THE EARL OF CARNARVON, in moving for "Copy of Regulations with regard to the Supervision to be Exorcised over the Convicts on Ticket of Leave in Dublin," said, that his chief object was to give to the noble Earl the President of the Council an opportunity of explaining a statement made the other evening which had led to some misapprehension. The noble Earl then stated that the supervision of the convicts liberated on tickets of leave, which had been applied generally in Ireland, was not enforced in the City of Dublin on account of the denseness of its population. He had no wish to go into a discussion of the relative merits of the English and Irish convict systems; but it was obvious that it the supervision, which was a distinguishing feature of the Irish system, could not be enforced in Dublin, there must be many portions of England to which it was not applicable. He thought the noble Earl was mistaken in that statement, and that it would lend to misapprehension. The fact, he believed 558 to be, that while in the rural districts of Ireland monthly reports were made of the condition of the convicts, in Dublin the supervision was carried still further. Reports were made fortnightly, and an official was charged with the duty of paying frequent visits to the different convicts residing in the city and making reports on their conduct. The noble Earl concluded by moving for a Copy of the Regulations.
§ EARL GRANVILLEsaid, he had made the statement, referred to by the noble Earl, on the authority of the Chief of the Police in London, who had been in communication with the police authorities in Ireland. That fact, as he understood, was, that there was no regular supervision exercised by the police over the convicts in Dublin, but that they were assembled fortnightly under the supervision of a gentleman who had undertaken that duty, and whose services seemed to have been productive of considerable good. The convict systems both in England and in Ireland would be fully considered by the Commission which was at present prosecuting its inquiries, and he trusted that such suggestions would be made as would have the effect of improving both systems.
§ Motion agreed to.