The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-28 00:00:00

COERCION BILL.

On the motion of Lord MELBOURNE this Bill was read
a first time.—Ordered to be printed, and read a second time
on Monday.

The House then adjourned to Monday, at half-past eleven
o'clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, July 26.
COERCION BILL.
(Continued from our First Edition.)

The ATTORNEY-GENERAL said the construction
which had been put upon the clause was, that the party would
be justified in transgressing the law, if he was acting bona fide,
under the provisions of the present Bill. That certainly was
not the intention of the Legislature. It was only where the
constable or soldier had a reasonable ground for supposing that
he was justified in his proceedings, that the protection of the
Act was extended to him.
Colonel PE RC EVA L vindicated the statement he had sub-
mitted to the House last night, relative to the conduct of Mr.
Lyons, the magistrate of Limerick, who had instituted the
prosecution against the two policemen. He should certainly
feel it his duty to give notice of a motion for an inquiry into
the subject.
Mr. O'CONNELL said if the Hon. and Gallant Member
did not, that he (Mr. O'C.) would.
Sergeant PERRIN objected to the clause. He thought it
conferred a species of impunity upon all persons concerned in
carrying the Act into effect,which should not be extended to them.
It was of course provided that in any case where an offence
was committed by any constable or soldier, a prosecution might
be instituted under the warrant of the Attorney-General, but
that was, in his (Sergeant P.'s) opinion, no protection what-
ever. If there was one thing more objectionable than another
to the great bulk of the population of Ireland, it was the
manner in which Crown prosecutions were conducted in that
country.—(" Hear, hear," from some of the Irish Members.)
Lord ALTHORP contended, that in a caso like that under

consideration, they could not proceed upon strictly constitu-
tional principles. The protection which the clause extended
to the military was not to embrace the whole country, but
would only extend to the proclaimed district in which the
usual legislative enactments were found inefficient. It would
be impossible to carry the Act into effectual operation if such
a protection was not extended to those appointed by the legis-
lature for that purpose
Mr. LYNCH maintained that the extension of such an in-
demnity to the military and civil power was most uncalled for
and unconstitutional.

After a few words from Mr. TANCRED and Mr. O'REILLY,
Mr. SHAW said that it was well known that the opinions
of the Cabinet had not undergone any change upon the subject
the Coercion Bill, but they had resorted to a mean tem-
porizing policy, for the purpose of chiming in with the views
of the Honourable and Learned Member for Dublin. How
could such a Government expect the support of any
honest or independent Member of that House ? They were
visiting the poor with all the terrors of the law, while they left
to the prime agitators and disturbers all the pleasures and
profits of the agitation they had set on foot in Ireland. He
denied that he ( Mr. S.) or those wheacted with him were op-
posed to the Bill, because it was not severe enough. The
Right Hon. Secretary, it was evident, knew little of Ireland,
for had he consulted anyperson high or low, who knew any thing
of that country, he would know that there was nothing so
mean and despicable as that which was nick-named the Go.
vernment of Ireland.---( Hear, and a laugh.) He did not
mean the Lord Lieutenant, for he was but the servant of the
Government—( Hear)--and it was well known that his opi-
nions had been set at naught, for the purpose of gaining over
the Hon. and Learned Member for Dublin.—( Hear.) The
Right Hon. Secretary reminded him of the saying that " the
greatest happiness consisted in being well deceived."--( Laugh-
ter.) He thought that he had out-manoeuvred the Hon. and
Learned Member for Dublin; but the fact was that the Right
Hon. Gentleman had been completely out-manoeuvred by that
Hon. and Learned Gentleman as would appear by the expo-
sure of the intrigues by which Lord Grey had been thrown
out of office.—( Hear, hear.)
Mr. L ITTL ETON said that the Hon. and Learned Gen-
tleman had acted as he was in the habit of doing once or
twice in a session, when perhaps he might be better em-
ployed in attending to the duties of his office in Ireland.—
( Hear, hear.) He had given-the House a rechauffe of the
outpourings of his political inspirations at a Sheriffs dinner.
(Cheers and laughter.) The Hon. and Learned Member
might possibly be deserving of the eulogy_ which he
had passed upon himself in his judicial capacity,
but he (Mr. L. ) must say that, it would be well if the Hon. and
Learned Gentleman would carry a little of that spirit of im-
partiality and evenness of temper into his conduct and obser-
vations elsewhere.—( Hear, hear.) If the Hon. and Learned
Member thought that he could hurt the feelings of others by
the violent and intemperate language in which he had in-
dulged, he ( Mr. L.) must tell him that such language and
such conduct would excite nothing but his contempt. • The
Right Hon. Gentleman spoke with much warmth and iehee
mence, and on sitting down was loudly cheered.
Mr. C. FERGUSON defended the conduct of the Lord
Lieutenant and the Irish Government from the aspersions of
the Hon. and Learned Recorder. It was most unfair to at-
tribute to the Marquis Wellesley the meanness of handing over
the Government of Ireland to the conduct of others. He

