§ MR. P. M'DONALD (Sligo, N.)asked Mr. Attorney General for Ireland, Whether complaints have reached him that in the case of an inquest on the body of a man named Patrick Rogan, who was found drowned in Kingstown Harbour on the afternoon of Friday the 1st instant, the Coroner, Dr. Harty, did not attend to hold the inquest till 3 o'clock in the afternoon of the 4th, although he had issued his precept to have the jury summoned for 2 o'clock; whether his attention has been drawn to the rider appended by the jury to their verdict, in which they express their opinion that the inquest should have been held on Saturday the 2nd instant, and attaching blame to the Coroner for not holding it on that date, as they considered it wrong to have kept the body of deceased so many days without interment in this hot weather; whether Dr. Harty refused to take the verdict from the jury with the rider reflecting on himself, and threatened to lock them up till they had found a verdict without the rider; whether it was found that the Coroner had neglected to take notes of the evidence given by the witnesses at the inquest; whether complaints have reached him that it has been customary for Dr. Harty to keep juries waiting for a considerable time alter the hour at 501 which they have been summoned before he attends to hold the inquest; and, whether, in face of these alleged neglects of duty on the part of the Coroner, it is the intention of the Lord Chancellor for Ireland to take any steps in the matter?
§ SIR THOMAS ESMONDE (Dublin Co., S.)said, he also wished to ask the right hon. and learned Gentleman, Whether he was aware that at a meeting of the Kingstown Town Commissioners the Chairman commented strongly on the matter; that the medical officer had stated he was powerless to have the body removed until the Coroner had held an inquest; and that the Council had ordered their executive sanitary officer to prepare a Report of the case for the Government?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. GIBSON) (Liverpool, Walton), in reply, said, he was not able to reply to the Question of the hon. Baronet. He would point out that the office of Coroner was an elective office, and that the Lord Chancellor, as such, had no control over him, and that he should be removed by a judicial decision. He trusted, however, that the effect of the Question would be to induce the Coroner to give no further cause of complaint.
§ MR. W. J. CORBET (Wicklow, E.)I wish to ask the right hon. and learned Gentleman, whether he is aware that this is the same Coroner who threatened to lock up a jury at the Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dundrum, unless they returned a particular verdict?
§ MR. GIBSONI really am not aware at all.