§ SIR GEORGE JENKINSONsaid, he would beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether his attention has been called to an account in "The Times" of Saturday the 19th instant, of the arrival in Dublin of a 688 body of ten released Fenian convicts from Australia; also an account in the same paper of a mob parading the streets of Cork, with a blazing tar barrel, and other uproarious demonstrations, in honour of the same released convicts; whether he is of opinion that such proceedings, arising in consequence of the release of those convicts by Her Majesty's Government, are conducive to the peaceable administration of the law in Ireland, and to the pacification of that Country, having regard to the state of feeling now and for some time past prevalent there; or whether Her Majesty's Government intend to take any action in the matter, with a view to abate the present state of things in that portion of Her Majesty's Kingdom? Whether these released convicts have been brought back from Australia at the expense of the taxpayers of the United Kingdom, or whether the Government have contributed out of any funds at their command, either directly or indirectly, any of the means for the return of these convicts from Australia to this Country; and, if so, what is the amount paid or to be paid for their passage back, and, if otherwise, at whose expense they have been brought back, and in what ship or ships? Whether his attention has been called to the report in "The Globe" Paper of this day, giving an account of a banquet held on Saturday last at Dublin in honour of the released Fenian convicts, at which banquet Mr. Butt, one of Her Majesty's Counsel, was present, and used language which, as well as the general proceedings, seems to deserve the attention of Her Majesty's Government; and, if the report of his; presence be true, especially as to the language and sentiments he is reported to have uttered, whether Her Majesty's Government intend to take any notice of his conduct?
MR. BRUCEIn the absence, Sir, of my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary for Ireland, whose duty it would have been to answer these Questions, and who, I am sorry to say, is confined to his house by indisposition, I may state that my attention has been called, since the hon. Gentleman gave his Notice, to the newspaper reports to which he refers. With respect to the demonstration in Dublin, it appears that the Fenian prisoners, on their arrival, went to the theatre in Dublin, where they experienced rather a noisy reception, and 689 an attempt was made on their leaving the theatre to get up a procession, which, however, was speedily suppressed by the police. Since then very little notice seems to have been taken of them in Dublin. At Cork, hearing that there would be some attempt on their arrival there to get up a procession, the Mayor issued a proclamation against any such proceeding. The attempt was made by a mob of no considerable number of persons, principally composed of women and children, who were accompanied by a cart bearing a tar barrel, that I believe was lighted, to go to the station. They were met by the police and quietly dispersed. That, I believe, was the only attempt made in Cork to get up any demonstration. It appears that in both cases the civil authorities vindicated the law and sufficiently suppressed any undue display of sympathy with disloyal persons. As to the second question of the hon. Gentleman, whether the released convicts were brought home at the expense of the taxpayers of this country, I have to say that neither the taxpayers nor the Government have contributed any portion of the expenses of their passage home. I do not know either who paid their passage money, or how much was its amount. I have read an account of a banquet to the released convicts at which Mr. Butt presided; but the report that I have seen does not give Mr. Butt's words. It is only a short summary of his speech, and does not enable me to pass an opinion on the language he used; but, no doubt, whatever he said has been locally reported, and if he did make use of improper language it will come, no doubt, under the notice of the Lord Chancellor.