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

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 put the
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 oetut,„
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 and
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 in. 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 tla time, and which have been of great sea-
vim in leading tat these misapprelteicaions, I 11111 CA 'latent
I always listen tat them with apprubutinH,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.
loured 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 their 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 and 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 alssamt 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.