The Sun.
London, England, 1848-04-11 00:00:00

DIEN T BILL.

On the order of the day being read for the House going
into Committee upon this Bill,
Mr. F. O'CONNOR rose to oppose the motion. The
present was a base, bloody, and brutal Bill; and he be-
lieved if time were allowed the table of the House would
be covered with petitions against the measure. He con
sidered that the Bill was perfectly unnecessary; the
people were perfectly loyal. He had always avowed
himself in favour of an hereditary monarchy; but if thin
Bill were passed he should immediately declare himself
in favour of a republic. Such being his opinion of the
Bill, he would give a most direct negative to going into
Committee on the Bill.

Mr. HORSMAN said that it appeared that there were
several opinions with respect to the Bill, and he thought
that it would be advisable for the House to come to a
decision at once with respect to the retention of the
words principally objected to. If the House declared
itself in favour of retaining the words, he should not
offer any further factious opposition to the Bill.
Mr. HUME wished to know whether Hon. Members
would be liable to come under the operation of the Act
in consequence of anything they might say in that
House. He also wished to know whether it was true, as
stated by a Noble Lord in another place, that the
meeting at Kennington-commt:,n was dispersed by a
single policeman. He considered that the Government
were to blame in not preventing the meeting taking
place, instead of allowing the people to meet and then
dispersing them.
SIB'IIiORP tendered his best thanks to her
Majesty's Government, and more especially to her Ma
jesty's Secretary of State for the Home Department, for
the firmness he had displayed in bringing in this Bill,
and persevering in it, in spite of the factious opposition
made to it. Ho hoped that the Government would not
relax one word of it. He should have been happy to
have seen the Bill even ten times more stringent than it
was. With respect to the question asked by the lion.
Member for Montrose, whether the Bill would apply
to Honourable Members, he wished to say that should
that Hon. Member at any time bring himself within the
provisions of this Bill, he should rise in his place in the
House and move that the Hon. Member be forthwith
committed to the Tower for the remainder of his life.
Mr. AGLIONBY deprecated the use of any warm and
intemperate language in discussing a Bill of this import-
ance. He did not think that the opinions expressed by
the lion. and Gallant Member were at all likely to con-
ciliate any party in the House.—(Hearn,
dh ehaer .)
shouldlle
cer-
tainly voted last night in favour of the Bilhlia
protection necessary. for the
GRATTAN opposed the motion for going into
dosoofagthaeinp, ecoopnlseidoefritnhgistchoeußntiry.
Committee. He did not see why, if the people of Ire-
land were in a state of commotion, a law of this sort
should be imposed upon the people of England. The
Government, by pouring in troops into Ireland, were
creating fears in the minds of the people that an insur-
rection was impending. He opposed the Bill because
he believed that it would prove futile, and because
the ordinary law was sufficiently stringent to meet
the emergency fur which the Government had brought
it forward. The Government were making war against
opinion ; but such a mode of procedure had never suc-
ceeded. Fox said, in speaking of a similar Bill, but
which kad not the words so much objected to in the pre-
sent measure, that if it were passed resistance would be
offered by the people as a matter of course.
He warned the Government that a sea was rising against
them in Ireland whose flood would exteLd to this
country and destroy it. Nothing but a domestic Legis-
lature would promote the prosperity of Ireland.
Mr. REYNOLDS opposed the Bill. .After the divi-
sion of lust night, which showed that 453 Members sup-
ported the Bill, he had little hope of obtaining a modi-
fication of any of its objectionable provisions. He had
heard the speech of the Solicitor-General with great
pain. In the case of O'Connell and his associates, an

