The Sun.
London, England, 1844-06-25 00:00:00

--
al visitB7_7' - -- —.
civil an
_,, tile ex_ e (Rear,- hear.) An Irish Member opposite
noels al a , Por ssed his abhorrence of the Pope ; but that must
suen aIY in his
ler by fine s' spiritual capacity, for the same Member
ed the 1%, Partied .the Goverment in giving effect to the
,n 8 then; ;
unwfes
despotism in his civil character by these
House to 0. for ° rthY means. He feared that the Secretary
might be. 4 i the Colonies, who had declared that England, to be
,ho dente Isciirtehd, must be ;eared, had inoculated the Government
law, he tr, that his views—(Cheers) for he believed
his ove-s? I,os, Irish letters had frequently been opened in the
lolated or oho 0 '-office•—(Cheers.) The Right Hon. Baronet the
rcised bY tbst ireer.etary for the Home Department had stood up in
volution,. iti the tattered garments of his public credit, to defend
fercis_rpeed inde gectleonduct of the Government towards a Polish
brok el
es des••os flan, Count Ostrowski, whose desk had been
i Bathe° be en
hat , open by the police, and his papers seized and
enied tshafteit isted over to the Russian Embassy.
him, or the,Laths, The Earl of SHELBURNE wished to call the
visions °f t atte •
ti e ction of the House from what had fallen from
_„,100 1).
laor•'wt de. 11, sught Ron. Gentleman. He told the Hon.
had n°ier e-I:llletniber for Finsbury that, if he had grievances to
rs in
of
re, he P'alo of at the hands of the Post-office,
Id nob -- the h ;night institute proceedings at law—(Hear,
d upOn
this
ear
on_the and that there would be no difficulty
pure in ~ 3 N Part of the Post-office as to the production of
ehich Iv' i .._warrant.
a 0 a",i If that were so, he did not see what 1
•re hoi di warrant.
there could be in forwarding the letters
d be 3 113:ned—(Hear, hear)—informing the person that it
uhject',l„e, -'s °Pened.
Right 1',..5
nto this i Sir It PEEL said that he wished, in the first
P ace i se. Ge., oto refer to a remark made by the Honourable
rty chat 811 itvut
1e414u who spoke last but one, who attempted to
seen, sto J.
troduce a case which had no bearing upon the pre-
he st u-er,
get
matter, but which was calculated to produce
an
sry eOlf re f, undue prejudice against the Government. He
so cl°:B't • o,erred to the case of the Polish nobleman, Count
bh°'` qrowsk•
Y % 085$ his .i. He could state, on the authority of
ati i •
bound 0 rit Right Honourable Friend, that no autho-
; iv ferY,Lwas given by his Right Honourable Friend
y• „ros 4" e detention of any papers belonging to that
wise 48
n. cs- the ,ern,ll. The most rigid inquiry had been made from
in - or
0r eve police, and there was every reason to believe that
pow- sof
sv;•Y Paper found in the possession of that gentleman
yotl
it 05 (I „.,,re delivered up to him, and no communications,
iowerb9t :411 regard to any papers found on that gentleman,
sere
MO he made to any foreign diplomatic agent.—(Hear,
el •
0 tise thr,are,.) With regard to any authority derived from
1e
010
..0
he
MOV
nOt (I.ui. eius. ernment, he could speak on that point con-
Alini''' see„;velY• With regard to the information which he
nsils that`. on inquiries which he instituted, he believed
po , „
retl°". te what he had stated to the House was perfectly
ie ti) rre,
lb,, t. In the couse of the debate Hon. Gentlemen
oposssery
1)0-'wde_ alt largely in assumptions.. with regard to the
rePrl,o
For ' see " exercised by his Right Hon. mild, and
ponsiblei spoked to think that his Right Hon. Friend had
side ° onerl of that power as if it were a light power, and
the
stlY ofet to be exercised without a serious and deep feeling
, isle
4' A .
it the responsibility which attached to the exercise of
die' p, Nothing that had fallen from his Right Hon.
