The Sun.
London, England, 1846-07-16 00:00:00

TENANT-RIGHT.

LITERATURE.
THE TONGUE. A Poem. By Alexander Bell.
After examining this singular production we regret to
lay it aside as altogether an incomprehensible eccen-
r (leitY• Whether it be one rare joke from beginning. to
(11(14 or a rather obscure satire at the poetical rubbish
tossed from the printing press every year; or an at-
tempt to play upon the credulity of the public, would
remain a matter of the most bewildering conjecture but
for the ambitious efforts of the writer, which are dis-
te°sed in several passages. Then, moreover, there is
Lie rather ostentatious appendage to the author's name
upon the title-page —" Professor of Elocution." That,
is take it, is a sufficient authentication that the effusion
it serious struggle for a poetical reputation. Mr.
e
11 has totally mistaken the bias of his intellectual
towers: unaffectedly we tell him so. He has mistaken
hat branch of polite literature in which his abilities
kight enable him to shine. Treating the question as
re of common sense, does he for a moment delude
Ll.Mself into the belief that such passages as the follow-
(Tg come under the denomination of poetry P He is
neileribing the first ontranee of a young Member into
e House of Parliament:—
There is recorded how the tyro sped
In the deliv'ry of his maiden speech.
Thus: " Parliamentary intelligence.
" The honourable Member for Thick-Polls
" We notic'd for the first time inothe House."
• •
Exulting in his noble place—himself—
Rig patriotic feelings—the great fame
Of having all his speeches register'd
In the short-handed, but long-mem'ried page
Of Hansard's Parliamentary Reports !
That cloud of witnesses 'gainst renegades,
Who dread quotations as the worst of duns.
This is the very climax of delight !
He knows and feels that he's the people's choice,
The fit and proper man to represent
• The free constituency of Thick-Polls!
Good heav'n Is he within the hallow'd walls
That heard the mighty Pitt and Fox declaim?
hit! these passages are nothing more than the most
the" and commonplace descriptions of prose. Write
11„,1?1 after the fashion of prose, and no one would ever
ree-leeture them to have been extracted from a so-called
trical
composition. Let us try:—
li;:There is recorded how the tyro sped in the de-
-144 of his maiden speech. Thus : y
pe tlgence. The Honourable Member fora Thick-Polls
Zzai°,.Ye'd for the first time in the House ! . . .
feelin:ng in his noble place—himself—his patriotic
regise--Phe great fame of having all his speeches
of ji•'" in the short-handed, but long-mem'ried page
vitn ansard's Parliamentary Reports !'—that cloud of
hostesse 8 'gainst renegades, who dread quotations as the
of duns. This is the very climax of delight! He
mid" and feels that he's the people's choice, the fit
1,1; proper man to represent the free constituency of
war-Polls Goodheaven! Is he within the hallowed
that hoard the mighty Pitt and Fox declaim ?"
If -
r., that Is not the very flattest and prosiest piece of
ose, then the dogmas of Lindley Murray go
,
nothing, and that is saying a great deal. Again,
di 'S Ur. Bell imagine it to be consonant with the
of verse to speak of Lord Brougham jump-
tfa` prirations of Jim Crow," or to mention "sarcastic
rlieFox," or to introduce such vulgarities of abre-
)ktion. as "free bread, free batty, and free beer ?"
arch solecisms are wholly incompatible with poesy ;
oty degenerate verse into mere balderdash. We shall
Ziever, abstain from further comment upon the
,„torigue," uncertain whether it may not be, after all,
Zarely a piece of facetiousness, the drollery of which
I,7_have failed to discover. In conclusion, however, we
b,`,T,l.ds recommend Mr. Alexander Bell to abstain from
`ioq..);l hing poems, and to exert his talents—of which no
doubt he possesses abundance—more suitably.
4

COURSE OF LECTURES ON DRAMATIC
ART AND LITERATURE.—(Bohn's Standard
lo`vted"..)—By Augustus William Schlegel. Trans-
,' Joh Black, Es q., late Editor of the "Morning
Ch__nt n q.
rero zcle.
poet Schlegel is due the honour of having been the
1,14 truly enlightened interpreter of Shakspere that
001:Yer existed. Madame de Steel in her work on
k 411 Y thus speaks of these lectures:—
totelawae at Vienna when W. Schlegel gave his public
Lof lectures. I expected only good sense and instruc-
Itleluere the object was merely to convey information : I
rho, ifllshed tohear a critic as eloquent as an orator, and
4004,rr from falling upon defects, which are the eternal
Illeari and little jealousy, sought only the means of
TO a creative genius."
118441:41. tairabl.e translation of these lectures by Mr.
"eta
of
many years since, and has long
"litipt of print. Mr. Bohn has conferred a great
4aleti lini°,l9ll all lovers of sound criticism by this well-
-4,llicos republication.

