The Marquess of Londonderrypresented a petition from Newtownards, in the county Down, against any alteration of the Corn-laws. In presenting this petition, the noble Marquess begged to call the attention of their Lordships to the facts connected with it, and to the circumstances under which it had been signed. In order that the House might fully understand those circumstances, and might rightly appreciate the value which ought to be attached to this petition, he must inform them that a universal movement had been made in Ulster by the Radicals and Repealers of that district in favour of an alteration of the existing Corn-laws. This movement took place 1567 on Tuesday, the 23rd of May, andher would be right for him to mention a circumstance which would exhibit the description of persons who took a part in this Anti Corn-law agitation, and the nature of such agitation. In almost all the instances, the meetings appeared to have been held at the Roman Catholic chapels, and to have been got up entirely by the priests. Many of the inhabitants of Newtownards, Comber, and its vicinity, gentlemen of wealth and respectability, however, entertaining entirely opposite views, and having no sympathy with the proceedings of these Radical meetings to which he had alluded, were determined to express their sentiments, and to remove from the district the stigma which had been thus attached to it. They accordingly requested Mr. Andrews, his agent, to call a counter-meeting, and at this meeting, attended by all the men of station and property in the neighbourhood, the petition which he now begged to present had been signed. The Newtownards meeting was solely in consequence of a most insignificant gathering in the Roman Catholic chapel, headed by the priest and a small linen draper, backed by a few weavers. All these Radical meetings had been organised and ordered by Mr. O'Connell, and were in absolute subserviency to the Roman Catholic priests. He was bound also to inform their Lordships, that a general requisition from the county of Down had been signed for a public meeting; but it had been abandoned, because the magistrates of the county had been unwilling to excite agitation on so important a subject as a change in the Corn-laws. The feeling throughout the province of Ulster and all the northern parts of Ireland of the respectable farmers and men of station or property, was unanimously opposed to an alteration of the present system. With these remarks he begged to lay upon the Table the petition to which he had called their attention.
The Marquess of Downshirebore testimony to the almost universal feeling which prevailed through the north of Ireland in favour of the present Corn-laws. From his own personal knowledge he could testify to the respectability, and wealth, and station, of the petitioners whose petition the noble Marquess had presented.
§ Petition laid on the Table.