convenience be come at by night;
but, as if more fully to show the little sympathy which exists between
the Irish proprietors and the government, the Secretary at War asks, in
a subsequent passage, "How many murders of landlords had there been? _Or
rather, he should say, how few had there been?_ God knew he was not
underrating the number who had thus lost their lives, but he asked the
House to consider how few landlords had been murdered, in comparison
with the whole number which had taken place in the five counties in
which outrage had been so conspicuous. In these five counties there had
been the following offences:--Firing at the person, 85; incendiarism,
139; threatening witnesses, 1043; firing into dwelling-houses, 93. Now,
of all these, how many were attacks on landlords? There was Mr Gloster,
Mr M'Leod, Mr Hoskins, Mr Carrick, Mr Booth, and some others; but they
formed no comparison to the number of poor and defenceless."

Far be it from us to impute improper motives to any man, much less to a
person of Mr Sidney Herbert's private character; but we would calmly ask
that gentleman, whether such admissions, coming from a minister of the
crown, are not likely to have the most pernicious effects upon the Irish
people? No man who understands the system pursued in Ireland, can doubt
but that they will be applied to the worst of purposes; the agitators
will tell their dupes that the reason government took no precautions to
protect life by day was, "because the only persons then murdered were
the gentry;" and it will be said, "let the poor alone, and you may shoot
as many landlords as you please--the opportunity is afforded you." A
hint on the subject will be found perfectly sufficient for such
intelligent persons.

"See," cries Mr Sidney Herbert, "the _few_, the _very few_, landlords
murdered--_only five, and a few others_!" If the honourable gentleman's
memory was not very fallacious, he might have greatly enlarged the list;
and if those persecuted men do survive, they certainly do not owe their
preservation to any extraordinary sympathy in their behalf, or any
exertions made to protect them, by the administration of which he is a
member. The very system of self-defence which they are compelled to
practise seems to be perfectly well known to the government, without
appearing to produce the slightest uneasiness in their minds; and a
measure which its advocates propose for the suppression of crime is
defended, not becau