THE MARQUESS OF CLANRICARDEsaid, he wished to make a brief explanation of a personal matter connected with the observations which he had felt it necessary to make on the previous evening with reference to the Court of Queen's Bench in Ireland and to the learned Chief Justice who presided over that tribunal. The noble and learned Lord opposite (Lord Chelmsford) had reproached him for not having given notice of his intention to make the comments which he had made respecting that learned and venerable Judge. Now, the fact was that on last Tuesday night he had crossed the House and inquired of the noble and learned Lord opposite whether he was acquainted with any member of Lord Chief Justice Lefroy's family (one of whom now sat in the other House of Parliament), and suggested that the noble and learned Lord should communicate with that hon. Gentleman on the notice he had given, in order that the discussion might be fixed for any day which might be most convenient for the friends of the learned Judge. He did not, however, receive any intimation that a postponement was desired, and therefore he was not chargeable with having given no notice of the question to which he had last night felt it his duty to call their Lordships' attention. He might also say he had mentioned that he meant to bring the matter forward to the noble Lord at the head of the Government.
§ LORD CHELMSFORDsaid, that it was quite true that the noble Marquess had mentioned to him on Tuesday evening that he purposed bringing forward that subject; but he must confess that the whole matter had escaped from his recollection—and he begged pardon for that circumstance—until he read the noble Marquess' notice on the Votes on Thursday morning. Certainly, however, there was nothing in the terms of that notice which gave the slightest intimation that the noble Marquess would make the statement he had done in regard to the Lord Chief Justice of the Irish Court of Queen's Bench. The notice stated, among other things, that he would refer to "the state of the Court of Queen's Bench," which might have been taken to mean that he would allude to the ventilation of the court, or some similar matter.