The Sun.
London, England, 1844-05-07 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.
HOUSE OF LORDS, May 6.
THE APPOINTMENT OF MR. O'BRIEN.
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE then rose to cam
the attention of the House to the appointment of *;
f
O'Brien as a stipendiary magistrate in Ireland. AI.
though this gentleman had very recently expressed Teri
strong opinions in favour of the repeal of the Legislative
union between England and Ireland, although
appointment might be considered as a trifling rain
yet he could assure the House that in Ireland suchnape
pointments were matters of the utmost importance.
first consideration of a Government in making such
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state of certain parts of Ireland depended, in a very large
degree, upon the person who filled the office of stipendiary
magistrate. The case to which he was then calling
the attention of the House was one which he did not f
think could for a moment be defended by the Govern
ment. Mr. O'Brien was 28 years of age, and was
the
originally intended by his parents for,_
profession of the law. He did not, however, remelt
very long at his legal studies, but for two or three yes,,,re
he gave himself up to the charms of private life. sTe_ur
private life, however, began to cloy upon him, and 0; -
then suddenly conceived a passion for public life, Of;
became a violent Repealer, at a time, in justice to hin2l!„.
should be stated, when repeal was not so fashionable as:
it had since become. During this time, at various pew.
Hods and places, Mr. O'Brien applied the most
offensive epithets to the Lord Lieutenant of Irelend::::.
he became so strong in his language that, at one
meeting at the Corn Exchange, in Dublin, Pi!!!
O'Connell would not allow him to proceed in tu"
speech, and Mr. O'Brien left the hall in high displeasure'
Soon after this a change came over the spirit of gr.
O'Brien's dream. This was at the time that Mr. O'Cort"
nell was the Lord Mayor of Dublin, and it 0
happened that Mr. O'Brien was summoned before
that Learned Gentleman for payment of his se"
vents' wages. And what did their Lordships
think was the defence set up by this gentleman? why
that his servant's services were performed out of the j
risdiction of the Lord Mayor. Mr. O'Connell would not
admit this plea, and decided against Mr. O'Brien, and
frem that time Mr. O'Brien became one of the bitterest
enemies of Mr. O'Connell. In one of his letters he de.'
scribed that Learned Gentleman as a beggar, exposing his
sores, a monster, and a being only fit for a gibbet, or t
feritlise a foreign soil.—(Laughter.) This then was the
style of writing which the Government had determined t;
uphold—this was the style of writing which had obtained
Mr. O'Brien his appointment. Lord Eliot had state"
that Mr. O'Brien was of an old family, and was an inde;
pendent gentleman. This latter fact he (the Marquis of
Clanricarde) was ready to disprove. It was true that Mr.
O'Brien had two estates, one in Galway, and one i•P-
Rosconatnon, but both these estates 'ere
overwhelmed with judgment debts recorded is
Court, and a list of which he (the Marquis of Clanricarde)
held in his hand. This, then, was the gentleman who
had found favour with the Government, and who WI
been appointed to a situation in which he would have to
communicate officially and confidentially with thew-
He (the Marquis of Clanricarde) thought, therefore, ,
that he had shown to their Lordships that this appoint"
ment of Mr. O'Brien was a most unfortunate one, espe-
cially when they came to consider that Mr. Blake urns
set aside for the appointment of Mr. O'Brien, Mr
Blake, be it remembered, having been a magistrate ier
ten years, having never been known to utter one oh*
jectionable sentence, and who had always been respeetel •
by all who knew him. Having said so much, he "...cola
not trouble their Lordships further, except just to sal.
vert to an argument—tu quoque argumente-v;hich vies
used by the oble and Learned Lord near him (Lord
Brougham) with respect to this subject. 'His Noble se"
Learned Friend said that the late Government of
fered the Mastership of the Rolls to Mr. 0'00;
nell, and gave the Vice-Presidency of the Board a'
Trade to Mr. Sheil, and the Noble and Learned I,o'
said that these were parallel cases to that of Mr. O'Brien'
This parallel he (the Marquis of Clanricarde) could 10'
discover. Mr. Sheil never made violent speeches
favour of repeal, nor did he ever write inflammatory an
violent letters on the subject. With respect to the cos*
of Mr. O'Connell, he thought there was not the slightest
similitude to be found to that of the case of Mr. O'Brien'
The Noble Marquis concluded by moving that the sr-
pointment to the office of a stipendiary magistrat'd
Ireland of a person who had published intempi:ate en •
extreme opinions upon political questions
which had
agitated the public mind, was not calcul:'
ated to maintein.'
confidence in the impartial admil.!:istration of justice
which such an appointment vies :ntended to establish.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE apprehended that this m°'tion was neither more nor lees than an attempt to =
sure the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland and the Govern'
ment at home. Now he (Lord Wharncliffe) would meet
this attempt boldly, The Noble Marquis had stated that
certain gentlemen had been passed over. Why, wh6
was the person to judge as to who should be passed over
; ••
and who should not, if it was not the Lord-Lieutenant?
When the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland appointed Mr
O'Brien he knew nothing of the letter to which so much
reference had been made as having been written by Mr
O'Brien—a letter, be it remembered, silly and foolish 01,,
itself. So far, then, the implied charge against Lorw.
