The Express.
London, England, 1849-02-23 00:00:00

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CLILWIJORD slued, puretaant to reuse, the
folhowielf reesintims; "'that the laws relating and landed
property in Insimeds ae affecting the right' and powers both
ef lanai* mad team* require the immediate consideration
of tide helm, with a view to ouch alteration of *NS laws as
will remove the obstacles at present existing to the improve-
ment ot the mil and the employment of the people." He had
frequently Lima umplaints in that house that Irish mem-
bers, thole' sisimeaft dwelling on the grievances of Ire-
land, toter primed easy remedies. He wished to exempt
himself NM- tee mapiseash, and therefore submitted this re-
solution, ea the isamdadem of a series of measures which
could only he MlCitillilairpromottd by the power of govern-
ment. Yoe tom the of 'rebind had been depressed,
and had bseensea se y were truly described, a potato.fed
inti(Hear hem) The great evil had been the minute
vielon Deleted, with a view to extort exerbtant
rents, whereby the people had been impelled to resort to
a lower dist, being without any regular employment
Since the repeated failures of the potato crop the people were
being rapidly exterminated. The only inception to this was
the province of Md. r, where the per centsge of pauperism
was only li in the 100, wtile in Connaught it was I. In
some unions in Ulster the per mintage was as low u six.
tenths in the Inicdred ; it was not lower in any part of the
United Kingdom. Nevertheless, in Ulster, great part of the
land was let in small farms, averaging from two to three
acres. What, then, caused the difference between Ulster
and the other provinces? In the latter the tenants bad no
interest in improving the land, nor had the landlords ; for,
owing to the system of middlemen, one was not at all de-
pendent on the other. In Ulster, on the contrary, the p-
lural prevalence of what was called tenant right gave a
stimulus to industry and improvement. Having stated the
oondition of Ireland and the cause sof that condition, he would
now state the remedies he proposed. Pint, he would give
to landlords the lull power of charaing the inhergon
with any improvements they might make on their estates.
A measure to this effect had been introduced in a former me-
nu', and he believed its principle was not opposed by the
government; but as it was to be carried out through the in-
strumentality of the Court of Chancery, it was more expen-
sive than useful. Next, he would give landlords of estates
under entail the power to grant long leases. Another most
desirable measure was to extinguish, by some means, the
rights of intermediate landlords. It was still more
nec'ssary that a measure should be enacted for se-
eming to tenants the fell benefit of their outlay.
This subject had engaged the attention of the house,
at intervals, for several years. Bills for effecting that ob-
ject had been introduced at various times, amongst others.
by Lerd Stanley and L_ r 1 Lincoln. It was most essential
that the existing uncertainty should be put an end to, as it
had the effect of arresting all improvement. The question
naturally divided itself into two parts. In the pro-
viece of Ulster, tenant-right existed ; but the tenants
were anxious that this right should be sanctioned by direct
legislation : and it was not lets important that the same right
should be extended to the whole country. Another desirable
measure would be to give the state the power of aesuming
waste lends, on a valuation to be properly made,with a view
to their reclamation. This would be a most beneficial appli-
cation of the public money ; it would at ono, improve the
land and give employment to the people. He did not wk
the government to furnish employment to all the paupers,
but simply is open a market for labour. It was melancholy
to reflect that in Connaught, where the greatest distress pre.
sailed, there were a million and a half of acres of waste land.
He would also ask the government to assume the power of
actually Felling land on which the poor-rates were not paid.
It was most unjust to the people of England, and other
parts of Ireland, that they should be required to make
(toed such arrears. The bill which passed last session, for
effecting the sale of encumbered 'Mates had been found impe-
rative, he therefore called on the government to amend it
Another measure adopted by the government was, the ad-
vance of leans to landlords for the improvement of their pro-
perties; but though a good measure, as far as it went, it was
incapable of being extensively wed in Ireland. A million
and shelf would go but a small way in improving land. He
would prefer stimulating landlords to realks en.provements
with their own means ; and to give them the ability of doing
so he would give them the power of borrowing money from
the government. These were the measures which be would
suggest for the improvement of Ireland. If her Ma-
jesty's government refused to accept them, what did
they mean to propose ? His abject in making this mo
Lion was to give the government an opportunity of stating
what they would do ; and in bringing it forward he hoped he
had done so in such a manner as to give offence tell's.r to
the landlords of Ireland nor to the government. (Heir.)

The motion huhu been put,
Sir W. SOMERVIL LE said it wit impossible to deny
the great importance of the su'lects introduced by his hon.
friend, as it was equally impossibly to deny the surprising
perseverance with whirls, year atter year, he brought und.r
consideration his favourite project for a law to amend the
relations between landlord and tenant in Ireland. He
(Sir W. Somerville) was surprised that his hon. frieud con-
tented himself with bringing forward an abstract motion,
about which there could be no difference of opinion, and
that he had not, instead of this, laid on the table a bill em
bodying his views in a practical shape, and setting forth the
mode and methoi by which he proposed to carry them out.
