The Sun.
London, England, 1830-03-02 00:00:00

Commissioners to inquire into the public revenue arising
in Ireland.--:=Agreed -to.
Mr.• G. DAWSON presented the Miscellaneous Esti-
mates, and moved that they be printed.—Agreed to.
CONSOLIDATED FUND BILL.

On the motion of Mr. G. Dawsotr, this Bill was read
a third time and passed.
THE COLONIES.—MISREPRESENTATION.
Mr. O'CONNELL presented a petition from the Roman
Catholic inhabitants of the island of Grenada, posing for
the removal of all colonial disabilities.
On tie motion that the petition be read,
• Mr. BROUGHAM rose and said, Sir, I do not rise for
the purpose of supporting or opposing the petition which
my Hon. and Learned, Friend has just presented ; nor do
I propose to offer any observations upon it. .I take the
opportunity, and I hope the House will not consider it a
strange tine, of correcting a misrepresentation of the
grossest nature I ever heard of, even amongst the many
gross and unjustifiable misrepresentations of the conduct
and motives of public men, which it has been my fortune
to observe. I am quite sure, however, that neither of
the Hon. Gentlemen who alluded to me after I had le:t
the House, entertained the least intention of stating any
thing which might injuriously affect me in my public, per-
sonal, or pro:essional character. The Hon. Member for
Westminster certainly meant no such thing; but the Hon.
Member for Colchester made the greatest possible mistake
respecting facts, when be alluded, in so extremely an un-
pleasant way, to me and to the profession to which I have
the honour to belong.—(Hear, hear.)--For the profes-
sion I have no doubt it was intended, because I am aware
many think there is no better way of promoting a reform
, in the law than by degrading the legal profession ; and
therefore, that whenever an opportunity of vituperating
any member of that profession offers, there is so much
gained towards the accomplishment of the great object they
had in view. I know this is the opinion of many
conscientious and erilightended men. It is not mine.
They, however, have a right to entertain these opinions,
and to act upon them whenever they may find occa-
sion so to do ; but, Sir, they have no right to make Ras-
. statements ' • and this brings are to the fact. I under-
stand, that during my absence, allusion was made to a cir-
. cumstance which I have' reason to believe was often men-
tioned out of doors, but which 'now, for the first time,
Las been brought before this House. Before this time, I
had accordingly no opportunity of justifying myself by
answering to this charge. Now it is stated, if a Member
of this House, who is also a Member of the legal profes-
sion, he retained in any cause, that, according to the eti-
quette of the• profession, lie is debarred from performing
his Parliamentary functions. As, fur instance, if he gave
notice in his place that lie would impeach a public ser-
vant, and that afterwards this public servant gave him a
retainer in some other cause bearing upon it never so re-
motely, tl,e effect of this retainer would, according to the
etiquette of the profession, be to stop all proceedings in
Parliament, and consequently compel him to give up the
charge he had contemplated as a Member of this House,
but which was now incompatible with his duty as an ad-
vocate. The inference from this, and the fair logical in-
ference, I al:ow, is that a lawyer is incapable of discharg-
ing his duties a Member of Parliament. But, Sir, on he-
half of myself and on behalf of the profession, I beg di.-
. tinetly and peremptorily to disclaim all such rules, princi-
ples, and privileges, whatsoever.—(Hear, hear.) And if
it can be shown that one lawyer in England, Ireland, or
Scotland, ever dreamt of any such thing, I will at once
withdraw my disclaimer.--(Hea-, hear, hear.)—Well,
Sir, this was the position—now for the illustration, which
is said to be—that in the sear 1825 I presented a peti-
tion complaining of certain malversations upon the part
of Lord C. Somerset at the Cape of Good Hope ; and
that upon the occasion of presenting it, I intimated an
intention of going further, and that I even spoke of
impeaching Lord C. Somerset of high crimes and misde-
meanours ; but it is added, that after I had taken this
very decided course in my Parliamentary capacity, I was
retained by his Lordship in a cause more or less connected
with the subject-matter of the petition ; and that this for th-
with stopped my mouth, and prevented me from pursuing
the Parliamentary proceedings to which I had alluded.
That is the allegation. Such may be sometimes stated for
the purpose of attacking the profession to which I belong
as perhaps in the present instance—or it may be directed
against myself. But 1 care not what is the object, nor
what the shape of the charge. I give it now—the first

time I have the iipportunity—the most positive, un-
gitn.dified, and peremptory denial; awl if, without violating
tluz l'ecoruru of this House, I could find words sufficiently
strong wherein to couch that denial, so as to make it the
more searching and overwhelming, I would not hesitate to

