The MARQUESS of LONDONDERRYwished to engage the attention of his noble Friend the President of the Council for a few moments, although he had no intention of putting to him any immediate question. On a former evening he had had occasion to advert to the conduct of the Presbyterian clergy in that part of Ireland with which he was more immediately connected, and he had noticed their proceedings more particularly in the county of Down. Most extraordinary proceedings had taken place recently at Banbridge in that county, and, in consequence, a Presbyterian minister, who called himself "William Dobbin," had written a letter to him, calling upon him "respectfully, but firmly, either to substantiate the statement which he had made in the House of Lords, as it appeared in the Times newspaper of Thursday last, or to retract the imputation." Now, he could not be certain whether the words which he then used were those which were reported in the Times, but he was quite certain that he had not said anything which he had occasion to retract. He had mentioned the state of his county to his noble Friend the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in private, and, as he was now in this country, he should have been very glad had the noble Lord then been in the House. Since he had last mentioned this subject to their Lordships three more incendiary fires had taken place in the county of Down; and in the county of Antrim, adjacent to his residence, several farm buildings, on the estate of Mr.——, had been set on fire, merely because he had thought fit to make a change among some of his tenantry. He contended that this was owing to the bad language and preaching, and to the almost advice, of some Presbyterian clergymen to resist the law, and to abstain from the payment of rent. He was satisfied that these matters had attracted the attention of his noble Friend the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. He had always looked upon that noble Lord as the best Lord Lieutenant Ireland had ever had. He wanted to know from his noble Friend opposite whether there was no method by which the Government could punish these deluders. The deluded, he knew, could be punished; but he was anxious that the deluders should be apprised that the Government was in possession of means by which they also could be touched. He believed that the Regium Donum was granted to these 1277 ministers on the application of certain clergymen of their persuasion in the province of Ulster; and some of these deluders had scarcely any other income than that which they derived from that source. Could not Her Majesty's Government intimate to these men that it was in its power to deprive them of these emoluments, in case they continued to drive the tenants to resist the law of the land, and to refuse the payment of their rents? He should not have mentioned this subject now, had he not received the letter to which he had alluded on coming down to the House that evening. It was a letter highly indecent and improper. He did not know whether it did not approach very near to a breach of privilege to call upon him to recant words which he had spoken in his place in Parliament.
§ The MARQUESS of LANSDOWNEregretted that his noble Friend the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland was not in the House, as he could have given the noble Marquess a more satisfactory answer than he (the Marquess of Lansdowne) was enabled to give. He had no hesitation in saying that the language made use of by these clergymen was grossly improper; but it did not follow that because it was so, the Government should think it politically expedient to recommend the Lord Lieutenant to write to the law officers of the Crown to adopt the very grave step of instituting prosecutions against these persons, The distribution of the Regium Donum was made under the authority of the Presbyterian Church, and he did not think it advisable that the distribution of the Regium Donum should be interfered with.
The EARL of MOUNTCASHELLsaid, that, connected as he was with the part of Ireland to which the noble Marquess had alluded, he wished to say that he was acquainted with a great many Presbyterian clergymen in the north of Ireland, and that he did not believe the great majority of them would concur in the language alluded to. Some few of the body might have used such language, but he was sure the great majority would not do so. He did not wish, therefore, that it should go forth from their Lordships' House that a stigma had been cast on the whole Presbyterian body, on account of the misconduct of a few of its members. He knew the Presbyterians of the north of Ireland well, and this he could say of them, that a more loyal and well-disposed body of men, or 1278 one more determined to maintain the union between the two countries, did not exist.
LORD BROUGHAMentirely agreed with his noble Friend near him that there was in this letter something very like an encroachment on privilege—a subject on which, perhaps, he held laxer principles than some of their Lordships. His Friend the noble Marquess had shown him the letter of Mr. William Dobbin, and had authorised him to read it to the House. It was as follows:—
Anaghlone, Banbridge, Feb. 19, 1850.My Lord—In the Times of Friday last you are reported to have stated in your place in the House of Lords as follows, as regards Down:—'That hitherto peaceable and industrious county is in a state of dreadful excitement, by the Presbyterian ministers at the present moment exhorting the people not to pay rents, but to resist the laws.' I am instructed by the Committee of the Tenant-right Defence Association of Banbridge to call upon your Lordship respectfully, but firmly, either to substantiate your statement, or to retract the imputation.—I am, my Lord, your Lordship's obedient servant,WILLIAM DOBBIN, Presbyterian Minister,Anaghlone, Banbridge,Secretary pro tem.The Marquess of Londonderry.It certainly was a very great liberty to take, to call upon a Peer of Parliament to retract a statement made by him in that House. He believed that these Presbyterian ministers were a most respectable body; but he hoped that they were now a little more loyal than they were in 1798.
The MARQUESS of LONDONDERRYwas not inclined to cast the slightest imputation on the great body of the Presbyterians or of their ministers, for his own father had originally been a Presbyterian. He was sorry, however, to say, that there were not one or two, but several instances, in which Presbyterian clergymen had recently misconducted themselves. He could not pass over this challenge to him without notice; but he did not wish any further proceedings to be founded upon it.