LEASEHOLD TENURE OF LANDS (IRELAND) BILL. (Hansard, 4 June 1849)

§ LORD BEAUMONT
said, there were some Amendments which he wished to propose in the Bill, and moved that the reception should be postponed for a short time, as he had appointed to-morrow to meet with some gentlemen from Ireland who were interested in the Bill, and dissatisfied with some of its clauses.

LORD CAMPBELL
said, the Bill had already stood over for ten days; nevertheless, he had no objection to postpone it till to-morrow, if that would meet the views of his noble Friend.

LORD STANLEY
said, he understood some of the provisions of this Bill were much objected to by the Irish Society of London, as it was believed that the operation of the measure would deprive them of the moral influence they now exercised over their tenantry in the discretion which the present law allowed them to exercise with regard to subletting, and which it was now proposed to oust them from, giving them instead a small pecuniary compensation, which they did not want. The Irish Society had some claim to the consideration of their Lordships, as, through the exercise of their discretion, they had been able to maintain on their estates the very best tenants in Ireland. They were desirous, before the Bill passed, to state these objections, either at the bar of the House, or before a Select Committee. If the noble and learned Lord would say that the Society had no cause for apprehension, he had nothing further to say to the passing of the measure; but if not, he thought the matter was worthy of consideration before the Bill finally passed.

LORD CAMPBELL
said, he did not 1083 feel himself called upon to commit himself to a professional opinion; but of this he was certain, that his noble and learned Friend the Lord Chancellor had most anxiously and deliberately considered the interests of all parties, and from the clauses which had in consequence been introduced, he believed that the apprehensions of his noble Friend were entirely unfounded. Further than this, the most ample opportunity had been afforded for the discussion of the Bill on the previous stages. He should most strenuously oppose the measure being sent to a Select Committee.

LORD BROUGHAM
said, he had presented a petition from the Irish Society on this subject. They wished to be heard by counsel against the Bill; but when his noble and learned Friend put the question to him, if it was not an unusual thing to hear parties at the bar on a private complaint against a public Bill, he was bound to state that that was a valid objection, for in all his experience he had never met with a precedent for such a proceeding. Nevertheless, he thought that some indulgence ought to be shown to this Society, for a more meritorious class of landlords did not exist. He was hopeful that their Lordships would give them relief at another stage of the Bill.

The EARL of WICKLOW
said, the Bill had already boon discussed in two different stages, and in one of them the particular case now alluded to was noticed by the noble and learned Lord who brought in the Bill. He stated that he had taken into consideration the propositions made by the Irish Society, but that, after full consideration, he saw it was impossible to make any exemption on their behalf. No doubt it was still open to any noble Lord to bring forward the subject again, either now or at some future stage.

LORD STANLEY
said, the discussion alluded to took place one night after a discussion on the navigation laws, and when there were only four noble Lords present.

§ LORD BEAUMONT
said, so far as he was concerned, he would be quite satisfied if his noble and learned Friend would put off the measure till to-morrow.

The EARL of LUCAN
said, no discussion had taken place on the Bill that was worth the name. He hoped it would be referred to a Select Committee only for one half-hour to dispose of this subject.

LORD CAMPBELL
could not agree to the suggestion.

The EARL of LUCAN
then moved that the Bill be recommitted.

§ LORD BEAUMONT
said, it would be quite open to his noble Friend to move tomorrow that the Bill be referred to a Select Committee, and he thought that if the noble Lord wished to have the Bill fairly and candidly discussed, that would be a better course than pressing the matter further at present.

§ The MARQUESS of LANSDOWNE
begged to remind the House of what they were about to do, before they proceeded to a division. The Order of the Day for bringing up the Report being moved, his noble and learned Friend was asked to defer the Report till to-morow, a request to which he immediately acceded, and their Lordships were now called upon to adopt the unprecedented course of resisting the postponement of the Order of the Day under these circumstances.

The MARQUESS of SALISBURY
said, that the noble and learned Lord first resisted the postponement on the ground of the necessity of pressing forward the Bill, and he now resisted the Amendment of the noble Earl for the very opposite reason, and on the ground that a postponement was necessary.