n Leg
itatierld could justify such an assumption. H. e
ion te )
sees, vested that, as Secretary of State, he was in-
./. to
bk,, h6td With the power by law which he was
,est''''.° the Only authorised, but which he was called on, if
is bit tic, re was any consideration of public duty in ques-
it era ghat to exercise. The Right Hon. Gentleman said
0
is g 5,.. ahe would assume that the power was universally
if ti ft , eres,ed
he f • Now, what were the grounds on which
seci",. Son founded that statement? On a former occasion,
of t'; Con.ir persons presented a petition to the
.H.ouse of
P 95.1 he -111°I1s, and that evening another petition had
_ re .
e 11)°19 bee" Presented, complaining that their letters had
icltle".t for: °Pened. The Hon. Gentleman who brought
PP e; for:
the motion had not stated who those persons
e or ere
tip -3 shies and had concluded his speech by a motion of
rarest 1 se ~:° he had not given the slightest notice. With
OP terd to three out of the four who presented peti-
• Let tio2s °I.I a former occasion, they entertained impres-
,e sr. , lio's
„stotally unfounded—at least his Right
bf " " 11-,,a• -vriend *stated, that with regard to three no
5; b: tW'rant had been issued. His Right Hon. Friend
to f°- thight have stated in perfect conformity with the truth
et 11,4ttilthe allegations in those petitions were unfounded;
On der ,e was afraid if he said that it might be consi-
j re' au!'" that he denied the statement with regard to
WV' 4w and he, therefore, stated that with regard to. one
sOt liasarrant had been issued. His Right Hon. Friend
ress' it, 4 declined to make any statements with regard to
iti° ear,a,nd all he asked of the House was to draw no
Of es'enlsions from that.—(lronical cheers.) Now, how
ve", haV the case? This power of issuing a warrant
st/ the been committed to the Secretary of State since
✓ tte "vac of Queen Anne. About eight years ago,
go. Gov' the Noble Lord opposite was the organ ofp the
hoe hef errinlent in that House, an alteration in the. Post
'll6 spineei Act took place, and this power, in his
?ea la e.°ll, was most justly retained.—(Hear,.__ .hearre.).
oe h.B opinion the Government was justified in
P se,e,
ellt'''O'' the power they had retained. They con-
e
qfied the law the amended law of the late President
le the? Board of Trade, who he believed introduced
er
tai '''et and was the author of it as it now stood, re-
A, , z' $ itli
g• the provision nearly in the same words as the
r Ft.; V' Queen Anne. He thought his Right Hon.
0
0 40,4, u• was justified in exercising the power he had
kt,h•-• If the House thought the power ought to be
A
r pro "iguished, let it be so, but let it be done in a
, thPAer and regular manner, by a motion for repealing
li Act of which notice had been given. The Right
os
xs• • Gentleman opposite had said that the system
t 'ght
0
. thi,. be carried on by the Government. towards
saki political opponents ; he believed he might
his Y!'aY that had not been the case in late years.
tie Right Hon. Friend had introduced no new prac-
th; as to opening letters ; he had not carried it beyond
liseractice of Mr Fox and Lord Grenville. He
Asa not carried the powers of the law beyond the
hiss Ili of those two persons. If the House pressed
Isa,,'"gbt lion. Friend to specify the cases in which
kc,ra nt s had been issued, he thought it would corn-
L'ini to act unjustly to individuals.
hai Ord J. RUSSELL regretted that his Hon. Friend
LID it°t given a definitive notice on the question,d.
oot" with regard to the position of the House, he
Theid
k• think it would make much, if any, difference.
lotilt Hon. Baronet the Secretary of State on a
sheer,oeeasion had stated what his resolution was on
ktis-11°.iect ; the question, therefore, now stood
ex-
ose,.'ll the same situation as it did on the former
e,l n• With respect to notice as to the law of
Ilse 'ng letters, the question now before the House
4d- , not only whether the Secretary of State had ex-
par
'etl, his power, but whether he had adopted a pr
io-
it interpretation of the law. In that respectthe.
s ght TT
, Om -on. Baronet seemed to have followed his
Pesh,ee.essors, and therefore, if the law had been,impro-
kir Interpreted, that must be corrected ; for his own
Iso„, he thought in dangerous times the aw
VI become useless if the interpretation
to he people put upon it was considered.
