Lords Sitting of 12 March 1824

SURVEY OF IRELAND.
The Marquis of Downshiretook the opportunity of addressing a few words to their lordships, on a subject of great importance connected with Ireland. Their lordships attention could not, he thought, be too often drawn to that country; and he would himself lose no opportunity of bringing it before them. He understood that it was intended to have such a trigonometrical survey as had been made of England, extended to Ireland, under the direction of the noble duke at the head of the Ordnance. He was fully sensible of the vatne of this measure; but he was convinced it would not answer the expectations which existed in Ireland respecting it, if some more minute measurement was not added to the trigonometrical survey. What was wanted for Ireland, in addition to fixing the latitude and longitude of its different capes and headlands, was an admeasurement, acre by acre, of all the counties, parishes, and town-lands in the kingdom. If such an admeasurement were conducted by persons of probity
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sent from England, unconnected with local prejudices or particular places, it would be a great benefit to Ireland; and if it were not conducted in this way, it would not answer the purposes which parliament and the government had in view. To shew the necessity of some measure of this description, he would mention, that the taxes for the repair of roads, as well as a variety of other taxes, were levied by presentment of the grand juries, accordding to an acreable assessment, after an old regulation called the Key. This regulation was made upwards of a hundred years ago, and land, which was then of no value, had since been taken into cultivation, and was now worth a great deal of money. It was not, however, so assessed; which made many parts assessed pay more than their due share. He recommended the government to cause a survey of Ireland to be made, which should give the contents of every county and town-land.