The Sun.
London, England, 1846-02-24 00:00:00

INI IERIAL PARLIAMENT.
110t7S'E OF LORDS, Monday, Feb. 23.
Their Lordships assembled at Five o'clock.
NEW HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT.
The Duke of BUCCLEUCH laid on the table certain re-
turns relative to the new Houses of Parliament.
GAUGE COMMISSION.
Lord KINNAIRD said, that in consequence of the very
important measure coming before the Ilouse that night, he
would, with their Lordships' permission, postpone the question
of which notice had been given relative to the Gauge Com-
mission.

PROTECTION OF LIFE (IRELAND) BILL.
Earl ST. GERMANS then rose to move the second read-
ing of the above Bill, and said—My Lords, the Bill which I
have now to bring under the consideration of your Lordships'
House is one which only the necessity of the case could justify
the Government in asking, or your Lordships in adopting. That
necessity seems to have arisen now. The Bill proposes to invest
the Executive Government of Ireland with powers which no
existing law invests them with, and which only existing
circumstances justify them in requiring at your hands.
Aly Lords, it is a matter of fact that the crimes of murder and
assault have of late become very common in Ireland, but I do
not think 'should be justified in asking your Lordships to assent
to a measure of the sort which I have to submit to you
without laying before you grounds for my motion.—( Hear
hear.) I am bound to take nothing for granted—
( Hear, hear)—nor assume that your Lordships are
cogn east of the facts, and, therefore, although I
am about to occupy the attention of your Lordships
with reading reports and returns which I have in my posession,
still I think when your Lordships consider the importance of
this measure you will be disposed to accord to
me that indulgence and patience for which I shall
ask. My Lords, I find that the returns which I
hold in my hands contain an account of all the offences that
have been committed in Ireland for the last two years—
I mean of the offences that have been reported to Go-
vernment by the constabulary. Your Lordships are no
doubt aware that it is the practice for every
constable in Ireland to make a return of the different offences
committed within his district to the general station. These
offencereare classified in the following manner—" Offencesagainst
the person," " offences against property," and" offences against
the public peace." My Loids,in the year 1844, 44 homicides
were committed ; in the last year, 137 ; aggravated assaults,
504 ; in the present year, 544 ; assault with injury to life,
251; in the present year, 342. I new turn to offences against
property. In 1844 the number of robberies of arms
Was 159; in the present year it has increased to 551 ;
appearing armed, 79 ;in the present year, 89. Administer-
ing unlawful oaths, 58; in the present year, 223. Threat-
ening notices, or letters, 362 ; in the present year
it has amounted to the fearful extent of I,944.—(Hear. )
aees of fire in dwelling -houses last year, 77; in the present year,
138. This makes a total of this class of offences in the last
year of 1,495, and in the present year of 3,462. And, in-
cluding every class of offence—crimes against the person,
against property, and of a public character, the number of crimes
were for last year 3,102, and in the present year 5,281. It will
be, however, consolatory for your Lordships to know that the
statement shows that in eighteen counties crime hasehminished;
in four counties it has been stationary ; and in only ten counties
has an increase taken place. Those ten counties are Cavan,
Fermanagh, King's County, Longford, Westmeath, Clare,
Roscommon, Limerick, Tipperary, and Wicklow. In Cavan
the number of crimes is, in last year, 109 ; in the
present year, 257. This includes all the three
classes of offences. In Fermanagh, in last year, 80 ; in
the present year, 166. In King's County last year, 226 ; in
the present year, 301. In the county of Longford last year,
205 ; in the present year, 772. In the county of Westmeath
last year, 163; in the present year, 313. Jn the county of
Clare, 275; in the present year, 327. In the county of Ros-
common last year, 264 ; in the present year, 716. In the county
of Limerick, 321 ; in the present year, 416. In the county
of Tipperary 908; in the present year, 992; and in Wicklow,
The number for which was last year 228, is this year the enor-
mous number of 992. Having made this statement of the
ranount of crime, it will be my painful daty to call your atten-
ion to some particulars in these returns ; and in the first place
I will call your attention to some remarkable cases
of homicide and outrage that have taken place
during the last year, from which- you will be en-
abled to form a judgment of the causes of these
offences and the nature of the remedy that may be required.
The Noble Lord here read two extracts from the documents
before him, giving in detail accounts of two murders, accom-
panied with great outrage, which had taken place in the
early period of last year in the county of Limerick. )
Having given these cases, I will, said the
Noble Lord, proceed to the county of Kildare.
1 shall call your Lordships' attention to another murder which
wok place on the sth October, in Kildare, of a gentleman who,
while returning home, was shot dead on the high
road, in his own gig. The next case to which
I shall call your Lordships' attention is that of a
gentleman's steward who, whilst retiring to rest, there being
no blinds to the windows, was fired at, and on the next day
he died of his wounds. This occurred on the 6th October,
in the county of Tipperary. In the county of Limerick
Thomas M'Nevin was served with a notice, that if he did not
comply with certain instructions he would meet with the
punishment which his non-compliance would deserve. In
a few days after receiving this notice he was found one
morning dead by the road. side. In the county of Roscommon
alicheel Shea was returning home with oats, which he bad
purchassd at a sale, and was so violently assaulted that he only
survived three days. I shall next proceed with the county of
Tipperary, where, on the 2d of October, three men visited the
house of Michael Quill; not finding him at home, they pro-
ceeded to the house of his next doer neighbour, and assaulted
him su violently that be died the next morning. 114 Lords,
this proves the feeling that exists,because those marauders did
not find the object of their attack, and went to the next door
and visited the punishment intended for another on its unfor-
tunate inmate. To this I direct your Lordships' particular
attention as it shows the effect of the condition of the people.
