The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-26 00:00:00

enter his protest, if the phrase were not unparlia-
mentary, against the calumnious assertion, that the
youths of Ireland were banded together in confe-
deracy against the peace cf Ireland ; he also
protested against the assertion made against the
Roman Catholic clergy of Ireland, as a body.
He (Earl St. Germans) must any that many of those
gentlement were eminent for their piety and charity,
and their attention to the religious and social interests
of the people. He would now proceed to answer
the questions which the Noble Marquis had
placed upon the table; and he could not do
better he thought than read an extract from a letter
written by the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland to the Right
Hon. the Secretary of State. The Lord-Lieutenant
said that neither the language of the deputation nor that
of any individual Member of it—aud he (Earl of St. Ger-
mans) could give the names of the Members composing
it but he did not think it advisable to do so—had the
slightest influence on his mind or swayed in the smallest
his judgment in the case of Bryan Seery. The prin-
cipal object of the deputation was to represent the
lawless state of Roscommon." not of Westmeath, " with
a view of getting the Government to enter into
more stringent measures for the pacification of
that country." He anderstood that they had stated
that any leniency to Brian Seery would be looked upon
as evidencing the weakness of the Government, and keep
alive that sanguinary spirit which was so fatal to the
peace cf the country. He apprehended that that extract
would fully satisfy the questions of the Noble Marquis.
With regard to the third question he was certain that
the persons who composed that deputation were actuated
solely by a sense of duty in making that representation;
but at the same time he (Earl St. Germans) was ready
to acknowledge that the proceeding was altogether an
unusual one, and he was not aware that in this country
such a representation was ever made by a deputation to
the head of the Executive Government. He did not
wish to say anything harsh, but he had no hesitation in
pronouncing this a most unusual course on the part of
that deputation.
The Marquis of WESTMEATH wished to explain,
and said he was glad he had given the Noble Earl an
opporunity of making the statement he had done. If
it was not unparliamentary he (the Marquis of West-
meath) would say that the expressions he had used,
which the Noble arl had objected to, were intended to
be applied to the :youth in those, countries
who were under the iron servitude of the
Ribbon ;conspiracy.—(Hear, hear.) He was glad
that the Noble Earl had withdrawn the expression
" harsh," which had been the cause of his (the Marquis
of Westmeath's) attention being called to the matter,
and his giving the notice be had done.
The Earl ST. GERMANS was glad that the qualify-
ing of the expression had so far satisfied the Noble Mar-
quis; but he (Earl St. Germans) could not agree with the
declaration that the whole youth of the country were
affected in the manner described. He was not justified

n applying such a charge to the whole youth of the

country.
The Earl of WESTMEATH said he would back his
opinion against that of the Noble Earl in this respect.
Lord STORTON, in a very inaudible tone of voice,
defended the Roman Catholics from the charges of thr
Noble Marquis. It was a hard thing to say that because
a juror was a Catholic his oath was invalid. From the
statement of the Noble Marquis, the House would be led
to believe that the jury to which he had alluded were
Catholics, but he (Lord Stourton) was informed that
they were exclusively Protestants. It was hard to say
that a priest or a bishop of the Catholic religion must
be prevented from giving proper advice to his people
from the altars of his church. For his own part he
believed that, notwithstanding all the calumnies which
had been heaped upon the priests of the Catholic
Church, they were still the best guardians and comfort-
ers of the people of Ireland.
Lord BROUGHAM protested against such a subject
as the present being converted into a religious question—
(Hear, hear)—ar.d he did not think that any one
did any service to the great and sacred cause of the
due administration of justice who attempted to ask
whether a jury was Catholic or Protestant, because such
discussions tended to poison the administration of jus-
tice at its source.—(Cheers.) He (Lord Brougham) also
hoped and trusted that the Noble Lord who had spoken
last was well grounded in his opinion, that the Catholic
priests were the best friends and administrators of jus-
tice to the people of Ireland, and he (Lord Brougham)
hoped and trusted that they would long continue to be so.
He (Lord Brougham) thought they would deserve well
of their country if they would immediately give up the
reprehensible and abominable practice of addressing
political lectures to the public from their pulpits.
—(Hear, hear, and loud cheers.) Be they Protestants
or Catholics, they desecrated the altar when they
prostrated it to such uses.—(Hear, hear.) He did not
believe that the administration of justice was interfered
with by the priests of either of these denominations ;
but if they did interfere with its administration, the law
might punish them. The duty of the Judge would be
ill-discharged if he did not punish any such
interference, whether by a Catholic or Protestant.
The Marquis of WESTMEATH appealed to their
Lordships whether he had stated that he generally
mistrusted Roman Catholic jurors. In fact, a great
portion of the business of Ireland was transacted by
a portion of that community, and he had seen Roman
Catholic jurors perform their duties as well as
those of the Protestant religion.—(Hear, hear.) In
the case of Seery th jury was not whDlly Protestant!'
Lord STOURTON again defended the Catholic priest-
hood from the charge of fomeuting disturbauces in Ire-
land, They were indebted to them for much of the
peace and prosperity which prevailed in that country,
and they ought not therefore to be assailed in that and
the other House o f Parliament, in;the way they bad been.
COUNTY WORKS PRESEMTMENTS (IRELAND)