The Press. — London, England, 1853-06-18 00:00:00

JUNE 18, 1853. do. As to the interview which tool• place between us about toh period to which you refer, my recollection of it au essentially *lifters from the version given by yourself, that I cannot admit its accuracy or the deductions )ou seem to have drawn from it.— Truly yours, "HAAS. Against a contradiction so explicit and positive Mr. Keogh proceeded to offer a rejoinder, which he threw principally into the form of queries addressed to the recollection of Lord Naas and Major Beresford -- - - " The noble lord wrote a short letter; mine was a long one, stating facts. Did he, in passing by my statement that he had seen me twice at a club, mean to deny or to assent to that statement ? Did the noble lord, when I asserted that he had written me two notes on two consecu tive days, and when he passed over that statement, mean to imply that he admitted it—that he denied it, or that he forgot it? When he passed over that portion of my letter where I stated that I had jestingly said, Do you mean to make me Chancellor of the Exchequer' and he had re plied,' I have put a serious qnestion, and I expect a St`tiOnA answer,'—did he mean to admit it, to deny it, or to forget it? (Hear, hear.) Did the noble lord, when I mentioned and reminded him that he had told me that, he put the question to me, and made the offer, by direction of the right honourable gentleman the ampler for North I:ssex t Major Beresford)--did he mean to admit it, to deny it, or to forget it ? (Hear, hear.) Finally. I wish tit ask the right honourable gentleman► the member for North Essex whether he has forgotten the day when, taking me front outside that door (the door of the honse) into the window of that division lobby, at a morning sitting, he complained at' the attacks which I was making upon his thwennnent? I stated to hint that I hail a perfect right to take what course I thought proiwr, and I expressed mvself surmised at the remonstnmee of the right honourable gentleman. He replied, of course you Ilan., but really we expected better things from yon, seeing that Lord Derby had asked you to take office.' (('heere.)•' Supporting his statement of the " offer" by showing that some friends of his own—Sergeant Murphy anal Mr. Flaherty among others—had been told of it within the hour it was made Mr. Keogh at length recapitulated the precise words and conditions under which he had received it. With Lord Naas he bad enjoyed a long friendship, and at the time in ques tion a prolonged conversation, he admitted, took place between them, wherein various subjects were dis cussed. In particular the prospect of his re-election for Kildare, about which Lord Naas was anxious, was mentioned, and the inquiry made whether Mr. Keogh or his political friends intended to start any opposition in ease his lordship vacated by accepting office. But in the conversation the query was dis tinctly put, " Would you, it' offered office under Lord Derby's Government, accept it ?"rhat query he in- terpreted into an offer of office, and nothing else : " Is there any politician in this house so young as to doubt the meaning of the inquiry when put. by the Chief Secretary for Ireland? k Cheer's.) Remember, I was asked that question before Lord Derby's Government was cone pleted. And 1 ask any member of the house what they think was the meaning of these words ? hear.) It is just us if a man were to go to a holy and say, If I were to ask you to nom me, what would be your 'answer" (Larighter.) it would lie an insult to the understanding of the ionise to think they would come to any other rote elnsion than I have stated. (Hew, hoar.)" Lord NAAS complained of the betrayal of private confidence and the perversion of friendly conversa tion which Mr. Keogh had permitted himself to per petrate. To place the transaction in its true light, it was necessary to remember that. a great intimacy had existed between himself and that. hon. member. They haul entered Parliament together, were mem bers of the same club, shared, to a considerble ex tent, the same political opinions, anti were in constant habit of exchanging friendly visits and confidential intercourse. The very day before the Whigs were overthrown Mr. Keogh had promised to support his resolution respecting the Trish viceroy; and when the Derby Administration was formed, and the Irish secretaryship olfercti to him Omni Naas ,he natu rally turned to Mr. Keogh for information, if not for help, under the anxieties which that office involved. His acceptance of office was contingent upon the chances of being re-elected for Kildare. on that subject he was desirous of obtaining Mr. Keogh's opinion, or rather of learning his intention, and the following was the result :-- "We discussed for some time ditik.ent topics connected with various interests. Amongst then, waS the subject of the election, and I recollect distinctly what I said to the honourable and learned gentleman. This is the question on which, with the answer to it, this whole diem , is founded: and I think when the house heats them it will admit that a more serious charge was tweer made on such trumpery grounds. ( ffra r. hear.) I'atskavl in perfect conti (knee, never thinking that the question would ever be made an engine of to endeavour to damage my eltanicter. I asked him this question : ' If office had lwen olhT it to you under the new Government, world you or your friends have accepted it It may have been an imprudent question, hat i eon safely say it was not put with the intention which the lanolin - aide and learned gentleman has assumed. I Hear, hear.) Ilc Made an answer, which I collect its distinctly as the question. His mesa IT was this : I