NEWS OF THE WEEK.
THE House of Commons has renewed its sanction of the policy of the present Ministers towards Ireland. The Tory Opposition have found no symptoms of reaction in Parliament. Ors the con- trary, their own force has been diminished. In the last session, Lord FRANCIS EGERTON moved an instruction to the Committee on the Municipal Bill, to abolish the Corporations, and substitute in the place thereof a centralized system, very agreeable to those who expected a speedy restoration to Dublin Castle, but insulting Ind injurious to the Irish People. Lord FRANCIS and his Tory allies were defeated on that occasion by a majority of 307 to 243.* On the present occasion, the same motion was renewed in the same terms by the same individual ; and notwithstanding all the efforts that have been made during the recess to inflame the bigotry and excite the prejudices of the English,—notwithstand- ing the prevailing belief that we are on the eve of a dissolution of Parliament, when every Member must be prepared to face his constituents or quit the field,—the Liberals triumphed by an augmented majority. After a three nights' debate, at three o'clock on Thursday morning the House divided ; and there appeared—
For Justice to Ireland 322 For the Orange Tory system of Government 242 Majority for Justice 80
On comparing the two Division-lists we find little to remark. With few exceptions, they contain the same names this year as the last. The Liberals have gained sixteen, and the Tories lost one. In the House or Commons, therefore, the reaction is on the right side ; and the Opposition must feel uncomfortable at the absence from the division of Sir GEORGE CREWE, Mr. PUSEY, Mr. BLACK- STONE; Mr. WILSON PATTEN, Sir GERARD NOEL, Lord JOHN SCOTT, and Sir RICHARD VYVYAN, all of whom were present at the discussion. The first four supported Lord FRANCIS EGERTON last year. Sir GEORGE CREWE has publicly declared that he repents of his vote on that occasion, and that though he will not give, he cannot refuse, to Ireland the benefit of free municipal institutions. The others also may be conscience-stricken. We do not believe that the Tories will ever again muster so strong a minority on this question. Why should English gentlemen sa- crifice themselves at the shrine of Orange ascendancy in Ireland? Formerly there was an excellent reason for upholding the Orange- men—though odious, they were powerful, and could dictate to the Government ; but their glory is departed, and they have be- come a " miserable minority without the power of " monopo. lizing." It is now unprofitable, and will soon become impracti- cable, to perpetrate injustice in their behalf. Wise therefore in their gent ration were CREWE and Company. The greater portion of the debate was little else than a repe- titiun of that which arose on the intr; duction of the bill, a fort- night before. SHAW, JACKSON, GRAHAM, and EMMERSON TEN- RENT, rung their changes on the appointment of Mr. PiGoTT, and Mr. FOGERTY, and Mr. CAssiDY ; they were horrified at the atrocity of a fellow who fired u fowling-piece at a levenue-offieer three quarters of a mile V; and whom Lord MULGRevE released from gaol after a decent term of confinement; they could scarcely find words to express their indignation at the pardon of a party of peasants e ho committed an outrage on a certain Sceiire ARM- STRONG'S ditch, near Ballyoshaughnessy, or some such place, in Wexfool. Lord MORPETH demolished this farrago of absurd charges against I he Irish Government. He knocked them down one after anether with perfect ease ; and it was amusing to observe the sanctimonious visage of Sergeant JACKSON during the opera- tion. TIM: gentleman possesses extraordinary lungs, and a ca- pacity tl.ut fits him for raking up outrages, fabricated by the " state- • The Louis' Amendments to the Dill wee stabs ently rejected by a majority of 83; (he numbers being 324 and 238.
(LATEST EDITION.]
of-the-country " journalists for the edification of Orange squires: he seldom rises without speaking for two hours or more; and when he sits down, it would puzzle the most attentive listener to recollect a single remark really bearing on the subject before the House. Yet this J ACKSON, noted for nothing but the persever- ing vigour and noisy enunciation of his bigotry, is to be the Chief Justice of Ireland—when the Tories come back.
