Star.
London, England, 1804-06-23 00:00:00

•
oslary,ter (Mr. MY nrrairwd hind lire that
': triktunk; Wit the natare .uf his defence 'nigh; be.
she thou( d not prefuencteranticipate ; bap he *opted
And reviled he lhould be able to make it appear t r
the Houk that all was *ld of foundation, and that
he-had juil grounds to entitle him ur aa in the man-
ner he had done. If there were aaually any law
which the Right lion. Gentleman could *Hedge as
an authoritithr hie Condua, it ought inftantly to be
abrogated. If he was to tel his defence on his re.
'fpontibility, he did not think that who'd be a valid
:defence, bccaufe there was no occation for inch ea,
;traordinary hurry. The French were not here, nod
though•aaually esnafted, there was n& crearfion for
•Reppang beyond the line of his duty. Ttocnaintry.
.did not require the Sacrifice at his hods.. * Mit. Mo-
arra was furrounded with people who, bad there
' boo any *caliph for ,fufpeaing him, could eafily
have fecured hint If, however, the Right Hon.*.
able Gentleman had taken it upon him to aa at *4,
own rifk, would it not have been iscumbant •
him to have Rated it to Governor*, that hobo sta•
aa of tigoor might ',raise afieryraeda looked bn as*"
precedent, that the people or Scotland might not tut.,
pole that by foal
,ia ettfolgetilPael breach of power
their laws ware careetnenni, and that he hinsfelf
i mityht love ere! 0414 hokannit .He then.
404
concluded with. feif%, tif the flo eta far.
IF
ther confijeraliagonall . ~frearing he .17405.
nourable Gentlemante Meal aimlld, be 01- APiniu.
that his Conctua jgfalleat facia an accufation, he
thought they would alto unite in thinking, that he
was not fit for the high refiton(ible Atuation which be
held.
Mr. SPEAKER here rofe; and obfereed.• that as
• the Hon. Member had• made a complaint to the.
Houle, he conceived that the _mitre* procedure was,
that the Hon. end Learned Member againft whom
it was directed, fliould be beard in his defences mot
then withdraw, in order to leave the queßion to be.
fairly difeutred.
The LORD ADVOCATE of 8COTLA)01). ,
then soft, and began his defence to the charge that
ihad thu. been preferred agaishil him. lie 6. - • •
ed the open and manly moaner in which the Ho
nonrable Gentleman (Mr. Whitbread) had brought.
it forward. He felt that he (Mr.W.),lnol. ta4r3
vi te make this grieious chant as pad:able
to him as pofiible. It way imps e, honenril that
I'MOW lath candour and politenefeen the pare erF Om
.2
, Honorable Gentleman could' pre at 'O4l
I. bird Advocate) from feelinet Mtn If iet,a.vyyiagajt.
ward predicament. .It had.fadotie pet
11
irah aim
man that on the Left 6ccafian on wW ha aeldeaffet
that allembly, he Should ttand in funk eh • • , . .
,liiciati• n, atid still lets did he celled talon
of wlful in:Judie,. Theft were charges ~=
tebnld alture lim (Mr. W.) and the Houk:, he had
•nohran often accullooed. to hear ; for fare ha was,
['that inihflice and oppreflion were never before eon
pled wt:h the name he bore. The lionouralitelata:
lemon was a petfon titular, unknown to bins and
TIC who fawned perfaetly ignorant.' of the fcaling•
which the csiuntry (rim whence be (the Lord Ad
vlseate) had come, lonctosearala bite. In t! is criiin-
',.try Inch an aeculation may hays been credited ; but
lihe might venture to far Oland the kinanurable Geo
Ocean, hr any mire pevon,had gaited ftsalt A.* rof
Imiisitice .ir °pars:lll.m agaiitit him, in the city where
l!he lived ( Fa.linhurgti)" it.i leis than • hiodred. ikon.
1' fand tongues wouh: have beet; tailed agaiall Mooed,
he .night ert n venture u. faaa, not a few arms. The
letter allock.l to was dated the t 3th of December ;
but the Honoutable Gentleman had chaos to pals
over the whole ince:mediate peoitid of fig months,
daring part of which he (the Lord Advocate) could
shave been here, anuaanally was here, to *scoter any
,charge against him.' This, he thought. Was fame.
,what suicandid and ungan;rou, ; but he was willing
to admit of the Honourable Gentleman's apohigy
for delay, and.to attribute it to th. 4 with whom the
charge had f: rfl cm iginatcd. 'The a& of accufation ,
he laid, carried its puoilliment along with it ; at
the time it was brought he was bnfily employed in
his profe(lioral avocations', and in being Ptirlkil' to
came to that floufe to meet the charge, though he
fuffered no imprifonmenz, he had at leaß been pu-
niftiest by a cool:der:4l.le fine. It bad been laid, that
Mr. Morifon could not proceed againft a roan naval-
ed with fuch authoritrds his ; the affertion, however,
was difproved by the proceedings which took place.
