The Sun.
London, England, 1810-03-24 00:00:00

The Gallery was instantly ordered to be cleared.

:01:owing is given in a Morning Paper as the substance
of v.hat passed while strangers were excluded ]

Mr. SHERIDAN declared, that since the Right
Honourable Gentleman had thought proper to en-
fore one Standing C r he, had very strong inten-
tiong of enforcing another.; which was, that the
Committee of Judicature, which should .sit every
Satuiday, should resume its duties. He desired to
know from the Speaker, whether, in such case, the
teferefice of Mr. F'arquharson's Petition to that C4n-
nlittee woktki not supersede the necessity of the pre-
sent motion ?

The SPEAKER, according to the uniform practice
of the HOuse, declined giving any hypothetical opi-
nion wh.lre there was not a distinct and specific mo-
tion before it.

Mr. SHERIDAN said, of all people in that House
he least expected the enforcement of the Standing
Order fair the exclusion of the public from the Right
Honourable Gentleman who had come forward on
this occasion. He expected he would have eagerly
seized this opportunity to recant the false doctrines
which he had formerly so unguardedly uttered, and
become a convert to the true faith of the freedom of
the press. He expected this candid and conciliatory
proceeding, particularly as the Right Honourable
Gentleman had been so very zealous in the correc-
tion of his speeches, so very anxious as to the stress
of his emphasis, and the modulation of his voice,
And so studiously inquisitive as to the happiest atti-
tudes for giving his sentiments a pantomimic effect,
tie was led, indeed, still more strongly into this
expectation, which bad been so fatally disappointed,
from the information that he had made amicable
advances to Mr. Cobbett, and entered into a fair
treaty of conciliation. These hints he merely threw
otit for the consideration of the Right Honourable
Geo;lernan. The parlicUlar object of his present
motion was the condemnation of a Bye-law, enacted
Iv the Benchers of Lincoln's-Inn, excluding Gen-
tlemen who wrote for the Newspapers from their
society. This law chiefly affected those who re.;
ported the proceedings in the Law Courts and in
Parliament. Much illiberal calumny had been cast
'upon these Gentlemen, which ie 'has time should
now fully be confuted. . He-had to state then, that
were were amongst those who replied the. debates
of that House no less than 23 Graduates trom the
Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Dublin, and
Miptiurgli those Gentlemen were all in their' erg-.

gress to honourable professions; and there was no
possible course better than that which they had
adopted for the improvement of their minds and
the acquisition of political 'experience. They had
adopted this course from an hottest and honour-
able impulse, and had to boast the association of
many great names, who rose from poverly to
reputation. This had long been the employ-
ment, and indeed chief subsistence, of Doctor
Johnson and Mr. Burke. Such were the men
at whose depression this legal bye-law aimed ; it
was a most illiberal and base proscription of lite-
rary talent, and he could find no parallel in the his-
tory of England, except one indeed in the reign of
Henry the Fourth, which vt ent to exclude Lawyers
from sitting in Parliament. At this, as might be
expected, the body who now sought to proscribe
others was mightily offended; they branded the
Parliament with the epithet of indoctum, and Lord
Coke declared from the Bench, there was never a
goad law made therein. It was to be feared indeed,
if this bye law continued in force, it might as justly,
be said hereafter, there was .never a good lawyer
educated at Lincoln's bin ! He would, however,
leave the individual grounds of the case altogether,
and deMand of that House whether it would be wise
to take the regulation of the press out of the bands
of men of good education, literary powers, and
aspiring genin4,- to place it .under the guidance of
the ignorant ? Such an attempt had, indeed, been
made some time ago in an instance which he would
state, and which was frustrated by the enlightened
liberality of the then Chief Justice. Previous to
the departure of Sir James M'lntosh, the present
Recorder of Bombay, for India, he applied tor Per-
mission, to deliver certain Lectures in one of the Law
Halls. The permission was refused him, on the
ground that he had once been a writer for a Morn-
ing -Paper ; but Lord Loughborough interfered, and
obtained his desire, with the remark, that he, was
happy the press' had fallen to such able guidance.
There was not'a single reason for the enactment of
this law ; it was a vile anack on the liberty of
the press, and a most unjust individual proscription ;
lt. was a violatioo of the best principles of our Con-
stitution ; " for (said Mr. Sheridan) it is the glory.
of English law, that it sanctions no proscription, nor
does it acknowledge any office in our -state, which
the
_honourable, ambitious industry, even of the
most humble, may not attain." How dangerous
was it now to attempt any invidious and unjust dis- .
tinetion, when the period might be so immediate
which would call for the united efforts of our whole
population! Mr. Sheridan concluded by moving,
" that Mr. Farqubarson's petition might be referred
to the Committee of Judicature."

The ATTOTINEY-GENERAL contended that the
Judges, as Visitors, should have the controul of
the lons of Court, and all matters within their
jurisdialion. He quoted the authority of Lord
Mansfield.

