The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-22 00:00:00

IMEETINGS OF THE IRISH PARTY.
The Irish party assembled on Friday at their new cham-
bers, King-street, St. James's, for the special purpose of con-
sidering the provisions of the important Bill recently intro-
duced into the House of Commons by Lord J. Russell, the
Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Mr. Labouchere, to facili-
tate the improvement of landed property in Ireland by the
owners, and to afford employment to the labouring classes.
The Marquis of Westmeath presided. Among the Irish
noblemen and members of the Lower House present were the
Earl of I%lountcashel, Lord Monteagle, the Marquis of Sligo.
Lord Bernard, Mr. W. Smith O'Brien, Mr. F. Shaw, Mr.
Bernal Osborne, Mr. Fitzstephen French, Mr. G. A. Hamil-
ton, Mr. Ormsby Gore, Mr. R. A. Fitzgerald, Mr. Lefroy,
Mr. Gregory, Mr. H. Grattan, Mr. T. B. Martin, Mr. Grogan,
Mr. J. R. Godley.
The Noble CISAIRMAN proceeded to read the clauses of the
Bill seriatim.
After a vast deal of coeference and consultation it was
agreed that several suggested amendments should be brought
under the consideration of the Legislature. The limitation
of the advances out of the growing produce of the Consoli-
dated Fund, for the purposes of the Act, to 1,500,000/., was
regarded as injudicious, and the ueneral impression appeared
to be that the Treasuiy Commissioners should receive per-
mission to issue, as from time to time might be required,sums
of money not exceeding in the whole the sum of 2,000,000/.
Mr. F. Fuericit suggested that the third clause, which
vested all powers appertaining to the execution of the Act in
the Commissioners of Public Works, should be amended by
the substitution of local commissioners, paid or unpaid.
Viscount BICItIVARD and Mr. LIAMILTON considered that,
in addition to the works of drainage, subsoiling, trenching,
irrigation, or warping of land, reclamation, erecting and
making corn mills, clearing lands of rocks and stones, erect-
ing substantial farmhouses and buildings, embanking lands
front the sea, specified in the 4th clause as those on which
the proposed loans were to be expended, the construction of
bridges and embankment of tidal piers would be found mani-
festly advantageous.
Mr. SMITH O'BRIEN,/ recommended an amendment of the
12th clause, which authorised the Commissioners of Public
Works to require by deposit, land or otherwise, security for
payment of the expenses incurred in reporting upon and in-
vestigating the subject of an application for loan. Instead
of leaving the Commissioners at liberty to charge such costs
as they pleased, he thought it would be well to have the
liability for expenses limited to a per tentage on the amount
applied for. Mr. O'Brien also suggested that the Commis-
sioners should give notice of such application, nut only in
the Dublin Gazette and the newspapers circulating in the
county in which the lands are situate, as the 18th clause
prescribed, but in the Dublin newspapers also, and in such
other manner as will secure proper notice to the immediate
lessor or Iris known agent. With regard to the 22d clause,
rendering lands chargeable with loans granted from the date
of the Commissioners' order, Mr. O'Brien further suggested
that each portion of the land improved with the loan should
be only liable for the amount expended on itself.
Lora MOUNTCASHELL intimated that, in his opinion, the
22d clause—providing that errors and omissions in memo-
rials, schedules, or hotices proceeding under the Act, were
not to prevent the Commissioners doing all matters in
their judgment requisite for carrying the provisions into
effect, or to inval6 ate any rent charge chargeable under
the A ct—shoaid be reconsidered when the Bill went into
Committee.

It was generally considered by the meeting that the loans
should be issued by instalments, not exceeding at any time
one-tenth of the entire sum; instead of one-fifth, and that no
instalment should exceed in any case 500!., instead of 300/.
In the event of an.owner desiring to clear off his rent charge
for loan more speedily than at the rate of 6!. 10s. per cent.
for 22 years, the 40th section enacted that he could do so with
the san, tion of the Treasury Commissioners; but the Irish
party thought that in such case notice should be given to the
reversioner, and his consent obtailied. •

Mr. OaMSBY GORE suggested that there should be clause
introduced into the Bill, extending its benefits and advan-
tages to incorporated societies, such as the Waste Land Im-
provement Society of Ireland.
Many members agreed with Mr. Gore, and it was deter-
mined to bring the subject under the consideration of Go-
vernment.

Some routine business was then transacted, and thanks
having been voted to the Marquis of Westmeath the meeting
separated.

