§ MR. MAURICE HEALY (Cork)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If he will state to the House the precise nature of the proceedings of the police with reference to Lord Charlemont's estate, and what the 1090 action on their part was which led to the report that they had visited the houses of respectable Protestant farmers, inquired if they had paid their rent, and asked when their rent would be paid; that they had followed the Secretary of the Tenants' Committee from house to house to ascertain what his business was; that they had made suggestions to the Protestant tenants as to the payment of their rents; and that they visited Mr. Arthur Byrne, the Chairman of the tenants' meeting, and subjected him to annoyance?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Sir MICHAEL HICKS-BEACH) (Bristol, W.)All the police did in the matter was to make some inquiries from Mr. Arthur Byrne as to when certain meetings were to be held at which it was deemed desirable that some police should be present. I cannot allege any other reason for the reports.