The Sun.
London, England, 1834-07-03 00:00:00

BREACH OF. PRIVILEGE.

On the motion of Lord WYNFORD, the order of the
day for taking into consideration the petition of Mr. Bit-
tleston was read.

Lord WYNFORD then moved that the petition itself
be read, which having been done by the clerk, his lordship
moved that the petitioner be brought .to the bar, repri-
manded by the Lord Chancellor, and discharged out of
custody.
The LORD CHANCELLOR put the question,
That Thomas Bittleston having made his submission to
that house by petition, be brought to the bar in custody of
the Usher of the Black Rod, reprimanded, and discharged
upon payment of his fees."
The question having been carried in the affirmative,
Mr. Bittleston was brought to the bar.
The LORD CHANCELLOR having, according to
the customary form in such cases, placed his hat on his
head, delivered the following reprimand :
" Thomas Bittleston—You have acknowledged that you are
the publisher of a composition which this house has pronounced
to be a gross violation of its privileges.
" You have acknowledged that you had the superintendence
and control over the paper in which that publication was made,
that you could have prevented its insertion, or altered it, if you
had thought fit.

" You have since addressed a petition to this house, ex-
pressing your regret at the grave offence you had committed,
and throwing yourself upon the mercy of this house, that in
administering that justice which is due to itself and the King's
subjects (for the privileges of this house are their privileges),
it may be pleased to temper justice with mercy.
" This house has listened to your prayer, and directed that
you may be reprimanded at the bar, and ordered to be dis-
charged from the custody of their officer, upon payment of your
fees.

" If any other person except myself had been the subject
of that violation of the privileges of this house which you have
committed, I should dwell at greater length upon the unpa-
ralleled enormity of your offence. Nor am Ito be deterred
from any false feeling of delicacy, from giving your offence
its proper appellation, merely because I am the individual
against whom has been hurled that insult which by this house
has been deemed so gross a violation of its privileges.
" It was an offence, not against the man, but against the
office—not merely against a peer in his Parliamentary ca-
pacity, but in his judicial office—the highest that any of the
King's subjects can exercise ; and if it had been allowed to
pass without animadversion and due punishment there would
have been an end of those high judicial functions which the
members of this house, to the advantage of some twenty and
odd millions of his Majesty's subjects inhabiting this kingdom,
now exercise.

" Nevertheless, enough has been said in reprobation of your
offence ; and let neither you nor others who may chance to
hear of this proceeding flatter yourselves that if the offence
be repeated the lenity of your present punishment will be suf-
fered to form any the slightest precedent as to the measure of
punishment hereafter.
" You are directed to be discharged out of custody now
upon payment of your fees."
Mr. Bittleston then withdrew.

Earl GREY moved that the reprimand just delivered by
the Lord Chancellor be entered on the minutes.

The motion was not put, as it seemed to be the opinion
that it would be entered without motion to that effect.

Lord ELLENBOROUGH, at a subsequent period of
the evening, called their lordships' attention to the pre-
cedents, whereby it appeared a specific motion was neces-
sary. His lordship moved accordingly.