266 ON THE STATE OF IRELAND. [BOOK III. 



REMARKS. 



In order to understand this recommendation of 

 the Commissioners, it is necessary to premise, that 

 no public works can be executed without an Act 

 of Parliament ; and that as in all cases the pay- 

 ment of a toll is fixed, the speculators can only 

 apply to the House of Commons. These being 

 generally men of business, who speculate in the 

 funds, or in land for their private interest, the 

 House of Commons always appoints a Committee, 

 which examines the propositions, listens to the 

 opposing parties, and before whom the cause is 

 solemnly pleaded. The expense of all this pro- 

 cedure is often enormous. Such a bill, after ha- 

 ving past the House of Commons, at an expense 

 of many thousand pounds, has been finally rejected 

 by the House of Lords, which is in general op- 

 posed to enterprises of this kind. 



But as in the present case the speculators are not 

 private individuals, the Commissioners reasonably 

 demand that the Committee shall be relieved from 

 the obstacles and costs of the ordinary mode of 

 procedure, and that it shall have the same power 

 as an Act of Parliament, employing the new forms 

 proposed, to compel the inhabitants to give up the 

 necessary land or to pay the fixed tolls. 



