The imprisonment of Mr. Gray was reported to the House
on Thursday, when Mr. Gladstone moved that the letter to the Speaker lie on the table, pointing out that no remedy which they could now take would be likely in any way to lighten Mr. Gray's immediate penalty. The House was too weak in numbers to appoint a Committee to inquire into the case, and before it met again, most of the three months' imprisonment would have been inflicted. Even an address to the Crown for the removal of the Judge, supposing such an address to be shown to be justifiable, would produce no effect at all on the sentence. Thereupon Mr. Sexton went into the case at great length, reading elaborate affidavits as to the conduct of some of the jury in the Hynes ease at the Imperial Hotel, where they were shut up, but carefully avoiding the chief stress of the responsibility of Mr. Gray,—namely, that as High Sheriff he was formally, at all events, the custodian of the jury, and actually bound to investigate most carefully the allegations against them, and to bring them in the proper way before the Court, before giving them currency in a way to discredit the jurors, and to damage the reputation of all the special juries in Ireland. The debate, of course, had no practical effect.
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