 o li r re n l TOO* 2 3 ' 1 1 : rY yes oat r d , 0 0 1 - o t „d, 1 ; 0 1 offs ° :. for ,ow i or dsi ' . , • - 23. ic ed :P te. Gibr°l' outh e t o o s ',sit , , tial?" •• 1,1 pir rid:1010 jr ~~ l ~v re ptoo' 00 I. °` 3 t t m ; of or lc; ( - t or, voirs t ego o t - 0 1 I.* pi ft° ONE PRICES OF FOREIGN FUNDS. O'CLOCK. Brazilian Bonds Ditto, New, 1829 and 18:39 8 7 1,4 Mexican, 5 per Cent. 1837 35Vi Ditto, Account 35%1% Peruvian Bonds, 6 per Cents Ditto. Account ..... Portuguese Bonds, 5 per Cent Ditto, Converted Ditto, Account Spanish 5 per Cent. 1840. Ditto, Account 2B 27 /8 Ditto 3 per Cent. 60% Ditto Account Dutch, 21 ,4 per Cent Ditto, 4 per Cent., Certitic. 99 e i 9 1 / s 8 3 / 4 - PRICES OF CLOSING PAID. AT ONE O'CLOCK. PRICES RAILWAY SHARES Binning. and Gloucesterloo 13 1 1,4 Ditto New Shares ... 171 Ditto 1!2 Shares Bristol and Exeter Bristol and Gloucester... 30 ..... 56% 57% CaL•ionian Cambridge and Lincoln 11., 32% Chester and Holyhead... 5 Churnet Valley Cornwall Direct Northern Dublin and Galway 9!4•• .• 31 4% Eastern Counties l4/. 165....... 17% 17 ..... .... Eastern Union Ditto Extension Edinburgh and Glasgow 50 - .... Grand Junction ...100 - •••• Groat South. and West. (Ireland) Ditto Extension Great North of England..loo ._. Ditto New — 5 Ditto New Great Western Ditto % Shares Ditto Fifths Guildford, Farn'm,Ports. 2 % ... Harwich London and Birminghm (Stock)... 231 230 Ditto New Thirds Ditto, Quarters 2 London and Blackwall. 161. 13s 4d — London and Brighton... 50 London and Greenwich 12/ 15s 4d lO% London :old S. Western 4116 s 10d 79 Ditto New 2 l, 1 2 1,4 12 London and Croydon, 131. 15s. 9d. 1714 18 Ditto Guaranteed 5 per Cent. London and York 9% 7 1% 7% Manchester and Leeds... 73 Ditto 1 /, Shares 32 Ditto Sixteenths Manchester and Birmin. 40 Ditto Quarters —_ 188 43!4 Midland 100 12 6 14 I)itto New 2 ..... 8 1 ‘ 8 Midland,Birm.,Derby...loo Newcastle and Darling ton Junction 24 ...... 47 48 New,as.le and I;erwick 1 1 /, ....... Newark and Sheffield ... 1.1" ...... 2 1 7 8 North British Ditto New 1 Northern and Eastern... 45 Norwich and Brandon... 10 Ditto, New Oxford and Worcester... 2 1 / 2 l l/, Richmond and West End Junction Rugby,Wor'ster,&Tring 1 Shrews., Wolverhamp , Dudley, and Birm South Eastern & Dover 3312 s 4d 4O 39 1 /.. .. ...... Ditto, No. 1 Ditto, No 9 Ditto, No. 3 South Wales 2% 4 3 / 4 14 Trent Valley 2 i: .. 19 1 /.,/ i vaterford and Kilkenny 1 ..... 3'/ York and North Midland 50 Ditto 1 / 2 Shares 25 Ditto, Selby 2O Ditto Extension .. ... 114 12 4 3 / 4.. FRENCH RAILWAYS. Boulogne and Amiens... 2 Bordeaux and Toulouse 2 Great North. of France.. 4 Lyons and Avignon Orleans and Vierzon ... 2 ...... 1:3% 3 A Orleans and I3ordexax... 2 Paris and Orleans 2O Parts and Rouen Tours and Nantes 1 JOINT STOCK BANKS. Commercial of London... 20 MANCHESTER STOCK EXCHANGE, FEE. 22.—We have had a quiet market, without much variation in prices.—London and Brighton, 584 cum new ; Manchester and Birm ingham, 62 ; Sheffield and Manchester, Quarter Shares, 13 ; South-Eastern, No. 3, 8 3 t ; Barns ley Junction, 63-16 ; Birkenhead, Manchester, and Cheshire Junction, 7 1 / 4 ; Blackburn, Burnley, and Accrington, 5 1 / 2 ; Blackburn, Damen, and Bolton, 4 ; Caledonian, 7 1 / ; Cam bridge and Lincoln, 3%; Churnet Valley, 7 3 / 4 ; Rudders tield and Manchester Railway and C ana l, 5 1 / 2 ; Huddersfield and Sheffield Junction, 414 ; London and York, 7N ; Man chester and Buxton, 3%; - Newark and Sheffield, 2 1 4 ; Trent Valley, 19% ; West Yorkshire, 4%; Boulogne and Amiens (English), 5% 7-16; Sambre and Meuse, 314. SUMMARY OF NEWS AND Pttbltt Optnnton. " Who runs may read." FOREIGN. The adjourned discussion upon the Secret Service Bill commenced on Friday by a speech from 111. Joly against the Bill. He was replied to by M. Liadieres, who was interrupted by M. Thiurs in a most extraor dinary manner, the latter exclaiming that it was the King who was the first to set the example of singing the Marseinaise. M. Boudet proposed that the sum demanded be reduced by 25,0001. The Count d'ilaussonville combated the amendment, which was supported by N. Billault, in a violent speech, who was met by M. Guizot, to whom Odillon Barrot replied. At seven o'clock, the close of the debate upon the amendment was called for, when the nominal appeal was made, and the question of confidence implied in the amendment was put to the vote, when there appeared—For the amendment, 205 ; against it, 229—majority for Ministers, 24. The Cham ber then proceeded to vote upon the original proposition for a million of francs; when there appeared—For, 217; against, 41—majority for Ministers, 176. The Opposi tion left after the vote on the amendment, as they did when beaten on the address. The Chamber rose at eight o'clock. On Thursday evening the King of the French received the Pope's Nuncio, Prince Pignatelli, M. Rossi, Peer of France, Barons de Barante and de Bourqueney, and M. Bonny, Director of the Indirect Taxes. The Director-General of the French Post-office has pub lished an official notification of the establishment of a mail from London to Calcutta on the 24th of every month (ex cept when the 24th falls on a Sunday, when it will leave on the following day), and stating that it will pass through Paris on the night of the 25th. The Marquis de Ferriere, First Secretary to the Embassy to China, has arrived in Paris with the treaty of commerce signed at Whampoa by M. de Lagrone and the Chinese Pleni potentiary. M. de Ferriere, in order to avoid the performance of quarantine at Toulon, came by the English packet from Alexandria to Southampton, and thence into France by Havre, thus shortening his journey by five or six days. Possibly this may open the eyes of the French Government on the beauties of quarantine and passports. Accounts from Athens, of the 2d, state that the Greek Mi nistry was daily gaining strength, and that tranquillity pre vailed throughout the country. The funeral obsequies of Admiral Gregg were celebrated at St. Petersburgh on the 6th with much pomp. The Grand Dukes Alexander, Michael and Constantine were present. The King and Queen of Sweden and Norway arrived at Christians on the 6th inst., and were received there with great rejoicings. A letter from Lucerne, of the 13th, in the New Zurich Gazette, states that 72 persons have been condemned to various punishments for the part they took in the late rebel lion, and that nearly 1,200 others are under prosecution. Marshal, the author, M. Cauville, the publisher, ' and M. Blondeau, the printer, of a libellous pamphlet, entitled La d'Orleans, have been condemned in default by the Court of Assizes, and sentenced each to five years' imprison ment, and a fine of 10,000 f. Immediately after the judg.. ment Marchal was arrested on a warrant charging him with fraud. It is said that M. Berryer and M. Cremieux both successively declined appearing as counsel for Marchal, on account of the nature of the work, which had before been condemned in 1835. COURT-FASHIONABLE. The Duke of Buckingham has left Buckingham House for Stowe. His Grace presides on the 25th at the Conservative Association dinner, at the Town-hall, Buckingham. The Marquis of Chandos, Sir Thomas Fremantle, Bart., M.l'., and Sir J. Chetwode, Bart., M.l'., act as stewards on the occasion. The Duke of Wellington's contemplated banquet to the judges and members of the bar, at Strathfieldsaye, on Wed nesday next, is necessarily postponed, owing to the death of his brother. Their Graces the Duke and Duchess of Cleveland and Lady Augusta Powlett intend to remain at Raby Castle till after Easter, when they will proceed to St. James's-square, London, for the season. The Marquis of Northampton has left town for Torquay. The Earl of St. Germans left Dover-street at the close of last week to visit Lord Eliot, his eldest son, who has entered Oxford University. The Noble Earl afterwards proceeds to join the Countess and the Ladies Eliot at Port Eliot, Corn wall, where the family purpose sojourning until after the Easter recess, when the .Noble Earl and Countess come to town for the season. The Earl of Aberdeen has issued cards for a grand dinner party, at Argyll House, on the sth of March. The Lord Chancellor, Lord Brougham, Lord Stanley, and most of the leading Peers are invited. MISCELLANEOUS. The electors offinscuryareal7out to testify their marked disapprobation of the insult offered to their representative, Mr. T. I)uncombe, by Sir James Graham, in respect to the opening of the Hon. Member's letters ; and also to condemn the conduct of the Home Secretary in refusing to give any satisfactory explanation on the subject. The Secretary at War has decided upon the erection of five experimental military prisons, to which superintendents, selected from the half-pay list, are to be immediately ap pointed, at a salary, iu the majority of cases, of 200/. per annum. NAVAL INTELLIGENCE. SHEERNESS, FEB. 22.—The Vulture, first class steam frigate, was commissioned on Tuesday by Captain John M . Dougall (b. 1836). This tine new frigate is of 1,160 tons and 439-horse power. Seamen and gunners have been draughted from the Excellent for her, and a detachment of the Royal Marine Artillery, consisting of one subaltern, one ser geant. and 12 gunners, are waiting to embark in her at Portsmouth. The Trafalgar, 120, Captain Martin, flag of Vice-Admiral Sir John Chambers White, Commander-in •Chief, is equipping but very slowly, being crowded with dockyard hands. The Waterloo, 120, has been masted this week. THE gr - lc, LONDON, MON CLOSING PRICES.' 89 1 /, 87')1; 30 3 A 30 1 /.. 