Star.
London, England, 1801-03-11 00:00:00

t him. \V.hat, thnugl: lie v.-cre a prieft;more than
if he werean officer is the army ora gentleman of;
the law ? Porrwrly doubt, had been entertained
NtlvAlier they could fit in Parliament, knit would
be ftraiies on that acconnt to call evidence to
prose that an Honourable Gentleman, whom he
raw over the way, was his Majc:l y's Attorney Ge-
i:oral.— Ilc by no means meant to prejudice the
caul:, kit he could not poliihly confent to a mo-
tion of this kind till the Houle had previoutly
comQ to tome fpecitic resolution.
ME. Bs AGG C begged Gentlemen to recolle& that
their experience in quetticms of privilege could not
be very great, as lince the inftitution of a ufelul
tribunal. now almott always employed, they lel
dum came before the Houfe. A quettion of half
the extent bad forrifirly occurred, viz. Whether
a Deacon was eligible ? and this method of invef-
Ligation was then adopted. On his own fuggeltion
a Member (Mr. Sheridan) had formerly moved
for a new writ instead of a Rt. Honourable Gen-
tleman
(Mr. Dundas), who had accepted the of-
fice of one of his Majetty's principal Secretaries of!
State. There wete to be lure many ways of pro-
seeding, but this was as unexceptionable as any of
them. If any one entertained doubts of the eligi-
bility of his Honourable Friend (Mr. Attorney
General), it was competent for him to move that
the point be inveiligated.
Mr. Fox laid his opinion remained unshaken.
Such a praCtice might be produftive of very un-
pleafant confequences. Any Member who had a
fpite at another might rife up, and laying he doubt-
ed whether he was qualified, move, that witneffes
be called to the bar, and examined as to his cir-
cumftances. He Rated this the more readily as,
in the present Call,none of thefe confequences could
follow. Bnt he would not, on that account, quietly
fee the ulages of the Houle difregarded. In no
inflance ought witneffes to be called, fill fome pro=
ceeding has rendered evidence necesTary. His Ho-
nourable Friend had not begun by proving the fad
of the Right Honourable Gentleman being Secre-
tary of State; and on no occafion Mould facts be
enquired into till the law has been ellablithed.—
Among many other ii:eonv.enicnces, he begged
Gentlemen would attend to the lofs of time which
would be occafioned by a contrary praCtice. He
continued decidedly again(' the motion.
Mr. BRAGG E Paid, the Houfe, by ordering the
witneffes to attend, had fo far entertained the tub.
jed, and declared an Enquiry to be neceftary.
Mr. HORNE TOONE then role and (poke in fub-
Rance as follows. Mr. Speaker, I rife to refill the
motion which you lately put from the Chair—not
that I defire to delay the difcuffion of this queflion.
- My only with is, that the difcuffion may be full
and fair. lam as eager as any one that complete
information upon the fubjeet may be received, and
any proper measure that has this for its objed I
Cull willingly support. Before I enter into the
queition, I beg the Houfe to recolleft the previous
proceedings. About three weeks ago the Noble
Lord gave notice, that if in the course of fourteen
days no petition was prefented to the Houle, he
fnould make a motion with regard to the repre-
fentation of Old Sarum. [Some one called out
X..] I fay yes. This was the nature of the notice,
and it is in the memory of the Houle that it was
as I have Rated it. On the fifteenth and Sixteenth
days, I attended in my place, but nothing what-
ever was Paid. On the 17111 I was obliged to be
abfent from revere indifpofition, and when I came
down on the Lath, I found that the Noble Lord
had given notice of a motion for the loth of March.
relpeCtin the eligibility of the Reverend John
Horne ooke. His Lordfliip came up to me in a
very polite manner, and handfoniely told me what
be had done. His condua certainly, Sir, would
have been more handfome if fubfapient proceed-
ings had correfponded with this. When I alked him
what the nature of his proputed motion would be,
he laid there was a difficulty about it, as the
lawyers were net agreed. This was the Lath day
after that on which I took my feat, and Rill the
Noble Lord and his advifers remained undetermin-
ed ! His Lordfliip, however, affured me that if I
should attend in my place next day, I Mould hear
all the particulars, and when 1 mentioned my in-
ners to him, hepromifed to inform me by letter. The
followiit day I was able to attend in perfon, but no
explanation took place. The Noble Lord made a
motion for calling n itneffes to the Bar. I told him
I would lave him the trouble, as I frankly confeffed
that I had been ordained a pried more that forty
years ago. It was declared from the Chair that
this would not he fufficient. For forty years I
have been in the habit of attending to the proceed-
ings of Parliament. I have been often prefent in
this I lonic. I have been called to your bar. I
have been brought to it in cullody of the Serjeant
at Arms. I mull, therefore, know fomething of
Parliamentary forms ; and I do not hefitate to de-
clare, that it has always been the praftice to re-
ceive admiffions. Indeed, what can this Houle
have In worthy of being relied upon ? It is never
fo well off as habros (perm reum.
You cannot adminil er an oath, and mull be
contented with a fimple affirmation. When an un-
happy Printer is brought to be examined, he is
afked, whether he is guilty of printing the libel
laid to his charge ? and upon his confeffion he is
inttantly fent where he deserves to go. 1 believe
that fairnefs and juflice call upon the Houfe to
repel this motion, unlefs the Noble Lord than ex-
plain more fully how he intends to proceed. He
has not kept the promife which he made me.
Thefe lawyers, I fulpea, have advifed him to
break it. He lays, by would treat his molt inti-
mate acquaintance and dcarell friend exaElly in
time fame way. For his own fake, Sir, I hope that
he would not. When he is moved, neither by
enmity nor profit, Should he tamper with the law-
yers to find out a flaw in other people's titles ? I
formerly gave credit to his profellions. I nosy
withdraw it, as it was improperly bellowed. I
do not fay that he is my perfonal enemy. Ido
hot believe, Sir, that I have a perfonal enemy in
the world. He bears towards me, Sir, violent
political animosity— [A cry of Order Order 1—
I beg pardon, Sir, if I am out of order. lam
lure I Mould be lorry to be In, but it is not quite
,:afy to remain cool after the manner in which the
Noble Lard has talked of my cliaraecr, my poll-i 1