The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-05 00:00:00

DIVORCE BILLS.

On the motion of Mr. HAYTER, the following
Members were appointed as a Committee on Divorce
Bills :—Mr. Hayter, Mr. Cripps, Mr. Burroughes,
Mr. Tapered, Sir john Yarde Buller, Mr. Wilson
Patten, Mr. William Evans, Mr. Baines, Mr. Wood,
Mr. Stuart Wortley, Lord Courtenay, Mr. Pinney,
Mr. William Lascelles, and Sir John Pakington.
PETITIONS.

On the motion of Mr. BROTHERTON, the fol-
lowing returns were ordered :—A Return of the
number of Petitions presented and printed in each of
the fifteen years from 1833 to 1847, inclusive ; show-
ing the total number in each successive period of five
years, and the average number; also of the number of
signatures to petitions for each of the said fifteen years,
and the total number: and, abstract of the sums paid
for printing reports, and appendixes and indexes to
reports, on public petitions, from 1843 to 1847, in-
clusive.

ECCLESIASTICAL COMMISSION.
On the motion of Mr. E. DENISON, a Com•
Inittee was ordered to be appointed to inquire into
the management of the Ecclesiastical Commission.
Mr. C. ANSTEY gave notice of his intention, on
the 11th of April, to move an humble address to her
Majesty in the terms of the notice of the motion he
had given for last night.

DROPPED ORDERS.
The dropped orders of the day and notices of
motion were re-appointed.
POOR-HOUSES (IRELAND) BILL.
Mr. S. CRAWFORD moved the second reading
of the Poor-houses (Ireland) Bill.
Sir G. GREY said he did not intend to oppose the
second reading of the Bill ; but he thought it would
require considerable alteration in Committee.
The Bill was then read a second time, and ordered
to be committed on Wednesday next.
OUT-GOING TENANTS (IRELAND) BILL.
On the motion for the resumption of the debate on
the second reading of the Out-going Tenants (Ire-
land) Bill,

Mr. NAPIER rose to oppose the second reading.
The objection he had to the Bill was, that while it
affected to deal with the case of improvements it was
in reality a Bill fur fixing of tenure, and nothing else.
injustice
to felt bound to oppose all attempts to do
to the proprietors of the soil in Ireland, by dispos-
sessing them of their property, which he considered
was the main object of this Bill. It had been well
remarked, that if this Bill were passed it would con-
vert all Ireland into a large field of litigation, andne
certainly agreed with that opinion, for it was almost im-
possible to decide what improvements were and what
were not deserving of compensation. He had no ob-
jection to useful improvements being made at the
mutual expense of the landlord and tenant, but he was
most decidedly opposed to any proposition
that gave the tenant the right of making
any improvements he thought proper, and afterwards
forcing his landlord to afford him compensation for
them.—(Hear, hear.) With regard to the question
of improvements, he thought, before they could
safely legislate upon it, they required to have before
them some more practical information of the present
state of Ireland. This Bill went upon the principle
that all the landlords of Ireland were tyrannical and
heartless, while the tenants were all that was good
and virtuous; and as it would build up a most dan-
gerous
the landlord, he certainly could not give it his sup-
port. Instead of wasting his time upon this subject,
the Hon. Member for Rochdale ought to direct his
attention to the evils which resulted from the pre-
vailing middleman system. More misery and suffer-
ing was produced by that system than by any other,
and any measure that could be devised for getting
rid of it should have his most strenuous support. Such
legislation, however, as this would not only do
permanent injury to the landlord, but it would operate
injuriously upon the tenant; arid :he therefore hoped
that, instead of raising phantom hopes by introducing
such Bills as these, the Irish Members would en-
deavour to ascertain whether the sufferings of the
Irish people could not be more effectually alleviated
by the removal of the middleman system and the
establishment of an improved and equitable poor-law.
--(Hear, hear.) The improvements about to be
made would be one-sided unless they did this—the
tenant desirous to cultivate the land should be
afforded every facility to do so. The great evil
of Ireland was, that too much legislation had been
expended upon her.—(Hear.) An enormous number
of Acts of Parliament, as many as sixty, in the reigns
of George 111. and George IV., had been passed with
respect to the relations between landlords and tenants.
Hence the greatest confusion had been the result.
He should like to see a Committee of the House ap-
pointed to inquire into the laws with respect to these
relations, and to frame a code of laws which would
compel both landlord and tenant to do their duty to
each other, and which would not enable the one to
:Tthrow dust in the eyes of the .
other.— Hear.
enant-right and tenancy from year to year
na Ulster was tne same as in other coun-
ties ; but in that county there were existing
Causes which made the system there pursued, which
was purely English, highly successful. The moral
condition of the people was greater than in other
parts, the landlords were more paternal, and there
was no disaffection. Every means should, therefore,
be adopted to extend the:system to other localities.
It did therefore appear to him, for the reasons he had
stated, that this Bill would be worse than useless,
and would be productive of great injustice.—(Cheers.)
Mr. J. O'CONNELL said, whilst he admired the
ability of the Hon. Gentleman, he could not but
designate it as of the most dangerous kind—it was
the e ability of the advocate anxious to prove the
Worse the better side." He had eulogised the morality
the of the inhabitants of Ulster at the expense of
inhabitants of other parts of Ireland whom he had
vituperated.—(No,
People at He had vituperated the
of Ireland who did not reside in Ulster ; but ,