The first meeting of the Evicted Tenants' Commission took place
in Dublin on Monday, and produced scenes rather ominous for the Commission. Sir James Mathew, the Presi- dent of the Commission,—a very able English Judge, who will be greatly missed from the English Bench while he is engaged in conducting this inquiry,—opened the Commission in a speech which, in most people's opinion, and certainly in our own, quite misrepresented "the policy of the late Parliament," -the "Plan of Campaign," and the meaning of the clause in the Land Act of 1891 which was intended to facilitate the purchase of their holdings by some of the evicted tenants. But of this -we have said enough in another column. The scenes which arose were caused by the vehemence of the Counsel for the -landlords when Mr. Justice Mathew intimated that he could not allow them, at the present stage of the inquiry at all events, to cross-examine the witnesses who gave evidence on behalf of Lord Clanricarde's tenants or the tenants of other landlords. "Am I now," said Mr. Carson, "when -the time is come to sift the evidence before it goes to -the public, to be told that I am not to be heard, and that I, representing Lord Clanricarde, am not at liberty to cross- -examine P " The President : "I will not hear you further, and I will order you to withdraw." Subsequently, Mr. Carson -declared the whole investigation "a farce and a sham," and was told by the President that his observations were dis- graceful, and by Mr. William O'Brien, who was present, "You are not in a Coercion Court now." Mr. Kenny, who concurred entirely in Mr. Carson's observations, was told that his remark -was "equally impertinent and disgraceful."
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