60 27% REPOT OF HE H. IRIS LAND A CO TMMISSTONERS. TO THE (QUEEN'S MOST EXCELLENT MAJESTY. May i.t please your Majesty, Your Maj sty's commission, bearing date the f:Oth of Nov., 1843, having directed us to inquire into the state of the law and practice, L an respect to the occupation of land in Ireland, and in respects also to the burdens of county cess and other charges which :call respectively on the landlord and occupying tenant; and to report as to the amendments, if any, of the existing laws, v having due regard to the just rights of property, may be calculated to encourage the cultivation of the soil, to extend a better system of agriculture, arid to improve the relation between landlord and tenant in that part of the United Kingdom, it is now our duty to lay before your Majesty a statement of mar proceedings, and the opinions which our investigations have led us to form. We met in Dublin early in December, and appointed as our secretary John Pitt Kennedy. Esq., formerly of the Royal Engineers, and resident for many years in Ireland, where he has devoted much attention to all matters connected with land in that country. Our attention was, in the first instance, naturally directed to an examination of the state of the law of landlord and tenant, and die practice under it ; and with this view we exa mined many of the assistant barristers and agents extensively engaged in the management of estates in different parts of the countr.., and other persons whom we thought likely to give us general information. For the purpose also of obtainiug evidence upon the subjects of our inquiry from different parts of the country, and from various classes of persons, we addressed the letter ( No. 1, ap pended to this report) to every board of guardians throughout the country, to every Bishop of the Established Church, to every Homan Catholic Bishop, and to the heads of the Presby terian Church, from whom generally we received material assistance. Numerous communications soon poured in upon us, from all parts of the country, many of them having reference to parti cular cases, and others conveying suggestions, or giving hints for inquiry; and several documents, and some witnesses were also sent to us for examination by a committee of the Re; cal Association. We then addressed the circular (No. 2) to the parties from whom replies to our former letter had been re ceived; we also sent the letter (No. 3) to those by whom statements of particular cases had been forwarded to us, and called for several returns, to some of which more particular re ference will hereafter be made. From these various sources much information was derived before we left Dublin. After a short time we proceeded through the counties of Louth, Armagh, Down, Antrim, Londonderry, Tyrone, and Monaghan. We then aejourned to London, where we examined some witnesses, and in the course of the summer and autumn com pleted our tour through the country, having thus visited and sought information in every county in Ireland, and having at more than 90 towns examined upon oath upwards of 1,100 witnesses, the whole of whose evidi nee, with their names and descriptions, will be found in the Appendix. We have thus obtained information from persons of every class and condition of life, and have caused indexes to be prepared in such a form as will afford a ready means of reference to any part of the evidence which has been thus taken. We explained, in the letter before referred, to (No. 3), the principle upon which we should feel it our duty sometimes to investigate individual cases, and to hear complaints, for which it was wholly beyond the scope of our commission to afford any remedy. Many such statements have been made to us which, al though each of them may probably relate to a single case, yet, taken together, would, if well founded, furnish evidence of some system calling for alteration and amendment. Whenever the evidence had reference to the conduct of an individual, we felt it our duty, as far as possible, to communi nicate with him, and afford every opportunity for explanation. The statements forwarded in reply to our circulars ( Nos. 5 and 6), by those who did not consider it necessary to tender themselves for examination, we have inserted in the Appendix (omitting such passages as appeared to us irrelevant; and we have talc( n care, by a note in the margin of the evidence, to enable a reference to be made at once to the explanation, and a judgment to be thus formed as to the real state of the case. In the great majority of cases, this course of proceeding has appeared to give satisfaction to the parties concerned ; but, in some very few instances, individuals have declined to give any answer to allegations which they designated as calumnious or absurd, and have therefore left us no alternative but to report the evidence without any explanatory statement. Previously to our leaving Dublin, we had prepared and cir culated a paper of queries ( No. 4), with a view to point atten tion to those subjects to which our examination would be prin cipally directed. In the selection of witnesses for 'examination we were guided by the recommendation of the board of guardians or of the clergy and others, made in consequence of our circular; we also examined numerous persons who tendered evidence, and sought out others from whom we thought that we might derive useful information. We had with us also a full register of all the documents and letters that had been sent to us, with complaints or suggestions —to all of which we gave such attention and made such in quiries respecting them, as, in the best exercise of our judg ment, they seemed to require. In addition to all this, we saw and conversed with a great number of persons, at different places, whose examination upon oath we did not think it proper to take, either on account of the vagueness of their statement, or of the length of time that had elapsed since the facts referred to had occurred (10, 20, or even 40 years), or because, admitting all their assertions to be correct, we found they could not afford materials towards form ing a just conclusion upon the subjects referred to us. The evidence has run to a great length, and contains neces sarily very much of repetition oral sameness. But we were willing to subject ourselves to criticism upon this account rather than to expose ourselves to the more serious charge of having made a partial selection, either of persons to be ex amined, or of the places or subjects to which our evidence should apply. Our object was to present a general view of the state of the country, with respect to the occupation of land, and this could only be done by frequently putting the same question and making similar inquiries in different places. Before entering upon any detailed statement of the result of our inquiry, we think it may not he uninteresting or unin sti uctive to give a slight sketch of the manner in which landed property in Ireland has been dealt with for a long series of years; and we believe that such a review is important to a clear understanding of the subject, and to the successful investi gation of the sources from which many of the present evils have sprung. In the civil contentions which at various periods and during many centuries disturbed the repose of England and Scotland, property gradually passed from the feudal tenure of firmer times to the more civilised relation of landlord and tenant, as known to our present law. It is for us briefly to show how different has been the case in Ireland. Without entering at any length into the history of the past, we cannot avoid noticing a few prominent matters which exer cised a material influence in producing the existing relation of landlord and tenant. We allude to the confiscations and colo nisations of Elizabeth and James—the wars of Cromwell— and, lastly, the penal code. The first of these led, in many instances, to the pcssession of large tracts by individuals whose more extensive estates in England made thorn regardless and neglectful of their proper ties in Ireland. Again, the confiscations of the lands of O'Neill in the north, and Desmond, in the south, were followed by the plantations of Ulster and Munster ; the extensive settlement of Scotch and English in the counties of Ulster has iatrodueed habits and customs which give a different character to that province from other parts of the island. Hence also is supposed to have arisen the system of tenant-right, which, as forming a singular feature in the relation of landlord and tenant, we shall have occasion afterwards to notice. In Munster the plantation was more imperfectly carried out, and a class of undertakers, unac companied by those followers whom they were equally bound by the terms of their grant to introduce, became the landlords of the native peasantry in many parts of those districts, pro ducing, for that reason, comparatively little change. The adventurers who obtained debentures from Cromwell, formed, for the most part, a small proprietary ; and, being generally resident, exercised an influence on the relations of society different from that produced by the large and absent grantees of former reigns. These confiscations were followed at a later period by the enactment of the penal laws, which, affecting as th e y did, th e position of the Roman Catholics as regarded landed property, must have had a very general influence on society in such a country as Ireland. These laws, both in their enactment and in their subsequent relaxations, have affected materially the position of occupier and proprietor. They interfered with almost every mode of dealing with landed property by those who professed that religion, and, by creating a feeling of insecurity, directly checked their industry. The Protestant landlords also suffered indirectly from the operation of the same laws ; for, in letting their estates, they were, to a degree, confined in the selection of their tenants, to those who alone could enjoy any permanent tenure under them, and were exclusively entitled to the elective franchise. Many landlords parted with the whole, or a great portion of their property, for long terms, and thus avoided all immediate con tact with the in!erior occupiers, so that all the inferior duties of a landlord were left for performance to a middleman. The latter, on the other hand, in the favourable position in which the laws had indirectly placed him, as regarded the proprietor, dictated very frequently his own terms to the landlord ; and restrictive covenants against subletting or subdividing were seldom inserted. About eighty years after their first introduction a relaxation of these laws took place. Among