Commons Sitting of 7 March 1848

MINUTES.
PUBLIC BILLS.—1° Queen's Prison; Insolvent Debtors (India); Outgoing Tenants (Ireland).
Reported.—Passengers.
PETITIONS PRESENTED. By Mr. Wakley, from Finsbury, and Mr. Cowan, from Edinburgh, for the Adoption of Universal Suffrage.—By several Hon. Member, from various Places, for and against the Jews Disabilities Bill, for and against the Roman Catholic Relief Bill, and against the Roman Catholic Charitable Trusts Bill.—By Viscount Morpeth, from Mirfield, for the Better Observance of the Lord's Day.—By Sir John Trollope, from Lincoln, complaining of the Conduct of the Roman Catholic Clergy (Ireland).—By Mr. Hume, from Colombo (Island of Ceylon), respecting the Removal of Verandahs.—By Mr. Adderley, from Stafford, Captain Boldero, from Chippenham, and Mr. Christopher, from Gainsborough, for Repeal of the Duty on Attorneys' Certificate.—By Viscount Melgund, from Greenock, for Inquiry respecting the Excise Laws,—By Mr. Lushington, from Middlesex, for an Equalization of the Land Tax.—By Mr. Hume, from Dartmouth, for a Reduction of Tolls and Dues on Lighthouses.—By Mr. Reynolds, from Dublin, for an Abolition of Ministers' Money (Ireland).—By Mr. Baines, and other Hon. Members, from numerous Places, against a Continuance of the Property Tax.—By Mr. Clements,

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from Carrick-on-Shannon, respecting Taxation on the Shannon Navigation.—By Viscount Morpeth, from Sheffield, for a Repeal of the Window Duty.—By Mr. Ewart, from Dumfries, for a Repeal or Alteration of the Bank of England Charter Act, and Banking (Scotland) Act.—By Dr. Bowring, from Bolton, for placing Beer Retailers on the same Footing as Licensed Victuallers.—By Mr. P. Scrope, from Mayo, for Inclosure of the Commons and Waste Lands (Ireland).—By Mr. Buck, and other Hon. Members, from several Places, against the Diplomatic Relations with the Court of Rome Bill.—By Mr. Goring, from Chichester, and by Mr. T. Hildyard, from Nottingham, for an Alteration of the Law respecting Education.—By Viscount Morpeth, from several Places, for Sanitary Regulations.—By Sir W. Somerville, from Enniscorthy, for an Extension of the Land Improvement Act (Ireland).—By Mr. Sharman Crawford, from Carrickmacross, and by Mr. Reynolds, from Monaghan, for an Alteration of the Law of Landlord and Tenant (Ireland).—By Viscount Melgund, from Greenock, for an Alteration of the Law respecting the National Land Company.—By Viscount Morpeth, from York, and by Mr. Greenall, from Lancaster and Chester, for Retrenchment in the Naval and Military Expenditure.—By Mr. Glyn, from a number of Places, against Militia Enrolment.—By Mr. Baines, from Kingston-upon-Hull, against a Repeal of the Navigation Laws.—By Mr. Hume, from North Shields, respecting the Custom House at that Port.—By Viscount Melgund, from Greenock, against the Passengers' Bill.—By Dr. Bowring, from Chelsea Hospital, respecting Deductions from Half Pay Army Pensioners.—By Mr. Morgan John O'Connell, from several Places, for Alteration of the Poor Law (Ireland).—From Dunfermline, for an Alteration of the Law of Prisons (Scotland) By Mr. Shafto Adair, and other Hon. Members, from several Places, for Alteration of Public Health Bill.—By Viscount Morpeth, from Halifax, in favour of the Public Health Bill.—By Mr. Greenall, from Lancaster, for Abolitiion of the Punishment of Death.—By Mr. Wakley, from various Places, for Referring War Disputes to Arbitration.—

