§ Mr. Grattansaid, seeing the noble Lord the Secretary for Ireland had taken his seat, he was very anxious to put a question to him on a subject of the utmost importance connected with the administration of justice in that country, A report had got abroad, and was pretty generally believed, that the time for commencing the circuits had been altered, after having been once fixed, some of them four days, and one even so much as a week. The reason given for such an extraordinary occurrence was a very strange one; it was said that a grand ball was to be given by a well-known establishment in Dublin, and that it was found that the time fixed for it and the time for commencing the circuits were so near as materially to threaten the enjoyments of the bar. It was said, in fact, that the time for holding 635 the circuits had been changed in order to allow the lawyers to dance at the ball. He wished to ask the noble Lord whether the report were true.
§ Lord Eliotsaid that if notice had been given him that such a question would be asked, he would have prepared himself to return a more distinct answer; but he believed he might take it upon himself to state that there was no foundation at all for the statement referred to. Nothing like an official communication had ever been addressed, on the subject, to any of the gentlemen mentioned in the newspaper paragraph which he had seen.
§ Mr. Grattansaid there had certainly been an alteration in the tine fixed for the Munster circuit.
§ Lord Eliotsaid, that whatever alteration might have taken place, there was no foundation for the statement that that alteration was made in reference to the ball alluded to.