The Sun.
London, England, 1836-03-24 00:00:00

that the House would institute an inquiry, and then he felt
confident he should be able to remove completely any im-
pressionunfavourable to his conduct which a former pe-

iition might have produced.
Mr. SHAW suggested that these petitions ought to be
printed with the votes, as the other petitions in this case
had been. He presumed that these petitions were pre-
sented with a view to proceedings.—(Mr. Wallace,
" Certainly.") In that case, he trusted both these petitions
would be printed with the votes.
Mr. WALL ACE said he should not propose any mo-
tion, until these petitions were in the hands of Members

with the others.
In answer to an observation from Colonel PERCEVAL,
Mr. WALLACE said he had not the least objection
that these two petitions should be printed with the votes,
together with a third petition which he had now to present.
It was from J. Woodcock, Esq., a gentleman residinc, in
Carlow, and an Englishman. He entered into some detail
of what he considered harsh conduct towards his tenants on
the part of the Hon. Member (Colonel Bruen.) From all
he could learn, he considered Mr. Woodcock to be a gen-
tleman of the highest respectability. He begged to inform
the House that he had shown these petitions, as he did
those he had before presented, to the Hon. and Gallant

Member (Colonel Bruen).
Colonel BRUEN rose, and said that the Hon. Mem
ber who had just sat down had shown to him the petitions
which had now been laid on the table of the House.
He (Colonel Bruen) scarcely felt himself called upon to
make any reply to the statements contained in the petition
from Mr. Woodcock.—( Hear, hear.) As, however, that
gentleman was an old acquaintance, he would say a few
words, more for the sake of letting the House know who
the petitioner was, than by way of entering into any ex-
planation of the reasons why he (Colonel Bruen) had
chosen to ask a tenant for his rent, or of making any
apology for so doing.—.(Hear, hear.) He would, however,
first just mention that the annual rent payable by the
tenant, whom Mr. Woodcock had taken under his protec-
tion, was 831. 125., and 'arrears were now due by him to the
amount of 1851. 19s. Whether that which the tenant had
undertaken to pay was a high or a low rent was, he pre-
sumed, a matter with which the House had nothing to do.
He (Colonel Bruen) would, however, most willingly re-
lieve him from the burthen of the farm.—( Hear.) It was
for the House itself to determine how long it would conte-
nance these paltry effusions of malice and falsehood, and
thus allow the public time to be consumed. The petitioner
stated that promises were made to the tenants in debt by
their landlords (a pretty numerous body) though with the
greatest caution, that their arrears should be forgiven if
thew voted for the Tory candidates. Now, all he (Colonel
Bruen) could say on this point was, that so extreme were
the caution, prudence, and circumspection used in commu-
nicating this secret to such Members that he for one never
heard of it before—(Hear, hear)—and if lie had been en-
trusted with the secret, assuredly he would not have been
a party to the agreement. If he were disposed to speculate
in a matter that had since been found so safe and easy, and
not unlawful, he certainly could have obtained votes on
better terms.—(Cheers.) This Mr. Woodcock was, as he
had already said, an old friend of his—he was one of the
very few persons that in the course of his life he had been
obliged to prosecute for poaching.—(Loud cheers.) And
to this circumstance, no doubt, was he (Colonel Bruen) in-
debted for the honour now conferred on him by the allega-
tions set forth in this petition.—( Hear.) He had heard
that this Mr. Woodcock was on the half-pay of same Dra-
goon regiment, and he must confess that the objections
sometimes taken to persons receiving that portion of the
public money—namely, that they were paid for doing no-
thing—could not in justice be applied to this gentleman.—
( Hear, hear.) For, on the contrary, if unceasingly in-
flaming the bad passions of the multitude, haranguing
and urging them on to violation of the law, heading
tithe and election mobs, and keeping a remote and exten-
sive district for years in a state of terror and disturbance,
be services in which those receiving half-pay should be em-
ployed, no person earned it better than Mr. Woodcock.
--(Hear, hear.) That gentleman was not altogether un-
known in this country, inasmuch as he was some time since
brought to the bar of the other House for some of his pa-
triotic exertions.—( Hear, hear.) With respect to Mr.
Alexander's petition, it was unnecessary for him to say
much ; indeed, he would only refer to a single point. Mr.
Alexander complained of having been accused of ruining his
tenantry by vexatious litigation. The facts were these—he
became responsible for his tithe—he let his land accord-
ingly, reducing his rent in proportion, and so giving full
value for the tithe to the tenants. They of course thank-
fully undertook the payment of a very moderate rent. How-
ever, they were prevailed upon, or compelled, after a time, to
refuse. Mr. Alexander, after repeated friendly applications
