THE EARL OF LIMERICKrose to call attention to the case of Private John Lee of the Royal Limerick County Regiment 435 of Militia, who on the 5th of June was sentenced to one month's imprisonment for having applied for and obtained a night's lodging and relief in the Glin Union Workhouse. The noble Earl said, about a fortnight ago he asked a Question on the subject, and the noble Duke (the Duke of Richmond) said the matter was still under investigation. The Limerick Militia was called out for training on the 17th June. John Lee was working in the town of Tralee when the notice was published, and he set out for Limerick early in the month to join the regiment, in which he was a private. On the 3rd he slept at Listowel, where he paid for his lodging. On the night of the 4th he reached the borders of the county of Limerick, and being unable to obtain a lodging, he applied for and obtained a night's lodging and relief in the Glin Workhouse. On the morning of the 5th he was taken before a justice of the peace, and under the provisions of an Act passed in the 10th and 11th years of the Queen was sentenced to a month's imprisonment in the Limerick County Gaol. He disclaimed any personal feeling with regard to the magistrate who passed that sentence and who was not personally known to him. The interest he took in the case was that he had the honour of being Colonel of the regiment in which the poor man served; and he submitted that the Act was intended to apply to professional tramps, and not to such persons as Lee. The unfortunate man died while undergoing his month's imprisonment, and was buried as a prisoner. He begged to ask. Whether, in the opinion of Her Majesty's Government, such sentence was legal and proper; and, if not, what action has been taken or is contemplated towards the justice of the peace who passed such sentence?
§ THE DUKE OF RICHMONDsaid, he was not prepared at the moment to say whether the sentence inflicted in this case was a legal and proper one; but he could inform the noble Earl as to what action was contemplated towards the justice of the peace who passed that sentence. The whole matter had been laid officially by the Irish Government before the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and was under his consideration. Until the Lord Chancellor came to a conclusion on the case it would be impossible for Mm to give a more satisfactory answer to the inquiry of his noble Friend.
THE EARL OF LIMERICKregretted that the answer was not more satisfactory. The time that had elapsed since the matter was brought under the notice of the Irish Government was surely long enough for them to have made up their minds upon it.
§ THE DUKE OF RICHMONDrepeated that the subject was under the consideration of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland, whose duties were very important and numerous, and it was impossible to compel him to give an opinion upon a case of this sort within a limited period. The noble Earl was rather unreasonable in complaining that a decision had not been come to before now.