§ The Marquess of Westmeath moved for a return of the party or parties to whom the 50l. stated to have been paid by the rev. Philip O'Reilly, Roman Catholic priest of Ballymacue, in the county of Cavan, was given for the compromise of the offence with which he was charged upon oath; also a return of the purpose or purposes to which the same was applied; and also 370 a copy of the receipt given to the rev. Philip O'Reilly as a discharge for the same.
The Marquess of Normanbysaid, that there was this difference between the motion which the noble Marquess had made upon the subject last week, and the motion which he had brought forward that evening: In the former motion he had moved for papers which had existence; in the present he had moved for a paper which had no existence, at least, if it had existence, her Majesty's Government had no cognizance of it. With respect to the comments which the noble Marquess had passed on this transaction on a former evening, he had only to observe that he had received a letter that afternoon from Mr. Litton, the stipendiary magistrate, stating that the consequence of it had been the complete re-establishment of peace in that part of the country. The noble Marquess was trifling with the time of the House in bringing a motion of this insignificant character a second time under the consideration of their Lordships.
The Earl of Haddingtonprotested against the right assumed by the noble Marquess opposite, to read his noble Friend a lecture for bringing, what he considered, trifling matters before the House. No doubt his noble Friend near him attributed greater importance to the subject than the noble Marquess was inclined to assign to it.
The Marquess of Westmeathwould postpone the motion until the noble Marquess should have an opportunity of inquiring whether the 50l. had been paid or not.—Motion withdrawn.