"He congratulated the jury and himself, that they had not been brought to the commission of a legal murder." tences, was mischievous to a degree which | tion in Ireland had received the strongest Englishmen could not imagine. He would countenance from the "heavy blow and refer to a few cases, to show the great par- great discouragement" policy; and they tiality which had been shown by the Go- were, indeed, considered a very liberal' vernment to Roman Catholic priests. About Government, that was to say, liberal of seven years ago, a case had occurred at the what did not belong to them. The favour Cork assizes. A Roman Catholic priest, shown by them to the Roman Catholic named Burke, suborned a witness to swear population had affected the Protestant against the gaoler of Macroom for the population with a degree of the most crime of murder. The witness broke down serious alarm. The disgraceful conduct on his cross-examination, confessed that which the priests had latterly displayed, priest Burke had suborned him to swear had never made its appearance until the away the man's life, and the judge made college of Maynooth was established, since use of these remarkable expressions :- which time the priests were chosen from means entitled to the degree of favour the dregs of the people. They were by no which the Government had shown them. They took great credit to themselves for retrieving the Irish people from drunkenness. But how was this accomplished? By the poor friar, who thus outstripped the parochial clergy in the discharge of their own duties, and turned the people away from this abominable vice. Their Lordships would perceive from evidence lying on their table, and the noble Marquess (Normanby) must be aware from experience during his ovation in Ireland, that of the sentences remitted by the noble Marquess in nine cases, the applications had been signed by Roman Catholic priests. Into their hands, in short, the Protestants of Ireland felt that every thing was now thrown. The noble Marquess concluded by moving for The man was acquitted, the priest escaped from justice, and staid away three years. He was subsequently apprehended through the exertions of Captain Vignolles, whose name was familiar to their Lordships, as as having been dismissed by her Majesty's Government for a public service, while Captain Gleeson, who had conducted himself towards his superior officer in such a way, that, if he had been in the army, he would have been shot for it, had been appointed barrack-master. The priest was brought to trial, sentenced to three years' imprisonment, and fined 501. for the offence. The judge expressed his regret, considering the enormity of the offence, that the law did not enable him to pass a more severe sentence. The three years' imprisonment he suffered, but when it came to the pay ment of the fine, the Government, imposed on by a statement that he was insolvent, reduced the fine to 201. He begged to call the attention of the legal Lords to this case, and to ask whether there ought to have been the slightest mitigation in the punishment for this man's workmanship. At the Spring assizes of the present year, a Roman Catholic priest, named M'Call, was tried at the Fermanagh assizes for a brutal assault with a horsewhip. He was found guilty, and sentenced to three weeks' imprisonment, and to the payment of 201. fine. He suffered the three weeks' imprisonment, but the Government went about in comical way to compromise the remainder of the punishment. He was kept in gaol for three weeks longer, and the fine was reduced from 201. to 40s. Such was the The Marquess of Normanby said, the favour which had been shown to this indi- the noble Marquess opposite had concluded vidual, while other persons would have his speech by stating that, in his opinion, been kept at the tread-mill until they paid he had laid sufficient grounds for the pro a the Irish Government relative to the conduct Copies of any report or reports made to of the Rev. Philip O'Reilly, Roman Catholic priest, of the county of Cavan, and of informations exhibited against him by any of the constabulary police for his having used language of an inflammatory character in his chapel, and to the congregation there, inciting to acts of violence against any persons relative to the taking of land. Also copies of the informations, &c., exhibited against the said Mr. O'Reilly, or any other Roman Catholic copies of all correspondence between the Irish priest implicated thereby in the same. Also, Government and any magistrate, stipendiary or otherwise, attending the petty sessions of Ballymacue, in the county of Cavan, relative to this transaction. And also, copies of any report made to the Irish Government by any magistrate, stipendiary or otherwise, relative to the same." moved. If the noble Marquess was convinced that such was the case, he did not think that any other of their Lordships would also be convinced. The noble Marquess stated, that he wanted the production of papers, or an explanation of the particulars relative to the case which he had brought before their Lordships. He must refuse the papers, but would willingly give the particulars. He should state to their Lordships the real facts of the case, and he hoped on doing so, he should be able to convince them that they ought not to consent to the motion for the production of documents. The noble Marquess had said, that the Protestants ought to be protected, and in that opinion he fully agreed. The noble Marquess had said, that this was a question between Protestant and Roman Catholic, and that the cause of complaint had reference to the taking of land. Now, he could assure their Lordships, that this was not a question between Protestant and Roman Catholic, and that it had nothing whatever to do with land. The statements of the noble Marquess