The Sun.
London, England, 1836-04-15 00:00:00

IRISH POOR.

(From'the Aberdeen Herald.)

Mr. John Power, formerly editor of this paper, who has
been employed as one of the Commissioners to investigate
the state of agriculture in Ireland, and the situation of
the poor, &c., has returned to London, having inspected
eleven baronies in the counties of Dublin, Meath, Lowth,
Kildare, Kilkenny, and Wicklow. The Reports of the
whole of the Commissioners are in the press, and will
shortly be published, after, being laid on the House of
Commons. The evidence is very voluminous, and, with the
Reports, will form a huge mass of highly interesting mat-
ter, and exhibit, beyond contradiction, the wretched con-
dition of the suffering Irish. The mode of pursuing the
inquiry in each barony (generally a district of eight or ten
miles in diameter) was by giving notice, by written invi-
tations and placards, that a public court of inquiry would
be held on stated days, to learn the condition of the agri-
cultural community and the state of agriculture, at which
all classes were invited to attend. There were put to
them 718 questions, which any one present was at liberty
to answer. If contradictory or unsatisfactory replies were
given, other questions were put, to sift and elucidate
the point. In this way, the sittings continued from 12 till
five o'clock during six days : and a week or ten days after
was occupied to go round and examine the barony, both as
to the condition of the farmers and labourers, and the state
of practical agriculture.
Our correspondent, who was present at some of the ex-
aminations in the Courts, describes them as the most extra-
ordinary that can be imagined—sometimes ludicrous and
amusing, and at others, painful and distressing beyond
description ; at times full of wrath and fury, from differ-
ences between Orangemen and Catholics, landlord and
tenant, and labourers and their employers, when touching
chords which vibrated from feelings roused by the recol-
lection of petty tyranny, oppression and misery.
The audience consisted of noblemen, gentlemen, magis-
trates and other resident proprietors and gentry, farmers,
labourers, and all who chose to attend. It frequently re-
quired the interposition of the Commissioners to protect
the farmers and labourers (when giving evidence) against
the attempted bullying and intimidation of Orange magis-
trates and grandees, and to threaten to report their con-
duct to the Government, and to have them struck off the
list of magistrates. Many of the poor wretches, who had
been so little accustomed to have justice done them, on
finding that they were now to be protected from the bully-
ing of their tyrants, could not help expressing their satis-
faction. They saw that, for the first time, they would be
listened to, and hoped that justice would be done to them
by these inquiries into their wretched condition, and be put
on a level, in the eye of. the law, with their Orange op-
pressors, who had so long " crowed" and reigned over them,
omnipotent, even on their own dunghills.

ADJOURNMENT OF THE HOUSE.

The House of Lords, like that of the Commons, usually
adjourns from day to day, except on Fridays, when it ad-
journs till Monday. At Easter, however, both Houses ad-
journ for nearly a fortnight, and, if it appear proper to the
Members, they may adjourn either of the Houses for any
period they think proper. When Sir Robert Peel's Ad-
ministration was dissolved in April last year, both Houses
were adjourned for a month, in order that time might be af-
forded to the Members of the Ministry, in the Commons,
to be re-elected, and the Administration consolidated. An
adjournment, however long, makes no alteration in the state
of measures before the House ; on its again meeting they
are taken up at the particular stage in which they were
left. It is different when a prorogation takes place. All
bills and measures, however far advanced through the
House, fall as much to the ground as if they had
never been before it. The King has no right to ad-
journ the Lords any more than the Commons, it can only
be done by the Lord Chancellor, or Lord Keeper of the
Great Seal, with consent of the House ; but his Majesty
can, whenever lie pleases, prorogue the House, and there-
fore his private wish, on any occasion, for an adjournment,
has only to be known to be complied with. Both Houses
usually, but not always, adjourn at the same times and
for the same periods ; but the one has no influence over the
ether in this or in any other respect. The King may order
Parliament to adjourn to any place he pleases. It is a mis-
take to suppose it must always meet at Westminster.—
Recolleetifuts of the House of Lords.