Lord Hollandthought it singular that they should have arrived at this stage of a bill of such great importance, without any reasons being alleged to prove the necessity of the measure. Not four-and-twenty hours had elapsed since they had been considering bills, the objects of which were to contribute to arm a large portion of the people, in order to meet the exigencies of the country, and now it formed a singular contrast that they were in a committee on a bill for disarming a large portion of his majesty's subjects in Ireland. He could not suffer a bill of this nature to be proceeded in without again calling the attention of the house to the causes of those discontents which 1179 rendered these measures of coercion necessary. He did not wish to go over at length the grounds he had before taken when another bill was before the house, but he could not help urging the importance of conciliatory measures as the best mode of allaying the discontents of a large portion of the population of Ireland. When discontents existed amongst a large portion of the people of Scotland, it was proposed to sir Robert Walpole to enlist them into regiments in the service of the country, and give the commands to the principal families who were then hostile to the government. The idea was eagerly seized by that great statesman, but was rejected by the cabinet. Many of those persons afterwards joined the standard of the rebellion. When, however, subsequently, a milder and more conciliatory policy was adopted, that people became loyal and zealous in the service of their country; and finally, all the measures which had been thought necessary to enact were repealed in the administration of the great earl of Chatham. Similar results offered themselves in Hungary, where a large portion of the people, in consequence of being of a religion different from the established church, were kept under degrading restraints that necessarily produced discontents. When, however, those restraints were put an end to, the utmost loyalty and zeal prevailed. With respect to the bill, he thought it placed by far too great powers in the hands of the magistracy of Ireland. The reason which induced him reluctantly to give his consent to a bill recently passed, did not operate in the present instance; that was a measure only to be used in case of necessity; but the present bill was to be continually operating, and might in many instances produce great oppression and hardships, particularly by the powers given to search for arms by night. He did not mean to say, that there might not be cases in which it might be necessary to take arms out of the hands of disaffected persons, but the present bill was in his opinion inadequate to its purpose, as it would operate to produce a greater concealment; the best Mode he thought would be to compel the magistrates to keep a registry of arms, and to grant licences for keeping them. He thought, however, that the bill recently passed for suppressing Insurrections, gave amply sufficient powers to the government, and he did not see the necessity of passing this bill in addition. He should therefore more, that the chair- 1180 man do leave the chair, meaning afterwards to move to postpone the bill for three months, conceiving that as it could not be many months before parliament would again assemble, there would then be ample time for discussing this subject.
§ Lord Hawkesburysaid, he had not introduced the bill with any arguments in support of it, because it contained nothing new in its principle or provisions, and not many weeks had elapsed since the principle of this bill had been distinctly recognized by the late administration, who proposed a bill for continuing an act commonly called the Gunpowder act, and which contained provisions equally oppressive, if so they could be called, with the present bill. That bill was passed by which the act was continued for 7 years, whilst it was only proposed to continue the present act for two years. His noble friend had been unfortunate in his allusion to Scotland, as in that country the acts of restraint and coercion had continued for 50 years, and it was only by a steady course of government upon these principles, that the discontents there were at length put an end to; but then they could not be made the subjects of party politics here, as the sources of these discontents was, in this part of the Island, treason. With respect,. however, to mild and conciliatory measures, nothing could have satisfied the discontented in that country, but the restoration of the Pretender. It was only by a steady system of government, together with old prejudices wearing away, that at length the necessity for measures of coercion ceased, and the population of Scotland had since served his majesty with the utmost bravery and loyalty. The circumstances of the two countries were, however, Materially different. It was only of late years that Scotland had been trusted with a national militia, whilst in Ireland there had long been a national militia of high character; and there was a brave and loyal yeomanry; a great number of the population of Ireland were likewise enlisted in the army. He did not wish to enter into a long, discussion of the subject; he should merely observe, that wherever discontents existed, those discontents we re not likely to be decreased by being made the subject of party politics. The necessity of this bill, from what was known of the state of Ireland, he conceived to be obvious.—The motion for the chairman leaving the chair being negatived,
§ Lord Hardwickeproposed an amendment, for the better promulgation of this law; as he conceived, that in the manner the laws were now promulgated in Ireland, many persons would be completely ignorant of the provisions of this act.
§ Lord Redesdalesaid, that the registering of arms had been so long the law of Ireland, that it was impossible they could be ignorant of the most important parts of this act. He relied upon the moderation of the magistracy for not abusing the power vested in them.—The amendment was negatived, and the bill passed through the committee.