The Sun.
London, England, 1847-03-19 00:00:00

denee—the sale of the estate—or else afford to the countesse
mans of rehea ing its distress. It could not be said that tb.efer
was anything sew in this, proposition.' He had tben a Yea
from a genctenian who had studied the history of legisisr;o
of absentees, and had found that, even in the a
'Tee imposts had been placed upon the property of_p_ered,
residents. Donne. the reigns of Henry the 10.10
Ric'-art, and the three Edwards, very heavy ta it
and fines were imposed upon absentees, and in one instenla,
was enacted that two-thirds of the land. should be forfeited.
In the reign of Charles the First instructions were transmitted
to the G, vernment to enact that all the nobility holding estates
in Ireland were not to leave the country without the et; a
of the Government, unless employed by the Englan there
abroad ripen its business. He would ask the i
House „
he
was the smallest doubt that if one-third of the rentals 0.10
country were spent in other countries Parliament serita
place;
once interfere to check the evil. Property was not pla,",iet,
the hands of any man, without bringing with it certain °lea;
Residence was one of those duties, and ought to be enforced'
and every well-minded and just man would at once reeogeeei
the principle. It was said by some that if they ilnrs bee
heavy tax upon the proprietor they would take away from pet,
the desire to exert himself. That was an old areal find
which had been used against the poor-law, but they emu ssid
it necessary to enforce those duties. It would teen be
what was to be done with those proprietors who bed. Poss
perty in the two counties ? He said that such proGePri_ent,
could not possibly do their duties properly, and the ; for
ment ought to facilitate the sale or exchange of estatef ;heir
the sooner such proprietors got rid of one or other ° did
werFdeeci
estates. the better. It would then be a*ked, how
to define residence ? and in order to deter mine the re!,.,1 he.
necessary to render persons liable to the assessed tax 'WI/
land, the Act stated that a residence of six months out Such
country should hinder them from payment of the lax* onesr
a principle would operate well as a test of residence it
such an Act as he would wish to see in operation. it
suit
error should arise on the subject of the time of resid6teeies
b
would be easy to rectily it afterwards. He was not, ae of
ever, prepared to say that this would be the best r"d be
levying the tax. He invited discussion on the subject, ellipse
thought that some such machinery as he had stated cos the
easily applied. With regard to the amount et_ as
tax he should propeeesthat the minimum should be
et teuttress
cent., and it that were not found effectual it could
_liosel
wards increased. The proceeds could be applied taws(
purposes, or for the general purposes of education and rebetbe
(listless in the country. He should, he supposed, be meteines
stale argument which many Members of that House, 50d
3e
titularly the Rieht Hon. Member for Temworth,
attacking anything that appeared in the'form of a I.ool°
merely because it app
T eared in that shape. ght
Mr. 11. M. TUIE seconded the motion. He &Tat
that something ought to be done to make the Irish ialdnoeitts
subscribe to support the poor of Ireland. It was svellk gee
that many Irish, as well as English proprietors who bee,
perty in Ireland, had totally neglected their duty, and fal'ete,
performing those services which were expected of tellies
Nothing could be more injurious to the nleallett
passed by the Government for the relief of Irish distress‘etee
the absenteeism practised by so many Irish landlords. of
difficulty especially had been experienced in the workiogaie
the Labour Act from this cause. In seven or eight reliella
tricts in the county of Longford, there were a number of hers
absentee proprietors who ha not subscribed a farthing toeliess
the distress. Out of the anneal rental of the county, 'A et
was 16,000 e, of which little or nothing had been returne'res
the shape of subscriptions. In the county which he reset',
sented, and in the relief eistriet with which he was connr of
the resident proprietors had subscribed 614/. The fartne,reith
from sixteen to a hundred acres subscribed 67/. 10s• vil,
this, 240 persons had been employed. Now there were
eee
sentee proprietors belonging to England who drew 3,t et
year out of the same district, and for a long fttel
they subscribed nothing. At last, when it was threalej,
to expose them in the newspapers, they subscribed 0 s
( Hear, hear.) Of these proprietors, the principal •
London company. The mortgagees had not suborn of
farthing.—(Hear, hear.) In contrast with the proaeatasof
these parties, he would name the conduct of the Mare% hod
Lansdowne, Lord Palmerston, and the Earl of Devent etei
done everything in then power to meet the crisis, ao tO
the
t:t
employment for the people. He must say, generally, t—tbari
small absentee proprietors acted in a much worse manneri the
the large ones. He was firmly persuaded that la
money which was now spent out of Ireler' weft,
absentee landlords, was expended in the °hive"
there would soon be a much better state of t eriek
He was glad that his Hon. Friend the Member for Lia3.-rised
had brought forward this motion, because he felt ceer'e ie
that absenteeism had been the fruitful source of all reed
Ireland.
