THE CATHOLIC QUESTION.
A motion was made on the 17th of April for a committee on the Catholic claims by Mr. Plunkett The discussion on this subject was chiefly remarkable for an attack made by Mr. Brougham on Mr. Canning. After praising the conduct of Mr. Peel, who had never swerved from his opinions, and who had not taken office with the secret understanding to abandon the question in substance, while he continued to sustain it in words, alluding to Mr. Canning, he remarked that when the point was, whether he should submit to a sentence of transportation to India, or be condemned to hard labour at home—when his fate depended on Lord Chancellor Eldon, and his own sentiments on the Catholic question, he had exhibited the most incredible specimen of monstrous truckling for office, which the whole history of political tergiversation could furnish. At this moment Mr. Canning suddenly started up and exclaimed “It is false.” A deep silence ensued; after which the speaker called on the right honourable secretary to retract an expression which he must know violated the rules and orders of the house. Mr. Canning replied that though he was sorry to have used any word which might violate the decorum of the house, yet he would not retract the sentiment. This declaration was repeated; and as Mr. Brougham would not explain till Mr. Canning had retracted, Mr. Bankes moved that both members be taken into custody by the serjeant-at-arms. All parties, however, were extricated from their situation by the suggestion made by Sir Robert Wilson, of an hypothetical and mutual explanation. Mr. Bankes then withdrew his motion, and the belligerents declared that they would forget their recriminations. The motion which gave rise to this scene was lost.
AFFAIRS IN IRELAND.
A large portion of this session was wasted in discussing the insolence exhibited by the agents of the ascendant party in Dublin. Lord Wellesley had prohibited the Orange faction to dress up the statute of King William in College Green: a ceremony which perpetuated animosity and frequently led to strife and bloodshed. This gave the Orangemen great offence; and on one occasion, when his lordship visited the theatre, a bottle was thrown at him from the gallery. Three persons were taken into custody, and the attorney-general indicted them for a misdemeanour; but the grand jury would only find bills of indictment against two of them, and as two persons cannot commit a riot, the finding released them all. Mr. Plunkett then filed an ex-officio information against those persons, whom he, on evidence received, believed guilty; but the petty jury would not agree in their verdict, and the prisoners were discharged. This matter was investigated in parliament; but the result merely showed in what a daring manner juries were packed, and the name of justice was abused in Ireland.
MOTIONS TO REFORM THE CRIMINAL LAW.
On the 21st of May Sir James Mackintosh renewed his efforts to reform our criminal code. He moved a series of resolutions on the subject; and though these were rejected, four bills were afterwards brought in to the same effect by Mr. Peel. By these bills government was enabled to employ convicts in hard labour, and the judges were relieved from the obligation of passing sentence of death on certain malefactors, except in case of murder. Subsequently Mr. Lennard obtained leave to bring in a bill to abolish the old and barbarous law which sentenced the corpse of one guilty of felo de se to be buried at two cross-roads with a stake driven through it; leaving the burial to be performed in private, without the ceremonies of the church.