The Sun.
London, England, 1807-03-03 00:00:00

the nanies Qi the rnk.l::; bi:uUr.l):
`aa,:c.d Mr. :Sfieri&in iie
to do With,roSpe.la to, the sutnirrons he h.id re-
'ceived fo:aitend -the committee, Mr. Sl4idan
de-
sired him to get. out of the way,, and to leave the Eess
to him. Mr.' Sheridain said, he would'pi-ovide ft;r
as they were old friends., by getting him a;si
tuition under. Governmenty,whieh:he had been,pro-
mised many vears. Mr. Johnson had alsoaslteu p is
to get the letter from Mr.. Hatris, and he hat replied to
Mr. Johnson, 'that if Harr did not give it up, By
Ge--d he'd knock him down." Mr. Herman, also
dFrith-street, had said to him that he was wrong in
writing to Emanuel Harris ; and that it would be a
good thing to get the letter if:possible from him.
Mr. Sheridan. had told him, when :fie aSked.hini to
get.the letter from Harris,. that he should not
Want tiny Thoney; 'as Sheridan and he Were cid ar2-
quaintances; and he bad 'reaSon.to-believe that this
money was ofted: to induce,- him to.. procure. the let-
ter t-rom Emanuel Harris. Witness being further
examined 'would not -say that Mr. Sheridan autho-
rised him' to offer any specific sum to Harris to get
back the letter,. or that he even ever. mentioned the
Word money, hut insinuated in general that every pos-
sible means should be used to get it back—observing,
that the getting back theletter was of the unost serious
arid important:, Consideration. ,He had, however,
offered 301. to Harris, to prevail upon him to return
the letter, which money he would pay out of his
bwn pocliet, and of his own authority; He had got
acquainted with Mr. Paull by-means of a letter he
had
.Written to him, stating the-ill treatment he had
received from 111 r. Sheridan and his servants ; btu
Mr. Pattil had not instigated hind by money or- any
eler inticement to get possession of the letter, but
merely. advised him to lel] what he knew, but
to advance nothing that be would not, be ready
to swear to;; When lie got possession of the let-
ter, he. never mentioned the circumstance to Mr.
Paull or any of his Agents, nor, indeed, to any
person whatever, before he Mentioned it this night
at the Bar of the House. • Vet, upon cross-examina-
tion upon,this point, he confessed that he himself
had not only- Seen 'the Petition that had been pre-
sented to the House, but that he had die-tated a
part of it to Mr. Powell, more particularly that part
Which referred to the Letter, and this'he had done
a few days before the Petition was presented. Mr.
Paull certainly expresseda wish that the Letter might
be got and produced before the Committee, but he'
never promised money, or any kind of reward for
that service. He allowed, however, that his in-
tention was, when he got hold of the Letter, to
use it against Mr. Sheridan. He never heard that
any suspicion existed that the Letter' was a for-
gery ; but he 'destroyed it himself, because he
did trot conceive it
.to be of any use.. 'He got
a second letter from Mr. Sheridan during the elec-
tion after the first had been destroyed ; did not know
the date of it; had seen Mr. Sheridan sign it in one
of the rooms at the Shakspeare Tavern. When cross-
examined, he said, that the letter was signed in Mr.
S.'s drawing-room, while he himself was in another
apartment; and therefore did not see him actually
write his name upon it ; but verily believed it was
Mr. S.'s'hand-writing ; made different answers,. at
different times, respecting his means of procuring
money; had half-pay as a Lieutenant, and several
pensions from the King, attd also one from the Pa-
traitic Fund, yet was never confirmed'a Lieutenant
in the Navy never had been examined at Green-
wich, nor had ever presented any memorial to ob-
tain his pension.
DUring the examination of the Witness, as to the
foregoing part of his evidence, frequent questions
were started, and interesting' discussions naturally
arose as to the propriety of the course of
.examina-
tion adopted by the Learned Counsel. The Witness
and Counsel were of course ordered to withdraw,
and await the decision of the' House on such points.
The first point on which the HouSe thought tit to
interfere was that relating to. the letter sent to Ema-
nuel Harris. On the WitneSs and Counsel beinc,
ordered to withdraw,

Lord HO IPICK- observed, that the House had
come to an understanding that the exatniration of
Witnesses should be confined to the fats contained
in-the allegations of the Petition. The' questions
that bad been prciposed by the Learned Counsel with
respe& to this letter were in the dire& course to
bring into discussion the merits of the Eledion. He
therefore thought that the questions respeaing that
letter should be,expunged from the minutes of the
evidence, together with the answers to them.
Mr. SHERIDAN hoped that his Noble Friend.
would not interfere, with the examination that had
taken place on this subject, because, if this part
should be expunged, he would be precluded from
giving in evidence matter that would affed the cre-
dibility of the Witness. Mr. Harris was in attend,
ance in the lobby, together with Aaron Graham,
Esq, before whom, at his deSire, the evidence of Mr.
Harris had. been taken upon oath, and both were
ready to give testimony at the Bar of the House.

