The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1840-07-21 00:00:00

BANK OF IRELAND

The CHANCELLOR Of the EXCHEQUER moved, in pursu-
ance of his notice, for leave to bring in a bill touching the
charter of the Bank of Ireland. That charter, he said, was
terminable at the end of any year on notice from the govern-
ment, by whom two sums would then be payable—one of
about £1,000,000, and the other of £1,500,000. These
sums could not, in the present state of the subject, be paid
off without the simultaneous determination of the charter;
and it was necessary now, either to pay the money in 1841,
or to provide for the further continuance of the charter. A
committee on joint-stock banks had been appointed at the
beginning of the session, and he had waited to see whether
there was any likelihood of a report from that committee
during the present year ; but it was now apparent that no
such report could, be expected before the prorogation. He
was, therefore, under the necessity of calling for some legis-
lative arrangement, but not for a permanent one. He would
rather leave the house free to adopt such course as it might
deem most expedient after the committee's report ; still it
was not necessary, in order to retain this power, that the
payment of the money should be postponed year after year.
He therefore proposed to consolidate the two sums, one of
which bore interest at four per cent, and the other at five,
taking a power to repay at any time on six months' notice,
but without the present obligation of determining the charter
whenever the payment should be made.
After some observations from Mr. Hume, Mr. Sergeant
JACKSON (who expressed his approbation of the course pro-
posed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer) and another hon.
member, leave was given to bring.in the bill.

MR. FEARGUS O'CONNOR

Mr. AGLIONBY moved for copies of any reports or other
papers relating to the treatment of Mr. Feargus O'Connor in
York Castle.

Mr. WAKLEY seconded the motion, and read a long and
violent letter from Mr. O'Connor, representing his health as
having been injured by his confinement.
Mr. F. MAULE could not consent to produce the returns
which had been moved for. Mr. O'Connor had been con-
victed of publishing a seditious libel of an aggravated kind ;
for the jury were expressly told, that they were bound to
acquit the prisoner if they were not satisfied that he had
published a libel calculated to incite the people to subvert the
constitution of the country. For this Mr. O'Connor had
been condemned to imprisonment in York Castle. On
Tuesday, at two o'clock, Mr. O'Connor arrived in York,
spent the afternoon in seeing the city and visiting the
minster, and did not repair to the prison till ten o'clock at
night. It had been admitted in former debates, that Mr.
O'Connor was not, at his first reception in the prison,
placed in that sort of confinement in which it was fit that
he should be placed. But as soon as this became known,
the Secretary of State interfered, and instructions were
given that Mr. O'Connor's situation should be ameliorated,
and that he should be allowed various indulgences, but not
that of continuing to carry on in prison the paper in which
he had published the libel. A doubt having been suggested
whether those instructions were carried into effect, a person
was sent down to inquire how far those instructions, which
had been given to the visiting magistrates, had been carried
into effect; and he found that Mr. O'Connor had really re-
ceived those indulgencies which were directed to be granted
to him. As, however, the examinations were not conducted
by this gentleman, the only answer which he could return
was a simple affirmative or negative. With regard to any
correspondence which had taken place between Mr. O'Con-
nor and this gentleman, he (Mr. F. Maule) was not aware of
the existence of any such correspondence ; and as to the
medical certificates which were moved for, they referred
merely to the question of Mr. O'Connor's having been in a
fit state to be removed from the Queen's Rench prison to
York Castle, and therefore could not be used to show what
Mr. O'Connor's condition was in the latter place of confine-
ment. The marshal of the Queen's Bench prison had given
him (Mr. F. Maule) an account of Mr. O'Connor's diet
while in the Queen's Bench prison, and also of his exercise,
of which racket-playing formed part.
Mr. HusrE said, that this was the first time that lie had
ever heard of a public officer who had been sent down to
make an inquiry returning merely a verbal answer. How-
ever, if no report in writing had been made, of course none
could be produced.
After a few words from Sir C. Douglas, General Johnson,
and Mr. Aglionby, the gallery was cleared for a division, but
there not being 40 members present, the house adjourned at
half-past one o'clock.