many measures professedly for the improvement of Ireland, an Act was passed in 1771, which allowed Roman Catholics to take a lease for sixty-one years of not less than ten acres, or more than fifty, of bog, with only half an acre of ara• ble land for the site of a house, but not to be situated within a mile of a town ; and if it was not reclaimed in twenty-one years, the lease to belvoid. In 1777 it was enacted that titles Lot hitherto litigated should not be disturbed, and Roman Ca tholics were allowed to take leases for any term under 1,000 years. In 1782 they were allowed to acquire freehold property for lives or by inheritance, and in 1793 was passed a further enactment, which materially affected the position of landlord and tenant. The 40s. franchise was by that Act extended to Roman Catholics ; the landlords and the middlemen then found the importance of a numerous following of tenantry, and subdivision and subletting, bein g by this law indi rectly encouraged, greatly increased. The war with France raised considerably the profits of the occupier, who was thus enabled to pay a large rent to the mesne lessee. Thee causes produced throughout the country a class of intermediate proprietors, known by the name of middlemen, whose decline after the cessation of the war, and the fall of prices in 1815, brought with it much of the evils we have witnessed of late years. Many who, during the long war, had amassed much wealth, had become proprietors in foe; others, who had not been so successful, struggled in after years to maintain a position in society which their failing resources could not support. Their sub tenants were unable to pay "war-rents . ' The middleman himself, who had come under rent during the same period, became equally unable to meet his engagements. All be came impoverished ; the middleman parted with his interest or under-let the little land he had hitherto retained in his own hands; himself and his family were involved rapidly in . ruin. The landlord, in many cases, was obliged to look to the occupiers for his rent, or, at the expiration of the lease, found the farms covered with a pauper, and, it may be, a superabundant population. Subsequently, the Act of 1829 destroyed the political value of the 40s. freeholder, and to relieve his property from the burden which this chain of circumstances brought upon it, the landlord, in too many instances, adopted what has been called the " clearance system." What we have thus written will suffice to show how extra ordinary have been the changes which property has undergone in Ireland, how much it has been affected by extrinsic events, and by causes unconnected either with the natural circumstances ofthe country or the people. With a view of bringing more clearly under notice the posi tion in which the questions referred to us by your Majesty's Cominission now actually stand, it may be useful, in the next lace, to take a short review of the inquiries which have been carried on upon subjects connected with the social condition of Ireland, by Committees of Parliament or by Commissioners spcially appointed. If we may venture, without presumption, to make any re mark in the nature of criticism upon the reports of those from whose labours so much valuable information is to be derived, we hould say that in many of them too much reliance appears to be placed u. on some one favourite plan, as likely to afford an effectual remedy for the admited evils; whereas we feel ecrtoin that such substantial and permanent relief to the di.tress sti:l prevalent in Ireland, can only be hoped for from a combination of measures adapting themselves to the varying circumstances under which the owners and occupiers of land are placed in dif ferent parts of the country. We find that the Commissioners appointed to inquire into the nature and extent of the several bogs in Ireland, and the prac ticability of draining and cultivating them, appointed under the 49th George HI., C. 102, made four several reports in 1810, 1811, arid 1814, in which they express their entire convict ion of the practicability of cultivating with profit an immense ex tent of laud lying waste in Ireland. They confine their re commendations to the legislative removal of the obstacles to the improvement of these lands, which arise from the uncer tainty prevailing with regard to the boundaries of contiguous estates, and from the existence of various rights upon them, which are claimed by the neighbouring tenantry • and to which obstacles they c ons id ered that the uncultivated state of these lands was chiefly to be ascribed. In the year 1819 a Select Committee of the House of Com mons on the state of disease and employment of the poor in Ireland, regretting the small extent to which the recommends- Lions of the farmer Commissioners had been acted upon, and pointing out the great evils of a redundant population, recom mend the adoption of measures for the clearing, lowering, and embanking of rivers, by which so much low ground in various parts of the country is flooded, and for the drainage and re c.amation of bogs and marshes. They also strongly urge the opening of communication s through the mountain districts, and with the fisheries on their coasts, on principles similar to those applied in the case of the Highlands of Scotland. The Select Committee of the Commons, in 1823, advert to the misery among the poor, arising from the want of employ ment. This want they considered might be supplied, in part at least, by the extension of the linen trade to the sou.h of Ireland—by the continued encouragement of fisheries—by the erection of pier; and the format iou, of harbours—by the open ing of mountain roads, and by any other works of public utility; all being aided and encouraged by public ;stoney, "given by the nation to stimulate private exertiuns." The Committee also express their concurrence in an opinions stated in the report of 1819, of the necessity of passing a general Drainage Bill for Ireland. The reports of Committees of both Houses of Parliament, in 1825, contain a great variety of suggestions made to them ith reference to the political and social state of Ireland, which they press upon the attentive consideration of Parlia ment ; but as these suggestions are rather reported as points for consideration than as being supported by the opinion of the respective Committees, it does not appear to be necessary to state the.n at I ngth in this place. In three reports in 1826 and 1827, from the Select Corn. mittee on emigration from the U n i te d Ki ng d om, t h e condi tion of Ireland, and the state of its poorer classes, are par ticularly referred to, and emigration advocated as the only effectual means of removing the evils of over-population, pauperism, mendicancy, and destitution which prevail in that country, and of obtaining . the advantages proposed to be dr eted by the Irish Subletting Act, then lately passed (7 Geo. IV., c. 29.) In 1830 a Select Committee of the House of Commons, on the state of the poorer classes in Ireland, took a large body of evidence on the condition of the people of that country, and in their report laid before the House a summary of that evidence, with their observations upon it. In syeaking of the peasantry generally, the Committee state " a very considerable proportion of the population (variously estimated at a fourth and a fifth of the whole) is considered to be out of employment." Great distress is described as ensuing from the want of demand for lalOur ; but notwithstanding the misery in many districts, there is said to be evidence of great improvement in the state of the peasantry of late years, and every indication of its continuance. The next topic reported on by the Committee is the law and practice in the relations between landlord and tenant. After describing the extent to which the subletting and subdivision of farms and lands had been carried during the war, and under the influence of war prices, and the change in the system of managing lands which took place at the peace, they speak of the misery occasioned to the ejected tenantry by the consolidation of farms. Still, however, being of opinion that such consolida tion was absolutely necessary, the Committee proce:d with a summary vies of the state of trade—the effects of steam navi gation—the state of manufactures—the state of the savings' banes, and the charitable loan societies —the health of the poor, as shown by the admission to fever hospitals —and the state of the country, as described by the criminal returns • and after an a ccoun t o f t h e l aws w hi c h a ff ec t t h e poor, and Of the charitable institutions of Ireland, both public and private, they state the remedial measures which they propose for adoption, of which the following appear to come within the scope of our inquiry 1. The extension of public works upon the principle of loans repayable arid adequately secured. By extracts from former reports they prove that for a long period admissions have been made by Parliamentary authori ties, that the then system of carrying on public works had been long open to serious objection. They describe the system pursu-d in the Highlands of Scotland, and the beneficial results attending it, and state their conviction that equally good effects would ensue from the adoption of a similar system in Ireland, founding that conviction on the great improvement produced in various parts of the country by public works, effected by publicg t r a a x n e t s. sor loans its aid of local funds, or upon th e secur i ty of local 2. The extension of inland navigation on similar principles. 3. Improvement of the grand jury laws, After referring to the importance and nature of these laws, the Committee turn to the question of the applotment of the assessments, and express their decided opinion that the county assessments should, in whole or in part, be imposed upon the landlords. In support of their view, they quote from reports made by former Committees, and the evidence taken before them on the subject. The Committee advert to other proposed amendments in the grand jury system, relating to the more equable distribution of public works, and a more convenient period for their exe cution—viz., when there is least demand for agricultural la bour, and to the establishment of money payments in all pub lic works. 