E aim WAY BILL REGISTER, 1846.
h
eg—:work contains a list of Railway Bills in progress
the Aug," Parliament, with a statement of each case, of
lind °llllt of money proposed to be raised, the number
toknealification of directors, the period limited for
the fin"lB°rY purchase of land and completion of works,
told Co*, Pro Posed to be amalgamated with, or leased, or
tent ino.ther Companies, the name of the Parliamentary
both Eco" eaeh Bill, and the proceedings in each case in
of 115"111) tb Easter. It is a valuable compilation
railway statistics.

PORT AND EXPORT OF
Fro METALS.
ta the usual Parliamentary returns, moved for by
l'endarves of the imports and exports of copper and
upper cre, inc, lead, and lead ore, for the year eud-
„e e
eJanuftr'v tin,
5 g 48 it appears, that the total quantity
cc9Per—or'efmlPBorted into England, during the year,
..sq
zits 56,6971 tons ; of old copper, fit only for manufac-
17e, 58 tons ; unwrought in bricks and pigs, 104 tons ;
-•,_e rods, or ingots, 27 tons ; plates and coins, 5 tone ;
74'nianufactured copper, by weight, 49 tons, and en-
47e.sd by value, 3,7621. Of the copper ore thus imported
24?_ tons were from Cuba, 10,823 from Chili, 1,212
471 Peru and Bolivar, 1,109 from South Australia, 701
t:4l America, 646 from British West Indies, and 640
v: from Italy. Of the manufactured copper entered by
4,:1i,e)2,3941. worth was imported from France, and from
and 6701. The quantity of copper ore retained for
e, consumption was 56,118 tons, and the net amount
titv "Y received thereon was 58,6461. The total quan-
i ,1:4 British copper exported was 18,039 tons, of
64' 5,653 tons were sent from the port of London,
467 tons from Swansea, 5,417 tons from Liverpool,
Of tt°,ns from Llanelly, and 242 tons from Bristol.
4,72ll'tquantity France took 6,250 tons, East Indies
Germ uaited States 2,219, Italy 870, Belgium 696,
566, Holland 387, Brazils 354, British West
Weg—E-T 288, British North America 244, and foreign
the to' Indies 224 tons. From the port of London alone,
tolls —mf'llittlitity of British copper exported was 6,633
Zasnstu, aiews,hieh quantity 2,316 tons were sent to the
672 tons to Belgium, 487 tons to Italy, 439
Flo, r ver
Many 316 tons to Holland, 215 tons to Bra-
1141' 488 to the United States, 163 to the Bri.tishl,etsot
thiatmest 128 to Portugal, the Azores, and Madeira,
port
/.;lll,.tiritill, 3, and 102 tons to France. From the
„4,2,&-'l3OOl, the total quantity was 5,417 tons, of which
ukitkaa'lB Were shipped to the East Indies, 1,950 to the
.
'cdorit",tates, 218 to foreign West Indies, 171 to British
to the America, 166 to Italy, 138 to Brazils, and 93 tons
e 0,7 British West Indies. Of the 56,6971 tons of
ikrPer
re imported, 21,519 tons contained not more
ton• 'nu Per cent. of copper, and paid a duty of 31. 3s. per
ithe u,054 contained from 15 to 20 per cent. of copper,
1114 aid 41. 14s, 6d. per ton ; and 24,576 tons contained
S7t, tons
20 per cent. of copper, and paid 6/. 6s. per ton ;
104. ""rta Were from British colonies, and paid 1/. ls. per

