The Irish Land debate of the week has been rather
dreary. On Monday, Sir John Holker made an able English lawyer's speech on a country and a law of which he knows almost nothing. Mr. Bright with great elo quence defended the Government, insisting that landed pro- perty is most secure in the countries where it is most divided, and that the great object of the present measure is to give that security to the landed property of Ireland. Sir Richard Cross. made one of his chatty criticisms ou the measure, chiefly directed to insisting on compensation for the landlords outside Ulster for the tenant-right which it is now proposed to give them. On Thursday, Mr. Shaw, Mr. Litton, and Mr. Mae- naghten (an Irish Conservative) gave their support to the Bill, as did also Sir J. Ramsden, though with as much under- mining criticism as he could add ; while Mr. Plunket delivered a sharp attack on the " fair rent" part of the Bill, though warmly approving of the purchase and emigration clauses. The Con- servatives in the Commons will clearly limit their effective opposition to sharp criticisms on the detail in Committee.
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