§ THE EARL OF LEITRIM rose to call attention to the manner in which the Irish Executive had exercised the powers conferred on them by various Acts with regard to the preservation of the peace. These statutes empowered the Lord Lieutenant, on the representation of the local magistrates, to send additional police to any district, and to charge one moiety of the expense upon the county or district, and the other on the Consolidated Fund. In 1846 the magistrates of the county of Leitrim represented to the Government that the police were inadequate for the due execution of the law in that district, whereupon the Irish Executive reluctantly, and for the first time, sent down additional police, and charged half the expense upon the locality. The result of this was so beneficial that Lord St. Germans, then Chief Secretary, brought in a Bill extending that power; and though Lord Russell defeated Sir Robert Peel's Government upon this measure, he himself, on his accession to Office, passed a similar one—namely, the Act 11 & 12 Vict. c. 12. This Act provided that the Lord Lieutenant, after proclaiming a district, might send additional police, and might afterwards by proclamation withdraw them; while an Act of 1857 empowered him to issue warrants for the collection of the requisite cess. Now, in the course of last year certain townlands in the parish of Condavanddock and barony of Kilmacrenan, in the county of Donegal, were proclaimed, and six additional police were sent down, on account of certain persons having been denounced from the altar. The locality was very properly taxed; but the cess was not imposed in the way prescribed by the Act, and, after two quarters, the tax was stopped, though the additional police were still on the spot. Whether the county or the Consolidated Fund was bearing the expense he could not ascertain. On his calling the attention of the Executive to the matter, he received a reply enclosing the opinion of the local magistracy that it would be undesirable under present circumstances to re-impose the tax, and stating that the Lord Lieutenant, while endorsing this opinion, would be prepared to re-consider his decision should any serious outrage be committed in the 1501 locality. Now, nothing in the Act justified the Lord Lieutenant in shifting the responsibility from himself to the magistrates, from one of whom he had received a letter expressing regret that the tax had been allowed to die out, but declining to recommend its re-imposition. This was most unfortunate management, and nothing was more unsatisfactory than the manner in which police arrangements were carried out. The noble Earl then moved for a series of Returns relating to the proclamation of certain townlands in the county of Donegal; and other Returns relating to the murder of William O'Brien, in the lands of Drumdoo, in the parish of Mohill, in the county of Leitrim.
LORD DUFFERINsaid, there could be no objection to the presentation of the Returns moved for, except of those relating to the movements of the police, which were of a confidential nature.
§ Motion amended and agreed to.
§ House adjourned at a quarter before Seven o'clock, to Thursday, the 28th instant, half past Ten o'clock.