The Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Henry Brand,
in answering to a toast on Tuesday at an agricultural dinner held at Lewes, criticised some strictures on the whole class of land- lords which had just been passed by a former tenant of his own, Mr. Ellis, who advocated the extension of the Irish Land Act to England. Sir H. Brand declared that, so far as his own property was concerned, he should not in the least object to the aid of a public officer in revising his own rents, because he held that excessive rents were most mischievous and improper. At the same time, he held that the application of the Irish Land Act to England would be most injurious, and also most super- fluous at the present time, when it is certain that the tenants can impose their ,owu terms upon their landlords. And Sir Henry Brand appears to have added a covert hint that it was the disturbance of renth in. Ireland which had led to the cry of
"No rent." There we think he is historically in error. It was the succession of bad seasons which led to the cry of " Hold the harvest," and which established the fortunes of the Land League, to which the cry of " No rent " was due. A politician in the position of the Speaker would have done better not to drop so very doubtful as well as ambiguous a suggestion.
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