§ MR. P. M'DONALD (Sligo, N.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, whether any of the evicted tenants on the Hillas estate, in the parish of Templeboy, County Sligo, were re-admitted as caretakers; what force of police attended on each occasion when these evictions were carried out; whether the expense of bringing large bodies of police to these evictions w ill be levied off the district; and, if so, what amount; whether the evicted tenants on the Hillas estate had notice of appeal duly lodged before the eviction; and, if so, who, if any, is to blame for these appeals not being heard at the Sligo Assizes in the early part of July last; and, whether the service of these notices of appeal were entrusted by the tenants' solicitor to a man named Farmer, who was afterwards engaged as special bailiff in carrying out the evictions?
THE PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY (Colonel KING-HARMAN) (Kent, Isle of Thanet) (who replied)said: Two of the tenants evicted on Mr. Hillas's property were re-admitted as caretakers. On the first day of the evictions a force of 50 police attended, and on each of the other two days a force of 100 police. The expense of bringing these police to the evictions will not be levied off the district. The tenants appear to have lodged notices of appeal upon the decrees being pronounced; but through an informality on the part of their solicitor an affidavit of the service of the notice of appeal on the Clerk of the Peace and on the opposite solicitor was not lodged with the Clerk of the Peace as required by law. The appeals were consequently not listed. An application was made to the Judge at the Assizes to have the cases heard. His Lordship, having learnt on inquiry that no affidavits had been lodged, asked counsel for the tenants what lie had to say, and the reply was that he had nothing to say. The cases were not then proceeded with. Had this informality not occurred the result would, nevertheless, have been the same, since the amount of rent and costs should have been lodged, I understand, with the Clerk of the Peace, which was not done. James Farmer 1706 did servo the notices of appeal for the tenants, lie was afterwards appointed special baliff and executed the decrees.