"The Irish party" met again on Saturday; the Earl of
Massarene in the chair. The following members were pre-
sent :—Mr. W. S. O'Brien, Mr. P. S. Butler, Mr. H. Grattan,
Colonel Acton, Mr. G. A. Hamilton, Mr. T. Martin, and Mr.
Grogan.
Some clauses of the proposed Poor Relief (Ireland) Dill
were again discussed.

Mr. SMITH O'Bruix announced that it was his intention
to move several amendments to the Bill in Committee. In
the formation of electoral districts pauperism had been sa
allocated, in respect of the property liable for its relief, as to
cause the pressure of poor-rate taxation to be very unequal.
He should, therefore, propose that the Poor-law Commis-
sioners should revise and reconsider the electoral divisions
of the several unions in such a manner as that the pau-
perism of each district should bear to the property liable for
its relief as nearly an uniform proportion throughout each
union as circumstances would allow ; that for each elec-
toral division there should be formed a relief committee,
consisting of the justices of the peace, residing or pos-
sessing rateable property within such electoral divi-
sions, of the Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Protestant,
and Presbyterian clergymen, usually officiating in such divi-
sions, and of a proportionate number of wardens to be elected
simultaneously with the guardians ; that the relief committees
thus constituted were to consider and determine who stood
in need of relief in each electoral division, and to certify their
opinions with respect to the claims of each person applying
for relief to the board of guardians, stating at the same time
their opinion whether the person so applying ought to be re-
lieved in the workhouse or out of it; that the Poor-law Com-
missioners shall revise and reconstruct the unions, so that the
extent of each shall not be more than 150,000 acres; that
the repayment of the loans borrowed for the construction of
the workhouses shall be defrayed by a rate levied accord-
ing to the net valuation, as an uniform poundage upon all
rateable property in Ireland; that the Poor-law Commis-
sioners shall make an uniterm valuation of rateable property
throughout Ireland, in so far as the same may be possible
under the existing valuation Acts ; and lastly, that persons
receiving fixed incomes from rateable property, by way of
jointure, rent charge, or any other annuity, not being created
in satisfaction for debt, shall be liable to all rates levied for
the relief of the poor, just as if the income so received were
receivable as rent.

r Several letters were read giving an appalling account of
the daily increasing state of destitution in Ireland. It was
unanimously resolved, that the fearful details of misery and
suffering contained in those communications should be stated
in the House of Commons, and the necessity of immediately
providing food and seed for the Irish people again pressed
upon Government.

THE MAILS.—SOUTHAMPTON, FEB. 20. —'g
Oriental Company's steam-ship Oriental, Captain Brookes,
left the docks at 3 P.M. this day with the East India and
China mails for Alexandria, a full cargo of bale and other
goods, and GO passengers. Captain Brookes was formerly
the commander of the Tagus, and prior to his removal to
the Oriental had the Erin. He is the oldest officer in the ser-
vice. The next Portuguese mails will be brought in the
Tiber, Captain Bingham, and may be expected on the 26th
inst. The Royal Tar steamer came into the dock at 6 P.M.
to-day from the Lazaretto, at the Motherbank, and landed
the cargo of the Erin, consisting of silks, goats' wool, &c. A
very fine steam-ship. called the Fire King, came into the
docks at 3 r.u. from Liverpool. She is appointed by her
charterers to trade between this port and Carrel and Spanish
coast with cattle, &c., in the room of the Trasit steamer.
The Ripon, Captain Soy. with the East India and China
mails, may be expected from Alexandria on Sunday next.
The Erin, Captain Russell, will leave on the 3d proximo
for Malta, Constantinople, and the Black Sea, &c., with
orneyAlexandrialv
ill take and
t Bmoamilsbaa3n,,dswp.assTethigeerfioni
the Peninsular and Mediterranean on the 27th.
nt
rcol sued, i Cnga p tt
ah ions eB
uf

EXTENSION OF THE SOUTH-WESTERN RAILWAy.—
On Saturday the viaduct reached Glasshouse-street, Lam-
beth, having completed one-half of the proposed extension,
and already crossed the Kennington and Vauxhall-bridge-
roads ; to-day the houses in Gloucester-row, Princes-row,
Moss-fields, Salamanca-place, street, and row, together with
several in Anderson's-walk, will be demolished for the further
progress ; as also, in the course of a few days, the houses on
either side of the Westminster-bridge-road, where the rail-
way crosses at the Marsh-gate.

