The Sun.
London, England, 1850-03-01 00:00:00

TENANT RIGHT.

The Marquis of LONDONDERRY presented a peti-
tion from the tenant-farmers of the counties of Down
and Londonderry, in public meeting assembled at Cole-
raine, praying their Lordships to poss a statute ensuring
tenant-right to the occupiers of land. Tenant-right was a
boon given by the landlord to the tenant centuries ago. He
took up this as a public question. Great excitement existed
in Ulster on the subject of tenant-right, and great bitter-
ness and jealousy had been in consequence occa-
sioned, and that excitement had been kept up by
the efforts made last year to excite the far-
mers against the rate in aid, by the unfortunate
affair of Dolly's Brae, and by the meetings which had
been called during the last autumn and winter by the
Protectionist leaders, who had made most exciting
speeches; and the most remarkable circumstance was that
the very persons who had been then called together by the
Protectionist landlords had united to call for a large re-
duction of rent from the landlords, and for tenant-right,
and net only tor that, but fur a perpetuity of tenancy ;
in fact, they claimed the land as their own and threat-
ened all those farmers who dared to take land from which
others had been «jectel. In other instances they had
actually determined not to pay rent—had, in fact, con-
fiscated their landlord's property.—(Hear, hear.) In
such a case as this something should be done ;
he did not . call upon the Lord-Lieutenant to
proclaim the county, but really something must be
done to arrest these gentlemen in their progress, and to
prevent the preaching of these doctrines. He had been
called upon by a Presbyterian minister to substantiate
what he had stated with regard to the non-payment of
rent, which ho alleged that those minister, had stated.
He had received a letter, written by command of the
Rev. W.
"Dobbin, calling on him to retract or sub-
stantiate those assertions. (The Noble Marquis then
read the letter, challenging him to prove his
assertions, and charging him with calumniating
those who were equally regardless of his
smiles and his frowns, and treated him with unmitigated
scorn, and dared him to to try the question of privilege
with them.). He had. also received is letter from a most
respectable landlord of the county of Down, who ex-
pressed hie satisfaction that he (the Noble Marquis) had
drawn the attention of the House to the calumnies of the
Presbyterian ministers, and to the reign of terror
which they were seeking to establish, making
the county of Down a second Tipperary. He hoped
that the Government would discover some: mode of
expressing their disapprobation of the proceedings of
these Presbyterian ministers. Attempts at murder had
been made in the county of Down, and he hoped that the
Government would offer large rewards for the discovery
of theperpetratOrs of these outrages. Of one thing he
was certain, that thedandlords would not be intimidated,
but that they Would resist with firmness these exciters to
murder and'inCendiarism.
Lord BROUGIJAM bad the other day expressed his
strong reprobation of a letter written by a reverend
gentlenian to his Noble Friend, but that letter was no-
thing to 'die letter which had been read. Any compo-
sition more remarkable for mere vulgar abuse, more
unworthy; of a gentleman, more unworthy of an educated
man, more utterly unworthy of a minister of the Gospel,
be had never heard. If those persons thought that threats
would make any Noble Lord swerre from the performance
of a hat he considered his duty, they would find them-
selves bitterly deceived, for whatever faults might be
laid to the account of their Lordships, that of yielding
to vulgar futimidatien, was the least thing of which they
could be accused.

t The Earl of DETON was opposed to legalizing what
was commonly called tenat-right.
The Earl. of RODEN agreed with the Noble
Earl who had last spoken ; but he maintained, that
all goo4.landlorda made their outgoing tenants ample
compensaion. denied that the county of Down was
in the disturbed'stete represented by the Noble Marquis.
11e considered
.the letter read by the Noble Marquis
SO be e-. most iatoleat and most vulgar tirade,
and as such to. be utterly reprobated. Reference had
been nted,e.to the violence if. the Presbyterian clergy,
but among _ every body of men so large as the
Presbyterian clergy violent persons would be found, but
it was unfair, to, make the body answerable fur the faults
of individuals. As a body there was not a
more reipectable or worthy body of men to be
found than . theVresbyterian clergy of the north
of Ireland.' .fle regretted that the attention of Parlia-
ment had been drawn to the subject, as he thought it'
could not but produce disastrous effects.
Lord' BROUGRAM explained that he had not
meant, 'Sin what he had said, to bring any charge
against the Presbyterian clergy at large. Never had he
seen so little of the insolent spirit exhibited in that letter
in any body of men as in the Presbyterian clergy, and
be hoped-they would repudiate the writer of that letter.
The Marquis of LONDONDERRY had never in-
tended by any thing he had said to impugn the conduct
of the Presbyterian clergy at large. He defied the
Foble Earl to prove that the county of Down Iva, not

