21 MAY 1870, Page 1

Sir John Gray brought forward his motion in favour of

permis- sive fixity of tenure on Thursday night. He proposed to permit any landlord to exempt himself from the Irish Land Bill by granting his tenants perpetual leases, with periodic re-valuations. The motion was resisted by Mr. C. Fortescue as a substitute for the Bill, rather than an amendment to it, as tending to a State valuation of rent, and as creating a belief in the mind of the tenant that Par- liament had given him perpetuity but the landlord refused it,—a most unfair position, as Mr. Gladstone observed, in which to place

the landlord. If he believed in fixity, he would enforce it, com- pensating the landlord, not leavethim to be coerced into agreements without compensation. tiVie dcekelieite.in &site/ ;:but Sic Grayzs measure would havennade its theiinterestof every tenant-hilt-eland to terrorize his laniliord,testil soilsavenweveubsd thelbeataesulteof the law,—the harmony it would produce between occupier and owner, and we are happy to see it was rejected by the immense vote of 317 to 29.