Tr •
Of quantity of tin imported was 1,2784 tons,
,Titya:eA93Bi tons were from Singapore, 103
. tons from
kro 97 tons from the East Indies, exclusive of Singa-
-4,,_-, 43 from Holland, 40 from Belgium, 32 from the
kir of Good Hope, 11 from Peru, apd 10 tons from
67233, • The total quantity of tin exported was—British,
28ul tons and foreign, 9171 tons; of which Holland took
,tons British, and 200 toss foreign ; Belgium, 71 tons
British, 1884 tons foreign ; Italy, 40 tons British, 1871
r& foreign; Francelsl4 tons British, 14/ tons foreign;
Ana British,
5 tons British, 1504 tons foreign; Turkey, 1064
British,
British, 25/ tons foreign ; Germany, 2of tons
311 toils foreign ; Russia, 524 tons British, 81
oulforeign • and Prussia, 94 tons British, and 35 tons
foreign.
ZINC —The quantity of zinc and zinc ore imported
, this country was 12,9024 tons—of which Prussia
LlPPlied 6,917 tons ; the Hanseatic towns, 5,501 ; Bel-
tutn, 230 ; Holland, 188 ; Denmark, 33 ; Sweden, 30;
zul France, 2/ tons - of this quantity, there were ex-
Ported— to the East Indies, 7314 tons British, 1,683 tons
Zriti
eign
; France, 833 tons foreign ; Holland, 87 tons
sb ; United States, 45 tons British, 65 tons foreign;
,71, 44 tons British, 14 tons foreign ; British West
Indies, 48f tons British ' • Brazils, 39 tons British ;
North American Colonies, 24 British, 21 tons
foreign ;
Russia, 5 tons British, tonsl tons foreign ; and
Africa, 7 tons.
LEAD AND LEAD ORE.—The quantity imported dur-
t;o:nsd; pig
ing the year is as follows—viz.: lead ore-,
and sheet lead, 5,210 tons; white lead, 254 tons
exportation as follows—viz.: lead ore, 169 tons; pig
tolled, 10,485; shot, 1,092 i; litharge, 400; recrleaandd
1,033; white lead, 1,353; and foreign pig and sheet,
4,2411 tons. Of British pig and sheet lead, Russia took
!,926 tons ; France, 1,8861; Belgium, 1,246; Holland,
'6O; East Indies, 785; Germany, 555; British West
Indies, 353; British North America, 268 ; Australia,
9,,
'_s; Prussia, 199; Channel Islands, 147; Africa, 109;
TIY, 99; Portugal, Azores, and Madeira, 77; Brazil,
`; gypt, 74; Denmark, 70; and Mauritius, 69 tons.
, :he shot, 316 tons were sent to British North America,
107 to ,
the East Indies,l64 to Brazils, 74 to British West
:idles, 61 to Germany, 67 to Australia, 38 to Holland,
tryo Den ark and 30 tons to Africa. The total
t0:.411t of foregn pig and sheet lead exported was 3,241
e
f:Cof whic iitlland took 1,196 tons; Russia, 836;
um,561; h and ogrance, 508 tons.

AhlilE HISTORY OF MARY ANNE WELLINGTON.—
li,"‘uer narrative of female adventure, from the pen of the
Etj• Richard Cobbold, author of "Margaret Catchpole," is
thtel°lloced for immediate publication. In August last (says
of eo,,sPectus) the mayor of Norwich invited the attention
torn %nay. Author to the peculiar circumstances of the his-
Jobu Anne Wellington, who was the daughter of
of ellington, one of the artillerymen at the famous siege
actoturaltar. She married a soldier in the gallant 48th, and
forti'tcPan ied him through all the Peninsula campaigns. Her
)Y0111416 in the hoar of danger, and her attention to the
acre were witnessed by many officers still living, who
Ethe aware of the extraordinary adventures in which‘
Nvidowstnguished herself. Her husband died in 1844, and
.the
's greatly respected by all who know ker in Norwich,
ge she still resides. Her most gracious Majesty the
Duke , her Majesty the Queen Dowager, and his Grace the
her. Of Wellington have all been temporary benefactors to
t4e0241 her Maje;ty the Queen Dowager has most gra-
V Consented to accept the dedication of her history.