appeal to the House of Lord., on the eround that tho,
jury that tried them was packed, proved effectual, proy'e!
successful ; but a conviction under this Bill would shut
out such an appeal. After conviction there was n° el);
peel, and the person convicted would have, perhaps„?,.,,
spend years in a penal colony. The support of the.DT
by the Hon. and Learned Member for Youghal, 101°'
he did not intend to lecture, reminded him of an and'
dote of a person who spelt spirits with t
" es," because is was twenty -five above proot,•• ,
(Laughter) Under the present law of Ireland
all the offences sought to be put down by the Bill wer!
punishable. Why, then, did they want to punish th°,s',
guilty of them more severely, by transportation for lin
or not less than seven years? Why, even females reign'
he transported under its provisions. lie hoped
.they
would show their gallantry, by leaving out the ladles
all events. What were the grounds on which the 13n
,1'
was proposed? First, because Ireland was disturbed
u
and, secondly, because England was disturbed. Ile dent
(a,
nite t
that this Ras so. With the exception of the
Irishman and the Nation, no violent language was usedi
Nineteen-twentieths, or 99 out of 100, of the people °,
Dublin condemned the wild and extravagant doctrines
promulgated
,by the violent demagogues in Dublie:
Cork was quiet, and so also was Limerick, Belfast, water'
ford, Kilkenny, Clonmel, and the other large towns. Those
who said the city was disturbed libelled it. The lion'
and Gallant Member for Lincoln wished to promote the
cold cold water cure. Let him take care in promoting it
did not get into hot water and be punished undet
the provisions of the Bill. Since the union Ireland had
been retrograding hour by hour. During the famine
1,900,000 died of hunger and cold. And latterly s
man, who had been committed and sentenced for
sheep stealing, was acquitted because his distress was
so great that his wife ate the limbs of her
dead child.—(Hear, hear.) If they adopted
.e
conciliatory policy, they might withdraw tht:
30,000 troops, and trust the protection of the
country to the people. He had hoped that the_
Government would have postponed the Bill till aftes
Easter—(Laughter)—but as they did not he shot'
move an amendment as to the third clause. lie bad
supported the Government, and supported them woe'
no one else would have ventured to do so.---;
(Laughter.) Well, his constituents, who numbered
10,000, had all a bad word for them—(Laughter)-0
he stood up, when no Member would dol so, and de-
fended them. He would give them another
(Roars of laughter)—and he thought the best way bet
could serve the country, was to absent hiresel,.
~'
from public meetings.---(Criesof " Hear, hear.')
He was glad that the demonstration of the Hon. Member
(Mr. O'Connor) had passed off quietly, and that he had
not been guilty of any violence.—(oh, oh.) He was
afraid he had offended the special constables—(Laughter)
—but he believed he was right in what he had said.
Mr. SADLEIR supported the Bill, because he coati'
dered it necessary to suppress the seditious proceeding.
of the " juvenile' men who were now disturbing Ireland-
At the same time he thought it right to state to the House
and Government, that since the time of Cromwell and the
" Poyning's Act," this country had oppressed hie
country. The greatest dissatisfaction and misery Pre"
vailed, principally in consequence of absenteeism, front
the physical degradation of the people, and the °been'
ious provisions of the Irish poor law. It was a great,
error to suppose that domains of 60 miles, and electors'
divisions of 16, could prove otherwise than a delusion to
the poor, and be looked;upon as anythingelse than a hot-
low attempt to mock their distresses, and to confiscate
the labour and property of the industrious. Was the Noble
Lord aware of the elective franchise in Ireland?—(Ques-
tion, question.) lie submitted he was in order in stat-
ing this, whilst discussing the necessity for such la
measure as this. The Honourable Gentleman was pri,,
ceeding to deal with the constituency of Tiptoe'
rary, which had been reduced, he said, to 431,
when he was stopped by repeated calls of Question,
_OA
resumed his seat.
Lord J. RUSSELL said the Hon. Gentleman who had
just sat down bad mistaken the nature of the motion before
the House—(Hear, hear)—as he would have bad ani
opportunity of making the speech at a later period; and
in making this statement he would simply submit
to his consideration, and to the consideratiott
of the House, whether if the Government should
feel disposed to bring forward a number of
measures with respect to Ireland, whether it would not
be quite impossible to do so—whether any particular
day could be devoted to them, if the time of the House
was occupied in the way it had been to-day?—(Hear.)
The lion. Gentlemen had referred to a statement made
by him (Lord J. Russell) last night, which seemed CO
have been very much misapprehended, and as
was not unlikely that that misapprehension might
extend to Ireland, he wished to say a few word'
in order to set the matter right. He seemed 0
think that he (Lord John Russell) stated with,
respect to the loss of life that had taken placer,
in Ireland, that it was no part of the duty of the ,
Go-
vernment to interfere for the purpose of saving loss of
life from the ravages of hunger and disease. What
he had stated was, that, generally speaking, it
was not the business of the Government t°
interfere, but from what had been done be
thought he could hardly have been plipposed
to state that such measures were unnecessary with
respect to the want of food in Ireland, beause last year
the Government recommended to Parliament, aiad ob-
tained power to feed 3,000,000 of people
so little was the Government disposed to be indifferent
with respect to the suffering people of Ireland.---.
(Hear, hear.) With regard to the poor-Itsw,
had any been introduced during the present
year; the arrears of the sums required the consideration
of the Government, as no doubt eases might atiae
in which it was quite impossible, from their
size, to supply the starving people with foe;
and therefore not long since he sent a notice from the
Treasury stating, ithat if any persons were starring
inquiry was to be made whether the want of the neces--
sary funds was owing to the non-collection of the rates,
and the reports received were in many cases to the stied
that persons, fully able to pay had been favoured by
the collectors, and that therefore the people_
for whose support they were intended, had been left,
consequence, to perish.—(Hear, hear.) Where there
were no means of relieving the distress, he directed that
application should be made to the British Association
and to the Government, in order that the people might
be spared from starvation. He thought he had cleatedr
up this misapprehension.—(Hear, hear.) If such state-
ments were made in Ireland they would be both libellouS,
and calumnious.—(Hear, hear.)
Sir DE LACY EVANS offered his hearty thanks to
the Government for the admirable arrangements which .
they made yesterday. He was happy that no disturb-
ance had taken place, and his firm belief was that it
was prevented by the course pursued by the Govern-
ment. It was to the Government alone that the'
thanks of the people were due for rendering the
meeting of yesterday a contemptible meeting.
Mr. MASTERMAN expressed his sincere thaeke,
and that of the citizens of London to the Government,
for the prompt and effective course they pursued yester-
day. It was alike honourable to themselves and the
people.

