§ MR. MACNEILLI beg to ask the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland whether his attention has been directed to a case in which five men were, a few days ago, charged before two Resident Magistrates at Portumna with assaulting two constables of the Royal Irish Constabulary, named M'Gowan and Grady, and two emergency men, named Kingsbury and Dobson, who swore that they had been way-laid and assaulted by the accused, Constable Grady being compelled to discharge his rifle in self-protection, and which case was, notwithstanding the positive swearing of the constables, dismissed by the Magistrates, the evidence for the defence being that the constables and the emergency men were under the influence of drink, and had attacked the accused; and whether these constables are still to be permitted to return to their positions, or whether any steps will be taken by the Government to mark its sense of their conduct?
§ MR. A. J. BALFOURI am making inquiry, but have not yet received a Report.