Star.
London, England, 1803-12-06 00:00:00

1411INAS CORPUS suS►RNSION.

Mr. Secretary Yottis moved the Order of the Day,
for the fecond reading of the Bill for the Sufpeulton
of the Habeas Corpus in Ireland,—Carried.

MARTIAL LIW IN IRELAVD.

Mr. Secretary Yoaaa next moved the Order of the
Day, for the fecond reading of the Irifh martial
Law Bill.

Mr. W. ELLIOTT rofe, for the purpofe of offering
his opinion to the confederation of the Horde for a
thort time, on this Rage of the Bill. His duty to the
country. as a Member of Parliament, rendered it
indifpenfilile in him to break filence on this important
.fubjeet. Thofe who, like hitnfelf, had given their
votes in favour of the Incorporating Legiflative Union
with Ireland, mull feel that upon them a molt pecu-
liar, fulemo, and bounden duty, was impofed, to
look with attention to the affairs of the Sifter Ifland.
It behoved thole who had taken their (hare in extin-
guilhing the local Legiflature of Ireland, to take care
that, as a fubilitute for it, this Parliament Ibould be
fully adequate to all it had undertaken I fully equal
in zeal, attention, and diligence with relpeft to Irifh
interelts, with that local Legiflature now no more.—
But before he could be induced to give his fupport
to &eh an important mcafure as was now propufed,
he mutt have more proper information upon the fob.
jolt, and take into his confideratinn what is the attual
state of Ireland. The Inquifitorial Power was the
very foundation and effence of the Britifh Houk of
Commons. Before we paired new laws, or fufpended
the operation of thole that cuilt, we ought to know
the grounds and reafons °flitch a proceeding. What
in fan, did this BiU go to etre& ? Why to deprive a
vaR number of our fellow.fubjees of the privileges
they enjoyed. That bad bees frequeatly done be•

• fore, he readily confeffed ; but net. aria a rrm
clear and fpecitic catife being (fated.
Ireland when fuch a triestfure was, in the Ertl
refotted to, and he remembered the particul•tr cir
cutntlances that then attended it. The Hon. Member
then weld into a detail of the pra9ice in the hill:
Parliament on the various orcafions when it was
found ratectfary to resew the Aft. The Inftureftion
Bill Rated, in its preamble, the grounds on which
it was framed, and there are two Reports of
Secret Committees of that Parliament. In tdoo, the
Lord Lieutenant Rated. in his fpeech to the Irith
Parliament. that there then emitted a great difpofi.
don to rebellion. In aot. the Ad was renewed a
fecond time. But how ? After a report from aS.
cret Committee. The Speaker himfelf introduced
that meafure, and Elated the reafon for adopting it.
But at prefent, the Houle i. not favoured with a pat.
title of information, by Minifters, on the fubjed of
Ireland. All they can know is inertly to he taken
from the reports of the difi..rent newfpapers. A mei--
rage come down to the Houle, mentioning the atro-
cious murder of Lord Kilwarden, but now p,i, ticulari
were communicated which could tend to thew the
Hoeft: clearly whatwas the condo& of Gov; ument in
that tranfaetion. He thould not vote againtl the Tina-
fere, but he would not give it that kind of filent
fupport which might lead pe• plc to fuppofe that Mi-
nifters were confidered as being perfedly free hots
all imputation in that linfinefs. He wanted only
information. That which might be called ur.fafe
or dangerous to difclofe. might be withheld ; but
furely there was no reafon to fay that none what.
ever could be afforded. The Houle had a right
to exped it. The confpiracy itfelf, which formed
the ground-work of the Bill, had not been laid be..
fore Parliament in any regular (tape ; but when
Minifters fpeak of it. it is always in-a vague and ttn.
fatisfadory manner. Sometimes it is expanded into
a mot alarming and dangerous infurredion : at
others it is contraded into a contemptible riot. The
Speech, at the commencement of the prefent Sawn,
informs us, that the people are becoming convinced
of their errors, and learning how to make fatisfadory
and jolt comparifons between the advantages they
poffefs, and the mifery of French fubjugation. Here
the Hon. Member read fome paffages of a pamphlet
(publi(hed lately in Dublin), containing a narration
of the tranfaelions of the 23d of July,. and in which
,the whole affair is confidered as a contemptible riot.
though tragical in its confequences. What, then, ho
afited, was the inference he was to draw from this
;contemptible confpiracy ? Martial law ! When isfi•
triflers had been told that the Irith Government was
,furprized, they exclaimed, " No ; by no means,"-.
and yet they had but juft before been reprefentiog
every thing in that country as in a Rate of perfeft
• suet. Now, all that he folicited was, in one word.
information. Snppofing that a plot of a fimilar
na-
ture had been formed, not in Dublin, but here. ha
this city, about a year or fo, after the nstated peace
of Amiens; that there had been explofions of pow.
der, that depots had been formed, that all the appa•
rates of rebellion had been ptepued, that at length
it foddenly broke forth, aid that the Lord Chid

