§ MR. TOTTENHAMasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been directed to the failure of justice at the King's County Quarter Sessions just terminated, and whether the Chairman, Mr. Neligan, Q.C., is correctly reported in the Irish newspapers to have said as follows:—
His Honour said the case was one of the simplest that ever went before a jury, and he expressed his astonishment that they were unable to arrive at a verdict. It was not, he said, this case alone that was at issue, but the system of trial by jury was on its trial; and, if a King's County jury could not agree after such evidence as they had, he could only say that it had been reduced to an absurdity, and, if you cannot come to a decision, I must decline to try any more prisoners, and (addressing the Crown Solicitor) Mr. Mitchell, you need not send any more before me. You may send them to the Assizes;and, if report be correct, what steps Her Majesty's Government intend to take to prevent a recurrence of similar failures?
§ THE SOLICITOR GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. PORTER), in reply, said, he had not seen the report in question; but he had no doubt it was correct. The Government would be only too anxious to prevent the recurrence of such a state of facts.
§ MR. HEALYasked if it was proposed to deal with the question of the Grand Juries in Ireland at the same time?
§ [No answer was given.]