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whether the conduct of the magistrates of | fast. Its position, its prosperity, its chaBelfast had been such as to expose them racter demanded that. If there was to be to the judicial censure of the Lord Chan- a rivalry in Belfast, for God's sake let it cellor. There were several statements in not be a rivalry of one creed against another the Report before them as to the conduct creed, but of all classes in acts of forbearof the magistrates; but it would be for the ance and charity one towards another! House to judge whether they thought they Looking to the progress which Belfast had had sufficient ground for any very strin- made under all disadvantages in everything gent action on the part of the authorities. tending to develop trade and commerce, It might be that they had acted with want what further advances might they not exof judgment-that they had lost their pect if all her sons and citizens united in heads " on the occasion; but great allow-one harmonious effort to promote her pros ance must be made for them, and the perity, bearing and forbearing one another! Commissioners said that, in their opinion, SIR HUGH CAIRNS said, that in the the existing authorities and police force of course of the debate some observations had Belfast are not adequate to the future been made on individuals, many of whom maintenance of the order and tranquillity were intimate friends of his, and he was of the borough. He did not think they sure the House would extend to him for a would find a stronger accusation against limited time the indulgence which was the magistrates than want of judgment. always shown when individual character He did at the time submit to the Lord and reputation had been assailed, and the Chancellor whether he thought it desir- defence had to be made through the able that any action should be taken against mouth of a Member of the House. He the magistrates of the district. The Lord might take exception to the course pursued Chancellor said it was desirable to wait till by the hon. Member for Longford (Mr. the Commissioners had time to give their O'Reilly), inasmuch as in his speech he opinion; and he did not think any further had gone into matters much wider than inquiry was necessary he thought the was covered by his Notice of Motion on evidence given was sufficient to show that the paper. He had given a history, acthey had not acted with that prudence they cording to his own version, of these most should have exhibited; but it would be most melancholy riots, and put his own conunwise and even dangerous to set about struction on their origin, cause, and proan inquiry into the conduct of the magis- gress, and on the various occurrences that trates after the investigation which had took place while they existed, altogether taken place before the Commission. He irrespective of the persons whose conduct (Sir Robert Peel) hoped that inquiry would he was assailing. Now, he wished at the be final. Every one knew what was the outset to say that he did not intend to great blot of the town-namely, the in- follow the hon. Gentleman in that course. adequacy of the local police; but he believed He did not intend at present to resume it would have led to exasperation if further the discussion as to the real cause of these action had been taken by the Government most unfortunate riots, indefensible as in consequence of these disturbances. The they were, whether they had or had not a hon. and gallant Gentleman had referred cause; nor did he intend to follow the hon. to Mr. Lyons and Mr. Verner. Well, the Member in the mode in which he dealt case with reference to these gentlemen had with the evidence before the Commission. been submitted to the authorities, and it The hon. Gentleman had selected such was the opinion of the Lord Chancellor and evidence as in his opinion made out his the Government, looking to the depositions, view of the conduct of the persons engaged that it was not desirable that any further in the riots during the time they prevailed. action should be taken in the matter be- As he said before, no person could deplore yond passing the Bill now in its progress the riots more than he did; and it was no through Parliament. He did not wish to consolation to him to say that one party prolong this discussion. His belief was more than another was to blame. that a better feeling would spring up in the said much blame lay on one side or the town. These disturbances had been the other. The occurrence of these events result of faction fights and animosities, the was a matter they had all to deplore, and outbreak of which it was impossible for the he certainly would not endeavour to keep Government to foresee. Every one would alive passions which he hoped would now concur in the hope that in the future they go to rest, by entering on an investigation would see a better state of things in Bel- which could do no possible good. But the