,
Janice fell one of its very firft ridims and that, uposi
the prelTure of the orcafion, Parliament had area
pawed an Ad fueh as this, without information, and

that on the commencement of a new Seffi on, after
hearing from the Throne that the danger is Co far
over, that the minds of the people are much ;captor.
ed, we were called upon to pafi a renewal of the,
meafare without a tingle fpecies of information on
any one point cosneaed with it; would Parliament
(offer loch a proceeding as hearing on this country ?
Would any Minitter dare to aft This, he might be
told, was a tnifchievons fiateznent ; he thought other-
wife. If the ftatement of truths in Parliament, fuck
as thefe, notorious troths, be censured. the charade,
of our meafuses would be loft. The affairs of Ire-
land did not appear to excite that attention in the
Honfe, which he thought they merited, and which it
was proper topay to them, more efpeciallyconfidering
that they had now no Parliament of their own. For
the fake of that great tneafnre, the Union, itfeffs
which he hoped to fee matured mud confolidated for
Ireland, for England, for their own fakes, be begged
and exhorted Members to paufe a little, and to alk
for information before they gave their votes.,
Mr. Secretary Tom. —.44 Sir, The Hon. Member
who has jolt fat down has made a variety of obferva-
tions : as to thole which particularly apply to the
prefent fubjeft, I than make a few remarks. He hap
made two attacks, one on his Majesty's Government
in Ireland, and another un this fioufe, for inatten.
lion to frith affairs. He has made life of many very
Rrong terms undoubtedly, bat he has produced no
fails to fubfiantiate his various allegations. What he
means by the negligence of this Hoofe tell:teeing the
interells of Ireland, I really do not know. Let him
bring forward falls . • let him fpecify fomething ; bet
till that is done, I mutt feel jultified in refitting
charges which confift only of unfupported affertioes,
by denying them. He tells its that thole who voted
for tt.e Union are particularly bound to attend to
lath affairs. Sir, they arc bonod, and every Mem-
ber is bound alto, and equally with them, to look
with attention at frith affairs ; and I am confident
that they have that difpofition, feel that duty, and
will excrcife it. The Honourable Member then
proceeded to his charge 'phut Adminiaration for,
what he thinks, a want of information. Now. Sir.
he tells us, that he will not negative the Bill. So
far he is fatisfied with its necellity, that he will vote
in its favour; and I think it is fufficivot %o elk Mina
what kind of information, which he has not received,
is need:try to gain his content ? Our information is
this: We know that this rtobellinus (pink did break
out in the capital of Ireland that it was accompa-
nied with cireonefiances of great atrocity ; that the
Lord Chief lattice fell a victim. We know alto

it is one great objeet of nor fnc, to make the utmoi
ufe he can of Ireland. for our annoyance or de(
tion. Knowing thefe two falls, and coons hug
conficleration of them at the prelim momcn
think the Houle had quite enough in their rag
to joilify them in paling the Bill. I fay that
Government of Ireland were not forptiled ;
they took precautions. The garrifoo of the Ci
Dublin eonfifted of four regiments of regular L
try, and the t6th Regiment ref Dragoons,
altogether a force of near aOOO men. But it wi
in their power to prevent the infurritaion from hi
ing out, to the fort of way in which it appear(
There was nu place of importance in Dublin ia
ger of falling into their hands. They fct out