The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-17 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT

HOUSE OF LORDS-LAST EVEIILNG.
The LORD CiuNcELLon took his seat on the woolsack
at live o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The Putney and Fulham New Bridge Bill was read a
second time.

The following bills were read a third time and passed
—Ventnor Gas and Water, Weaver River Navigation,
Talacre Pier and Harbour, Dublin and Kingston Railway,
and Hornsey Gas.
MANAGEMENT OF RAILWAY AND OTHER
PUBLIC COMPANIES.

Lord REDESDALE gave notice that on an early day
next 'reek he would mode that the house should go into
committee to consider the subject of the management of
railway and other public companies, with a view to remedy
the existing defects of the present system, which were
admitted.

THE STATE OF IRELAND.
Earl GREY moved that the house should, on Tuesday
next, resolve itself into a committee of the whole house to
consider the present state of Ireland, and draw the atten-
tion of the house to the unfortunate political position of
Ireland, and said that it was of that description that ren-
dered its consideration imperative. The subject of
Ireland could no be ignored by Parliament. He
contended -that it should be taken up immediately.
There was no doubt that the country had been relieved
from the excessive pressure of population by the means
of emigration, but it was equally a matter of
fact that the remaining population was not in
a position with regard to house accommodation and the
comforts of life to which, as civilised beings, they were
entitled. (Hear, hear.) He adverted to the feeling that
was displayed by Irishmen when they emigrated, which
was one of bitter hostility to 'this country, and he traced
the existence of that feeling to improper legislation by this
country. He illustrated his position by a reference to the
Fenian movement growing out of the disaffection of tho
Irish population to this country, and he said that so long
as that disaffection existed it would ex necessitate prevent
the influx of capital into Ireland, and consequently
prevent the development of the resources of that
country. He could not call on the house to de-
cide on the principle involved in his motion that
evening, but he did not wish to disguise the fact that
the series of resolutions which he proposed to introduce
would impugn the policy pursued by this country towards
Ireland. The penal code, although abolished, still rankled
in the national mind in Ireland, and although good practical
measures had been passed with a view to ameliorate the
condition of Ireland, there could be no doubt that the
state of political reeling was hostile to this country. He
would ask their lordships if that state of things was
not to be attributed to misgovernment? There was
no fiscal pressure in Ireland that would retard its
material development, and therefore its present condition
must necessarily result from political causes. He contended
that there was no reason why Ireland should not be a
flourishing commercial country without being rendered
entirly dependent on agriculture. Having entered at length
upon the state of the country and the people, which he
argued was in general deplorable, and a disgrace to a civi-
lised country, the noble earl read a series of 12 resolutions
embodying his views on the Irish difficulty.

Lord DUFFERIN called upon the house to negative the
motion of the noble earl, on the ground mainly of the in-
convenience of deciding whether or not they would go into
committee upon resolutions with which they would have
neither time nor opportunity to make themselves acquainted.
He did not deny the existence of distress in Ireland, but
he contended it was not to be remedied by exceptional
legislation at the present moment, although no doubt Par-
liament could do much when the different subjects of com-
plaint were separately brought before its notice. Advert-
ing to the various topics referred to as grievances, the noble
lord said, with regard to the Established Church, that he
did not believe it to be the special annoyance or the chief
source of Irish disaffection, which was rather to be traced
to the state of the land tenure, and the manner in which
.the people clung to their holdings where small farms were
no longer suitable to the circumstances of the times, and
absolutely checked the progress of agricultural improve-
ment by retarding the application of capital to the culture
of the land. As long as the small farm system existed it
would be impossible to apply any satisfactory remedy, al-
though even now it was possible greatly to improve the
land. With reference to emigration, he did not believe
that the causes which had led to that would be removed by
any legislation. Ireland had a thousand sources of unde-
veloped wealth, but as long as a feeling of general insecu-
rity prevailed, it would be useless to hope for the introduc-
tion of English capital andmanufacturing enterprise. Even
now, however, amid all drawbacks, she enjoyed a consi-
derable amount of prosperity, as showed by the returns
of the value of stock, the cultivation of flax, the rise
in the value of labour, and the savings of the people. Hos-
tility towards England was a national sentiment in Ire-
land, arising from the misgovernment of ages, and it could
not be obliterated in a few years only.
The debate was continued by the Archbishop of Armagh,
who Contended that a large portion of the property of the
Irish Church was given to it solely as a Protestant Insti-
tution ; by Lord Houghton, who expressed himself in
favour of leases; by the Earl of Carnarvon, the Earl of
Belmore, the Bishop of Derry, the Earl of Wicklow, and
Earl Russell.

Earl GREY replied, and eventually the resolutions were
negatived without a division.

Their lordships then adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS—LAST EVENING.
Mr. DODSON (deputy-Speaker) took the chair at four
o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed :
—Afon Valley Railway, Bodmin Water, Lancashire and
Yorkshire Railway (Blackburn and Padiham), Neath and
Brecon Railway (Capital), New Milford Docks, West Mid-
dlesex Water, and Whitby, Rodeo.; and Middlesborough
Union Railway.