ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE (IRELAND). (Hansard, 20 April 1831)

§ Mr. Ruthven
wished to take that opportunity to say a few words on the abuses of Sheriffs in empanelling Juries in Ireland. He could shew, by a reference to the Reports already laid on the Table of the House, that parties were continually obliged to purchase an exemption from serving as Jurors. The evidence of Mr. John Dodd, a Dublin auctioneer, proved that Sheriff's, on some occasions, received compliments of 50l. and 60l. for certain indulgences by them extended to the donors in return. He would take this opportunity of stating, that he had lately received a communication from a gentleman in Ireland, whose feelings it appeared were wounded by the observations which he had made upon this subject already, and he much regretted that any thing he had uttered should have been productive of annoyance to any one; but he could by no means consent to retract a word of what had fallen from him during the debate alluded to, for he had made no strictures whatever which were not fully justified by the information on which he acted, nor had he been, in any degree, influenced by personal considerations.

§ Mr. Crampton
disclaimed being an apo- 1728 logist for any one abuse, whether public or private, whether in the Sheriff's-office in Ireland, in the administration of the laws, or in the rotten boroughs, of which he trusted so soon to witness the disfranchisement. The Special Jury system was not indeed quite so bad as it had been represented. At the same time, he admitted, that the system might want amendment, and to its amendment he should be ready to contribute his exertions. He had further to observe, that the statements to which the hon. Member had alluded were ex-parte statements against the individual to whom they referred, and it was scarcely fair to make them the grounds of a charge against a gentleman who had no notice of the intended accusation, and, consequently, was not prepared to defend himself.

§ Sir C. Wetherell,
with all due deference for the learning and station of the hon. Gentleman who filled the office of Solicitor General for Ireland, deprecated in the strongest terms his very ill-timed and unwarrantable allusion to what he was pleased to call rotten boroughs. The allusion on this occasion was equally uncalled for and out of place, and, he must say, did but little credit to the hon. and learned Gentleman's prudence and good sense.

§ Mr. Leader
observed, that the most odious abuses were daily taking place in the Sheriff's-office in Ireland, and he hoped, ere long, to witness their effectual and permanent abolition.

Mr. Jephson
wished to call the attention of the learned Solicitor General for Ireland to the inconvenient operation of the Registry Act, and requested to know whether it was likely that any legislative measure would be applied to remedy the evil.

Mr. Rice
said, that the reason why the abuses in the Register's Office had not hitherto been rectified; was the difference between two Minutes drawn up by the Treasury in consequence of a report on this subject, which made it difficult to decide upon which it would be preferable to proceed. A further Report on the subject had, however, lately been laid upon the Table, which so far disembarrassed the Government on that point as to enable him to state, that an effective remedy would be brought forward with as little further loss of time as possible.