were, therefore, incorrect. Four-fifths of the speech of the noble Marquess was an attack on the Roman Catholic priests. At all events, this was a question, not between Protestant and Roman Catholic, but between Roman Catholic priest and Roman Catholic priest and when he mentioned that fact, their Lordships would see how applicable the declaration was which the noble Marquess had, for, perhaps, the hundredth time, addressed to the House. He should simply state the facts to their Lordships. The noble Marquess said, that the papers relative to this case, had been laid before before the Government, and that the Government had declined to take any proceedings. The fact, however, was, that whatever had had been done, had been done not as the noble Marquess stated, by the Government of its own accord, but on the recommendation of the bench of magistrates, before whom the information had been laid, and who were perfectly acquainted with the real merits of the case. This was not only a a question between Roman Catholic priest and Roman Catholic priest, but it was also a question between two priests, both of the name of O'Reilly, while the person aggrieved was also one O'Reilly. It was perfectly true that Philip O'Reilly did use, not the language which the noble Marquess had quoted, but language exclusively improper, more particularly when the place where it was : and ble Marquess, that such language ought to be discouraged, and that it was highly improper that such addresses should be made from the altar. He had, while in Ireland, always expressed himself strongly against such a course of proceeding, and he was aware that his noble Friend (the present Lord-lieutenant) had in every case discouraged such addresses to the people from the altar. The complaint which the noble Marquess had brought forward, had originated in a memorial, which had been addressed to the Government by the other priest, O'Reilly, not with reference to land, but as to the supposed right of his broker to the customs of a fair. It was the custom in Ireland for the person who had a right to the customs to stand in the fair "gap" as it was called, with a cudgel in one hand and a book in the other, not necessarily a bible, and unless those attending the fair declared on the book, that the custom had been paid, they were not admitted. Now, in the case which the noble Marquess had brought forward, it was the exercise of this right by the brother of the priest, which was the cause of complaint. A memorial on the subject was addressed to the Lord-lieutenant, that memorial was forwarded to Mr. Little, a stipendiary magistrate. Mr. Little was a person well known to some of their Lordships, and had ever proved himself an efficient and impartial public officer. That magistrate was sitting in sessions with other two magistrates, viz., Mr. Morton, and a magistrate of the same name as the priests-another Mr. O'Reilly. These gentlemen heard the informations which had been laid in this case, and gave the matter the fullest consideration, and so far from Mr. Little having favoured Father O'Reilly, that person had actually complained to the Government of the conduct of the magistrate in having brought forward prematurely some portion of the evidence. These magistrates had made themselves fully acquainted with the whole facts of the case, and they were also perfectly aware of the state of the country, but they had all concurred in the recommendation which had been made to the Lord-lieutenant. They stated in their memorial that Father O'Reilly having acknowledged the language he had used to have been highly improper, and that as he had asked for mercy and given the most ample promise to abstain from such language in future, they considered under all had been sufficiently vindicated. It was on that recommendation of the magistrates that the Government had acted. It was a mere exercise of the discretion of the Lordlieutenant, who, after having consulted the law-officers of the Crown, had considered further proceedings in the case unnecessary. Having stated this much in explanation of the case which the noble Marquess had brought forward, and which he hoped would be satisfactory to their Lordships, he did not consider it necessary to go into the other cases to which the noble Marquess had alluded. As to the case of Father Burke, the whole time of his imprisonment had been allowed to expire, and the fine, he believed, had been paid. In the case of Father M'Call, the complaint seemed to be that that person had been confined three weeks beyond the time of his sentence, and such a proceeding could hardly be considered as an act of partiality to the Roman Catholics. He must say that he did not think the noble Marquess, by throwing out random charges against the Roman Catholics, pursued a course tending to insure the peace of the country, and for himself, he would never hear the Roman Catholic priests attacked without acknowledging the valuable assistance he had received from them while in Ireland. It appeared to him that this was not a case which ought to have been brought before their Lordships, and he hoped, after the explanation he had given, that they would not consent to the motion for the production of the papers for which the noble Marquess asked. Petitions presented. By Mr. M. Archdall, and Mr. Plumptre, from the Parishes of Trory, Drumcheeran, and Innismacsaint, in the county of Fermanagh, and other places, against any Grant to Maynooth College. STANDING ORDERS-HOLYHEAD RAIL WAY.] Lord R. Grosvenor begged the indulgence of the House, whilst he shortly stated the object of the motion, with reference to this line of railway, of which he had given notice. It would be in the recollection of the House that, originally there were two plans of railway communication brought before Parliament to connect London