§ MR. O'DONNELLgave Notice that on Thursday next he would ask the hon. and learned Member for the University of Dublin (Mr. Plunket) a Question with regard to a statement made by the hon. and learned Member in reference to the Balla evictions. He would also ask the hon. and learned Member whether he had seen a letter signed by Mr. Walsh, President of the Balla Land League, in which that gentleman declared that, instead of only five evictions having taken place on the estate of Sir Robert Blosse, several hundreds had taken place? The hon. Member was proceeding to enter into details as to the number of holdings upon the Balla estate, when——
§ MR. SPEAKERsaid: I understand the hon. Member to give Notice of a Question which he wishes to put on Thursday next, and I must ask the hon. Gentleman to confine himself strictly to the form of the Question of which he desires to give Notice.
§ MR. O'DONNELLsaid, he was ready to bow to the ruling of the right hon. Gentleman. On the same day he would ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland whether his attention had been called to a letter inThe Freeman's Journal,signed "Observer," and stating—[Cries of"Order!"] If hon. Members would leave it to the right hon. Gentleman in the Chair to keep the Order of the House, it would be much better. The letter stated that the ejectment of starving families was still taking place in Clare, and he wished to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland 385 whether he was prepared to include the evicting landlords among the recipients of public loans at 1 per cent? He also begged to give Notice that, on the Second Reading of the Belief of Distress (Ireland) Bill, he would move that—
The relief of famine in any portion of the United Kingdom or Ireland is a matter of Imperial necessity, and that the charges might he defrayed out of the Imperial funds, and not out of a special Irish fund; and that this House cannot approve of the endowment of that class known as Irish landords under the pretext of relieving Irish famine.