Star.
London, England, 1825-06-25 00:00:00

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IfOn..dett. tlernin would rsus. e pleCedent where`
evidence had not •been printed, because it could not
accompaniedby the speech of Chunsel ; or that he would
jive something like it reason (which he was SO-capable of
doing), vihy the House ought in this particular case to
depart from what had been its uniform practice. He
should propose that the evidence be printed, and placed
-in the hands of Members, so that they might be able to
consider and weigh the case in their minds before they
eameto a decision. It would then be for him to state
toe House what his views were, and although they
might be different from those of many Hon. Members,
be 'was SIMI, convinced that they were fully supported by the
• evitience which had been adduced.
• Mr:Secretary PEEL sai.i, that the observations of
.:Ite Hon. and Learned Gentleman appeared to him ri
1;.o entirely beside the question. There was no charge
;:tivinst Mr. Kenrick but-that containeJ in the Petition.
Thefenquiry in which the Committee were now engaged,
";;;;Is directed. to the nhject of ascettaining what steps
sought to be taken with regard to those charges. And
he, for one, was ready at the present moment to come
to a resolution for declaring, that having heerd the evi
dente of Camfor in support of his Petition, the House
saw noground for any further proceedings, if the llon. and Learned
Gentleman had no other evidence to produce.
. Mr. ABERCROMBY said, without expressing any
opinion upon the merits of the cae, he thought they
would not be consulting that which was the power and
essence 'of the House, if they did not, pursuant to the usual form,
proceed to the :printing of the evidence before they came to,
any decision.
Mr. Secretary CANNING said, that his impression,
at first was, that th! Flon. and Learned Gentleman pro-
posed that Mr. Gordon should leave the Chair, without
any pledge being given that some ulterior step should
be taken in the matter. He thought it right that some
statement of opinion should be made by t! ,e Com-
mittee upon which the House should afterwards act ;
and with that feeling he stated his intention to propose
some ResoltitiOn, if t'm Honourable and Leatned
Gentleman did' not. But if the Chairman was only to
report progress, to give time for the printing of the
evidence, and the lion. and Learned Gentleman or, old
then propoe something for the consideration of the
Committee, he did not wish to interfere and take it out
of his bands. . But he could not consent to cut the matter short by
going out of the Committee, and leaving it to be revived or not, as
chance might direct. Ile hoped that the evidence would be printed
in the shortest possible time, .and that the House might meet to-
torrow, even if they did so at au earlier hour than usual, to come
to a decision. The case lay in a very narrow compass, and he saw
no good to he 'obtained by delay.
Mr. DENMAN objected to so early a time as to-
morriiiw. He thought the great advantage of printing
the evidence was, that it gave time to Members to con-
sider and examine the bearing; of the question. Besides,
the attendance to-m' now would be small, and it might
even be doubtful whether a House would be made. lie should
propose that the evidence he printed, and that the Committee should
sit again on Monday.
The SPEAKER declared it to be his strong opinion
upon th. point of form, that the Committee ought to
come to some resoluti n upon which the House should
act when the proceed.ngs of the Committee were re
por.ed. With regard to the time, but not wishing t'
„ point out any particular course, he could inform the
I louse that the printing of the evidence should be no cause of delay.
As far as that went, the case migbt either be gone into to-morrow
or Monday, as the Committee should see fit.
Mr SecretaryPEEL was sti 1 of opinion,that the Co-
mmittee should cone to a resolution immediately, that
there were no grounds for putting Mr. Kentick on his
trial. • But if to morrow should be deemed preferable, he should
not object to the delay. • •
Mr. WESTERN was of the same opinion with the Right Ho-
nourable Gentleman.
Mr. J. WILLIAMS thought it was impossible to accede to the
resolution of the Right Hon. Gentleman. The Committee, it ap-
peared to him, should report progrers, and ask leave to sit agaht.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said, that if the case was closed, he W. 15
ready to come to the resolution he had stated.
Mr. WILLIAMS contended, that Mr. Kenrick had
already been put on his trial,.as evidence had been given
to inculpate him, and be had been heard in his defence by his
Learned Counsel.
Mr. DENISON said, that the House had beard the
arguments pro and con. and be was prepa'ed to vote
-with the Right Hon. Secretary. Mr. Kenr ck and he
were opposed to each other in politics, but that would
have no effect on him. He thought Mr. Kenrick had
stew a sound discretion, in not rashly issuing a warrant against a
respectable individual.
Sir J. WROTTESLEY thought the Committee had
a right to form their judgment on the evidence they
had heard. From the evidence of Camfor, it was diffi-
cult to -say to wl.om the. ram belonged. Under the
same circumstances, he himself would have acted neatly
as Mr. Kenrick had done; but be would not come to
the same conclusion with the Right Hon. Gentleman,
that no censure was to be passed cn Mr( Kenrick. At
the same time, he could not agree to pa.: a severe
censure ; but he must blame the conduct of Mr. Ken-
sick in sending for a constable to search Candor ; nor could he ate
why he had been ordered to give up the fleece.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said, he had never proposed,
by the Resolution, acquiescence in the conduct of Mi.
Kenrick. A corrupt motive on the part of Mr. Kenrick
had been distinctly disproSed. He did not say that Mr.
Kenrick had acted properly, but as no corruption had
been shewa, it appeared to him that the House should
proceed no further.
Mr. MALSERLY would not consent that the people of Surrey
should be told that the House approved of the conduct of Mr.
Xerirkk.
Mr. W. WYNN said, 'that ample tedress had been
already afforded by constitutional means. Any Gen-
tleman who thought a case had been made out might
make a motion upon the subject. The Resolution in-
volved no approbation of the conduct of Mr. Kenrick.
Mr. BARING saw no reason for any hasty decision
in this case;, he did not see any reason to address the
Crown for the removal of Mr. Kenrick; at the same
time, he saw no ground fur a deviation from the usual
forms of the House.
Mr. Secretary CANNING was of opinion that a de-
cision was required in that Committee. lie did not
mean to say that it should necessarily he come to now,
if the Committee were to sit again. Upon the next sit-
ting the Hon. and Learned Gentleman might propose
any course which his view of the case might dictate,'
sold ;lien his Right It-m. Friend could move his Reso-
lution as an amendment. What he at first objet ed to
was, that the Committee, having heard the evidence,
timuld adjourn for two or flit ee days, without coming
to an understanding as to whether any other proceedings
should be taken or not. Theltight Hun. Gentleman then moved that
the Chairman do report progress, and obtain leave to sit on Monday.
Mr. DENMAN was quite satisfied with the motion
of the Right lion. Gentleman. If the Committee had
taken the precipitate course recommended by the Right
)lion. Secretary for the Home Department, he thoug,ht
the country would not have been very well satisfied
with suclr a decision upon a questiol so important' id
the pure admini-sration t f justice. his opinion might,
ti be changed by an examination of the evidence, but at
present be felt every statement in the Petition had been

