§ 21. Mr. RONALD M'NEILLasked the Chief Secretary whether he has been informed of an attack made upon a small party of Boy Scouts at Dolphin's Barn, Dublin, on Thursday evening, the 24th instant; whether he is aware that a troop of the city of Dublin scouts are in camp at Kimmage, near Dolphin's Barn; that they are entertaining some English scouts from Manchester in return for hospitality shown to Irish scouts at the late rally of Boy Scouts in that city; whether he is aware that two of these English boys with some of their Irish comrades were attacked by a Nationalist mob at Dolphin's Barn on the evening mentioned and chased back to their camp; that the scouts' tents were torn down and property carried away; whether he is aware that the antipathy of the Nationalist mob of Dublin to the boy scouts arises from the fact that they carry the Union Jack and are affiliated to the British scouts; and whether any arrests have been made or any persons made amenable for this riot and destruction of property?
§ 27. Mr. HORNERasked the Chief Secretary whether his attention has been called to an attack made last Thursday evening by a crowd of men, youths, and boys upon boy scouts at or near their camp at Kimmage, outside Dublin; whether the boys who were attacked included two boys of a party from Manchester on a visit to the camp; whether the crowd threw stones, hooted, jeered, and made use of abusive-epithets, in which the boys were called Foreigners and Saxons; whether, not content with terrorising the boys, the crowd knocked over the tents and carried away all the cooking utensils; and whether any arrests have been made?
§ Mr. BIRRELLMy attention has been called to this matter, which has been greatly exaggerated. I am informed by the police that some Boy Scouts from Manchester when passing through Dolphin's Barn on their way back to their camp, on the 24th instant, were followed by a number of idlers, who made jeering remarks and threw some stones, but no one was struck. The pole of one of the tents was pulled up, which caused the tent to fall, and a tent pole, one of the scout's kit bag, and a few pans were stolen. This was not the doing of a mob, but of a knot. of corner boys. The Union Jack was not referred to at all. The scouts could not identify any of their assailants, who went away over the fields before the police arrived. Some more scouts arrived from Manchester on the 27th instant, and there has been no further interference with the camp.
§ Mr. HORNERAm I right in saying that the camp has since been under police protection?
§ Mr. BIRRELLNo, it has not been under police protection, but the police keep an eye upon it.
§ Mr. HORNERAre there two policemen stationed there permanently since?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI do not know whether they are permanently stationed there, but they are there.
§ Mr. RONALD M'NEILLWhat distinction does the right hon. Gentleman draw between a mob and a lot of corner boys?
§ Mr. BIRRELLI did not say a "lot." I said a "knot."