§ Mr. Dobbinsaid, that in consequence of certain observations which had fallen from the hon. Members for Sligo and Armagh, he rose to move for a paper which—
§ Sir Henry Hardinge(interrupting the hon. Member) said, that the hon. Member had shown him a paper, for which he supposed he was then going to move. It contained an account of certain transactions which it was alleged had occurred in Armagh. The Government was pursuing an inquiry into those transactions; and, at the present moment it would be impossible to grant this paper without impeding the course of justice.
§ Mr. Dobbinsaid, that the investigations to which the hon. and gallant Officer referred, had, to his knowledge, been closed before he left Armagh. They were closed a month ago. He should, therefore, move that there be laid on the Table of the House a copy of the investigation instituted into certain proceedings at Armagh, which took place on the 5th of last November, between the Magistrates, the police, and the people: also a copy of the investigation instituted at Armagh into the proceedings which took place at Keady, in the county of Armagh, in collecting the tithes of that parish, in which one man was killed, and another wounded; together with a copy of the Coroner's inquest on the person killed. Also a copy of the investigation held at Armagh, into the proceedings which took place there on the 15th of January last, when several houses were destroyed, and fourteen belonging to Catholics in the town and neighbourhood were burnt by a body of armed Orangemen. His object in moving for these papers, was to show how far the lives of his Majesty's Roman Catholic subjects had been protected under the present Government.
§ Sir Henry Hardinge.I object to the hon. Member's bringing up this Motion. I object to it, because it is informal, as no notice was given to me that the hon. Member intended to bring it forward this day; and I object to it also, because it is likely to impede the course of justice. I can assure the hon. Member, that I shall have no objection to grant those papers which the Government may think proper; but I ask him to suspend his call for these 590 papers, until I can learn whether the investigations to which he refers are completed. By the last accounts which I received from the Earl of Gosford, the Lord-Lieutenant of the county, it appeared that they were not completed, and any premature publication of the accounts would seriously impede the course of justice.
§ Mr. Littletonsaid, that the Motion of the hon. Member for Armagh contained three distinct Motions for papers relating to three distinct transactions at three different places. The first of them had reference to a transaction which had occurred during the time when he was in office in Ireland. That investigation was completed, and he could have no objection to placing the account of it on the Table.
§ Mr. Dobbin.I was present at all these investigations. I was present when they were finished, and when the papers were sealed up and sent to the Government.
§ The Speakerasked Mr. Dobbin whether he had given notice to Sir H. Hardinge of his intention to bring on this Motion today.
§ Mr. Dobbin.I sent him a copy of it.
§ The Speakersaid, that as a strict matter of right, any Member of Parliament was entitled to bring on a motion without giving notice of it; but it had been found to conduce much to the convenience of hon. Members, and indeed to the convenience of transacting public business, to give notice beforehand of the day on which any Motion, that was not altogether unimportant, would be brought forward. Unless there were circumstances connected with this Motion of such urgency as to induce the hon. Member to think that they could not admit of delay, he would suggest to him the propriety of withdrawing his present motion, and bringing it forward on another day.
§ Motion postponed.