The Sun.
London, England, 1827-06-30 00:00:00

sense of above a hundred people, in so public a place as the
lobby of the House of Commons, without notice, where he
!cneW he must be interrupted, and then not upon any per-
sonal ground, but because of what be called a debate upon
" a dead inissionary?"—(Hear.)—Tbe whole act was that
of a lunatic, and rendered, if possible, more evident by the
letters which he bad written to the Right Hon. Speaker,
for in them he said that he was aloyal man, but there was
no disloyalty in pulling the King by the nose, which be
illustrated by adding, that if the King fell into a well, would
not any loyal subject be justified in palling him out by the
nose, to save him from drowning ? And again, if our Saviour
;tee right in c.:.-asing the money-lenders from the Temple,
was he not rielt in endeavouring to drive the knaves from
the Senate ? In fact, if ever there. Was a clear case of aberra•
tion of reason, it was in this instance. The poor man was
not an object of reasonable denunciatien. What was his
6.0 statement? He said, I have selected you; Mr.
Brougharn, as the object of my attack, becanie you are a
well 'known, or, (as he said)' a distinguhhed person,
and I cannot have a surer way of- bringing myself into
conspicuous notoriety.' "In charity I must surprise such
a person insane, for if otherwise, can the human mind con-
ceive a more atrocious crime, than that of one man seeking
another's life, and putting his own in jeopardy,lor the pur-
pose of personal notoriety ?_(dear, hear.)—But his con-
doct, then and since, clearly showed his mental delusion
he does not quarrel with Mr. Manic of the Treasury, he
does not bring his ease before any of the proper puLlic
tribunals; but it is used as a stalking-horse, for a certain
class of people to deal in slander and calumny. By these I
am charged with a want of personal courage, because I
did not fight this lunatic. And this, too, is conveyed in,
as I am told, an admired poem by a reverend person who,
it is said, can-write some good verses—a clergyman, who,
meanly shelving tinder the shelter of his personal immu-
nity, covering himself by his cloth from all private respon-
sibility as a gentleman, casts forth this sort of vulgar ca-
lumny. The purpose of the poetaster was evident--the
miscreant who disgraced his profession and his calling,
hoped that by dealing in scandal, he might obtain that
promotion from persons in office which, upon his real
merits, he should vainly seek ; but there was some rea-
son to believe, that the present Government at least
would not disgrace their functions, or bring scandal upon
a grave office, by lifting any of that class of miscreants
into patronage. This poor petitioner attacked me, as
I have said, in a crowd without notice, and the very
*mint I turned round, I found him in actual cus-
tody, and he consequently escaped that retort which any
man breathing, who bad a hand to his body, must have
given him at the instant." His Hon. Friend had asked
why Isis accuser had not come forward. Why, the laW was
Iris accuser, and required sureties for his good behaviour.
Why did not his Honourable Friend, if he believed him
(as he said he did) to be sane, come forward, he being a
rich man, and become his surety ? No, he cautiously and
prudently refrained froin such a step, because he doubtless
apprehended, that when Gourlay was released, he (Mr.
Hume) might be exposed to personal attack in his next
paroxysm, and told, as the people in the lobby were, " let
the (lead bury their dead."—(A laugh.)--If the sureties
were once given, the man must be enlarged, and the public
must take their chance with him. But he (Mr. Brougham)
must again, once for all, protest against being considered
either his accuser or detainer.—(Hear.)
Mr. HUDSON GURNEY complained of the mode in
which this man had been detained in custody ; and, as he
understood, by the authority of tbat House.
Mr. BROUGHAM'repeated, that there had been no
detention of this man by the authority of that House.
Mr. PERCEVAL understood that the Honourable
Member for Montroie and several other persons were will-
ing to give the necessary security for this individual, but
that he refused to accept it until a commission had been ap-
pointed. He thought that the Honourable Member for
Montrose would behave in a much kinder manner to this
individual if he refused to present any more of his peti-
tions, for the petitioner seemed to think that it was practi-
cable to get out of confinement by other means than those
which the law prescribed ; and as long as persons con-
tinued to present his petitions; not only would this delusion
continue, but the petitioner would
_doubtless consider it as
countenancing that deltision.
Lord PALMERSTON could not help thinking that the
refusal of the offer of the Hon. Member for. Montrose indi-
cated something very like.mental aberration in the peti-
tioner.
The petition was then read. It stated that Members of
the House of Commons were ex-officio Justices of the
Peace, and 'prayed that .a commission or committee might
be appointed to visit the petitioner, or that such other steps
might be taken as the Hon. HouSe in
,their wisdom should
think fit. , _ . .

