The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-08 00:00:00

IRISH COERCION BILL.

The order of the day for going into committee on the Irish
Coercion Bill having been read,
The Earl of WICKLOW rose, and said that as no opposi-
tion, so far as be understood, was intended to be offered to the
measure in Committee, he wished to take that opportunity of
making one or two observations. He should like to know on
what grounds the Noble Earl opposite ( Earl Grey) had come
to the resolution of omitting the courtsmartial clause. He
(the Earl of Wicklow) especially complained of the Noble
Earl not having laid any information on the subject before the
House, provided he had any such information to communicate.
On looking over the correspondence which had taken place
between the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and the magistrates
in different parts of the country, he could not see anything
which justified the Noble Earl in withdrawing the clause in
question. He did not think that the Noble Earl had received
such information from the Irish Government as would
justify his withdrawing the clause in question; but if such
information was in his possession, it was due to the House
that it be laid before it. He (the Earl of Wicklow) also
wished to ask the Noble Earl why the motion for the renewal
of the Coercion Bill was not accompanied with a proposal to
renew the Change of Venue Bill ? When the latter Bill was
proposed last session, he (the Earl of Wicklow) suggested
that instead of its being only for one year, it should extend at
least to a period of five years; and on that occasion the Noble
Earl said he thought it would be better in the first instance to
limit it to a period of one year, but that if the necessity should
be supposed to exist, he (the Earl of Wicklow) could exer-
cise his discretion with moving annually for its-renewal. He
thought that the existing condition of Ireland was such as to
render it necessary that the renewal of this Bill ought to have
been proposed along with the renewal of the Coercion Bill.
Earl GREY said he must acknowledge it was in conse-
quence of a defect of memory that nothing had been said
about the renewal of the Change of Venue Bill when he
brought forward his motion for the renewal of the Coercion
Bill. He did not think it necessary to renew it at present.
The same circumstances which justified the omission of the
courtsmartial clause rendered it unnecessary to renew the
Change of Venue Bill. Should, however, the necessity arise
at any future time, the measure could be again brought be-
fore their Lordships' House. With regard to the Coercion
Bill, it was not until Ministers were satisfied that Juries would
render justice as well, and much more clearly than courts-
martial, that they had resolved not to renew the courtsmartial
clause. The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland had also expressed
his conviction that that clause might be omitted, and that all
trials might be left to common courts. It was his (Earl
Grey's) anxious wish not to introduce anything unconstitu-
tional, if it could be avoided ; but when necessary he would
not shrink from doing it.
The Duke of BUCKINGHAM deeply regretted that the
necessity should exist for a renewal of the Irish Coercion Bill ;
but he regretted still more that, as that necessity did exist,
the measure was to be deprived of one of its most important
clauses. If he was not able to repose confidence in Ministers
formerly, he was still less so now. The administration of the
nation's affairs was now placed in hands which gave no security
for the protection of the interests of justice, in so far as Ire-
land was concerned. Whatever may be the information which
Ministers have received from Ireland, and on which they jus-
tify their withdrawal of the courtsmartial clause of this Bill,
one thing was quite clear—namely, that the Lord-Lieutenant,
in all his correspondence on this subject, never ceased to ex-
press his anxious desire for the renewal of the measure of last
year: and that he conceived it necessary to the peace and
prosperity of Ireland. He (the Duke of Buckingham) also
thought the measure necessary now, and that it would be so
until Ireland ceased to listen to agitation from all quarters—
from the highest quarters as'well as the lowest. Until then, she
would never know what pea.ce and prosperity were.
Earl GREY said that no one could regret more than he
did, that the state of Ireland was such as to render the renewal
Of the measure- now before the House a matter of necessity ;
but while lie thus admitted that Ireland was in a disturbed state,
he had no wish to exaggerate the state of things in that coun-
try; and he thought matters were not so bad as to render the
renewal of the courtsmartial clause necessary. • Ministers had,
Therefore, come to the resolution of withdrawing that clause.
The Noble: Duke seemed to have 'some' strange ideas of agi-
tation floating in his mind. He (the Duke of Buckingham)
had talked of high agitation as well as low, by which he ( Earl
Grey) supposed he meant it to be inferred that certain mea-
sures of Government with regard to Ireland deserved that
name. He (Earl Grey), while he disclaimed the idea of wish-
ing to produce agitation in that country, would never shrink
from the adoption of such measures as the circumstances of the
case might render necessary. With regard to the misfortune
of not possessing the Noble Duke's confidence, Ministers must
bear up under the loss as well as they could. He (Earl Grey)
would, notwithstanding that loss, persevere in doing the best
he could for the peace and prosperity of Ireland.
The bill then went into committee, and passed through it
without any discussion. The report was ordered to be brought
up on Friday.