(Hear, hear.) His hon. friend divided his speech into two
parts. In the first he gave a elsecription of the unfortunate
state of Ireland, and drew a contrast between different por-
tions of it; and in the second part of it, he detailed at
length the different remedies he would propose for her im-
provement. He feared it was impossible to deny the
accuracy of the picture he drew of the general distress
and embarrassment of the province of Connaught,
and the terrible condition of its pauper population. But
when the hon. gentleman contrasted it with the comparative
prosperity of the county of Down, end attributed this dif-
ferenceto the difference in the nure of land, be did not
think it would be difficult to show that he was in error, be-
cause, although tenant tight prevailed LOS here to such an
extent as in Donegal, that county, though not
so bad as Connaught and some of the southern districts,
was still in a lamentable state, and vary much behind the
county of Down in prosperity. His hon. friend nest alluded
to some cirministanees which deterred the people from in-
dustry, and amongst these he alluded to the " Elmdale
system," which was the name given to what his hon. friend
meant by the joint occupation system. He believed that a
more perch:dogs system did not prevail in any other part of
the world. That system was carried to a great extent
in Donegal, and was productive of the worst
effects. Now, with regard to the remedies pro-
posed by honourable friend, the first he alluded
to was a law similar to what was called the Montgomery Act
is Scotland. That immure was carefully considered by the
Devon comalesiss ; every can was taken to inquire into the
working admit law with a view of forming a judgment how
far it would be applicable to the mullion of Ireland. He
believed he was correct in saying that the unanimous opinion
of that commission was, that that act, and the machinery by
which it was to be carried out, could not be applied to Ire-
land in its present condition ; that it was totally inapplicable
to Ireland, and that any attempt to make it so would be
productive of more harm than good. He did n-t mean to
say that a measure of this kind might not be desirable, but
he wished to stow with how much difficulty a question of
this kind, as applicable to Ireland, was attended.
They might all agree in their general views on the subject,
but when they cams to the details, then it was that the diffi-
culties presented themtelves. His hon. friend next alluded
to a measure introduced by himself in the last session of
parliament, the object of which was to stable the proprietors
in fee to charge the inheritance with money expended in
the Improvement of the property, and he proposed to carry
out the measure by the machinery of the Board of Works.
Only conceive what the result of that would be if every land-
lord in Ireland were to employ the machinery of that board,
and make use of the officers under the control of the coin-
missiooen, in order to ascertain what improvements
were necessary in their properties, and to issue their
fiats thereupon. They were to make themselves
responsible for the outlay of the money on these
improvements. The only effect of this would be to
involve them in disputes and litigation with every landlord
in Ireland. (Hear, hear.) If, as regarded the 1,500,0001.
which theetenerosity of parliament voted for the improve-
ment of land in Ireland, the Board el Works experienced so
mach difficulty in carrying out the act without involviag
themselves in legal disputes, be would leave the house to
determine what the result would be if the more enlarged '
ides of his hon. friend were adopted. (Hear, heir) He
mentioned this, not as indicating that some such measure
might not be desirable, bat to show the difficulties which
Man onevery question of this nature when government
Mei OM* is in order odo what should be done by
the frier.ine of Ireland themselves. His hon. friend
newt anied to a measure for giving security
M the tenant for improvements male by him, sad he
alas& to the measures introduced by Lard Stanley, by the
noble lord, the member for the Falkirk Burghs (the Earl of
Lincoln), and that introduced by himself during the last
session of parliament. He was afraid that his hon. friend
justly characterised these measures when he called them
abortions. Bat he thought he might include amonpt these,
the measure introduced on the same subject bylsis hon.
friend himself The subject he acknowledged was sur-
rounded by great dificuldes. but he would not my that he
wee deterred by them. He hoped, therefore, very soon
during the t session, to lay on the table a measure
which w hive for its object, to secure to the improving
Wain, the fruits of hi labour. (Hear, hear. After what
frad pseud he would be very sorry to be to)o sanguine on
seek a see act, but sweidering that the smears of lest year
IND svall 10 • mounittee which investigated the sub-
sist ra several improvements upon the measure
his Lest session, he hoped that the one he
was to in see in a abort time would, at all events, be con-
sidered as an improvement on the measures that preceded it.
The hon. gentleman said that the uncertainty of the law es
it stood at present prevented voluntary arrangements and
agreements. He confessed he could not see why this should
be, because, after all, voluutary arrangements ought to be
the prieeipel object they should keep in new, as they were
restiesably the most satisfactory mode of dealing between
Wdtseele awl tenants. His hon. friend said it was the
duty of the government to define tenant right, and
to give it a legal sanction. It was a very
difficult thing to legalise it, and he never yet
heard it defined. With respect to the reclamation of waste
lands by government, he did not know any measure whisk
lost es much ground in Ireland. (" Hsu, hear," from
Mr. Bellew.) The industrialresourees of Ireland were imper-
fectly developed, and there was no doubt her soil, if
properly cultivated, was capable of feeding in comfort a much
Win population than her present one; bat that was not the
question they had to deal with now. It was his intention
during the present session of parliament to introduce a bill
for the conversion of renewable leaseholds into tenancies in
fee—a mem» which he hoped to he precludes of great
benefit. (Hear, hear.) It was also the intention of the go-
vernment to introduce a bill for the amendment of the grand