The Sun.
London, England, 1835-07-17 00:00:00

EDUCATION IN IRELAND.

Lord MORPETH brought up certain papers ordered by
the House relative to general education in Ireland.
Mr. GL AD STONE wished to know whether those papers
contained a return of the number of Roman Catholic and Pro-
testant children. _

Lord MORPETH replied that the papers presented all
the information required by the House which the Commis-
sioners had power to give, for they were unable to discover
specifically of what religious persuasion the children were in
the several religious schools, and they thought it went beyond
their province to endeavour to ascertain them from private
sources.
Mr. GLADSTONE could not understand how the Com-
missioners, after having expended five or six months in their
inquiry, should not be able to give that information. The
Commissioners ought not to be judges of vl.at was expedient.
Lord AIO R PETIT replied that they were not judges cf
expediency certainly, but they were unable to acquire the in-
formation, and therefore they did not give it.
Mr. GLADSTONE thought they might very easily
enquire of what religion every body was.
Sir H. H ARDIN GE said that when Commissioners could
not furnish the required information, they ought to mention it,
and when a Member, who moved for certain returns, found
them to be incomplete, he had a right to move those returns
be amended.
Lord MORPETH agreed that Commissioners ought to
state, if they were unable to gain the required information,
that they could not do so ; but it remained to be seen whether
that was the case in the present instance or not.
Mr. GRATTAN said it was not so easy a matter to ascer-
tain the religious principles of every party, and in the case of
the police it was found necessary to go over the business again
and again before they could approach to any certainty. He
should be glad to see the time come when there would be no
more questions as to religious opinions.—(Cheers.)
YORK AND YARMOUTH ELECTION COM-
MITTEE.
Lord JOHN RUSSELL thought that it had been
agreed at the adjournment of the House the other
night, that the nomination of the Committee in these
cases, should be postponed. The Hon. Member for
Ipswich had requested him, as the Right Hon. Bart. the Mem-
ber for Tamworth had done with respect to the Committee for
the York and Yarmouth elections, to appoint the Committee
on the Ipswich Election ; at that time he had stated that it
was an unpleasant duty -to perform, but, nevertheless, he
would do so. Having appointed that Committee, he
thought it but right that he should accede to appointing
the present one. In doing so, he had not followed the ex-
ample of the Hon. Member for Ipswich, but he had fol-
lowed the rule laid down, that those who had taken
an active part in the debate, should not be placed
as Members of the Committee. He did not agree with the
Hon. Member for Ipswich that it would be desirable to
place persons on the Committee connected with the towns
of York and Yarmouth—( Hear, hear)—but he concurred
with those Members who had suggested that a less number of
Members than those appointed on the Ipswich Committee
would be most likely to do justice betweeen the par-
ties. He should, therefore, propose a more limited Committee
than was appointed on that occasion. Instead of 11 Mem-
bers, he should propose 9 only, and he trusted that the
Committee would adopt the rule laid down by the Ipswich one
for themselves, of attending punctually from day to day to dis-
charge their duties.—(Hear, hear.) He proposed that five
Members should make a quorum, and that if any mem-
ber of the Committee should be absent, the Committee
should report his name to the House—( Cheers)—in order that
it might have an opportunity of discharging him from his at-
tendance.--(Hear, hear.) He thought that the Members
forming the Committee should be exempted from attendance on
Ballots, but he could not but advert to the loose manner in
which Committees conducted their business, their reports
being made when only two or three Members were present.—
He should propose the following gentlemen as Members
of the Committee :—Mr. Pease, Mr. Mark Phillips, Sir
John Yarde Buller, Mr. Young of Cavan, Mr. Tancred, Mr.
Elphinstone, Mr. Hardy, Mr. Nicholl, and Lord F. Egerton.