MR. VERNERsaid, he would beg to ask the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether he has seen a statement in the newspaper of the hon. Member for Kilkenny (Sir John Gray) to the effect that the British Government had ample knowledge of the fact that the unfortunate man who had attempted to assassinate the Duke of Edinburgh was not only insane at the time, but had been insane for a considerable period previously; and, whether any steps will be taken to guard the peasantry of Ireland against the circulation of such scandalous libels?
§ MR. DISRAELISir, I have not seen the statement in the paper of the hon. Member for Kilkenny (Sir John Gray), but I have seen some newspaper statements of that kind. No information of that description has been transmitted to us at any time. Had we received information of that kind, if we had thought it authentic, of course it would have been our duty to act upon it; but the Government have no reason to believe that the assassin of thy Duke of Edinburgh was insane.