4. Drainage and embankments. The Committee, strongly impressed with the advantage of this class of improvements, recommend the trial of one or two experiments in the reclamation of waste lands, on a limited scale, at the public expense. 5. A correction of the abuses incidental to the system of tolls and customs. 7. Emigration. Emigration is considered by the Committee to be pecu liarly applicable, as a remedial measure, to the present state of Ireland, and of the r e l a ti ons o f landlord' and tenant there. They recommend that facilities should be afforded by Go vernment to such peasants as were disposed voluntarily to emi grate, and who could, either by themselves or their landlords (it being for the interest of both that farms should be consoli dated), provide funds to defray the expense of their passage and location in America. 10. A correction of the abuses incidental to custodian writs. 11. A cheap and effectual mode of determining disputed wills, legacies, and intestacies, for small sums. It is proposed by the Committee to give power to the as sistant barristers to adjudicate in those matters, in respect to sums of a limited amount. The report concludes with the enumeration of a series 01 measure?, proposed with the view of carrying out the recom mendations contained in it. As a means of alleviating the distress occasioned by the re moval of tenants, it is proposed by the Select Committee on the state of Ireland in 1832, that public money should be given in aid of such sums as may be paid by a landlord to a removed and destitute tenant, with a view to its being employed in emigration. The Select Committee, in 1 935, on the amount of advances made by the Commissioners of Public Works, in 'their two reports, urged the importance of an extension of public works, on the principle of loans and grants; and of an ex tensive system of drainage and land improvement under the Board of Works; and they proposed several amendments in the law, to give additional facilities fur the attainment of both these objects. Among other matters. not e m b raced by the commission under which we are acting, the Commissioners of Poor Inquiry (in their third report, 1835) recommend the adoption of mea sures topromote emigration from Ireland, partly by aid from the general funds of the empire, and partly by rates and contribu tions in Ireland. With a view to the improvement of land in Ireland, they recommend the appointment of a Board of Improvement, with extensive powers for the drainage and reclamation of unculti vated and partially cultivated lands. They propose to combine in some respects the operations of this new board with those of the Board of Works, and that the fund at the disposal of the latter should be increased ; they also recommend that additional powers should be conferred on that board, with a view to the promotion of all public works; and in cider to remove some of the obstacles which have hitherto stood in the way of ex tensive improvements, they propose to give to tenants for life, &c., in Ireland, certain leasing and charging powers not now possessed by them. The Committee of 1836 directed their inquiries into the duties, salaries, and fees of the officers paid by the counties, and into the presentments compulsory on grand juries. 'lhey recommend the union of some offices, more particularly of the Clerk of the Crown and the Clerk of the Peace, and that the duties of the united office be perforMed in person by a resident officer ; also the appointment of assistants to the county surveyor, and the reduction of the class of compulsory presentments. law T s he wh Co ere m b m y i m ss o io n n ey o s f w l e B4 re o, thn appointed to by tore g v r i a s n e d th j e ury seaera pre sentments, recommended, among many other changes, that magistrates qualified by property within the barony, and the elected guardians of the poor, should alone form the dis trict presentment sessions' court, of which there was to be but one in the year; that there shouldtbe a finance committee and road wardens to pay the contractors quarterly; that the Board of Works should have a corps ofhaiaseshsaishtbaaondatrbdeeenan gineers under it for the more effectual control otfheneuworaoraddso that the offices of clerk of the peace and clerk of the crown, ae committeepn r d those eal fr o m o o f tf t h r te e h a de s e u pe r iresirivo Privy d ocfo s e ug c nr r ac e ni t i a do, r fbo y en,v juriesbaa lt e puhp u aeoat n iitn i ono t dn e twe d onif ; l a t n h d a t v a a judicial uaten Works, and that the Privy Council should make rules for the management of all gaols. recommended Lastly, the Committe t e system t e l 84 in adopted on the suggestion of the select committee of 1824 on the survey and valuation of Ireland, and under the provisions of the 6 and 7 Wm. IV., c. 84, should be discontinued, and that a tenement valuation according to the net annual value for a fair average term of years, and applicable to the imposition and levy of all local taxes, be substituted. They then proceeded to suggest that the county cess and the poor rate should be levied together, and that the same prin ciple of payment between landlord and tenant be applied to both taxes. The principal measures which appear to have followed from those various Committees and Commissions have been, the tow:dud survey, the valuation Acts, the several public works Acts, the drainage Acts, the Act for the abolition of custoiliarn writs, an extension of the civil bill jurisdiction to legacies of small amount, and the alt e ration of the grand j ury system by the Acts of 1834 a n d 1836. At this stage of our report, and before adve r ti ng to t h ose details to which the cou rs e of our inquiries ha s di rected our attention, it may be proper to make a few obse rvat i ons o f a we concei ve , general nature, and ha v ing, as an important bearing upon every part of the subject under consideration. Whatever difference of opinion may be put forward or enter tained upon other points, the testimony given is unfortunately too uniform in representing the unimproved state of extensive districts, the want of employment, and the consequent poverty and hardships under which a large portion of the agricultural population continually labour. The obvious remedy for this state of things is to provide remunerative employment, which may at once increase the productive powers of the country, and improve the condition of the people. By Aat means and under what arrangements for the occu pation of land, this object can be most certainly attained—what difficulties and impediments may be removed—and wh a t assist ance can be properly g iv e n by the interferen ce of Parliament or the exertions of individuals, are points well worthy of considera tion by all those who have the welfare of Ireland at heart, and w u upon which wish, in it thisw i p l l la be e , o t u o r r d e u c t o y rd t o oll o r ffe d r e e s i d o e m d e p s n g igoen , , t itzst but;agri cultural improvement, that is, an increased and improved culti vation of the soil of Ireland, is one of the fir.t and most Im portant steps towards improvement in the condition of the people. Another general remark which our tour through the country and an extensive intercourse with the farming classes enables us to make, is, that in almost every part of Ireland unequivocal EVII,NING, FEBR,UAIIV 24 1845. symptoms of improvement, in spite of many emb - irrassing and counteracting circumstances, continually present themselves to the view ; and that there exists a very general and increasing spirit and desire for the promotion of such improvement, from which the most beneficial results may fairly be expected. Indeed. speaking of tlie country generally, with some excep tions, which are unfortunately too notorious, we believe that at no former period did so active a spirit of improvement prevail, nor could well•directed measures fur the attainment of that oh.. ject have been proposed with a better prospect of sucecs thzn at the present tnomenr. We regret, however, to be obliged to add that in most parts of Ireland there seems to be by no means a corresponding ad vance in the condition and comforts of the labouring classes. A reference to the evidence of most of the witnesses will show that the agricultural labourer of Ireland continues to suffer the greatest privations and hardships ; that he continues to depend upon casual and precarious employment fur subsistence; that he is still badly housed, badly fed, badly clothed, and badly paid for his labour. Our pet sonal experience anti observations during oar inquiry have afforded 113 a melancholy confirmation of these statements; and we cannot forbear expressing our strong sense of the patient endurance which the labouring classes have generally exhibited under sufferings greater, we believe, than the people of any other country in Europe have to sustain. TENURE. The expre<sion, " tenure of land," may be used w:th re ference either to the landlord's estate, or to the interest which an occupying tenant has in his farm. In this latter sense it has been commonly used by the witnesses, and is generally understood in Ireland; and in this sense we consider it to form the principal subject of our inquiry; but we think it ne cessary in the first instance briefly to notice a few cases in which the nature of the landlord's interest may hare an influ ence upon the dealing with his tenants. It will be observed that we sought the opinion of most of the witnesses in reference to impediments in the way of improvements, arising out of the nature of the landlord's interest. The number of proprietors of land in Ireland is small when compared with its extent and the amount of its agricultural population. This circumstance, while probably it is one of the causes which has led to the want of that personal attention to the condition of the tenantry, which is at once the duty and