§ Viscount Morpethhoped, that the House would allow him to call its attention to the amendments made by their Lordships on the Constabulary (Ireland) Bill, even at that late hour of the night (a quarter past twelve o'clock.) [Cries of "adjourn!" adjourn!"] He assured the House that he would not detain them at any length upon the present occasion. The amendments of their Lordships on this Bill were rather voluminous; but he was not prepared to offer them any opposition, and should, therefore, abstain from entering into any captious cavils respecting 1041 either the propriety or the necessity of reducing the number of appointments originally contemplated in the Bill. The Government, not intending to fill it up to its extreme limits, had proposed a scale of appointments, which they conceived would enable them to secure the efficiency of the police, being well aware that the more complete the constabulary force was rendered, the more easy and the more speedy would be the reduction of the military force now employed in Ireland. The House of Lords, not having the same reliance which that House had in the abstinence of His Majesty's Ministers, had made considerable reductions in the; number of appointments fixed by the Bill. The Government must, therefore, make the best use they could of the powers which were still left to it. Any man who had ever had the slightest experience in the office which he had then the honour to fill, must know full well that the reduction of patronage effected by the amendments of their Lordships was not a point of which he (Lord Morpeth) had any reason to complain. He should have some amendments to propose, in consequence of the alterations which their Lordships had been pleased to introduce into this measure. They had considerably diminished the number of paymasters, and, by thus placing them over larger districts, had greatly increased, if they had not doubled, the duties which it was originally intended that they should; perform. In consequence of this increase in their duties, it was only right that their pay should be proportionally increased. That increase in their pay could not be proposed in the House of Lords, and he should, therefore, introduce a short Bill in a day or two, authorizing that increase to be made. The only alteration which he proposed to make in the Bill was rendered necessary by the amendments which their Lordships had made in clause 11, in which they laid down the number of constables and sub-constables to be employed in the different baronies of Ireland. By those amendments, in one of the counties that was now much disturbed, (Tipperary) the Government, which had now 560 constables therein, would only be entitled to have 176 in future. In the county of Galway, where the Government had now 762 constables, it would only be entitled to have 272 in future. In some places, however, the 1042 contrary effect would be produced. In the town of Galway the amendments of the Lords would entitle the Government to have 100 constables, where it was now only entitled to have twenty. Precisely the same thing would occur in the city of Kilkenny; whilst in the town of Carrickfergus the amendments would enable the Government to have 100 constables, where it was now only entitled to have five. In point of fact, the provisions of this clause, if acted on, would be inapplicable to the present state of Ireland, and disastrous to the public peace of that country. Another clause introduced by their Lordships, rendered it necessary for the Lord-Lieutenant to keep the constabulary force up' to its present amount: but did not provide, that when a member of the present force died, the Lord-Lieutenant should be at liberty to supply his place, by appointing a successor. He believed that the object of their Lordships in that clause was simply to keep the constabulary force up to its present amount, and that there was no intention on their part to curtail the Lord-Lieutenant's power in this respect. He should propose a proviso, in addition to that clause—a proviso which he had taken 'pains to ascertain would not meet with any opposition elsewhere. That proviso would S enact that, where the constabulary force was required to be increased, owing either to the district being proclaimed, or; a requisition being received from the I magistracy, the Lord-Lieutenant should have power to make the necessary appointments. He would not detain the House longer than to move that these amendments be agreed to.
§ Colonel Percevalhoped, that the noble Lord would have no objection to include the society of "Friendly Brothers," which was not an exclusive or political society, in the exemption from the operation of this Bill, which was given to the Freemasons in the 16th clause of it.
§ Viscount Morpethwas not sufficiently acquainted with the nature of the society of "Friendly Brothers" to be able to give his assent to the introduction of such an exemption into the Bill.
§ Mr. Sergeant Jacksonsaid, that unless the noble Lord would give the same exemption to the "Friendly Brothers" which the 16th clause gave to the Freemasons, he should move the adjournment of this debate till to-morrow. He 1043 should do so in order to give the noble Lord time to obtain that information respecting the "Friendly Brothers" which he admitted he did not possess.
§ Mr. Frederick Frenchtrusted, that the noble Lord would not afford the Friendly Brothers the exemption which was now claimed for them. He had always understood in Ireland that they were a political society.
§ Colonel Percevalsaid, that he was a Friendly Brother as well as a Freemason, and assured the House that the one Association was not a whit more political than the other. The Friendly Brothers was nothing more than a social club.
§ Mr. Sergeant O'Loghlenhad always understood the Friendly Brothers to be a species of mitigated Orangemen. If they were exempted, the House would also have applications to exempt the Riband-Men and the Eccentrics, on the ground that they too were mere sociable clubs.
§ Mr. William Smith O'Briencorroborated the statement that, the Friendly Brothers was considered in Ireland a species of mitigated Orange Club.
§ Mr. Sergeant Jacksonsaid, that if the noble Lord persisted in resisting the suggestion of his hon. and gallant Friend, he should certainly move that the House be counted.
§ Viscount Morpethhoped that the hon. and learned Sergeant would not persist in that Resolution, for if he did, the Royal assent could not be given to the Bill before the recess, and it was important to the public service that it should be passed with as little delay as possible.
§ Lord Cole moved that the House be counted.
§ House counted out.