The Sun.
London, England, 1850-06-22 00:00:00

HOUSE OF LORDS, June 21._

POST-OFFICE SUNDAY REGULATIONS.
The NOBLE and LEARNED LORD entertained grave
doubts whether the Crown could direct the abstinence

from the delivery of. Post-office letters on Sunday.
Many of his friends had no doubt but that the or-
der of the Crown was illegal, inasmuch, as it was issued
on the address of one House only. It would, it was
contended, be illegal to act upon an address of
both Houses, but he took up the ground
that there were certain taxes levied on

the delivery of letters. Now, if that delivery was stop-
ped on Sunday, why not on Monday or any other day;
why should nut the delivery of letters be stopped alto-

get-her?
Tho Marquis of LANSDOWNE had no hesitation in
stating that the point would be taken into serious con-
sideration, although he was not aware that any opinion
had yet been taken on the subject.
Lord BROUGHAM said that he intended no allusion
to what had taken place elsewhere, nor did he mean to
imply the slightest disrespect to the House of Commons.
The subject then dropped.
ACCOMMODATION OF FOREIGN MINISTERS

IN THE HOUSE.
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE rose to move the re-
solution of which he had given notice with relation to
the accommodation provided in their Lordships'
House for foreign Ministers. He would not
further allude to the circumstance which they must

all deplore, in consequence of which a most eminent
member of the diplomatic body had been deprived of
that seat which he thought he had a full right to oc-
cupy, more especially as on the door by which he had
entered was inscribed, " For the Members of the Diplo-
matic Body." That eminent person, therefore, who was
well known to their Lordships, urged that he had a right
to the seat which ho occupied. The mistake was most
unfortunate, and, in order to obviate such mistakes for
the future, he moved the appointment of a Select Coin-

mittei-, 01 which lie had given notice.
Lord BROUGHAM seconded the motion, in order to

show that he entirely agreed with his Noble Friend.
In so doing he wished to state the circumstances which
took place, because anything more complete than the
gross misrepresentations which had gone forth to the
public in the least decorous language that he had ever
heard applied to any Menabsr of either House of Parlia-
ment, he tied never had occasion to read, and he believed
his Noble Friend opposite euticely agreed with turn in
that remark. [The Marquis of Lansdowne assentea.] He
did u.t recollect having named the gentleman to their
Lordships.—(Hear, hear.) lie recollected having pur-
posely abstained from so doing, because he felt sure that
the moment their Lordships assented to his proposition
that the order should be enforced, the gentleman would
immediately leave his place. That being the case, it
was not from any the most remote approach even to-
wards personal disrespect to that individual that he so
proceeded. In common with his Noble Friend opposite,
he entertained the greatest respect for that individual,
for his attainments, for his station, as well as for his
character. He was upon the most friendly footing with
him. It was from no disrespect either to his functions
of envoy that he took that course. If the individual
had been one of their Lordships, who had an undoubted
right to be in that place, and who could not have been
challenged for being in that place, he should have taken
leave, with all possible tenderness and respect towards
the wrong-doer, to have entered his protese against his
remaining there.—(Hear and laughter.) It had been
said that he (Lord Brougham) and his Noble Friend the
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (the Earl of
Carlisle) had been seen repeatedly in the Peeresses',Gal-
lery .—(A laugh.) To be sure they bad, over and over
again. But never, he would venture to say, did either
his Noble Friend or himself keep a seat in the Peeresses'
Gallery when peeresses were standing at the door and
could not obtain a seat.—(hear, hear.) That (said the
Noble and Learned Lord) is the question. No gentle-
man in England, at least, be he a member of this House
or I believe of the ether—(Laughter)—but I can only
speak of the House to which I have the honour of belong •
in—no gentleman iu England, in Parliament or out, will
ever keep a seat to the exclusion of a lady who is unable
to obtain a seat. When the noble ladies in question—
amongst them the nearest relation of my Noble Friend
whose conduct was to fortis: he subject of that night's
debate—came to the door, they tound the peeresses'
place absolutely full—they found it utterly impossible to
obtain standing room. I then, as I thought, courteously
—I am sure I intended nothing uncourteous—l. cour-
teously addressed myself three times over to the highly-
respectable individual—l three times over stated that
ladies were at the door, peeresses who had an undoubted
right to be in the gallery. I then stated most cour-
teously that there was a place for that individual below,
appointed for him to occupy. Perhaps he, being a
foreign gentleman, did not understand me.—(Laughter.)
And why do I say he did not understand me? Because
he never took the slightest notice of what I said—be
never even looked towards me.—(Laughter.) But he
heard what I said. And I repeatedly said, " I shall be
under the disagreeable necessity of applying to the
House to enforca the standing orders." Still no
notice. _And even after I was speaking in the Houses
and after the order had been read by my Noble and
Learned Friend on the Woolsack, the gentleman, igno-
rant of our language—(Laughter)—took not the
slightest notice. I have no doubt part of this was owing
to the inscription over the door, of which I at that time
was not aware. I ought to mention that one or two
peeresses left the House and went home in consequence
of their places being occupied.—(Hear, hear.) The
Noble and Learned Lord then proceeded to say that in
this country there was not the slightest disposition to
show any disrespect to any rank of diplomatic agents.—
(Hear, hear.) On the contrary, rank had been accorded
to them in a most ample manner. They had been by
royal mandate endorsed with rank which never bad
before belonged but to the representatives of sovereigns.
Their Lordships were aware that an ambassador was on
a different footing with that of an envoy.—(Hear, hear.)
An ambassador represented the sovereign, and ranked
before some of the peers, but an envoy represented
nobody but the minister of a foreign sovereign.
A few years ago rank was given to all envoys,
down to those coming from even the least im-
portant states, before earls and marquises. [A Peer—
" No: beforeLEarls."] He supposed his Noble Friend
had taken care they should not go before Mar-
quises.—(Laughter.)
The Marquis of LANSDOWNE—They do go before
Marquises.—(Continued laughter.)
Lord BROUGHAM—But did any Noble Earl or any
Noble Marquis object on that account? No such thing.
That was a clear proof that no disrespect was intended
these representatives of other powers.—(clear, hear.)
He thought the accommodation to be provided ought to
be confined to ambassadors, envoys, chargé tie
affaires, ministers, plenipotentiaries, and secretaries of
legation.—(Hear, hear.)
Earl GREY said the distinguished individual alluded
to did not understand that ho was appealed to—as the
Noble and Learned Lord had stated—to make room,
from feelings of courtesy, for ladies who were not able
to find places. On the contrary, his impression WAS,
that he was summoned out of the place where he was
sitting in such a manner that he thought it due to him-
self, and the body of which he was a member, to decline
moving.—(Hear, e (Earl Grey) afterwards
L
H
(Hear, hear.)
heard the order made by the House, and took shame to
himself for not having suggested to their Lordships that
it was an order which, under the circumstances, ought not
to have been made. But, undoubtedly, the occurrence
passed so rapidly that the idea did not strike him at the
had
time. The individual to whom allusion been made
did not conceive the appeal was made to him to do what
the Noble and Learned Lord said no gentleman here or
elsewhere would do, whether he had a right to maintain
his place or pot. If the tppeal had been made in that