( Ireland, 1761.) REP O R T FROM THE COMMITTEE appointed to examine into the Matters contained in the Petition of John O'Donnell, of the City of Limerick, Freeman, and others; and also the Matter of the Petition of John Bouchier and others, Freeholders of the County of Clare. MR. SPEAKER, YOUR Committee, appointed to examine into the matters contained in the Petition of John O'Donnell, of the City of Limerick, Freeman, and others, and of John Bouchier, Gentleman, of the County of Clare, and others ;— HAVE met pur- suant to order, and inquired into the matters to them referred; and have, for that purpose, examined several persons in the most solemn manner, pursuant to the power vested in them by the House; and have ordered me to report the whole matter, as it appeared to them, with their opinion thereupon, to the House. YOUR COMMITTEE find, That the Corporation of the City of Limerick con- sists of a Mayor, Sheriffs and Citizens, and that they have a very considerable estate in lands belonging to them; but though your Committee have made all the inquiry in their power, they have not been able to get any of the title- deeds relative to said Estate, or to trace out the title to the same, save as hereinafter mentioned ; your Committee have inspected the several royal charters granted to the said City, and find therein, grants of all waste grounds within the precincts of the said City, to the Mayor, Sheriffs and Citizens, and their Successors; and your Committee presume that a considerable part of said Estate consists of grounds that were formerly waste ; your Committee have likewise inspected the several leases of the different parts of the said estate, and find that in all the said leases, the Mayor, Sheriffs and Citizens, are men- tioned to demise, and the rents are thereby reserved to them and their Successors ; your Committee likewise find Queen Elizabeth, by her royal charter, bearing date the nineteenth of May, in the twenty- fifth year of her reign, granted to the said Corporation, the salmon wier and the island of Inniscattery in the river Shannon, and also the little customs called ingate and outgate customs; your Committee find, that the common council of the said City consists of the mayor, sheriffs, aldermen and burgesses, but no mention whatsoever is made of said body in any of the charters of said City; your Committee cannot find that there is any clause in any of the said charters, or any bye- law, which impowers the said common council to dispose of the estate or revenue of the said corporation, or of any part thereof, but your Com- mittee find several entries in the common council books, by which it appears that the common council did at different times dispose of part of the revenue of the said corporation, and made leases of some parts of the said estate; your Committee find, that by the charter of King John, granted to the said City, as the same is re- cited in the charter of Queen Elizabeth, to the said City, it is mentioned, that the citizens of the city of Limerick, shall hold all the tenures to the said City belonging, to be disposed of at their will, by the common assent of the said citizens; and your Committee find by all the entries in the books of the corporation, that the tolls of the gates and markets have been constantly set up to public cant yearly ( except the last year) in the court of D'Oyer Hundred or general assembly of the whole cor- poration ; and your Committee likewise find, by several entries in the corporation books, that several parts of the corporation estate have been likewise set up to cant in the court of D'Oyer Hundred, to be let. Your Committee find in one of the council books, an entry dated the twentieth day of August one thousand seven hun- dred and twenty- eight, in the words following: " A motion being made, and the " question put, that all leases hereafter to be made by this corporation, of any lands, " tenements or hereditaments belonging to them, be first propounded to the court of " D'Oyer Hundred, for their assent thereunto, before such leases be perfected; the 270. " same