The Sun.
London, England, 1857-02-13 00:00:00

HOUSE OF COMMONS.—(YESTERDAY.)
SIR R. PEEL'S LECTURE.
Mr. STAFFORD.—I rise to ask thJ hon. baronet the
member for Tamworth whether the report of a speech
of his, made on tl.e 7th of January, at Saltby, near
Birmingham, which appeared in the daily journals, be
correct, especially those passages which referred to the
Grand Duke Constantine of Russia, M. de Morny, and
the Prince de Ligne ?
Sir R. PEEL—My hon. friend has asked me a
question, and I hope the house will allow me to say a
few words in explanation. (Hear, hear.) It is said
that ;t has been "arranged"—and the word is a heavy
one—to put a question to me whether a speech reported
to have been delivered by me at Seltily, and reported in
the daily journals, is correct ? Now, I do not think,
perhaps, that this is quite the tribunal in which I ought
to be called to account for Expressions used in another
place, and totally unconnected with the business of
this house. (Hear, hear.) At the same time lam
quite ready to accept the challenge of the honourable
gentleman, and I am quite prepared to give him
every facility in obtaining the most accurate information
on this most important subject. (A laugh.) The hon.
gentleman asks me whether I delivered the speech at
Saltby which appeared in the daily journals. I beg to
say that [ did deliver that speech as the guest of the
hon. member for Adderley—(laughter)—for North Staf-
fordshire. He invited me to attend that meeting on the
occasion of a jollification (laughter), and I addressed that
meeting. I admit that lam not in the habit of reading
reports of speeches of mine after they are delivered. I
generally rest satisfied with the favourald I impression
that I produce at the time. (Laughter.) It is, therefore,
rather difficult for me at this distance of Cane to pledge
myself to the exact accuracy of every word that appears
in that report. I believe I spoke for nearly two hours
and a half without notes, so that it is rather difficult for
me to say whether that report is precisely correct. But
this I am prepared to say, that such is the ability, the
acknowledged ability, and impartiality with which the
leading journals report the proceedings of public meet-
ings that I am quite prepared to accept the entire
responsibility of every single sentence, except a particu-
lar phrase, which I do not think I used, but which if I
had used I should have been equally prepared to accept
the entire responsibility of. But I am sure that the
louse, as a great deal has been said about this speech,
will give me ten minutes fora few remarks on it. (Hear.)
I shall be very glad indeed to offer some explanation, as
my phrases have been tortured a good deal from their
true meaning, and a meaning has been given to them that
I never intended to convey. I did address the meeting at
Saltby, and, as a great deal of comment has been made
on my words, it will perhaps be right, as I occupy a
public situation, to put them in their true and proper
light. (Hear, hear.) I am sorry, and I do regret
that any inconvenience should have arisen from any
expressions that may have fallen from me, and which
have been misinterpreted on that occasion. It is
very far from my wish, and I think I may say
from my nature—and I am known to many members
of this house—to cause unnecessary pain to any one.
(General cheering.) But these sentences have been very
greatly twisted ; and, first, with reference to the Count
do Moray, the Grand Duke Constantine, and the Prince
do Ligne. (Hear ) As regards the Count de Morny,
I absolutely repudiate having said anything about him
which might not have been said by any gentleman with
reference to his friends or acquaintances. (Much
laughter.) I said that he was le plus grand speculateur
de l'Europe. (Cheers and laughter.) Now, I did not
intend to imply anything detrimental to his honourable
character—(continued laughter)—and immediately on
my arrival in town, when I heard that these expressions
had been noticed, I wrote to Count do Morny to say
that certainly envy and malice had done their best to
twist these expressions of mine into something odious
to him, but that I repudiated saying a single word
against his character or the position he occupied.
Now, I could not say more. (cheers.) As regards
the Grand Duke Constantine, that is another mat-
ter. I certainly said that the Grand Duke Constan-
tine did not quite impress me with the feeling of a
"frank and open-hearted sailer." (A. laugh.) I
said that ; but the words were not mine ; they
were used by the gallant admiral sitting there (pointing
to Sir Charles Napier, amid much laughter). I never
said one word against the Grand Duke Constantine, or
any other member of the Royal family of that country.
