Star.
London, England, 1826-02-17 00:00:00

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neat o.iediffila attention and that of the Lord Lieu-
tenantrilld a remedial measure would be accordingly
submitted to the Rouse this Session oa the subject.—
shottld also have a Bill to propose for thf correction
of abuses a more effectual service of civil process
in .Ireland—(Hear.)—and another on the suhj- ct of
corporate rights. Of the necessity of.a Bill for re-
gulating the right to sit as Grand Jurors, he was
equally convinced, but there wete difficulties sehlch
stood in the way which rendered it lea likely he
should be so easily or early able to accomplish this
as other objects be had alluded to. As to the Irish
law of landlord and tenant, it was. intended to in-
troduce a Bill to amend that of List Session on this
head, taking care not•to injure the rights of part'es.—
He lastly should advert to the subject of Church Nate,
which he kntiv was a popular topic. It had not escaped
the head of the lii.h Government, and it was deemed
desirable that a Bill should be introlluced for the conso-
lidation of all the laws as to the Church Rates, and,,the
format:on of vestries in that country. It was his inten-
tion io introduce this Bill to the House as soon as it had
been sufficiently shaped and examined. If, theiefore,
there were any difference between him and the Right
Hon. Baronet, he trusted he would set it as merely o .e
of form, rather than of substance. Last Session too, he
had as far as possible lent the Right Hon. Baronet all
his assistance to aeniedy the real evil of the system in
• fashion in Ireland, and this, he trusteJ, was a ptoof of
his sincere dispot•itinu to cooperate in the suppression of
abuse,. which he believed in Ireland grew principally
out of the unbuiinesslike and negligent way in which
all bodes of men in that country treated their own.
affairs who met at vestries and parish meetings. There
was indeed often no intention of doing an act o( injus-
tice, or displaying partiality in those instances which
had bean alluded to by the Right Hun. Baronet, who,
if he had examined the Returns with as- much care as
lie had been obliged to do, would have found in the
Items to which parish rates were applied a considerable sum appro-
priated to the building or repairing of a Catholic Chapel, or to the
assistance of a parish priest; There was then no ground to charge
them generally with such a feeling as might be deduced to be their
motive, front having heard the Speech of the Right Hon. Baronet.
Jt was now particlarly.desirable that a remedy should be devised
by the introduction of a valid and substantive measure; and if the
Bight Hon. Baronet would consent to withdraw his motion, he
'would take the liberty of substituting what would equally answer
ail purposes—a notice of motion for leave to bring in a Bill which
• would reach, he hoped, the whole extent of the evil. It would be
far more agreeable to himself to act in perfect accordance with the
Right Hon. Baronet, if be would permit him to do SO by with-
drawing his resolution.
Sir JOHN NEWPORT asked what was the Right lion. Gen-
tleman's intention to do with reference to the law as it stood in
Ireland respecting the dace of Sheriff.
GOULBURN replied, that it was his intention, as soon as
he was possessed of the information which was pronused him, he
would have it in his power to submit something satisfactory to
their consideration.
Sir J. NEWPORT replied, that he considered it his duty to
press the resolution, which he thought might be entered on the
Journals of the House, in perfect consonance with the notice the
Right Hen. Gentleman was about to give. He would not there-
fore consent to withdraw his resolution to make room for the
notice of the Eight Hon. Gentleman.
• Sir Houma INGLIS observed, that in a great
many instances soine parts of the rates were appro-
priated to the benefit of the Catholic part of the parish.
In the case of the parish of Moate, with which he was
acquainted, the whole rate only amounted to 431. and
the first item was 10/. appropriated to the ma'n-
tenaoce of the Roman Catholic Chapel: the second,
10/. for the I'resbytetian Meeting House. The first
item continued to form a part of the parish rates for
above five years, so that in this instance it was clear the
Protestant part of the Parish,were contributing gratui-
tously to the comfort and convenience of Catholics and
Disecaers, and the maintenance of a rival Church. Tne
Hon. Baronet continued to enumerate various parishes
in which a cousiderable proportion of the sums, levied as
Church-rates, had been approptiated to the purposes of
Roman Catholic education or worship, and it it wool
not have bees. too severe a tax upon the patience of the
House, he could have gone on much lon2,er to produce
instances in proof of the liberality and true Catholic
feeling which governed the application of these funds.
Oat a tortoer occasion, the Bight Honourable Baronet
opposite, had alluded to a speeisl act of liberality, as
forming exception to the general temper of the Pro-
testant Gentry of Ircland, with regard to Roman Ca-
tholic win ship. This act of munificence be could assure
the Right Hair.. Baronet was not solitary ; he would
mention the liberality manifested by Lord Cieriiorne and
h,.s family, as even surpassing that of the instance al-
luded to by the Right Hon. Baronet. If agitators did
not put it iii their beads, that they oaglit to quar,ei, he
firmly b. lieved that the Protestants a.-ad Catholics of Ire-
land would tweet together in vestry in pet sect harmony.
• He bad seen one return from a most tespecteble Nli
mater it a pari h, vthich stated that the number of pa-1
risoioners usually assembled in vestry WAS front sixty to
a hundred, that he had regularly attended these vestries
fur a great iiihniber of years, but no account of the re-
srective nuntler of Catholics and Protestants basi ever
been taken, because a difference of opinion between them
had cover existed. Ihe Right lion. Baronet had spoken
of the Church Rates as a heavy burden upon the land owners at
Ireland ; rosy the fact was that he had in vet ?wen a rate above
tight; came per acre; he did not think it therefore imuu red to'
arch a grievance as to call for the interposition of the Legislature.—
' lie knew, on the other hand, an itistat,ce it: which 6d. per acre had
bleu kvi,d for the purpose sat building a Catholic Chapel, in a pa.
rich where the regular church rate WAS no more than 1 id. The
details el the report were no doubt ccrieet, but the inference at-
tempted to be drawn from them was most erroneous) The tendency
of the resolutions was to degrade the Church Establishment.
Sit 11. PARNELL theught that-in the case of Cor-
potation Nlagistrates great abuses existed, and that
they should tie rectified. He had heard that it was
intended to erect a new office fur issuing writs; he did
not see what good was likely to be effected by the no-
velty. He thought that the office of Sheriff, which
it was then contemplated to abridge, was perfectly
adequate for the purposes of the new one, if it were
executed according to the original intent. With re-
spect to the law of landlord and tenant, he understood
that the only alteration which was designed to be made
was to affect the sub-letting of lands; but he hoped
that some rea.edy would be introduced with respect
t• 1 ti,e mode of effecting distresses. It would be also
necessary to cure the evils which accompanied the pro.
eess of ejectment. By some defects which prevail in
the law on that subject, landlords were obliged to
east inconvenience. He would ask his Right
Honourable Fliend opposite (Mr Goolburo), whether it was ,
.proposed to extend the Bankrupt Laws which prevailed in this
country to Ireland, now that the amalgamation of the currencies
of the two countries had been proceeded with. He also wished to
know whether it was intended to apply the Banking Laws of this
country to Ireland?
Mr. PLUNKETT was disposed to give every infor-
rnatsoa in hisepower. With respect to tha bankrupt
laws, he bad consulted with the Courts in Ireland, with'
the Lord Chancellor, and the Itla.tel- of the Rolls there,
and the result was, a conviction that it would be ittex-