not the guilty party, but that he was merely the instrument, and that the Government must take the responsibility. I think my friends are more or less right. The Government can always find useful tools, and I do not think it is the tools that should be reprobated, but the Government that used them.

QUESTIONS.

1906

PEACE PRESERVATION (IRELAND) ACT, 1881-ARMS LICENCE-MR. JAMES BIGLEN.

MR. SEXTON asked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether a gun given up last January to the police of Carbury, county Kildare, by Mr. James Biglen, a farmer of that district, is still retained by the police; whether three local magistrates, Messrs. More O'Ferrall, Pilkington, and Palmer, applied that Mr. Biglen should be allowed a licence for the gun; whether Mr. Biglen pays eleven hundred pounds a year rent, and holds three large farms fully stocked with sheep and cattle, for the due protection of which it is requisite have firearms; and, whether the Government intend to return his gun to Mr. Biglen, and to allow him a licence; and, if not, why not?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL LOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON), in reply, said, the Viceroy had considered the matter, and refused the application.

MR. CALLAN: I do not wish, Sir, to prolong the debate upon this question; but I would really wish that the Attorney General for Ireland, or some competent Representative of the Treasury Bench, would reply to the charges that have been made. With regard to the question of packing juries in Ireland, it is a very serious matter, and I had no idea when I last spoke on this question that it would assume such a serious aspect. I have no wish to make any serious personal charge against the Attorney or Solicitor General; but they are responsible for the acts of their subordinates. On Thursday last, in Dublin, in the presence of the Attorney General for Ireland, 19 Catholics were ordered to stand aside. The next day, upon a case involving the capital offence, 20 Catholics were ordered to stand aside, the Attorney General for Ireland being present on the occasion. Amongst those ordered to stand aside were men of the highest character, and, as capitalists, they were worth the whole lock, stock, and barrel MR. SEXTON asked the Chief Secreof the Treasury Bench. The Freeman's tary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Journal, on Friday and Saturday, drew | Whether it is the fact that many tenants attention to the exclusion of Roman Catholics from the jury panel, and what was the result? On Monday six men, who had been told to stand aside, were permitted to come forward and act as jurors, and a few minutes after leaving the box they found a verdict of guilty, showing in the most unmistakable manner that the decision that they should be ordered to stand aside on Saturday was wholly wrong and indefensible, because if they were unfit to sit as jurors on Saturday, they were equally unfit on Monday. With reference to Mr. Justice Lawson, Mr. Justice Lawson made, I will say, an unfortunate and unhappy allusion in the course of his judgment as to his conduct in reference to Belfast.

And it being ten minutes before Seven of the clock, the Debate stood adjourned till this day.

THE IRISH LAND COMMISSION-PRO-
CEEDINGS IN CO. SLIGO.

in the Ballintogher and other districts of the county Sligo, served originating notices in the Land Court so long ago as the month of last December, or thereabout, and that the Sub-Commissioners, at their sitting in Sligo last May, heard only a small proportion of those cases, leaving the great majority of them still undecided and unheard; whether it is the fact that in numerous cases the tenants who served originating notices have been pursued at Law by their landlords for the full rack-rent due; that the landlords have refused to take any payment on account; and that, in consequence of the delay of the Land Court in dealing with their cases, many tenants have been compelled to pay the unreduced rents up to and including the last May gale, together with heavy legal costs; whether care will be taken that the Sub-Commissioners sit again in Sligo in time to apply the fixing of judicial rent to the gale due next November, and

thus save the tenants who served origi- | needful simplicity and handiness has nating notices long since from further yet been designed. Two other Comexaction in respect of unreduced rents panies report that a stick is to some exand law costs; whether it is true that, tent used in uncoupling wagons to trip early last November, about 250 tenants the coupling chain off, but that it is on Lord Huntingdon's estate in the little use for coupling, as that operation county of Waterford, and about 100 is performed when the trucks are at rest, tenants on Mr. Chearnley's estate in the and little risk is incurred by the men. I same county, served originating notices do not think that, under the circumin the Land Court, and, although a Sub- stances, any good would arise from pubCommission has sat in the county, and lishing the Papers. cases from other estates have been heard and disposed of, the cases of the tenants in question have not yet been heard, or listed for hearing; whether arrangements will be made to have judgments given upon the cases of the Huntingdon and Chearnley tenants before another gale falls due; and, whether the Government will lay upon the Table Copies of any correspondence between Mr. Richard Rice, the solicitor to the tenants, and Mr. Godley, secretary to the Land Commission?

THE ATTORNEY GENERAL FOR IRELAND (Mr. W. M. JOHNSON) in reply, said, that there were 1,500 applications to fix fair rents, and they were all taken in their order.

RAILWAYS-IMPROVED COUPLINGS

FOR ROLLING STOCK.

SIR EDWARD REED asked the President of the Board of Trade, Whether the various Railway Companies have replied to the Board of Trade Circular of February last on the loss of life and personal injury sustained by Railway servants during the coupling and uncoupling of vehicles; whether any of the Companies have intimated their intention of adopting improved couplings, with the object of diminishing the risks of their servants; and, whether the Board will at an early date publish the Circular and such replies as have been sent in ?

ARMY-ARMY MEDICAL DEPARTMENT

-SURGEON M'GANN AND OTHERS.

Mr. O'SHEA asked the Secretary of State for War, Whether the cases of Surgeon M'Gann, and other officers of the Army Medical Department, whose distinguished services in South Africa

were mentioned in General Orders and Despatches, will be recognised in any way?

