The Sun.
London, England, 1844-08-09 00:00:00

FISHERIES.

Its answer to a question from Capt. PECHELL,
-Sir R. PEEL said that, acting upon a convention
which had been entered into between this country and
France, a law had been passed securing the exclusive
right of fishing to each country within three miles of
their coasts, and by that law it was rendered penal for
any fisherman to infringe its provisions.
PRIVILEGE
On the motion for the order of the day being read,
Mr. T. DUNCOMBE rose to bring under the notice
of the House a question of pdvilege. He alluded to a
debate which had taken place in that House on the
affairs of Guernsey, and after complaining of the
brevity of the report of that debate which appeared
in the newspapers, he stated that he had re-
ceived a letter from the Rev. Mr. Dobree, whose name
had been mentioned in that House by him (Mr. Dun-
combe) and also by the Right Hon. Baronet opposite.
Two days before be received this hater a communication
from , Mr. Dobree appeared in the Times newspaper,
denying the accuracy of his (Mr. Duncombe's) state-
ments. The letter which he had received was dated
" Forest Rectory, 28th of July, 1844," that day being'
Sunday, and it was not for him (Mr. Duncombe) to say
whether it was the sort of correspondence which
(minister of the Gospel .ought to indite on such a
day. (The Hon. Gentleman then read the latter, which
stated that he (Mr. Duncombe) had charged Mr. Dobree
with " perjury," and with being " insane," and it called
up ,n the Hon. Member to explain his meaning, and to
give his authority, at the same time threatening conse-
quences if such an explanation were refused.) llad an
explanation been called for from him (Mr. Duncombe),
excepting under a threat, he would have been the
last person to have refused it. His answer to the
Rev. Gentleman's letter was to the following effect :
" On my return to town this evening I received your
letter with inclosures of the 28th inst. I regret the in-
temperate character of your communication, which pre-
eludes the possibility of my giving that explanation
which under other circumstances I should have felt in •
dined to afford." The inclosures were certificates
from the Crown Solicitor and the Lieutenant-
Governor. Last night he received another letter
from Mr. Dobree, which was dated August 6, 1844,
in which he said, "I am in receipt of your letter of the
2,1 inst., and if you conceive any previous lettt r to you
at all intemperate, I beg leave to refer you to Lieut. Ross,
who will give you every explanation or satisfaction
you may think fit to require on my behalf. I only
regret that the situation which I hold in the diocese of
Winchester prevents me from speaking more plainly,
anl. in a tone which you deserve. Your most obedient
to command."—(Laughter.) Simultaneously with that
letter another appeared in the columns of the Times
newspaper.
" Sir,—Mr. Tholuas Slingsby Duncombe, M.P. for
Finsbury, having declined to give in any personal ex-
planation of the epithets of Linatic' and perjurer,'
applied to me in the House of Commons on the 23d of
July last, although called upon to do so, I beg leave to
publish the following proofs of the utter falsehood of his
Vatements, derived from the highest medical, legal, and
military authorities ; and I leave to the discernment of
the British public to qualify Mr. Duncombe for the future
with the titles lie may best deserve.
-" 1. Mr. Duncombe said (or is reported to have sail),
that I am only fit for a lunatic asylum.' Here is my
reply :
" We, the undersigned, hereby declare that we have
known the Rev. Daniel Dobree since his childhood, and that
be neither is, nor ever has been, either of unsound mind or
weak in intellect.

" S. E. HOSKINS, M.D. and F.R.S.
"' J. O'BRIEN, Surgeon."
" 2, Mr. Duncornbe said (or is reported to have said),
that lam a perjurer.' Here is my reply, in the letter
e'the Crown solicitor himself, who was sent over here to
investigate the business in question :
" 'Twyford-hoUse, Winchester, July 26.
" I cannot conceive any man, of ordinary intellect, unob-
mewed by party prejudice, accusing or thinking a gentleman
in holy orders, of good education and habits, guilty of perjury,
merely because a decision has. been given inconsistent with
the tendency of his evidence. W,e here every day find con-
flicting evidence, given by most unexceptionable witnesses;
and if perjury were to be imputed to those of the unsw,c, ssful
side, half our countrymen would be thought guilty of a crime
which is not, I trust, our prevailing vice.
." But leaving these general observations, you ask me
whether I think you guilty of perjury? I reply that Ido
not. Ido not believe that your statement made to me, and
by me repeated to the Lieutenant-Governor, was false. Ido
nut believe that such statement having since been made by
ybu in court on oath was perjured.

