§ MR. REDMONDasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether it is a fact that an attempt was recently made to blow up the house of Mr. John Ross Mahon, at Ahascreagh, with dynamite; whether Mr. Andrew Manning, Vice Chairman of the Ballinasloe Board of Guardians, and Mr. John Egan, have been arrested on suspicion of complicity with this outrage; whether he can state upon what kind of evidence such arrests were sanctioned by him; whether it is a fact that dynamite is largely used by the workmen of Mr. John Ross Mahon; whether seven cartridges of dynamite were found on the person of one of his workmen; whether this man has been arrested on suspicion; and, whether, under these circumstances, he will order a sworn investigation into the whole case?
§ MR. J. N. RICHARDSONsaid, that, before the right hon. Gentleman answered the Question, he wished to know whether the Mr. Ross Mahon alluded to in the Question was the son of Mr. Mahon, who was murdered in 1849?
§ MR. W. E. FORSTER, in reply, said, he had no information as to the latter Question. With reference to the Question on the Paper, there was an attempt made to blow up this house with dynamite. The men who had been arrested had been arrested under the Protection Act. Dynamite had been used in moderate quantities in Mr. Mahon's works, and the police had removed some charges from an outhouse, in which they had 1240 been injudiciously left. He could not give the grounds for the arrest of these men, as it was not customary to disclose the grounds of arrests under the Protection Act. He did not think it was necessary to order a further investigation into the subject.