HC Deb 19 June 1882 vol 270 cc1612-3
LORD EUSTACE CECIL

said, that on account of a leading article in The Times of to-day, reflecting on the conduct of the Department over which he had the honour to preside for some years, and containing statements which were entirely of a misleading character, he begged to ask the Secretary of State for War some Questions, of which had given him private Notice. The statement in The Times was— When we remember that in l879 some 200,000 rifles were sold by the War Office, and, in spite of the protest of the then Irish Secretary, were allowed to find their way into Ireland, and that these very weapons are now in the hands of the miscreant bodies with which Ireland swarms, we may well doubt whether one landlord the less will be shot, or one official the less be struck down, in consequence of Saturday's seizure. He wished to ask the right hon. Gentleman—First, Whether any arms at all were sold by the War Office in 1879; secondly, whether any sale of arms had taken place since the protest of the Irish Government was received at the War Office in July, 1879; and thirdly, with reference to the seizure of Saturday, whether he could state if the arms seized at Clerkenwell were manufactured by or for the Government?

MR. CHILDERS

Sir, in reply to the noble Lord, I have to state that his two first Questions have been already answered, I think, satisfactorily; but, in order to relieve his mind, I will answer them again. No arms were sold by the War Office in 1879, and no arms have been sold since the objection made by the Irish Government in that year. The arms seized at Clerkenwell are in course of examination this day; but I have heard a few minutes ago, that none of them were manufactured either by or for the Government.

MR. MITCHELL HENRY

said, that in consequence of the Question of the noble Lord (Lord Eustace Cecil), and the answer given by the Secretary of State for War as to the sale of arms, he should ask, Why the Irish Government remonstrated in July 1879, respecting the sale of arms, if no arms had been sold; and, whether it was not the fact that a very unadvised and a very large sale of arms took place in 1879, under the auspices of the Conservative Government?

MR. J. LOWTHER

Sir, the hon. Member for Galway (Mr. Mitchell Henry) makes a reference to the remonstrance addressed by the Irish Government to the War Office in 1879. I may say at once, without taking any further notice of the subject, that I did make a remonstrance against the sale by a private individual in Sheffield of some arms which bore the Government mark, and which had been previously in the possession of the military authorities. That was what the protest referred to.

SIR R. ASSHETON CROSS

said, he wished to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, Whether he can give any further information about the seizure of arms; and as there is considerable anxiety among the public as to the fact that only one person has been apprehended, whether he can explain how it came to pass that the police were unable to apprehend other persons concerned?

SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT

Substantially, I may say that the accounts in the newspapers are correct. A very large number of rifles and a great quantity of ammunition and revolvers were seized by the police. I do not, however, think it would be desirable that I should at present make any further statement on the subject. The person who was admittedly in custody of these arms was arrested; and what further information can be obtained with reference to those with whom he was connected I do not think it would be wise to communicate.