as. 47

eat his own purpose than obtain .an ex- ,mption for the city of Kilkenny from the cfi‘ects of the proclamation.

Mr. SULLIVAN contended that no offences had been committed withinthe city of Kilkenny that at all Justified the severe infliction ol‘the Lord Licutenant’s proclama- tion. A great injury had been done to the trade of the town by the application of the coercion act. 0n the very next day after the proclamation the usual supply of provisions did not come in; only two loads of potatoes were brought to the market; and the poor of the city were thus left with- out the means of the nourishment.

Mr. O‘DVVYER remarked that when the bill was discussed his Hon. and Learned Friend LMr. O’Connell] suggested that returns should be regularly made under the Act, which was met by an objection that if a rase were made out the informa- tion would be given, Here was a case of a peaceable citv subje :ted to be proclaim- ed, although Gov’ernunnt were empowered to exempt parts of counties from the ope- ration ot'a proclamation

The SOLlClTOlt tii I‘JNERAL confessed that the House could not shew too much vigilance with respect to the exercise of the powers lately intrusted to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. They were un- doubtedly unconstitutional powers, which Parliament was only justified in granting by the necessity of the case; and the man- ner in which they were exercised ought to be most rigidly inquired into ; but in the present case there was not the. slightest reason for imputing to the Inrd Lieutenant of Irelaqu any abuse of the extensive powers with which he was invested.

Mr. HUME said that the Hon. and Learned Gentleman had made out no case, and the Right Hon. Secretary for Ireland had shown no excuse for placing the city of Kilkenny in the predicament ot'a disturbed district. The only assigned reason for it was, that meetings had taken pl we there; if so, why not p'lt the meetings down, as had been done in Dublin?

The AT l'URNE {-GENER.~IL said that the legislature had placed a certain discre- tionary power in the haudspfGivernment, and the only question was, whether the hon. and Learned Ge itleman had made out a case from which Parliament could infer that there had been a violation of the Act. The Hon, an I Learned Mem‘ier in his opi- nion, had not made out such a case, anl therefore he had no right to call for the

apers.

Mr. S. RICE observed that to exempt the city whilst the county was under the proclamation would land to great inconve— nience. The Right Hon. Gentleman iii- stanced the case of Limerick under the Insurrection Act. He defended the mea- sure of the Irish Government on this ground, that ifit was right to apply the

THE. BRITISH AMERICAN.

Act to the county of Kilkenny, it must he applied to the city, which was so involved in its localities. It was never meant that the vigilance to be exercised by Parliament over this act sh0uld render it inoperative, and it would be inoperative i.‘ a sacred spot was reserved in a county where the mis- chievous could find an asylum.

Mr. D. \V. HARVEY said, ifthe House was ready to sanction the principle of the argument of the Right Hon. Gentleman, it would embrace the entire kingdom of [re- land. [llear, Man] The speech of the Right Hon. Gentleman was an experiment to make the Act so extensive with Ireland itself. The measure was canceded on the responsibility of ministers; that responsibi- lity was now challenged, yet they refused to produce these reasons.

Mr. \‘V- ROACHE said that no city stood so fair entitled to exemption, as Kil- kenny from its present state.

Mr. ANGLIONBY expressed his sur- prise that the motion of the Hon. and Learned Gentlcinan~a motion so reason- able as almost to be a matter of right— should he so treated. The question was not whether the Government had acted right or not, but whether the Parliament had or had not a right to call for infor- m ation.

Sir S. \VHALLEY recommended the Government, unless there were names to be disclosed, to grant the papers. The Par- liament bad granted the act under the firm belief that it woald be leniently adminis— tered.

Lord SANDON’ said that though no man felt more regret than he did at this meas ire, he should regret ifit was not carried into effect [llear'] He should give his support to Ministers in the refusal of the paper. .

