§ MR. M'CARTAN (Down, S.)asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether his attention has been called to a paragraph in The Belfast Morning News of the 25th February last, from which it appears that malicious injuries were inflicted on the properties of several persons who had supported the Liberal candidate, Mr. M'Elroy, who stood in opposition to Mr. Lewis at the last North Antrim election; whether stacks of corn and hay belonging to a Protestant Liberal (Mr. Daniel M'Mullen, of Mullahduff), near Annoy, were maliciously burned; whether the windows of houses belonging to two Catholics (Mr. Thomas Burns and Mr. Patrick Quin, of Castlebawn) were broken, and other outrages committed in the district on the same night; and, whether any steps have been taken by the Constabulary to bring the offenders to justice?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)There is no reason to believe that feelings caused by the recent election had anything to do with these occurrences, which, moreover, are exaggerated in the report ([noted from. The burning of Mr. M'Mullen's stacks is believed to have been acci- 182 dental. A shilling's worth of damage was done to the windows of a man named Burns, who did not mention the occurrence to the police. No other so-called "outrage" has been reported in the district.
§ MR. M'CARTANasked, whether it was not the fact that these occurrences took place on the very night of the election?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURsaid, he could not give the date.