The Statesman.
London, England, 1822-07-10 00:00:00

BREACH OF PRIVILEGE.

Mr. W. COUR'rENAY said he rose to call the at.
tention of the House to a publication, which fell under
his notice, and which, be supposed, had attracted
the notice of other Gentlemen. That publication was
in the shape of a letter, and contained observation which
to him appeared to be a Breach of the Privileges of that
house. He hoped, therefore, he would be excused. if
being of that opinion, he called the attention of the
house to the subject. The house WOO I bear in recol-
lection that some few days ago (the 25:11 of June) an
Hon. Gent. (Mr. Abercromby.) had brought before the
house the coarlect of part of die rasa is Scotland, and
of some inslivtduals connected with it. In performing
the duty which the Hon. Gent. bad undertaken, he ne-
cessarily appeared as an accuser. However disagreeable
that discussion was to the Hoe. Gent. himself, it was
important to the public and to Parliament. He (Mr.
C.) held in his hand a letter, which was jnst published,
and which was entitled a" Letter to James Abercroinby,
I Esq. M.P. by J. Hope." That gentleman had published
a letter of very considerable length, which contained.ex-
pressions and observations, that, as applied to a Member
within those walls, might be considered dangerous, and
calculated to promote hostility. and bring the writer
I into a personal quarrel with a Member of that house.—
He would read a part of the letter, but as it was of con-
siderable length, he would trouble the house with only
one or two passages, which appeared to him to be a gross
violation of their privileges. The letter began by no-
noticing the report of the speeds of the Hon. Gent.—
(Mr. Abercromby) in that House, and then addressed
the Member of the house as it lie were the nnquestion-
able speaker of that reported speech. The first pays ire
which he would read to the house ran in the followitig
words:—" On the gents injustice to the defendants, re-
sulting from this pe ion of the privileges of parlia-
mentary discussion, in order to aid the private action of
a political associate, and to prepossess and prejudice the
minds of the public, from wham the Jury must after-
, wards be selected, it is needless to enlarge." He (Mr.
Courtenay) was not a political associate with the Hon.
Gentlenian who made the speech which gave rise to
those observations, but he knew that Hon. Gentleman
only did his duty, and be, who called that duty a
perversion of the privileges of Parliaments ry discnesion,"
and ascribed it to p and unworthy motives. was
guilty of a breach of the privileges of that house. There
were other parts of the letter equally olfensive, but hr
thought the passage, which lie had read, strong et otigh
to merit the censure of the house. %Viten he said he
had no political association with the lion. Candi mar.
(Mr. Ahercronthy) it might be suppored that for that
reason thecourse he had pursued was not strictly correct.
But it was not for him to consider what was agreeable
or disagreeable to the Hon. (lenticular. Ile was resolved
to do his duty in bringing under their consideration
what appeared to him to he a direct breach of the privi-
leges of the house. lie did riot do that fur the sake of
being brought into notice, or of intruding himself on
on the house, but while they had the privilege of a free-
dom of speech in that house, he was of opinion they
ought to guard it, and not allow an attack of that na-
ture on one of their Members. If they allowed one of
their 'Umbels, in discharging his dote in that house, to
bring forward an accusation agaisst other tudividua:‘,

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