The Sun.
London, England, 1836-06-30 00:00:00

DR. MULHOLLAND.

Mr. Sergeant JACKSON had a petition to present, .of
which he had given notice, from Dr. Mulholland, a Roman
Catholic clergyman in Ireland, praying that the House
might adopt some mode to afford him, and clergymen simi-
larly circumstanced with him, the benefit of the canon-law.

The petitioner was ordained in Kilkenny in 1815, and after
sonic time he proceeded to Rome, where he remained for
eight years, and took out a degree of D.D. In 1826 he
visited Ireland, and was appointed by the Titular Arch-
bishop of Armagh to a parish of the same description as
that of a perpetual curate in the Established Church, and
which he had as good a right to hold as any other parish Cler-
gyman. In 1833 some disturbances broke out in the county of
Down by a lawless party, and petitioner was accused by the
clergyman of a neighbouring parish of encouraging the disturb-
ers of the public peace, on which he made applications to his
superior for redress, but got none. He was then obliged
to go into a court of common law ; and, although he only
got a farthing damages, yet it was sufficient to establish his
character, and to repudiate the charge of which he had
been accused. He now came to the grievance, and to the
unwarrantable proceedings against the petitioner. In con-
sequence of having appealed to the laws of his country, he
had, in the first instance, been suspended, and four days
afterwards the Roman Catholic Primate thought fit to de-
prive him of his living. He appealed to the Court of
Rome, and obtained letters to the Primate, with a promise
of being re-instated.
Mr. WYNN said, as the House could not in any way

take cognizance of nor investigate the facts of the petition,
he apprehended that it could not be received. To admit
statements on one side, was to invite them on the other.
He hoped, therefore, that his Hon. and Learned Friend
would withdraw the petition.
Mr. Sergeant JACKSON argued that this case differed
essentially from that which occurred yesterday, inasmuch
as here there could be no appeal to the ordinary tribunals
of the country. The remedy was in the hands of the
House only.
Mr. ROEBUCK spoke to order.
Mr. SCARLETT hoped the House would at least
listen to the grievance.
The SPEAKER remarked, that as the House could
afford no redress, to present and discuss the petition
seemed an inconvenient waste of time.
Colonel PERCEVAL reminded the House that last
night a similar petition had been received.
Mr. Sergeant JACKSON had undertaken to lay the
petition on the table, although of a different persuasion to
the petitioner, because Dr. Mulholland had applied in vain
to Roman Catholic Members, one of whom had advised
him to submit unconditionally, and the other had told him
that if he wished to be denounced in Ireland, he could pre-
sent the petition.---(Cries of " Chair," and " Order.")
The SPEAKER could only refer the matter to the
discretion of the Hon. and Learned Member, impressing
upon him at the same time the inconvenience of the prac-
tice of presenting petitions which could be of no avail to
the parties.
Mr. Sergeant JACKSON saw no objection to the pe-
tition. If the Speaker thought otherwise he would at once
sit down.
The SPEAKER had no possible right to decide whether
a petition should or should not be offered : all he had done
was to state the inconvenience arising from the practice of
presenting petitions of this kind.
Mr. Sergeant JACKSON had nearly concluded all he
had to state. Dr. Mulholland had been deprived of all
means of subsistence, having committed no offence, but
bringing an action for slander and recovering a verdict.
He had applied again and again, and had obtained no re-
dress, although he certainly had received an exeat from
the Roman Catholic Archbishop putting his character in
the most favourable point of view for piety, zeal, and
learning.
Mr. GRATTAN was in favour of receiving the petition.
Mr. WYNN repeated his objections to receiving it.
The ATTORNEY-GENERAL read the prayer of
the petition, and thought that the claim ought to be heard.
After a few words from Mr. ROEBUCK,
Mr. GRATTAN called upon the Hon. and Learned
Member to explain what he meant by saying that a Ro-
man Catholic Member had feared to be denounced in
Ireland.
Mr. Sergeant JACKSON had so stated on the testi-
mony of Dr. Mulholland, who, on the 12th of May, had
an interview in Dublin with the Hon. and Learned Mem-
ber for Tipperary, when he replied to a request to pre-
sent the petition, " No, no ; I would (should) be de-
nounced, and so should (would) you." Dr. Mulholland
had also applied to the Hon. and Learned ex-Member
for Dublin, who answered that he saw nothing that could
be done, but for Dr. Mulholland unqualifiedly to submit.
Mr. S. CRAWFORD had received a statement from
the Right Rev. Dr. Crolly, denying the accusations in the
petition.
Mr. SCARLETT was in favour of receiving the petition.
Mr. O'CONNELL—It is received.
Mr. SCARLETT asked what was the question before
the House
The SPEAKER replied, that the petition do lie upon
the table.
Mr. SCARLETT did not know that it was impossible
for the House to afford a remedy, and if it were not impos-
sible he saw no reason for rejecting the petition.
Mr. O'CONNELL had received a letter from Dr. Mul.
holland asking him to present this petition, and he had
stated in his answer that the House could give him no re-
lief—that is to altering the law so as to make the canon
law of Rome part of the law. No Member would support
the proposition, and least of all himself. Therefore he had
recommended the petitioner to submit, instead of attacking,
and criminating his superiors. Dr. Mulholland had ap-
pealed to the Pope, and the Pope having decided against
him, he wished to appeal from the Pope to the Parliament.
He had no other remedy than submission, and in his (Mr.
O'Connell's) judgment, he ought to have no other remedy.
If the Rev. Gentleman had any desire to continue in the
Roman Catholic Church, he had pursued a wrong course.
If he meant to change his religion, his first step was well
taken.—(Cheers.)
Mr. BELLEW read a resolution, adopted at a meeting
of the diocese in which Dr. Mulholland's living was si-
tuated, approving the dismissal of that gentleman. The
same opinion had been publicly expressed throughout the
district. Living in the same neighbourhood, he (Mr.
Bellew) was acquainted with all the circumstances, and
could say that all the petitioner's conduct had not been
such as to be favourable to the well-being of his parish.
The petition was laid on the table.
THE CANADAS.

