The Sun.
London, England, 1820-09-09 00:00:00

PARLIAMENT,

HOUSE OF LORDS, FRIDAY, SEPT. 8.

• THE QUEEN. - •
teoritinuatit of the Proceedings of yesterday.]
The LOTiD CHANCLLOR, in all his life, never
felt so strongly that an important and painfuLi
duty had been imposed on him as in the present
instance. But a tint.y was imposed on him, and
that duty he wouid fulfil to the best of his judg-
, mem. lie could not disguise his sentiments, and
say that it was no. evil to adjourn in this state of
• the pl'OceetlingS Their Lordships Would be guilty
a a violation of their' duty, if they were to sup-
: pose any thing like' established guilt was to be
assumed from what had passed. It was their
duty to remember, that possibly every syllable
of the evidence might be disproved. This he
• tact no doubt.-thVyall felt: On
the other hand,
however, be .c.ould' not but be aware that some
impression must.be.made on the public, and even
on their Lordships' minds, by the evidence that
• had.been given. in estimating what would 'be
the fittest course for them to pursue, it was fair
fur them-to bear in mind that this must operate
against.the accused to a certain extent, and per-
.. haps to. a Very considerable degree.----But doing
. this, they "ought' the same time .to take into
. consideration what would be the effect of ad-
joarning.the proceedings after the Attorney-Ge-
netta of her Majesty.i.had opened the defence.
' tie was sure that whatever their Lotdships did'
would be regulatel-by a sense of duty. .It was
difficult to assimilate • *the proceedings in that
/louse with thaSe'of the COO-is below, as' there
.an adjournment-for two months" had, never been;
• heard of. He would, however, ask, if when a
'Counsel began his statement-in favour of the de-
fence, it was lint invariably understood that he
was ready toproduCe his ivitriesses, and go on to
the encl... He thought that' he had largely and
liberally allowed 'for. the
_impression that might
' be made to the..ptejUdice„bf her Majesty, by ad-
-;ourning before the case 'lot the defence was
-opened ; but he was coixiPello, while doing this,
-C), look how the; case stood on the other side.'
• Could it be allOwed.' that a prosecutor should
open his case, without being prepared to support
'lt by e.,4lence.? :,This could not be thought of.
-In,the' present '.case,'-if 'the, evidence had been
given for the prosecution, `tll,
.accused had had
the advantage of Alia otsS-eamination, which
tad gone -forth' to 'tte `world with the evidence.
The House might-trust
.rnisch to 'the honour of
the Learned-PCounsel, and, fiThOped they should
never see men at that.:bat whb did' riot. bear the
same high charadei; but it 'was not for their
Lordships in the administrition. of justice, to
'pliCde confidence in any individdals so far, as to
.forget those generb.l 'principles by which their
conduct ought always to-'be governed. It was
not on the responsibility. of 'particular indivi-
duals, but on general: principles that the. House
wild safely act. Not could the House, in this
case; be
~guldisd by any analogies- furnished by
the practice'bf the CourtabelOw. There such a
tiling as an adjottrnment fo.r two. mouths; . or, for
aril: period whatever, was•w,holly unknown. Out
of the very nature •of th`e present case, there
SIOSe a necessity for submitting to one evil -or
other; and upon his .hen-our as a.. Peer, and his
cease of duty tis a 'man, -he Could not consent to
the-proposition before the HOuSd.'-' He could not
agree to the -defence being opened, unless the
Coun4el fir 'her.".Majeay*ltted distinctly whe-
ther- they meant to. proceed iii continuation with
the evidence after' opening 'their case. He had
tia)ught it right,to state the grounds on which he
tame to this conclusion, and to intimate that, in
his opinion, the Learned Conw..l Could not open
M 4 defence *without haVing it, understood that
doing so; hel*lis to continue it without interrup-
tion to the end:
Earl GREY Said, that' in a case of this important nature—
itnportant as it •concerned the present and the future—he
