The Sun.
London, England, 1852-02-04 00:00:00

I belonging to office which should render them unwilling to
submit to that decision. But all he asked was for a clear
course on those subjects; and if the House was disposed to
support the present Ministers, and would enable them to
carry on the Government of the country, he trusted it would
come to a decision at once. It was hardly becoming the abili-
ties, and the station, and the talents of the Hon, and Learned
Member for Sheffield t• use the jargon he had
done with respect to the capacity of some members
lof the Government. He (Lord J. Russell) would remind
the Honourable and Learned Gentleman that the Noble Lord
at the head of Foreign Affairs had shown great talent in
conducting the business entrusted to him in the other House
of Parliament. Then he (Lord John Russell) was surprised
to find it said that because his great grandmotUr was the
sister of the Noble Lord's great grandfather - (Laughter)—
it must have been for that reason that he (Lord John
Russell) had recommended the Noble Lord to the office of
Secretary for Foreign Affairs. He (Lord John Russell)
had certainly great respect for the memory of his great
grandmother—(A laugh)—but it was certainly not for that
reason that he had recommended the Noble Lord to her
Majesty as a person qualified to discharge the duties of that
office—(Hear, hear.) It did so happen that there was a
near connexion of his (Lord John Russell's) own who held
the office of Privy Seal. That was a Noble Lord who was
placed by Lord Melbourne at the head of the Admiralty, and
was at one time recommended by Lord Grey to hold the
office of Foreign Secretary ; and it would be rather absurd to
say to him that he was never to belong to the Cabinet because
he was connected with him (Lord J. Russell) by marriage.
But the real question was, whether the persons who filled
offices in the Government were competent.—( Hear, hear.)
If the House thought them competent, and would extend its
confidence to them, they would endeavour to discharge their
duty in carrying on the Government of the country; if
otherwise, it was desirable that the House should at once
come to a decision upon the point.—(Hear, hear.)
After a few words from Colonel SIBTHORP,
Mr. WHITESIDE said his Honourable and Learned
Friend (Mr. Napier) had not stated that it was necessary to
have a coercion or insurrection Act for Ireland. On the con-
trary, he said the law of the land would be sufficient, if
properly administered. He (Mr. Whiteside) had been fur
nineteen years on the northern circuit, and at no period
of his experience had the counties of Monaghan, Armagh,
and Louth been in the condition in which they now were.
The arm of the assassin was sure and strong, and the aria
of justice was paralyzed. All he asked was, that the law might
be administered by earnest, sincere, competent and conscien-
tious men, so that honest men might live, and punishment
overtake the guilty. He, t herefore, cohsidered himself jus-
tified in asking the interposition of the House.—(Hear.)
Sir GEORGE GREY said that, instead of spreading over
the whole of three counties, the language of the Speech was
quite accurate in stating that the outrages were confined to
certain districts in those counties, and he could, if necesrary,
name the seven baronies in which the outrages existed. If
the Honourable and Learned Gentleman meant to impugn
the conduct of the Irish Government by saying an honest
attempt had not been made to enforce the powers vested in
the Lord-Lieutenant, he (Sir G. Grey) should be ready to
demonstrate on a future occasion that he was labouring
under a misapprehension. He trusted that the powers of
the law now in existence, and in the course of execution,
would be sufficient; but no pledge had been given that, if
they should prove insufficient, an application would not be
made to Parliament for additional powers.—(Hear, hear.)
The Address was then agreed to, and the House adjourned
at a Quarter before One o'clock until a Quarter before Four
this day (Wednesday).