interest of landlords, renders al,o the impediments in the way of improvement, arising from the nature of the proprietors' tenure, a matter of more urgent public importance in Ireland than elsewhere. It frequently hapr ens that large estates in that country are held by the proprietors in strict limitation; and the pecuniary circumstances of the landed proprietors generally, arising, in some cases, out of family charges, and resulting in others from improvidence or carelessness possibly of former proprietors, disable many, even of the best disposed landlords, from im proving their property, or encouraging improvement amongst their tenantry, in the manner which would conduce at once to their own interest and the public advantage. Many of the evils incident to the occupation of land in Ireland may be at tributed to this cause. The removal of impediments, as far as it is possible to re move them by legislation, has formed the subject of inquiry and remark by the Committee in 1835, on the public works, and various suggestions upon it have been offered to us in the course of our inquiry. In accordance with the recommendation of that Committee, we are of opinion, that for the permanent improvement of an estate—confining that expression to such operations as may properly be considered of an agricultural character —tenants for life, and other persons under legal disability, should be em powered, subject to proper and efficient restrictions, to charge the inheritance, to an amount not exceeding three years' in come, for such improvements, being bound to repay the prin cipal by instalments, and to keep down the interest. This is no new principle. In Scotland, by the statute, 10 George 111., cap. 51, commonly called the Montgomery Act, tenants for life are empowered to charge the estate, to a certain extent, with monies laid out by them in improvements ; and in many instances in which it has been found impracticable, or very difficult, to comply with all the requisites of that Act, the principle has been fully recognised by the Legislature, which has passed private Acts with the same object. It is well known how greatly the agriculture of Scotland has improved under a liberal expenditure of capital, and how much the improvement has contributed to increase the property and promote the pros perity of the country. In England and Ireland powers are frequently given by Par liament to trustees and others to grant long leases, or even to compel sales of land, for purposes considered to be of public interest, where the instrument under which the estate is held ihas given no such power. We may confidently state that neither the improvement of land in Scotland, nor any of the objects for which the powers last referred to have been given, were of such paramount importance as an improved system for the occultation of land in Ireland is at this time. It must never be forgotten, that an improved cultiva tion, with the consequent increase of produce from the soil, and of comfort to the occupier, are not matters of private or individual interest only, but are intimately connected with the preservation of public tranquillity and the general prosperity of the whole empire. It may also be ob served, that in the statute 1 and 2 Wm. IV., c. 33, commonly called the Public Works Act, and also in a still more recent statute, 1 and 2 Vic., e. 55, the principle of enabling persons having partial interests to make charges for purposes bene ficial to the estate has been recognised. We hope, therefore, that an effective measure, founded upon the principles to which we have now referred, may soon become the law of the laud. Amongst other measures calculated to facilitate such opera tions, we think it would be desirable that the Bank of Ireland should be empowered, like the Bank of England, to lend money on landed security. In adverting to the character of the landlord's tenure in Ireland, it is our duty to observe upon a species of tenure, scarcely known elsewhere, which prevails very extensively in that country, one-seventh of Ireland being said to be held under it. We allude to the tenure by lease for lives, with a covenant of perpetual renew al on payment of a fine, some t'mes merely nominal, on the fall of each life. The origin of this tenure is said to he traceable to the condition and state of property, consequent upon the extensive confiscations to which nearly thew hole of Ireland has at different periods been subjected ; the grantees, being generally absentees, and desi rous of securing a recognition from time to time of their pro prietorship, as well as the power of recovering their rents, are supposed to have originated this form of demise. Phis tenure, though manifestly intended to be perpetual, has proved a source of frequent litigation. Various construc tions have been put upon the covenants fur perpetual renewal. We cannot more clearly exhibit the extent of this evil than by citing from Mr. Lynch's" Measure for Ireland " a quotation he has given from a judgment of the late Sir M. O'Loghlen, when Master of the Rolls in Ireland, in reference to this sub , jest. " Every day's experience shows how very uncertain the duration of an interest under such a tenure is. Forfeitures of the right to enforce a renewal daily occur, through the neglect of tenants, or the dexterous management of landlords. Cove nants treated in some cases for more than a century as entitling tenants to renewal for ever, have been construed by courts of justice as not conferring that right. Any person who is much engaged in the investigation of titles under leases of lives re newable for ever, will find in almost every abstract of such titles a statement of the result of one or more suits in equity for enforcing the right. The usual statement is—the right to a renewal having been questio ne d, it b ecame necessary to file a bill in equity." In addition to this high authority, we may refer to the evidence on this head. To remedy the inc,nvenience and ill effects which arise from this species of tenure, we recommend that powers should be &iven to the lessor and lessee in all cases to commute the tines into an increased rent, and thus to convert the tenure of leases of lives renewable for ever into an absolute perpe tuity—a power being given, as in the Church Temporalities Act, to &strain and eject in cast of non-payment of the reserved rent, and to refer to a court of equity all questions as to the pecuniary value to be placed on any reservations by coven ants which may interfere with the proper cultivation of the land. We also think it would be desirable that extended leasing powers should be given, under proper and equitable restric gpt i ol o ew n h ee s , r s t l o a an t rd e es n , a r net the t s er c o pt r reod l v i of by y , t a l aa n nw d d, t s o f ue boards fi n o Tc r ur c mt o n r bt p tey o n r t a cs t a o ls corporations tgo e w : h ht o eh s i e e r trr e e ln e e s s of Em the off fe csei r ur a n s pt.g u to s S , euen m nh i ey tp, the B sv catntnde sei sl o s a ot rd of throughout seug Ed h hospitals.euu tc Ireland, i n a , and h e def the t e mode in which occupiers hold their land, the most striking peculiarity is the custom prevalent in the northern eounties, called the tenant-right. The origin of this custom has been the subject of much spe culation, but is now rather a matter of curiosity than of preient interest. It dates from a very early period, having probably sprung up, as we have already noticed, as a natural consequence from the manner in which property was generally granted and dealt with in that part of the country. Large tracts having become the property of public bodies, or of individuals resident at a distance, the landlords were well contented to let their farms to those who would under take the cultivation and entire management, reserving to themselves a rent, but making no expenditure, and exercising little interference with the land. Under such circumstances, it seems neither extraordinary nor unreasonable that a tenant quitting a farm, either at his own desire, or from any difference with his landlord, should obtain from his successor a sum of money, partly in remunera tion of his expenditure, and partly as a price paid for the pos session of land which the new tenant would have no other means of acquiring. From this state of things a feeling of proprietorship appears to have grown up in the tenant, winch continues in a great de gree to the present day; and the extent to which it prevails may be seen by reference to various parts of the evidence taken in the province of Ulster. Under the influence of this custom, the tenant claims, and generally exercises, a right to dispose of his holding for a valuable consideration, although he may himself be a tenant at-will, and although he may have expended nothing in perma nent improvements. We found that in various parts of that province, sums equal to ten, twelve, or fifteen years' purchase upon the rent, are commonly given for the tenant-sight; and this, not only where the rent is considered low, but where it is fully equal to the value. Proprietors generally have been enabled to place a restric tion upon this tenant-right, so far at least as to secure a power of selection with respect to the tenant, and to place some limit upon the amount to be paid ; wisely judging, that a tenant who pays a large sum of money (part of which he probably borrows) in entering upon a farm, will be crippled in his means for the proper management of it. Anomalous as this custom is, if considered with reference to all ordinary notions of property, it must be admitted that the district in which it prevails has thriven and improved, in com parison with other parts of the country • and although we can foresee some danger to the ju s t r i g ht s ofproperty from the un limited allowance cf this " tenant-right," yet we are sure that evils more immediate, and of a still greater magnitude, would result from any hasty or general disallowance of it, and still less can we recommend any interference with it by law. The increasinc , interest which many landlo r d s , p ar ti cu l ar l y some