.."'ACCIDENT ON CONSTITUTION•HILL.--An accident,
which was fortunately not attended with serious reeults, oc-
curred to a gentleman who was riding a spirited horse, on
Saturday, down Constitution-hill, at the time her Majesty
was proceeding through St. James's-park, en ronte to Clare-
mont. The horse, alarmed at the lances of the troop of
Lancers, who formed her Majesty's escort, became unma-
nageable, end backed against the carriage in which the
Queen was riding, nearly unhorsing its rider. It had no
sootier cleared her Majesty's carriage, than it dashed with
great force against the carriage and horses which followed,
containing the two equerries to her Majesty and the Prince
Consort. The violence of the concussion knocked down the
horse; its rider being thrown to a considerable distance into
the mud un the side cf the road. Her Majesty, seeing the
alarming situation of the gentleman, immediately ordered
the carriage to stop, and commanded the Equerry in Waiting,
the lion. Colonel Grey, to ascertain the state of the gentle.
man who had met with the accident. Her Majesty, after a
delay of some minutes, having been informed that the gentle-
man, although covered with mud, was not seriously hurt, then
proceeded onwards to Claremont. Both the Queen and the
Prince Consort manifested great regret that an accident,
under such circumstanceseshould have occurred.
BRITISH AND FOREIGN INSTITUTE, GEORGE-
STIu periodical "soiree," which took place on
Friday evening last, in the drawing-rooms of the institute,
the season. The amusements were of the usual diversifiedta_
was attended by the largest and most brilliant companv
and agreeable kind; music, both vocal and instrumental
1
ibierins.gwcoetiistsr,ibustierd.
BbyodMdais, Miss
B,Dior.lb
violinist,
Mr. W. Dorrell, Mr. Goodban, and a newßli
_Van
us •
whose name has escaped ' , fluent, and instructive
whßileb Mr.
and the Tower a
occasion to deliver, in his own
iiy ueltingham took
manner, a short lecture
du7wit/i great spirit and enjoy-
ylli Lindsayiss RS
al
o_ pn 87f°,7431r.m. Ile' inal lnyd,
Babel. The reuniw!
1 friendliness of the evening
the socia
nladperevailed in
charm.
ON LAMBETH WORKHOUSE.--
OnATTACK OF A MOB
ment, the air of politepaasnet elegauetnrinegtinaemgernetattharnodwipnegcuolviaerr
by a mob
oLfa
at least 100 persons on the parish workhouse. It WRS
consequencea fternoon c
considerable
daerab violentle excitement
attack
stated that several men, women, and children, had applied
for relief, and though the parochial authorities paid every
Saturday
ethit,
tpossible
andattentionbwere
ri
bricks,
theirstones, ea
andses,
othersorn e of them
wereddisreoownn-
against the doors, threatening at the same time a forcible
entrance. Things began to assume the most alarming ap-
pearances, and expostulations having proved useless, a body
of
,the police of the L division was sent for, and notwith-
standing the formidable number of rioters, the " bobbies'
succeeded in apprehending
the ringleaders, and clearing the
neighbourhood of their violent fol!owers.. This workhouse
already numbers nearly 1,000 inmates, the relief for which
body forms no inconsiderable item for the burdened rate-
payers of the parish.
TILE TRIESTE ROUTE.—Mr. Waghorn left Rams-
gate yesterday morning, accompanied by Mr. Austin, the
engineer, to obtain more land facilities for the overland
route, by wey of Trieste.
FRIGHTFUL OCCURRENCE AT CARSHALTON.—OH
Friday afternoon an inquiry was gone into before William
Carter, Esq., at the Greyhound Inn, Carshalton, touching
the respective deaths of Charles Cooper, aged 45, Alice
Cooper, aged 43, and Charles Cooper, aged 6 years, who lost
that the deceased persons resided
their lives under the most frightful circamstapces. It ap-
peared from the evidence
stable, the roof being level with the adjoining fields. On
in a house built against a chalk pit, and formerly used as a
Wednesday the earth gave way, forcing the brick wall in on
the unfortunate occupants. At the back of the premise* Was
formerly a warren for rabbits, letich most.
summed up the
likely was much
undermined by them. The coroner having
case, the jury returned the &Rowing verdict :—.6 That the
decried persons were accidentally suffocated by the falling of
a quantity of earth, which forced in the wall of a certain
dwelling-house, which fell upon them as they lay in bed
asleep."