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London, England, 1804-06-23 00:00:00

Gender in possession of his reputation, and hoped

to retain his min.
When the Low> AOVoCATC had concluded, he
withdrew from the Howse.
Lord A RCHIB.k LO HAMILTON supported
the motion, in a most able and argumentative
speech. !le said the Learned Lord had given a
long history of the funaions of his office, which
had nothing to do with the question. In propor-
tion to his power, however, ought to be his cau-
tions, his minute inquiry, previous to laying its henry
110.1 irrosi any erne. V. 4 no specific charge was
rrANided against Mr. Morrison. But it was not
Nt.r. Nlorrison's condutt, they had to inquire into,

it was that of the Lord Advocate.
I h A ITORNEY GENERAL began a speech
of considerable length. by adverting to the Lord
Advocate's defence. The Hon. Gentleman (Mr.
Whitbread), it not perfealy satisfied, must feel the
f A*o very different from that which he opened. The
Learned Gentleman appeared, at fit st, to have had
no other foundation for his letter to Mr. Morrison,but
fie statement of the servant. Bat he had information,
t'w House now learnt, from the Sheriff of the county.
the complaint, there were two questions for the
I! 'use. First, thecetent of the private grievance, and
seconlly, the public criminal conduft. As to the
bra, he would ask if it WAS of a size to call for
tae inset ference of Parliament r and if there was no
isdress from the law ? It was open to Morrison, he
maintained, to prosecute for a libel. Yet, he
wnuld venture to say, from his condua to.
wards his servant, he would get ve-y small,
if any damages ; so much provocation had
his condua justly given Ito the Lord Advocate.
Much had been said of the Learned Lord's denying
him his compensation, in case his corn, &c. should
be injured by an invasim. But the law itself pro-
vides. that he who does not do all he can for the
public, shall not have the compensation. Hut surely
if any man came within that description, it was
Morrison. He refuses to let his servant go for a few
hours, to a quarterly review. But nothing was
tally done on the Lord Advocate's letter.—
He only stated, what his duty would be, in a certain
case, which did net arrive. With respell to the
.luestion of any guilt in the Lord Advocate in his
public capacity, he believed the House would not
think any proof had been deduced to convince them
there was ground for its interference. The Hon.
Gentleman bad said, Ulan must not be dragooned
into Volunteers. No! and they must not be dra-
gooned out of it Yet the system of Mr. Morrison
wett to that effita, whatever be might intend. Mor-
rison perfarms his duty to his master faithfully,
although he attends constantly to ordinary drills.
This is admitted ; he asks for three or four hours on
a particular day, and is refused. He does the duty
of the day at night. and goes to his review. and is
dismissed. It was a Case peculiarly hard. He had
much doubt. if the Hon. Gentleman bad known the
turn the matter of fall would take, that he would
have undertaken it. For his part, instead of cen-
sure, which would lead to a removal from office of
the Learned Lord, he should move and vote for the
other orders of the day being read. The Attorney
General concluding with milting that motion.
Mr. GREY defended the Motion in a most An-

quern speech. He commented most severely on the
light manner in which the charge bad been met.
He said, if any thing could add a deeper regret
in his mind. for the nature of the original transac-
tion, it would be the kind of defence set up.
Much of our prosperity. much of our ebaraaer
and honour, depended on the parity of the
eondua of the persons in high °dices, and he
Vrai grieved to see what had been done that night.
e Learned Lord had gone into a long history , (his
duties and powers. Whether this was correaly stated
or not, he would not now enquire. What he bad to
do, was to know if any power he ssed had been
abused or exercised withsounclx)daisseeretion ? the
Learned Lord had enumerated various aids of
parsons in his situation, to sheer that he had aged
wisely in this affair; but of all these there was rot
one that could said:lion dfs. The first instance war,
tl., proposed emigration of many persons from Scot
land. in the beginning of the war, to America, who
would have certainly served the enemt. Nobody
will say, it was not proper to embargo the ships that
'were to carry them. The second was an emigration,
for which the vessels that were to convey them had
rat provisinns t s prevent their starving on the pas-
sage. Humanity willappland the embargo in that
case. the case of taking a letter out of the post-
office, to deted and defea: treason, would not be
condemned; and the preventing rebels landing from
Irelind in Scotland, in the last insurreai :a, was
to be de.en4lcd. In all the cases, the public
serf • would have suffered from delay. But
was that to be urged in this case ? lie would
not deny the danger of Scotland. The forces
oh.re, and in the adjacent counties, were insuffi-
ei nt. Tie Learned Lord had stated, that 5,000
of the enemy might easily have taken possession of
F.dinhu gh. They might also have seized upon
Net•castle, and destroyed the collieries on the Tyne.
But slid this excuse the Learned Lord for aellng
coon the do bt. the uncertainty of the suspicion of
14r. Morrison's loyalty ? He would follc.w the Hon.
Learned Gentlem.ua in his disposition of the
, - seat inquiry ; that is, as this may be a private
try, and as it may he a public crime. Can any
nv be more injurious :i,an to brand and stigma-
t indieual as Moiriton had been ?
';'o form a conspiracy against him, to ruin
I 'rneelf and his family ; to seize upon and im-
r -icon him ? The last passage in the letter was
harried slightly over, that of preventing corn pen-
niun for any deetrnaion of Mr. Morrison's grain,
."4. This was a pretty goad hint to others to de-
••••ay Ca. man's property. The Learned Lord
seemed to insinuate, that the order was a private
one. The letter doe. not bear internal evidence of
alt. But the ci..cumstances in which it was
"rime. prove the con: Pity. It was written to the
Sheriff Depute of ilar.ff I; at neti Lord stated.
t !,e was it: trequer.t personal communic..ic.n with
"lieriff at the very time. Then why write this
---,et- to ho n, if not to be a public order ? the rest-n
bet-aye a annt;:er part of the Learned Lord's
'?red,, is .s .c net _-city (and he stated it) cf
e1...r.44tit and c,..ndua of Mr. Mor-
e Hr :.e well have stopped, if it were

_
a •ty to the oppre%se.l
I I en: Ante the uppression ei the
-,)Tcce it -rat Or: cif Mr. linr-
•••••• 4: ... +reg.:a t:le Lcartlei