bad te.eii entirely IoA TlWWere not to uma a.
what had been his state three years ago, but at the state in
which he now was. He (Mr. Hume) war sure—if he
might judge from the writings of the petitioner, which
were often, it was true, very sharp—that there were men
suffered to go, abroad who were much more mad than Mr.
Gourlay.—(Hear, and a laugh.)•—He would only add that
he would give his security for the petitioner, but that the
petitinner had refused to accept it until it was decided why
he was detained in confinement.
Mr. BROUGHAM said that he wished it to be dis-
tinctly' understood, that it was his wish that the petitioner
should be set at large.
The petition was then. ordered to be printed.
Mr, HMO presented a petition from the anti-tread
Tax Association of Stroud, in Gloiceetershire, against the
Corn Laws. Also a petition from Ashton-under-Line to
the same effect. Also a petition froM ThOmas Gray, of
Nottingham, stating, that he tad diicovered certain im-
provements in the manufacture of iron rail-roads,'and pray-
ing that he might be allowed to lay them before the House.
Also, a petition from, the Minister of a parish in the
Orkneys, stating 'that he had diScovered some variations in
the compass,'—(A latigh,)---which were' of great impor-
tance, and which he prayed the House to'-take into their
cOnsideration.
DECIFION OF THE PRIVY COUNCIL.
Mr.. BROu GRAM said, that seeing the President of the
Board 'of Controul in his:plebe, he must beg leave to call his
attention to a point which, in his opinion, deserved seribas
consideration. He meant a point involved in the very ex-
traordinary decision lately made in the highest Court of
ApOal, reversing the- decision of the Courts beloW, and
which protected the -East India Company in taking an
estate away from one man and giving it to another: He
hoped that the Right Hon. Gentleman would seriously ap-
ply his mind to the law under which this decision had been
made before the next session of Parliament, if the Com-
pany really meant, which he could not bring himself to
think they did Mean, to enforce that extraordinary decision. I
The Court had ruled, that in a question concerning the
property of petty Princes, the Company succeeding to all
such property, a patrimonial right wait merged in the right
of sovereignty. It bad also been declared that if the
Company did interfere, as a sovereign, no Court could'have
any jurisdiction in the matter. There could be no doubt
that the law on this must be perfectly clear, for the mo-
ment the arguments were ended, a decision was given with-
out hesitation—a decision which disposed of one of the
largest properties in India, and which reversed that of the
Courts below.
Mr. WYNN said, that as he was not present when judg-
ment was given in the case to which the Hon. and Learned
Gentleman referred, he could not state the ground of that
judgment. He certainly did know that very great atten-
tion had been given to it, and he should not like now to
enter upon the discussion of a decision of the highest court
of appeal.
Mr. BROUGHAM said, that he had been altogether
, misunderstood.

Here the discussion ended.
Mr. COURTENAY presented the report of the Select ,
Committee on friendly societies.—Ordered to be printed-
Mr. C. GRANT presented a petition from the congre-
gation of an Independent chapel at Chelmsford, praying
for a repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts.—Ordered to
be printed.
Mr. H. GRATTAN presented a petition from five indi-
viduals of the county of Monaghan, stating that they had
been bayonetted, shot, and wounded. The Petititmers
prayed that their case might be taken into considerate con-
Mr. EASTHOPE presented a petition from th
gregatiOn of a chapel in Robinson's-row, Kingsland, pray-
ing for the repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts.
Mr. TENNYSON moved, that the House should not
issue warrants for new writs for burgesses to serve in Par-
liament for the borough of East Redford until the expira-
tion of 14 days after the next Session of Parliament.
After a few words from Mr. G. Bakes, Sir C. Wethe-
rell, Mr. C. Fergusson, and Mr. D. W. Harvey, the mo-
don was agreed to.
Mr. W. SMITH presented a petition front Mr. Mon-
tague Burgoyne, praying that the ecclesiastical law might
be amended.
After a few observations. from Dr. Lushington, Mr.
Home, and Mr. W. Smith, the petition was read, and or-
dered to lie upon the table. . •
Mr. W. SMITH presented a petition from a Chapel in
Crown-court, Covent-garden, and other places, for the
repeal of: the Teat and. Corporation Acts. •
The Hon. 'MEMBER, then moved for ari aJgttaet of _s
return of the slave population of various: olmlj":1;Iel°13g4ig
to :'Majesty, made out. at •the:Registry,Ace in this
country, since the Ist March, 1826.—Ordered.
Mr. TALMASH presented a petition from the parish of