§ On the 634 Order of the Day for the Second Reading of the Municipal Corporations (Ireland) Bill being read,
§ Mr. H. Grattanwished to ask the noble Lord, the Secretary for Ireland, whether he had received any official account of the disturbances that had lately taken place in the north of Ireland, which according to accounts contained in private letters, were of a very exaggerated character? He did not know, whether the assault was the result of the meeting at the Mansion-house; but it was stated, that the Orangemen had waylaid the Catholics who were returning from a fair, and that upwards of fifty of the latter were dead or wounded.
§ Lord Morpethhad not received any authentic information on the subject.
§ Colonel Percevalwished the noble Lord would be good enough to state, whether it had come to his knowledge that this attack had been committed by Orangemen. For his part, he was not aware that any such description of persons existed in Ireland.
§ Lord Morpethpossessed no authentic information on the subject; and, therefore, it was out of his power to answer the question put to him by the hon. and gallant Officer.
§ Mr. Shaw, with reference to the motion before the House, observed, that on a comparison of the schedules of this Bill and that which was presented to the House last year, he found six towns omitted in the schedule of this Bill which were inserted in the schedule of the last year's Bill. He wished to ask the noble Lord on what principle these towns were now omitted?
§ Lord John Russell, in reply, said, that he had omitted these towns on account of their small population.
§ Lord John Russelladmitted that such was, perhaps, the fact, but none of those towns had enjoyed the advantages of a Municipal Corporation before. If the right hon. Gentleman could show him that any of these large towns with 10,000 inhabitants had had Municipal Corporations, he would restore their names in the schedule.
§ Bill read a second time.