Mr.. Writ-on was a rdpeaabie man, and a man of
property in his part of the country, and its about
three weeks after the letter was written, fent an at-
' terney to him to complain of it, who laid, that he
himfelf believed Mr. Morifm tube a loyal man. His
anfwer was, that if Mr. Motifon came to him, and
acknowledged, that, as a loyal fubjea, he was
wrong in dirmilling hit Servant for attending on his
encreife as a volunteer, he fbonld have no objellion
to apologist, and countermand the letter. Mr. hi. ,
however, did no Inch thing, end lie never heard any
more of him or the letter till it was, mentioned in
'that Houle. Surely, then. it was no vanity or pre-
fumption initim to expel Such a conceflion from Mr.
M. hclore he revoked the opinion chicle he enter-
tained, on the reprefentation of the Shelia' of the •
counts in which Mr. M. retitled. To enable ;he Houle
to judge of his motives, ;se mutt Rate to them what
was the fituation of Scotland at the time when the
letter was written. Ot all the regular army, only
two battalions and one regiment if dragoons west
left 1,4 the defence .4-Scotland, and even colt of thefe
it was intended to fcr.d a reinforcement into tke
' county of Northumbei land. The defence of &attai' .
tl.en WoLachictly entrulied t., thirteen battalions oftheir
own Msiitia, the givatcr part of which were neh her
clothed nor armed. Tit,: C-rontander in Chief, (the
Earl of Moira) who, in th; piitiZto it di:charge cfhts
&idiom, &Piss, had colciliat,:d the kft.ftion and ex-
cited the contidcii,:e nt the people in filch a manner,
that what was before ;a drcAil, was lion COP% etzed into
a fort of with for invatinr, had, in c•mcert with him,
conlidered, that if the cncrr.‘, mho, :leen:ding to a
letter from the Secretary , f State, was cm petted to
land daily, Mould gain priffrffwn .4. the capiiiii, the
moll fatal clef!. might cnliii. ionised ti. cor,centrate
the minaret force 1,,r site lee..•;ts of Eclinbu t gli.--
The Noble and g Al.. nt I -.••:.1 was ;le-, fo much in .
cited:lain)* of an imnie.haie iasa:inn, riat ir.:.e.m! r,l '
Sleeping, as ;dual, at Daik.iiii, tie I,:at ,f the (Pike
of hacciengh, he dl.rrir im:d to fir-p in Edit.tioagh. ,
and tequefled him ti., (!-- ',!::: iamc, v. hick, of chink. '
Lt readily complied with. he the r.,,l•ettll AIWA of •
the scoops near Edisiburxh, !Liar, Moray, and the
notthets puts of Scotland acre lett nattier:oiled, es.-

I eepV by the Volunteers. Under fnelPcircumflar.c:...
as the lead impediment to volunteering might e. •
danger materially the defence of thole parts again.
the enemy. he. did not think himfelf bound to met,-
. Are hi, official ditty by the rigid rules of law. The
,Commander in Chief had fo much reafon to espea
an immediate attack, that he really thought the ene-
my might have landed in that part of the country
I before his letter refpe&ing Morifon mouthed the coun-
ty of golf. . In thus gong beyond the law, for the
.I)ot:the fafety, he looked with confidence to an in-
demnity from the tandem' ivitwitdunt of that Houle;
,fee his dike was both dangerous and refpotrfible. It
:was Doter tits faine.dry. formal,and prattle nature as
that allhe Attnntey General in this cation y, as all
She (Intim which formerly belonged Ittk: the Officers
d &ate in Scotland derided", litres the Union,
;open the Kiag's Advocate. The JoiligestaMagiiirsitet,
lerewim indite, and Authorities. of bill defcriptions„
booked to the perfot holding the Iltoottfm "of King's
• .445004t0 for *dem and diteelios. Every one knew.
the esalteelehmaaer.of the Earl of Moira, and wete ,
• he a man .4 an oppmerre, Leith, or ereeldifporttion,
he left the Houk to ledge, whether be could hate
had the confidence sod co operation of that Main-
guillted Nobleman, who had bees a witners to his*
• condlia dewing the, eight. wroth* that he commanded
tin that coning? He begged of them to confider, that
the cap:tal of.Scotlartd, being Aloe miles from the feat
of Government, made it imp?filbte for hint to aptly
here for inaruaions I every thing of aonlequence was
'of neeeffity referred to him, -1.4. a„ kr osorotts
was his office, from the time that the danger of our
ateack•wasreprefeated to be fo imminent; that when
.the affair of Mnrifon happened, he had not written
left than 800 letters. He then Rated a,variety of ez.
