The Marquess of Londonderrystated that it had been very generally rumoured that Mr. O'Connell, Lord Ffrench, and other magistrates who had attended repeal meetings, had been very properly dismissed. He was anxious to know from the noble Duke if such was the fact.
§ The Duke of Wellingtonobserved that if his noble Friend had given him notice of his intention to ask such a question, he could have prepared himself with his official documents. He had not seen them, but he had every reason to believe such to be the fact.
§ The Earl Fitzwilliamremarked, that whenever it might be deemed necessary that this subject should be discussed, it would be desirable that their Lordships should have the reasons stated to them on which the Government had taken this step.
The Marquess of Londonderrycould not, he said, but feel very happy in the answer that had been given to him by the noble Duke. He was anxious on this subject, perhaps more than any of their Lordships; and therefore he could not but feel much with respect to these meetings, the object of which was to put an end to that union, for the maintenance of which he felt so much interested. His feelings were interested on this subject, being closely connected with a minister (Lord Castlereagh) who, he believed in his conscience, had done more than any other Minister that ever existed to accomplish one of the most important, as well as the gravest measure, that had ever been com- 923 pleted—a measure that, when accomplished, both branches of the Legislature, and the Sovereign, after forty years' experience of it, had declared to be the most important to this country. When, then, he saw and felt that there were meetings taking place, he could not but lament—
§ The Marquess of Lansdownetook the liberty of calling the noble Lord to order. He did not wish to deprive the noble Lord of the opportunity of expressing his sentiments on a subject on which it was natural, on account of the particular connection to which the noble Marquess had referred, that he should be anxious to make some allusion; but then he ventured to submit to the noble Marquess, as from the answer of the noble Duke he was only able to announce that a fact had taken place, and was not then prepared to give an explanation on the subject, whether it would not be better, whether it would not be more consistent with order, to defer his observations to a period, which could not be far distant, when the noble Duke could give them the explanation that the noble Lord desired.
The Marquess of Londonderrywould not then say one word further. But when the noble Duke gave his answer, it would be quite impossible, connected as he was with the minister to whom he had referred, that he should allow the merits of that great statesman to be overlooked, and that, too, without at least raising his humble voice in his favour.
§ Subject at an end.