Mr. PERCIT4L thought that the history of
the Letter should be gone into.

Mr. 7'. GRENVILLE was convinced then of the
inconvenience which in the first instance he had
thought it his duty to point out as likely to result
from the proceeding adopted -by the Rouse. The
very first questions that had been put went to esta-
blish a charge of agency, and thereby to involve' the
merits of the Election.

Mr. 4DAM thought that the evidence touching
the existence of the Letter was adtnissible, though
any examination as to its date or contents ought not'
to be permitted.

Mr. SHERIDAN considered the question before
the House, if he understood it right, to be, whether
he had, by himself or agents, tampered with Wit-.
nessesto induce them to Veep back their evidence? As
to the merits of the Eledion, that was a subject that
properly belonged to the Committee; but the House,
was then to
'decide, whether he had tampered with
Witnesses, or proposed to buy up a letter that
had been. signed by himself ? •He had Witnesses in
attenCikce, to disprove the testimony of the Wit-
netsthat had just.withdrawn ; and if that part 'of the
examination should be expunged which respelled the
letter, he should be deprived of the opportunity of
shewin,g how little the testimony of the Witness was
to be credited. He could prove that on the day on
which the witness would state him to have signed
the Letter at his own house,_neither the witness had
been there, nor, had he himself txen.at his house
during the whole day.

Alr-.I3ANKEs was for proceeding with the exami..

:13;‘,:rirtilis.T:3griinst it,. eicei)t go far as
• 'co:-:cc:r,;:t tl.lc f-xj.,:t,::7.oce•of the. Lettesr •
thcingh't it'4;ould
:to. the Right I-Jun. Gentleniin to _produce any evi
clerwe that he might th,•ern necessary for.bis case. - '
• 2llr. GRENVILLE entt.Ted his Protest* against
doeirine. -le could not agree to the ,production •
,oi an.v.evidenee that would involve P 'consideration'
of t.;;,: merits of the Peaion, which, by law, be-.
long,'d to another tribunal. . .

General PHIPPS moved, that tbe Standing Or-
der of the House should be inforeed, by direaing the
Petitioner to withdraw with his Counsel, he having ,
appeared to him to have gone out to communicate
with the Witness.

P.EA KER observed; that it was undoubtedly
competent to any Hon. Member to inforce the Stand-
ing Order, though by the courtesy of the House,
when parties and Counsel were ordered to,withdraw,
they were usually allowed upon removing froth the
Bar to remain still in the House.

Sir GILBERT HEATHCOTE hoped that the
Hon. Member would not press his Motion, and that
Mr. Paull would have an equal measure of justice
with his Right Hon. Friend.
The whole of the evidence respeeling the letter
was then' ordered to be eXptinged, aid the Counsel
were called in, and again instructed by the SPEAKEa
to confine their exarainaticin to tans conneCled with
the‘chafges of tampering with Witnesses, or attempt-.
ilia to sitnpress evidence.
- °Mr. Paull, who, as a Petitioner, was entitled to
a seat under the Gallery, immediately came for-
ward • and addresSed the Chair :---" Mr. SPeaker,
I feel myself called upon by thusrincipleS of ho-:
no6r, and the impnlse of a ma-nly spirit, to deny
the grass charge that has been made against me by-
the
.A-ion. Baronet : I must say,' it is both unfOund-
vd and unjust., The situation in which I aM at
present placed forbids me froM inakipg any further
comment ; but, I could "not ~Coatinne silent- when
such an accusation was made against me, in' addi..
tiOn to the n'imerous calumnies and Misrepresefita-
tions in which the Right Honourable Gentleman,
my opponent, has this night so frequently indulged,
himself."
• The SPEAKER observed, that the House would-
judge.for itself what it was proper tbr it to do.after
the proceeding that had just taken place, and
which appeared to him so ektraordinary„ than- he
should abstain'from denominating it. - He wished
also to collect the sense of the House as to its prac-
tice, in the case of Petitioners 'who prayed .to be
heard by themselves or their Counsel--whether
having, ,made their eleaion to be heard by their
Counsel, they .did. not relinquish their right to be
heard by themselves'?
Lnrd 110 'TICK bad been so surprised at the ex-
traordiniiry conAua" of the Petitioner, that lie had
only been prevented by his feelings from calling the
attention of the House to'the gross, insolent, and
outrageous proceeding.. He thought the House was
called upon to adopt some measure in vindication of
its own dignity ; and recommended that the Peti-
tioner should be brought to the Bar, and acquainted
by the Speaker with .the sense entertained by the
House of the impropriety of his col)dud.
Lord- liacnnALD' HAMILTON urged in miti-
gation; not in justification of the Petitioner, the.
feelings, that must have been excited by the state:
tent made by the- 'Honourable Member under the
Gallery.

