Star.
London, England, 1809-02-18 00:00:00

Lord FOLKSTQNE seconded this latter proposi-
tion, and rose to beer his testimony, in the absence of
his Honourable 'Friend (Mr. Wardle), that the words
in question had not been used, and that the feelings
of his Honourable Friend were in no respect ag.
grieved. His Lordship approved of the course pro-
posed to be adopted, and acknowledged the handsome
and honourable manner in which the Honourable
Gentleman had taken up the subject.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
said, that the mode proposed accorded with his own
feelings. If any offence had been committed against
the privileges of the House, and a regular complaint
were made of it, it would then be necessary to take
notice of it in a solemn way; but as it had been iris.
totnary to overlook a certain-violation of the privi-
leges of the House,:from the nature ,cif their proceed-
ing% it was scarcelr possible to•suppose that mistakes
might not occur ; but if these were not grossly and •
obviously intentional, they were not such immediate
objects of serious notice. He seated some parts of his
own speech which had been misrepresented, and
words put into his mouth which he had never uttered.
However, it appeared to him that this was the result
of error, and not of intention ; and unless the mis-
statement was palpably designed, he thought the
mode last suggested a proper one.
Mr. N. CALVERT thought the Printer certainly
ought to be brought to the liar, and at least repri.
manded for his error.

Mr. W. SMITH, at the same time that he applaud..
ed. the handsome manner in which Mr. Beresford had
acted, nevertheless thought that, although a Member,
from a sense of his own dignity, might not wish to
follow up a complaint of this sin with any Severity,
that the House, in cases of gross mistatement, ought
not to pass over the matter so lightly. He thought
that the party who had made the misrepresentation
should be brought to the Bar to tell his own story,
and make his apology, or receive the reproof of the
Speaker, and think himself well off for being so ten-
derly dealt with. He (Mr. Smith) was one of the
warmest advocates for the liberty of the press, but is
this case he thought great.lenity was shewn.
Mr. YORKE thought that the liberty of the press
had of late been carried to such lengths, and the misre-
presentations of the proceedings in that Hottse, both
collectively and individually, had for some time been
so frequent, that it was time for the House to come to
some understanding on the subject. He regretted that
he was not in the House when this business was intro.
duced ; but from what he understood, he agreed with -
the last Honourable Gentleman in thinking ihat the
Printer ought to be brought to the bar to answer for
his conduct. As to the liberty of the press, he him-
self had been bred up in principles which taught him
to view it as the palladium of British liberty : but he
thought that from a laxity of discipline in the exercise
'of that liberty, of late so much licentiousness had
crept in, as to call for some effectual check to its pro-
gress. He did not feel a wish to introduce any law
or statute on the subject, but merely a vigilant exer-
cise of the laws already in existence. As to the- en-
croachments which had been made upon the privi-
leges of that House by the publication of its proceed.
ings, he was not one of those who wished fur any ri.
gorous exertion of their powers in that respect; but
he thought, at least, that those who took upon them
to infringe those privileges, by publishing the proceed-
ings of the House, should be responsible for their mis-
representations, whether intentional or otherwise.—
The rules of the House ought not to be violated : tri-
vial mistakes might be passed over, because, other-
wise, enquiries would be endless ; but where such se-
rious complaints as the present were made, he thought
the Printer should be called to the bar and punished.
Mr. WHITBREAD rose, and said he could not
agree with the principles laid down by the Honoura-
ble Gentleman who spoke last, of acting with rigour
in the case- of an unintentional misrepresentation of
what had passed in that House. The mischief -aris-
ing from such errors was nothing in comparison with
the good, which the country derived from the publica-
tion of the substance of what was spoken by Members
within those walls. This was not the first time of
late that the Righf Honourable Gentleman (Mr.
Yorke) had expressed his disapprobation of the licen-
tiousness of the press ; but before the Right Honour-
able Gentleman complained of that licentiousness, in
respect to the problications to which he had before al-
luded, it should be proved that they were libels, and
unfounded in truth. On the contrary, those publi-
cations complained of *ere productive of the happiest
consequences to the country, in promoting inquiries
which otherwise would never be instituted. The
Right Honourable Gentleman had said, that the pri-
vileges of the House were equal to their own protec-
tion; but he never knew any instance of the nature
now under discussion, wherein those privileges were
exerted, that the least good ensued. The Right Ho.
nourable Gentleman complained of laxity in discipline
towards the press of late : it did not appear, however,
that the Law Officers of the Crown had been remiss
in their duty, if he looked to the prosecutions for li-
bels which were Carrying on ; nor was it at all evident
that the Courts of Law had been criminally lenient
in awarding their punishments. Mr. Whitbread then
expressed a wish, that the Chancellot of the Exche-
quer, in order to obviate a mistake which appeared
in his narrative last night, by the insertion of *word
not, would insert the whole of that narrative upon the
minutes, as he for one was happy to acknowledge that
narrative to be a complete and faithful picture of the
proofs he afterwards adduced,
Mr. YORKE and Mr. WHITBREAIR mutually ex-

plained.
Mr. BATHURST thought the insertion on the
minutes of the narrative alluded to would be an irre-
gular proceeding ; but with respect to what had been
said of the liberty of the press, though he was one of
those uillo wished to support it when gent i ,e, he could
not avoid observing the recent notoriety of its licenti-
lousness ; and if public bodies allowed their proceed-
' irg to be misrepresented, it was impossible to say