TO THE OCCUPYING TENANTS OF ULSTER.
My Friends,—From the part which I have hitherto
taken, in advocating the rights of the tenantry classes
of Ireland, I feel it my duty to call your attention to a
Bill introduced by her Majesty's lute Government, and
now lying for a second reading on the table of the
House of Commons. The title of this Bill is, " A Bill
for providing compensation, in certain cases, for tenants
in Ireland, who shall (shall) build on, or drain, farms,
and to secure to the parties respectively entitled thereto
the due payment of such compensation."
The Bills which have been introduced by the late
Government, in the last and the present session of
Parliament (the first by Lord Stanley, in the Lords,
and the second by Lord Lincoln, in the Commons),
afford a practical acknowledgment of the great
principle for which I have long contended,
namely, the right of the tenant to compensation for
all labour and capital expended, in increasing the value
of the premises in his occupation ; but, when I say this
much, it is all I can say in favour of these Bills, for, in
truth, neither of them does more than acknowledge this
great principle, whilst, at the same time, the complexity
of the details, and the limitation of the benefits, practi •
cally swamp the principle they acknowledge. Truth com-
pels me to declare this opinion, as well of Lord Lin-
coln's present Bill as of Lord Stanley's past one ; at the
same time, I wish to express my conviction, that they
emanated from a kind feeling on the part of the Govern-
ment who introduced them, and who had great difficul-
ties to overcome, in offering any proposition, on this
subject, to the Legislature. It is also fair to remind you,
that the limitations contained in these Bills are founded
on the recommendations contained in the report of Lord
Devon's Commission. I shall now proceed to notice,
briefly, the most prominent features of the Bill now before
Parliament.
Firstly—This Bill does not provide compensation for
any tenant who, previously to the making of the im-
provements for which he claims compensation, shall not
have made agreements, by voluntary arrangement, with
his landlord, as to the objects and extent of the expendi-
ture ; or else, in case the landlord objects, he has ob-
tained an award, by arbitration, in favour of his proposed
improvements. This necessarily involves a complication
of details, which no tenant, in humble life, can be reason-
ably expected to master, and cuts off existing interests
from any benefits of the Bill.
Secondly—The Bill limits compensation for improve-
ment of the soil to thorough-draining alone ; and for
buildings, to dwelling-houses and out-offices ;—no ex-
penditure in enclosing, fencing, or hedging, or creating
arable ground, by quarrying out of rocks, or any other
work of improvement, of any description, is admissible
for claim.
Thirdly—All claim for compensasion,even for buildings,
is proposed to be totally extinguished, by an occupancy
of twenty -eight years after the agreement being made
for such improvements or buildings.
Fourthly—ln no case can a claim for improvements.
of any description, be established beyond the amount of
three years' rent. These are the most important pro-
visions of this Bill, and, in my opinion, demand your
serious and instant attention.

It may be said, the Bill was introduced by a Govern-
ment now extinct, and, therefore, not likely to he pro-
ceeded with. But even so, you may expect, that some
measure will be introduced, either this session or the

next, by the new Government ; and if you do not ex-
press an opinion to the contrary, it will be considered,
that you are satisfied with the provisions of the Bill now

offered to you.
You are, no doubt, aware, that I introduced different
Bills, at different periods, in order to establish, by legal
enactment, the right of the tenant to compensation. I
met with great opposition, at first, on the principle; and
afterwards, when its justice began to be acknowledged,
on the details. I endeavoured, by altering the details
in each succeeding Bill, to render the proposition more
acceptable to the opponents of the measure ; conse-
quently, these Bills are not to be taken as the true
index of my own views, or as comprehending the full
extent of your just claims, but rather as an attempt, on
my part, to get the greatest amount of benefit for the
tenant class which circumstances would admit of. After
the rejection of Lord Stanley's Bill in the House of Lords
last session, I introduced a Bill in the Commons, with a
view of keeping the question alive in the mind of the
country. This Bill differs from the Government Bills,
chiefly on the following points:—Firstly, it requires
no previous registration or consent ; the sole test is
the increased value of the premises by the tenant's im-
provements, which the tenant is required to prove ; and
the compensation is to be proportioned to the increase

of value so proved. Secondly, there is no limitation as
to the nature of the i.nprovement, provided increased
value be obtained. Thirdly, the power of claiming com-
pensation for buildings continues without any limitation,
no matter how long the occupancy, valuing according to
the age and existing condition of the buildings. With
regard to improvements of the soil, the Court or arbitra-
tors were allowed to exercise a discretion, founded on

the length of the tenant's occupancy, and the profits de-
rived from the improvements. This Bill went as far as
the principle of compensation for improvements would
fairly admit of ; but, as I shall hereafter explain, I
grant to you, that something more would be necessary,
to give you the full benefit of " tenant-right," as known
and practised in the province of Ulster.
You, the tenantry of this portion of Ireland, are at
present, to a certain extent, protected by a kind of social
compact, called " tenant-right"—held, not by law, but
by snfferance of the landlord. This custom is seldom
violated; but, at the same time, we know that it is not
always secure, and that, in some estates, regulations are
adopted tending to its disparagement, if not to its abso-
lute destruction. My object, then, would be to plaCe the
right of the tenant on a just and legal basis, and to give
him the power of enforcing them by law, instead of being
in the dependent position of condescending to seek that
from a landlord's favour which the laws of the state
ought to confer upon him as his right. My former pro-
positions were directed to the object of compensation, on
the broadest basis ; but, I perceive that this principle is
made a pretext for limitations, which may endanger the
loss of the benefits you at present enjoy ; and I, there-
fore, would join you in contending for the broader prin-
ciple of " tenant-right."
But a question may be asked, and often is asked, espe-
cially by Englishmen, what is " tenant-right?" You
understand what it is; but, for the satisfaction of per-
sons who may read this, and do not understand
tenant-right,' I shall endeavour to show the meaning
of the term.