amongst the largest proprietors, take in their estates, the improved intercourse with their tenants, the liberal expendi ture made by some of them in permanent improvements, all tend to place the relation of landlord and tenant upon the foot ing most advantageous for both, and in proportion as feelings of confidence grow up, the evils of an unrestricted tenant-right will be avoided, and the beneficial results which, under a modi fied form, it is calculated to produce, will be secured. Both with respect to the district to which we have now been referring, and to ether parts of Ireland, it would be easy for us to direct attention to many instances of estates upon which the good effects of a steady and judicious management are becoming daily apparent, but we feel that if we were to do this we must also, in justice to the whole subject, point towards other properties with respect to which there is much that re quires alteration and amendment ; and we should thereby em bitter and prol,ng those feelings of distrust and irritation which it is our duty to allay. We shall, therefore, throughout this report, make our obser vations as general as possible. Speaking generally with respect to the occupation of land in Ireland, we find that it is usually held under terminable leases for various terms, or by tenants from year to year. A person having a lease for ever is more commonly to be found in the class of landlords than of occupants. It was formerly the practice with most landlords, particu larly those who were absentees, to grant long leases of a large tract to some individual who was answerable for the rent, and who undertook the responsibility of dividing and underletting the land. Those lessees were usually designated " middle men." This was generally done so as to secure a large profit, and , ...... . . , the poor occupiers were frequently exposed to great oppression. The evils consequent upon such a system have been fre quently exposed in authentic reports, and every writer ova Ire land has dwelt upon them. The practice of !citing land to middlemen is now rare ; but the system has entaqel upon the country the mist injar:ous consequences, and has been a fruitful source of the difficulties which embarrass those who endeavour to place the occui ation of land in Ireland upon a safe and wholesome footing. We must recur to this subject hereafter, when speaking more particul ar ly- o f t h e c i rcumstances that usually attend the falling in of one of those long leases held by a middleman. Looking generally through Ireland, we believe that the larger proportion of the land is occupied by tenants-at-will. There has been of late years, from various causes, an indisposi tion in many landlords to grant leases ; and it appears from the evidence, that in some cases, where the landlord is willing, the tenants decline to take them out, influenced to a certain degree by the high stamp duty. Upon some well-regulated estates, the property of intern front and liberal l an dl or d s, w h o are upon the best footing with their tenants, no leases are g i ven ; b ut we cannot forb ear to express our opinion that, as a general system, it is more for the interest of b,th landlord and tenant that leases of a mode rate length should be granted. We feel, however, that this is one of the points which must be left to the discretion of indi viduals, and we cannot recommend any direct interference by the Legislature. The most general, and indeed almost universal topic of com plaint brought before us in every part of Ireland, was the " want of tenure," to use the expression most commonly employed by the witnesses. It is well known that the want of " fixity of tenure" has, for some time past, been sedulously put forward as one of the most prominent grievances of the Irish tenant. some few of the witnesses before us have given to that. term, a meaning wholly inconsistent with any regard for the most generally admitted rights of the proprietors of the soil, but this is not common ; most of them have referred to this subjt et in much more moderate and r asonable language. The' uncertainty of tenure is, however, constantly referred to as a pressing, grievance by ail classes of tenants. It is said to paralyse all exertion, and to 'dace a fatal impediment in the way of improvement. We have no doubt that this is the case in many instances. In sonic, pr.tbably, the complaint is put forward as an excuse for indolence and neglect. IN I FROVEMENTS. Before we proceed further in dealing with this part of the subject, it may be necessary, in the first instance, to give some explanation of the particular expression,_" Improvements," —the want of which explanation would probably lead to much misconception on the part of persons unacquainted with rural affairs in Ireland. It is well known that in England and Scotland, before a landlord offers a farm for letting, he finds it necessary to pro vide a suitable farm-house, with necessary farm-Buildings, for the proper management of the farm. Ile puts the gates and fences into good order, and he also takes upon himself a great part of the burden of keeping the buildings in repair during the term ; and the rent is fixed vcith reference to this state of things. Such, at least, is generally the case, although special contracts may occasionally be made, varying the arrangement between landlord and tenant. In Ireland the case is wholly different. The smallness of the farms, as they are usually let, together with other circum stane, s to which it is not necessary to advert, render the intro duction of the English system extremely difficult, and in many cases impracticable. It is admitted on all hands, that according to the gene ra l practice in Ireland, th e l an dl or d b u ild s neither dwelling-house nor farm-offices, nor puts fences, gates, &e., into good order before he lets his land to a tenant. The cases in which a landlord does any of those things are the exceptions. The system, however, of giving aid in these matters is be coming more prevalent. In most cases, whatever is done in the way of building or fencing is done by the tenant, and in the ordinary language of the country, dwelling-liouses, farm buildings, and even the making of fences, are described by the general word " im provements," whieh is thus employed to denote the necessary adjuncts to a farm, without which, in England or Scotland, no tenant would be found to rent it. Under the same common term of improvements, are also included various agricultural operations, such as draining, d ep trenching, and even manuring, which ought to stand upon a very different footing from buildings. It will be seen by reference to the evidence, that many witnesses of various classes have spoken of the discouragement to improvement that arises from the want of some certain tenure in the land. Some of these refer to the necessity for enforcing the grant of leases, as a remedy for this evil, with respect to which we have before expressed our opinion; while others again seem to think that the same end will be as effectually obtained by some legislative provision, securing to the tenant, under certain circumstances, a fair remuneration for any expenditure made by him of labour or capital in permanent improvements on the farm. We think that no person acquainted with Ireland, or who takes the trouble of referring to the evidence collected by us, can doubt the importance of encouraging agricultural improve ment throughout the country— incluOing in that term improve ment of the dwellings and farm buildings, as well as the better cultivation of the soil. Undoubtedly when a landed proprietor is possessed of an un encumbered estate, or has the command of money, he may give assistance and encouragemeet to his tenants in the most advantageous manner; and a duty belongs to his position in this respect, which we find to be most faithfully performed in many cases. In some instances the tenant may have capital which he will readily expend upon the land, if he can only be assured that he shall enjoy an adequate return for his expenditure, in the length and certainty of his tenure, or can have secured to him a fair compensation for his outlay and labour on quitt ing the farm. On the other hand it not unfrequently occurs that the only capital which the occupier of the soil possesses is to be found in the labour of himself and his family ; if you show to him in what matter tke application of that labout may be rendered most conducive to his own comfort and permanent benefit, and assist him with money or materials which his labour cannot supply, you will generally find the Irish peasant ready to co operate with you iu effecting improvements beneficial alike to himself and to the country. It is because we believe in the concurrent testimony of many witnesses that the attainment of these desirable objects is im peded by the feelings of distrust and insecurity that too often prevail amongst the tenant class in Ireland, that we venture to recommend tome legislative interference upon this point. The state of Ireland in this respect has not unfrequently en gaged the attention of Parliament : in the years 1835 and 1836, and again in 1843, Bills were presented to the House of Commons, of which the object was to secure for tenants com pensation for any outlay which they may make of a permanent nature upon their farms. Althou - gh it is certainly desirable that the fair remuneration to which a tenant is entitled for his outlay of capital, or of labour, in permanent improvements, should be secured to him by voluntary agreement rather than by compulsion of law ; yet, upon a review of all the evidence furnished to us upon the sub ject, we believe that some legislative measure will be found necessary in or der to give efficacy to such agreements, as well as to provide for those cases which cannot be settled by private arrangement. W e carnesily hope that the Legislature will be disposed to entertain a Bill of this nature, and to pass it into a law will as little delay as is consistent with a full discussion of its prin ciple alid details. NVe are convinced that in the present state