§ Colonel Butlerpresented petitions from the parish of Ballyragget and another parish in the county of Kilkenny, praying for a general redress of grievances, complaining of the abuses of the grand jury system, and praying for a reduction of Tithes and Church-rates, and for the restoration of a domestic Legislature. The gallant Colonel said, he was happy to find, from what had occurred the other evening, that the gross abuses of the Grand Jury system in Ireland were at length about being remedied, but he was sorry, at the same time, that his 1026 Majesty's Ministers, instead of reducing the tithes, were about to introduce two most objectionable measures—one for perpetuating the tithe system in Ireland, and the other for enforcing the payment of tithes in that country, in the only way that it could be enforced—namely, at the point of the bayonet. With regard to the Legislative Union, he would implore English Members to meet that question, and to convince those who were at present favourable to the Repeal of that Union by the production of sound arguments for that purpose, if they had such to offer.
§ Sir Charles Cootebegged to take that opportunity to refer to a statement which had been made by his hon. colleague (Mr. Lalor) in reference to the state of the Queen's County, on Tuesday night. The hon. Baronet was understood to say, that his hon. colleague had made the same charge on the hustings at Maryborough, in the Queen's County, and that when called upon for the names of the persons to whom he alluded he refused to give them. He was surprised, under such circumstances, to find that his hon. colleague not only persevered in the charge, but that he brought it forward in that House against persons who were absent, and who had no opportunity of defending themselves there. The Magistrate that was alluded to had stated to him that there was not the slightest foundation for the charge in question.