The Sun. — 1849-03-28 (London, England)

NAPIER, F. PRENCII said he thought no case had beene mAe out to the House - the law. (.f England and Ire le should not be nasituiLted 1.13 proposed by the prina.4 in question. SIIARMAN CRAWFORD said that it was not rious that the course of justice Lad been most shameufly impeded by the conduct of witnesses and jurymen in many instances throughout the whole of Ireland, and that some measure was nrcessary to remedy the mis. chief. lie did not wish to press his objection to the clause, but he 3et thought that this objection was such that be ought to tlie notice of it. Mr. F. O'CONNOR was by no means disposed to object anything to the insertion of such a clause, but ha yet thought that there ought to bo some reservation to protect those who, under the particular circumstances to which this Bill had reference, were unable to protect thwr:selves.  Mr. 11. GRATTAN said, that whatever sense might be put upon such a clause, he thought that there should be some protection also for the officials of justice aua  for the country. When he saw witnesses continually getting upon the table, or going into the box, and taking, or, as it was called, rather swallowis,^ fifty oaths ts idain five minutes, he felt that there should be scmo additional caution. ageinat the violation of a judicial proceeding, for now it seemed to be perfectly impossible to discriminate the offender by whom the blow was indicted or the shot was fired through the instrumentality of which a murder was committed. His Hon. Friend, if he might venture to call him so (Mr. S. Crawford), had spoken somewhat indiscriminately of the Roman Catholic population. Against any sweeping imputation of that sort he begged most decidedly to protest. Yet, nevertheless, it was apparent that some new regulation was required, and ho trusted the Attorney-General would carry the law into effect, and interpose that protection which would prevent all such scenes as that man who had recently disgraced his country by an exhibition in the witness-box of conduct which was calculated to destroy entirely any confidence in the verdict of a jury. He hoped that they would get for Ireland the best parts of the administration of justice as it was tendered in this country, and not leave to them only the worst. Mr. SHARMAN CRAWFORD begged to say that he had not the a!ightest intention of imputirg to the whole population of Ireland that which was chargeable only on a portion— (" Hear, hear," from both sides of the House)—but he wished the evil to he remedied. Sir W. SOMERVILLE said that this Bill had been for a long time before the House, and he had received very many letters from every part of Ireland approving of the principle of it, and suggesting in some cases valto able improvements. There was the most anxious desire on the part of the Government to render the Bill fitted for the circumstances of Ireland, and he might say also on the part of the people of that country, to overcome the mischief which had so long been an oppressive grievance. Mr. M'CULLAGH said that his only object was to prevent an anomaly and draw the attention of the Government to an error which he deprecated, and he would therefore withdraw his amendment. After a few words from Sir LUCIUS O'BRIEN, complaining that the law respecting high treason was particularly obnoxious, on the double ground of corruption of both jurymen and witnesses, and the inapplicability of the law of high treason in this country to Ireland, The