I shad now call your Lordships' attention to the Mining Com-
pany of Ireland, who were obliged to suspend their works from
the 20th September, in consequence of the notices which
were served on their stewards, threatening them with
death if they did not comply with certain conditions.
Now this board employed a large number of men, and because
of their refusal to accede to the wishes of these people, they
were obliged to stop their works and desist from car-
rying on their business. Another case of outrage was
committed on a man of the name of Kearney,
whose only crime appeared to be the faithful manner
in which he discharged the duties of his employment. In the
county of Armagh, also, it appeared that a party who called
themselves Molly Maguires," were carrying on the same sys-
tem of outrages. They had entered a house there, had beaten
(he inmates very severely, and when they had committed this
outrage, they pulled down the house, and as they
cent away fired several shots into it. The writer added, that
if some remedial measures were not taken to check these out-
rages, there would be no safety for life or property, and no hope
for the well-disposed unless they joined the "Molly
Maguire" party. In the conty of Clare, also, on the
9th of January last, at half-past nine in the evening,
some armed men, with their faces blackened, entered
the house of a farmer of the name of Murphy, com-
menced beating him in the most dreadful manner, and
only left off when they thought he was dead.
His Lordship then proceeded to read an account of an attack
which had been made upon an old lady upwards of eighty years
of age. ,She was ordered by these ruffians to discharge two of
her men. It seems that these two men, who hail lived a num-
ber of years in her service, had been intimidated before;
one of them had been most brutally attacked while at
his supper and been left for dead. This account was written
not so much with a view to show the injury which had been
inflicted, but in proof of the cowardly conduct of those
ruffians, and the perseverance with which they follow up their
designs. He then referred to another very striking case—the
case of a person, who with his family, were attacked
in their own dwelling-house. These ruffians, twelve in num-
ber, attacked him while in bed, and inflicted some very severe
blows with the butt-end of a gun upon his head. His son,
hearing the uproar, proceeded from an adjoining room to the
room from whence the noise came. He, too, was attacked; and,
in addition to the brutal treatment towards his father, they tired a
pistol at him, the ball of which struck the wall in the rear, ald
after breaking all the panes of glass in the house, arid doing all
the damage possible, they went away. Not one member of time
family, however, gave any information to the police on the
subject, though it is believed that had they done so they would
have succeeded in effecting a capture. of the gang. Such
is the system of terror prevalent in this district, that
not a person dares to give any information of these
atrocious acts.—( Hear.) His Lordship next alluded to the
case of homicides. A person of the name of Ryan voluntarily
resigned the half of his farm, alleging as his reason for doing
so his inability to work the whole farm. He made no secret
of the matter, and while on his way to the proprietor be was
assailed by two men, taken from his horse, his head was frac-
tured, but not the least effort was made to identify the ruffians.
The next case was one which had taken place in the county of
Cavan, where Mr. M'Leod, one of the resident magistracy, had
been murdered. Mr. M'Leod had began his career, and earned
for himself a distinguished reputation, in her Majesty's army.
He was appointed by the Government of which the
Noble Lord opposite (the Marquis of Normanby) was
a member, and he had the entire confidence of the
Irish Government ; he was employed for upwards of twenty
years in Tipperary, where he conciliated the regard, the good-
wit!, and the well, wishes of all in the county. It war thought
proper to remove him to a more peaceful county, and he was
transferred to Fermanagh, from whence, when disturbances
again broke out, he was dispatched as one of the most effi-
cient, one of the most moderate, and ong of the most
trustworthy officers in her Majesty's service. This is the
manner of his death. Towards the close of November, 1841,
disturbances being numerous in Cavan, the magistrates applied
for an increase of the police force arid an addition to the s!i-
pendiary magistracy. Mr. M'Leod was in eonsequence sent
to the disturbed locality. On the day before sSeted he ha.l
been dining with W. Piercy, Esq., and had set out On
his return to his own quarters; he found Mr. Piercy's gate
shut, and he was in the act of desiring the driver of his car to
of en it, when he was shot from behind. There was a light in
the lodge window, and it is believed that the assassin had taken
a decided aim at his unfortunate victim. It is a certain fact
that notice of the murder was posted at Enniskillen two days
before it was perpetrated. As some of the circumstances
strongly implicated the gatekeeper, Ise was one of those
taken into custody, but after a long and patient inf
vestigation, the evidence not having been conclusive, they were
liberated en bail. IDifferent motives were assigned for this
murder, but nothing certain was known upon the subject.
The next case was one in which a man named Patrick Smith.
was murdered on the 17th of April. Ile had to give. evidence
in a civil bill case ; some threatening expressions were used
towards him by those who were chiefly interested in
the case. He. wee . finally murdered to prevent his
giving any evidence. The next case was the murder
of John Walker, who was murdered on the 4th May. He was
in the employ of Henry Gowan, Esq., of the county of
Tipperary, said as he was returning, he was shot dead, withie,a
few miles of his home by a man named Corn
gan, who was likely to impeach him.—(Hear, hear.)
Corrigan was taken into custody, and the examinations
taken, but sufficient evidence to convict was Rqt forthcoming,
and he was liberated. On May 14, James Gallagher, of the
county of Cavan, was similarly disposedi of whilst collecting
arrears from the tenants of Mr. Henry, his employer. Although
he was assassinated before dark, end in the presence of several
people, no information could be had which could
lead to the identification of the assassin. 240 w, that is suffici-
ently'; dreadful, but the letters which I have will, I think,
have greater weight with your Lordships in assisting me to
carry this measure. This letter which I hold in my hand, is
from Mr. Battersby, a magistrate of Cavan, and is dated
May 19th. He writes to a friend of his, that Mrs.
Gallagher died on Wednesday last. She was so ahoeleed at the
assassinati9u Ci her husband, that she scarcely spoke a sines