On the contrary, when I said that he did not give me
the impression of being "a frank and open-hearted
sailor," I meant that he gave me the impression of being
a man of great powers of mind. (Roars of laughter.)
What I intended to convey was, that he was not merely
a simple sailor---(continued laughter)—but a man of
greater grasp of mind. (Gr4t laughter in which Sir C.
Napier heartily joined.) As regards the Prince de Ligne,
I accept the responsibility of every phrase that I used.
I certainly did say—l should be sorry to cause any
unnecessary pain to any one—but I was talking in a
familiar way, and I did use the expression that he
was as stiff and starched as the frill of Queen Eliza-
beth." (A. laugh.) I cannot accept the re,ponsibility
of every word in the report. I see my hor. friend
opposite (Mr. Adderley) who was present, and Lord
Lyttleton was also present, andl appeal to him to say
whether a single word fell from my lips that might not
have found an echo and expression from the most
straight-laced gentleman in this house. (Laughter.) All
I can say is that if, in the opinion of the hon. genilemen
who may have considered this question—if, in the at-
tempt, the innocent attempt, I made to paint a few light
and airy sketches of character—(laughter)—to, as Pope
said, " hold the mirror up to nature"—(continued laugh-
ter)—to "catch the manners living as they rise"—(much
laughter)—.if I have erred in the good opinion of those
whose good opinion I honour and value, and whose
judgment has weight, I beg to say, on this public occa-
sion, as an earnest of the sincerity of my feelings, that,
though I do not feel that I did err, still, if I did err in
their opinion, I now offer the most ample expression of
regret—(cheers)—and that is the most fitting amende
Ignorable that I can offer. (Cheering from all sides of
the House.)

THE " SECRET TREATY."
Lord PALMERSTON—I wish to set myself right with
the right hon. gentleman opposite with regard to an asser
tion I made on Tuesday night with respect to the mili--
tary convention to which I referred. I said that I had
been ieforrned that that convention had not been signed
and my belief was that it had not been signed. But I
think it right to state that, on further inquiry, I find
that in point of fact it was signed—(cheers from the Op-
position benches)—but that, being in its nature more of
a military than a political convention,and having for its
object the regulation, the mutual regulation, of the
French and Au-trian troops which might be in Italy in
the contingency of Austria declaring war against Russia,
and Austria never having declared war against 'Russia,
that convention, although signed, became a deal letter,
and never had any application or effect whatever.
Mr. DISRAELI—Although there is no question be-
few remarks,
fore the house, yet I hope I shall be allowed to make a
and they shall be of extreme brevity. The
house will recollect that I mentioned on the first night
of the session that there was a secret treaty between
France and ikustria. That statement received a direct
contradiction from the noble lord. ("No!" from Lord Pal-
merston.) It was " a romance." (Opposition cheers.)
The noble lord said I was distinguished for my powers
of imagination, that this was a complete invention, that
I had produced some works of imagination, and that
this was another " romance." (Cheers.) A week
elapsed, and I took the earliest opportunity of the noble
' lord's reappearance in the house to make a statement,
which I hope from a sense of justice is still in the recol-
lection of the house. I stated that what I had said on
a previous occasion was perfectly correct—that there
was a treaty between France and Austria, and that the
object of that treaty was to guarantee the security of
the Italian provinces of Austria. I said that that treaty
omacteldtelon,ifor the
was signed—(Opposition cheers)—that it was acted
troops
Austrialt
ot
rno,were
eewd
withdrawn
wsivelfy
at a subsequyentnpecrio.ond.
sequence of that treaty ;
was
Italian Governments at the
alarm was felt by the
troops, and that they requested
withdrawal of those
Austria to communicate in
the permission of .
order to tranquillise
con-
fidence the existence of the treaty in
their subjects. This was the treaty we were told was
never acted upon. (Cheers.) What was the answer I
received on the second occasion ? The noble lord declared
on the first occasion that it was a romance. He was then,
after the details I gave, obliged to own that therewawssas
written document in existence, the object of which
to accomplish that which I explained. The noble
lord
said it was not a treaty but a convention. But, said the
noble lord, "That convention Was neversigned. (Cheers.)