and Dublin. The one was proposed to go through Shrewsbury, so as to avoid the Menai Straits; the other was proposed to go from Chester, through Bangor, and on to Holyhead. The superiority of the latter line of railway had been proved by competent and impartial witnesses. Early in the last year, a large public meeting had been held in London; the result of which was, a request to the Government to appoint engineers to inquire into, and report upon the merits of the two competing lines. The Government thought the request reasonable, and a commission was issued, which, after able and strict inquiry, reported in favour of the Chester and Holyhead line. Unfortunately, that report was not laid on the table till the end of April, and if the House would not accede to his motion, the promotors of this bill would not be able to give the proper notices for next year, and would be compelled to wait till the year 1842. The first object of his moThe Marquess of Westmeath had never tion was to suspend in this case the standwitnessed a more signal failure than that ing order which required notices to be of the noble Marquess, in the attempt given, and plans and sections to be depowhich he had made to lay a foundation for sited within a given time. When he rerefusing the production of those papers. minded the house that many of the The noble Marquess had admitted the landowners along the line of road had whole case, and yet he refused to produce petitioned in its favour, and that not one the documents by which alone their Lord-petition had been presented against it, he ships could judge of its merits. In his opinion, he had laid fair grounds for the production of those papers, and he should persist in his motion for their production. Their Lordships then divided: Contents 18; Non-contents 19; Majority 1. Motion lost. HOUSE OF COMMONS, Tuesday, June 23, 1840. time:hate 1 Inhabitants; Evidence ; Boro' Watch was sure that the House would not think it right to subject the promoters of this bill to any unnecessary delay. The second standing order which required 10l. per object of his motion was to suspend the cent, of the capital to be deposited in the Exchequer prior to the application to Parliament. He did not wish to say a single word as to the merits of this standing order, as he sought an exemption from it on the ground that this was a great national undertaking, which, if this particular standing order were to be rigidly persevered in, might willing to embark their capital in a speculation of such doubtful profit to themselves, and of so much advantage to the public, and especially to Ireland. In the present state of the money market, [national importance. He asked, therefore, there would be great difficulty in getting whether the House ought not to give every persons to deposit 200,000l. in the Ex-facility to private individuals who are chequer, there to lie for a time useless; and moreover, it should be recollected that this line was far more likely to be taken up by those landowners connected with it than by speculators, as the probability was, Mr. Estcourt admitted that the railway that the profit arising from it would be in question was a national undertaking. remote. He would only further remind But so was every other railway. The prothe House, that this railway, when com- position in question was altogether irrepleted, would effect a saving of 70,0001. gular, and he thought it would be absurd a-year to the country, and on all these enough to give an hon. Member leave to grounds he moved-That the promoters bring in a bill in the next Session of Parof the proposed railway from Chester to liament. Let the application be made in Holyhead, be allowed to bring in a bill the next Session of Parliament. It would in the next Session of Parliament, for car- be for that Session of Parliament to inrying the same into effect, on giving no-quire whether the proper notices had been tices and depositing plans and sections, as given, and whether the proper deposits had required by the standing orders relating to been made, and whether, in fact, the standother bills of the second class except rail-ing orders had been complied with; and if ways; and that the standing order requir- that were not the case, then would be the ing a portion of the capital to be deposited time to endeavour to induce the House in the Exchequer prior to the application to accede to the proposition now made. to Parliament be dispensed with." At present the House had no jurisdiction to enter into any transaction on behalf of the ensuing Session of Parliament. The question having been put, Mr. Green resisted the application, on the ground that the Committee of Standing Orders had over and over again decided that those orders were absolutely essential for the protection of the public. There was no reason why they should be departed from in this instance. Unless the portion of the capital required by the orders, that is, 10 per cent., were deposited in the Exchequer, prior to the application to Parliament, the door would be opened to the formation of such visionary or fraudulent schemes as the order was designed to prevent. Mr. O'Connell said, that he held in his hand a petition from the Chamber of Commerce of Dublin in favour of this bill, in which the petitioners called the particular attention to this as a national work. They further stated, that, by the union of the two countries, mischief had been done to Ireland, inasmuch as the excise and customs departments had been removed from Dublin to London, and it was therefore of the highest importance that not one moment's time should be lost in the communication between the two countries. Mr. John Jarvis said, that if this were For that purpose the petitioners prayed a mere private speculation, or an ordinary that this railroad might be proceeded with