§ MR. COLLERY (Sligo, N.)I beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord 449 Lieutenant of Ireland, whether he has received representations from the Sligo and Dromore West Boards of Guardians, as well as from a public meeting held at Dromore West and presided over by the Lieutenant of the County Sligo, as to the condition of the poor landowners in portions of those Unions; whether he has had any Report from the Local Government Board Inspector as to the failure of the potato crop and damage done by the late storms, particularly in the Lissadill East and West electoral divisions of Sligo Union, as well as that portion of Dromore West Union bordering on Mayo; whether he has been informed that the high tide caused by the recent storm swept inwards on the town-land of Ballyconnell, sweeping away all the turf, hay, and potatoes the poor people had, and covering the land with large stones and rubbish, most of which can never be cleared; whether he is aware that one poor widow has had the whole of her four acres rendered permanently useless, and that in order to relieve present and immediate wants the Sligo Board of Guardians had to instruct their relieving officer to give provisional relief to the small landowners who lost most of their effects; and, whether the Government will take steps to at once relieve this state of things?
MR. J. MORLEYRepresentations of the nature indicated in the first paragraph have been received. The latest reports received by me do not, however, point to the necessity for the opening of relief works in the district referred to, but I have directed further and careful inquiry to be made, and especially as to the extent of the losses occasioned to small occupiers by the late storms.