The Sun.
London, England, 1819-02-10 00:00:00

IRISH GRAND JURIF,S.

Mr. DA\VSON rose to present a Petition front the Magis-
trates of the County of Londonderry, against the Irish Grand
.lury Ri)). He toot. the opportunity of eallink the attention
of the House to the abuses which had existed in the Grand
.Inry system of Ireland. Reports had been presented to Par-
liament which fully extiosrd the nmore and extent of those
abuses. His Right Lion. Friend, the Member for Clare, last
Session introduced the Bill Of which this Petition complaio-
ed, because it would be inefficient, so far as it related to the
County of Londonderry. But it would 6te east•, without any
great alteration in the Bill, to adapt it to the tit cum-
stances of that County. This Petition had been .Irawn op in•
consequence of a meeting of the \la;istrat•:s of the County,
assembled for the pru•pose of contidering how the Bill could
he rendered efficient. The Petition stated the various:objec-
tions to the Bill, and the way in which it was proposed to
obviate then.

The Petition was brought up and read. On the question
that it should lie ,m the table.

Sir J' )11N STEWART said a few words against the Bill.
General HART said a few words td the same Oleo. and
said that the abuses under the former system had been ex-
aggcra►ed.

Nlr. V. FrFZGERALD defended the. Bill, and iniiited
much on the abuses which existed in the Grand Jury system
before he had introduced the Bill, and on the ditcultik un-
der rslich tie bud carried it through the House. Ile knew.

• ..
that the provisions of the fill had, in malty parts of Ire-
land,' been executed, and executed with applause. lie
warned the House against altering the great principles of the
Bill. pOr his owin part., he altieitld certainly decline bringing'
forward tlae proposed amendments, because he thought they:
would go to trench upon the great principles of the Pill.=
Ile pressed the propriety of Government' supporting and
countenancing. measures of this kind, which were of too
great importance to be left to the unsupported efforts of any
single individual . • "
Sir H. PARNELL ag'reed with the Right Hon'. Gentleman
who spoke last, in Alt that he had said, and.thought great
obligations were due to him for his exertions in hi iii ig in
this Bill. He was sore that when the matter was sifted to

the bottoiu, it would be found that there was no curet._ in the
objections to the Bill. in the county which he had"the
Ito-
ilour to represent (queen's County) the provisions attic Bill
had been carried into execution without any diilictiliy.
Sir G. HILL spoke 'in favotir of the Petition, and main •
tttined (he necessity of the amendments which the Petitioners
required. He. observed that the Petitioners approved of
iumly parts of the Bill.

. .
Mr. V. Fitzgerald and Sir O. Hill explained.
Mr. PE'J remarked that the objections to the Bill had
h?en made in a peat degree by anticipation. If there reailY
had been any adegnake experience of the Bill, the case would
he different-. But if the House seat thus to bear objections
to this Bill, which had been hardly tried, and to hear nothing-
' of, the defect's which that Bill kvas intended to correct, alt
'tironeous impression must be •produeed. Hti shortly called
tire attention (.1 the House to the abuses of the old system.—
It gave to certain individuals the power of levying taxes for
certain purposes to an unliwiqq.l extent. To such length hail
the abuses gone, that at one time, within a year; 1,000,0001.
hay-thus- been levied, when the total ainotint of the revenue
of Ireland was' only 4,ooo,oool.—(Hear, hear 1.)---The pre-
sentment: tinder altieh these SUMS were raised, w:ere hurried
thromf,h the hinds of
.the Judges of Assize in sod) a way,
that it was calculated on one uccasimr, that so twiny pr,usent-
mews had Teceivef! the'fiat of the din.lge in a short time, that
the average time allowed for the con,ideration of each was a
minute and a half.--Hear, hear!)—Then, there was no suf-
ficient check on the application 011ie money thus raised. Of
the tnisUpplicat kin of in many gross instances had come wit link
his own (nisei ration. He therefore begged the House nit
hastily to agree to the repeal of the Bill now in' force, and,
above all, he hoped 'that nothing would induce them to re-
turn to the out

Sir JOHN NEWPORT observed, that ail the objections
which had been made to the Bill were merely appliiable to
its details, and none of them went to impeach the general
principle of it: He presse:l the truth of the observation of
tin, Right Hoc►. Gentleman who sprlie last, that the Bill had
not yet been fairly tried. But above all, he deprecated any
return to the old syA m. There might be some alteratio►r
necessary in certain provi,:iuns• of the Bill, lint he implored
the autism to adhere to the principle of it.
A MEMBER, whose name could not he learned, moved,
that the petition be plinted'; and gave notice th it he in-
tended to ►uore for the appointment or a Committee to lA..
quire into the present state of the lows relative to Grand Ju-
ries in greland.—The motion was agreed to.