The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-02 00:00:00

mit him to read a letter from the Hon. Member without on y
comment:—

" House of Commons Prison,
"May 1, 1846.
"My dear Roche,—l shall feel much obliged if you will
explain to the House, this evening, that you were under a
misconception when you stated yesterday that I complained
that no opportunity had been afforded to me of speaking in my
own defence.
"On the contrary, I :cheerfully aoknowledge that such an
opportunity was offered, and that I declined to avail myself
of it.
" I was very anxious to have spoken yesterday, because Ido
not think my case was fairly stated to the House by the Chair-
man of the Committee of Selection. I referred to my let-
ters to the Committee, as stating the grounds upon which
I had refused to serve upon Committees on Scotch and English
railway Bills. if those letters had been read in extant. I
should have been contented to abide the opinion of the House
npen them, but the Chairman of the Committee of Selection
read only such portions of them as tended to produce an im-
pression on the House unfavourable to my conduct.
" I wish it also to be known, that until the closing sentence
of Mr. Estcourt's speech reached me, I did not knew what
was the nature of the motion which he intended to submi" ;
so that I was unprepared to form an opinion as to the coarse
which it would be most advisable for me to adopt. I did not
know whether I was to be imprisoned or reprimanded, or
whether a Committee might not be appointed to take the case
into consideration before any final motion should be proposed
to the House. As mine is a new case arising out of resolu-
tions adopted without notice, without discussion, not
founded on long-established practice, not supported
by any authority derived from statute or from prescrip_
ththaet
euhtjheeet,
wauppohinottmonenlyt
ott
hif°ena.'wisestComm l.t
aand
tdsteeememteeosdtdelibenaturalratern,
nue
ep
do
en
of dealing with the case,
but also that which would have been most confornsai.le
to former precedents. I need not say that my de-
cision with respect to the propriety of addressing the House
on my own behalf, or of remaining silent, might have
been affected by a knowledge of the motion which was to be
proposed to the House. Undoubtedly, if I had foreseen that
my views would have been so much misrepresented in debate as
they have beer., I should not have declined to state them fully
to the House.
"In all proceedings in Parliament it is customary to give
due notice to the parties affected by such proceedings—such
notice, therefore, may be considered as a 'right' rather than
as a ' courtesy.' With reference to the preliminary motion
made on Monday night, I was left in such entire ignorance
of the terms of that motion, chat I absolutely mistook the
question when put from the chair, and imagined that it was an
order to attend the House on Tuesday, whereas I afterwards
learned that it was an order to attend the Committee.
" On last Friday I stated to Mr. Estcourt, in private, that I
should feel much obliged to him if he would intimate to me the
terms of the motion which be intended to make in reference to
my case, as soon as his own determination was formed. I sub-
sequently received no communication from him.
" I do not wish you to reveal to the House what an Irish-
man thinks of such a mode of proceeding. Suffering from the
injustice of the British House of Commons, I expect nothing
from its generosity.

" I shall make no further appeal to the House. Yesterday

I was extremely anxious to ha7e been allowed to speak on my
own behalf before my committal to prison as a culprit. I shall
not again condescend to solicit even thi: trifling favour.
"In concluding, I beg most anxiously atv:l earnestly to re-
quest you to inform the House that I am no party to any
motion for my discharge.
" I remain, my dear Roche, very sincerely yours,
" WILLIAM S. O'BRIEN,

