GENERAL HISTORY. 



[16 



and which he attributed to the as- 

 sociation of Orange-men, and the 

 continual provocations given by 

 them to the Cathohcs. He fur- 

 ther spoke against the unconstitu- 

 tional harshness of the measure of 

 enabling the magistrates to trans- 



f»ort all persons found out of their 

 louses from sun-set to sun-rise, 

 without a trial by jury : and he 

 proposed as an amendment of the 

 bill, leavintj out the words in clause 

 7th, "without any grand jury, 

 and without any bill found, and 

 without the verdict of any petit 



jury." 



Mr, Peel spoke in vindication of 

 the Orange societies ; and Sir H. 

 Parnell made a reply. A division 

 then taking place on his amend- 

 ment, it was rejected by CG votes 

 against 6. 



The third reading of the bill 

 being moved on July 20th, a de- 

 bate ensued, which it is unneces- 

 sary to specify, as it was only a re- 

 capitulation of former arguments; 

 it may, however, be mentioned, 

 that several members expressed 

 themselves strongly concerning the 

 absolute necessity of a full and 

 general consideration of the state of 

 Ireland. An amendment proposed 

 by Mr. J. P. Grant, of limiting 

 the operation of the bill to one 

 year instead of three, being reject- 

 ed without a division, the bill was 

 read and passed. 



In the House of Lords, the se- 

 cond reading of this bill being or- 

 dered for July 27th, it was intro- 

 duced by Lord Sidmouth in a 

 speech explaining its nature, and 

 the necessity for it. It was strong- 

 ly opposed by Lord Carysfort, and 

 objected to by Lords Holland and 

 Stanhope: but was read the se- 

 cond time, and committed. On 

 tk« following day, the house being 



in committee on the bill, Lord 

 Stan/tope renewed his objections, 

 and moved as an amendment, that 

 it should expire at the end of the 

 next session of parliament. The 

 amendment was rejected, and the 

 bill passed the committee ; and 

 immediately after, it received the 

 royal assent. 



In the same session, a bill was 

 introduced by Mr. Peel for ren- 

 dering more easy and effectual the 

 redress of assaults in Ireland. Its 

 object was stated to be, to induce 

 persons who had suft'ered violent 

 assaults to appeal to the law for re- 

 lief and protection, by enabling 

 them to procure it more immedi- 

 ately, and without expense. No 

 opposition was made to the bill in 

 either house, and it passed into a 

 law at the same lime with the for- 

 mer. 



There is perhaps no instance in 

 modern English history of the ter- 

 mination of a long war, by a 

 treaty which was so generally ap- 

 proved, as that which in the pre- 

 sent year restored peace with 

 France. The long protraction and 

 excessive burdens of that war, had 

 rendered every one capable of feel- 

 ing for the general interests of his 

 country, impatient to see its close ; 

 and if this impatience was most 

 lively in the breasts of those who 

 had, in all its stages, used their 

 efforts to bring it to a conclusion ; 

 they, on the other hand, who 

 were attached to the administra- 

 tion by which it was actually 

 concluded, could not fail to re- 

 gard the work as a subject of ap- 

 plause. Hence, when the topic 

 was introduced in both houses of 

 parliament, it gave rise to conver- 



[M2] 