it : the right one. With respect to the law itself,
Poe,e4s Stated by Sir Robert Walpole. that it was a
woof to be used in times of public danger, and as a_
vsseh of that he referred to the case of the Bishop
the
111,.ecr,e,3ter, whose plot was carried on through
have!ll„'ln of the Post-office.—(Hear, hear.) He (Lord
'LS len) thought the Right Hon. Baronet should
,;'"en the coarse pursued by Sir R. Walpolde,
Atli slave stated the principles on which he proceede
atl 114 ,Pswer was to secure against public danger either
ner°,ue or abroad, and was to be used either to put
'ries-. insubordination at home or wars in other noun-
Ntliii, -111 the performance of this difficult duty he
J4dßZed that the Secretary of State must be the
Itfiii; the public danger was so imminent as to j us-
‘setti's interference or not. But the Right Hon.
ttist,'LePan had taken no such ground. He had not
Ik'e.„l'' them to say that the power had not been ex-
lel4lnCeas had been- stated by his Hon. Friend the
,?re'r„ r for Finsbury for the purpose .of assisting
'41,124 Governments.—(Hear, hear.) If such were
rti‘)st --he be (Lord J. Russell) must say that it was a
"le Ifsniustifiable use of such power.—(Cheers.) If
"Po 'gilt lion, Gentleman had stated the principles
Loos which he had used that power. If the Right
he, Gentleman had stated the principles on which
NI
G ad
used the power—if the Right Honourable
~,‘vith ief`narl had stated that he agreed in opinion
.I.4re s /lon. Friend, that to use the power for the
w4stißu-„i of assisting foreign Governments was an un-
ble
Isid h use of that power, and that he had not, and
,"-ord not make use of the power for that purpose, he
iloOld su• Russell) would have been satisfied, and
i'.'lkiit-- 'l,p9t have voted for the Committee. But if the
ration -Jon. Gentleman would not make such a decla-
Is 's it s 0 • i would not be beneath him, nor un-
Orth C rouniy
t`'4ll.je i.' of his -Position to consent to inquiry on this
h, s'ille oet7-(Cheers.) He recollected that during the
-`4(l b 'he late Government a committee of inquiry
,4)411 he?" Movedfor at the time the Right Hon. Gentle-
L'otion'Tself. was a member of the Cabinet. It was
la.
"savii for Inquir into the conduct of Lord Me
Part e' who Secretaryof State for the Home De-
I, II e„ ,as
o'lvaf. , Was accused of having
.employed Popay, a
s, -.e in
• qio the police, in endeavouring to excite insur-
ir u MT
r. .sr. Cobbett had moved for a committee of
Nb into all the circumstances of the case, and the
It.▪ :Bnit
1., nor Oxford had objected that a committee
e:st Pe tribunal for considering the eircum-
-lon of the case Mr. Cobbett renewed his ino-
o ' nfinite .t ' - '
h Ytnent „ e I specifically to an inquiry as the em-
Le deb of Popay. Lord Althorp, speaking during
tie ,
,ate, had stated that the idea of employing
thervVee as spies had never been anticipated
't ins, the Met Honourable Baronet who had
lat I,tuted the force, or by his successors in office.
vet
so ;v_ords could be too strong to stigmatise con-
11t 4'71 as that of which Pope had been Mused;
con-
ht Zeb_aed, beer! guilty of Popsy
conduct he had
_rrte hs, e cled his instructions—that Lord Mel-
° d 5,,4,0 never given him such instructions; find
)4eetr:thorp concluded by saying that he had no
'beers to the appointment of a Committeo,-_-
the lie')o The Committee was appointed, reported.
ssed. ',,se, and the subject was subsequently dis-
hlt s ad that been any injury to the Govern-
-14 Ott, -ear from it. The Government at that time
it g enough to have secured a Ministerial ma-
,Y.: to
(ealse quash inquiry. But they had not done so. hays re.) 1-,
e it would have been unworthy of them
fact, done B°.--:-(Lbud cheers.) There could be,
'llBO • real Ministerial responsibility unless this
ilistituted those inquiries.—(Cheers.) In the