The Sun.
London, England, 1860-10-10 00:00:00

THE GOVERNMENT AND THE IBM

SOCIETY.

Mr. Wellington Valiance, the deputy-governor,
and Mr. Charles Pearson, the solicitor of the Irish
Society, have within the last few days returned from
the north of Ireland, where, as a deputation from
the society, they have been engri-zed in propounding
to the local authorities, specially convened for the
purpose in the Court-house of Derry, a communica-
tion relative to the issue of certain negotiations be-
tween the Government and the society in regard to
the disposal of the Culmore lands, forming a portion
of the territory embraced in the Ulster Plantation
scheme, projected and carried into practical effect
in the reign of James 1., as the seat of a Protestant
colony. These negotiations, recently entered into,
have resulted in an agreement between the Crown
and the society, which provides for the valuation
and allotment of the fort and lands of Cuimore, and
for appropriating the amount between the contract-
ing parties, having strict regard to their respective
legal and equitable interests. By this arrangement
the society agrees to redeem the annuity of £2OO
Irish currency, payable to the Governor of Culmore,
for the sum of £6,000 Irish currency, and the
Crown undertakes not to fill up the vacant office,
and to release the society and the Culmore lands
from any obligation to rebuild or maintain the fort.
The lands in question are to be impartially valued
and then, together with the £6,000, to be divided
into two equal parts, of which one, discharged of all
legal and equitable obligations, shall be allotted to
the Crown, the original grantor of the lands entitled
to control the disposition of the rents and profits,
and the other moiety shall be held by the society, en-
titled to the freehold and inheritance, subject to the
conditions imposed by the original grant. Out of the
£6,000 and the produce of its allotment of lands the
society intends, in conformity with a resolution
passed in 1857, to apply £lO,OOO in aid of a sinking
fund to render the new bridge over the Foyle at
Derry toll free to the public at large. The gover-
norship of Culmore Fort, which Lord Palmerston
has thus agreed to abolish has long been a mere sine-
cure office, which it was the custom to confer on cer-
tain class of meritorious officers after spe n g their
strength in the national service, in t ecline of
life, and with insufficient means of support in pro-
portion to their military rank. In the locality the
arrangement appears to be regarded as promising
hopefully for the speedy abolition of a most injuri-
ous obstruction to the development of its commer-
cial and material resources. In the forthcoming
re-valuation, consequent upon the agreement be-
tween the Crown and the society, it is said that the
question of tenant-right will be raised in a manner
to command public attention and recognition ; and
a confident hope is expressed that, in accordance
with the equitable principle which has been recog-
nised upon its own estates since the era of the
Ulster Plantation, the society's valuer will be in-
structed to form his estimate in such a manner as
that the cultivators in occupancy shall have the
credit and advantage of bona fide improvements of
the lands due to the expenditure of their enterprise,
capital, and toil. Turning to another phase of the
transaction, it appears to be assumed that the ob-
ject of the Government in retaining a portion of the
Culmore lands in the hands of the Crown is to ap-
ply the proceeds to the common uses of the Imperial
defences at large ; and on that hypothesis a ques-
tion is mooted in the locality whether any portion
of the revenues can be diverted from what are called
plantation uses.