The Statesman.
London, England, 1823-04-16 00:00:00

reached his cars, that a late motion of an Hon. Frit ni,
the Member for Carar (Cal. Barr)) bad its origin in
party feelings and prejudices. He (Mr. B) was ceitaiu
tied his lion. Mend did not-deserve any such accusation,
and for his own part he again declared 'that he etas not
actuated byteisch feelings. If the present was a question
of a negative character; if it had intrinsic and markt:d
features, peculiarly its own, then it might be fair to look
for extraneous motives in its supporters. He (leiter('
for himself the protection of the House, from all motives
except those'which would become apparent in the obser •
rations be submitted on the resolution with which he
intended to conclude.—(Hear, hear.)—l fin them be was
led astray by prejudice or passion, be well knew that he
would meet the instant reprobation of the House—
He made 110 doubt if the praceedines in Ire•
I.nil were sheltered by the. Ilouse, and if les •
Majesty's Attorney-General in that country were
skreened io a departure from Law and the Constitution
that an English Attorney-Gsneral, relying on that prere•
dent, might yet come down to that Honer., and draw a
sword against British Liberty and Hie Constitution
(Hear, front the Opposition.)—He recollected a line from
the Retrain Historian, ',recites, which might be appro-
priately quoted. It referred to the policy of Caligula.
who sought to complete the subjugation of Eegianti by
the conquest of 'eland—
I:t in conspectu ililits libertas delete sit.
lie (Mr. Brownlow) asked his Majesty's Atterney-Gee.
for Ireland, if it was his intention to attempt the suejoe't-
tion of England, by destroying the beeelits of the Con-
stitution in the sister country ? Did he seek to estab'ish a
source of corruption in the extreme part of the empire,
which was to work its way to the heart of tbe Constita:
ties ? lie 'rebid ask any Hon. Member about bim,what
his feelings would be, to see the country broken in spirit,
and made bankrupt by such unconstitutional proceedings"!
lie believed there were very few in that House who w: re
not acquainted with the circumstances of the dressing a
statue of King William in Dublin on the 4th November.
The custom was least one hundred years old, and he
recollected haring seen a Proclamation, in which a large
reward was offered for the discovery of the evert° wino
stole the truncheon from the hands of the statue on one
of those slays of cerertiony.—(Hear, and laughter. It
stewed on the arrival of the Marquess of Wellesley in the
country, that he was not inclined to support this loyal
millinery, as it was called, and the Noble Marquess
refused to countenance a practice which he (Mr.B.)
was ready to admit sac most mischievous.—(l fear, hear )
He was well aware of the delicate ground he was treading
upon when speaking of that ceremony, and he was not iu-
clined to enter upon objectionable topics. But as his 'la:
jetty's Attorney.6eneral had put the case,be (Mr. B.) felt
himself called open to declare that he would have equally
pretested against the deviation from the law if the same
proceeding had taken place, and if the House asked to ad-
mit it as a precedent. He would not have shrunk from
the same duty which he had then undertakes, if the
oppressed and persecuted patties wete Roman Uatho-
Ho, and the Attorney-General himself the Grand Alas-
of an Orange lodge.—(Hear, and laughter.)-1n treating
the question on general grounds, be hail nothing to do
with the party politics which were introduced only to di-
vest the attention of the House from the real merits or de-
merits of the subject. The prevention of the dressing of
the statue was the cause of mock pride and exultation on
the one side, as it was of depression and mortification on
the other. An outrage followed shortly, which he could
not sufficiently reprobate ; and an insult was offered to
the repiesentative of Majesty in Ireland—to a Nobleman
whose character and talents promised happiness to that
country by his Government, The feeling of indignation
was prompt and general throughout the country agairist
the parties concerned in the insult. He spoke then the
language of the whole country, when he used the strong-
est .terms of abhorrence against them. Had the
stares which were brought forward been only guided by
common prudence anti temper, thee would have been
met with approbation from one end of the country to the
other. But when his Majesty's Attorney-General, io an
unlucky hour, spoke of assassination, ritlieule, the Most
powerful of all weapons, was instantly directed against
him and all his subsequent proceedings. From the con-
duct of his Majesty's Attorney-Get.eral an argument
might fairly be raised, to what lengths a public officer,
removeable at the pleasure of the Crown, will go at the
instance of the Crown, or perhaps from his own irritated
feelings—(Hear, hear, from the Opposition.) Ile asked
from slut occurrence could the. accusation of an intend-
ed assassination be made ont ? or in what manner was it
shown that it was to be carried into effect? Was the
Lord Lieutenant to he assassinated by hissing him—a
Wellesley of all others to have his fears excited by the
silly clamour of a mob.—(Hear.) To show the House
how well the circumstances of the case tallied with the
charge of an intended assassination, be would inform the
House of the relative situation of the parties. The Lord
Lieutenant sat in a box on the left side of the theatre, in
a recess on a level with the stage. The assassins went
to the same side of the House to the gallery—to a p'ace
where they could oat see the object of their yengeanee,
and the most inconvenient which could he selected far
their object. From that spot it was impossible to reazh
his Excellency with any weapon or missile, unless frees
such a pleas was known Alone in Ireland, and which
had the peculiar power of sitogthig round a corncr,—
(Laughter) and at an object which was neither seen nor
aimed at.—(A laugh) He asked if 'lrwin possesslan
of their faculties ever made choice of such a pace far
such an object; or if ever men came to assassinate the
ChierMagistrate of a country, and with a rattle and a
.bottle.—(Hear, and laughter.) The pat ties, however, who
become the objects of suspicion were taken up, and
lodged in gaol. The four Walls of the ptisot bezatne
their sureties, and there were they they left to pass their
Christmas holyclays. The outrage tonic place on the 14th
of December, and on the Monday after the Lord Lionte-
nant, through his Private Secretary, returned thanks to
Mr. Mulligan for his defence. He heard a erect deal atmat
packed June., who went together against law and evi-
dence front political sympathy; but. in time present case,the
feelings of the whole of Ireland were packed together by
ill-timed addresses, and still More ill-timed answers. At
last the Assizes 4AM—the Oyer and Terminer Brevet!, act
then it was intimated, for tle first time, that the capital
'part of the charge was abandoned, which notice was ac-
companied by a tleclaratioa that the evidence was suffi-
ciently strong to bear out the capital complaint ; but that
it was shah boned, as the lads Were never so powerful as
when administered in mercy. For his part tie ventured of
say, that if the Attorney-General had really evidence to
substantiate the ;met of the parties, it was his duty to
proceed to the last rigour of the law against them, and ex-
tirpate from the country a nest of assassins. To talk of
mercy, in such a case, was rithealotts—" mercy 1711.1
twice blessed, blessing him that glees, a nil him that receives."
Was it mercy to these men to I.ave them subject for lira
to an odious charge? And was it merry of his Majesty's
Attorney-Generat to set ns he had ilo,m in t e matter be.
tween the :Ling and the people, against nen. on evidence
which he was afterwards afraid to produ e in a Court of
Justoce against them l—(tleir). The mart relations on Which
Me warrant of committal was founded skuald he before the
House. As the case then restel, no wan could sae whether
they bore out that proc.aditig. It was easy fcr Ws Wajcs-