_
I think this can best be done by a practical example.
Suppose a tenant takes from a landlord a plot of land—a
bare sod, without a building on it, unimproved, but im-
provable—agreeing to pay a rent fully equal to the ex-
isting value of the soil. He puts up, on this bare sod, a
dwelling-house and offices, and drains, fences, improves,
and manures the land, solely at his own cost, as is the
custom in Ireland; and suppose that, in doing so, he
has sunk capital to the amount of 5001.; and suppose
the tenant has a lease for a term of twenty-eight
years, which is that term which, by Lord Lincoln's Act,
would cancel all claim for compensation. By
this expenditure he has created a beneficial interest, by
which he possesses the means of comfortable lodging
and comfortable subsistence for himself and his family,
paying, at the same time, the fair rent which any solvent
tenant could be expected to pay for the land. The lease
expires. The landlord desires to serve his own pur-
poses, by demanding the surrender of the premises.
He says to the tenant (supposing Lord Lincoln's Bill
to be law), " You have had twenty-eight years' enjoy-
ment ; turn out—you have no claim on me." Then
what is the condition of the poor tenant ? This tenant,
who, I will suppose, offers to hold the premises, pay-
ing the full improved rent for the soil, and relying for
his compensation on the means of increased subsist-
ence, which his expenditure on the soil had created,
and asking no other compensation from the land-
lord but the continuance of occupation, this industrious
man is turned out—a beggar—leaving behind him
his 5001., sank in the premises, without a farthing
with which to purchase or improve another farm, and
his former landlord or the in-coming tenant enjoying
all the advantages of his sunk and lost capital, and, at
the same time, he sustaining the additional loss of the
profitable interest, which yielded him the right of com-
fortable living. Now, the tenant-right of Ulster is the
remedy for this—it is based upon this principle, that no
tenant
in occupation, paying or willing to pay the fair
rent for the soil, shall be dispossessed, without receiving
from the in-coming tenant or the landlord the full value
of his beneficial interest ; and this beneficial interest is
a mixed quantity, consisting of the value of his capital
expended, and the value of the future means of sub-
sistence which the continuance of occupation would
afford. This he claims to be permitted to enjoy, or
to sell to the highest bidder (such person being quali-
fied as a solvent tenant), or else to be paid for it by
the landlord, in case such landlord refuses to permit
him to sell it, or refuses to continue him in the
occupation; and the measure of this value is the amount
usually paid for such interests by the custom of the dis-
trict. This customary right could be legally established
by a simple and short Bill, of the following nature:—
Firstly, declaring the right of the tenant, if ejected, to
receive from the landlord, or from the incoming tenant,
. .

compensation for his improvements, and his beneficial
interest in the premises, according to the custom of the
country ; and seeondly, permitting him to plead that
right in any Court from which an ejectment might issue,
and giving to such Court an extended power of equi-
table decision, by all such means as are usual in like
cases, and to withhold execution till the amount awarded
by the Court be paid. But then, it will be asked, how
1s the value to be determined, if a tenant comes into
Court to claim his compensation? I answer, by the
same means, and with the same ease, as any other ques-
tionaccording to the case,
of value. Where land is taken up, for any public
purposes, the
theislai
claimant proves his case by evidence. The
tenant, in
be greater or leas, proves the value of his interest,
His businaecs.
ustom of the country, which value will
according to the value of his improve-
ments.tenant would give for theis to prove what price a solvent
the fair rent for the same, premises, such tenant paying
according to the usual letting
t! estate or perhaps accord-
value of the country, or 0.
ing to the rent determined
1 g thetu t
he Public
evidencevs. l valuation, at ion,
producedand
neYqualification f, r the fran-
chise Court will decide accord'
proved,
would by 3e,y showing f
orth the premises
what rent or value a
—just in like manner as th
premises from which
the franchise was claimed.
csohlivseentistennoawnt
I have said, in a former paragraph, that n
some thi g
more than compensation for expenditure was included
under the name of " tenant-right." The explanation I
have given of that term shows this, because the value of
" tenant-right" includes not only the value of the actual
expenditure, but the value of the profitable income
enjoyed by the tenant, over and above both the ex-
penditure and the rent. This is the beneficial interest
of which the incoming tenant is the purchaser, under
the name of " tenant-right;" and no Bill, merely for the
purpose of compensation for money laid out in improve-
ments, can be a substitute for the full benefits of tenant•
right. I did not intend my. Bills to act as setting aside
the ,lenant-right,;but I much apprehend that the Bills