§ Mr. Sheridan presented a petition from Mr. James Tandy, wine-merchant, of Dublin, stating that above three years since, without any crime or misconduct whatever on his part, he was suspected by the Irish government of treasonable practices; that he immediately surrendered himself and underwent several successive examinations before the privy council, at which he answered fully and truly every question put to him; that after having been detained three weeks in the custody of a king's messenger, without any cause explained to him, he was committed, under a warrant from the Chief Secretary of the Lord Lieutenant, to the common gaol of Kilmainham, where he was confined for three years, and treated with peculiar harshness and severity; at the end of which period he was liberated without being brought to trial, without being acquainted with the nature of the alledged charge against him, or informed who were his accusers, though he had repeatedly and urgently applied to know the same; that he had suffered severely in health, &c. and praying relief.—The petition was ordered to lie on the table.—Mr. Sheridan afterwards presented other Petitions of a similar nature from Bernard Foy, who had been confuted 18 months in the Newgate of Dublin; Thomas Ridgeway, an English merchant, who had been a considerable lime confined in Kilmainham gaol; and Henry Hughes, confined in the ' same prison.
§ Sir A. Wellesleysaid, he rather believed the government of the country had good grounds for confining those several persons: it was about the period of the last rebellious insurrection which broke out in Dublin.
§ Mr. Sheridanobserved, that the mere declaration of the right hon. baronet, that he 'rather believed' the government of the day had good grounds for confining these petitioners, was rather a vague mode of 713 justifying so severe an injury to them as a long and rigorous imprisonment, without assigning any specific charge, and refusing their repeated applications to be brought to trial to confront their accusers. He thought that British subjects ought not to be subjected to such severities, without strong and positive grounds of crimination. However, there were some other petitions to be presented of a similar nature, and as soon as they should all come before the house, he should name a day for submitting a proposition on the subject, when the right hon. Secretary would have an opportunity of explaining himself fully.—The petitions were ordered to lie on the table.