General PHIPPS: and Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY
stated, that they had thought Mr. Paull had with-
drawn out of the House; 'though it might have
happened, that, from their situation, they could not
see him whilst he still remained below the Bar.
Mr. WHITBREAD had never had his eye off that
part of the House since' the commencement Of the
investigation, and assured the Rouse that Ms. Paull
had never gone out.
Lord HoWtc& thought that the course proposed
was the most 'mitigated proceeding that could be
adopted.

Mr. FULLER said a few words in_ mitigation ; and,
Mr. BAKER considered the conduct of the Petitioner

so improper, indecent, and outrageous, that he sub-
mitted to the House whether it would not be better
that the House should not have any dire& commu-
nication with him, but that whateker was to be done en
the occasion should be done through the Serjeaut at
Arms---ft cry of .Vo !No !
The Motion of, Lord HowicK was then agreed to;
and the Petitioner and his Counsel having been then
called in, the SPEAKER addressed him in the fol-
lowing dignified, but mild terms Mr. Panil,
I am directed by the House to acquaint you, that in
its judgment you have been guilty of great impro-
priety of conduct, and committed a gross outrage
upon the Privileges of the House. I am, also di-
reaed to acquaint you, that you having made your
eleaion to be heard by your, Counsel, are no longer
entitled, according to the pradice of this House,
to be heard by yourself. I 'am also again di-
reded to inform the Counsel,. that they confine
their examination to matters of tit& respecting-
the tampering with witnesses and suppressing of
evidence."

Another discussion took place on the subjea of the
question respecting the offer of motley to :witness;
and his answer that he lad reason to believe that it
'l,os for the purpose ofprocbriiig the letter from Har-
ris. An objealion was made to the question and answer,
on the ground, that the witness was to depose to fads
not to his belief. The discussion, in which Sir
JOIIN ANSTR6I4I.,
N Mr. GRENVILLE, Lord FOLK-
STOE, and Lord' owl c took *a part, terminated
in an order for ekpunging the question and an-
swer frOm the .minutes. The Counsel were then
called in, and direaed again to confine their exa-
mination to the fa&s donneded with the allegations
in the Petition.

Drake's evidence, as above described, being con-
cluded; Lord HOWICK made some, pointed observa-
tions on the.glaring prevarication which. ran through
tile whole of it ; and professed himself at a loss to
say what course the House should adopt respeating
the Witness.

Mr. MONTAGUE hoped the. House would feel for
the wounds the Witness had received in the defence
of his Country, and' that as he labouredpnder great
Weakness of understanding, they would rather think
him an obje& of.proteeiion.
Weatherhead was next examined.'
He knew Drake for some years saw him at Mr.
Sheridan's house on the t9th of 'February, 'where
Hotilan and others were present ; saw Drake in
cloie cunversatiou with Mr, Sheridan, but could not

oyerz-.eav7what Las:ied.--lektek,6 tliem. • T-fe
516.54, troM •Dra.:;.; th4'i\ilr.Sheridan hid given hitii
of'recol,-,:-...iLtion to some of'tl-4.) COMthis- •
siOners: oLthe. ZN:a17.,..y, or to sense Adm
use of Harris.; but that HarriS,seetned to look upon '
it as spin: ions. ,That -letter he had written at the,
request of Drake and Harris ; but Drake brought it
back, wiih the signature so blotted, that Harris did
not like it—he did not thirik it a forgery, though at
the Same. time be could not conceive how Mr.
Sheridan would have put M. P. after his nanio Mier'
there was no Parliament.

Another letter was written by Drake, in stil
stronger terms than tbe first, and said to be signed
by Mr. Slteridan, with Treasurer of the Navy an-
nexed m it,

It '<vas, next proposed to examine Mn Powell,
res.pc;-liotr 'the clingier of Mr. Drake, but this was
Objected tally the House.
W. Pullen was next proposed to be called, and
this Witness the Petitioner's Counsel intended to
examine to prove the Agency of Mr. Burgess, Mr.
Wallace,. and others, and to identify them with Mr.
Sheridan.

lti r.
SIIERItIAN was certainly anxious • that the
House should come to a decision on the question
'this night. There were several Witnesses mitiag
an his side in the Lobby, yet it Was not for him to
say what impression their evidence would produce
upon the House ; but he ventured to hope that the
:House would not be prevailed upon to make him
responsible for any man's a&ions brit his own ; fur,
during the' whole of the Election, he never once
had authorised any man to aa.for him.
Lord How.tcx observed, that though Mr. -Bur-
.gess ,might be in the habit of n ;;,rig for Mr. FibOri-
Ilan as a Solicitor and Attproey, it did not I,,iiow
that he was to be answerable for 'very thing Mr.
Burgess might think proper To do. The :louse
would recollect how serious 3.vis the charge brought
against the Honourable Member, and they would
take care not.to impute to him, on account of any
supposed connexion between Ilia) and Messrs. Bur-
g4-;.ss, any thing more than could be
proved to have been immediately authorised by his
Sight Hon. ferk.iid.

