10 



Annual register, isos. 



people of Ulster in particular, unless 

 some sufliciciit reasons were shewn 

 for it ; he therefore moved, as an 

 amendment — " Thata committee of 

 " '21 members bo ciiosen by ballot, 

 '■' to examine such documents as may 

 *' be laid before them, and to re- 

 '• port to the liouse their opinion 

 *' upon these documents, whether 

 ^' the continuance of the suspension 

 " of the habeas corpus act, be a 

 *' measure necessary to (he tran- 

 " quillity of Ireland at the present 

 " time." 



Mr. D. Browri bore his testimony 

 to tlie loyalty of the great majority 

 of the people of Ireland, but ap- 

 proved of the suspension, as neces- 

 sary to counteract the machinations 

 of these nuaierous emissaries of 

 France, who would otherwise take 

 shelter under that constitution, 

 which it was their object to destroy. 



Mr. Hutchinson, though he la- 

 mented that so strong a measure 

 should be thought necessary, said he 

 would not oppose it ; at the same 

 time that he hoped his mnjesty's 

 ministers would turn (heir attention 

 to the amelioration of the state of 

 Ireland. 



Sir John Stuart cotisiderod the 

 measure as called for by the loyal 

 part of the ])eopIe of Ireland, for 

 their protection against the machi- 

 nations of the disaffected. In the 

 hands of the present chief governor, 

 there was no danger of the ])owcr 

 being abused, and his situation 

 while in ollice (as attorney general) 

 gave him opportunities to know, 

 that to reveal the grounds of this 

 measure by laying (.pen the sources 

 of informa'ion, would be to expose 

 the loyal subject to the knife of the 

 assassin. 



Mr. Windham said, that though 

 he had supported former suspensioai 



of the habeas corpus act, he nerer 

 did, nor would do so riow, except 

 upon strong and clear grounds ei- 

 ther proTed or notoriously existing. 

 As to the argument of a committee 

 of united Irishmen sitting in Paris, 

 that might subsist during the war, 

 or even in time of peace, and thus 

 art'ord a ground for the suspension 

 of the constitution, perhaps all 

 through the empire. It was admit- 

 ted on all hands that the great majo- 

 rity of the people of Ireland were 

 loyal, and if there were also somg 

 mischievous people amongst them, 

 so there were in l:"ngland. The 

 question was not what these mis- 

 chievous people Khhed to do, but 

 what they could do, amongst a 

 people generally well affected. The 

 character for moderation which a 

 chief governor may have, did not, 

 in a free country, justify so harsh a' 

 measure as that of putting a whole 

 people under martial law ; and there 

 was an obligation of honour and 

 consciousness which should make usr 

 delicate in granting powers to bo ex- 

 ercised at a distance, the weight of 

 which would fall exclusively upon 

 others, while Ave knew that they 

 could not touch ourselves. Jlc' 

 should therefore tote for the amend- 

 ment. 



The Chancellor of the Exchequer 

 (Mr. Pitt) observed, that it wouht 

 appear, from the speech of the right 

 honourable gentleman who spoke 

 last, as if he maintained that, in no' 

 case, could (he habeas corpus act^ 

 be suspended w>thout a previous 

 enquiry, whereas, he knew very ^ 

 well that it was the practice of par- , 

 liament to suspend this act without 

 any previous enquiry, and that it 

 was actually so suspended in the 

 course of the last war, with his full , 

 kuowledge aud approbation. In- 

 cases 



