§ LORD ASHBOURNEasked the First Lord of the Admiralty under what authority or power he was acting when (as he stated on 3rd March last) during his tenure of office as Lord Lieutenant he over-ruled the objections of the Military Authorities and broke up regiments into divisions to be sent into parts of Ireland when the peace of a district was threatened? He said: My Lords, the noble Earl the First Lord of the Admiralty having stated in your Lordships' House on 3rd March last that he frequently during his tenure of office in Ireland differed from the Military Authorities in their decisions and broke up regiments into small detachments, I wish him to state to your Lordships by what right, under what authority, and wielding what jurisdiction he so acted?
§ THE FIRST LORD OF THE ADMIRALTY (Earl SPENCER)My Lords, I hardly think the noble and learned Lord has put a right interpretation on my remarks. I am not aware that I personally ever broke up a regiment at all. What did occur was this: In some instances during my first period as Viceroy, and on one occasion in the second, the Military Authorities wished to call in detachments from Mayo, Castlebar, and other places, and if the county was not in a quiet state I dissented from that course. In that sense I over-ruled their decisions; but in no case that I can remember, out of many similar ones, did I ever have to exercise my authority or my powers under the prerogative, whatever they might be, and the Military Authorities invariably did what I wished in regard to these matters. Another occasion happened when a scheme for altering the disposition of the forces in the country and 1822 making a re-arrangement of them was proposed. I have not been able to refer to all those cases, but I have received from the Irish Office a Report of what happened upon one occasion of that sort when I had a conference with the Military Authorities, and they altered their arrangements in consequence of what I said. I never had to exercise the full powers which I might have possessed, and, therefore, I do not understand what it is the noble and learned Lord desires. I do not wish to enter into a disquisition with the noble and learned Lord as to what the powers of the Lord Lieutenant over the heads of the Military and Civil Authorities in Ireland are with regard to these matters, and I hardly think it desirable to do so.
§ LORD ASHBOURNEMy Lords, it is a matter of such high importance to ascertain with something like precisionand definiteness what are the powers of the Lord Lieutenant and the civil powers in Ireland over the police—
§ EARL SPENCERThe police?
§ LORD ASHBOURNEOver the military power of the Crown that I shall refer to the matter again on Thursday, with the object of obtaining a fuller and, I hope, a clearer explanation.
§ EARL SPENCERI may say, if the noble and learned Lord wishes to save the time and trouble of the House, that I have inquired into the matter, and I have here a distinct opinion that the Lord Lieutenant under the patent is entitled to give such orders and directions to the Commander of the Queen's Forces in Ireland, as he may think necessary in the exercise of the prerogative of the Crown.
§ LORD ASHBOURNEThen it is all the more necessary to go into the matter on Thursday?