Mr. O’CONNELL, in reply, observed that he had been told, when he complained of'the possible abuse of this act, that he had only to come to a reformed Parliament, and he would find Government ready to give its reasons: of course it would, if it had any. But the only attempt at a reason was, that the powers of the act must be applied to the city of Kilkenny, because the place might be an asylum. But the word “ asylum,” was not in the act; the art spoke only of an insubordinate and disturbed state; Kilkcnny was in such a state, and the proclamation was there. All he required was the reasons of the Go- vernment: yet this reformed House of Com- mons would refuse the reasozis which had induced the government to apply the act to the City ol'Kilkenny. -

The house then divided, when there ap-

peared For the motion - - - - 28 Against it - - - -- 115—87. The Kilkenny Procgmalion. Stimulated

by the firm conviction that tyranny once to- lerated, knows no bounds, that the slightest

369 recognized violation of constitutional privilc- ges is calculated to produce the most calamit: ous results, we strenuously opposed the bill for the suspension of the habeas corpus in Ireland, upon the comprehensive principle that extraor- dinary power is sure to be abused. It was, no- vertheless, in mercy, passed by our very bu- maneand truly liberal legislature. We pre- dicted that increased oppression would be in. evitably consequent on increased powers of coercion, and the very first step taken by the Lord Lieutenant, pursuant to this monstrous measure, amply proves that we~ are correct.

During the progress of this vile W’hig abor- tion through the Commons, how frequently was it asserted by ministers that they should be at all times ready to give sufficient reasons for the proclaiming of any district, and willing on every occasion to produce evidence of its ne- cessity ? Yet when Mr. O‘Connell, on ‘VedneS' day night, called upon them to state the rea' sons on which the city of Killrenny had been proclaimed. the house seemed surprised at his iinpertinence. and treated the applica- tion with all due contempt: and Ireland's bran new Secretary, aping the aristocratic indiffer- ence of his callous predecessor, refused, with admirable sclfosufliciency, to produce a sin‘glc document to prove the necessity for such pro- clamation! It perhaps, were, as well that he did refuse. He was called upon to do that which he knew to be impossible, an '1 instinct dissuaded him from the attempt. There was no necessity for proclaiming the city of Kil- kenny. It was no! in astate of disturbance. The only apparent reason for the proclamation was that it afforded excellent accommodation to the military officers! anl, (herrfore, 23,0J0 inhabitants—4hr: population of the city—wore to be subjected to all the horrors of martial law ! ' '

Ireland, it is true, has occupied a great deal of the time of the house, but very—very little ofits attention. There is an infernal spirit pervades the hearts ofour English aristocra- cy which totally shuts out all sympathy for [- rish suffering. It is among them an epidemic— no disease is more C()IIl-I_-IIL‘HI$ than prejudice. They have been taught to hate the Irish, with all their souls, and so (l6( ply rooted is it, that neither in public or in private are they able to' disguise the implacable enmity they bear to- wards them. Home: that culpable indifference —-that disgusting levity, with which all Irish 1 affairs are treated in Parliament. It is a well known fact. that no sooner does a member rise to bring forward a motion respecting Ire- land, than a general conversation ensues ; for they regard all time thus occupied as time lost! Good Gml! Could llaslanl spare Ireland? Could Ireland exist an independent state? Would England be secure were Ireland to form an alliance with a [mat enemy? No! Then it is essential ihai tha- li lion must be pre- served? Decidedly. Yet to all nuprejudiced men it must be Clear as light that we are now pursuing the most effect" 1| means to produce a total severance l—Salirisl.

N O T I C K-

John M‘Nally and John Meehan, hereby give Public notice. that the Lessee oftbe Saw .Mill at Cra paud, Lot 29. is by his Lease, empowered to cut Ti I her for the mill. on any part ofthe Township whip, . may he unlet; and they. as the holders ofthe - caution all Persons against cutting Timber in [2‘ places. in doing which they have the concurrenrx The Earl of Westmorland's Agent. '

Crapaud, 24th Aug. 1832.