The two most valuable speeches which the tiresome debate pro- duced, were those of the Radical Members for Liskeard and Bath,
Mr. CHARLES BuLLER and Mr. ROEBUCK. They alone ex-
pounded the principles and demonstrated the policy of municipal institutions, and applied them to the case of Ireland. They alone brought philosophical truths and the results of experience to bear upon the question before the House. Mr. ROEBUCK hunted down, and dratezed from its last hiding-place, the fallacy of the pretence
that religion could be endangered by the establishment of Corpo- rations, and proved that nought but the revenue of the sinecure Church—and that only indirectly and at some distant time—could suffer diminution from contact with free institutions. It was there- fore sheer hypocrisy to profess that the present struggle on the part of the Tories was for any thing but power and money. Sir ROBERT PEEL was called upon to declare the principle on which he would conduct the government of Ireland. The present Minis- ters avowed their determination to give the Irish similar advan- tages to those enjoyed by Et glishmen and Scotehmen : would Sir ROBERT attempt to rule Ireland on a different principle? would he trust to Parliament for the means of carrying on the government by force? These were the pertinent questions put by Mr. CHARLES BULLER—put distinctly and pointedly, but never distinctly answered.
Mr. SHEIL delivered a speech of powerful personality. From._ the lateness of the hour, and the difficulty of conveying by mere words the combined effect of language, looks, emphasis, and pauses., it has been imperfectly reported ; but the universal opinion is, that Mr. SHE IL never before spoke with such cutting effect. He completely prostrated Lord STANLEY by a quotation from one of that unhappy Lord's speeches on the Irish Reform Bill, the main scope of which was to prove the justice, wisdom, and necessity of putting Irishmen exactly on a par with Englishmen, in order to preserve the union of the two countries and the peace of the em- pire. STANLEY—galled beyond his power of endurance, by the contrast with his former position, as the successful advocate of Liberal opinions, the triumphant Minister of Reform — charged Mr. SHEIL (who spoke after him) with making an attack when safe from reply. This was a mere petulant ebullition; for Lord STANLEY knew, as Mr. SHEIL told him, that he never had shrunk from assailing him when Lord STANLEY had a right to reply. Besides, might not the same remark be applied to Lord STANLEY by-all whose previous speeches he replies to? ARother of Mr. SHE1L'S blows e as dealt at Lord LYNDHURST; who, as a punishment for his sins, was seated under the gallery, listening to the debate. Scarcely had Mr. SHE1L uttered the word " when the cheers from the Ministerial benches burst forth; con- tinuing for several minutes, they became almost yells; and per- haps for the first time ci nvinced Loid LYNDHURST of' the extent of that vehement and intense indignation which his conduct has proveked.
Lord FRANCIS EGERTom spite feebly. Lord STANLEY with reckless violence : he had but one argument—Corporate Reform will work the overthrow of the Irish Church, and therefore the Irish shall not have it ; you shall not force it from us; what we last year denied to justice, we will not now yield to clamour. These were Lord ST.4NLEY's words ; and he spoke what he thought, though more than he intended to utter. He tried to shuttle out of the expression; but he bungled and failed in the attempt.
Lord STANLEY received several severe hits from foes in the course of the debate, but the hardest came from his dearly-be- loved "leader," Sir ROBERT PEEL. After mouthing an ineffectual effort in behalf of the lacerated LYNDHURST, PEEL threw his mantle over STANLEY. " The cotton-spinner's son," well ineolent conde.ecusitm, patronized and protected the haughty heir of the house of DERBY! He asked whether any Member occupied a more honourable position than his noble " friend "—that position being under PEEL. This was the quintessence of self-comp scent impertinence. To play second fiddle to PEEL, is, in that gentle-
man's opinion, as honourable a •• position" as any young noble- man of talent can aspire to. Possibly poor STANLEY may have been flattering himself with the notion that be is in the same rank with Sir PLAUSIBLE. If so, he is now undeceived—he must fall astern, and PEEL will cover him. The enviable plight uf the noble renegade I
Puet. pledged himself to the Church.' It will be his first duty to maitstain the Protestant ascendancy. On that •e " That the Committee on the Bill for the regulation of Municipal Corpora Sons in irelarAbeenapowered to make provision for the abolition of such co; porattons; and furnuch arsungpments as may be necessary, on their abolition, for secunng the efficient and impartial administration of justice, and the:peaci and good government of cities and towns itiirsland." sure with a view to strengthen the Church; and that, beingIn commencing his speech; Lord Francis observed that it was very now fully aware that it has proved an injury to the Church, -be difficult to treat the subject before the House abstractedly, or without is under the deeper obligation to resist any further attempt to reference to incidental topics, which led to irritation and animosity. reduce her revenues or lessen her security. The test, therefore, but he desired to avoid the unnecessary introduction of such subjects; by which every measure for Ireland is to be tried by the Tories, and above all, to abstain from personal imputations and attacks ou
