The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-07-16 00:00:00

IRISIICONSTAHLIES

On the motion of Mr. Secretary Plum, the Report of
the Irish Constables Bill was tali•n into further consi-
deration, and agreed to, and the Bill ordered to be read
a third time to-morrow.

IRISH INSURRECTION ACT.

Mr. GOULBUIIN moved the order of the day for
reading the Irish Insurrection Bill a third time.
Mr. C. H. HUTCHINSON, 'without approving of
those disorders in Ireland, which no legal man could
view but with feelings of deep regret, felt it necessary
to explain the motives which regulated his conduct.—
He considered the house to be now in possession of the
measures which the Government meant to propose in
the present Session of Parliament—looking at three, lie
had ne hesitation in saying,that enough had not been ae
for the relief of Ireland. It was now twenty-two years
since the Union, which was intended to consolidate the
interests of the two islands, bnt the hopes held out to
Ireland were not realized. He did not aterihe the fa-
mine which now prevailed to the measures of Ministers ;
nor did he quarrel with Ministers for not effecting a
commutation of tithes, but what he quarrelled with them
for was this, that they had never enquired into the situ.
ation of Ireland, till they were compelled to do so by
some impending calamity. He complained that the
promise held out in the King's Speech, at the beginning
of the Session, had not been made good. lie contended
that the Irishman was made of good stuff—was fit to be
trusted, and if his good qualities were obscured. it only
proved that there was something radically wrong in the
system of Government. He dissented from the Secre-
tary of State for the Home Department. sod the Noble
Marquess, who thought that Ireland -had already en-
gaged enough of the attention of Parliament, and that
all had been done that could be done. He eulogised
the Marquess of Wellesley, but maintained that, is a
public man, be (Mr. Hutchinson) was bound to oppose
his call for the renewal of the Insurrection Act. He
was glad tbat•the Act when passed would be committed
to humane Magistrates, and to an enlightened Lord
Lieutenant,hut this was not enough for him. Before be
voted for this Bill lie wished to see that more had been
accomplished for the relief of Ireland than had hitherto
been dose. While the present fearful distress prevailed
in !retold. if the public money could afford relief it was
the duty of Parliament not to suffer the people of Ireland
to come to their bar as mendicants, but to relieve them
to the very last shilling. He denied that Ireland had
profited as she ought to have done from her connection
with England. The evils which had oppressed her
were in fact such that it was time theliovernment should
retrace its steps, and that a course the f that
which had hitherto been pursued should be taken.—
Transportation and death were not the means of correct-
ing the evils which existed. These were not the expe-
dients to which a good governmennt would have re-
course ; they only served to prove the absence of all Go-
vernment. He objected to the several provisions of the
Insurrection Act, but one of the greeted objections
which he had to it grew out of the insults to which fe•
males were exposed under it. He had seen soldiers and
others enter a hut where a whole family reposed in one
room ; the women—the grown up daughteri—the bro-
thers, and the other members of the family. Thus cir-
cumstanced, respect for decency was still preserved ; but
when the soldiers with a Magistrate had entered one of
these cabins of misery, he himself had seen the females,
who were its inmates, obliged to quit it, in a state of per
feet nudity that their beds might be searched. The In-
surrection Aet could not be carried into effect without
producing such scenes. He did net wish to withhold
from Government the powers which they bad a right to
chin►; het what he declared before such a law as that
now called for was passed, was this—that such an en-
quiry should take place, as would (lie was convinced
such would be the case), make every man in Ireland
loyal. He was grateful for the manner in which the
distress of Ireland had been taken np in England, and
especially for the manner in which English Members
had reeved themselves. What he desired was, that an
enquiry into the state of Ireland should take place—that
a Commission of English Gentlemen should take the
subject in 1)...nd. They could not be better employed,
and the result would tie aonie measure which would con-
fer impereant benefits on Ireland. lie did not underva-
lue the dangers to which the loyal were exposed. He
could not view the disturbances which had taken place
, with horror, and was anxious that every means should
be need to put them down. But lie conteoded the duty
of the Government did not end there. They ought to
take other measures, and endeavour to get at the rout of
the evil. This Bill gave the Lor.. Lieutenant a power
which lie ought not to possess. The other measures
which the Session had produced, Were inefficient. The
Tithes Leasing Bill lie thought a very useless measure.
lie considered it objectionable in many respects. But
he, notwithstanding, took it such as it was a boon. and
thanked Ministers, for in this he recognised a disposi-
tion on the part of Ministers to do something to relieve
the distresses of Ireland. He hoped it would be follow-
ed up by a measure for commuting the tithes. Ile felt
that he should not have done his duty, had be not depre-
cated the passing of the Bill before tke House, before an
inquiry bad been instituted into the state of Ireland,
with a view of getting at the root of the evil. and sifting
the :rieramees complained of to the bottom, I. order to

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vnanl against their
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■t *nue future pa.

