The Sun.
London, England, 1830-03-03 00:00:00

tion of them, the next day, in the public newspapers. That
circumstance did him the highest honour; and his decla-
ration of it that night in the House was not less creditable
to him, as fixing the onus upon the proper party. He
hoped that the debate of that evening would teach the
Attorney General a little more caution than he had hi-
therto manifested, and that he should not soon again be
found in a similar situation.
Sir F. BURDETT rose in explanation ; and denied
the representation which the lion. Member for Aberdeen
had made of what fell from him (Sir F. Burdett), but at
that hour he could not think of troubling the House with
denials in detail of the points upon which the Hon. Mem-
ber misapprehended him ; he thought it better, there-
fore, to wait for the motion of the Hon. Member for
Newark, and take that opportunity of setting himself right
with the House.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said, that the Hon. Member for
Aberdeen tal mistaken him also—nothing could be fur-
ther from his mind than to express any difference from his
Hon. and Learned Friend the Attorney-General, either as
to the grounds of the prosecutions, or the manner in
which they had been conducted. Ile did not dissent from
a single word that had been uttered by his Hon. also
Learned Friend. Ile entirely concurred with him in
every particular. Nothing that he said could even seem
to bear another interpretation, except that wherein he
spoke generally of his own feelings, and of the little pain
which he felt from any thing that had been published
against himself. The fact was, he gave himself very little
trouble about them. His Hon. and Learned Friend had
not acted upon the feeling that the Government or that
any individual needed protection—he went upon public
grounds solely. There was a charge made of a most se-
rious kind by a person standing in the situation of Chap.
lain to the Duke of Cumberland—it became necessary,
then, both for his sake and the due ' discharge of his
public duty, as a public officer, that • prosecutions should
be instituted; ' but that was done without the slightest
desiie to ale mischief, much less to ruin . an individual.—
As fur him (Mr. Secretary Peel), he could safely declare
that he did not know he had been libelled by Mr. Alexan-
der; therefore, private feeling he had none whan he first
expressed his concurrence in the measure of prosecution—a
concurrence that still continued in full force.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL briefly explained.
Sir CHARLES WETHERELL then rose to reply. In
doing which he assured the House that he should only
occupy their attention for a few moments. When he
made the observations with which he prefaced time motion
which he had thought it his duty to submit to the House,
he professed himself with perfect candour to be a Tory—in
doing that he little expected to receive . the support of a
high patriot, like the Member for Westminster; as little
did he expect to final that Hon. Baronet supporting at-
tacks upon the libeity of the Press, and censuring its sup-
posed licentiousness. It was strange enough to hear that
lion. Baronet attacking him (Sir C. 'Wetherell) for defend-
ing the privileges of that House ; but yet it ceased to be a
matter of very great surprise when it was remarked, that
some years ago he had not treated the privileges of the
House himself with much respect. He laud treated as
chaff all the precedents that he had produced—he tram-
pled under foot all that had been contended for as the
undoubted privileges of the House, holding very cheap
the defence of those privileges Such being the real
saute, he could not help regarding the Hon. Baronet
more as a theoretical than as a practical supporter of the
liberties of the Press. lie should come now to some of
the observations of the Right Hon. Gentleinan the Se-
cretary for the Home Deearttnent. lie bad made Mr.
Alexander the representative of him (sir C. Wetherell):
that was not correct. The Morning Journal might genes
rally be considered to speak the sentiments of the party to
which he belonged, but that dial not make Mr. Alexander
their representative. He used no expression to justify such
an indifference as had been drawn; anal as a further proof
that, direct or indirect, he bad no connection with Mr.
Alexander, he would state that he had declined to defend
him in Court. With respect to the matter of one of the
libels, he must be allowed to say that if the regal branch
of that legislature were placed in the situation then de-
scribed, it became justly an object of commiseration,
placed as the supposition was in collision with that anal the
other House of Parliament, He had received credit at
the commencement of his observations for a desire to ab-
strain from the proceedings of all personalities; but lie
thought he had reason to complain, that the Right lion.
