§ MR. W. JOHNSTONasked the honourable Member for Longford, Whether, as stated in "The Belfast Daily Examiner" of the 27th ult., he has postponed his Motion concerning the "occupation by the Italian troops of the Papal States," in view of the "probable action" of "The National Assembly of France," in favour of the Papacy, and in consequence of a meeting held at Archbishop Manning's on the 23rd of February?
§ MR. O'REILLYsaid, in reply to his hon. Friend, he would beg to read a statement which he made in his place in 1387 the House, on the occasion of postponing the Motion to which the question referred. He said that—
He did it in compliance with the urgent representation of many Irish Members that, the Papers having been delivered late on Thursday, it was impossible to study them by Friday afternoon; that many Irish Members being absent from town, could not be present on the day originally fixed for the discussion of the Motion.With regard to the statement in a Belfast newspaper to which his hon. Friend referred, he had no opportunity of seeing any such statement, except that when he was listening to a debate in the House, his hon. Friend the Member for Belfast himself put in his hand what he stated to be a Belfast newspaper. He glanced at the newspaper, and saw enough of it to ascertain that it gave an inaccurate account of several private conversations, and gave rather a report of what might have been said, instead of what was said. He had given his reasons in his place in Parliament for the course he had taken, and he hoped his hon. Friend, and he was sure the House, would excuse him if he declined to give an account of private conversations in his own house or in the house of another.