§ MR. W. J. CORBETasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, If he will inquire into the circumstances of a claim made by Mr. Gun Cunningham for alleged malicious burning of a house; whether the facts put before the Grand Jury at the late Assizes at Wicklow showed that two emergency men, named Willoughby and Morgan, left the house in the morning of the 13th July, 1884, locked up, and when they returned it was burned down; whether it was sworn by Mr. Keely, P.L.G. for the district, who gave evidence on behalf 1451 of the cesspayers, that his attention was called to the fire that morning by a man named John Doyle, when he saw it was raging round the chimney, and could not have been caused from the outside unless the person setting it on fire had a long pole or a ladder; whether Mr. Keely's evidence was fully corroborated by John Doyle; whether Willoughby swore that Morgan disappeared after the fire, and was not available at the inquiry; whether the bailiff on the property, Michael Murray, swore he knew nothing of outrages in the district, and was not prepared to say the burning was malicious; whether, as a matter of fact, the district has all along been free from outrage of any kind; whether Mr. G. P. Brenan, one of the Grand Jurors, left his seat at the Grand Jury table to give evidence in support of the claim; whether his evidence was only an expression of opinion that the house was burned maliciously "through the negligence of the two emergency men;" whether Mr. Brenan is land agent to Mr. Gun Cunningham; and, whether he can indicate how the cesspayers can be relieved from a claim made under such circumstances and passed by a Grand Jury, one of whose members was in Mr. Brenan's position of agent and witness interested in getting the presentment passed?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI have seen reports of this matter, which is not one in which the Government could interfere. If the cesspayers are dissatisfied with the decision of the Grand Jury, I believe it is open to them to appeal to the Judge.
§ MR. W. J. CORBETWill the right hon. Gentleman give any expression of opinion as regards the action of the particular Grand Juror referred to?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI should be going beyond my function to give any opinion on the subject.