HC Deb 24 March 1873 vol 215 cc15-7
COLONEL COLE

asked the Chief Secretary for Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to a statement in a letter which appeared in "Saunders's Newsletter," of the 6th February, signed by Alexander Dickson, that the Lord Chancellor of Ireland superseded Mr. Dickson in the Commission of the Peace for the county of Galway, on the grounds that he had neither residence nor property in that county; whether this statement is accurate; and, whether the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, before issuing such supersedeas, made inquiry as to whether Mr. Dickson had any property in that county, and from whom?

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON,

in reply, said, he had made inquiries into the circumstances of the case, which were as follows:—For some time past a revision of the Irish magistracy had been in progress, and Returns had been asked for from various counties. In the Return furnished to the Lord Chancellor by the Lieutenant of the county of Galway the following entry appeared:— Alexander Dickson—Was an agent. Has now left county. The usual printed Circular asking for information as to the county of Galway was, on the receipt of the Lieutenant's Return, sent by the Lord Chancellor's Secretary to Mr. Dickson. To this Circular Mr. Dickson replied in a letter, from which the following is an extract:— That I am proprietor of property with an annual rental of several hundred pounds in the counties of Galway and Roscommon; that I annually visit the former county, and occasionally act as a Justice of the Peace; that I have let my residence in Galway for a short term of years; that my duties as a land agent require my frequent presence in the counties of Fermanagh and Monaghan; that Lord Erne, Lord Lieutenant of the county of Fermanagh, has promised to recommend me for the Commission of the Peace on my procuring a residence in that county, but I have been unable to procure such residence; that I expect if his Lordship exercises his discretion of removing me from the Commission of the Peace of Galway he will grant me the Commission for Fermanagh. This letter came before the Lord Chancellor when revising the list for Galway, and his Lordship directed Mr. Dickson's name to be removed on the following grounds —1. The want of residence. 2. That his property, if any, in Galway was too small to warrant retaining on the roll the name of a non-resident gentleman. Notice having been given to Mr. Dickson of the expulsion of his name from the list on the ground of want of property and residential qualification, that gentleman wrote to the Lord Chancellor a letter dated January 23, 1873, containing the following statement:— I have property in the county of Galway. Any statement to the contrary is untrue. To the last letter a reply was given, from which the following is an extract:— I am desired by the Lord Chancellor to acquaint you that his Lordship will be happy to re-instate you in the Commission of the Peace for the county of Galway on being informed as to the nature and extent of your property in that county. This information has never been given by Mr. Dickson, and therefore no step has been taken towards restoring his name to the list. Mr. Dickson was also informed that the Lord Chancellor would favourably consider any recommendation of him by Lord Erne, the Lieutenant of Fermanagh. No reply had been received to that communication.