The Sun.
London, England, 1844-02-08 00:00:00

IMPORT DUTIES-SMUGGLING.

The Hox. GENTLEMAN then gave notice that on Tuesday
week he should move for the appointment of a Select Com-
mittee to inquire into the subject of smnggling, as far
as regarded tobacco, silk, spirits, and other articles
paying a high import duty ; into the extent and nature of
the frauds thus practised; and also into the effects they pro•
duced on the revenue, the trade, and commerce of the country,
and the morals of thispeople, and also into the expenses of the
Coast-guard system, and report the evidence, and their opi-
nion thereon to the House.
HAWKERS' LICENSES. _ _

The How. MEMBER. then moved for a return of the number
of hawkers licensed in the years 1800, 1810, 1820, 1830, and
1840. —Agreed to.
The House then adjourned at a Quarter before Five o'Clock.

GREAT CATHOLIC MEETING.
EXCLUSION OF CATHOLICS FROM JURIES.
'(Continued from our Afternoon Edition of yesterday.)

The Hon. CHARLES LANGDALE moved the second resolution.
He should confine himself strictly to the business of the meeting,
and carefully abstain from the least word that could be for a mo-
ment deemed a reflection on the members of the jury then sitting
in Dublin. Were he to do so, he should be guilty of the very in-
justice of which they had to complain. The resolution he had to
propose was the following :—" That the off►cers of the Crown, in
striking off every Catholic from the panel in the trial pending in
the Court of Queen's Bench in Ireland, have raised in the Court
of Justice Itself a well-grounded su.picion of the violation of the
Emancipation Act, and have thereby insulted our religion, and en.
dangered our rights by an implied imputation upon our fidelity to
our oaths." He then gave a detailed account of the manner in
which the panel was drawn up, including the suspicious loss of
sixty three names, and the striking off of the Catholics who hap-
pened to be left on the list. The circumstances are already well
known to the public. The subsequent allegation that they were
struck off because they were Repeaters was untrue, as, though
some of them were Repeaters, none of them had ever taken any
active part in the agitation. Three were not on the books of the
Association at all, two never attended any repeal meeting, or ex-
pressed any opinion upon it, and one was adverse to it. These,
therefore, were struck off for no reason but that they were
Catholics, and the whole body must feel it as an insult.
He bad been told, happily, not by a Catholic but a Protestant, that
they ought not to interfere at all. They were Irish Catholics, and
therefore they, as Englishmen, had nothing to do with them.—
(" No, no," and cries of" We've done that long enough.") What
would have been their state in England now but for the Catholics
of Ireland ?—(lmmense cheering, and three cheers for O'Connell.)
He wished he could think they were indebted to the justice of
England for their rights; but he had the words of the Minister of
the Crown, that it was not a sense of justice but a sense of neces.
city; it was granted to the united voice of millions.—(Cheers.) What
was the legal disqualification for sitting on a jury ? Being a con-
victed felon ; that was the legal disqualification. What then was
the inference? That they were no more to be believed than con-
vie ed felons. And were they tamely to sit down under this
imputation.—(" No, no," and cheers.) As far as the press
could bear the accounts of the trial, this imputation had
been circulated. And one ,portion of the press had stated that
which the Government perhaps did not dare do; the Morning
Herald—(Groans)—justified the conduct of the Government; it
said it was right, because, had one Catholic been left on
the jury, he would have immediately received notice
fram his spiritual superior that it was his duty to
acquit the traversers.—(" Oh, oh, and shame.") It was not the
Crown solicitor who was to be charged with this insult—it was not
even the Attorney. General—he charged it directly on the Govern-
ment by whom he was appointed, as from his previously expressed
opinions it was known that he could hardly have acted otherwise.
The Rev. Mr. S►sa seconded the resolution. He said that this
was not the first time the Irish Attorney. General had struck out
the names of Roman Catholics as such from the jury, panel. But
in fact it was not an uncommon thing in Ireland. It was only a
short time ago that a prisoner in the county of Monaghan was
actually tried by three successive juries, before a verdict
was obtained suitable to the wishes of the pro. ecutors.
Was this state of -things to last ? —(Cries of " No, no.") He
hoped not. The Romin Catholics of Ireland were looked upon
In England as •t7eings of an inferior race. Why it was become
commenrin this country to stigmatise the Roman Catholic priests
of Ireland as surpliced ruffians.—(Hear, hear.) He was there to
proclaim that a more hard-working, moral, or enlightened set of men,
did not exist in the world than the Roman Catholic priests of Ireland.
It was said, in this country, that the people of Ireland would never
think of their wrongs if O'Connell did not tell them of them.—
(Cheers.) Thank God they had an O'Connell —(Cheers.) He had
toiled for forty years in their behalf, and he was not now to be put
down.---(Loud cheers.) Could any Irishman sit calmly and con-
template the bare possibility of O'Connell being immured in a
dungeon.—(Load cheers.) No doubt that every effbrt would yet
be made to bri .g about such a result. He could
not' • sit down without congratulating the English Catho.
Tics upon their having come so manfully and spiritedly for.
ward to resent the insult which had been cast upon their brethren
in Ireland. With these observations he begged to second the
resolution.

