The Sun.
London, England, 1848-12-08 00:00:00

CENTRALIZATION."

DUBLIN, THU JISDA I—Saunders's News Letter—a very
discreet authority—gives currency this morning to the
following remarkable rumour :
"It was very confidently stated yesterday that the
Government have it in contemplation, soon after the sit-
ting of Parhatnent, to introduce a Bill which shall vir-
tually have the effect of removing most of the equity
business of this country to Westminster Hall. There is
no doubt that questions as to how the measure would
work have been submitted to the legal authorities; and
it is even said that some answers favourable to the pro-
ject have been returned. It is scarcely necessary to ob-
serve, that if the measure should be carried into effect it
would be most injurious to this city, and indeed the evil
results which would accompany the removal, or even
partial removal, of the business of the courts are not
easy to calculate."
The Freeman's Journal thus alludes to the same ru-
mour :

It was mentioned yesterday, in the office of one of
the Masters of Chancery, that a bill to transfer the
superior courts of Ireland to London had been prepared,
and would be brought in at an early period in the en-
suing session. It is said that many legal officials have
expressed a hearty approval of this project, which is de•
signed to strip this country, not only of the right of
home judicature, but practically of the means of obtain-
ing justice.
THE WESTPORT MEMORIAL.
The following is the reply of the Irish Executive to a
memorial recently presented to the Lords Justices from
the ratepayers of the Westport Union :
"Dublin Castle, Nov. 25.
"My Lord,—l am directed by the Lords Justices to
acknowledge the receipt of the address and resolutions,
adopted at a meeting of the inhabitants of the Westport
Union on the 9th inst.

" Their Excellencies have learned with much pain the
distressing condition of that part of the country, and
the prospect of continued destitution announced in those
resolutions.
" Unhappily, for the last two years the state of the
inhabitants of Westport, and the adjoining unions,
has been one of considerable suffering. It is, however,
to be remembered, that the resources of the union of
Westport have been amply aided, during that period, by
grants from Parliament and the funds of the British
Association.

"In the year 1847 the Westport Union re-
ceived a grant of the moiety of advances
for relief works, tinder 9th and 10th Vict.,
cap. 107, amounting to ... £34,3-S2
" A grant under the Temporary Relief Act,

10th Viet., cap. 7, amounting to ... ... 37,993
" And in the present year, a grant from the
_ _ _ . . .

fonds of the British Association, amount-

ing to

20,950

" Total Grants ... £93,325
" A sum considerably more than double the
valuation of the union, which is 38,786/.
" In addition to this large aid a further sum
has been advanced to the union by way of
loan for the relief •t distress, viz:—
" OLe moiety of relief works...
" And under 10th Viet., cap. 7

34,382
5,624

£133,331
Making thus a sum brought in aid of the resources of
the union, for the relief of its poor, in the ptriod of two
years, which amounts to upwards of 68s. in the pound on
the valuation.

It is now to be observed, that the total amount of
poor•rate made in this union, not alone during the above
period, but from the striking of the first rate, in Sep-
tember, 1842, until last May, appears, from the last re-
port of the Poor-law Commissioners, to be 12,5011. 145.,
averaging about 64. sd. in the pound in more than five
years; and that of this sum only 4,1151. had been col-
lected, being at about the rase of sd. iit the pound per
annum. The Lords Justices merely call attention to
th-se facts in reference to the appeal cuntain, d in the
address, that the Government should come forward
promptly sod liberally to make provision for the pour,
and that the ratepayers will assist them with a fair
quota.
"Their Escollencies cannot but observe that it is a
duty impo:cd upon the ratepayers to support their pour;
and ti,,tre%er, in the distressed eireun stances of the
country, the Government n.ny have thought it right to
give the ample aid above stut,(l to the Westport Union,
yet the re.ponsibiliiy of providing for the relief of the
pour cannot ho taken from those on whom it properly
rests, as the memorialists, by expressing their readiness
to assist the Government in performing their tut?,
would indicate.

" The memorialists observe, that important advan-
tag( s are considered as likely to result from an exten-
biTt. project of the reclamation of the waste lands in the
Westport Union ; and, also, that some radical cure for
the present unsettled and unsatisfactory relations
between landlord and tenant should be devised. Their
Excellencies regret that the memorialists have not more
definitively expressed their views as to the particular
manner in which those objects are to be effected.
" The improvement of the law with reference to the
relations of landlord and tenant has occupied the atten-
tion of her Majesty's Government for a considerable
time, and a measure introduced by them on that subject
was very fully considered by a Committee of the House
of Commons in the last session of Parliament. The
Lords Justices desire, however, to observe, that, although
changi s may be required in the statute law, they con-
sider that the improvement of the relations between
landlord and tenant must, in a great degree, depend upon
the mutual exertions of those who occupy such positions
respectively.
" With reference to the reclamation of waste lands,
their Excellencies have to observe, that, in the course
of last year, a measure for facilitating the improvement
of landed property in Ireland was sanctioned by the Le-
-1 gislature, under which, as, the memorialists must be
aware, loans may be obtained from the Commissioners
of Public Works by persons desirous of effecting the re-
clamation of lands.

" It wid be obvious, therefore, that bath the remedial
measures referred to by the memorialists have not
failed to occupy the attention of both her Majesty's Go-
vernment and of Parliament. The Lords Justices will
however, feel it their duty to submit, fur the considera-
tion of the Government, any amendments in the law, or
any specific project of legislation to these questions,
which the memorialists suggest.:
"Io reference to the statement contained in the me-
morial, that numbers in the Westport Union are . being
daily legally banished from their wretched cabins, to live
or die, as the case may be, without any one to care for
them, the Lords Justices regret to find that the eviction
of tenants in the Westport Union should be the cause of
such misery as the influential meeting over which your
Lordship presided has thus come forward to certify.
Their Excellencies have, hoe ever, to observe, that the
attention of the Government and of Parliament has been
given to this subject, and that in consequence an Act was
passed, the 11th Victoria, cap. 47, by which the powers
of the guardians and their officers, for relieving desti-
tute poor evicted from their dwellings, have been consi-
derably enlarged, and provision made for due notice
ofthe
officer
at
beinger the givenla to
w therefore,
in intended
each ev
eicatsier
Under
present stands, immediate relief in food and shelter can
be provided for all evicted tenants. If, then, the scenes
described in the memorial are of daily occurrence, the
deaths of the unfortunate persons referred to cannot be
attributable to any defect in the existing law, however
they may be occasioned by the provisions thereof not
being attended to.
"The Lords Justices have felt it their duty to make
these observations on the statement containei in the
address and resolutions forwarded by your Lordship,
which, however, they have not failed to transmit for the
information of her Majesty's Government.
" I have the honour to be, my Lord, your Lordship's
obedient servant, " T. N. REDINGTON.
"The Marquis of Sligo."
THE LATE STEAM-BOAT CATASTROPHE.
The following is the verdict of the coroner's jury,
which sat on the body of one of the. -sufferers by the
late dreadful catastrophe on board the Londonderry
steamer :
" We find that death was caused by suffocation, in con-
sequence of the gross negligence and total want of the
usual and re cessary caution on the part of the captain,
Alexander Johnston, Richard Hughes, first mate, and
Ninian Crawford, second mate; and we therefore find
them guilty of manslaughter; and we further consider
it our duty to express in the strongest terms our abhor-
rence of the inhuman conduct of the remainder of the
seamen on board on the melancholy occasion; and the
jury beg to call the atter tion of tle• proprietors of steam-
boats to the urgent neee.sity of introducing some more
effectual mode of ventilation in the steerage, and also
affording better accommodation to the poorer class of
passengers."