Mr. WINDHAM rose to use the short monosylla-
ble 41 No !" to every assertion made about him,
except as to the correction of his speeches. Abuse
all, he never bad descended to any advance or the
slightest conciliation with Mr. Cobbett. He would
now leave the subjed to tho,e who came for the
purpose of discussing it.—(He shortly alter left the
House.)
Mr. STEPHEN commenced a most manly speech
(which we regret our exclusion prevents us from
giving as fully as we' could wish), by declaring that
he had been a Member of 'Lincoln's Inn for thirty-
five years, but that he had not the most remote con-
neelion with tie framing of this most obnoxious
bye-law ; he thought it a most illiberal and unjust
proscription—a scandal rather to its authors than
its objeds. What could be its design but the de-
pression of laudable exertion ? " I will put a case
(said Mr. Stephen) ; I will suppose a young man of
education .and of talent contending with pecuniary
difficulties—difficulties not proceeding from vice,
hut from family misfortune—l will suppose him
honestly meeting his obstruelions with honourable
industry, and exercising his talents by reporting the
-debates of this House, in order to attain a profes-
sion. Where, I ask, is the degradation of such an
employment ? Who would be so meanly cruel as to
deprive him of it ? THE CASE WHICH I HAVE SUP-:
POSED, WAS THIRTY YEARS AGO, MY OWN. I was
then acquainted with eight other Reporters, who
have all since risen to the highest eminence in their
respective professions, and one of whom has since
had the honour of a seat in this House. Of their
talents the public would have been deprived, had
this illiberal law been in existence. I know well
the effe& of attempting to degrade any class of men.
I have seen it exemplified during a long residence
in the West Indies : and I know when men are sup-
posed to be debased, they become so in fact, and
disgrace that society which, but for a cruel injus-
tice, they might have adorned. The supporters
of the Press ought, aoove all men, to be respected.
The power of the Press in a free Government is
as great as the power of the Sword in a Military
Despotism : let the utmost caution and conciliation
be u,ed towards it." If the direction of the Press
were sought to be degraded, they would naturally
become dissatisfied sAith the established order of
things and there was no foreseeing what the con-
sequences migbt be of offending omen in the posses-
Sioll of such a powerful instrument.

Sir JOHN ANSTRUTHERL was also a Bencher of
Lincoln's Inn, but reprobated the present law ; lie
could not sufficiently admire the manly and inde-
pendent speech of the Learned Gentleman who had
just sat down, and whose example was such as to
render all argument unnecessary. After what had
passed, he was convinced the law would be imme-
diately rescinded ; it was, indeed, most obnoxious,
whether he considered the object it had in view, or
the description of men whose exertions it went to
impede—men among whom Addison and Steele bad
acted in their day.
The SOLICITOR GENERAL thought an application
ought to be made to the Judges in the first instance,
who had power to rescind the bye-law.
Mr. CROKER highly disapproved of tha bye-law,
and hoped it would be recinded ; he had na doubt,
indeed, that this would be the case, provided the
Right Hon. Gentleman's motion was withdrawn,
which h'edid not think so shaped as to meet its
object.
Mr. SIIERIDAN in reply, declared, that any person
who supposed be "sought popularity on this occasion
had been completely mistaken : his only object was
to redress injustice. The law of which he complained
lad peep ena6ted two years a q, au,' the Ge.ntletneu

of Lincoln's-Inn did not want time, however they
might ha, e been deficient in inclination, to rescind
it. An applie.i lion to the Judges might have the ef-
fect of rcdres:iinur' individual injury; but nobody except
Parliament and the -Benchers themselves, had the
power of totally annulling the law itself. He was
content, however, to withdraw his present. motion,
on the assurances which had been given him, that
the law should betescinded. He had attained his
object; he had drawn from all sides of the House a
reprobation of the principle upon which this Law
was first established'.

[The Motion was then withdrawn, on the under-
standing that the obnoxious Resolution should-be
rescinded. Strangers were then re-admitted.]

IRISH VOTE OF CREDIT.

On our re-admission into the Gallery, we found
Sir J. Newport moving for an 'account to be laid be-
fore the House of the application of the Irish Vote
of Credit for the last year; which motion, how-
ever, after some explanations and observations by
Mr. Foster and Mr. W. Pole, the Hon. Baronet was
induced to withdraw.

Sir J. NEWPORT, adverting to the discussion of
the preceding evening, which he considered very
unsstisfaclory, gave notice, that on Thursday se'n-
night he would again c ill the attention of the House
to the subject, with the addition of five or six other
charges against the Irish Government of a gross mis-
application of the public money.
Mr. Rosa brought in the Linen Exportation Bill
and the Sugar Bounty Bill, which were read a first
time, and ordered to be read a second time on Mon-
day.
The Message from the Lords requesting that T.
W. Coke, Esq. might be allowed to attend the Se-
lea Committee of their Lordships on Tuesday, to
be examined as a witness, was taken into consider-
ation, and Mr. Coke having signified his acquies-
cence, it was ordered that an answer be returned to
their Lordships, stating the permission of the House
to that Hon. Gentleman to attend.