The Sun.
London, England, 1847-02-12 00:00:00

CLANWELLIN AND SHANID (IRELAND).

Lord MONTEAGLE said he now rose to move, ac-
cording to notice, for copies of applications made to the
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, on behalf of residents in the
baronies of Clanwellin and Shanid, praying for a division
of those baronies, for the purpose of holding special
sessions, under the 9th and 10th Viet., c. 107. He
hoped he would not be understood as complaining of
the course which had been adopted on this subject by
the Irish Government, who had no doubt pursued the
course in this particular instance which appeared to them
to be right; and all that he meant now to do, was to
move for certain papers which slight form the basis of
certain observations which he thought were required in
afterwards bringing the subject bd.( re their Lordships.
He begged to remind their Lordships, that under the
Labonr-rate Act of last session, there was a power re-
served to the Government by the litth clause, to
enable them, if they thought it necessary, to
divide the parishes which appeared at present to be
too large. He said that clause had been specially in-
troduced into the Bill for this purpose, when it was
under debate in the other House of Parliament. It was
then felt that some of the baronies in Ireland, like the
ridings of this country, were become so large that it was
next to impossible to administer the Labour Rate
Act, and that was the spacial reason for introkucing
the clause to which he had alluded. In two cases ap-
plication had been made to the Lord-Lieutenant that
this clause might be put into effect, but the Irish Go-
vernment had thought St to refuse these applications.
He would only remark further his hope that whateverlsys-
tern their Lordships might afterwards adopt, they would
take care what baronies and parishes they united together.
From these considerations he had come to the conclu-
sion, that the greater the distress the greater would be
the difficulty of ascertaining correctly how the law was
administered. At present the Labour Rate Act was in-
operative. If they extended their electoral divisions,
they would subject themselves to all sorts of fraudulent
applications, and they would be called on to decide upon
works of consideration, but of which they had no per-
sonal knowledge. The consequence of Allis, as was
already shown, was, that the larger districts were
but imperfectly done, while in smaller districts they
were well executed. This was a most important subject
for their consideration. When the poor-law for Ireland
was passed, a Noble Lord who was not then in
his place, introduced a clause. The object of the
Noble Lord's clause was to give the possessors
of property in Ireland as much of the management of
their estates as possible, and to make it the interest of
the landlord to look after that of his tenantry. This
would effect a most desirable object, and where
it was carried out there was a decrease in
the pauper population, while in those where
the divisions were large there was an augmentation of
the pauper population as well as an increase in the poor-
rates. The subject had been tried for several years, and
was brought under the consideration of a Committee of
their Lordships' House, and after the most mature deli-
beration, the principle for which ho contended was agreed
to. With respect to interfering with th© privileges of
the other House in the discussion that might arise, he
did not think it should operate. lie would conclude by
moving that the papers to which he referred should be
produced.—The motion was agreed to.
(LEFT SITTEI(3.)

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SPEAKER took the chair at Four o'clock.
SECOND READINGS.

The following Bills were read a scond time:—Ashton
Gas; Birkenhead Improvement (Gas Works) and pur-
chase of Birkenhead and Claugbton Gas Works; lias.
with Dock; Ipswich Gas; London and South-Western
Railway (Widening, &c.); Manchester and Southport
Railway and Branches; Midland Railway (Masbrough
and Normanton Stations Enlargement); Protestant Dis-
senters and General Life and Fire Insurance Company,.
and Southampton and Dorchester Railway (Blandford
Branch) Bills.
The Marquis of CIIANDOS presented petitions
against the Bristol and Exeter and other railways.
Mr. WILLIAMS presented a petition against the
Newport and Hereford Railway.
POOR REMOVAL BILL.
Capt. GLADSTONE presented a petition from St.
Clement's, Ipswich, against the Poor Removal Bill.
UNIVERSAL PEACE.
Mr. B. B. CABBELL presented petitions in favour
of universal peace.
RAILWAYS IN IRELAND.
Colonel CONNOLLY presented petitions from Man-
chester and other places, in favour of the Railway Bill
for Ireland.
REPRESENTATIVE GOVERNMENT.
Dr. BO WRING presented a petition, respectably
signed, from the town of Malton, praying for an ex-
tended system of representation.
SMALL DEBTS IN WALES.
Mr. WILLIAMS presented a petition from the town
of Abingdon, and places in South Wales, praying that
the persons, appointed to administer the provisions of the
Small Debts Act, might be persons conversant with the
Welsh labguage.

POOR.LAW.
Mr. M. PHILLIPS presented a petition from !Zan