The Sun.
London, England, 1839-03-22 00:00:00

The Duke of WELLINGTON—Oh, I allowed for that
—( Opposition cheers)—and that fact alone he thought
was sufficient ground for inquiry.—( Hear.) Now there
was admitted on all hands the existence of a Ribbon Society
in Ireland—a Society bound by secret oaths and signs.
The Government must have known for some time past the
existence of this Society. How could they be justified,
then, in talking of the tranquil and improved condition of
Ireland.—( Hear.) The Noble Marquis, who had endea-
voured in some measure to make this a personal question,
had at considerable length sought to vindicate certain of
his appointments. With those appointments no fault had
been found by the Noble Earl (Roden). But as the Go-
vernment were so eager in excluding from all offices
Orangemen, were they equally zealous in excluding Rib-
bonmen ? No Orangemen were to be in the police. Were
any Ribbonmen appointed ?—(No, from the Marquis of
Normanby.) Then there was the Precursor Society,
composed of individuals who subscribed their shilling a
head towards the repeal of the Union, as members of a
body of 60,000 or 2 000,000 of " fighting men ;" were any
of these persons appointed to offices under the Irish Go-
vernment?—(Hear, hear, from the Opposition.) These
were very important questions, which he (the Duke of
Wellington) had a right to put, because at the present
time it was highly desirable that strict impartiality should
be preserved in Ireland.— (Hear, hear.)
The Marquis of NO RMANBY—The Noble Duke bas
put two questions to me, which I will answer distinctly.
The Noble Duke inquires if I have appointed to offices
under the Irish Government persons belonging to the Pre-
cursor body? I answer No.—( Loud cries of " Hear,
hear," from the Ministerial side.) The Noble Duke
also asks if 1 had appointed Ribbonmen to Government
offices ? My Lords, I think it is hardly necessary for me to
answer that question seriously ; it could scarcely have been
put seriously. But I have no hesitation in saying that I
never made an appointment in favour of a person whom I
knew to be a Ribbonman, nor would 1, on any account, do
so.—( Hear, hear.)
A Noisex LOItD on the Opposition side, asked if the
Noble Nlarqus had not appointed to a Government office a
Member of the late National Asssociation ?—(The Mar-
quis of Normanby, " Name.") He meant Mr. Pigot.
The Marquis of NORMANB Y.—Mr. Pigot bad
ceased to be a member of the National Association before
be was appointed.—(" Oh, oh," from the Opposition.)
The Earl of CHARLEVILLE then addressed the
Reuse. He charged the Irish Government with having
abandoned the privilege formerly exerted by the Crown--
of challenging jurors on criminal cases; and he went
through a number of cases in which he complained of the
inefficient measures taken to detect offenders ; alluding es-
pecially to the smallness of the rewards offered by the
Lord Lieutenant, and of the apathy and disinclination to aid
in the furthering of public justice evinced by the people of
Ireland. It appeared by returns laid upon their Lordship's
table, that crime had very much increased in Ireland since
1833. He would take the King's County as an instance, and it
would be found that the number of persons committed for
trial in the year 1832 was 271 ; in 1833 it was 428 ; in
1834 the number was 525 ; in 1835 it was 634 ; in 1836
it was 766, and in 1837 550. In the counties of
Longford, Sligo, Tipperary, and Westmeath, there had
also been an increase in the number of committals. In the
month of January, on the first day cf the present year, Lord
Norbury was murdered. He (Lord Charleville) went
immediately to the spot, and in passing through the town
he was met by a large multitude of persons shouting out
" He is dead, be is dead," and great cheering. Now a Mem-