The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1809-01-28 00:00:00

leis inteetirsit to Voting forward such a motion,
fOSC 50 114`efiti.1 It. I hour B#4‘ly to say. that 1
slimed he the la 4 111:1:3 111 111, .-wintry to Coon-
irmin e citiiiitirit-s, il.tris., or tinfoil alsi aspers
ikiinks, agaikist .t ay individual, rieber nigh or low in
b witty. 1 ;es the mute we:lutes that jestire should
be 41004: to the character cut his Royal Highness., on
',emelt of the reek anti situation which he holds,
becestee it is the more necessary that it ol hi be
free,' front Mame and iispi•tsio. I should lo•
anio :at the first to thseou es et. any mistlisevous or
b ~,,. retentions, which refold rose such a emispiracy
as the Right Honourable Gentleinais , , te has
tilkekl of; but it it it quite itupossitile to prevent
great • public characters from etwoutets roue anis-
reprerentarions, to a free country, where free-
data of slisrniwiou must be maimed. It is, how-
ever. in a free elointry, tliikt equal slit iiiitaAe is
given to the aceas...l, to jleitify his character, and
go.loing Ire must iseeesmarily skew himself to tlye
*sold, sal the must honourable polut of view.—
There has been hardly any man, at any period,
wht. has tint sintlored more or less the Mermen-
reeler voiiiplailicil of; but one Of theJereat benefits
setwahog nor free ksvailitiorien, and the freesheu of
discussitve Ils, that it is always remitted the inure
easy to Laing the weenier forward ii, o the Courts
of Law. re- wider the ioyestigati tttt Of this Illintw,
es as to Tree aspersed latft4:lll from ell the cede of
groundless %%pennon. sod giving them All oppor-
tuuity of
they
with a greater degree of CT.
dit thant we ewer enjoyed before. That such
may be the result of this inquiry I most
ardently wish. I could uot have entertained a bli*-
1)0:21.-111 of such cheers, had it not been nwing to
tot- tkartieular facts being so specifically stated. 1
c silt have no other view bill that of sb justice
to the country, and the Honourable Nleinber who
has brought forward this motion. I seconded him
because I think he deserve* well of Isis country,
and I sin happy to find that Gentlemen oil the other
side in some degree concur in the same opinion."
Mr. ADAM observed, that on a question of :itch
instextance as that at present before the !louse, a
gleesome which emittersred so high aelimacter in
the emostry as that of Isis Royal nightie's. he
shonld feel that he was wantilie in his duty as
a Member of Peale:nese. if he did not *tate (lus-
tre-0y still easislidle his opinion (spins the course
which bethought moat proper tts be adopted by
Parliament. There was a print iple. he observed,
is our Constitution, winch he was confident would
be applied in the present ease; and that was, that
every man should be presumed to be innoceut,
distil lie wits pro7;el to have been guilty ; but Wit:l-
Mit requiring toe extension of this prime:lle in its
fullest sense, there was a cireurnoteisee tied 'should
Itchier the linnse most cautious in the case now
betere them.. and that was, that many reports had
beet) cioculetel, sad molly farts, or rather reputed
facts advaaced riom a quarter unfit to be credited.
Report haul gone aboard which producedm great
effect wpon the public mind, and therefore the
lions.- should be more cautious and more doubtful.
sa prejudice had been excited. He could. arm*,
that he haul 611e4 ebewituatiois in *bleb he stow
'toed for newt twenty years. in the course edits
period he might he presumed to know something
of the Royal Duke, something of his affairs and of
hos diameter ; he could also state (not iaduced by
ray fact; ig of vanity, but from it seise of justice
to that Utast Anna Persnnaerl . that he bed acted gra-
tuitously in his station. and therefore cuss fret from
the inipis tattoo of any improper Liar. He could state,
that he was aequeinted with the situation of the
wham of this. IlliiSiri tttt S Personage. haying heard
them Mentioned by himself with an acruracy which
he had Often minuted ; and in oil the time lie had
arced him, he nail kisown and beard of do appoint-
meats, but such as the Duke of Bedford or Nor-
thumberland must have approved, and such as
they outs{ have aloptuel in a similar situate:m.-
14e e• assist...red it a 4 ni fortumste circustence
i
for t at Illustrious Personage, that charges were
now brought forward, which called for public in- 1
quiry,aridle enterteined no doebt of what the result 1
moist be, froM the character of the individual in
question. He did nut wish the House to abaadon
the resources with which it was furnished; by ap-
pointing a commiesiou to investigete this business.
they lent every power to posnote mid give effect
to the his/Mrs. ' Publicity he considered a princi-
pal ebisee in such a ease, and therefore a Commit-
tee of the «hole House, at which all might be
pressed, any, ill his estimatien, the most proper
6..... fire they could adopt. The principle 1.10011
o Melt he was anilines that the inquiry Armful be
emotes-tied, was publicity ; sod the tnquisitorial
power with whit+ Parliament was invested, he coo-
siderial fully adequate to the rise now before
thesis. A colloid:Mit had been urged, that an ex-
change was not permitted mud it ran rrpkescntekl
ns singular ; but he coal,' ferash the Heine with
one that if:viewed its smeoilarity, ut lento, and
that was the close of Sir George Leith. ;who ap-
plied for an exchange fmos ball-pay to whole-ray,
and wire to his certain kneosleilge. refused, tie
should, from a consideration of all the circuit-
stances, conclele, that nothing short of the moot
public investigation could be pirmerly adopted,
In the importaot mid singular occasion that was
brought under their cognisance.
Mr. WILDS:BI4OIKr. observed, that it sets very
soisti!liegly he troubled the House. hut that he
ttorild not avoid conjuring them to reflect maturely
between the advantages of an inquiry conducted
t I the p sr of the House, and those of an investigs-
tion, where evidence must be delivered upon
(tole its agreed that the Hon. Mover was entitled
to the highest ;Noise, if the l barges he It:ought for-
erred had probelelity to countenence them ; sit all
writs he rejoiced that sp.-ene chary ea had been
u; yid, 41111 nil isivestrgation set ou foot; the result
of which must lie satisfactory. It was impossible,
Iry tule:eterd, for one who had sat so lung as he had
iis the [louse, net to know, that there were many
inconvemencee in esercising those functions of •
judicial stature with which it ass tested; party
spirit es sited in that assembly ; if individuals of
liisferior station, and inferior :nterest, to the Per
ooe now iis question. could influence, or be
supposed to influence, its opinions and deci-
sions, moss it possible that the roe. pilings re-pect-
ic:4 that individual could pass without suspicion ?
Be professed himself a friend to publicity as mitch
as any one puesent ; but then it was not publicity
during the port via of inquiry, but subsea tent to
its cooclusiou, that he advocated. Atwitter reason