The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1819-12-11 00:00:00

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thy; a particular clisiseter to the work. To do e
he would, in the first Instance. impose to call to
the hsr that person *ltem natite was prefixed- as
publisher to the work. By taking such I step. it
was possible they might get at the real offender.
namely. the author of the pamphlet. He woe
'ofierit to punishing the phisiteher on printer if they
could erne at the reel author. There were cares
according to precedent. where. our an ;.ffeoltise
paper *no toinplailted of nod giant into the clerk.
the House at once decided upon the particular elm-
rafter wh ch it mesa to alas to it. and then called
the party to answer for his act. Titers were other,.
in which they summoned the only in the first in-
stance, end afterwards decided upon the nature of
the publication. The latter was the course lie
meant to adopt on the present occosiou. He would
call upon the publisher ; it would, in hie opinion.
be More just to do so in the first instance. and
question In., than to decide first. perhaps serious-
ly. nu the extent of the offence. and then call for
mowers. He could have nu other meson fur put-
ting himself forward ou the present occasion except
its lie had already said, an anxious wish to assert
and maintain the character and dignity of that
House—a dignity in the assertion of which he truer.
ed they would be supported by the common sense
and general feelings of the country.—(New.)
The Segalea—,, Does the Hun. Member de•
liver in any paper ?"

- • -
Mr. COuttTlltt•tf immediately handed to the
clerk the publication of which he complained ; the
title of which wee read we &Howe:—
" A Trilling Riau/kg M Thews Loud F.riskins's Recent
Prelacy. Shortly acitelard sad resp►ctfully ~creed in
Lester to his Lordship. by She Aotiow of she a Deknee of
the Prolik: Lutokos : Published by Robert &Wert, SI,
Sttautl."

Mr. COURTEMAY then moved. that Robert Sto.
(on be summoned to attend the {Lir au Monday
next.

On the question being put—
Sir Faaacts BuROBTT rose and slid, that it ap-
peered to him, the House was shoot to place itself
ill an awkward pedieuttoript. If this mutton were
agreed to. the House would appear in a very extra.
ordinal light in the eyes of the country. A few
days had only elapsed, since they hail refused the
exercise of their undoubted a ill constituti eeee al inqui-
sitorial power., when called upon far the brink of
them. on the part of the whole people of England.
The same persons who had so thought proper to
refuse the exercise of these functions to the cons.
plaining people who demanded ohms. would cow, Ise
bad no doubt. consent to apply all the force of
their poster at the call of the llossoureble and
Learned Gentlemen, to a case, in which, of all
others, they should be sileipt. and wherein slime they
could not act as un impartial party. In the
former case they referred the complainants to
seek redress in the Courts of Justice. though
their owe. functions were peculiarly aide fur inqui-
ry into the case; and in the present, where a Court
1.1 Justice would perhaps he the proper place. he
load no doubt they would be ready enough toalfued
the exercise of inquisitorial functions, which, on
such an occasion, it were better to withhold. This
was the way to bring that House into disgrace and
discredit with the public. It seemed now it could
varicose powers of inquiry, in ■ case too where it
could lake no evidence. could hear none, uor deter-
mine pulsar or law whether the matter was li-
bellous air not; so that, without the possibility of
proof, or of attaining the plaits ends of justice, the
House would, we its mere vote alone, decide en the
stole complexion of the case. This would create,
its the result, as much dissittisfactiou as it did in-
Jistice. Suppose even the publicatiou tarred out
Isi be a libel, was their vote in that House to be the
full measure of its punishment ? See theu how the
fairness of their proceeding would stand. In the
first instance they determined the nature of the of.
fence commenced against themselves; secondly,
they adjudged their own cause; and then they in-
flicted their own 'punishment. These were from
beg •g to end monstrous and unjust ass 'thous
of power, and would, if persevered in, place the House
lower (if lower it could be) in the eyes of the country.
He admonished the House how it placed itself ins
this singular situation. Suppose there exist an
offence, bow did calling the printer prove it? But
its this case the 'proposition was very extraordinary.
They were about to call a printer to the her, to in-
terrogate him, he presumed, and without pre-
viously determining whether ally offence had been
committed. It would have been but fair fur the
Hon. and learned Gentleman who brought for-
wind this complaint. to have read the whole of the
pamphlet, instead of condi • g himself to partici).
Isr extracts. The latter may. it was possible, be
explained or corrected by taking in the whole of
the context. The publication, for aught he knew,
may be a libel, for It woo extremely true.—(Cries
" Ostler .1") —it was extremely true that the
character of a borongli-moriger was the worst and
most disgraceful one in the country. if isorticular
passages were to be selected front writsm• in this
Wanner, objectionable passages of soy tourer erg be
culled Irons any. or ks.-11* could read palames from
the works of Mr. Burke itifinitely sffloster than
Close wlticii were now complained of. LitellChathem
had said. that this was a corrupt House, 'imbecility
of all law ion! order ; and a variety of similar, aud
still stronger epitheisi:lsad been at different times
used by some of the mad' distinguished characters`
The privileges otilti'!oritais were miter iuteuded
fur of kit