Fite
ligkw.!. the instrnfted the Counsel to con-
fine themselves ,solely
.to such point; where they
imagined that the Witnesses could priwe the imme-
diaCe advice and authorization of Mr. Sheridan him-
self.

John Richards was next examined.
He would not say that he *as employed by Mr.
Burgess; but he was employed by
.Mr. T. Sheridan
and Mr. Downs, to examine into the validity of Mr.
Paull's votes. He recommended a person of the,
name of Galland to Mr. Downs, for the same service,
and he received the same iustrations as him Self—
. was indeed referred to by Mr. Burgess, to 1)6
paid for the expences he had been at, and to receive
also a remuneration for his trouble.
On his cross-eX.-..olination by Mr.- Sheridan, he
confessed that he pad written threatening letters to
Mr. I'. Sheridan, and others, in
.order to extort
money &Om them. As to what Wallace mention..
ed respecting the Petition, his objeet seemed to be
to prevail upon them to go out of the way to pre-
Vent their being served a second time; • adding,
that care should be taken to remunerate there for.
iheiriabour and lost time.

. Mr. SHERIDAI'Z again' expressed a wish, which he
had often repeated during the night, that he might
be allowed, late as the hour was, to rail in even one
witness, who, he was confident, must overturn
every thing that had been advanced against hie;—but
the House did not seem disposed to accede to it.
Jeremiah was next examined.
Tl4e next -witnesses examined were, J. Bell and
Christopher nich:rdson, who confessed that they
Went to Mr. Bergeis's house, in order to sound him,
if he would give them any money. Richardson,
in the course of his examination, involved himself
in several contradiaii.,ns. He said, that he went,
indeed, to Mrt Burgess's house with Mr. Bell, but
that he did not see that Gentleman ; they met,
,how-
ever, with Wallace, who took them to a public-
hotiSe in Hall-moon.street, where they found Mr.
Galland; that Galland said -to the witness, and to
J. &!11, that if Mr. Sheridan could get the day of
hearing. the Petition put off, the itnesses, might
keep out of the way atterwards. He told what had
passed, to Mr. Powell, tram whom he received toS.
ler, the loss of two days work, during; which time
he was employed in trying to Fee Ititr, Burgess,
Being ptessed to say with what view he had endea-
voured to see Mr. Burgess, he confessed that he
went with J. Bayman to see it' Mr. Burgess would
propose any money to induce them to go out ofthe
way. He had gone thus between Mr. B.'s house
and Mr. P:5 Committee. Being asked a second
time, what was his objet it in endeavouring to see
Mr. Burgess, and if to get moneyfrow 'lnn for keel:.
ing out of the way ? he answered that it was not.
Yet, upon again being questioned to the same et-
fee, he confessed that it was to obtain money.
John Baymati was then called in, and he stated,
that he accompanied the last witness to Mr. Bur-
houSe, and that their object was to bet money
for keeping out of the way.
The Counsel here said-that they did not intend to
call 'any wore witnesses, and, after some hesitation,
consented to close their evider.'ce.
Lord flowlcic did:-not see any necessity for bear-
ing the Counsel again upon the evidence; but in
that he should be guided by the general sense of the
House.

Mr. Soidrith thought that in fairness the Counsel
should not be precluded from offering some observa-
tions upon,the evidence.
. Mr. Witrrsitatp observed, that the evidence, so.
far from establishing- the allegations in the Petition,
proved, on the contrary, a' conspiracy against his
Right non. Friend.„ The-evidence of C. Richardson
had betrayed the most. gross instances of prevarication
and contradiCtion that, had ever been exhibited in
any Court of JtistiCe, 'and the nonse would surely
insult its own dignity:if some notice was not taken
of such conduit.
The SPEAKEI: suggested, that it was open to the
House to tai.o; n!)tice of such'condudt either on this
or any future day.
Sir JoiiN ANsTrttmtEß-thought that it was not
otiry the conduCt of Richardson, but also that of
Baytnau, that tatted for the animadversion of the
House ; nor was it the, Witnesses only, bat those.
who had• suborned them, that that House, in its
justice, should notice and punish.
The SPZAKER said, that it was for the House to