railway, he might concur in the observation as soon as possible. He was glad to find. of the Gentleman who had last addressed from the arguments of the hon. Member the House. But this was a great na- for Lancaster (Mr. Greene), and the hon. tional undertaking, by which the country Member for the University of Oxford (Mr. would be relieved from great expense, Estcourt), that there was no substantial and the Government and a large portion objection to this motion. The one had of the public would derive considerable shown that the motion could do no harm, advantage and convenience. The plan had because his objection to it did not apply. been recommended by the Government The other had stated that no mischief Commissioners, who reported that it would could possibly arise from agreeing to the save so much as seven hours in the com- motion, as they could not bind the next munication between London and Dublin. Session of Parliament. All the merits of The Commissioners, however, reported, at the question were in favour of granting the same time, that it could not be under- the motion,but a technical rule was against taken with advantage by private capitalists, it. The interests of Ireland required that and ought, therefore, to be accomplished the motion should be granted, and yet a had been sufficiently vindicated. It was, Petitions presented. By Mt. M. Arehoda!!, and Mr. Plump on that recomiendation of the magistrates tre, from the l'arishes of Trory, Drumcheeran, and in niemasant, in the county of Fermanagh, and other that the Government had acted. It was a places, agunst any Grant to Maynooth College. mere exercise of the discretion of the Lordlieutenant, who, after having consulted the STANDING ORDERS-HOLYILADRAIL law-otlicers of the Crown, had consilered way.] Lord R. Grosvenor begged the infurther proceedings in the case unnecessary, Julgence of the House, whilst he shortly Having stated this much in explanation of stated the object of the motion, with refer the case which the noble Marquess had brought forward, and which he hoped had given notice. It would be in the re ence to this line of railway, of which he would be satisfactory to their Lorships, collection of the House that, originally he did not consider it necessary to go into there were two plans of railway communi. the other cases to which the noble Marques, cation brouglie before Parliaviene to conbal alluded. As to the case of Father Burhe, the whole time of his imprisonment nect London and Dublin. The one was had been allowed to expire, and the tine, proposed to go through Shrewsbury, so as he believed, had been paid. In the case of to avoid the Menai Straits ; the other was Father MC all, the complaint seerned to proposed to go from Chester, through be that that person had been contined three Bangor, and on to Holyhead. The supe. wechs beyond the time of his sentence, and rionly of the latter line of railway bad kuch a proceeding could hardly be consi- been proved by competent and impartial dered as an act of partiality to the Roman witnesses. Early in the last year, a large Catholics. He must say that he did not public meeting had been held in London: think the poble Marquess , by thirowing the result of which was, a request to the out random charges against the Roman Government to appoint engineers to inCatholics, pursuid a course tending to quire into, and report upon the merits of insure the peace of the country, and for the two competing lines. The Governhimself, he would never hear the Roman ment thought the request reasonable, and Catholic priests attached without acknow a commission was issued, which, after able ledging the valuable assistance he had and strict inquiry, reported in favour of received from them while in Ireland. It the Chester and Holyhead line. Infor. afgaared to him that this was not a case tunately, that report was not land on the which ought to have been brought in fore table till the end of April, and if the their Lontships, and he hoped, after the House would not accede to his motion, explanation he had given, that they would the promotors of this bill would not be not consent to the motion for the pas duc able to give the proper notices for nert tion of the papers for which the noble year, and would be compelled to wait till Maryties asked. the year 1912. The first objeet of his mo. The Marquess of Irelmeuth had never lion was to suspend in this case the stand. witnessed a more signal failure than that jing order which required notices to be of the noble Mirues, in the attempt 'given, and plans and sections to be depo. which he has made to lay a foundation for sted within a given time. When he re refusing the production of those papers, minded the house that many of the • The noble Marques haud admitted the landowners along the line of road had whole case, and yet he refued to produce ! petitioned in its farcur, and that not one ! the documents by which alone their lontai ships could judge of its merits. In his was sure that the 'Hlouse would not think putllion had been presented against it, he opinion, he had laid fair grounds for the, it maht to subject the promoters of this production of the papers, and he should bill to any unnecessary delay. The second pereist in his motion for their production. Their Lordships then divided : ('ontents standing cidr web required 10 por olject of his murron was to svepend the IN; . Non contents 19; Majority I. Motion lost. cent, of the capital to be deposited in the Fxchequr prior to the application to Par. hament. lle dil nul wish to say a single II OL'SE OF COMMONS, word as to the merits of this standing order, Tursday, June 21, 141. as be sought an exemption from it on the 70'ind that l!is was a great national un dertaking, w... if this particular standing Tin o'dee were to be ri, ily persevered in, mixte * W*** |