Ft'riss at- which his peedecatirs as well as bimfelf,
exceededthe Aria letter et the liestand initead
Jo being called to an aCCO;101 for their conduct. had
•nreeirect the cOmmendation of their fuperiors, If the
llitouk thought proper t 6 fake upon itfolf the Mduoue
eludes of the King's Advocate of Scotland. he Ikoeld.
feel much obliged to it. The Sheriff Sobeitate gave
. him good restive* to think that Kraig,* was a difaf-
lofted mon. There has/ been in his neighbourhood
.a fociety of A dessert:as a name, that- the. Sheriff
was obliged to venue* them to &rout him wish the
honours of the fitting, upon. width they difolvof
thenifelem, and &Sleek wens .00 with the inter fyf-
tern in- Committees, and kept ,up a regular
mmdence with Franc*. One part of thew pirrarit
Meirerioad their fervent* with fo mush. wee* that
they thould be unable to attend to their military
osereire in the Volunteers. It was- then a matter
of Rate oneflity that all &citifies liquid. be gives
to (errant. who were Volenteers. to oaks them-
, (elves foldiera in as omit a degree as wit attainable.
Now haring Rated -4W* eileanstinnees, who that.
confiderect theeendnet of Mr. Morifon, towards hit
irritant, could liefitate to decide again* whom
the charge of iojuttice and oppreffien moil properly
applied t In Eat, if Mr. Morifon had been retained
its theme of the fiirß Coatul, be mold sot hare
wiled to a manner more immediately in tusifon with
the objeito andpurpofes of thr enenty.-Sneh, in fait,, ,
would be the coudua which the Firff Centel would
psecitely toped and demand at bi..lituade t for what
could be more to the purpok of the assumes enemy,
than for him to deprefs and• discourage, as much as,
in him lay, the. voluntesring tpirit.. and thereby dif-
coo: age the increate of that branch of the public
'fue cc, upon which, ender (Wail* eitealinaiances, the
detente ut the counts/ aimealolely relied! But it
was not merely uponthi. Cita4UltitaiNtik: that the or- .
der in quedion bad been iffued, but' *pmt -ether Or.,
cumitances joined with' it, and 'Which, wheelie
thank; erglain„ the Houle would judge hew. Kee'
he, was w monied to ham iheratinor fuelt. fufpl-
clans as, under, the aedisons refponfibility of his
fituation. aught him not to confine' his diferetion
within the told forms of ordinary legal proceed-
ing. He had been confidentially informed by the
Sheriff Sobtlitute, what/ official .-disty it was to
communicate to him the Rate- of the Polite, anti
Alta condo& of the inhabitants • within his diftria,
itliat earl! in. the French Revolution a Society was
'funned. and held their meetings within two miles
:of Islotifon's !route. It affumed the appellation of
*the Friends of Univerfal Liberty, and held ailual
•ccurcfpondence with the Revolutionary Convendos
and Jacobin Clubs of France, by whoen"t they were.
enjoined to perfevere moil' they Amid obtain the,
univerfal liberty of mankind. He did not With on'
this occafion to allude to any man by.name.bat there
was a perfoa who took the lead in this Grady.. whoa-
fituation and eiremnfiances mutt have given'him w
very tirong influence over Me. , Btotifon. But the
proceedings of' this facies y became fo flagitious, their
cabals and refolothom were fa fraught with (editions,
doarines, as to roduee, the Sheriff, as a magifirate;
to infill opon.the honotris of a fitting at their future
meetings. ,Thefirroeo, thee dikoocerted, held after-
wards private- meetings. in-finaller numbers, aid Rill
continuato 'perkvere in their Colt purpoks ; and it
was.reantWable, that the wren who conspired-this
fer-iity, .ever fence the commencement of the prefect
. way; had done every thing within their power and
• inflame: ti impede, to discourage, and to prevent
`the progreft of volunteering. Raveling, therefore,
on thole eircumflancea; knowing that the &Nation
of the country depended. at the moment, on the Von
.lunteers, and feeing the condo& of Mr. Morifon in
perfeet unifon with the condira of this fociety, at a
moment, trio, when the country was in a Rafe of mi-
strial alarm, another Nohle Lord, who bell there
the chi:f command, mealuring by half bears the
expeaution of the enentri approach; -.what, he
would ailtinitill be the fituation of his mind with re-
fpeel to Mr. Morifon, a man acting as if it were under
the potitive initeueliisee of the enemy I It • rev the
ezercife of difcretinef order filch heavy refponlibili.
ty, could warrant the Itt;ftell vigilance, and molt de.
tided difcmintenance (wards the condua of fuch •
r7,anip at filch a crifis, it 4' AI in fuck a cak. Hayloft
thus detailed to the Houle the 414144 and er•
preffive conaluel of Mr. Morifon, whale (errant*
for no other caufe than atmmg for the deform
of his count, yr, and the reprefentetioe of hie conclaft,
and its effeas opt' the volunteering fylient. made to
him officially by the Woe' id oi the county of Bear
whole duty it eavin revort to tin the date. of the
police and the condtta ut the people within Oh dif•
ta eft ; he would now pra:ced to fay a few words wit!
retped to the letter which the lips. Gentleman had
made the ground of In avert a charge aguinit 1,..
official evoilea. 'lime nes one oirmunaance, wit