The Sun.
London, England, 1808-06-01 00:00:00

• there was a ennueetiot bitween both so far as tae
e
• SOMA of Treasury was 'cogni'sarit Of the eircutp-,
stances. But was it possible by any torture: it),...crO•
nuity to apply to the coriduol._of, the TretisUry what
• the Right Hon.' Gentleman bad said respe&iug
Buenos Ayres ? The. Right Hon. Gentleman might
introduce such an extraneous topic,. but was it pot
for the purpose of exciting a prejtmlice against an In-
. slividual, whose credit, honour, ,and-Charader, was
. at issue? Was it not td propagate' such prejudice, in
a question upon which he was to decide as ajudge,
so That .he might afterwards 'employ the cry thus
raised against the late Government ?" Was this jus-
tice, or was it candour ? Though the Honourable
Gentleman, who had brought, forward this question,
, •
had declared,,that he was actuated by a sense of duty
, promoting an inquiry into the eipepditure of the
p‘skstio money, and was. reluctantly constrained to
advert to the conduct 'of an individual, yet nine-
tenths of his speech had been taken up with a per-.
soeal attack upon that .Honeurable Officer.. He
would bow• suppose for thee, argument,. what he
shoitld. afterwards deny in fact, that:the Honoura-
,
ble Officer had been convicted, of the illicit: trade,
and that the delivery of. five or six: chests of tea
'at Dungeness,
.14 years ago,- could' be considered
as an act of smuggling, was that a cireunistance that
ceuki apply to a charge upon the Government of Mr.
Or if the.dilatory plea had.beenentered in the
Progress of an action upon ,a,.respondentia bond, was
the House to feel so scrneulOas on the score of ,mo-
rality, as to take notice of it ? Would it be con'idered
criminal 'enoogli to attract the notice of that House,
if a man were to torn round a corner of a street to
meeting a creditor ? N'Vfere they to be called
• open to 'expel from amongst. them a person %.% ho
might, so tong as 'fourteen years „since, have
• .•-been concerned in a smuggling trunsaalion? -How-
ever highly he valued the feelings. which theitight
' Honourable Gentle Man had alluded to, he could, not
agree that in a time of peaee, when Lieutenants of
the Navy had only. a .naked subsistent upon halt
pay,, any of them IA ho might enter into: the Merchant
Service should he; consigned to dishonour. It vas
.. an injustice to Sir -come Popham ,to introduce these
topics, when the chirp. was brought- against the
. • Government ; antl,t hey could no' proceed to a con-
' sure upon an individual without following it • t 4) by
•• some vindiaiveco.nsequence. The substance of the
• charge was against the condua of the late. Treasury,
though there i!kehiti many weighty phrases affecting
the Hon. Officer . which the House could not agree
10, •unless coupliTl with some. substantive charge
against him. In thei year 09.5 the Right Hou..
Gentleman did not think as lightly as he appeared at
Preseitt to do of the services of the gallant Officer in
securing the retreat .of the amy ; neither had the,
Noble Lord whose letter had been alluded to, and
who had not forgotteu•these services so soon as the
Tight Hon. Gentleman. It,was not his intention to,
19eak of Captain Robinson but with respeet, yet the
; • Itfight Hon. Gentleman seemed to exaggerate.hii ser-
vices. The Right Hon:Gentleman had said that
. that Captain had been sent out with orders to detain
the EtruscO. Had the Hon. Gentleman really read
"the Papers upon which he was to decide as a judge.?
Could he say that atsy statement of. such orders was
lo be tound.-in these papers? (1( was then said across
4he table, that the fael might be true, though not in
Ow Papers.) Had then the Right honourable.C.;en-
1441Paan not-only decided himself, bix. endeavoured to
snake; the House, apon a statement witich lie did net
I know to be corral ? Had he proceeded upon these
11T4unds against an individual whose honour and cha-
i der were at issue, and,upon which l%e was to pro.-
'Plennce as a judge ? What had been: dote in this
e4,.,ie was every day done and even ashis Learned
:rriends near him informed him, bad taken place by
It remission of forfeitures in nine different causes
that day •in" the Court of Theehequer. lifter stating
the proportion condemned to Captain Robinson,
and ..restored to Sir Home. Popham, the' Chancel-
lot of the Exchequer contended that there neVer.
had been a case in which the distribution .of
money was more ioroperly exercised'. if any
Gentleman could place his hand' on, his heart,
!Jul say that he believed the Government had aaed
• lmm corrupt motives, he would vdte for the cen-
re
. sure. But he. deprecated the geeral charge made
by the Right Honourable Gentleman, of the varia-
ble instances, of misappheation of these funds, as
calculated to produce the triOst t injurious cense-
r,
plences. After a few observations on • the nature
.i
. 11(1 circumstances of time traffic which had been
chartedsi as illicit, the Right Horr. Gentleman con-
! mould by expressing his ecnifidenee that the House
ivould met
t the Resolutions 'by a direct negative.
WI ND HAN
explained. ,
Alt% 'WHITBREAD spoke briefly in favour ,of the
tesolutions; and, after a short general reply from
.
LUSUINGTON, the House divitted
For the ResolutiOns 57
Afloinst them - 126
Niajority in favour of Sir H. Popham
Adjourned at half-past •pne O'cloCk.. • •