Page:Abolition of the Vice-Royalty of Ireland.djvu/11

7 language of the first Minister of the Crown upon its introduction to Parliament, for an authentic exposition of its scope and design. The words of Lord John Russell on the 17th of May were these:

"'I propose that another Secretary of State should be added to the present three Secretaries of State for the purpose of carrying on the important business connected with Ireland. I will not say that the arrangements that may be made will be exactly the arrangement that subsists at present, because there may be some of the functions which are now exercised by the Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland which it may be more convenient should be exercised by the Secretary of State for a Home Department; but I own, considering the immense amount of business connected with Ireland, and considering also the number of measures which it is necessary to prepare for the consideration of Parliament, respecting Ireland, I do not think it would be possible for the Secretary of State for the Home Department, charged as he is of late with many important duties which formerly did not belong to his office, efficiently to perform all the duties which are now performed by the Lord-Lieutenant and Chief Secretary for Ireland. I propose, therefore, that there should be a power of appointing a fourth Secretary of State; not of course dividing his functions from those of the other Secretaries of State; he would be charged with the affairs relating to Ireland; but like the other Secretaries of State he would be capable of discharging any of the duties and functions belonging to a Secretary of State.'—Times, May 18, 1850."

It thus appears that whatever may be the technical form of the Bill, the intention is, that the offices of Lord-Lieutenant and Chief-Secretary, should be suppressed in Ireland; that the whole business of their Departments should be transferred to that of a fourth Secretary of State and Under-Secretary in