The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-22 00:00:00

THE IRISH CHURCH BILL

The John Bull publishes conspicuously the following
'important article :—" The reception given to our state-
ment that the Earl of Derby would move the rejection of
;he Irish Church Bill in .the House of Lords by our
2ontemporaries was amusing. The Globe acknow-
edged it ; the Pall Hall and Standard would
sot touch it ; the Evening Star and Echo appro.
oriated it as from a Tory contemporary. On
Monday the Daily News alone had the audacity to
reprint it. All the Church and Dissenting papers have
!eproduced it, but none save the English Independent
seem to credit it. We have been expecting daily an
Mdignant denial of its authenticity ; for nothing could
be easier than to say that it was not correct ; for no
notice has been formally given ; the bill has not yet
reached the House of Lords ; and it is, of course, not
etiquette officially to announce a decision of a party
till after the formal meeting next month. •No denial,
however, appeared, though rAberal papers pretended to
ioubt our accuracy, till yesterday, when the organ of the
publicans denied it, and last night the Record informs us
that Lord Derby's personal friends' gainsay its truth.
We are not told where, and we confidently await the
verification of the substantial accuracy of our statement.
Had the Earl of Derby not been prepared to move the
rejection of the bill, Lord Redesdale or Lord Bandon
would have done so. In that case, however, the Govern-
'nent would probably not have had much to fear, for
Lord Cairns was understood to have counselled amend-
ments of the bill in committee. We are loath to
believe the prevalent rumours that he is still inclined to
urge the less bold policy. Of course if Lord Derby
find the bill defeated by the action of a Whig Peer he
will interpose no obstacle, but he will not allow the
bill to be read a second time. The country will
thoroughly back him up. Arrangements have been made
for meetings to petition the House of Lords to reject the bill
at Leeds to-day, in the City of London on the 2nd or 7th
of June, under the presidency of Mr. Joseph Hoare ; at
Blackheath on June 2 ; at Castleford on the 24th inst. ; at
Wakefield on the 25th inst. ; and on an early day at
Sheffield, Halifax, Huddersfield, Manchester, and Sal-
ford. In the latter town there will be fourteen platforms
from which the people will be simultaneously addressed.
We direct attention to the admirable form of petition to
the House of Lords issued by the Church Institution,
which will make arrangements for other meetings."
The following statement by the Dublin correspondent of
the Times seems to confirm and give additional importance
to the above article. " The 'standing committee' of the
Church Conference, which lately seemed disposed rather to
stand at ease than fight, has been obliged by the pressure
'rum without to resume active operations in opposition
to the Ministerial bill. Having last week set aside the
resolution of the preceding week appointing a deputation
to proceed to London to urge the House of Lords to throw
mat the bill, they yesterday, after a debate which lasted
for more than five hours, again resolved to take the course
they had abandoned. An amendment was proposed
by one of those who voted in the majority at the last
meeting against the sending of the deputation, but it was
withdrawn, and the resolution in favour of sending a
deputation was carried by a majority of 28 to 9. A strong
feeling of dissatisfaction had been excited out of doors,
and the committee were reminded that the duty which
they had been appointed by the Conference to perform was
to oppose the bill, and that they had no authority to take
any other course, however strongly of opinion they might
be individually that it would be better for tLe interests of
the Church to accept the bill with reasonable amendments
rather than have the question made a subject of bitter
and protracted agitation. The Central Protestant Defence
Association have also resolved to send over a deputation
to meet the peers on the 28th instant."

A TENANTRY AGAINST THEIR

LANDLUI?D.