Sir GEORGE GREY brought up a large body of
papers relating to the present state of the Canadas.
Mr. HUME asked whether any objection would be
made to laying upon the table also the Address of the
House of Assembly to Sir Francis Head respecting Orange
Lodges, with this reply, stating that he should not in-
terfere ?
Mr. ROEBUCK put a question respecting certain pro-
clamations, relating, we believe, to the militia, hut the Hon.
Member could not be heard in the gallery. He inquired,
likewise, whether Ministers had received any and what re-
ports from the Canada Commissioners ?
Sir GEORGE GREY answered that only partial re-
ports had yet been received from Canada, and that he had
no other knowledge of the proclamation than that which he
had derived from the newspapers. As to the alleged Ad-
dress about Orange Lodges, he was without any official in-
formation. All he knew regarding it was derived from a
paragraph in a Canadian newspaper.
Mr. HUME expressed his surprise that Government
should be so late in its intelligonea t he bad received a copy
of the Address upon Orange Lodges.
OFFICERS OF THE HOUSE.

Mr. HUME begged to call attention, to the resolutions
proposed for adoption by the Select Committee on the
subject of the House of Commons' officers' compensation,
as no one establishment connected with that House could
be completed until this matter was settled one way or the
other. The matter, though public in its nature, was to be
regarded strictly as private business, and therefore he hoped
he should be allowed to move the resolutions as reported
by the Select Committee.
After a few words from an Hon. Member, Mr. Home,
Mr. Alderman Wood, Sir It. Peel, MY,,, Smith, and
Mr. Estcourt,
Mr. HUME si4l that the Committee bad recommended
that pelltaiu alterations should take place in the mode of
remunerating the officers of that House.
Mr. Alderman WOOD called the Hon. Member for
Middlesex to order. He would take the opinion of the
House on the question of whether the Orders of the Day
should now be proceeded with or not.