He

case was altogether different when they of the town during the first days of the took the Motion, which dealt with the riot had nothing it it. The next charge character and reputation of individuals, | was that he went to Harrogate, where, acand above all the character and reputation cording to the hon. Member, he heard of that class of men of all others entitled nothing about the riots for eight days. to seek fair consideration both from Par- He (Sir Hugh Cairns) did not know what liament and the public-he meant the un- was the nature of the telegraphic commupaid magistracy of the country. In Eng- nication between Belfast and Harrogate, land they had boroughs where local magis- or how long it ought to take to communitrates were appointed. Their duty was in cate between those places, but they had a the borough. There was nothing of the curious instance of the uncertain way in kind in Belfast. There were no magistrates which intelligence travelled in what the appointed for Belfast, except the stipen- right hon. Baronet had stated-namely, diary resident magistrate. Belfast was that the first information he had of the situated partly in the county of Antrim | disturbances was from a French newspaper. and partly in Down, and the magistrates In referring, however, to that point he did of either county might act magisterially in not mean to attach the slightest blame to that part of Belfast which lay in their re- the right hon. Baronet; and he at once spective county, but there was no obliga- admitted that the right hon. Gentleman tion on any particular magistrate to leave had given the most satisfactory reason for his residence in the county, go into Belfast, his absence from Ireland at the time. and act in his magisterial capacity for the But to return to the mayor. He was town. There was one magistrate-a resi- in ill-health, and had been ordered to dent magistrate-who received a salary go to Harrogate; he had made his from the country for the performance of arrangements for going some days behis duties. It was his duty to perform fore, and previous to setting out had magisterial functions in the town. The name of the Mayor of Belfast had been mentioned. That gentleman had filled the office of mayor for two successive years, and all who knew him must admit that a more upright, estimable, and sagacious man than the present Mayor of Belfast did not live. It was quite true that during his tenure of office the mayor was ex officio a magistrate, but it was not usual to consider that his authority superseded that of the resident magistrate. No doubt he was in the habit of rendering as much assistance as he could, but it was the resident magistrate who discharged the bulk of the duties connected with the town. The charge made against the mayor was, in the first place, that during the earlier days of the riots he slept out of the town. Now, Belfast was a business town, and there was not, he believed, a single magistrate who did not sleep out of it-indeed it was somewhat remarkable that the person who enjoyed the name of "Resident Magistrate," Mr. Orme, had always been permitted by the Government to reside two or three miles from the town, and was so residing when the riots took place. And that was the explanation of part of Mr. Orme's evidence when he said that upon hearing of the first appearance of a riot he came into the town, but it was all over when he arrived there. The accusation, therefore, that the mayor slept out

consulted the resident magistrate, Mr. Orme, who told him he might safely leave the town, and he went on the night of the 11th. Now let hon. Gentlemen be just in the position in which they stood. The mayor went on the 11th; he got a telegram on the evening of the 16th; and he started by the first train next morning for Belfast, where he arrived on the morning of the 18th. It was perfectly idle, therefore, with the knowledge we now possess of the facts, to do more than regret that the mayor was absent during those days. It was but fair that those who wished to judge his conduct should put themselves in his place. But in the meantime the Government had sent down to assist Mr. Orme two gentlemen, whose names he desired to mention as being among the most efficient of the stipendiary magistrates in Ireland-Mr. McCance and Mr. Coulson-who remained in Belfast with the usual resident magistrate during the whole of the period of the absence of the mayor. So much for the case of the mayor, to whom no impartial man would, he believed, be prepared to assign the slightest blame in connection with those events. He would next pass to the case of Mr. Verner. He should, however, first of all observe that the resident magistrate did not feel it his duty to call on any of the county magistrates to act with him until after the 12th, although the riots began on

armed and was firing shots, he did not order the military force accompanying him to disarm it. And the hon. Member, in martial ardour, brought forward the testimony of Lieutenant Kennedy and Colonel Lightfoot to show that the disarmament might have been easily effected. Now, it so happened that there was then a greater military authority in Belfast than those two officers-namely, General Haines— who differed toto cælo from them on that very point; and the Commissioners, being a little more impartial than the hon. Member, in their Report, after mentioning the evidence of Colonel Lightfoot, went on to say

doing that. Could anything be more na- years past he had, sometimes singletural than a misunderstanding of that kind handed, always with the greatest diligence, between a magistrate and an officer? and as a volunteer, discharged what might be could such a circumstance justify the lan- thought to be about the most disagreeable guage of the hon. Member's Resolution of duties-namely, those of a police manamely, that the evidence contained gistrate in Belfast, in which capacity his "statements so seriously impugning the services had been of the greatest advanofficial conduct of certain magistrates tage to the administration of justice. A that "a due regard to the vindication of more skilful magistrate from long expethe impartiality of the administration of rience than Mr. Lyons did not exist. But justice requires that a full inquiry into the it did not at all, therefore, follow that he truth of these charges should be instituted?" was necessarily the best man at quelling a It was idle to assert anything so prepos- riot when it had gained considerable head. terous. The hon. Member also told them The charge brought against him, however, that on a particular day during the dis- was that, having gone to one of the funerturbances there were some three or fourals, when he found that the crowd was funerals of persons who had lost their lives in the course of the riots; that those funerals were largely attended, and that they became the cause of increasing disorders. Now, he felt sure there was not a Gentleman in that House who would not agree with him in saying that it was a grave error of judgment to have permitted those funerals to take place, accompanied by such numbers of people. But the hon. Member, in his zeal to attack what he called the local magistrates, had rather overshot the mark. Anybody who desired to know what occurred in connection with those funerals would find it in the Report of the Commission. There were in the town at least six stipendiary magistrates. A meeting was held in the morning of the day when the funerals were to take place, at which six stipendiary and three or four county magistrates were present. It was the stipendiary magistrates who were of opinion that the funerals should proceed without being interrupted; and not only were they of that opinion, but four out of the six were told off to accompany each funeral and take charge of it. It was a curious fact that at that meeting the only persons who suggested that the funerals should not be permitted was a county magistrate, and he was that very Sir Edward Coey whom the hon. Member attacked and accused of want of discretion! But Sir Edward Coey was overruled, and the stipendiary magistrates were assigned to attend the different funerals, with the consequences which the House had heard. The next magistrate who had been referred to by the hon. Member was Mr. Lyons, a gentleman whose reputation was well known in Belfast. The owner of a large property, Mr. Lyons had had the good fortune early in life to receive a legal training as a member of the Bar. For many

"It is right to observe that General Haines

seemed to doubt whether the crowd could have been so easily dispersed here."

