Star.
London, England, 1820-06-08 00:00:00

He wished to guard himself by that explanation of
the duty which it had to perform, from the supposi-
tion that anything further than such preliminary
measure was to be the result of the deliberations ofl
the Committee ; and he desired to be distinctly un-
derstood, as not proposing any line of proceeding,
whereby an Exalted Personage was. to. be ' deprived
of the right of every subject, and to be tried without,
the fullest inquir y—(Hear, hear). The present mode
of investigation did not affect the justice of the cast,
while it was the most decorous and considerate with
respeCt to all parties. If any further exposition was
necessary, he would most willingly give it. His
Lordship then moved the Committee.
On the motion being read by the CiTANcELLOR;
The Marquis' of LANSDOWN rose, and said,
that it was not without great pain that he could in-
duce himself to speak upon a subject of such a nature
—that pain he should always feel, whenever an in-
vestigation was adopted, into the private conduct of
any membeS of the Royal Family, pirtlealarly one
holding so elevated a situation. Such a dttt?must
be repugnant to tlie feelings, not only of those per-
sons of the Legislature who formed the Court,
hut of the Public who awaited the decision.—
The Noble Lord .said, their Lordships ought not to be
indifferent to the public voice ; that he could have
wished that the House had been enabled to form a
more accurate estimate of the course which it was
proper to pursue by being furnished with more ex-
plicit information than the Noble Lord had in his
speech thought proper to communicate. He could
not tell what view of the case had been formed by
those who had entertained the question for a long
time before they came into that House, with their
minds made up upon the present occasion, and who
had been long occupied in the consideration of the
subject. ' But deprived as he was of this advantage,
he would say on the primafacie view of the case, that
there was a great, if not an insuperable, objection to
the mode of proceeding suggested by the Noble-Earl.
That Noble Earl had proposed a Secret Committee,
and a communication had been received from the
Throne respecting the conduct of her Majesty—but a
similar communication had been made to the other
House of Parliament. The servants of the Crown
had advised this course, but he begged their Lord-
ships to consider its probable consequences. The
House of Lords was- in the dernier resort, a Court of
Judicature, and the only Court before which any ulte-
rior proceeding founded on the Report of Committees
could come. lie must conclude, that when advice was •
given, or a communication made to that extent which
had been laid before the other House of Parliament,
it was impossible to exclude the possibility that it•
might lead to the exhibiting articles of impeachment
by the other House. No person who was ignorant
of the contents of the papers in the sealed bag, could
say, that those statements might not lead to such
a consequence. Their Lordships, would, therefore,
consider-the situation in which they were placed.—
They would look to the Courts of Law, and observe
how scrupulously the duty of Judges was separated
from that of Juries, and while they considered the
probable result of the communication to the other
House, which, not upon speculation, bat in a muu-
aer that stared them in the face, was likely to lead to
a calamitous result, he entreated their Lordships not
to take such a step as would disqualify them for the
discharge of an ulterior. though, most painful duty.
This was an objection founded upon one of the most
essential principles of the Constitution. Nothing
could justify a departure feom such a principle, but
a peculiar necessity. It had not been shewn that this
peculiar necessity existed in the present case. . As far
as the reference of the documents to a Secret Com-
mittee would go to screen the whole of those un-
happy transactions from the public eye, he would
assent to such a triode of considering them; but it
was evident that the examination of them by a Secret
Committee would have no such effect. The Public
of England could not be thus prevented from being a
party to the transaction. The Noble Earl had stated,
that no evidence could be advanced which her Ma-
jesty should not have the opportunity to rebut, in the
best way that, to her seemed advisable. Where-then
ccald be the secrecy? Everything in the accusa-
tion must be made known in the progress of the de-
fence; and the defence being public, the privacy of
the accusation could have no effect in suppressing
the information which was essential to the final deci-
sion. As to the justice of the proceeding, the House
would not have advanced one step by pursuing the
present mode. It could be of but little moment that,
a few Lords, let ming a Secret Committee, came to
a certain resolution upon ex parte evidence. The.
Ministers might as well at once have giVen the
House their opinion upon the course to be finally
adopted. Did they think that this House could be
better informed, because a few Noble Lords were,
added by the Committee to ministerial authority oe
the question ? It was well known that. Ministers
had been for more than a year collecting the *sults
of repeated inquiries, and had the -opportunity of
ascertaining the value, weight, and credibility of the
evidence on which the case was to be sustained. It
was impossible to suppose that any course of pro-
ceeding could be recommended by the few Lords
who were to compose the Committee, better than
could have been advised by the Noble Lords oppo-
site, who were acquainted with the whole of the evi-
dence. At the soewing of the Noble Lord himself,
the Committee could not inquire farther than the
Noble Lords opposite, who having read the whole of
the evidence, were not still in a situation to recoils=
Imend any course of proceeding to the House. 'Hcpw
then could any number of Peers make up. their minds;
to recommend any course to be adopted ? Besides,
I it was necessary that the House, being the highest,
ICourt of Judicature in the-country, should be kept
clear of all taint and sur position of prejudice?
I The Earl of LIVERPOOL said, he felt himself
1 called updn to say a leav words in consequence of
what had fail= from the Noble Marquis. At time

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