The Sun.
London, England, 1851-03-19 00:00:00

MUSIC LICENCES.

Mr. STANFORD asked the Secretary of State for
the Home Department whether he had it in contempla-
tion to bring in a Bill to amend the Act 25 George IL,
c. 26, in order to invest a discretionary power in the
Middlesex magistrates of granting licences for music se-
parate from dancing licences ?
Sir GEORGE GREY said it was not his intention Do
bring in a Bill on the subject, nor had the magistrates
expressed any wish that such a Bill should be intro-
duced.

BOARD OF CUSTOMS.
Mr. MITCHELL postponed his motion for a Select
Committee to inquire into the constitution and manage-
ment of the Board of Customs, until Friday, the 21st
instant.
TITHE RENT-CHARGES IN IRELAND.
Mr. SADLEIR rose to bring forward the following
motion, and his appearance occasioned a rush of Member s
out of the House:—" That it is expedient to substitute
for the existing mode of varying the amount of tithe
rent•charges in Ireland a self-acting system, whereby
the amount of all tithe rent-charges in Ireland shall be
increased or diminished every year, according to the.
average prices of corn, as ascertained by public advetise-
mcnt, in a manner similar to the existing method of
varying tithe rent-charges in England and Wales." The
Hon. Member observed that this was a subject of
very great importance, not only to the owners, but
to the occupiers of land. He was ready to admit that
the direct effect of this motion was to ask the House
for a distinct expression of its condemnation of the
system provided by the Legislature for the alteration
of tithe rent-charges in Ireland.—(Hear, hear.)
It would be sufficient for him to say, with regard
to the history of Irish tithes, that the Legislature at :'the
period substituted for tithes in that country a compo-
sition, and then again for that composition perpetnal
rent-charges, which were generally called tithe rent
charges. There was no concealing the fact that
all questions of Irish legislation were determined by the
views and opinions of English Members. The nu-
merical strength of the Irish Members was
wholly unavailing as far as regarded any
general question of legislation, and hence it
othermade cir acquaintedc
was necessary that when any measure for Ireland
umstan e s with
connected with wcame before the House, the English Members
Hon.the
passed details
i n GentlemanefltBh2e3—t
Titheh
tnh 1823—the
proceeded 4 th CompositionGe atrg e somelAy., c
e t 1 length thhi9e9h
was to
soht.
connithit.
The whole
By this Act the averages were taken from the seven
years immediately preceding the year 1821. The next
Act was passed the year after—the sth George IV.
Instead of the tithe rent charge being regulated by the
actual price of corn in the neighbourhood, it was settled
upon the prices advertised in the Dublin Gazette. By'
the Act of 2d and 3d of William IV., c. 95, the composi-
tion was to be regulated by the then prices of corn.
Other regulations had been established by the 6th sec-
tion, which he would read. The Hon. Member then
proceeded to read the sections of the Act in order to
show the average price of wheat within the county.
local
lld
andbe
He also quoted the Ist and 2d Vic., passed in 1838, the
object of which was to carry this out. These several
regulations brought him to the point which he was
de-
sirous to attain, viz., that the rent-charge should b
In
equal in its proportion to the price of eorannd the
England this point was perfectly understood,
Ireland
matter was easily settled ,• but in
knew knew that
the thing was totally different. Everyboy
price
the Gaaette gave no real criterion of the
't should be
of corn in the district. Now 1
1 district
understood that no one in an on
the instructions
could possibly know or act upon
gulation was
published in the Dublin Gazette. Th° re
-what he had
therefore useless and unnecessary. From
t hee cno
shown it was clearly proved tthe ba
tGa r ould zette. Bbe ut it
knowledge of this price in ..
ic awns
was answered, that according to the A _
ct
to be posted upon the doors of the a n
plac
ot
worship indicating this price. Of what use was such a
that in many in-
notice as this, when it was recollected
stances there were no places of worship on which
be posted? How, then,
these notices could
could the inhabitants know what the price
of wheat really was? the Hon. Gentleman thou went
through a series of calculations in order to show that
while the price
published in the Gazette was 38s. Bd.,
the real mosey obtained was little more than
30s. Well, then, in order to obtain the al-
lowance necessary between these two prices.
it was necessary to have a certificate properly certified
as to the circumstances of the case. This was no
small objection ; but there was a greater one. This'