Star.
London, England, 1809-05-12 00:00:00

the Honourable Member ; and for which purpo,e •
singles tint one act, not, he believed,
jobnweollui)eirc;ttediwe Member
. ays i
h
against him and his Noble Friend, but to make es
ples, in order to impress the public mind with the.
c projects
Tehe ssitpyropofotshed in
at pol at
iti
noocf,fretifloei
peered' to be withdrawn, and this proposition was sill,.
stituted in its stead, as the first step towards the
tuatingof hie objects. When he saw, that in whatever
shape lie made this. motion, he- was endeavouring to
ley down a peecedent for himself and for others,,he
on his part, take care not to establish that most tia.;.
gerous precedent, of entering into discussions of charge,
made without any proofs exhibited ; derived from a,
knew not what sources of information,or through
channels,,
betweenan n e] s, or
individuals theroug(hHe
ar breach.o,
by whichof wb C
an i
nO
des rlCa.
was to be called upon, on a mere statement, to cy.
plain his own conduct, or to risk by his silence
sumption on the part of ethers of kis share in the
guilt of charges stated. He would say, that ees
practice were encouraged, it would lead to Cie este-
hlisliment of a system of inquisitorial prefeeee,,,
highly dangerous to every species of honourable en-.
fidence in private and in social life. We Beet
times, in which we must see that it is a great ,rad
eourite object nviifa many, to procure informatiei
against public men, and that perms so emplovine
themselves actually endeavour and succeed in thin,
into public estimation by such means. We saw in
formation of this nature collected assiduouily free
;every quarter, by the violation of private confidence,
,by the seizure of letters (I/car!); in short, by ant
means whatever by Which it can be obtained to make
it the foundation if public charges ! Hear H
, ear.)
He felt impressed with the opinion that it was moo
consistent with the security and welfare of the Heusi
and the public, that he should abstain from tikine
.any notice of the charge made against him, if, indeed,
it was a charge against him though indeed it ap.
peered to be chiefly against the Noble Lord ; ler, .t
was said that the offence was afterwards communi-
cated to him. He protested, however, against any
inference being. drawn against him upon this ',cc,;.
sion ; but he should content himself a ith giving to
the charge no other denial than his plea of net guilty,
until he should know that the House was disposed
proceed farther on the subject. If the House should
be disposed to entertain this charge, then indeed I e
should be prepared, as lie was at that moment, to ac.
count for his conduct satisfactorily to that House, and
satisfactorily to his (mei honour, and should, in that
case, be ready to give -an account•of the transaction
as far as lie was colecerned. in it, at any time the
iionee might please to appoint.• He hoped dot *Le
had not 'conducted himself dispeepeotfully, bet he
could not conceive, in the presetit times,' and under
the present cireumstences, that public men on calla
side of that House were to be called upon by a ince
statement of imputed merits, to annle it 4 point if
duty to enter into -the explanation of transactions,
which might be of i.itrvate and confidential tratere.
This was his opinion 'axed his feeling of this case, and
he should, therefore, atter what .he had said, nt,ke
his bow and withdraw, leaving the.h onse. free and
unembarrassed to come to its *own deciiioh upon the
subject. (Hear]. hear! hear
Lord CASTLEREAGH then rose, and saidethat•
he could not express what he felt on this eceisien
better; nor more adequately, than by adopting tie
statement which had been made by his Right Hon.
Friend who had just left the House. He had nothing.
to add to that statement, and fully adopted every
part of it. Whatever might he the practice on simi-
lar occasions,' he could not, under the circumstatices
in which he was placed, sit in the House during tie:
discussion of the question. He did not conceive that
he was, in the present stage of the business, beatid to
give that explanation which he was confident lie
ceuld, if it should be the pleasure of the House to
enter into the investigation. To the House, there-
fore, he should leave it to determine, whether he
should be called upon to . give that explaree
tion, which at present he was prepared to do, if it
appeared to him to be called for, on this occasion
The noble Lord then made his bow and withdrew.)
The SPEAKER then informed the Honourable
Member (Mr. Madocks) that this was the proper
time for him to make his election as to the course he
should adopt.
Mr. MADOCKS moved, that the House do, on
Wednesday rent, resolve itself into a Committee cf
the whole House, to examine into the matter of the
said charge. - • • ..•••
•
Mr. TI E RNEY "suggested the propriety of having
the paper, from which_ the
_Hon. Member had read
the information he communkated to the House, laid
upon the table, in order that Gentlemen might have
an opeortunity of ascertaining what the information
was. At present they could only collect it froia what
they could remember (et the speech of the Honourable
iGnteontdleieMijanou;
scansidncme
tairiey
concluded, could not possibly have any knoeledge
leronenau‘berarbsie
.‘GvlrritlheM'daicacharnde
of the information it conveyed. He thought it right
.that before - the House should come to a vote, they
shoeld know exactly whet it was upen which they
were to decide.

The precedent was then read by the Cleik at
table.
The SPEANER. then asked the I-lon. Member,
whether it was h:s intention to follow up the wholeet
only a part of the precedent'? The motion he had
made contained a double question ; first, that tt,i;
Charge be heard at ail, and next that, it be heard oa
a particular day. If the Hon. Member were to tot-
low the precedent, he must be aware that when infor-
mation of the charge of bribery was given to the
House, the Members were heard and withdrew; aficr
which, when the House had divided, that the charge
should be heard, a list of the places was seat to
the parties, alter which a day was appointed fOr hex-
ing the matter of the charge.
Mr. WHITTREAD was of opi:lion, that the mo-
tion of his Honourable Friend w;is sti ictly con!'
ble to a recent precedent, when that House,
information alone, entered into an invei

which lasted many weeks (o:yean of the Duie,,
His Honourable Friend could not have ta,
other course than that he had adopted; yet
sure that he could have no objection to leave
titular day cut of his, motion,' and then the
ings would correspond with Shepherd's pi
As to the observati( u of his Right Hon. Friel
Tierney) that rminv Merrt•Ts were not in th(
at the time of 11:s I totiourai2e Friend's speech,

urpox •
ndicti v;:4
(Ice ex
th the
Project,,;.
roj ec t
.ip.
n was 5,11..1.
s the
whatever
souring to
s,,he mu.%
most (1a.....
of charzei
d from,
ough what
confidere,.
mt, to C 7,
nice r,
tare in
that ;1-:s
to Cie esta-
rnCeedilfz,,
arable on:
e in
!at anci
nformat:.'in
errpi(rtin
xi in rising
Are saw :n.
confidence,
rt, by an 7
!d to !nab
wr, Hear !j
was my:"
the Hew;
om
, if, indeed,
eed it ap.

conforma-
upon or.l
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r of rork).
:aken :my
he w:.11
e the f.• •
proceed .
iend
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