The Sun.
London, England, 1845-02-24 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY I.:VEN'INIG, FF,PRUAItYI4, 1846,

,atis9rl, at a time or times to be appointed in that bAalf ; and
also with a covenant to pay and keep down the interest in the
meanwhile ; and so as every such grant, mortgage, lease, or
demise, do also contain a proviso thlt the person entailei in
remainder or reversion to the lands or grounds therein comn-
prised shall net be liable, upon his, her, or their becoming pos-
tossed thereof, to the payment of any further or larger arrear•
of interest than for six months preceding the time that his cr
their title to such possession shall have commenced; and every
such charge, grant, mortgage, lease, or demise as aforesaid
shall be good, valid, and effectual iss the law, for the purposes
hereby intended, and shall take priority of all .barges and en-
cumbrances whatsoever and whensoever made."

Two important principles have thus been recognised by the:
Legislature, with respect to the advances of money for the im-
provement of Ireland—
Ist, That it is desirable and proper to give assistance by way
of loan towards the agricultural improvement of that country ;
and, 2dly, That in cases in which the property of individuals is
to derive a permanent benefit from the execution of such.
works, it is just and proper to give power to persons having-
limited interests or being under legal disability to charge such
property with the repayment of money advanced in aid of sugh
improvements.
We believe that the soundness of the view thus taken by the
Legislature will he admitted by all those acquainted with the
actual state of Ireland, and who are enabled, therefore, to ap-
preciate the very great importance to the public interest, of
the improvement of that country, and the employment of her
people ; and we believe, also, that the advance of money from
the public treasury, in aid of these objects, under proper guards
and restrictions, is consistent with the truest economy, regard
being had to the expenditure under other heads, which the
state of that country continually calls upon the Government to
make. _ .

It appears to us, that the two provisions of the Public Works
Act to which we have particularly referred, require amend-
ment, so as to snake them more extensively usef':l, and
order to carry out the apparent intention of the Legislature.
We think that the advances authorised by section 32, in aid
of agricultural improvements, ought to be made u, on the same
terms which are prescribed by the Act in other cases of advan-
ces by way of loan, as to the rate of interest, and the time and
manner of repayment.
We recommend, also, that the provisions of section 66, to
the terms of which we have particularly referred, should he
exter•.ded, so as to be applicable to all cases of advance by way
of loan under the Act.,
Such amendments would, in our opinion, only carry out the
principle fully recognised by Parliament, and embodied in the
Act in question, and would undoubtedly render that Act more
extensively beneficial in Ireland.
As the section 66 gives certain powers, which, under our re-
commendation, would be more extensively called into action,
e consider it right also to suggest the sort of restrictions by
which we think that those powers ought to be guarded, so as to
prevent abuse.
We recommend that two members shall be added to the
Board of Public Works in Dublin, of high legal station and
character.

That upon any application for a loan by persona under any
legal disability to charge their estate, it shall be the duty of the
Board to examine, not only into the propriety of the im-
provements proposed, but also into the state and condition of
the property, the interest of the various persons connected with
it, and the propriety of making a charge upon the estate fur
re payment of such loan ; and that no advance shall be made
unl ss upon the certificate of the Chief Commissioner and the
two legal members of the Board, recommending such advance,
and stating the nature of the security to be taken.
That all advances shall be made by instalments not exceeding
500/. in amount, and that no further advance be made until it
kas been proved to the satisfaction of the said Commissioners
that the former instalment has been properly applied.
That in every case of a party applying for an advance, who
is entitled as tenant in-tail or for life to the income of the estate
to be charged, he shall be required to enter into a personal
obligation, by way of collateral security, to the extent. of double
the amount of instalment of the proposed loan ; and in case the
Commissioners shall at any time find that an instalment has
been applied to oth: r purposes than those contemplated by the
Act, it shall be their duty to put such obligation in suit for
the recovery of such instalment or any part thereof, with in-
terest at 6 per cent., and it shall be in their discretion either
to stop all further payment in respect of the loan agreed for, or
if they shall think it to be for the benefit of the inheritance, to
direct the proper application of the remainder by their own
officer in accordlnce with the original proposal.
We think that by some provisions of this nature all possi-
linty of abuse may be effectually prevented, and many im-
provements effected, which, without aid to be furnished un-
der the Act of Parliament, must be wholly abandoned.
But we further recommend that any advance made under
this Act to persons under legal disability shall not exceed
in the whole the amount of 50,000/., or such other li-
mited sum as Parliai-nent may fix. Any application by an
incapacitated person for a larger advance should be made un-
der the sanction of a Court of Equity. We further recom-
mend, that for those county works for which, by the exist-
ing law, loans may be obtained from the Board of Works,
grand juries should be empowered, with the consent of the
Lord-Lieutenant in Council, to borrow money on county
bonds, the principal to be repayable by instalments, with
interest.