Mr. MONCK tbosght the present Bill might beg.,
crimy to check the evil complained af, but lie regretted
that it would not mlk, at the root. The cause of the
evil he believed to be the redundant population, which
exceeded that of any other part of the world. While
the people of Ireland were contented with potatoes, in-
stead of being corn-fed like every other people of En.
rope. he feared the calamities now experienced would
he of frequent re, greener. He was sorry that Irish
landlords were nut more in the habit of living on their
estates than they had been of late years. An evil like
that now felt in Ireland would he prevented in this cons-
try by the humane interference of the laws. It was hard
on this country that, besides maintaining its own poor,
it should be called on to relieve the sufferinc portlatien
of Ireland. But saving this, he was far from wislen•
that this country should abate its exertions to assist the'
Irish, where a calamity of such magnitude was to be
met. The Irish Gentlemen were of opinion, that its
England the subject was not understood. He had read
a letter two days ago, which said, Give us the hew.
rectioee Art (or the rich and potatoes for the poor, and
we bees all we desire." Ile, how. ver, did net wish the
pour to beet potatoes,he wished them to have corn—to
be fed on bread. l'e vapid not say that the Poor Laws
ought to be introduced 'into Ireland, as at that moment
he feared their operation would reduce those who were
non considered rich to the level of the poor.
Colonel TRENCH coincided in the view which the
Hon. Gentleman who had last spoken took of the causes
of the distress which now arevaileil in Ireland, but he
thought that this 11111 °axial to pais as a measure of De-
cessii v ; anal not only as a memere of necessity but as
one of mercy. The evils which afflicted Ireland were of
two kinds—the one was capable of being diminished by
legislative influence—the other was not. Among the
former he considered the state of the magistrecy—the
tithes—and the want of edecarion among the poor.
The. her Was the absentees (the nitutherof ahem would
be increased by say effort to dimitilek thew), the high
rents, and the manner in which the poor mete neglected
by those who ought to protect and inform them. He
hose testimony to the natural excellen:e of the Irish
character, and the meritorions exertions of the Hibernian
Society to diffuse the blessing, of Christian knowledre,
and the light of education, which were among the moo
important means of ameliorating the cortili:ion of Ire-
land. Our of the must crying evils h 3.1 scarcely been
alluded to, though the remedy war in the bends of the
Chancellor of the Excheipter. The evil was the Exeis.
Laws, anal the remedy would he found by lirensing small
stills. By such a measure the revenue would not suffer,
as in that case the acitve young men, who now (cornea
an army hostile to the law and the 1.1 trarnmeta,•would
be on its side. 'I hoie who paid for a melt erill siotthl
be active to see that others did not profit by illicit di,-
tillation. He approved of the Bill, and was cunvinced
that in the hands of the present Governmeat were was
no danger of its powers being misapplied.
Mr. WILBERFORCE spoke in favour of reading Cie
Bill a third time, but in so low a tone that he eoula riot
be beard distinctly io the gallery. lie deplored the pre.
sent distress of Ireland, declared it was impossible for
any man to with that distress removed more anxious!!
than he did, but the powers of the Insurrection :let ap-
peared necessary to him to prevent the downtall of Go-
vernment and law altogether.
Mr. R. MARTIN concurs el in the eulogiurn amid
the Hon. Member for Cork had pronounced on the cha-
racter of the Lord Lientenaot of Ireland, but complained
of the objectious urged against all the Ineuneres which
had been brought forward for the relief of Ireland. lie
particularly regretted the amendments (if it were not a
blonder to call them so) which had been made in the
Irish Constables Bill. It had originally been proposed
in it to give power to appoint a salaried Magistratr, on
any extraordinary emergency. This would, his Lis opi-
nion, have been advantageous, as he was sorry to confe-s
that as the Magistracy of Ireland was at present consti.
toted, a parte man would probably not °bait n justice with
the same promptness as a rich 11143 would. It was then
important that a Magis'rate should be appointed, who
would fill a more neutral situation. lie would ask any
Irish Maeistrate (being like himself, a County Member)
if it would not be a great relief to him to be able to say
to those who pressed their affairs on his consideration,
" I have not time to attend to your cause myself ; but
there is a gentleman—go to him, and von will obtaie
prompt justice at his hands." The salaried Magistrate
would be the Magistrate for the poor man in Ireland.—
He begged pardon for deviating from the subject before
the house; bat ate two Bills had been discussed tor-
titer by others, and acting as he bad done, he had only
followed the example set by others. He thought that
the keeping people in their houses at night were only for
their pwn good. The poor were not armed against the
rich, bat against each other; and to keep them from each
ether, was the hest measure that could he adopted for
their good. For these reasons he should support the
Bill.

