The Sun.
London, England, 1828-02-26 00:00:00

The House met at half-past four o'clock.
After the presentation of numerous petitions against the
Corporation and Test Acts,
The Marquis of CLANRICARDE was extremely re-
luctant to intrude himself again upon the notice of the
House ; but as there was nu business of a public
nature that might not be brought under their Lord-
ships' consideration, he trusted he would he allowed to
make a few observations with reference to a contradiction
given to what he had formerly stated in that House. He
then stated, that a declaration had been made to a Right
Hon. Gentleman in the other House, in his speech at
Liverpool, whitl he considered of the greatest importance ;
and therefore he asked the Noble Earl opposite (Dudley)
if he were aware of it, and to whom it referred ? For
the Right Honourable Gentleman at Liverpool had
stated that of the personal enemies of Mr. Canning he
knew none.—(Hear.)—Now, in comparing that state-
ment with the declaration he (the Noble Marquis) then
adverted to, he did not make it a charge against the Right
Honvurable Gentleman that be had departed from that
declaration, but he asked for explanation upon the obvious
inconsistency of those two statements. The Noble Marquis
believed be bad not made himself clearly understood
to the Noble Earl, though the Noble Earl did
reply, calling the attention of the House to the
conduct of his lamented father-in-law, under circumstances
which he would not allow to be in any one point analogous
to those iv which the Secretary for the Colonies and the
Noble Earl were placed. If the Noble Marquis understood
the Noble Earl rightly on that occason, be admitted that he
had heard some such declaration ; that he might have ap-
proved the feeling that gave rise to it ; that it had not
the authority of his name ; but that he could not con-
sider it subject to the limitation of time. Now
there was a great difference between the declara-
tion the Noble Marquis had stated to have been made, and
which had been thus partially admitted, and the declara-
tion which was avowed to have been made by the Right Hon.
Gent. in another place, still theNobleMarquis contended that
that avowal, and the declaration admitted by the Noble Earl
were sufficient proofs of the inconsistency of the statement
of the Right Hon. Gent. at Liverpool, at least they show
that in September lie did know of some personal enemies of
the late Mr. Canning, although between that and January be
knew of none. As to the truth of what the Noble Marquis
had stated there could be no doubt ; because, on the return
of the Right Honourable Secretary for the Colonic4, he
paid more than one visit to the widow of his la-
mented friend. On going into that lady's house, on
one occasion, the Noble Marquis met the Right Hon.
Gent. just coming out ; be immediately entered the house,
and was informed by her Ladyship, as well as by another
individual present, of the declaration that the Right Hon.
Gentleman had made, and which he conceived wholly in-
consistent with what the Right Hon. Gent. had stated at
Liverpool. In confirmation of this he held in his hand a
letter written lest Friday by that Lady, addressed to the
Right Honourable Secretary, in which she asserted that
he did make the declaration, as reported by him (the No-
ble Marquis) to that House, and which letter, when •
ever he might be called upon, he was at liberty, and
prepared to read to the House. It had been stated that
his declaration could not have been made to the House
without a scandalous Violation of good faith. The
Noble Marquis begged to state, that the communication
had never been made by the Right Hon. Genttlernan confi-
detially, nor did it at all bear the nature or character of such
a communication. It was communicated to others ;it ap-
peared in a daily journal of the widest circulation, with the
answer given to it, and which could not have been conveyed
to that journal by the Noble Marquis's friends, because they
had never seen it until conveyed by the public papers.
Earl DUDLEY felt great difficulty in being called on,
for the second time, to answer the Noble Marquis. It
appeared to him that that question could not be dis-
cussed in that House. He looked to this on politi-
cal grounds, and it would be impossible in a country
like this for any Government to go on, if expressions, used
in the warmth of a political struggle, were to he considered
for ever binding. As well as political hostilities, there were
political reconciliations. He thought the introduction of
such topics as were Parliamentary only ought to be re-
sorted to, and that those matters now introduced were
fitter to be decided at the tribunal of public ssciety rather
than Parliament.

Lord CLANRICARDE, in explanation, said that the
question which he had put had not been answered.—
The declaration had appeared in the public jour-
nals, and he could not consider it a private declara-
tion, as it was made by the Right Hon. Secretary in
capacity of Privy Councillor. The question was, to whom
did the declaration made by the Right Hon. Secretary refer?
Lord SEAFORD said, it is with feelings of the most
painful nature that I enter into the discussion of a subject
which involves a question of the sacred pertiarmance of duties
of a peculiar nature to a Right Hon. Friend of mine, now
no more ; a friend whose friendship was the pride and de-
light of my life ; a friendship which commenced at our
earliest youth, and continued unabated and unimpaired
until he was snatched away in the fulness of his
fame and his hoo.our,—in the fulness of a fame which
constituted the happiness of his private friends, and was
identified with the good of his country. Those feelings,
however painful, are overcome by a paramount sense of
doty, although rendered more distressing bythe course pursued
by my Noble Friend, a near connection of the late Right
Honourable Gentleman ; and it must be pain-
ful to me to express a difference of opinion from
him upon points in which we both have so deep
an interest ; and the reluctance which I felt to do
any thing which might have the appearance of unnecessa-
ra
y entering into a conflict with him, sealed my lips
upon a former occasion, and prevented my taking part
in the debate. I shall not, my Lords, enter upon
the several points which my Noble Friend near me has
done, but shall content myself by making a statement
which is called for by my duty to my Noble Friend
opposite, and to the Right Hon. Secretary for the Colonies,
as well as to the memory of my lamented Right lion. Friend.
my Lords, had an opportunity of witnessing the
habits of friendship and confidence which subsisted be-
tween my Noble Friend, the Right Honourable Secre-
tary for the Colonies and Mrs. Canning, and know-
ing the admiration, indeed I may say the veneration,
which my Noble Friend entertained for his (Mr. Canning's)
transcendant talents, and for those, if possible, more en-
dearing and fascinating qualities which he possessed, and
also knowing the circumstances under which my Noble
Friend accepted the seals of office under his friend
Mr. Canning's Administration—circumstances which af-
ford no ordinary proof of friendship on his part, and of
confidence on the part of 31r. Canning, I cannot think it
possible that my Noble Friend, in taking office:under the
present Administration, was influenced by any other feelings
than those of a sincere and generous sense of what he owed
to the memory of his and my much lamented Friend.—
It is impossible for me, my Lords, to entertain
any other feelings with respect to the course which
another individual, whose name has been called into
question, I mean the Right Hon. Gentleman the Secretary
for the Colonies, has taken. Having, my Lords, had an
opportunity of estimating that Right Hon. Gentleman's