MR. CHILDERS: In reply to my hon. Friend, I beg to state that several medical officers did excellent service in the late war in South Africa, of whom Surgeon M'Gann was one. They have been thanked for their services, and their services have been duly recorded.

RUSSIA THE POSTAL CONVENTION-
DELIVERY OF NEWSPAPERS.

MR. GOURLEY asked the Postmaster General, Whether it is in accordance with the Postal Convention which the Government of Russia has entered into with Great Britain, that any newspaper should be forbidden by the postal authorities at St. Petersburg to be delivered to correspondents when such newspapers are duly stamped and clearly directed?

MR. FAWCETT: In reply to my hon. Friend, I may state that the Postal Union Convention, to which both Great Britain and Russia are parties, expressly reserves to every country of the Union the right to refuse delivery of newspapers in certain circumstances, and the Russian Government has no doubt in some cases availed itself of this power to refuse delivery of newspapers sent from this country to persons in Russia.

MR. CHAMBERLAIN: Sir, the Circular to the Railway Companies, which the Board of Trade issued in February last, in order to draw attention to the loss of life and personal injury sustained by railway servants in coupling and uncoupling vehicles, has elicited only two or three replies from the Railway Companies. The Great Northern Railway Company report that EGYPT (MILITARY OPERATIONS)

they have had several plans before them, and had consulted their men on the sub

THE NAVAL ARMOURED TRAIN. MR. WARTON asked the Secretary

ject, but that nothing possessing the to the Admiralty, Whether the "Naval

Mr. Sexton

ARMY (INDIA)-GRIEVANCES OF
CAVALRY OFFICERS.

armoured train " which, under the com- | however, obtain a copy of the Papers, mand of Captain Fisher, R.N., is at pre- and if he thought that the law required sent in operation with our forces in Egypt, amendment he would take the necesis constructed on the same principles as sary steps. those embodied in the invention of "Improved Mechanical Arrangements for Working and Protecting Ordnance and other Firearms, and for the men in charge of the same," for which Letters Patent, No. 2611, were granted to John Evelyn Liardet, sealed the 26th March 1872, and dated the 3rd October 1871; whether the consent of the said John Evelyn Liardet had been secured before his invention was thus brought into use; and, if Her Majesty's Government will take steps suitably to recompense the patentee?

SIR THOMAS BRASSEY: The Admiralty have no information with reference to the details of the construction of the "armoured train," nor are they in possession of any information from what source the idea was taken. When such information is in their possession they will be able to determine whether recompense is due.

MR. WARTON said, in October next he would furnish the House with some information on the subject.

LAW AND JUSTICE (SCOTLAND)—THE
GROUND GAME ACT, 1879-CASE OF

"FRAZER v. LAWSON."

GENERAL SIR GEORGE BALFOUR asked the Lord Advocate, If he has read the case of Frazer v. Lawson, known as the "Castle Frazer rabbit case," decided by Sheriff Wilson, in the Sheriff Court of Aberdeen, in favour of the defendant, but which decision was reversed by the Sheriff Principal; and, whether any authoritative opinion can be expressed as to the proper interpretation to be placed on the Law; or, if not, whether a Bill will be promptly submitted to Parliament to declare the rights of tenants holding leases before and subsequent to the Ground Game Act, in respect to shooting and trapping rabbits?

THE LORD ADVOCATE (Mr. J. B. BALFOUR) said, he had seen the newspaper report of the case to which the hon. and gallant Gentleman referred; but he had not seen the pleadings or the proof. In these circumstances, he did not feel justified in expressing an opinion upon the judgment. He should,

MR. TOTTENHAM asked the Secretary of State for India, Whether it is a fact that certain officers of Cavalry, now on the cadres of the three Presidencies, who elected to remain "local," are at present, and have been since the formation of the Staff Corps in 1861, when holding an appointment, compulsorily reduced to and obliged to accept an inferior rate of pay, viz. the Staff Corps pay of their rank, although they do not belong to that corps, and that, through this act of compulsion, a Cavalry Captain is a loser per annum of Rs.2,268, a Cavalry Major of Rs.3,468 per annum, and a Cavalry Lieut.-Colonel of Rs.3,960 per annum; whether it is a fact that all these Cavalry officers above-mentioned, on entering the service of the late East India Company, were guaranteed and received a superior rate of pay to Infantry officers, and that their compulsory reduction since 1861 to the Staff Corps scale, on being nominated to an appointment, is a direct infringement of the guarantee given under the "Henley" Clause, and ratified by Parliament; and, whether he will cause inquiry to be made into the cases of these officers, with a view to removing the grievances of which they complain?

THE MARQUESS OF HARTINGTON : In 1861, on the re-organization of the Native Army, all regiments were placed on what was then called the "irregular" footing, and all regimental appointments became staff appointments. The whole question of staff salaries was then reviewed, and the regimental as well as all other military staff salaries were based on a fixed and low rate of military pay, the two forming a consolidated and adequate remuneration, framed on the principle that all officers employed on staff duties, whether Cavalry, Infantry, or Staff Corps, shall receive in their respective grades identical payment for the performance of identical duties. When not receiving staff salaries, which are, of course, higher than the ordinary regimental pay of the officers-that is,

The House suspended its Sitting at rejection of the Bill. Seven of the clock.

The House resumed its Sitting at Question to add the words "upon this Nine of the clock. day three months."-(Mr. Warton.)