of feelings in Ireland, no single measure can be better calculated to allay discontent, and to promote substantial improvement throughout the country. In some caves, the existence of such a law will incline the landlord to expend his own capital in making permanent improvements. In others, he may be called upon, on the eviction or retirement of tenants, to pro vide the amount for which their claims may be established under the Act. The power which we have already recommended to be given to enable persons under legal disabilities, to charge their estates for eertain purposes, will assist in rendering effectual the provisions for compensation here referred to, and in providing against an undue pressure on existing landlords from their operation. We do not express these opinions without having come to the conclusion from a careful examination of the whole subject, that a satisfactory enactment may be framed for this purpose, which should contain some such provisions as the following : 1. A - power to register with clerk of the peace, agreements between landlord and tenant, relative to improvements on farms, by draining, or otherwise, and on farm buildings, &c., with a power to assistant barrister to enforce same, with an appeal to judge of assize. -2. In cases where parties do not agree, a power to tenant to serve notice on landlord of any proposed improvement in farm buildings, offices, or exterior fences, the suitableness thereof to be reported on by mutually chosen arbitrators, with power to the assistant barrister, on such report, and after examination, to decide and certify th• maximum cost, not exceeding three }ears' rent. 3. If tenant be ejected or his rent raised within thirty years, the landlord to pay such a sum, not exceeding the maxi mum fixed, as work shall then be valued at. 4. Provisions for the registration of such adjudications_ works to be completed within a limited time from date theriof —and landlord to have power to execute, charging five per ecnt. on outlay, not exceeding estimate stated therein. CONSOLIDATION OF FARMS. The removal of large numbers of tenants or occupiers of small portions of land from their holdings, has long been the subject of observation and complaint. Former reports have remar ked upon it, and adverted to the causes that led first to the multiplication of occupiers upon the land, and subsequently to their removal. The Committee of 1523, in particular, when touching upon this subject, say that (luting the war, partly from political motives, in adding to the number of voters, and partly from the ease with which high rents were pad for laud, an extraordinary sub-division of farms took place. The Select Committee of the House of Lords in 1825 also refer in their report to the minute subdivision of land, the extreme difficulty of preventin g it, and the num b er o f persons intervening betw een th e head landlord and the immediate oc cupier. And they state that they observe with satisfaction that the increasing intelligence of landlords is now endeavour ing to apply a gradual remedy to the subdivision of land, and that they entertain a confident expectation, that for the mutual benefit of both landlords and tenants, this remedy will be as extensively applied as circumstances will permit. The Committee on emigration in 1826 and 1827 speak of a growing conviction (alrez.dy almost universal) among the landlords in Ireland, of the mischief of the system of an under tenancy, and of the excess of population which at tends it. In like manner, the Select Committee of 1830 describe the advancement of agriculture during the war, tliecons t e h q e u. demand for labour and augmentation of the population , _ After alluding to the wretched condition . ereased value of lard , and so the tempttion t 0 0 0 wsuhtlebutihneg. sub division of land and an over-pop their report proceeds— ulation hail reduced the people, began it to o all ta i k n o p p r l i a c u e e s occurred l A ands. change The great decline of agri cultural e li d e Such after r s ttihi peace.sta of in the system of managing so then soona3 of the middlemen, as well as the occupiers, from paying many of rents; an anxiety began to cultural produce preventedd n was produced in the minds of all per and a general impression be felt by the propr i etors to improve the value of their estates, l of the land at the same time sons, t h a t a p a e a r u p l op o u i l e at v i a on ue spread over the country would go on increasing, d i m i n i s hi ng , till the produce would become i nsu ffi c i ent to main tain the resident population. {. That evil became so obvious,' continues Dr. Doyle, that the proprietors thought some remedy ought to be applied ; and they did accordingly apply remedies, of the principle of which I highly approve; but I thought, and slid think, that those laws ought to have been accompanied by some provision for the poor.' .6 The new system of managing lands was that of consolida ting farms, and bringing th e l an dl ord and tenant more imme diately in contact. It is stated to lead to better husbandry, to a greater certainty of the potatoe crop, to farm buildings and more comfortable habitations, to the gradual improvement of the quality of the soil and the quantity of produce. Lower rents are assumed, but, on an average of }ears, larger rents are paid ; and a race of yeomanry is likely to spring up and to be encouraged. These benefits are so strongly felt, that all the witnesses concur that they are universally recognised by landlords and agents, and are carried into practice as far as circumstances will admit. The risk to be appr e hended i s not that the proprietors of land should be it sensible to these coast- derations, but that they should, in some cases, proceed with too much rapidity. " So far from its being for the interest of the landlord to sublet, and so far from there existing any inveterate habit of subdividing farms for the sake:of acquiring higher rents, cape rienee has shown that personal interest imperatively prescribes a contrary mode of proceeding. It is a mistake to imagine that these clearances of estates have originated with the Subletting Act, or with the statute that raised the franchise; on the con trary, they existed more than ten years before those measure& had been adopted ; but it is undoubtedly true that both statute& have given motives or afforded facilities for pursuing a comae previously adopted on the ground of private interest. If • the ‘ condition of th e l an dl or d and of those tenants who remain in" p rssession of the soil are alone considered,. the change is une doubtedly one of unmixed good. But the situation of anothet class remains to be considered, that of the ejected tenantry, or of those who are obliged to give up their small holdings in order to promote the consolidation of farms. 'I heir condition is necessatily.most deplorable. ' It would he impossible for language to convey an idea of the state of distress to which the sjected tenantry,have-been reduced, or of the disease, misery, and even vice, which they have propagated in the towns wherein they have settlel; so that nut only they who have been ejected have been rendered miserable, but they have carried with them and propagated that misery. They have increased the stuck of labour, they have rendered the habitations of those who re ceived them more crowded, they have given occasion to the dissemination of disease, they have been obliged to resort to theft and all manner of vice and iniquity to procure subsistence ; but, what is perhaps, the most painful of all, a vast number of them have perished of want.' " Your Committee cannot help hoping arid believing that the foregoing powerful statement is one which describes an extreme case ; still, there can be no doubt that in making a change, in itself important and salutary, a most fearful extent of suffering is produced. " The change is unavoidable, and could not have been de laved ; a postponement could riot have averted the evil day, which would eventually have come, and have been attended with pressure, aggravated by reason of the postponement. " ' Had the evil gone much further,' continues Dr. Doyle, ' the misery would of necessity have increased. It was, indeed, essentially necessary to the good of the country that the sys tern should be corrected, and every wise man applauds those measures which were taken for the correction of it; but I be lieve there are :Try few penile who now witness the sufferings of the poor in Ireland, who would not be inclined to say, that along with those acts to which I have referred, there ought to have been a provision made for the ejected.' " Your Committee " (the report continues), " conceive that it is the imperative duty of individuals, of the Government, and of the Legislature, to consider what means can be devised to diminish this mass of suffering, and at the same time to secure fur the country a better economic condition, pro moting a better management of estates, and regulating the relations between landlord and tenant on rational and useful principles." And in 1832, the Select Committee on the state of Ireland, in searching fur the cause of disturbances in that country, re fer to the removal of tenants from farms at the expiration of old leases, as one of them, and add, " But the subject involves so many important considerations, such as the rights and duties of landlords, the obligation of tenants to fulfil the covenants of their leases, and the claims of tenants on humane and indul gent treatment by their landlords, that the Committee have not been able to discover any plan by which the tenants removed may be altogether protected from being exposed to severe hardship." Feeling this subject to be one of vast importance, we have been very anxious to acquire correct information upon it. In our printed queries we directed attention to the consolidation of farms and the eviction of tenants ; and in the oral examinations we constantly addressed questions to the r , vitnesses upon these points. The answers to such questions, together with litlifit , rous explanations which such answers have