The Sun.
London, England, 1803-12-06 00:00:00

TUESD4 Y, DECEMBER 6, 1803.

IRELAND.

Mr. Secretary YORKE moved, that the Irish ha.
bear Corpus Suspension Aft be reach second time.
The Bill was read a second time, and ordered to
be committed to-morrow,

Mr. Seeretiiry YORK/ moved the'second reading
of the Irish Martial Law Bill.

Mr. W. ELLIOT sail, it was not his inren.
-tion to trouble the House at any length, as the oh.
.servations he had to make lay in a very narrow cote.
pass. It was not his wish to have trespassed upon
the House at all respedting this Bill, but he could
nor, consistently ,with his duty,permit it to pass 'in
perk silence. It would 'not be denied that the
Affairs of Ireland were at all times deserving of
the must serious and earnest attention of the Mein.-
bers of that House, and more particularly so at 'the
present crisis. If there were any Mernberewho'
' ought to .feel more solicitude abOut the Affairs of
. Ireland than miters, it was those who had given'
their votes in favour of the Union. It was pecu.
liarly incumbent upon this Country, after it had
extinguished the local Legislature of Ireland, to
shew that .it had substituted one in its place
that was t fully.. adequate, not only its point of
power,,byt...in .xeat. and diligence to administer
the aftam of that , Country. There was another
proposition whieft.he thought he might venture to
lay down without the danger of being contradided, •
and that was, that the Bill now before the House
was in every point of view of an important nature,'
and one that fully deserved the most serious etten.
tion of that House. In order to form a carrel
judgment upon the propriety of passing this Bill,
it would be necessary to 'have a
,tolerahly accurate
knowledge of the state, of Ireland.' alte inquisi.
torial power of that House was' the foundation of
its privileges, and he hoped that. it would be cur-
cited fairly and impartially for the benefit of both .
tanOtries,, and that those whose duty it was to
legislate for that Country, would feel themselves*
hound 'to omit no means of obtaining an accurate
knowledge of its situation. Of the importance of
this Bill, no.man could entertain a doubt ; it went
to give to the Government of ;Ireland the power of
depriving a great part of our fellow.subjeds in
that Country of their constitutional rights and pri.
vileges. That, a similar ad had frequently been
passed before ; that ii e,as upon those occasions ne.
cessary, and that it had been proitudive of great
advantages to Ireland, he was one of the last men
in that House to deny ; but•he could not Consent ro
pass it now, because it 'had been beneficial-for-
merly, without having information laid before him
to convince hint that' the situation of the Country
now required it, He had the honour of•being a
Member _Of the Irish Parliament the first tune the
Martial LI,V Bill passed, it was in she year ti9o,
soon after the Rebellion in that Country was sup.
pressed. The'Lord Lieutenant had issued: a pro.
clamation fur the 'exercise of Martial Law ; that
proclamation was laid before The Irish Parliament,
and they, knowing'; the situation of the Country,
and being convinced of the necessity of the 'ilea.
sure, gave it their hearty approbation. After-
wards, wherfir was found thitt partial insurrections
stilt prevailed, a was Nought ' in and passed,
authorising •the Lord Lieutepant and Council: to
proclaim Martial Law. But it should be recolledsd,
that when the Irish Parliament passed that Bill,
they had before -them two Reports from a Secret
COMmittee, cr-ontainitig4the details. of the extensive
conspiracy then subsisting in that Cowry. In the
year Meaitire watt. revived; upon the same
grourtd4tl.te',Liytl.Lietitenant in his speechTrom the
Throne,.actisit..:tioted the Parliament, that though there
were it' that iitne no Insurredion actually subsisting;
yet such was the 'manifestdisposition towards lissur.
ration, tha; •soch a Measure was necessary for the
safety of the Country. Early in the Session of t
it Was renewed in this Country 'for a 'short time;
and at the latter end of the Sessift it was again re..
neWtPd,boi after a Report froin iSecret 'Committee,
stating thesittiation of Ireland, , and, jibe Mistook
not, ai`ttially reeommending the adoption of this
measure. fie now begged mask: any .Member,' vibe.
ther the House` was now in the same situation in
point Of information, that they Were iiron, the former •
oCcisiani ivl}en they passed this Bill ? The answer
' Masi he in the oegative, hecaose he' was sure, that
no Gentleman would Say, that they had now before
thent infOrmation respecting the state of Ire.
aVwCtild justify them in enabling the Irish,
GoVeriunent to proclaim Martial' Law, and thereby
• to dePrive any part of the inhabitants of that
conntry of their most' valuable tights •and pri-
vileges.' 'Perhaps fie' ought not to say that no
Gentleanian would "rtiaintain such a proposition, hut
he was strongly' inclited to- believe that .a great.
'fliwjority of the Members of that, House did not
think they had sufficient information before them-,
and' he was sure that,was the opinion of a, great
majority of the people,` out of doors. The House
really' knew nothing of the state of Ireland, but
front the common Newspapers, and the question
was, Whether they were to remain in that state of
ignorance. What was theinformation of which the
• House `was In poitiession ?. Firer; there was the
King's Message. last Session, stating the breaking
-out of the Insurredicin and the death of 'Lord Kit.
warden ; !Altai to the extent of the Conspiracy,
whether it bad pervaatt any part of,the Country,
whether 'any Paper. loidbein found tending to de.
'velope 'the °Netts' of 'the Cpaspitatora upon all