think that, after alter all that has occitrred—ulter the part that 1 anti my Ilieuds have taken in the overthrow of the late Goverantent—stnue such otn'r might have been made.' (Loud erica , t f Ilear,"fema the Opposiliwt.) After that We pruce:ded to discuss various topics connected with the THE PRESS. Prospecta of party at that time., and the honourable gentle• man asked me a question which I thonght was rather pee aliar—e( Hear)—whether any person in authority authorised me to ask that question ? (Ilear.) I said. •As you ask we the question. I can tell you that Mr. Iteresford knew of my asking this question.' (Lang and loud cheering an the Ministerial side.) I made that answer because I felt bound in honour to tell him the truth. My reasons were these :—I was walking in St. dames'a.square, and met Major Iteresford ; we entered into contersation, and I asked him what position with iraird to the new Government the Irish patty were likely to take up. stated that 1 was on friendly terms with the honourable gentleman who has made this attack upon nee. and that I should have no hesitation in asking him the question, whether he expected cutlet, or was disappointed in not getting office ? (Cheers and laughter.) The right honour. able gentleman, on that occasion, made this statement to me :—• lon may ea), at the same time, tee him, that the Government have no unfriendly feeling towards them.' These formed the reasons for which, when the homemade gentleman asked me whether I was authorised tee p u t th e question, I felt bound to say that the' right hem tttt rable gentleman knew I was going to ask him the quest' ( Hear, hear.) Rut the right honourable gentleman never anthoris4sl tut' to make any offer whatsoever. He never authorised me to put the question which I put ; but he did authorise me to make that statement as the friendly Heeling of the Government towards the honourable o et ut,„ 111811 and his party. The day ten which this passed is portant. it was the Thursday. Every office muter the Government was tilled on that day. (('riee , f!f" Hear.") The authorised list of the new appointments hall appeared that morning in the Times; aced it is Vitt' 11111XINSiille that the honourable gentleman. looking at that fact, could by any construction which he might put upon my words suppose that an offer of office was made tee him. I can sat'ely Kay that I put that quest' as a mere matter of con vey:4M. . out with any view of drawing the 1 ttttt towable a nd learned gentleman into ally admission whiele might tell against lain, but to ask him for my 11%111 illi;1111111t it'll what were his feelings, as no Alec had been offered tee lam or his party." Major ilintEsreatte corroborated lord Naas in all those partienlars whereof lie had any cognisattee. No authority had ever been given by hint tee offer office to Mr. Keogh mid as a collateral proof that the con versations between Lord Naas and Mr. Keogh were entirely unofficial was the fact. that until a few hours ago he (Major Beresford) had never learned either their nature or their result. He !aided some remarks, touching the conduct of the Irish party at the tune and since, and complained of the tissue of mistate ments which the Morning Chronicle had lately pub lished, and in which lie found good grounds for assigning some complicity to Mr. Heigh. Mr. Disniegta reminded the house that the ques tion—there was no motion—leefore them involved the personal veracity of two members. It was possible, he suggested, to reconcile the facts of the case with out any disparagement to either. As far as Mr. Keogh was concerned, there was no reason why office should not have been offered him by the Herby tiovernment ; some reason why he might have ex pected such an offer ; and much reason for his interpreting the question pen by Lord NOM into an absolute proposal to him to accept it. Lord Naas, on the other hand, knowing that he never intended to make such an otter; that he had no authority to make it ; anal that no office remained vacant to ho offered, drew no such -erious conclusion from his hypothesis. It was simply a case of false impression on both sides. Adverting to a collateral circiunstanee, namely. the remonstrance of Major Iteresford against some violent diatribe delivered by Mr. Keogh, " that appeal," said Mr. I tisraeli, "was prompted by an attack upon myself" :-- "It seems the 111 l II ) :old learned gentletom hail indulged in a it-in of groatt ill%a-ethe against ma- on IMO' occasion. (.1 laugh.) I atppreeiatte 111141 1101111 i n. lilt . I ale its of the honourable and learned gentleman ; but we murk has happened IsillVe that time that i 1111 Halt 'Amity IMO al. 11.14 the particular invective to which reference hits been made. I nlll convinced. howoer, that the invectine eveu of the leanottraltle owl learned gentleman. however con lima ails 111141 ...list:tined, would net er have intlitenced me, directly air indirectly, not to mend hint a message of the kind «Welt 5e4.1118 to lime been flint ardeol to him. I always think that invective is s great ornament of debate— , (bettghter and ehrers)—atitl 1 really hardly know how we could a-nature attendance in this house if 0111' discussions were not sotnetimes varied. and rendered more lotioyant,ley that arm of eloquence. Hear, hear.) I eau tts.stri• that house that. although I had ocently forgotten the inveca fives the honourable mid learned gentle -mutt, which seem wa inueli to have alarmed lily right human-able friend ( Mr. 11eresfortl ►at tl a time, and which have been of great sea vim in leading tat these misapprelteicaions, I 11111 CA 'latent I always listen tat them w i t h appru b utinH,anal, on the whole, with pleasure. ( Luegherr.)" Tn conclusion, Mr. Disraeli wished the house to take the right view of a case whielt involved no poli tieal principle of any kind. Lord .1. latsstli. remarked that the origin of all this dismission. tlw allegation that Mr. Keogli's ap pointment was disreputable, had at all events Jaen extinguished by the discussion. Mr. Disraeli's com pliments, and the admission that office might June been offered him by the Derby Goventment, had effectually disposed of that charge. It was gone, and gone for ever. Respecting the question of veracity, he cowidered the result most favourable to his 151 learned colleague. Ho (Mr. Keogh) was perfectly justified in believing that the question propounded to him amounted to a virtual tender of Mice ; and Lord Naas, though eon..