ve
Alderman HUMPHERY said that he should not I's a sot
tempted to have risen upon that occasion, if a charge haettsie
been made. by the Hon. Member for Limerick upon ea els
companies with which he (Mr. Alderman Humphery) haesiA
honour to be connected. If the Hot . Member for Pled to
had, in the first instance, given him notice that he irate 1' bate
bring forward these charges, he (Mr. Humphery) should ear
been prepared with papers and documents which, he felt ess
vinced, would prove to the Hon. Member himself that 'lO
mistaken in the conclusions he had arrived at, as far gore
1,1) cted those companies. In the first place, then, f",e,t large
Member said that the whole of these companies bee" rest
properties in Ireland, from which they derived
n°tsge
rentals, without giving a corresponding &claimse
to that country. He (Mr. Humphery) was sure that
Lie is
companies did not spend one-tenth alone of their revel! oars
Ireland ; but he would venture to assert that they sPenb tatee
fifths of their rentals in the improvement of their e 9 tider
The Irish Society, over which lie had the honour to Preto
hail an income of from 9,0001. to 10,000/. a year from est sot
in the neighbourhood of Londonderry. Well, they sP, s
less than 7,000/. of that money in education and religiourof
struction.—( Hear, hear.) The directors of the society rocies
refused any application made by clergymen for the imP 0,101
ment of their chapels. They never refused grants ef st
for the purposes of educstion.—( Hear, hear.) There we'froje
least sixty schools which received annual sums of neeneld Ost
the society, and, therefore, when the Hon. Member said tee
the London companies did nothing with their money °!tsias
vite Members of that House to dinners, and other enteebiele
merits, he presumed that the lion. Gentleman had not
self been so invited—(Laughter)—or be would have „tees
understood how their funds had really been "Perna;
them they had only spent in treating
There were twenty-six members of the society, and a
bet
'the }fon. and
termed it) the gentlemen of that House, (as and in the
management of the comp ny, 4501. r (Hear. tweet?
He (Mr. Humphery) also bel,mged to anotherea company whi;
possessed a large property in the neighbourhood of Colera,"
from which they derived a revenue of 7,000/. a year. Will;
the whole of the money derived from thet property, and resat
in London, did not amount to 3,000 e, the rest had been sees,
necessary
in the improvement of their property in Coleraine. He P-e
surned that the Hon. Member had travelled in the not th of jr'"b,
land ; it he had. he would no doubt have onserved that the
Lonion companies had progressed in improvements uP,s%
that moment. What sveuld be the case if this income-
were imp seal? They would pay the minimum tax of 10 Fia
cent., or the maximum tax of 20 per cent., but they sere,
spend no more. The Hon. Member had referred to the Globs
• Office. The Globe he said, received a rental of 30('1. Per
annum, and did notes pend a farthing in the country, nor_ :ere_
in the su.seriptio• s for the poor. He (Mr. Humphrey) udi;
po-ed that the Gl. be had lent some money, and thata ;
Ireland.
rived this amount from a mortgage upon estatesdemen who
pe.ert-hat
coutiele
Now he eid not think it was customary to ask gene/ countri
lent monee on mortgasse to subscribe to the
because that mortgage. happened to be held ,
_men
He really thought it would be better if Hon. Gent
that House who held properties in Ireland would, try to e 7 stead
the poor on these estates and in their neighbourhoods site
of bringing charges against others, which sverevalustabis
unfounded. He thought it would be a bat pro'
return to the House, if the House were to know vg mod
perties these gentlemen possessed in Ireland, and 101'
they had laid out in the improvement of those proper!
e Hear, hear.) With regard to the rentals received by tee
sentee landlords he (Mr. Humphery) believed that out et' for
4,000,000/. so received, at least 2,000,000/. were return
the improvement of their estates.—(Cries of e Oh, oh. )
all he could say was, that the seconder of the propositio' ntthrteel
the arguments of the Hon. Member for Limerick i°,l:ieett
shade, for he had named a number of noblemen who ha Prose'
the whole of their money derived from Ireland to the imp"
inent of their estates in that country.
Mr. TUITE—OnIy one.
10er
Alderman fi UM Pi Hon. Gentleman ea s their
tioned more than one who had expended the whole 0'
money in improving their estates.
