Lord Broughambrought in a bill to amend the laws relating to the destruction of property in Ireland. The Irish act was the 15th and 16th of George 3rd., and it enabled persons whose property was injured in riots and tumults to recover in some cases against the barony, in others against the county. But there was also another act, the 19th and 20th of George 3rd., which formerly was supposed to apply to all the counties, and enabled persons whose property was damaged by burning, or whose cattle were houghed, to recover, under a certain amount from the barony, and above it from the county. Now, on account of the word barony used in that part of the act, it had recently been held, that the law did not apply to the county of the city of Dublin, where there was no barony. He could not doubt that this decision of the judges in Ireland was correct according to the wording of the act. But neither could he think, that it was the intention of the Legislature to except the metropolis of the country from the operation of such an act. The object of this bill, which he now begged leave to propose, was to explain the 19th and 20th of Geo. 858 3rd, and to extend its operation to the metropolis and its neighbourhood.
§ Bill brought in and read a first time.