On Thursday, the Committee on the Irish Land Bill at
last finished its labours, the final battle being a rather smart engagement between the Government and the Opposition on a clause proposed by Mr. Parnell, and accepted by the Attorney- General for Ireland, the object of which is to prevent land- lords from taking any advantage by forcing on actions for rent, and securing judgment before the Court has fixed a judicial rent. As the Bill stood, landlords who took that course, and got a judgment in time, would thereby have excluded the tenant against whom it had been obtained, from the grant of the statutory tenancy provided by the measure, and Mr. Parnell's new clause provided that this result of the action might be barred. The Tories resented this with great warmth, Mr. Plunket rising to indignant eloquence ; but Mr. Forster per- sisted that the clause was a very great improvement, entirely carrying out the true intention of the Bill, and preventing land- lords who ought to be subject to its provisions from getting rid of its provisions. The clause was carried by 209 to 76, a majority of 133. The Bill was to have been read a third time yesterday afternoon, too late for as to report the result.
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