" ' T. L. DAMPIER.

" But Mr. Duncombe thinks fit to assert that lam
unworthy of credit,' &c. Here is my reply, addressed
to me by General Napier himself:—
" Haviland Hall, July 23.
"'Sir,—As I see that your enemies, as unscrupulous as they
are locally powerful, have determined to destroy your cha-
racter and prospects, I give this testimony in all sincerity of
belief in its truth, and in accordanee with what I have more
than once written to the Secretary of State for the Home-
office. From personal observation, from the assurance of Bri-
tish officers, natives of Guernsey, and others not natives of
Guernsey, from your general character, and from the straight-
forward, frank, earnest, and unvarying testimony you have
given to me in private, to Mr. Dampier, and in my presence
at the so-called secret inquest of the Royal Court, I have
the most implicit confidence in the truth of your depositions.
I feel sure that you arc totally incapable of falsehood, and
that perjury is as incompatible with your notions of honour,
as it is incompatible with your sacred character of a minister
of the Gospel. All persons of honourable minds who know
von, must start with indignation and horror at the infamous
attempts now made to charge von with such a crime.
" IV. N.APIER, Lieutenant-Governor.

'4' To the Rev. Daniel Dobree.'
" And now, Sir, pray tell me what is Mr. Thomas
Slingsby buncombe?--I am, Sir, your obliged and grate-
ful servant, " DANIEL BOBBER, M.A.,
" Rector of the Forest and Torteval, Guernsey.
" Forest Rectory, Aug. 6."

Now by (Mr. Duncombe) thought he was justified in
• asking the Government whether they sanctioned the
Crown Solicitor taking any part in this personal squabble
between the Rev. Mr. Dobree and himself. It would
be recollected that he appeared there in the discharge
of his public duty. Ile knew nothing of any of these
parties—he was merely the channel of communica-
tion between that House and the great body of the
people of Guernsey. Mr. Dobree had charged those
people with disaffection and disloyalty ; a charge
which he ( Mr. I )uuicombe) knew to be quite
unfounded. It had been proved in a court of justice
that Mr. Dobree was unworthy of credit. What he
(Mr. T. Duncombe) complained of was, that when he
moved for the correspondence m hick had taken place
between the authorities of Guernsey and the Right Hon.
Baronet, he should be told that the production of that
correspondence would be injurious to the public service,
and yet the Crown-Solicitor and the Lieutenant-
- Governor of Guernsey should be allowed from time
to time to re;'er to it in the newspapers. Ile
thought it but just that the correspondence should be
produced, or that it should not be referred to by a
subordinate of the Governmea, such us he apprehended
Mr. Dampier was. As to the charges which he (Mr.
. Duncombe) had made, he could only say that he was
borne out by the local press of Guernsey, which teemrd
every week with charges **pins: Mr. Dobrce, and w high
defied that gentleman to indict them for libel. He
(Mr. Duncombe) wished to know whether the Govern-
ment sanctioned its officers mixing themselves up with
such matters as these ?
Sir J. GRAHAM said that it was evidently late in
the session, or the Hon. Gentleman would nei er have
' taken up half an hour of• their time to discuss such a
question as this. It the Hon. Gentleman had asked him
whether the letter which had been addreaed to him was
a letter a clergyman ought to have written, he should
have said at once that it was not. But if the Hon. Gen-
tleman really thought it was worth while to enter into a
discussion on this matter, he, was bound to say that he
' entertained a very different opinion. He thought
itswaAwayprthy of prolonged discussion in that House.
.Ni EU S The iHti.a.!Gentleman stated that Mr. Dampier was in
' - lo tikent of the -Goternment. Now, the Hon.
(-' o 'IP"' informed before he
' 7..-4- - t' .. einem ht to be better,
17,`;-:-.4.,,, '..rkiet:tiatiodia Mr. Dampier held no situation. under
.4. ..;,-;:f4 ~;f. t-,, • —.ea/ e was sent to, Guernsey to inquire into
oraha
t„„\,,,
..4;e0.14i' . d'Airo s there) iur tseedquuefi e
wohifcthheh informs-leto-.0
N.

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