Mr. TUITE—No, no.—( Laughter. ) Celle
Alderman HUMPHERYS—He mentioned Lord
tenay—
Mr. TUITE —No !—(Laughter.) es iebel
Alderman HUMPHERY—The Noble Lord the esee
for Tiverton, then—
Mr. TUlTE—yes.
Alderman HUMPHERY—The Marquis of Lansdosqle.'
Mr. TUI TE—Oh ! no no! —( Continued laughter.) eV
Mr. HUMPHERY—WeII, he had not taken Mr°, tbi
they were— (Laughter)—but he certainly gathered fre°'l4oo
speech of the Hon. Member that many of these N°l';'' FP/
spent a large amount of money in improving their meatr'oest
should like to have a return, stating what amount of lost
they did thus lay out. He thought that it would be roo their
more money was spent by absentee landlords in inter:Win/a pet
estates than by many of the resident proprietors, who .1 I, cr
spend their money so beneficially. Well then, the sPee,te
the Hon. Member for Limerick amounted to this, that of
but fair that the London liompanies (not °o bit
which had a mortgage upon their properties) should bas
nut in comparison with those gentlemen who el 1,0
mortgages upon their estates, because they could•
spend more money than those who were thus embarraf tbO
He ( Mr. Humphery) should like to know if two-thirds ° yle
absentee landlords had mortgages upon their properties't ted
should say not. and therefore it was more likely thaseri°
w mad provegreater benefactors than those whose estat,e'te di
°
mortgaged. The London Companies and the Irish Sieetielser°
indeed spend money, but not. in giving dinners to the 3ieletesr
et that House, and he trusted, therefore, that the Hen' if the
her would admit that his charges were unfounded. 'a er,
Hon. Member had en estate of equal magnitudes °eft el
pended a sum proportionably with them, in the educate ett,
ig' es
the poor—in giving religious instruction— building rel tesee-
houses, and supporting the population of the neighbour /rob
in which they received their rents—if he and other
apps'
landlords did all this, they would find in Ireland 1
rior state of society to that which now existed. the
Mr. LA BOUCIIERE said that the Hon. Gentleman'
Member for Limerick, in the commencement of a srefc,
the temperate and argumentative tone of which he ('''etle,
bouchere) gave his mead of approbation ; the Hon. 9ea
man, in the beginning of his speech, said that he 0°
expect that the proposal which he was going to ng„glitl
the House would receive the sanction of the ',"'slr
Members ; because, al hough the present state 01 yet
senteeism was admitted to be a great calamity',
tis
inasmuch as the money lost by Ireland was gained Lula
country, he could not expect that English Members; the
agree te his motion. He (Mr. Labouehere) assure tOO
lion. Member that if he resisted his motion it was Otitst
that ground, for no man was more convinced than he Waiseith
notheig that tended to impoverish Ireland was consistent
god if
the niteiesh, of the United Kingdom—( Hear, hear)-- 041
tie had thought that the Hon. Gentleman had proved his f his
he should at once have consented to the introduction °,
measure, not only on the ground that it would assist ILelasiso
but because lie felt that what benefited Ireland would eed tee
of advantaee to this country. The Iles. Gentleman b9sieee.
ferret' to ohj ctiens that were sometimes made to propo the
of this sort, because they were not brought in,0501
shape of sin:cilia; measures, but embodied in
,ge thst
resolutions. He (Mr. Labouchere) confesse°, (neer
he shared in the disl ke that the lion. Alegi for
had attributed to the Right Hon. Baronet the 111ernhen'eeel
'famworth, to receiving measures in the shapes of g_e_oed
resolutions ; but the Hon. Gentleman who had brought f?' a 0
this question had done so with so much moderation, leaths•
fairly and so explicitly stated his views upon the subjeceeneas
he had fully supplied whatever was ambiguous in the r ctiee
tion itself. He told them that he wished the House to sa° hole
this principle, that it would not be possible for any eine,t°o(ets
property in England and Ireland.—(Heat, hear.) "e 1100
went further, he would even prevent the possibility of a Pe He
holding property in different parts of Ireland iis" „tee
(Mr. Labouchere) did not believe that the Goverecre,
of arty country, in any degree forward in eivilizati
he did not believe that atiy nation would adopt
ntlent.
ciples and opinions so destructive of iinprove
as those of the Hon. Gentleman. With regard to
_tbs7
question of absenteeism, he (Mr. Labouchere) was not Qua