Sir Michael Hicks-Beach gave a very terse and businesslike account
of his conduct in Ireland,—the account which he had refused to give to the Court of Justice in Dublin, because he felt that he ought to reserve it for the House of Commons. He had, he said, exercised no "dispensing power" in Ireland. He had never refused protection to any man on the ground that he did not adopt the counsels of the officers of Government. The police were always instructed to give the promptest aid to the Sheriff and his officers in the execution of their duties. As for the ten days' notice of evictions asked for, that was required in a circular issued some years ago, and repeated in one issued in the autumn of last year. He acknowledged frankly that he had directed General Buller to let the owners of property know of any circumstances likely to lead to an understanding between landlords and tenants, and to promote any reasonable settlement between them. He had uniformly advised the landlord to be merciful to tenants who had not the means of paying, and there was no analogy at all between such a proceeding and a con- spiracy, such as that arranged for in the " Plan of Campaign," between men who could pay their debts and men who could not, to withhold payment of their debts till the landlord agreed to their terms. It is acknowledged on all hands that Sir Michael Hicks-Beach's speech impressed the House of Commons very favourably.