" E. B. Roche, Esq., M.P. "
SOUTH NOTTINGHAAISHIRE ELECTION.
Mr. GISBORNE wished to ask the Hon. Member for
South Nottinghamshire, whether a correspondence, which had
appeared in the local and London newspapers between T. B.
Hildyard, Esq., M.P., and T, Herbert, Esq., mayor of Not-
tingham, relating to the late election in South Nottingham-
shire. was authentic ? and, in case the answer should
be in the affirmative, whether the Honourable Mem-
ber was now
_prepared to prove that the free
trade committee at Nottingham, for promoting Lord Lincoln's
election, offered 231. to two voters, who had promised their
votes to the Honourable Member, in case they would vote for
Lord Lincoln.
Mr. STAFFORD O'BRIEN rose to a point of order, He
wished to know whether it was incumbent upon his Honour..
able Friend to answer such questions?—( Hear.)
The SPEAKER replied that the Hon. Member for Not-
tinghamshire must exercise his own discretion, but according
to the practice of the House it was customary for Hon. Mem-
bers to answer questions that were continually put to them,
whether those questions related to the business of the House
or not. .
Mr. GISRORNE made some observations which were
scarcely audible in the gallery. He was understood, how-
ever, to say that it was a fit subject for that House to in-
quire into, and as the Hon. Gentleman (Mr. Hildyardl had
made the statement in question, he thought that the House
should give him an opportunity of affirming or denying it. If
the Hon. Member would affirm it, he would move for a Select
Committee to give him an opportunity of proving the state-
ment. He thought that the Hon. Member had no reason to
complain about his being asked such a question, as he had given
two days' notice of his intention to ask it.
The subject then dropped.
MR. SNIITH O'BRIEN.
Mr. O'CONNELL gave notice that he would postpone his
motion relative to the discharge of Mr. Smith O'Brien from
the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms till 3londa7 next.
CONSUMPTION OF SMOKE.
Sir. J. GRAHAM, in reply to a question from Mr. Peter
Borth wick, said that it was not the intention of the Government
to introduce any measure this session with regard to the con-
sumption of smoke. He had entertained great apprehensions
last session as to the working of the plans which had been
adopted for that purpose, and far from these apprehensions
being now removed, they were more and more confirmed.
ADJOURNED DEBATE.
On the motion that the order of the day, the Protection to
Life (Ireland) Bill, be read,
Mr. P. SOMERS rose and proceeded to address the House,
but in consequence of the low tone in which he spoke,
and the confusion that prevailed at the bar of the
House, he was for some time utterly inaudible.
It must be evident to the Right Honourable Baronet
that it was not by such a Bill as the present the
state of Ireland was to be altered. Let the Government,
instead of persisting in this odious measure, introduce some
measure for the purpose of giving greater security to the
tenant, the improvement of waste lands, and such other remedial
measures, and they would produce more peace in Ireland than a
constabulary force ten times greater than the present could de.
The distress in Ireland had been denied. The existence of the
potato failure had been considered an exaggeration. Gentle•
men could, with an easy self-indulgence, pursue their specu-
lations, and theorise ; but nothing real or substantial was the
result. Ireland was still left to drag out a miserable existence,
through misrule. Neither he nor the Irish Members could
approve of the spirit of the measure.
Mr. M. O'CONNELL did not intend to follow the example
which had just been set of introducing matter which was quite
irrelevant to the purpose. He thought sufficient had al.
ready been said on that topic, and he believed that suffi-
cient matter already remained for another debate of
equal length with that which had already transpired. He hed
certainly been much struck at the moment by the statement
of the Right Hon. Baronet at the head of the Government,
respecting the state of Ireland now and what it had been in
former years. The Right Hon. Baronet. compared the state
of Ireland in 1843 with its present condition, and had asked
whether there were any measures taken at all for the repression.
of crime during that period. Now, any one would suppose
from siesh an inquiry as that, that during the last two years
the Government had done absolutely nothing. But what
had been the case with regard to Ireland since 1843 ? For
his part, he might ask whether the Government had been by
