§ MR. DE COBAIN (Belfast, E.)asked the First Lord of the Treasury, Whether he has received Copies of Resolutions passed by the large majority of the Grand Juries of Ireland, protesting against any scheme of Home Rule for that Country; and, whether he will lay upon the Table of this House the Resolutions so received from those representative bodies?
§ MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.)Before the Prime Minister answers the Questions I would like to ask him whether it is proper to include Grand Juries amongst "representative bodies?"
§ MR. E. HARRINGTON (Kerry, W.)Before the Question is answered, Sir, I would like to ask whether it is by way of satire or jest the Grand Juries of Ireland are called representative bodies?
§ MR. SPEAKEROrder, order!
§ THE FIRST LORD (Mr. W. E. GLADSTONE) (Edinburgh, Mid Lothian)I am not aware that Grand Juries in Ireland have been called representative bodies. [An hon. MEMBER: It is so in the Question.] I certainly did not mean to answer for them in that character. I beg pardon; I see it is in the Question. I did not anticipate they would be so spoken of. My duty will be, as I stated before, to see what selection I can make. There are a great number of letters from private individuals entering into details which cannot be sufficiently weighty to be published. Although, undoubtedly, in many cases they are of great interest in themselves, yet they would necessarily repeat one another, and would contain matter that would not be for the consideration of the House. If I may be able to make a selection of a suitable kind, I will take care that the House shall know the opinion of the Grand Juries. Whether it would be right to print all these Reports 824 of the Grand Juries is another matter, as they substantially correspond with one another in many respects. I will do the best I can to give a fair idea of the character of the Reports which have been received from bodies in Ireland, and not least from those which are representative bodies.