§ VISCOUNT CRICHTONasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If it is the case, as appears in the correspondence published in the Irish newspapers of the 12th instant, that Mr. William Johnston, Inspector of Irish Fisheries, has been called upon by the Lord Lieutenant to resign his appointment on account of certain expressions used by him in a speech delivered at a sitting of the General Synod of the Church of Ireland; whether the undertaking required from Mr. Johnston last year to refrain from public discussion was not confined to meetings of a party and political character; whether meetings of the Synod of the Church of Ireland come under either of these designations; and, whether public servants, who are members of that Church, are to understand that participation in its proceedings will, for the future, render them liable to dismissal from office?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI think the best answer I can give to the Question of the noble Viscount is to say that if he will move for the correspondence which has taken place between the Government and Mr. Johnston I shall be happy to produce it.
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANYes Sir.
§ MR. SEXTONasked, whether it was true that Mr. Johnston had declined to resign?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANYes, Sir.
§ MR. SEXTONasked, would the Lord Lieutenant let the matter rest there?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANNo, Sir.