Lords Sitting of 31 August 1848

MINUTES.
Took the Oaths.—The Lord Chaworth.
PUBLIC BILLS.—1a Slave Trade (Muscat); Exchequer Bills; Consolidated Fund (Appropriation); West India Colonies and Mauritius; Savings Banks (Ireland).
2a Post Horses Licenses, &c.; Drainage Certificates; Lock-up Houses; Spirits (Dealers in); British Spirits Warehousing; Distilling from Sugar; Postage on Newspapers (Channel Islands); Slave Trade (Equator).
Reported.—Royal Military Asylum; Local Acts; Millbank Prison; Battersea Park, &c.
3° and passed:—Sugar Duties; Sheep and Cattle Importation Prohibition; Sheep and Cattle Contagious Disorders Prevention; Controverted Elections; Transfer of Landed Property (Ireland); Fever (Ireland); Dublin Police; Commons Inclosure Act Amendment; Nuisances and Contagious Diseases; Labouring Poor (Ireland).
Received the Royal Assent.—Public Health; Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction; Churches; Parliamentary Electors; Money Order Department (Post Office); Criminal Law Administration Amendment; Boroughs Incorporation; Steam Navigation; Bankrupts' Release; Loan Societies; Poor Law Union District Schools; Parochial Debt and Audit; Payment of Debts out of Real Estates; Turnpike Acts Continuance; Militia Pay; Militia Ballots Suspension; Out Pensioners; Proclamations on Fines (Court of Common Pleas); Petty Bag, &c. Office (Court of Chancery); Insolvent Debtors Court; Stock in Trade Exemption; Assessionable Manors Commissioners (Duchies of Cornwall and Lancaster); Highway Rates; Unlawful Oaths Acts (Ireland) (Continuance and Amendment); Ecclesiastical Patronage Suits Compromise (Ireland); Tithe Rent Charge, &c. (No. 2) (Ireland); Constabulary Force (Ireland); Corn Markets (Ireland); Fisheries (Ireland); Trustees Relief (Ireland); Turnpike Roads (Ireland); Court of Justiciary (Scotland); Registers of Sasines (Scotland).
PETITIONS PRESENTED. From the Clones Union, for Inquiry into the Poor Law (Ireland).—From Agents for West India Legislative Colonies, for an Alteration in the existing Scale of Discriminative Daties on Sugar.—From the Acting Committee of West India Planters, for the Maintenance of Establishments for Religious and Educational Instruction.

AGRICULTURE (IRELAND).
The MARQUESS of LANSDOWNE The MARQUESS of LANSDOWNE laid on the table a return, in continuation of the return which he had presented at an earlier period of the Session, giving an account

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of the state of agricultural produce in Ireland. It was one of the most important and, at the same time, one of the most satisfactory returns that had ever been laid before Parliament. The return showed the amount of agricultural stock arranged in baronies. Their Lordships, therefore, would be enabled at a glance to see the amount of stock in any district in Ireland. There was also annexed an account of the proportion of large and small holdings in each barony. He need not say how important such a document would be in all discussions relating to Ireland—as the return gave most ample details of the capital and stock employed in agricultural pursuits. He could not lay this return on the table without doing justice to the unwearied labours and assiduity of Major Larcom, who had prepared this document. He might also state, and he was desired to do this by his noble Friend the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, that this return could not have been compiled by Major Larcom if he had not been assisted by one of the most valuable bodies of men that had ever been organised in any country—he meant the police in Ireland. Not long ago it was his duty to call their Lordships' attention to the gallantry and activity, vigilance and industry, of that valuable body of men at a time—at a crisis when the public safety depended so much on their exertions. It was, therefore, peculiarly grateful to him to call their Lordships' attention to their services in another way, and to state to their Lordships, that not only was the Irish police the most admirably disciplined body of persons that ever furnished their services to any country—they had not only successfully put down insurrection and maintained public order, but at the same time bad exhibited a degree of intelligence which, in collecting this information, would be highly honourable to any class of society. He should merely add that this document furnished much valuable information as to the physical and social condition of Ireland.

CEYLON.
LORD BEAUMONTsaid, that he had lately heard from Ceylon that three new taxes had been imposed there—namely, a poll tax of 3s. a tax on guns of 2s. 6d. each, besides 6d. for the certificate, and 1s. on dogs. Now, it was well known that the people of Ceylon were obliged to keep dogs to protect them from the wild beasts, and he knew that the people were not in a
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position to pay these large taxes. The consequence of the imposition of these taxes had been great disturbances; and he wished therefore to ask whether the noble Earl the Secretary for the Colonies had any objection to lay on the table the ordinances by which the taxes had been imposed?
EARL GREYsaid, the information of the noble Earl was extremely inaccurate. It was perfectly true that new taxes had been imposed, but it was to replace very large ones that had been removed. No serious disturbances had taken place, as the noble Lord had stated. He (Earl Grey) had no objection to lay the papers on the table.
House adjourned.