§ MR. HARRINGTONasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to a paragraph in The Freeman's Journal of January 3rd, in which it is stated that at the Dromore Petty Sessions on January 2nd, Major Hamilton, the presiding magistrate, who was one of the signatories to the Orange placards, and one of the organisers of the Orange meeting at Dromore, commented in strong language upon the conduct of the policeman who inflicted the wound on the boy Giffen; whether, according to the evidence, this wound was inflicted while the police were repelling an attack which the Orangemen made on the Nationalist meeting; whether this district of Dromore is chiefly a Catholic district, and those who composed the Nationalist meeting were mainly inhabitants of the district; whether, under these circumstances, Major Hamilton will be entrusted with the Commission of the Peace in this locality; and, whether he will make any representation to the Lord Chancellor as to his conduct?
§ MR. TREVELYANI do not know on what authority the statement that Major Hamilton used these expressions rests. A special inquiry has been made of the police who were present at the Petty Sessions, and they state that they did not hear it. That would, of course, govern the action or inaction of the Government. According to the evidence the wounds were inflicted by some person carrying out a legal order to prevent a collision between the Orangemen and Nationalists. The Dromore district is chiefly Catholic, and the people who attended the National meeting were believed to have come from a radius of 10 miles around.
§ MR. HARRINGTONIf I supply the right hon. Gentleman with the 1198 names of persons who were present and heard Major Hamilton use the expressions, will he report the ease to the Lord Chancellor?
§ MR. TREVELYANI must act, as we always do act, on the positive statements of the police.