The announcement recently made by the Earl of sand-
wich of his determination to sell out his estates of Bailin-
'ough and Ballingranna, parish of Kilteely, in the county
)f Limerick, by private contract, has engendered a very
strong feeling of discontent among the numerous tenantry
apon that property, exceeding forty in number. They
have published the following manifesto, setting forth the
njustice which they consider the course intended to be
mrsued will inflict upon them and, their families :—" In
the first place, it is a matter we view with regret, having
hitherto stood on very good terms with him and his agents
and having always been punctual in the payment of our
-ents. ' The present method of procedure, we believe, has
)een adopted by the Earl of Sandwich through our non-
mmpliance in paying the rent according to the valuation of
LB6B, which was reckonedby us, and all other men having
1, knowledge of the property, as exorbitant, considering that
'and of a superior quality is let in this and the adjoining.
?arishes of Hospital and Greane by Mr. Anderson, Vis-
:..ount Castlerosse, Lord Leconfield, and others at a cheaper
•ate. The noble earl seems to think the valuation of 1868
s more equitable one than that of 1854, when, he alleges,
Drices were low; but we find that increase in the rate of
!abour, and other matters attendant on farming, more than
counterbalance the surplus, which is very trivial, con-
sidering that prices are much lower this year than
twelve months ago, when the valuation was made.
Neither does he take into account that we were just emer-
ging from our difficulties after the famine year, when the
valuation of 1854, which is between 30 and 40 per cent. over
the Ordnance valuation, and according to which we have
paid to the present day, raised the rents considerably on the
treater part of the tenants. It is painful to us to consider
that the improvements we have effected on our farms by our
labour and industry since 1854 do not redound to our advan-
tage, whether in having a still higher rent imposed upon us, or
in the event of a sale of the property. These improve-
ments, which are considerable—as can be seen by the
present state of the lands compared to what they then
were—we never would have made did we entertain the
slightest notion of either contingency. But so much for
:he land laws of this country, by which the tenant•farmer
:lan be deprived of the fruits of his labour. In conclusion,
we beg to suggest, that should the Government feel dis-
posed to establish a `peasant proprietary,' as suggested
.)37 several prominent members of the Legislature, the
luestion at issue affords them an opportunity of purchasing
the property—a course which would entail no loss on either
the seller or the Government, and which, if acted upon in
41 cases where landlords wish to dispose of their estates,
would bring peace and prosperity to this unfortunate
.lountry."

PROPOSED CONSERVATIVE BANQUET AT FROME.—
Ur. Serjeant Sleigh, the Conservative candidate at the
late election, has accepted an invitation to dine with the
Conservatives of Frome on Thursday, the 3d proximo.
ANOTHER IRISH REPRESENTATIVE PEER.
Notice is given in the Gazette that writs have been issued
tor the election of an Irish representative peer, in the room
of the late Earl of Wicklow.
THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY'S. FIRST
CONFIRMATION.—On Friday his Grace the Archbishop of
Canterbury held the first confirmation in the cathedral of
the city of Canterbury since his elevation to the metro-
politan see ; and advantage being taken of this ci-cum-
stance, nearly 400 young persons presented themselves, and
received the holy rite at the hands of the Archbishop.
THE ROBBERY OF ARMS AT CORK.—Three men,
named Long, Brien, and Byrne, who are charged with
having forcibly taken a revolver from Professor O'Leary,
of Cork, on the night of the 9th inst., were brought before
the magistrates on Wednesday. Byrne was discharged,
as there was no evidence to warrant his detention. The
other two were committed for trial at the assizes, bait
being refused.

The Government bill for throwing the ex-
penses of en eleCtion inquiry commission upon the
county or borough where . the election took place has
been published. The plan proposed is that the Trea-
sury shall advance the expenses, which aro to bo repaid
within the year, being charged in English counties upon the
public stock of the county, and in boroughs upon the poor
rates. For Scotland and Ireland the provisions are slightly
varied to meet the different conditions of these countries.
A report is current in London Catholic circles
that Mr. Ffoulkes has been formally received back into
the Established Church, and that he is about to resume
his functions as a clergyman of that communion. We
give the tale for what it is worth, and without vouching
for the truth of it. At the same time there can be no
doubt but that, after his recent letter to the Archbishop
of Westminster, and the general anti-Catholic tone of
everything this gentleman has written for some years past,
his right place is where he came from—in the Anglican,
not in the Catholic, camp.-IVeclety Register.
Tire BRENNER PASS.—Captain Tyler's report
to the Board of Trade on the facilities afforded by the
Brenner Pass and the Brindisi route for communication
with the East, has been issued as a parliamentary paper.
Captain Tyler sees nothing to prevent an express
service being organised on the Brenner line. The time
occupied in travelling by it from London to Alexandria
would be 150 hours ; by Mont Cenis 150. hours, or
147,1 when the tunnel is finished. There would be a
saving of thirty hours over the Marseilles route.
Captain Tyler says, however, that these routes will only
be provisional, pending the advance of railway communi-
cation through the south-east of Europe and the west of
Asia. " The hope of the Indian traveller of the next
generation," he adds, " chimerical as it may appear to
many at present, must be nothing less than to pass dry-
shod from London to Bombay—through a submarine
tunnel from Doyer to Calais—through Europe by railway
--fiver the Bosphorus by a bridge, and forward by railway
down the Euphrates yalley, and round tll aeViiftr% Gulf