now in a state of great excitement, occasioned by the
meetings recently held there.
The Earl of MOLINTCASHEL was sure that the
great majority cf the Presbyterian clergy would repu-
diate the language that bad been used by
the clerical agitations at tenant-right meet-
ings, and as to writers of letters, such as
those read by the Noble Marquis, they should be brought
to the bar of the House, and severely punisbed. As to
tenant•right, the word had been invented by Mr. Sher-
man Crawford, and he (the Earl of Mountcashel) did not
understand th• meaning of it. The landlords in the
North of Ireland had always been most kind to their
tenants, but that did not constitute a right on the part of
the tenants to the allowance which had been made to
them by the kindness of their landlords. He trusted
their Lordships would never pass any measure for
legalising tenant-right.
The petition was then ordered to lie on the table, and
their Lordships adjourned.

HOUSE OF COMMONS.
The SPEAKER took the Chair at Four o'clock.
The Dundalk and Enniskillen Railway Bill was read
a second time.
Mr. PIG OTT presented a petition from Reading
against any future transmission of mails or delivery ( f
lettere during the twenty-four hours of the Lord's-day.
COUNTY FINANCIAL BOARDS.

Mr. ELLIS presented a petition from Leicester pray
ing for the establishment of county financial boards.
EDUCATION IN IRELAND.

Mr. HAMILTON presented petitions from various
parts of Ireland against the system of national education.
THE LAND SCHEME.

Sir B. HALL presented two petitions from certain
allottees of the National Land Company, complaining
of the conduct of the chief promoter of that company,
and praying the House to take their case into considera-
tion. The Hon. Baronet said he had given notice of
these petitions to the Hon. Gentleman the Member for
Nottingham, and he should now put them into thelhands
of the Clerk that they might be read.
The petitions, after stating the circumstances of the
land society, which are already before the public, pro-
ceeded to complain that whereas it had been stated that
1,4001. had been paid for aid-money, and they had inquired
from house to house in the different allocations, and could
not ascertain that more than 800/. had been paid; that
they, the petitioners, were in a very deplorable state, and
concluded by praying the House to take the case into
their immediate consideration to release the petitioners
from the consequences of belonging to an illegal society.
Sir B. HALL said be had given notice to the Hon.
Member of two questions which he would put to him—
whether it was his intention to take any steps to wind
up the society, and what share in the profits each allottee
would get if the affairs were wound up.
Mr. O'CONNOR rose to reply, but was interrupted by
Mr. HUME, who rose to order. He wished to ask
the Speaker if the House were a competent tribunal to
enter into this question?
The SPEAKER said that it certainly was customary,
if any allegations were brought against a Member of
that House, to allow him an opportunity of replying to
them, and therefore it was competent for the
Honourable Gentleman on this occasion to reply; but
he had great doubts if the questions put were regular.
Mr. O'CONNOR said that with regard to the state-
ment of the petition, he could only say, that since the
Committee of 11348 had sat he had spent great sums of
money in endeavouring to get the society registered.
The land was (purchased at 51. and 61. en acre, the
houses were built of the best materials, and
the slate had cost sight pounds a thousand.
The auditor, who had examined the accounts of the
company, reported that it owed him 3,4001., and the
committee of management had stated that it was in-
debted to him in the additional sum of 1,2001., so that
he was 4,6001. out of pocket altogether. In fact,
it had cost, in some instances, 30/. a jour-
ney in visiting as many as one hundred different
estates in various parts of the country, and yet
he had never charged a single fraction for bis expenses.
He never gave a bill for the company in all his life, nor
consented to accept a present from any tradesman,
though he had paid to some, on behalf of the com-
pany, as much as 1,0001. The chairman of the
Committee had tried to cook up the report, but the Com-
mittee had unanimously refused to accept it. His con-
duct during the five years that he was con-
nected with the Land Company was open to
the fullest investigation, and if the truth were
known, it would be found that in one way
or another he had lost nearly 8,000/. by the company.
He denied that any man in the world could accuse him
of having been guilty of one mean or insignificant act
throughout the:whole course of his life. But it was not to
be wondered at that those who were desirous of keeping
down and oppressing the working classes, should look
upon him with hatred and disgust, and call him the re-
viled of all revilers. Gross charges were made against
him in the Committee, and every gentleman who went
into the Committee went there with the strongest pre-
judices against him ; bat, thank God, they left the
Committee with those prejudices removed. Strange as
it might seem, he could assure the House that it was
nevertheless a fact, that not a fraction of the 130,0001.
ever came into his hands, it all passed through the direc-
tors into the banker's possession, and every voucher 'and
every book relating to it was produced before the Com-
mittee, but still he was prepared to give a more
extended explanation of his conduct in the
affair did the rules of the House admit of

