§ MR. SEXTONasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If the attention of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland has been drawn to certain proceedings of Justices at Bailieborough (county Cavan) Petty Sessions on the 16th September and the 21st October last; whether, on the former date, two Justices, Robert Gibson and Thomas Chambers, both Protestants, heard a case in which a Protestant named James Jones charged four Catholics named Caffrey, Finegan, Halfpenny, and Ward with waylaying and beating him; and, although it was proved by a witness for the prosecution that Jones had first challenged Caffrey, struck him, and knocked him down, and that a fight had ensued between Caffrey and Jones, the others merely looking on, the Justices sentenced Caffrey to a month's imprisonment with hard labour, and the three spectators to a fortnight each; whether, on the same occasion, the Justices fined the Catholics brought before them for drunkenness ten shillings each, and the Protestants only half-a-crown, even in a case where it was proved the defendant had kicked the police; whether, on the 21st ultimo, Messrs. Chambers and Gibson, Justices, both Protestants, a young man named Keating, a Catholic charged five men—one of them, James Hunter, a Protestant — with beating him; and, after the complainant had testified against the five men, Mr. Gibson, J.P. suggested to the accused man, Hunter, that he might have held Keating "only to save him," and this suggestion being adopted by Hunter, the evidence of the complainant was rejected, and, on the evidence of Hunter, one of the other men named Gogarty was committed and sent to prison for a month; and, whether the Lord Chancellor will cause inquiry to be had into these proceedings, and will examine the condition of the magistracy in the county Cavan, and particularly in the Petty Sessions districts of Bailieborough, Shercock, Kingscourt, Mullagh, and Virginia, in which there is not one Catholic Justice of the Peace?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANThese cases have not before been brought to the notice of the Government, and the limited time during 1226 which the Question has been on the Paper has not admitted of satisfactory information being obtained. Inquiry has been ordered, and if the Government find that there is reason to think that there has been any irregularity or miscarriage in the administration of the law, they will not fail to refer the matter for the Lord Chancellor's consideration. His Lordship informs me that he has quite recently received, and has at present before him, a letter of complaint as to the mode in which the second case referred to was disposed of. The condition of the Magistracy in the county of Cavan has been and is at present occupying the attention of the Lord Chancellor, and during the present year his Lordship has been enabled to place six Roman Catholic gentlemen in the Commission of the Peace for that county.