ation of
O'Connell's principles in these sentiments? He quoted Parliamentary
reports to prove what tyrannical use had been made of the powers
conferred by Coercion Acts, and he enumerated those passed since 1801,
under some of which trial by jury was abolished. He cited blue books to
show the misery and destitution to which ejected tenants were sometimes
reduced, closing his proofs with this sentence: "such is the effect of
the ejectment of tenantry in Ireland." He next dwelt on the physical
wretchedness of the people in general, relying chiefly for his facts on
the Devon Commission. He reminded Sir James Graham of a statement of
his, that the murders in Ireland were a blot upon Christianity. "Is
not," said O'Connell, "the state of things I have described a blot upon
Christianity? (hear, hear). This, be it recollected," he continued, "is
forty-five years after the Union, during which time Ireland has been
under the government of this country, which has reduced the population
of that country to a worse condition than that of any other country in
Europe" (hear, hear).

His great object was to prove that the state of the Land Laws was the
cause of agrarian murders, and that Coercion Acts were not a remedy. In
the County Tipperary, where there were most ejectments, there were also
most murders, and he called the particular attention of the house to
this fact. He referred to the Land Commission report with regard to
ejectments, and showed from it, that in the year 1843 there were issued
from the Civil Bill Courts 5,244 ejectments, comprising 14,816
defendants, and from the Superior Courts 1,784 ejectments, comprising
16,503 defendants, making a total of 7,028 ejectments, and 31,319
defendants; or within the period of five years--1839 to 1843--comprised
in the return, upwards of 150,000 persons had been subjected to
ejectment process in Ireland.

He complained of the administration of justice in that country. The
government had, he said, appointed partizan judges (he named several of
them) and partizan magistrates, in whom the people had no confidence,
whilst they took away the commission of the peace from seventy-four
gentlemen, simply because they advocated a repeal of the Legislative
Union.

He came to remedies. His opinion was that the great cause of the
existing state of Ireland was the land question. The fact is, he said,
the House has done too much for the landlord and too little for the
tenant. He enumerated the p