any means idle during that period ? Why, they had dismissed
oin
as many as twenty-two magistrates, and on application from:
the country, the replies from Dublin il
courseuth oorfi t itehse.
that most ridfrotzlous of
few years? Their first step 'was to pass
tShVehatrheapdliebseenofthtehea
procla-
mation t thdaeuirrinficorsthtestleapst.
Bill of the same kind. Their next step GoTvheirsii
to prosecute the
cl tart meeting, then
;nation against the on
Repeal Association; next to imprison them
all measures—the Arms Act, while therestillw etzoisttmedoeanaeffective
leaders of the
most
and now they were going to pass this{
most unjustly,
' obnoxious
They had carried all these measures into effect, as far as they
were able to carry them, and what was the result? By their
(
the
emndaghisatdrattaeksenthaevryahyafdrnmaddthede
bneun% be
thoser s te p
e
r ..
the
rdaisnmksisosaflof
repeal,
sons in whom the people had confidence, and to whom the,
would have come, and were in the habit of coming with -
infor-
mation, and left those persons who seemed to be opposed
interests of the people. By the Arms Act—as he bd t 4).
the
, they established the fact that there were in the e
hands
safidtir
peasantry of Ireland, on the very first registry, 90,000sstoand ofe
arms. These arms were in part taken aWay, ad if the number
of robberies of arms in Ireland were increased, they might
thank themselves for the increase. Having passed all these
measures, were they to be surprised that the people against
whom those measures were levelled should have some contempt
for a Government who had brought forward measures of such
inutility? Could they for a moment imagine that repeated
and reiterated failure in all these measures had not inspired
the people with the belief that the Government
i must
et
e thecontin
to fail in still more important measures ! H
same all through ? They had beaten themselves on every
measure they had proposed, and they now came for.
d the law.—(Hear, hear.)
ward, asking for powers beyond
What did they think would
bethe feeling of the people of
if they were to agree to en-
Ireland towards the Irish Members,
ent which had so entirely
trust with such powers a Govern
bungledlreland 7 It was not
with regard to.
bungled in every measure. .
of oppression or coercion.
in their efforts in the cause
merely .
that they had failed,
every effort which they bad
but it was in
been making at reconciliation.
They had brought in their
Charitable
'
• ble Bequests Bill, to regulate the charity of ttholics in
a
Ireland, at the very moment when all the Courts of law and
exercise
' had declared that the Catholics were free to
__
the
equity
pleased. When all
their power in that respect! just as they . .
old sytem of restriction was gone, they brought forward
The promises
measure, restricting arid confining them si ,
of rin clueing them to
which were given in 1835, for the purpose
been fulfilled From
give up the repeal agitation, had never
ta
come
into
office,
till
the moment the present Government teed.
done to remove
the present time, nothing had been
Irish people le-
which the
a single grievance under
as far as could be judged by their present
0
booted; and
hi would be done. What was the state of
intentions, nothing
Ireland since the present Government came into office, and
b who was justly considered one
of Norman y,
since the Marquis
that ever govern.- I in Ireland, had
of the best Englishmen
.7
rule m that country . Outrage' as been on the ins
ceased to
social condition of the country was becoming
crease, and the .
cmore 'disorganised. What was the remecy propsed for this
state of things now ? They proposed the Coercis n bill, which
had been tried over and over again, but which had never yet
in any one instance succee.led in suppressing those outrages
against which it was (lir. cted. That was the only
panacea which wee proposed for the evils which
were partly created by t hem sel ves.—(Hear, hear. )
The could I; of Clare ices tn*ore disturbed than any county in.
Ireland. 'H« remembered the county of Clare when every
gentleman's house was a garrison. Whenever yritaur wentn to
a door you were challenged. the same as
a military
piled upon station,
upon the
They had shells and balls ere tared, anntlsttohni:sia.
the
ease
in
window-sills, to repel an assailant.
4'llide cause of the that county for three or four yetere insurrection now--namely,
insur-
rection was the same as that of h
the want of the potato ccoSeveral attempts had been made
to put down this disturbance,p.
but without effect, until it was
e
is give up their arms. He mentioned,
OW, Wow. 4 ici
proposed that they 5_...,,_A eld
the
e roof
Bryan Seery. May gen.
ii