(Mr. Ferguson) had voted against the courtmartial clauses,
but he thought that the Bill as it at present stood was calcu-
lated to preserve the peace of Ireland, and should be hailed as
a boon by the friends of peace in Ireland.—( Hear.) It would
have been as well if the Hon. and Learned Recorder, instead
of abusing the Government for a change of opinion,' had• ap-
plied himself to the real question before the House.—(Hear. )
Mr. O'DW YER thought so much of the opinions of the Hon.
and Learned Member for the University, that he carried a copy
of them about him, and he held in his hand a report of the Hon.
and Learned Gentleman's observations at a Sheriff's dinner in
Dublin.--( The reading of the extracts excited much laughter
in the House.) He appealed to the House if that was not the
language of a violent political agitator, and these sentiments
were much more mischievous when coming from as jndicial
character.—( Hear.) He could tell the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman that the party with which hb was connected were
a miserable and degraded faction, compared with the great
mass of the people in Ireland.—( Hear. )
The House then divided, when the numbers were—

For the clauses 24
Against them , 69
Majority against the clauses —4s
On the question that the Bill do pass--
Mr. H. GRATTAN said he could not allow it to pass that
stage without entering his protest against it to most unconsti-
tutional, and perfectly unnecessary.
Mr. 0' R E ILL Y must also protest against the Bill, but as he
had some little confidence in the Government, hOwould abstain
from using that language which otherwise he would have felt
it his duty to do. Agrarian disturbances could be put down
by the existing laws, and if 'not, Coercion Bills would not do
it ; it could only be done by the removal of the grievances
which pressed upon Ireland.
Mr. O'CONNELL was 'obliged to oppose the motion; he
was pledged to support a part of the Bill, and he would most
gladly give his support to a permanent provision to put down
agrarian disturbances, but he could not support it altogether.
He, however, was thankful to Government for the Bill, because
they now declared that these praedial disturbances were not
caused by political agitation. For three hundred years Ireland
had been governed by faction and violence, and now she was as
disturbed as at the beginning of the experiment:' Then why
not try the other system. Coercion could 'not; break het,: she
Was too strong ; but' she would be found fractable as she
was strong.
Lord ALTHORP denied that the Government admitted
that political agitation had no connection with the distur-
bancei, though there was no doubt the effects of that con-
nection had been much exaggerated. - •
After a few words from Mr. Shiel, Mr. O'Connell, Mr. H.
Grattan,.and Lord Mthorp,
The House divided, when the numbers were,
For the passing of the Dill
Against it
Majority
—45
The House then resolved itself into a• Committee of the
whole House upon the Assessed Taxes. Mr. BRRNAL in the
Chair.

The House then resumed, and Mr. BIRNAL all Chairman of
I:te Committee presented the Resolution of the Committee,

MURDER OF MR. BOYD.
Mr. O'DWYER regretted that some steps had not been
taken relative to the murder of Mr. Boyd.
Lord PALMERSTON said that the opinion of the Law
Officers of the Crown was, that General Moreno was not
amenable to any judicial tribunal in this country.
In reply to a question from Mr. RUTIIVEN,
Lord ALTH 401 RP said that it was intended by the Govern.
ment to increase the number of Commissioners appointed by
his Majesty to inquire into the state of the Irish Church,