Mr. W. SMITH funnel himself in a dilemma as to tl
vote be should give upon this question. He believed
the Insurrection Act to be in a great degree a measure
of mercy.—(Hear!)--.lle thought also that the state of
Ireland demanded it. But the powers which had for.
merly been placed in the hands of Goverument, bad been
so aboard, that be could not but hesitate at inclining
the risk of a repetition of the events to which he allud-
ed. In his opinion the Indemnity Act which followed
them was an indelible stain upon the country. When
he spoke of those Acts, and the abuse of power then die.
played, be did not at all mean to implicate the present
Irian Government, or to say that any part of their con-
duct partook of his suspicions. lie did not expect that
any thing which could be done for Ireland would give
her immediate relief. It must take the operation of a
century, under the hest and wisest management, to cure
the evils of four or live centuries of misgovernment.
The Marquess of LONDONDERRY rose to make one
or two observations upon the ioipulicy of rev. ring to
the painful events and circnitisrinces connected with the
Irish Rebellion, upon an occision like the present. lie
could tell the Hon. Member that there was no abuse, Cr
e►eo exercise of the power entrusted to the Government,
in the acts which were perpetrated at the time of the re-
hellion, and %%hick he should he the last to countenance
or defend. They were not abuses of power, hut acts of
s•li-defence, slthou,h of a nature which all lived to de-
plore. With regard to the Indemnity Act, he had the
honour of bring a Minister at the time it was brought
in, and he was desirous of t..king all the odium which
attached to it ilium himself. He should have heen
ash enr d if, tt hen he brought down a Bill
for pan dm ihe Irish rebels for their acts of plunder.
and word. r, am! tebedion—if he land not also brought
down an Act of ladramity for Magistrates, who were
compelled to r-sur., in wlhdefence, to measures of me-
lancholy severity. The Act of Irdemnit)• was cot ap-
plied to its lividUA vises, beet to the general state of Ire-
land. lie would ask the Hon. Member what he would
have thought of any Minister, who, after pardoning re-
bels and the disleyal, had left the Magistrates and those
who opposed them unprotected ?—(11-ar !)
Mr. DENNIS BROWNE supported the Bill.
Mr. SPRING RICE said that be would agree tint
the Act of Indemnity, or the time which required
could not he looked back to without pain, sod be bor.'
they would not revert to them, except u mom of anus
logy. As to tie acts of atrocity committed during she
rebellion, lie would put it to the house, would not simi-
lar barbarities be practised in any other country in the
same melancholy situation as Ireland then was? He
considered that the body of the Irish Magistracy se-

quired reform and revision. The Honourable Gendr•
man then ailadod to some clause of the present Naar
rection Act ; on their operation he requested the nag&
of the Hon. the Attorney-Oeneral for Ireland.
Mr. SMITH and the Marquess of LONDONDIZRY me-
tually explained.
lien. HART said that the Distillery Laws were the
main causes of discontent in Ireland.

Mr. PLUNKETT considered that the objections
taken to certain clauses in the Act of the Honourable
Member for Limerick were not sufficiently well
grounded.
Mr. GREY BENNET cmnplained that the general
system arinpted towards Ireland was one of ity, and
not of conciliation. He regretted that the Government
bad not, during the Smision, turned their attention t -
wards that country with any view of conferring benefits,
Of effecting moral Improvement.
Mr. tiOULBURN said that the chief object the Go-
vernment had in renewing the Insurrection Act, trairto
save Ireland front going into a state of civil war. They
rested their claims to have it passed as neeessary to the
safety of that wintry, and for its tranquillity. The
Right Hon. Gentleman concladsd by adverting to the
state of the Magistracy of Ireland, anti saying hoe
.cult it was to revise it; however, under the direction of
the Chancellor of Ireland, it had been putt in the pro-
gress of revision, sod be hoped its state, after some time,
ovoid be considerably improved.
!cord A. HAMILTON could notTive his consent to
this measure, as he considered that he should be voting
the destination of the Constitutional lihetties of Ire-
land. He should think the vote gnite equal to one for
a permanent suspension of the flubeas corpus Act in
England.
Mr. BUTTERWORTH supported the Bill, which
was then read a third Cone and passed, eitlauut a di-