§ Mr. Brownlow rose to present a Petition, the subject of which had often filled his mind with serious forebodings, and on which he altogether dissented from the opinion stated by the petitioners. He had so declared to them, but, nevertheless they had requested him to present their petition. It was from the Artisans, Mechanics, and other inhabitants of Belfast, who were most respectable persons, and it prayed for the Repeal of the Union. He had received this petition during the last Session of Parliament, and had had no opportunity of presenting it; since then he had communicated with the petitioners, and they had requested him to present their petition forthwith. Hon. Gentlemen would see, therefore, that the petition did not originate in temporary heat or caprice, but, after reconsideration, the parties still continued to declare themselves in favour of a Repeal of the Union. He now begged to move that the petition be brought up.
Sir R. Batesonsaid, if this was the petition which was to have been presented last Session, it was one got up by deception and fraud, practised by agents of the Anti-Union Society in Dublin. Many of the supposed subcribers (if it was the petition to which he alluded) were children, 87 with the title of "Esq." attached to their names, and it was said to emanate from Belfast, while it was in reality produced by strangers, or delegates from the Dublin Anti-Union Society. On more than one occasion, the Repeal of the Union had been agitated at Belfast, and he could declare, that every respectable Protestant merchant and shopkeeper were to a man against the Repeal. There were not 100 out of the 50,000 inhabitants who would sign a petition for the Repeal, and even the small minority he had spoken of were of the lowest orders.
§ Mr. Ruthventestified to the respectability of many of the signatures of the petition. The question was making great progress in Ireland, and had made some even in Belfast, although he himself was no advocate for the Repeal of the Union.
Sir R. Batesonrepeated, that if this was the petition to which he had alluded, it was got up in the manner he had stated.
§ Mr. Brownlow,in moving that the petition be printed, said, he should have given the same answer which the hon. Baronet had received from the hon. member for Downpatrick, for he could answer to the respectability of some of the signatures, but generally speaking, it was signed by those persons whose petitions it professed to be. He had asserted, and he repeated, that he totally dissented from its prayer, and had, therefore, no interest to hold it up in a false light.
§ To be printed.