De Grey fell entirely to the ground. With respect la o
f ;
the change of Mr. O'Brien's opinion upon the subject
repeal, he (Lord Wharncliffe) would call to the rec°l:
lection of their Lordships the time at which that .„
change took place. It occurred at the time when al
Repeal Association was dabbling with the French, an'
with the Americans, and soliciting sympathy from those,
countries. Mr. O'Brien saw this, and he (Lig'
Wharncliffe) could very well understand that such
gentleman as Mr. O'Brien would feel disgust at the
attempt which Mr. O'Connell was making,
endeavour to free himself entirely from I.SI
connexion with, or participation in it., Befog
Lord De Grey appointed M nr, o
he he'
a personal interview with tee:. and •
in that way satisfied himself gentlemen,
Mr. O 'Brien was fitw-
for the appointment whl,-(1 was about to be given to him'
He (Lord Whti-naiffe) would ask whether there
anything in the letters to which reference had been
made which could show that Mr. O'Brien was not
qualified for the situation to which he had been er
pointed? He apprehended that it would be difficult 0
show this. He did not think that the Noble Mere
was justified in going into the private affairs of w.'bh;
O'Brien, or in going into an inquiry as to what Was
amount of his debts. Why, if the Government were ~
'"
quired to look into these private matters whenever teee, '•
made an appointment similar to that of Mr. O'Bri
...,t1:
they would have enough to do.—(Hear, hear.)
."
respect to the affair about the servant, he (LordWWhyseys
li
chile), would just remark that their Lordships ought
not to form any opinion upon such a matter withOtly
first being in full possession of the facts of the case'
Was not Mr. O'Brien entitled to make the objection let
did? He might have considered that Mr. O'Coune
be
would be prejudiced against him, and, if
did think so, he was
.justified in make.
the objection which he had offered. He (",..t
Wharncliffe) could not but feel surprise t 47,.
whenever there was a word said publicly against Ju;
O'Connell there was immediately a clamour among°,
certain number of Noble Lords in that House. Thew"
Noble Lords cherished that Learned Gentleman's!;
sistance, but when he got to the verge of difficulty
left him. Mr. O'Connell had certainly been offered IP,
office of Chief Baron.
The Marquis of NORMANBY said Mr. O'Colsne!
"1/11"
had never been offered the Chief Baronship, but het
offered the Mastership of the Rolls.
Lord WHARNCLIFFE—Then Mr, O'Coneeell
stated that which was not true.—(Hear, bran) m„-s.
passing by this subject, he (Lord Wharneliff.e) did not
think that the Noble Marquis oregfrosite livia made 014...
case against the appointment o o'l4".rien, and there
he e should
Thelregauvies iot
f NORMANBY said the Noble 14° ~
who had just sat down commenced by stating that mrii
would meet this case boldly., Although r 4.9
that Noble f.an
had met it boldly, he had done so but weakly. w
Noble Marquis then entered into a defence of the Our, s
pursued by the late Government with respect to
offer made to Mr. O'Connell. With respect to the eis,t-,
before the House, the Noble Lord had stated that,
Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland was the person to judige,...l
the appointment of stipendiary magistrates in ITet*:;
It was so, but was that an answer to the Noble..
quis (Clanricarde) behind him? Was it to be said tbe?
Parliament wan not to have the power to interferes •
Such a prbpositios was absurd. This was a subjece
whiet-Parlianient ought to inquire into; and, entertitie_l4;
that opinion, he should certainly support his
Friend behind him.
70-Oble,
Lord BROUGHAM did not think, with the "'- of
Marquis behind him (the Marquis of Clanricarde), 0.
they, ought to enter into the comparative merits of in, ,
candidates for the office of stipendiary magistrates. wise
Noble Friend was there to show, not that Mr. Blakesr.
more fitted for the office than Mr. O'Brien, but theta,
O'Brien was unfit for the office to which he hadZir
appointed; and unless he had done this,
Lordships would not go along with him in his en ;rO.,
censure, for censure it was upon Her Majesty's Gni' ne.
ment. After all, what was the charge against ~„r,
O'Brien? It was that he first raised an idol, and
wards changed his opinion, and became an Iconoclast' or
(Laughter.) When they came to consider of the lettersier
which complaint had been made, they must also coop
what was the early life of Mr. O'Brien? He had r°l,ol
at the feet of an idol, and at the feet of that idol be oid •
gathered the flowers of his rhetoric—(Laughter? of
of •
when he became an Iconoclast he preserved a Farah-KO
of course of;
the idol, and that was its vocabulary.—(Great Mug die- •
Under these circumstances, he (Lord Brougheo.
,41 to
not think there was so much blame to be attacks
ow. ,
Mr. O'Brien on account of these letters, silly suntbink:
becoming as he believed them to be. He did net ea
this was an improper appointment, and, theref°re'
could not vote with his Noble Friend behind hiu,1,;(0,,
After a few words from the Earl of HADDIN"'
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE replied. knot, to
The motion was then put and negatived wil's"
division.
Their Lordships then adjourned at a Quarter to
o'Clock.

HOUSE OF COMMONS, May 6.
Sir R. PEEL (in continuation) said—Thou w
W
THE BANK CHARTER.
contend for a relaxation of the currency, c0nrA1,.1117.44,
rightly, that an abundance of the presto'"'
metals, though it would not alter the value of gold 1;41:
gold, yet it would have an influence as prices whi'
ill
would act in favour of the debtor. Brit I very mu 0,
doubt, looking at the increased surpiy of gold fro _
Russia and other places, that even if they took off tt,
pressure altogether, they would procure a relaxation Ppi
contracts by adopting silver for our currency innteacif4 0
gold. The third objection is this—that it is most unws pr
to take so considerable an article as gold to serve' ' of
11
the purposes of coin, because it is also an articlo. fat
commerce. And wise men write pamphlets to show 1" ;
we have taken gold as our coin, and to serve ss 40
=Leasure of Tall% What M bullion and as W 1104.