TENANT-RIGHT IN IRELAND.
MR. SHARMAN CRAWFORDmoved for leave to bring in a Bill to secure the rights of the outgoing tenants in Ireland. It was his intention to propose to secure those rights by confirming and extending the custom of tenant-right as it exists in the province of Ulster. His object was to bring before the House, in the form of a distinct proposition, what that tenant-right was, and what provisions would be necessary to make it law. His Bill would be confined to that particular object, the explanation of tenant-right, and those provisions that would be necessary to enforce it. As the proposition for leave to bring in the Bill was not, he understood, to be opposed by the Government, he would postpone his statement of details until the second reading, and now merely move for leave to bring in the Bill.
SIR GEORGE GREYsaid, that it was not his intention to offer any opposition to the introduction of the Bill.
MR. POULETT SCROPEconsidered that a subject of more importance could not come before Parliament. Many years had passed of promises to and expectations on the part of the people of Ireland. Commission
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after Commission had sat on the subject, and the time seemed to be coming when, if the Legislature did not interfere, the people of Ireland would take the matter into their own hands. He perceived the repeal agitation was becoming a tenant-right agitation, and rallying around it the farmer classes of Ireland, many of whom were vitally interested in the question.
MR. TRELAWNYdeclared that he was opposed to the introduction of the Bill, and would, if necessary, divide the House on it.
MR. HUMEhad always found that any attempt to interfere between masters and men had been productive of greater injury to the men than to the masters. He considered that any individual who held out hopes that they could divide the land between the possessors and the tenants, held out hopes that would do injury. Though he would desire to see improvements effected, with the sanction of the proprietors, he would not wish to see compulsory means adopted.
The Motion agreed to. Bill brought in and read a first time.

THE RIOT IN TRAFALGAR SQUARE.
MR. MONCKTON MILNESbegged to be permitted to ask a question of the right hon. Baronet the Secretary of State for the Home Department respecting the collision between the people and the police which had taken place on the preceding day, in Trafalgar Square. There had been a meeting held in Trafalgar Square. It had been called by an individual—a certain individual. That meeting had been allowed to take place, and it had gone off perfectly decently and orderly till after a great number of speakers had been heard with decorum and tranquillity on the part of the people. After the meeting had ceased, and when the people were about to disperse, a collision took place between them, which had resulted in grave consequences. He, therefore, wished to be informed what directions had been given to the police with respect to the meeting; and he asked the question because he believed that, on the one side, the freest discussion by the people was the best security for the public peace in this country; and on the other, he also believed that the police forces of the metropolis were willing to their duty in the best manner.
SIR GEORGE GREY: The meeting was convened by a Mr. Cochrane. An advertisement convening it had been cir-

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culated, and bills had been posted in public places, signed by Mr. Charles Cochrane, summoning a meeting to take place in Trafalgar Square for the purpose of petitioning Parliament for the total and immediate abolition of the income-tax. The commissioners of police, seeing the advertisement, wrote to Mr. Cochrane, and in-formed him that there was an Act of Parliament, the 57th George III., the provisions of which prohibited the holding of any meeting in the open air for the purpose of petitioning Parliament for the alteration of any measure affecting Church or State at any place within one mile of Westminster Hall, during the sitting of Parliament, except within the limits of the parish of St. Paul, Covent Garden. Mr. Cochrane acknowledged the receipt of the communication, in a letter in which he stated that he was not aware the meeting was illegal. The commissioners, in reply, told him that he mistook their meaning. That it was not an illegal meeting, but that the place appointed for it was within the limits prohibited by an Act of Parliament. Mr. Cochrane accordingly abstained from attending the meeting himself, and put up placards informing the people that the meeting could not be held, and calling upon them to disperse. With regard to the "grave consequences" alluded to by the hon. Gentleman, no graver consequences had followed than a slight disturbance, and the breaking of some widows and lamps, which the police most effectually and (he believed) temperately cheeked.
House adjourned at Six o'clock.