The Sun.
London, England, 1824-06-12 00:00:00

OUTRAGE ON MR. BROUGHAM.

At a quarter-past 4 o'clock yesterday evening,l
as Mr. BROUGHAM was passing through the lobby
of the House of Commons to attend his duty in
Parliament, a person who walked behind him, and
held a small whip in his hand, which he flourish-
ed, was heard by some to utter, in a hurried and
nearly inarticulate manner, the phrase—" You
have betrayed me, Sir; I'll make you attend to
your duty." Mr. Brougham, on encountering
this interruption, turned round and said, " Who
are you, Sir ?"—" You know me well," re-
plied the assailant. Mr. Brougham perceiv-
ing the person still pressing upon him in a
rude manner, passed on to fhe door of the House
of Commons, and took no further notice of the
assailant. The bustle, however, excited upon
the occasion, attracted the attention of the con-
stables in attendance, and, we understand, of Mr.
Littleton and Sir George Robinson, who were
entering the House of Commons at the moment;
the consequence was, that the individual was
taken into custody by Cooke, the constable,
and the whip taken out of his hand. The pri-
soner stated his name to be Robert Gourlay,—
one with which the public have for the three
last years been conversant in the Reports of
Parliamentary and Chancery proceedings._
He at one time prssented Petitions which
excited discussion in the House of Commons,
complaining of oppression from the local autho-
rities in Canada ; he was afterwards heard of in
Wiltshire, as being employed on the roads in pa-
rochial labouring work. He has lately been en-
gaged in a Chancery suit with the Duke of
Somerset about the tenure of a farm. From
the appearance of the individual yesterday,
coupled with the eccentricity of his recent con-
duct, an inference would arise, more of a na-
ture to excite a feeling of compassion for this
person, who once moved in a different situation of
life, than to point him out as a fit person to be
held sternly responsible for his actions. His
appearance is decayed and debilitated ; and
when removed into one of the committee-rooms
of the House of Commons, in the custody of the
constable who apprehended him, and Mr. Gifford,
the messenger, he let fall his head upon his hand,
as a person labouring under the relapse inciden-
tal to violent excitement. He complained of
some neglect of Mr. Brougham's respecting the
presentation of a petition from Canada, which we
understand has no foundation ; and the course
taken by Mr. Canning in postponing the consi-
deration of the breach of privilege, supports the
inference of the irresponsibility of the individual,
for a reason apparent from the very foolish nature
of the act itself. On being in the course of the
evening told that if he would express any contri-
tion for his, outrage, Mr. Brougham would in-'
stantly move for his discharge, he refused to make
any apology to Mr. Brougham, but said lie had no
objection to petition the House. He added, that
he was determined to have a fight with Mr.
Brougham, because he had shamefully deserted
his cause, and taken up that of a dead missionary.
It is hardly necessary to add, that 111 r. Brougham
is totally unconscious of the alleged desertion,
and that Gourley labours under a complete and
melancholy delusion. In the course of the even-
ing he was visited by Drs. Morris and Sather.
laud.