The Sun.
London, England, 1838-06-29 00:00:00

CARRIAGE OF MAILS BY RAILWAYS' BILL.

Sir JAMES GRAHAM said he believed the Railroad Mails Bill was
read a second time last night, and that the Committee was fixed for
Friday. He therefore wished to ask the Vice-President of the Board
of Trade not to ask the House to go into Committee on the Bill
so soon as Friday, because parties who were distant in the country
would not have an oppertunity of communicating with their friends
is London on the subject.

Mr. LABOL'CIIERE'S answer was almost inaudible. We under-
stood Aim to state that care would be taken to give all parties time to
consider the provisions of the Bill.
MR. PRAED AND MR. E. L. BULWER.

The SPEAKER said—lt may now perhaps be the proper time for me
to acquaint the Learned Member for Aylesbury (Mr. Praed), that he was
required to attend in this House today, in consequence of an apprehen-
sion on the part of several Honourable Members that it was his
intention to institute hostile measures, arising from certain expressions
of another Hon. Member. It will be for the Learned Member to state
how far this is correct.

Mr. PRAED —Sir, I was not responsible for the introduction of
frivolous and irrelevant matter into the discussion last night. Nor
will I be responsible for the continuance or renewal of the discussion.
I said nothing last night which could in the slightest degree ofend the
nicest sense of honour of any Hon. Member. I will go further and
say, I have nothing to retract—l have done nothing by which the orders
of the House could in the slightest degree be infringed—l know
moreover, that the House is entitled to call upon me for an explicit
statement of any intentions which I may entertain. Sir, without going at
length into all the circumstances, I frankly own that on leaving
the House last night, I did feel that the regard for my character
tbr honor and veracity, without which I should be ashamed to sit in
this House, did compel me to place that character in the hands
of a friend. That friend sought an interview with the Honoura-
ble Member for Lincoln (Mr. Bulwer) ; the interview could not be
obtained till midnight, and then my friend learnt from the Hon. Mem-
ber the steps which had been taken by the House. Upon which my
friend stated that he had then no message to deliver—no duty to per-
form. Sir, I concur in the view taken by my friend. I know
it would be in vain for me to struggle with the House, if I were disposed
to do so ; and under these circumstances, having done all in my power
for the vindication of my character from what I felt to be an
unmerited aspersion, I now pledge myself without reservation, that I
will take uo further steps in this matter.—(Cries of " Hear, hear," front
both sides of the House.) _

31r. BULWErtsaid, as the Hon. Member opposite had stated that he
had no intention of saying any thing which might wound the feelings
of any one, so he (Mr. B.) must on his part say, that in the observations
which he had made, there was nothing to call forth the indignant feelings
of any Hon. Member. It had never been his misfortune before to have
wounded the feelings of any Hon. Member in the heat of debate,
.and it was painful for him to be supposed to have done so now. lie
knew of eo retraction which he could make, and no apology that was
:ailed for, beyond the general expression of his regret that he had
wounded the feelings of any Hon. Member, and also of having been the
cause of occupying the time of the House in a discussion of this kind.
Mr. PRAED said that what the Hon. Member had not said, rather
than what he had said, made it necessary for him to add that which he
was before unwilling to do—that he abided distinctly by what he had
said last night with respect to an occurrence which was said to have
taken place during his residence 15 years ago at Cambridge.—(Hear.)
Mr. BULWER said, no doubt there was some misapprehension in th
case, but not being provided with proof in support of the allegation, he
was bound also to say that he must adhere to his cwn expression on the
subject.—(Hear.)
Lord JOHN RUSSELL hoped the Nouse would consider the decla-
rations which had been made by the two Hon. Members satisfactory, and
that there was no reason that either of the Hon. Gentlemen should con-
sider his honour wounded by what had passed.—(Hear.)