Lords Sitting of 26 March 1840

MINUTES.
Petitions, presented. By the Earl of Zetland, from York, against the Opium Trade.—By the same, the Duke of Buccleugh, and the Earl of Aberdeen, from several places in Scotland, in favour of Non-Intrusion.— By the Duke of Sutherland, the Earls of Rosebery, Lovelace, and Clarendon, and Lord Redesdale, from a number of places, for, and by Lords Fitzgerald, Ashburton, and Redesdale, and the Marquess of Londonderry, against, the Total and Immediate Repeal of the Corn-laws.—By the Marquess of Northampton, from Merchants, and others, for Protection to the Church in Nova Scotia.—By the Marquess of Bute, from a Union in the North of England, against the Rating of Workhouses.—By Lord Bandon, from Bandon, against the Irish Corporation Bill.

THE CATHOLIC CLERGY (IRELAND).
The Marquess of Westmeathrose, to call the attention of the House to a matter with which, being merely personal to himself, he should not occupy their attention for more than a very few minutes. He had to complain of a misrepresentation published on Tuesday last, of what fell from him on Monday in that House, on the occasion of his giving a notice that he should, as to-morrow, call the attention of the House to the mode in which the Poor-law guardians were elected in Ireland. What he had said upon that occasion was this:—"That the interference of the Roman Catholic clergy in those elections was such a nuisance, that the time had arrived when it must be abated." The Morning Chronicle, in taking notice of that, had put upon it an interpretation the most unjust. If what he had said in that House was not worth calling attention to, it was perhaps not worth reporting; but if his observations were reported, nothing could be more unfair than to impute to him words and sentiments entirely different from those which he felt and expressed. He was reported as having said, that in Ireland the "priests were making themselves quite nuisances." There was no doubt that he had more than once spoken of the Irish priests as restless and intriguing, and as men whose conduct at all times proved that they were inimical to civil liberty. The history of all times in which popery existed, fully bore him
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out in attributing to them those qualities. He had been represented as saying that they had made themselves nuisances; that language, he was sure, had been imputed to him for the purpose of making it appear that he was intolerant. He felt convinced that it was done with that view; it was unjust and malicious. In looking at the reports which appeared in the other newspapers, he did not find that any one of them had put the same interpretation upon what he had said. Of the facetiousness in which a newspaper might indulge, he did not feel at all disposed to complain. There was usually great latitude enjoyed in that respect, and in this free country it was not to be made a matter of complaint; but perhaps he might be permitted to say, that in a recent case it had been indulged without sufficient foundation. It would be remembered, that in the last Session of Parliament there had been an inquiry instituted, after which he presumed that no man who was not a knave or a fool, could think of denying that an extensive Riband conspiracy existed in Ireland. He had noticed the fact, that the assizes at Tipperary had proved a maiden assizes—that is, there had been no capital conviction, upon which a paper, understood to be the organ of Government, observed that he ought to hang himself. Of that, however, he made no complaint; but he contended that the occurrence at Tipperary afforded no proof of the non-existence of a Riband conspiracy, since very recently two executions had taken place at Mullingar for a murder, committed in consequence of engagements arising out of Riband conspiracies.
Subject at an end.

LONDONDERRY PETITION.
The Marquess of Londonderrysaid, that since he came down to the House, he had learned that the petition which he had given, notice he would present to the House from the city and county of Londonderry, had not been very generally signed, and had not been submitted to a public meeting. When he received the petition, he at the same time received an assurance that it was numerously signed. He thought, that under the circumstances, and as the bill must be further postponed, his best plan would be to withdraw his notice for the present, and at some future day, but previous to the discussion on the bill, again bring the subject under the con-

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sideration of the House, when he should go fully into the details of which the petition took notice. He had never been opposed to the just claims of the Roman Catholics; so far from being what was called a high churchman, he was diametrically the reverse, but he had come to the conclusion that great mischief would ensue if the bill were passed.
Lord Hollandwanted to know why the petition had been withdrawn. They had been summoned to consider the petition, and he thought that it ought to have been properly prepared before they were called together.
The Marquess of Londonderrythought he had already given a sufficient explanation. He had now only to add, that he wished both petitions coming (as we understood) from Londonderry, should have a fair and full hearing.
Lord Straffordsaid, that he had received letters from Londonderry, stating that the inhabitants of that city—at least a considerable portion of them—had for the first time been made aware of the existence of this petition, by seeing a statement in the newspapers that the noble Marquis meant to present it. They were quite at a loss to know with whom it originated, there having been no public meeting, and the petition not having been left at the usual place for signature. It was certainly not a petition from the mayor and corporation.
The Marquess of Westmeathobserved, it was not always safe to call a public meeting in Ireland; a man might get knocked on the head at one of those places. In many parts of Ireland it was necessary to prepare petitions privately, and privately to send them round for signatures. There was a wide difference between England and Ireland in this and in many other respects, and yet Ministers thought to assimilate the institutions of both countries, overlooking the important consideration, that the condition and character of the people were widely dissimilar.
Petition withdrawn.