'idly substantiate'', and that the Home would not do its duty if it
did not go to the espression of some very strong censure upon the
conduct of Mr. Kenrick. '

Mr. Secretary CANNING said, that he had hi-
therto abstained from declaring any opinion upon the
case ; but after the speech of the Honourable and
Learned Gentleman, he desired to say that he was perfectly pre-
pared to agree to the resolution of his Right Hon. Friend.
Mr. Secretary PEEL said he thought, if the C
tm-
mittee had done its duty by remaining in the House,
there would have been no occasion for any delay.=
But as Honourable Members bad left their places, no decision
could be come to. It was for this reason that he consented, and
not because he was not perfectly ready to come to that decision
immediately.
Mr. HUME asked whether the Right Honourable
Secretary could instance any one case where the evi-
dence in an inquit y was not ;minted before the House
came to a vote? He thought the House would have been acting
very improperly by adopting the precipitation recommended by
the Right Honourable Gentleman.
Mr. GOULBURN s..id, that before the Honourable
Gentleman asked for a precedent in which the House
had not waited for the printing of evidence, he should
shew that a case of irqoiry had ever been before the
House, in which only one witness was produced by the
accuser, and none at all on the other side. He thought
there were many advantages in an immediate decision,
and that it would be more clnducive to the ends Of jus-
tice. The evidence ought not to be considered only as
it appeared in print, but the manner of the witness in giving it
was very material to the degree in which it ought to be received or
rejected--( Hear).
Mr. W YNN protested against the doctrine that it was
not competent for the House to come to a decision im-
mediately upon hearing evidence. It was always a
question of expediency and no more. In the present case
he was quite pr:pared himself to agree in the Resolution
of his Right Hon. Ft lend. He consented to the delay,
because there might be others wholvere not so prepared, and who
wished to take further time for consideration.

Mr. GORDON wished to know, before moving to report pro-
gress, whether the statement of Mr.. Kenrick, as read by the
Learned Counsel, was to be printed at well as the evidence?
Mr. CROKEIt said, the understanding had been that the state-
ment of Mr. Kenrick should be presented to the House as a Petition,
and then printed in that form.
The Chairman was then ordered to report progress, and obtained
leave to sit again on Monday.
The House resumed, and the Report was received, and ordered
to be printed.
The Colonies Trade Bill was reported, and ordered to be read a
third time on Monday.