§ MR. ANDERSON (for Mr. SEELY)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If his attention has been drawn to the statement in a Paper presented by command of Her Majesty to Parliament, entitled "The Agricultural Statistics of Ireland for the year 1880," that the number of holdings is 574,222, and by another Paper presented by command of Her Majesty to Parliament, entitled "Return of Agricultural Holdings in Ireland compiled by the Local Government Board in Ireland from Returns furnished by the Clerks of the Poor Law Unions in Ireland in January 1881," the total number of agricultural holdings is stated to be 660,185; and, if he can give the House any explanation of the difference between these two Returns?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTER, in reply, said, that the Return of the Local Government Board was a Return of the holdings, the Return in each case being separate. In the agricultural statistics as given by the Registrar General all lands held by one man in the same townland were reckoned as one holding. Both Returns he believed to be correct.