- Sir G. GREY, before the Rouse divided, felt bound
to say a few words in answer to the question ,put
to him by the Honourable Member for Montrose. •
Lie had asked the Government, whether the
meeting on Kennington-common yesterday, had been.
forcibly dispersed by the police. In answer to
,that:
question, he had to state that the meeting _
had not been forcibly dispersed by the police.:,
The Police Commissioner under the dirEetion'
of the Government had stated to the Honourable Gen-
tleman opposite (Mr. O'Connor), and the leaders of the
meeting, that it any attempt was made to have a pro--
~
cession, and it was persisted in, force would he
used to put it down.—(Bear, hear, and cheers.) .
With respect to the statement of the Honourable
Member for Montrose. that the preparations made "
by the Government were useless and improper, he
could not admit that they were useless, because he
believed that in consequence of the preparations that
!lad been made, the knowledge of them had struck
error into the minds of persons who, but for them,
would have been disposed to have created disturbances.
—(Hear.) Nothing had been more meritorious than the
conduct of the well disposed part of the people of the
metropolia,and the spirit that animated them,was above all
olaise.—(llear, hear.) He had no doubt that it would
have its effect throughout the country.—(Hear.) Indeed
it had already had its effect according to the
information he had received that morning by
the electric telegraph. By that means of com-
munication, he had received intelligence, that
the occurrences in the metropolisyesterday, and their
peaceable termination, had been received with great joy
in many of the large towns in the country. Mear.
The Government had, he was happy to say, by the)
blessing of Divine Providence, been enabled to dis-
charge their duties fearlessly, assisted, as they had been,
by the cordial co-operation of the people.
After some observations from Mr. Humn and Mr. F.
O'CoNNoR, the latter gave up his motion for pressing
the House to a division; but
Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD insisted upon the
House dividing.
Strangers wore ordered to withdraw, and the House
divided, when there appeared—
For going into Committee . 321
Against it
19
Majority for going into Committee --302
The House then went into Committee on the Bill, ?Jr.
BERNAL in the Chair. •
The preamble was postponed, and the first clause
agreed to without any discussion.
(LEFT SITTING.)

JIPLOSION OF GAS IN A Sllll..—The Maria
Agnetha, a Danish vessel, had her decks blown up and
some beams broken on Friday, in consequence of an ex-
plosion of gas. One of the crew also was injured. She
was lying at Tyno Main, and had been coal-laden two
days. It seems the gas had accumulated in a part of the
vessel which had been boarded off, and into which a
candle had been incautiously introduced.—Gateshead
Observer.

BRTHS.
On the Ist inst., at Wolverton House, Bucks, the lady of
Richard Harrison, Esq., of a son.
On the Ist inst., at Reigate, Surrey, the s ife of James C.
Street, Esq., of a son.
On the sth inst., the wife of the Rev. William Haslam,
Incumbent of Baldin, near Truro, of a daughter.

DIED.
On the sth inst., Isabella, Dowager Viscoantess Powers-
court, relict of Richard, fourth Viscount Powerscourt.
On the 3d inst., at Ludgate-street, Wiliam Boyden, only
child of W. H. Carlin, Esq.
On the 4th inst., Airs. Atkins, of Allsop-terrace, New-road.
Oa the 4th inst., at Radcliffe-upon-Trent, Notts, Jullanna,
wife of William Taylor, Esq.

London : Printed and Published by 111URDO YOUNG, at
No. 112, Strand, Printer, at The Sun Office, No. 112,
Strand, in the Precinct of the Savoy, in the cettuty of
lliddleeex, Tuesday, April 11, 1848.

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