use them.—(Loud cheers.)—l never had a fee—l never
had a retainer from Lord Charles Somerset. I never was
• —W use the words of the Bill of Rights—engages! or ern-
ploYed in any Court. or place by Lord Charles Somerset,
. during the whole course of my life.—(Cheers.)—l never
was retaiiied, or employed, or consulted by Lord Charles
Somerset, or any snember of his family, in any matter
whatsoever, during the whole course of my life.—(Cheers.)
—On the contrary, I haveheen repeatedly concerned—and
no later than last term, fer instance—against several near
relations of Lord Charles Somerset. It often happens that
, fentlemen At.e retained without their knowledge. Indeed
rt eeldoto occurs that they know by whom they are re-
, tainsi at the snoisrent the retainer is given. Not trusting,
therefore, to my own knowledge, I, to make assurance
loudly sure, bad my fee-books searched for the last ten
yews. I did this, not so much in justice to myself as to
Lord Charles Somerset ; for if I could vary—though it
was not very likely—my Parliamentary comfit: for a fee of
guinea (the thing is so ridiculous it hardly deserves that
a moment should be wasted upon it), it was at least
. proper to ascertain whether the Noble Lord had thrown
even that temptation in my way. I say, then, that I caused
my hooks to he searched for the last ten years, and the
result is that which I have given. That being the denial
to this cainplaiut, I really do not see how it is possible
so go farthest' into it.—(llear, hear.)—The House, how.
ins's, will favour me with a few moments' indulgence, and
they will then see how very unjustly towards Lord
Charles Semerset (for ale it does not affect)—how
wry unjustly towards Lord Charles Somerset has
this -.colour been given to the transaction. The cir-
cumstances of the case ace simply these :—I pre-
sented a petition to this House on the subject of the Go-
vernment at the Cape, and that petition contained one
very grave charge against Lord Charles Somerset—it was
that of having indirectly taken a bribe from a party to a
suit which he was about to decide. It was alleged that
he had called on a party to buy A horse at the sum of
10,000/, a sum greatly exceeding, course, the value
s* the animal, and one witicls was supposed to have been
given to influence the judgment of the Noble Lord in a
suit its di* Court in which lie presided, the real valise of
the horse Lein's; stated at '7OO/. ; and it was alleged, that
after this traniita Lord Charles Somerset decided in
. favour of the party who was the purchaser.—Though this
charge was in a. parenthesis of the petition, I said at
once, it was so inuceasurably saore important than the
rest, that if I found there was any tiaslation'for it (which
did not believe, but about tO‘ielt I woord inquire), I
should myself, in the capacity of a Member of thisfiussaa—
which I coold do without a seconder or a support, arid, ins-
deed, without a majority of the House—impeach' Lord
Charles Somerset. 1 was then counsel in a eatice, in which,
was trite, Lord Charles Somerset was in some way con-
cerned ; but lie was not a party to the cause, nor did
retain sae as Counsel ; nor was I retained after the charge
I had brought against him on the petition in this House.
The fact was, he had been the Judge in a cue in which
an appeal was brought against his judgment ; and though
I was engaged to support his judgment, I was no more
connected with him than las with any Judge in support
d whose decision I may have to plead in this country.
Of worse having to defend the judgment appealed from, I
WAN boned to look into the ease, and it turned ont that
that caw ,lrose from the same in which the transaction of
the horse was stated to have occurred. 1 looked into .the
ease to see what it was, I was Counsel for the respondent,
acrd it therefore becasae a matter of necessity that as such
Counsel, I should support the judgment which had been
s',,ssst in favour of my client. r was bound to support the
judgment before the Privy Council,. As soon as I found
this oet, I stated to the House the ,contlicting duties I had
to perfoset; I was in what oar hei,phbours, the French,
salt a false aosition ;" that is, I had ;la the morki,ag to
argue as ceas'ussst ).n favour of Lord Cltarlsas Somerset's
judgment before a Cs'ilfts attended frequently by Members
of this Ilouse, and in C.l'e ,evening I had to come down
here, and before many of the ssque Members, to impeach
thatjudgment as a Member of this ii‘.!wr'e, I ask whether
under these circumstances, there was a.-v th,,C•7g. very
strained or very refined, in stating to the House 1:1"•,?°°-
tion iu which I stood, and in asking whether there werfs.
not some Hon. Member who would not relieve me
troll the difficulty of my position, and undertake the
management of the matter of that petition, for if
uot, I would give up the case, and do my parliamentary
duty ? lam sorry to take up the time of the Mute, but
I must beg the attention of lion. Members, for it is an
easy thing to attack any man, and he ought to be allowed
every advantage in making his defence. I have stated
that it was alleged is the petition that on a certain day the
horse was sold for the large price of 10,000/. If that state-
ment had even the shadow of a foundation, I should have
been bound to bring the impeachment; but when I looked
into the case, I found in the first place, that the sums
tAted were wrong. The horse was rust said for 10,000/.