§ EARL FORTESCUEasked the Lord Privy Seal, To what counties is there reasonable ground for believing that the Labourers' League, as distinguished from the Land League, has extended in Ireland, and what outrages during the last three months can be reasonably referred to it in the opinion of the Government?
§ LORD CARLINGFORD (LORD PRIVY SEAL), in reply, said, he had been able to obtain some information on this subject by telegraph from the Irish Government which had been supplied by the special Resident Magistrates of the different districts, each district embracing several counties. In the first district it appeared that in Carlow, Kildare, King's and Queen's Counties, attempts had been made to establish a Labourers' League, but so far it had shown practically no vitality. In the second district it had spread slowly in Longford, and had just shown itself in Cavan, Leitrim, and Westmeath. In the third district it was found not to exist in the county of Sligo, but it did in a slight degree in Mayo and Roscommon. In the fourth district it had shown itself in some parts of Clare and Limerick, but there was nothing there worthy of special report. As to the fifth district, there had been a few meetings in the counties of Cork and Kerry, but nothing had been done to disturb the public peace. The Labourers' League existed in a weak state in Kilkenny and Tipperary, and was strongest in Water-ford. He was not able to find that any outrage had been directly traced to this League; but some violent speeches had certainly been delivered, chiefly against farmers.