his going into it. He had now made his statement, and
given a distinct refutation to the charge preferred
against him, and he had only to add that if the Noble
Lord at the head of the Government would bring in a
Bill to authorise it, the Noble Lord should have the
appointment of the future trustees. Thank God, he bad
not been guilty of any dishonourable act, nor had
he wheedled the public out of their money in the manner
that two Hon. Members whom he could name had done.
—(Order, order )
Sir BENJAMIN HALL wished to ask the Honour-
able and Learned Gentleman whether he himself was
prepared to bring in a Bill to wind up the scheme ?
Mr. F. O'CONNOR—He might just add that although
the Committee reported that he had kept the accounts,
they said he had kept them in a way rather against than
for himself'. He was now ready to wind up the scheme.
But the Hon. Baronet asked whether he intended to
repay those who were not located ?—(Order, order.)
Sir B. HALL said the question he asked was whe-
ther the Hon. Member (Mr. O'Connor) intended
to introduce a Bill in the present session of Parliament
for the purpose of winding up the company ?
Mr. F. O'CONNOR did intend to wind up the con-
cern, and if the Noble Lord (Lord J. Russell) would
give him an early day, he (Mr. O'Connor) would take
the first opportunity of bringing in a Bill to wind up
the company, and so wash his hands of the matter alto-
gether.—(Laughter.)
Mr. HUME considered the question which had been
submitted to the House by the Hon. Baronet a very
proper one to be put to an lion. Member of that Home.
Here the matter dropped.
• MARRIAGES BILL.

Mr. WALPOLE presented a pttition from Midhurst
'as we understood), against legalising marriage with a
leceased wife's sister.
MERCANTILE MARINE BILL.

Mr. HUME presented a petition from the shipowners
of Arbrogth against the Mercantile Marine Bill.
TAXES ON KNOWLEDGE.

Mr. MO WATT presented a petition from Truro,
praying for a repeal of the taxes on the diffusion cf
know ledge.
SUNDAY LABOUR AT THE POST-OFFICE.
Mr. Alderman HUMPIIERY, and Eoveral other
Members presented pF titions against the employment of
labour in the Post-office on Sundays.
THE BORNEO PIRARCY.
Lord D.ISTUART gave notice that he should, on
Monday, more for a return of the dispatches front Sir
Francis Collier, dated the 18th September, 1349, and
received on the 31st January.
Mr. HUME complained that the returns which had
been granted to him with reipect to Sarawak, Malta,
andithe lonian Islands, had not been printed, and said
that he should shortly bring the matter under the notice
of the House.