§ MR. MACNEILL (Donegal, S.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether he is aware that, on the morning of Tuesday last, six of Mr. Wybrant Olphert's emergency men, with the bailiff Cunynghame, accompanied by 14 men 472 of the Royal Irish Constabulary, visited a townland on the Olphert estate, in Donegal, and proceeded at once to shovel turf which had been cut by the people of the adjoining island of Innisboffin into the swamp, so as to prevent the islanders, who are tenants of Mr. Olphert, from raising the turf again; and on what grounds the Royal Irish Constabulary were enabled to assist the emergency men in this work of destroying the tenants' turf?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURIt appears that the bog in question is the property of Mr. Olphert. Some of the islanders were convicted and fined in December for damaging it by removing turf therefrom. Notwithstanding this, the islanders have renewed their illegal conduct, and Mr. Olphert did take the steps indicated in the question to prevent it. The police did not assist in the matter. They are the ordinary protection party which it has been necessary to provide for the men employed by the landlord on the estate, and their presence was only in that capacity.