on his part, and resolute refusals on theirs, and after wait-
ing for months, at length was obliged to institute legal pro-
ceedings. Even then his kindness and good-nature were con-
spicuous ; for, after all this, he prevailed upon them to go
in a body to Carlow during the quarter-sessions, and to
take the advice of a counsel professing very liberal opi-
nions. The. consequence was that they returned satisfied
of the folly and illegality of their conduct, and paid his de-
mand. Mr. Alexaner forthwith stopped legal proceedings,
and finding that each had incurred costs to the amount of
21. 155., he came forward and paid out of his own pocket
nearly one-half for each. For this singular, most uncalled-
for, and, it would seem, ill-judged act of generosity, these
very tenants now assailed him as a tyrannical landlord, en-
deavouring to ruin them by vexatious litigation. But let
not Mr. Alexander be annoyed at this base ingratitude ;
let him rather unite with every well-thinking person in pity-
ing the situation to which these poor people are reduced,
and in endeavouring to deliver them. Let him not ima-
gine for a moment that lie can have suffered in the opinion
of any one from those attacks. On the contrary, he had
every reason to be satisfied with the opportunity that had
been thus offered, not only of placing his own character
and conduct in the true light, but of having it so well con-
trasted with the character and conduct of his unprincipled
calumniators.—(Cheers.) In conclusion, he (Col. Bruen)
begged thus publicly to express his thanks to the numerous
petitioners who had come forward to relieve him from the
unjust attacks by which his character had been assailed.—
(Loud cheers.) •
Mr. HARDY hoped the House would permit him to
avail himself of this opportunity, the first that had pre-
sented itself, of replying to some observations which had
fallen from the Hon. and Learned Gentleman (Mr. O'Con-
nell) on the night he brought forward his motion relative to
the Carlow election. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman
complained upon that occasion of want of courtesy in his
not having furnished him with a copy of the petition on
which the motion was founded. He then distinctly stated
that a copy of the petition had been transmitted to the
Hon. and Learned Gentleman from Bath, and such was
the case. If it did not reach the Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman it might now be lying in the dead-letter-box at the
Post Office. The Hon. and Learned Gentleman said it
was extraordinary (as we understood) that be should be
the first to take up the subject. He saw nothing extra-
ordinary in it. He (Mr. Hardy) was never at the Hon.
and Learned Member's chambers, nor the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman at his.—(Cries of " Order," " Chair.")
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Mr. HARDY trusted the House would indulge him with
one or two observations in his own defence.—(Cries of
" Order," " Chair.") The Hon. and Learned 'Member
for Dublin charged him, upon the occasion alluded to, with
having been guilty of bribery ten years past at the Pontefract
election. He could only say that the reason he lost that
election was, that he would not pledge himself to oppose
Catholic Emancipation.
Sir J. WROTTESLEY rose to order amidst cries of
" Chair," and much confusion.
The SPEAKER begged to remind the Hon. Member
that he had no right to pursue this course, unless the House
were disposed to concur in it.
Mr. EWART said the important public business of the
House was delayed and interrupted by personal discussions
of this kind.
Colonel PERCEVAL said he never knew the House
to refuse a hearing, in his own defence, to any Hon. Mem-
ber upon whom any attack had been made. This was the
first opportunity his Hon. Friend had had of repelling the
groundless charges made against him by the Hon. and
Learned Member for Dublin, and he trusted the House
would in common courtesy grant him a hearing.
Mr. O'CONNELL—When the Hon. and Gallant
Member calls for courtesy he ought to observe it him-
self. The Hon. Gentleman never rose in that House
that he did not make an attack upon him (Mr. O'Connell.)
Mr. FRENCH—Why did not the Hon and Learned
Gentleman (Mr. Hardy) answer these charges on the night
they were made ? He had then an opportunity of doing so.
Mr. HARDY hoped the informant of the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman the Member for Dublin told him that
he (Mr. Hardy) lost his election, because he would not
vote against Catholic Emancipation. The Hon. and
Learned Gentleman said that he (Mr. Hardy) made a
personal charge against him. He did no such thing.
Mr. O'CONNELL—I am ready, with proofs in both
cases.
Mr. EWART again rose to order.—(Much confusion.)
Mr. HARDY—He charged the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman with nothing of a personal nature.—(Cries of
" Order," and " Chair, chair.") He understood from what
had fallen from the chair upon a former occasion, that he
was to have this opportunity of defence when those peti-
tions were presented to the House.
The SPEAKER said what he had told the Hon. Mem-
ber was, that he would have the opportunity of replying to