The resolution was then put and carried amidst loud cheers.
Mr. P. HOWARD, M.P., rose to propose the next resolution.
He said they had seen the great paladium of British liberty assailed
—they had seen the sacred right of trial by jury, hallowed as it
was by the name of Alfred, violated by the late course taken by
her Majesty's Government on the State trials in Ireland. If such
a course had been pursued in the metropolis of Ireland, what an
awful example would it be to thedakendencies of the British Crown,
where of course public opinion RS not so powerful as at home.
The resolution he had to propose was as follows :—" That the fol.
lowing address, founded on these resolutions, be circulated for sig-
nature, and presented to her most Gracious Majesty, at an early
period, by the Noble Chairman, and such other s Catholic
Noblemen and Gentlemen as may please to attend."—(Cheers.)
The address was to the following effect :—" We, your Majesty's
dutiful and loyal subjects, professing the Roman Catholic religion,
strongly impressed with the importance of the principle sanctioned
and established on the passing of the Emancipation Act, that our
religion should no longer be a bar to our full and free enjoyment
of those civil rights and privileges of which we had so long been
deprived under unjust and erroneous imputations on its tenets,
cannot but view with extreme jealousy the late act •of
the legal advisers of your Majesty's Government in Ireland,
whereby all Roman Catholics were excluded from the jury list. We,
therefore, humbly presume, in presenting this, our loyal address, to
your Majesty, to protest against this their act, being construed into
a precedent for infringing on those rights and privileges which we
consider ourselves equally. entitled to, and justified to enjoy with
any other class of your Majesty's subjects."
Mr. El's-m/4 seconded the resolution, which, with the address,
was carried unanimously.'
MS- HOWARD moved that the Noble Lord do now leave the chair,
and tbettt be taken by Lord Stourton.
Sir' E. Vavasoua moved, and Mr. MAXWELL seconded, a reso.
lution of thanks to the Chairman; when the meeting separated,
with three cheers for Daniel O'Connell.

REFUGE for PAUPER LUNATICS

On Saturday the following colloquy took place between Mr.
Rushton and Mr. Gray, one of the assistant-overseers, with re-
ference to the provision of food, care, and shelter for pauper luna-
tics :—.Mr. Rushton—There is a female in custody, named Hannah
'Haggerty, who is supposed to be insane, and she is insane. She
was sent to you, and it appears there is no room in the asylum.
She was Sent to the workhouse; they refuse to take her in there,
a call on
they were quite right in refusing. Under these circumstances
I on you to provide food, shelter, raiment, and security for
he, Mr. Gray--I believe they are bound to take her into the
workhouse for fourteen days. Mr. Rushton—No; the Act
says that they cannot keep her longer than fourteen days,
and that, if they keep her longer, they arc liable to a fine.
Mr. Gray—What, then, are we to do, sir? Mr. Rushton—
You -must take a place, unless you can get proper accom•
modation in a proper asylum. You must make some ar.
er d
rangernent with asylums- at a greater distance than in the imme.
diate vicinity if you cannot do so here, and, in meantime, I
shall call upon you to Provide food, raiment,' shelter,
e and security
for Haggerty, she being a pauper and destitute. Mr. Gray—
What are we to do with such persons as we '
sometimeso come
across who have their throats cut ? Mr. Rushton _You
send them to the" hospital ; it has come to what I told
you it
must
would. Mr. Gray—The last returns respecting lunatics show that
there were from seven to ten thousand kept in workhouses. Mr.
Rushton—All I can tell you is, that I shall not allow the clan-.
gerous lunatics to be in the house longer than fourteen days.
There is no accommodation for them, and they should not be
there.. The governor of the workhouse says, "my workhouse
has no proper accommodatton for lunatics," and he is quite
right.. Mr. Gray—They won't take them in at Squires' or at
Tuebrook. Mr. Rushton—Well, the parish authorities mast
take some place, for the Bridewell is no place for them.
Mr. Gray—The Board gave me instrnctions to go to
Haydock-lodge, and see if there was any accommodation
for them there Mr. Parkinson—Haggerty is not a danger-
ous lunatic. Mr. Rushton—l think the governor of the workhouse
has exercised a proper discretion. lam very glad of it, because it
brings matters to a proper issue. lam sure whatever you, Mr.
Gray, have to do will be done in a humane, considerate, and proper
manner: I can ar my testimony to that, and I shall be glad if
you can make ail arrangement. You should bring before the
Board the responsibility under which you will be placed unless
some place is obtained. The parish authorities should immediately
communicate with the county justices. The lunatic asylum at
Lancaster is full. Why should they not have one at Newton, be-
tween the Salford and West Derby Hundreds, where the distance
is shorter—only fifteen miles ? Mr. Gray—They are going to have i
the Lancaster one enlarged. Mr. Rushton—Even so; you should
communicate. You should write a letter to the county justices on
the
subject. The conversation here ended, and Mr. Gray with-
dirow•o,r4verPool4l/61eai