The Sun.
London, England, 1809-04-26 00:00:00

fore the Committee and disclose all he knew on the .1.,0rd A.
,stibjea ; and 'to 'make sere of his attendance, he helots ee--
Went to the Chairnian:next. morning 63 procure his
enforcement of it. The Noble Lord also imputed
to him an official `power of
.recommending persons
which he did not possess. Of the power he really
enjoyed, ho could say, that he had never tram-
ferred it even to his most ; bet
ways retained the privilege of examining the candi-
dates till the very end of the transaction, in order to
be himself aware that they were:properly quhlified: I
This was , evident in the very: cage now alluded tee f
,As for the. aggravation imputed..to his conduct, from
his being President of the BOardof Controul, be- I
*sides what he had already sail!, on that Subjea, lie 1
eapprehended; that although the letter of the law ,
',might seem.partly to bear out thecontrary argnereeit
the Constitetion never supposed' the executive), 1) Vo-
vernment was to • have no ;power in these tet:or
mendatiuns, The law was calculated merely to ',I
break the mass.. of power
,preciously held "by the
Crown, and give .a portion Sii.itelAiConct' of ~Direce
tors ; but no one Was ever so romantic as to suppose
that Governinerit.Was td"liateo•4tVrliTte fit 'all in re-
. commendilig periiins to suck,sl4,tenS.,l' The..4atall
share. of timer which the .Coure at Direflorr from
grace and courtpsy alloWed to the BoardniCentreul
or the Yresidat Of it, bad no illeffeCt. Bnefaleave
the matter of proptiety,in.grauting.illis power to re_-
commend, he contended that as it did grow oat of hie.
official deity, Jet; was not mere responsible for it than
if he bad not been in office, as' indeed:raany persons
out of office equally enjoyed. Anil as for the..
declaration' Mentioned by thlO','Nobie 'Lord, it at,
Cached na:triore to him asePreident of the Bow-chef
Controul- than it would to any 'other servant of the
Crown. He dicl not v. Ise to intrstele much :upon the
time and attention of the House.; the ,case was be-
fore theta fairly:andeeenly, as he'himsell had dis-
closed it.. Whatever personA,_recutivenietice he
mightexpea to ensue, finding 644 .was' his -mis-
fortune io.liave with a person `of the descrip-
tion ef Mr. it.ding, he hacl.deteresinedio• meet any
karliamentary charge rather than pot make a full
disclosure to the, Committee:. • 'He had'denethis,
leaving it to the dkeretion of Pailianient to judge the
matter as they saw proper. No corrupt influence of
. any kind,- he, declared Upon his honour, bad pre-
sented itself Ito his mind iu the trarisaetion.
supposed tbe party wishing .to retire of the most re.
speclable kind; and in the habits of acing with the
Admink:ration 'Of that time. It was. net therefore
to add to the *Weight of their party, or, attack the
privileges `of the House, that he had =listened to the
conversation of Nice Reding.
. It was impossible Ilia[
the irant of the • favoer required, ,could, corrupt an
,
' eleetton, .for, happily for thee-country,. places did
teiet,..front whence...men ofereseetaable ,charaiSter,
lia‘Ving the:interests. of .their Coentry at heart, and
ready.to support her measures, could•without'cor-
nylon find
,their ‘way'llito that, I .louse, It vitas ne-
cessary fits Carrying on the systeet of Government
that thiashould. t 'the case, aa it Wichbeedcriti&fid-
sd by.some greats is on 'good grounds,' with, whose
• opinion lie perfAly closerepresen-
takitin.wateindispereiably ttece;sary for the business of
the emery, 4mOitto send men to Parliament, who,
from : fyom stodioits and
lehttle betritie,ind.', from . other : ceases, not
, take a share in, popular and general eleaiona. The
qu'estibtt then was, was it: justifiable in lihn, as a
tavolis4revin hisoflicial-situationor from himself,- to
. promote the interests Of Lied' (lane:my?: Suppose
Ilia intention 'to 'have been Carried into .enecetion
(though be never took a praelie,ll step to that etreet,
which, however, he would not erge in his detente,
lest it might be construed hercalterinto what might
be a popular injury), the 1aw:1444.-0e ieterpre,t it
into breach of the law of .ereafonte" Aneeiettio4
so procured 'would be valid, and' ;to coetept -trifle=
flick, would be. inferred. But in the situation Ire
stood as Minister of the Crown; lie • would;,.whither
in or out of office, ever maintain this doctrine, that
they ought to give their" influence to these Who would
uphold_ and support Government ,on .liberal
pies.' This position he intended generally,- and not
as applying to individuals and particular From
the danger of laying deem the principle tiro idly, be
could not in strictness be justified in signifying that
he would grant a favour, for which therestilt would
be a seat in Parliament. He left it to the cool eon-
sideration of the House,' whether a cursory conver-
sation and incipient conception:Of a matter, which,
if executed, was not legally wrong, should be,sub,
JeCted to any heavy penalty. With respeetto the evi-
deuce of Reding, it was so notoriously false thseno
part of it was to•be depended upon. He was sure,
as a specinien of its Accuracy; that all who kneW
hint would be aware that he could prOve an alibi, to
playing cards, as given in hit testimony. The irans-
action was such, 'that it could, not, be entered ;into
with a view to concealment, .Tl 4 case could not
from its nature, -by a possibility be kept a secret.—.
The retirement of a person friendly to Administra-
tion from the. House, the rearm of Lord Claucarty
in his place) and tbe-appointment of his sun or ne-
phew to a Nifritetship, Must of rieCteelity open the
eyes of every Director -and, every-'Member of-the
House tame circumstances: if,' therefore, he had
acted rashly, there was at least no Moral turpitude in
his conduct which, he kneW must. thus be discovered
to the whole world.; He did net set-up as a defence
that his idea had tieVei bqen'act,edinion upon, but if there
' werelines of distinction te he drawn in these cases;this
was an important consideration. Nothing had been
done, and it was elways in his power to have put an
end to theiransaction. WoUld they believe that he,
merely to ..oblige a -private friend, would have
become a party to,. any transaetion with an im-
prestion on his mind that it was a breach of the pri-
vileges of Parliament, thereby exposing himself to
the painful situation in Which he now stood ; to the
sacrifice' Of all that was dear to him 'As arnan hi his
character and . public situation ? Having stripped the
case of the aggravation's with which it had been at-
tempted to load it ; 681 he could not
possibly ba.Ve any corrupt Motive; and that there was
no vote of an ele6,tor to be corrupted, nothiug.rnore
became him but to lament • the inadvertency into
which an anxiety to serve a friend, and procure the
assistance of a colleague acquainted with' the busi-
ness of the Board of Coetroul in Parliament, had
.w
buiTied him (and which, if followed up as a prin.
cleigeples into ,
danger}
he must confess
fi
,id a
iluninitt))kly bring their privi
submit to their
decision.

Having finished his defence, his Lordship bowed to the
Chair, and withdrew.

Ilia item,