is, not whetber it is just, or politic, or advantageous to the United Ministers, for many of whom individually he entertained esteem mg friendship. With regard to the Irish people, he utterly disclaimed the Kingdom, but whether it will injure or benefit the Church Esta- opinion, so offensive and unjust, that there was any thing in their-an. blishment. The Tory principle of government is to provide for tional character which should prevent them from participating ineny the Church, (and what this means, Mr. ROEBUCK explained,) not benefita which Parliament might wish to confer; but, at the same time
for the happiness or welfare of the People. he did maintain that there were circumstances in the social condition' Great is the exultation of the Downing Street journals at the of the Irish which rendered them unfit to receive that partieuist result of Thursday's division. A defeat would certainly have been nostrum which it was proposed to administer. It was really uselessto deadly ; but as for the victory, coil bono 9 It does not secure the talk of identity of legislation for England and Ireland, when, with re., passing of the bill. The Lords will destroy this as they did the spect to the Assistant Barristers' jurisdiction, the Police, and ate former one, without ceremony. One might suppose from the Poor, laws very different from those fitted to England were applied to complacent chuckle of some people about the offices, that a majo- Ireland. This was rendered necessary by the peculiar circumstances rity in the Lords has been secured: alas, " there's no such thing !" of Irish society, not by any inherent inferiority in the Irish character;
for such a notion would better become a Virginian planter dealing whit The vote of Thursday morning proves that on good measures the shive.question, than a British Member of Parliament legislatiag the Ministry is strong in the House of Commons : it does not for his Roman Catholic fellow citizens. The objections which he had prove that their Whig-Tory measures will cease to meet with op. urged against the bill of last session were applicable to the present position from the Radicals. On the contrary, if, in return for the and in a greater degree ; for he certainly did not think the alteration support which Ministers received, they give opposition to the with respect to the appointment of Sheriffs any improvement in Ballot and other rational improvements much desired by honest the bill. Neither had any alteration taken place in the condition Liberals, the disgust of the Independent Reformers will be rather of society in Ireland, to render the bill in 1837 less objectionable augmented than diminished by the recollection, that on this than in 1836. There was, he feared, no diminution of crime, " vital question" Ministers were sustained in the debate by Radical His own information from Tipperary proved, that during the last
talent, and on the division by Radical votes. twelve months the committals had amounted to 1.557, and yet the
The Irish discussion left scarcely time for the eonsideration of state of Tipperary was quoted by Lord John Russell as evidence
of increasing tranquillity in Ireland. Then within the year the other matters ; several of which are postponed ; and among them General Association had been established, and the mode of paci. the Ministerial plan for abolishing Church-rates, which now fication adopted by that body had not tended to diminish his fear of stands for Monday. In the mean while, Lord MsLisourtra has the consequences of annual municipal elections. He apprehended assured the Bishops, that he does not mean to take any thing that the same organization which was set on foot for the purpose of from the revenues of the Church, while at the same time he is carrying elections of Members of Parliament, would be used in the sanguine that he shall satisfy the Dissenters. We shall see. election of Municipal Officers. It had been said that the new Earl FITZWILLIAM, who was in the House of Peers on Wednesday, Councils would turn their attention to local concerns, and expend (we wish he were there oftener) to present some petitions against their animosities in local quarrels : but would anybody tell him, that the rates, declared his approval of a plan suggested by the Liberal any one of these corporations would be other than a platform for a Dr. AnNoi.n of Rugby, or producing harmony between Church- battery to be directed against the Established Church ? ( (heerafrom men and Dissenters. According to this project, the churches Mr.Roebuck.) The Member for 13itth wished to see the Church of would be opened to all sects, to use at convenient times; and the Ireland overturned, and be had honestly and manfully said so; but Lord
John Russell, with the air of a man free from sectarian zeal, and who cost of erection and repairs would be defrayed by a tax on land. had deliberately weighed consequences, declared his intention to Lord FITZWILLIANI—bless his simple heart 1—is also ready to support the Church Establishment in Ireland. Nevertheless, Lord make over the Church property in each parish to the largest sect John had called upon the House to pass a measure for ha:teasing the in it. Very liberal and Christianlike are both propositions, but power of those whose chief aim and desire was to subvert that exceedingly strange in England—and from a Peer!
out. The Orangemen have him as fast as such a slippery creature can be held. The country has sufficient warning of what they must expect, should he *gain be Premier. Sd,far from consider, ing himself bound to carryout the' principle bf the Cuthblic Re-; lief Bill, Sir ROBERT,TERLAtleClarell thilt he supported that mea-