Gent. (the Secretary for the Home Department) had not
avoided the personality, for the desire to escape which he
had been so ready to praise others. A variety of .topics
pressed themselves upon his attention, upon which, lie
thought, that important observations could be node ; but
lm e felt the necessity of detaining the House only as short
a time as possible. It was itnposmible be could reply to all
that had been said ; but he conceived that the position
with which he had originally started had been perfectly
sustained, and had not for a single !imminent suffered
from the attacks of any assailant, His Honourable
and Learned Friend (the Attorney-General) had re-
minded him of the advice given by a great wit and a
very shrewd man, Selwyn—who advised, that whenever
your opponent said nothing absurd, the most expedient.plan
was to make him do so ; thus, though he (Sir C. W,) land
never said that any man had been tried twice for the same
offence, yet it was thought right to make him say 50,.--•
What he objected to was, the power possessed by the At-
-orrsey-Generel of tho King to file his private information
first, and then come forward and change it to an iimforrna,
tion ex-officio. It was a power which ought to be abo•
fished, and one which he should certainly move the aboli-
tion of, did he conceive that he should find in that House
sufficient support. He hoped he should ; at all events, he
inonded to bring tile matter forward, when the documents
for which he then moved ahould be laid opop the table of
the House. The power of which he complained wee most
liable to abuse, especially if, by any unhappy event, there
happened to becorrupt Judges, capable of allowing time same
cape to be tried a second time, under a new form. The At-
torney- Generai had .(11pitted tst lre meant to put down the
Paper ; and this was a part of the compl4int syhicis he (Sir
C. Wetherell) made. It was not because Alexander was
scurrilous, but because the Paper was the cluttnpion of the
fallen Protestant party that it was to be put down. Calm
the Attorney-General find no other paper to put down'?—
" iiiim 1 but,!! Bald Mr, Attorney, " I can't read all the
newspapers ; I have not —time."' Peilmapa tmo ; ramie it
seemed that the Attorney-General found time to read the
Morning Journal. There were many other Papers,—...
Daily Papers,—besides-as many as 15 Sunday Papers, be
believed, of which the editors made no holiday on Sunday—
'. f‘ The Sabbath chines no day of rest to them."
Of all these dairy "al gi4a44y liL,LeFs, Pena hatil o'4
Journal was read by Mr. Attorney. The knockers an 4
the bells of all the other editors were undisturbed by Mr.
Attorney ; it was only the brass door of Mr. Alexander
that had charms for the Hon. and Learned Gentleman.
a'and yet," said Mr. Attorney, " it was not Alexander,
tiie':libelp, that I attacked, bug the Morning Journal."
thil3'.wa,;,:vlit lc' cottiphu!Uegq; af-,tl many, if any f4em•-
, ilegiun told hint hint theft Ire wag Conneoeal ' with 4rrr .Of
these people, he begged to say, its the strongest purlia,
mentary language, that such Gentleman imputed to him
what was not title. He had been taunted with his labours
of gestation ; he bad been told that his labours were all
gestation, and that they ended not in delivery ; but he
hegtif Peva ta c; that be 110 stated he should go far-
ther, and lie prPinied tti.2iii OE4 his 14400 i slip mil no; end
in the barren result anticipated.—(Hear, and laughter.)l:--
The Hon. Member fer Newark had said very troiithat
there were other points of view in which the present sub-
ject might be considered; anal it was to be hoped that in
I tiroaa am;;:ea 1:,4,b•:•, or in some of them, that Hon. Gentle-
man won't) hrl'ng. i(44iitier 'gig orri;y-10-aqor; 0 ;t', tfo‘r-t!p.,
He acknowledged the 44iiitsincp iiriliA 'lie "14 rcgiveti
from the Hon. Member for Clare in arguing this question,
who had shown upon that, as upon other occasions in
which he had seen him exert his talent in this country,
144 1.1,:i r 2.3 an able lawyer. He had proved, in
the mO:4 )3s.tiiffetory ;:::tinge., that the proceeding
on the part of time*Xtigt.iteyZGale,•:,-, va4 -ripp:r
cedented, oppressive, and vexatious.--(Hear, Isar.)-‘--
He intended to propose a Bill to abolish, as he bad already
:wed, the power possessed by the Attorney-General of
link air et aipia information after a private information ;
till! lie yen iiilk 41004 Oc4 -0-07:qyd Hon. Gentlemen
would go along with him—thal fa; 'atter' `E;i-l'api4avit f,lid
by time defendant, lie (time Attorney-General) should net be
at l'lieFt7i to change time form of the proceeding, unless he
were elate to masee ofrt a elafficient case to the Court. At
so late an hour Le should ilhstain feoan ",:aa.7elling• further
into the topCs on Vl'llidl,llol3loo'llelled in iiis'opemminig.
He woald sherefle only say, that lie ss'as inucia obliged to
those lion. dentlemen 3414.4 /iv; expressed their approba-
tion of the course he hail pursued ; and though lie lieJ movt
with some stripes in certain patriotic quarters where he
had not expected them, he hoped that he should be able
to aaa,-,,: Soundly, in- time assurance of being quite as
patriotically ciialmaa,,e4 may ;list elegant effusion which laud
issued that Mita from the Han, iiaroaet, lie '4',4emniet• for
Westminster. - ' '' .' •
Mr. PEEL—He dial not mean to ineinuee that there
was any connection between the Hasa. and Learned Gentle-
man and Mr. Alexander.
Mr. TE';:.:l;!..9oN—Tlie House should take care that
they did 'riot make - an order that cod 1-ao'i be emnplied
with. The Hon. and Leached tieniferrian had ['loved for
" An exact minute of time worde in *bias- eaelm Surja prat-
nounce.V their verdict against Mr. Alexander upon each of
the inforinutions and AU exact minute of the terms in