OBSERVATIONS. (Hansard, 8 April 1870)

§ MR. MOORE,

who had given notice to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he will grant an inquiry into the case of General Burke, a political prisoner, and into the truth of the statement that the First Minister was instructed to make on that subject? said, it would be in the recollection of the House that, in reply to a Question he asked a few weeks ago respecting the state of mind and body of General Burke, a political prisoner, he received from the First Minister of the Crown a reply to the effect that Burke had been confined in Chatham Convict Prison; that up to the 9th of December, 1869, he was reported to be in good health of mind and body, and also well behaved; that on that day he was reported to be suffering from depression of spirits and loss of appetite, and that on the 12th of December he was transferred to the invalid prison at Waking. The right hon. Gentleman went on to say that, shortly after his arrival at Woking, he displayed signs of further mental disturbance, and that Dr. Meyer, who inquired into the state of his health, was of opinion that he was labouring under dementia at that time, but that he was not unlikely to recover— Under these circumstances, it was quite right to relieve him from the ordinary treatment of political prisoners," the right hon. Gentleman said—"but I do not think the hon. Member himself 1582 will Lo of opinion that the case ought to be treated as one of permanently unsound mind to the extent of entitling such a person to an absolute release. He was now in a position to state, on evidence which everybody would admit to be satisfactory, that the reply of the First Minister of the Crown was entirely inaccurate, and that its correctness could not be proved either in matter or in spirit. He was prepared to prove this if the right hon. Gentleman would grant him a Committee of Inquiry into the matter. He cared not who might be appointed to conduct the investigation. All he wanted was the appointment of a Committee, before which he might have an opportunity of producing his witnesses.

MR. BRUCE

said, the First Minister of the Crown had already announced that it was the intention of the Government to appoint a Commission to inquire into the allegations made with respect to the treatment of the Fenian prisoners. He was just now engaged in constituting that Commission. It would be constituted with the utmost care, and its members would be so selected that the public would repose full confidence in I them. Two Irish gentlemen and two from England would be appointed members of that Commission, which would; be presided over by a gentleman of high position. Among the cases inquired into would be that of the unfortunate prisoner Burke, No doubt Burke had, prior to the 9th of December, been sometimes out of spirits, and not in good health; but the first report of his being in a state of health to excite anxiety was on that day. He was at once removed to the invalid prison at Woking, which was one of the healthiest parts of England; and, on his showing signs of mental aberration, he was examined, not only by a surgeon on the establishment, but also by Dr. Meyer, a man of eminence in the medical profession. Dr. Meyer reported that he would probably recover mentally as soon as his bodily health was restored. The case of Burke, he might remark, was not one of an ordinary convict. When other Fenian prisoners had shown signs of mental disturbance, their sentences had been remitted; but Burke was concerned in; the attempt to blow down Clerkenwell Prison—an attempt likely to cause the death of from 70 to 80 innocent persons. He was also one of the men who had, at that time, been lately released on ac- 1583 count of what he hoped would prove to be temporary insanity. For these reasons, it was impossible for the Government to treat Burke with the same lenity as other prisoners. An inquiry should, however, be made, and he would undertake that the hon. Gentleman (Mr. Moore) should have every opportunity of proving his case.