-cions himself of meaning some thing else, hail treated his friend unfairly by not allowing in his recent letters and speeches that his meaning was at any rate susceptible of two inter pretations. Sir J. PAK! oroN remarked that the eiremustattees failed to justify the tone of triumph and sarcasm adopted by Lord John Russell. There was another issue which his lordship hail avoided. Lord Derby might doubtless have admitted Mr. Keogh to office without doing wrong ; but that learned gentleman had spoken and acted in relation to the Ecciesiastica/ Tiaes Bill in a way which rendered his becoming a colleague of the author of that bill strange and disre putable to both parties. Mr. Krisat replied upon this new charge, that it motion for inquiry wits pending "elsewhere." and he would meet it ut the proper time. Mr. Wtintsior, Mr. BENTINCIi, and Mr. VANE having Wetly spoken. the subjeet dropped. SLAVE LAW IN SMITH C Lord Br.tllsloNT moved for papers amt Mined filets relating to the treatment experienced by coloured beamen who rime` within range of the nannicipnl laws of South Carolina'. The protection of the British Hag, or the status of British subjects, never sheltered an inheritor of negro blood from Snfroritig imprison• mem, with other contingent. panialties ; so that ell. lou r ed men who formed part of the crew of an English ship arriving in any South t 'arolinian port were token away and kept in prison as long at th e i r tersely n nitrated ; nor was any redress ntbirdeal them either by the local or general laws of ill,. States. 'rho Earl or ei.ARI:\ iii•N regretted to admit 'math the existence of the grievance a n d the failure of all attempts hitherto maple to remove it. The umniei pal laws of South Carolina were extremely severe, but, it saw nlleged, necessarily so, on al ssamt 5 ,1 it. position ns a slave-holding state. Ito 11111 l stranees bad been transmitted to the United States lloveni went on the subjeet, and were received iii the best spirit ; but in the state itself so nitwit excitement Wa% OreaSil Med that it appeared as if thu maintenance of the commercial treaty between the two countries would have been imperilled by any attempt to inter fere with the control of the 1555%1 authorities liver the eoloureal raves. Ile consented to produce the papers moved for, but deprecated any discussion then or thereafter a. likely to all harm, anal diminish the climiee of etroeting some remedy by time and renewed rem oust rances. I\ I►(:1. The Earl of Et.l.Exitoitton•Ott, in oto‘iitg for certain correspondence, took occasion on Nkomolay to extunine, with much minuteness of critieism, the t io‘ernment scheme for the future administration of Indian atlitirs. He reeogniseol the importance of immediate legislot lion, but. believed that the Ministerial proposition Wits merely temporary and experimental ill character, tutu 11101%, citlettlateil to is infinite agitation than to settle and allay it. This opinion, lie sllliporteil by a do r.rposi of the probable working tot the proposed measure. Earl It %NV 11,I,t: 1110 nthilissioll mode by Lord Ellenborough, its stirrendering the chief point at. issue betw e enl9 the tiotel'lllitelit ink the Indian reformers. viz. that of time. It a 115 now 45111- volt:it, he remarked, ;hat legislation should nut be thrown over to another Sessloll. Respecting the al legations bronght against the. I Oonernment sehrtne, and which 'Molt ell 111.41 tile Court o f I tir o otor4 and the past. as well its the httAll'e ilthilinistrittioll 44$ India, Lord final% ilk offered a ‘ariety of statement 4, in mitigation of the alleged sins of co ontinission, (others to disprove the alleged sins a omission, and others again to warratit better expectations front the new scheme than those 11. , 0r0l Elletilcorough had shadowed forth to the house. _ ..,.... Lord 310NrEmull: saw no ground for urging on legislation prematurely. Even the plum II at agita tion should be Steppeli M whine the fact, was thitt the Covermitent selteme would not stop it,. He round good reason] to disapprove of the nature of the phut, and of the basic with which it. had been introdneed. _ ..... Th e l►nke o f A kg, snspected that of the ad%o entes of delay 11• e• wished really to obtain further in formation, but that the majority desired nothing but to overset the Ministerial proposition and bring in a plan of their ow•n. Advancing many arguments in defence of the Amble government system, he drew conelusion , ; in favour of the projeet lately brought before the Legislature, and insimed upon the e xp e diency of imm►ediat legislation. The hid of A 1.11101Alt1,1: Velainded the ti milling the a,sinutal (Linger of agitation, that no agitation was more injurious than that wising out of an irresponsible and extravagant lioyernment. The motion was agreed to and the subject dropped. HARWICH lt1►ltl►I:1i11. new writ fiar littrwieh having been muted for on Tuesday by Mir J. TiritELL, Sir T. SUELLEY found the borough ,o deeply guilty