When they found those military authorities differing whether it would have been a proper strategical movement to have endeavoured to disarm a mob under particular circumstances, surely it was rather too much to say that an unfortunate peaceful magistrate, who had never seen fields of battle, like the hon. and gallant Gentleman, was to be called upon at the spur of the moment to decide that he would take on himself the responsibility of ordering such a movement. The hon. and gallant Member also remarked that on a particular daythe 16th the Lord-lieutenant of the county, Lord Donegall, came into the town, and the moment he appeared everything was reduced to peace and quietness, and a search for arms was made. But, if he recollected rightly, the Lord-lieutenant was in the town during the whole time, and if he had chosen to call out the posse comitatus, it would have been available; and, therefore, the very witness cited by the hon. and gallant Member went against him. He had now only to say a few words

on behalf of two other magistrates-Major | were armed with the same power a diverMackenzie and Mr. Sinclair, who were sity of opinion and contradictory orders mentioned on the testimony of a witness were likely to prevail, and in consequence about which he would say no more than the military and the police were crowded that any person who read it through would together in some places, whilst others were see what kind of evidence it was. The not attended to as they ought to have been, witness accused Major Mackenzie of neg- which, no doubt, was the consequence of lect, and of refusing to perform the duties having no head over them; it was, therehe was requested to discharge; but it turned fore, hardly fair to criticize too closely the out that, although Major Mackenzie was course that they pursued. They also stated an officer in a militia regiment, and hap- that the prevailing idea was (and that idea pened at the same time to be a magistrate he (Sir Hugh Cairns) thought seemed to for the county of Antrim, he had never in prevail in the hon. Member's mind) that his life acted as one of the borough magis- from the 8th to the 18th of August there trates, his name not even being on the list was a series of increasing disorders going of borough magistrates. Under such cir- on in the town owing to the apathy of the cumstances, he was justified in saying that magistrates. But the Commissioners stated he was not the proper person to act in the that this was a mistake, and that whilst matter, and that one of the regular borough they felt their proceedings were open to magistrates had better be applied to in strong disapproval in some respects, and order to secure the peace of the town. two or three committed serious errors, they Mr. Sinclair, another magistrate, was ac- were not chargeable with such a neglect cused by the same witness of neglect of of duty, and that the subsequent riots were duty. Now, that gentlemen was one of wholly unexpected. He concurred in the the leading merchants in the town, as well hope expressed by the right hon. Baronet as one of its most efficient magistrates, the Chief Secretary for Ireland, that the having been appointed by the present Lord- measure which had been passed that Seslieutenant of the county. It appeared sion with regard to the constabulary force that, at the time spoken of, districts were would be useful on future occasions; but assigned to different magistrates, and they he did not augur that quite so much good most naturally and properly declined to would result from it as the right hon. Baact out of the districts assigned to them, ronet did. He, however, hoped and trusted and when a man came up in breathless that the good sense of the people of Belhaste to him to summon him to a remote fast would see, as no doubt they did, that part of the town, he properly refused to these riots brought discredit on the town. comply, saying that as it was not his dis- and great affliction and injury to the peotrict he would not go there. And so little ple; and he agreed with the right hon, did the Commissioners think of it that Baronet in hoping that for the future a when Mr. Sinclair offered himself for ex- better state of things would prevail, and amination, as every other magistrate had that such scenes would not recur in Beldone, the Commissioners did not think it fast. necessary to put a single question to him upon the subject of this accusation. He thanked the House for permitting him, on the part of those absent gentlemen, to make the observations he had done in their behalf; and he would only in conclusion remind the House of what the Commissioners said with regard to the charges that had been made in the press and elsewhere against the local magistrates in re-membered, however, that when the hon. spect of what was called their want of firmness during the riots. They stated in their Report that there were some errors in judgment which the magistrates might have made; but beyond that they stated, in the words of one of the most sensible and experienced of the magistrates, that they were most anxious to do their duty; but where a large number of gentlemen

THE O'CONOR DON said, that the right hon. Baronet the Chief Secretary for Ireland, had found fault with his hon. Friend (Mr. O'Reilly) for bringing forward this Motion on the present occasion, on the ground that the subject had been already discussed, upon the Motion of the hon. and learned Member for Belfast, at an earlier period of the Session. He thought he re

and learned Gentleman (Sir Hugh Cairns) brought the matter forward the right hon. Baronet (Sir Robert Peel) said that the House could not then properly entertain it, and that the debate ought to be deferred until the Report of the Commissioners, and the evidence they had taken, were in the hands of hon. Members; and it was that plea, and the feeling that the debate