called forth, are in the Appendix. Upon a review of the whole subject, we feel bound to express' our opinion, that there has keen much of exaggeration and mis statement in the sweeping charges which have been directed against the Irish landlords. In common with the Committee of 1832, whose language we .. have quoted, we feel the impossibility of providing any direct remedy by legal enactment for the suffering described' in the preceding extracts. The evil arises from the ibuse of a right, of which the ex istence is essential to the maintenance of pt operty; but, although we cannot recommend any interference by law with the right, it does not follow that we should hesitate to expose the abuse, or to point out the means which, in our Opinion, may and ought to be adopted to mitigate the evils resulting from it. A considerable period has elapsed since the consolidation system first commenced, and the recent instances have been comparatively few. Much, however, of the evil caused by former clearances still remains, but we trust that the increased care and attention given by landlords to their estates will pre vent its recurrence. It is certain that the removal of a number of poor occupiers from the dwellings and the land which they have long held, must be the cause of much individualsnffering; and no humane landlord will adopt such a course without using his best endea vours to alleviate that pressure. It may be useful to consider the circumstances under which, at the present time, such removals of tenants occur. We find no reason to believe that they are usually prompted by feelings of a religious or political character. Individual eases occasionally arise in which the operation of such motives may be traced ; but we think that all who look at the evidence with an impartial eye, will concur in th e genera l conclusion at whi c h we have arrived. The cause which most frequently, at the present day, leads to the eviction of a number of tenants on a particular estate, is the wish of the proprietor to increase the size of the holdings, with a view to the better cultivation of the land ; and when it is seen in the evidence, and in the returns upon the size of farms, how minute those holdings are frequently found to be, previous to the change, it cannot be denied that such a step is, in many cases, absolutely necessary, and called for by a due regard to the interest of both landlord and tenant. Some witnesses, who put forward most strongly, as matter of complaint, the consolidation of small holdings, into what they call large farms, in answer to the further questien—" To what size were the farms brought ;" describe them as enlarged to the extent of 25,'20, or even 10 acres. We give this, of course, only as the general result of our inquiries. There have been, undoubtedly, cases in which large numbers of tenants have been removed, with a view to create much larger farms, or with a view to the occupation of land in some manner more agree able to the landlord ; but these are the exceptions, and not the general practice. In either case, the feeling that is engendered amongst the parties removed and the surrounding population, as well as the opinion which impartial persons will form, must depend, in a great degree, upon the mode in which the removal is conducted. It now frequently happens that upon the expiration of a long lease, a landlord finds his property occupied by a multitude of paupers, who had obtained an occupation of a few roods Or acres, either through the want of a clause against subletting in the former demise, or the failure of the landlord through some legal defect, or his own neglect to enforce that covenant, if existing. Many of these poor people are found living ire a most miserable way, and quite incapable of managing their land properly, or so as to derive from their small holdings a sufficient supple even of food for their subsistence. It becomes absolutely necessary, with a view even to the con dition of the people themselves, as well as towards any general improvement in the country, to make some change. A humane landlord, finding himself thus circumstanced, if he is resident, or if he has an intelligent and active agent, will have much communication with the individual occupiers. He will inform himself of their respective position and character. He will select a suilicient number of those best qualified to occupy a farm, and will establish them in holdings of such size as will enable them, with industry, to live comfortably, and to pay a reasonable rent. He will encourage and assist some who may be willing to emigrate. He will aid others in settling themselves upon waste land belonging to himself, or will assist them in procuring it for others, and, for some of the poorest, be will find employment as labourers. In this way he will be enabled at the same time to improve the condition of his property, and to benefit the population with which he has hail to deal. Instances of successful proceedings of this nature have been brought before us, affording examples well worthy of imitation. On the other hand, if a landlord, finding a portion of his estate thus overrun with pauper tenants, looks only at the beuefit to be derived from a new arrangement of it, without a sufficiently close attention to the effects of this upon indivi duals, a great extent of misery will often be produced. Arrangements hastily adopted—rules arbitrarily laid down and enforced, for the remodelling of estates, grounded perhaps on some pre-conceived theory in reg ard to the s i ze o f f arms—. will often be found t o disappoint te expectations of the pro prietor, and to produce much individual misery, however lavish the expenditure. '1 he worst consequences may thus result from a want of due caution and careful attention to all the circumstances. Perhaps the agent, after selecting a sufficient number to remain on the farm, advises the giving of a sum of money to the rest. But it is difficult to say what compensa tion, apart from land, will be adequate in a country where land alone affords a permanent security for food. The money is soon spent in the temporary maintenance of the family. They may be willing to labour, but can find no employment. Solve of them may be ready to emigrate, but require the ad vice and assistance of a kind friend to put them in the way of taking this step with advantage. Others may be desirous of exerting their industry in the re clamation of some waste land, but know not where to apply, or by w hat means to encounter the first difficulties of such an un dertaking. Thus it is, that a proceeding which under the existing cir cumstances of Ireland is often indispensable, may become 4 source of comfort or of misery, according to the spirit in which it is carried out. RECOVERY OF RENT. Our inquiries have been also directed to ascertain what is the course most u,ually adopted by landlords in Ireland for re covery of rent against defaulting tenants. 'f he evidence upon this point shows the practice to be so different in different places that we cannot pretend to give, with any degree of ae• curacy, a general statement upon it. The remedies open to a landlord are, distress, action in the superior courts, or process by civil bill, and the more indirect method by ejectment. As the power of distress is liable to be abused, and the exer cise of it, under particular circumstances, has been made the subject of complaint, we have given much consideration to the question whether this power could be abolished with advantage to the tenant and safety to the landlord, and we havecom ilvr e b t e o yf the conclusion that this would not be a beneficial c h ange f or either party. The ri4ht of distraining, whether deri ve d f rom the feudal or Englandthec ivi law, and I h r a e s l a nalwaysd. It b h e a e s n h a e l:a n r part regulated o t l h a t e e d common l andvaried several statutes, and there is now think little pdiffoevi,r.(e,rncoef distressin the pr w e o se u n ld lyt state of the law in this resp ec t as it prevails in both countries. tiroperty, particularly with believe weaken that the the just p t o h l a a t tfo the u, r g e r s el p al e 'te et to the smaller cl ass o f tenants • and change would ope ra t e i n j ur i ously as regards the .e poorpop because proprietors would be unwilling to intrust the possession of a cabin or an acre of land to a tenant, if they were deprived of those means of protecting themselves from loss which the distressrigAhtltohofognwe do n affords. Although distrain f or rent, yet wreectoaniketnhdatthsoemaboliti on t o o f ns the rn a ri y gh p t ro. to perly be made in the law which will render the enforcement of it less severe upon that a tenant.the We recommend right to seize rowin crops b w of distre ss f or rent shall be altogeth er taken g away. This power was introduced into the law of Ireland by a statute of comparatively recent date ; it is very liable to be abused, and although it may sometimes be useful for the re covery of rent front a particular class of tenants, yet we think that the evils growing out of it greatly overbalance any advan tage which it can be shown to possess. The statute 6 and 7 William IV., c. 75, requires a notice to be given to the tenant of the amount and particulars of rent for which distress is made, but it appears that no particular time is fixed for giving such notice, and that the want of it is no objection to the validity of a distress. We recommend that it shall be made imperative upon evilly person making a distress, to serve, or cause to be served, arch a notice at the time of making the seizure, and that the want of it shall render a distress illegal. It appears to us that by the law at present the occupying tenant, under a middle-man or mesne landlord, is in some cases exposed to a double process of distress. lie ought to be pro tected by statute from this d ang er. The particular mode of doing this will require further consideration, but we have no doubt that it may be effected without danger to the just rights of any party. 82 1/2 99 39 :43zi 7% Jun 79% 17' "/ 13t4 62 1 / 2 13% 4% 39 1 4 14:N 2N 104 64% 6% "3. z 1 1