§ MR. DILLON (Mayo, E.)wished to ask the Chief Secretary for Ireland, If his attention had been called to the judgment of the Court of Appeal in Dublin on Saturday, in which it was decided that the warrant under which 904 Father Keller was arrested was an illegal warrant, and the rev. gentleman was released; whether Father Keller had suffered two months' imprisonment under this illegal warrant; whether he was aware that this gentleman had been put to an expense of close on £100 in obtaining his release; and whether under all these circumstances, and in view of the charges which had been made in connection with this case, the Government would have an inquiry instituted into the circumstances attending it?
§ THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. HOLMES) (Dublin University)(who replied) said, that the only information which the Irish Government had on the subject was that which they obtained from the newspapers. It was a matter with which the Government had nothing whatever to do. It was not one into which the Government could inquire, as it was a question which had been decided by successive Law Courts in the ordinary course of legal procedure.
§ MR. DILLONasked the Chief Secretary, Whether they were to take the right hon. and learned Gentleman's answer as final, that the Government would give no redress, or even inquire into the merits of the case, in which a gentleman had been detained in prison for two months under an illegal warrant, and put to an enormous expense to obtain his release?
§ THE CHIEF SECRETARY (Mr. A. J. BALFOUR) (Manchester, E.)said, that it would be impossible for the Government to inquire into the merits of the case. It had never been under their consideration at all; and he did not know what further answer the hon. Gentleman thought that this or any other Government could give.
§ MR. CHANCE (Kilkenny, S.)asked, Whether the Government did not send a number of policemen to arrest this gentleman under this warrant; and whether of the four Judges the three permanent Irish Judges declared, the warrant to be illegal, and only one Judge—the Irish Lord Chancellor—held the warrant to be valid?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOUR, said, he believed the Court of Queen's Bench, had previously declared the warrant to be legal; but they had nothing to do with that. As regarded the police, all the Government did was to send down the 905 police to protect the officers of the Court in the execution of their duty.
§ MR. DILLONsaid, that, under these circumstances, he begged to give Notice that at the earliest opportunity he would call attention to the conduct of the Judge of the Court of Bankruptcy in Dublin in this particular case; and if he was not permitted to call attention to the conduct of the Judge, he would call attention to the conduct of the Official Assignees and other officials of that Court.