ltbaiild act an arnanner unworthy of the lank he, held in that
tionie, as an hottertt- and independent Peer, if he did nut,
itvettin opposition to:the• opinion of the Noble and Learned
toll on the, Woolia4,4!lfer his sentiments to the Ifouse. lie
Mottle and
assent to the assertion of the
Mottle and Learned Litt4,t4ist 'this was ai, case 9f great ditli-
Cu,ity.' I/e bad. always 'entertained that opinion. He had
hesitated—lle hid doubted iii-Ins'cliOice-of evils, and he pre-
ferred that whiekin• his conscience he believed to be the
teast. It had been said, that the difficulty winch now pre-
sented itself bid ocr reference to any former proceeding of
the House in this. case. From this prdeoiltion he entirely
Cisslnstrer. '• It was to be traced to the decision of that Moo.,
rktir first thbse -proceedings were adapted—au the refusal.by
thataiouse to give what had been granted to all others agabist
wittstu Ifeavyiaccitsations had bed' laid—to the denial of those
,ad,vostages which' would enable her Majesty's , Counsel to
loOk-mitt confidence to a certainty as to the charge, and as
• Ulla production of witnesses. The Noble and Learned
Valid bad said thit the present difficulty had not arisen from
tars ; and that lithe list ofaVitnesses, and the specification of
tine; And place,land‘chltrges.; bad been allowed, it must inevi-
tabty have occurred. .If was nut so. If th`e charges had been
specified, if theliit of Uitnesseli hail not been relused,,no
stoeasion could hare Occurred to give a right to ite'r•Majesta's
,l.:ottusel to expect aiiispension of the ordinary proceedings. of
the blottse. 'But those advaittagei'beingcirposed by the order
agtbeir Lordships, it, became necessary that an equivalent
ihouiti be grantedio' the accused who was placed 'in so ex-
Vraoadinary a-situation, • that the 'tvaseliarged with offences,
which' in point of time, exteuded themselves over six
veers, and :which were-stated to have occurred 'in %ire qnar7
leis of the globei An equivalent was to be given, and they
now, consequently, came to consider what that equiva-
lent trhould ire :.• Tad Noble Lord out the Woolsack had,
he believed, inivalten " the statement of the Que'en's'At-
/*et-my-General, and.stipposed that it was his wish to address
their Cordships opun Oa defence, and after having pro-
ceeded to a mutant extent with witnesses. -to propose a
suspension of tine prtieeedings. This was, he thought, a mis-
apprehension of thr 'meaning of the Learned Counsel, who,
if he (Lord Grey) was' right, wished to address th'eir Lord-
sbips; and to be influenced by the effect of that' aildres;t as
to whether he shiond call witnesses at ail or not. The 'ques-
tion then, was.'Whlther Cotinser we're to open the defence
with the poweC,to tail' witnesie.., ad Li' to suspend the proceed-
' ings on the I.lill till those witnesses 'were produced? Disad--
vantages might arisefrom baring the speech of Cotinsel be,
fore the Public, unsupported shy evidence, and,perhaits, in-
capable of being- •strppotted by evidence. As an arguMent
against the prolkahle occurrenceof such a disadvailbase; it
Was said, that thevondact of Counsel might be relie#isviotod
that, at the liar of,Aliat HOU:e.• there could be Vattibuse of.
the privileges granted to profiesional men. God'Aurbid that,
Counsel should ever:appeal' at that Bar- who ' *re disposed'
to abuse their—priillege.• Truax his own 1 i.Vledge of the
protessional Gentlemen eng#gcd in this Ca ' ;he, was satis-
fied that they would nut 'state what therdiii not-stKppose to
be material. to their case.. But without Werenee to their,
general character,• althoui;h the HouscrAsaight•trust,to,tba'
Caansel fur discreet-conduct iu their iiroctediags,, it akba
twin considered that filuusistilissuct depend upon the instr -'
bons which they retieived,itairthat they mikbt be led to e
f
stAtetutats which were nut fOuutled in truth. These fe,
be' admitted, great ditliCiallei; but &the evils upon the ' her
sea Were looked at they siduld.'be fituud to be cOntpatailyelf

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