in the newspaper called "the Times," of Wednesday the 26th of this inftant, December, an account had appeared of the proceedings of this House, and a mifrepresentation of what had been faid by feveral members. It would be neceffary to move likewife, that the paper fhould be given in at the table and read.

Mr. Tierney then moved, thar the paper fhould be given in, which being feconded,

The Chancellor of the Exchequer rofe and faid, he wished to fay a few words upon the fubject which had given rife to this complaint. The hon. Gentleman certainly had stated the fubftance of what had palled on a former night. It was that he had faid, that if the allufion thrown out was meant to apply to the perfon who was laft year appointed Postmaster General, it certainly was utterly unfounded. He did not stop there, however. He did not content himself with ftating that there was no foundation for the imputation he had stated, that the noble perfon had not only complied with the demands of the law, but he had done a great deal more than the law required him to do; he had ftated that fo far from avoiding what he ought to pay, he had done directly the reverse. Instead of evading the payment of the Affeffed Taxes in a way which would have been highly difgraceful, he had voluntarily given double what the law called upon him to contribute. The hon. Gentleman had certainly then profeffed to rest on that statement as an undoubted fact in regard to the perfon. He could not help now faying, however, that it did appear that the perfon of whom he ftated the above facts must have been the perfon alluded to by the hon. Gentleman, for it would be idle to fuppofe that he would have acquiefced in the affurance if he had alluded to any other perfon. He could affure the hon. Gentleman in point of fact, that it was not from any anxiety refpecting that noble perfon that he had taken up the fubject, for when first stated he had not the most diftant conception of the perfon meant, and it was only from reflecting on the defcription given, that the perfon alluded to had refigned a penfion and been appointed to an office under government, that he thought he had difcovered to whom it was intended to apply. He was anxious likewise to remove the imputation from all perfons in office under government. He did not confider the danger in the light in which it feemed to have appeared to the hon. Gentleman. He did not confider it as light or venal, but utterly inconfiftent with what ought to be the conduct of a man of integrity and honour.

He

He wished that there fhould be no ground left by any general charge to fuppofe that any perfons under government were guilty of fuch a difgraceful proceeding as the hon. Gentleman had itated. As to the immediate queftion before the House, it was certainly impoffible that it could be taken up without marking the breach of privilege. However the Houfe might have connived at the practice of publishing reports of its proceedings, it certainly was no fmall aggravation that the speeches of members were mifreprefented. He believed, however, that this was not the first time that the hon. Gentleman as well as many others, had experienced it. When the breach of privilege was ftated, the House was called upon to fupport its order. He was glad that the complaint was made, as it would fhew that the Houfe, though not difpofed on every inftance to push their privileges, to the utmoft rigour, were determined to maintain them, and to affert their dignity. Mifreprefentations, he was convinced, equally prevailed in the reports given by papers of all defcriptions. He was glad likewife, that he had had an opportunity of adverting to the principal fubject, in so far as regarded not only the character of the noble perfon to whom he had alluded, but of other perfons holding offices under Government. The notice now taken of the affair complained of would likewife operate as a warning, that the privileges of the House would, in proper cafes, be enforced, although they had been too much overlooked in the House itfelf, and almoft wholly out of it.

Mr. Tierney faid that he took this opportunity again to repeat what he had faid on a former occafion. When the matter was first stated, he was fpeaking in a way which fome accused as levity, a proof that he was not in a temper to make grave and ferious accufations, and what he had faid was merely an illustration of the difpofition of people to avoid taxes, when fo much was faid of what was odiously called evading the payment of taxes. He had ftated that there were many people who would not be guilty of what they confidered a grofs act of dishonesty that would think themfelves juftified in availing themfelves of the ftrict letter of the law to avoid the payment of taxes, and the inftance he alluded to, he had ftared as an ingenious device in that way. He never meant to make any grave and weighty charge against any perfon. There must be fome Gentlemen who were disposed to take mortal offence at every thing he said, and

to

to reprefent what in another would be confidered as a trifling matter, as a very ferious crime in him. This, however, would put him more upon his guard in future. The allufion was meant only to illustrate what was always held to be a common practice. In looking into an author of note, he had found the fame idea ftated, though with much more elegance and force than he could pretend to give it. The book. he alluded to was a letter from Mr. Eden to Lord Carlisle. Having ftated the income of the country to be 100 millions, and that the tenth of that income would produce no more than 7,he illuftrates the practice of avoiding taxes by faying, "We know that opulent perfons can fhut out the rays of the fun to avoid the window tax. (This was fuppofed to allude to a noble perfon whom he fhould not name, as he meant to beware of anecdotes.) We know that horfes are obliged to drag twenty miles extra, to avoid the poft duty; that difinterested enthufiafm was not of rampant growth; it was a fenfible plant which fhrunk from the touch of the taxgatherer." Such was the idea which he had flated upon these authorities, and it was in illuftration of it that he had made the allufion which had given fo much offence. He had been called upon at first with much warmth to name the perfon alluded to. The right hon. Gentleman, on the contrary, with the most perfect temper, civility, and good manners, had taken notice of it in fo far as he conceived it to apply to a certain noble perfon, and he was ready at all times, if betrayed into an error, candidly to acknowledge, and when he had been mistaken, he thought there could be no fhame whateven in admitting it. The right hon. Gentleman certainly was right; my Lord Auckland was the perfon alluded to.. He was not to be intimidated, however, to answer questions put to him in a petulant, offenfive manner; but when Genilemen acted with politenefs and good manners, he was always ready in candour to give every fatisfaction in his power. The mistake had originated in a miftatement of the fortune of the noble Lord in queftion. The right hon. Gentleman, however, had stated from his perfonal knowledge, that the account was utterly unfounded, and he knew no better authority when the right hon. Gentleman pledged himfelf to a fact in fuch a manner. He now, therefore, withdrew hist fanction from a flatement which had come to him as a rumour. He could not do more than this. He never had any intention to hurt the feelings of any perfon; he never meant

to

to adduce the fact as a grave and ferious charge, and he felt no thame in retracting what he had faid, and if he had occafioned any harm to the noble Lord he was forry for it.

Mr. Bankes faid, he was forry he was not in the Houfe when the hon. Gentleman first began. From what he had heard, however, of the hon. Gentleman's explanation, he must take the liberty to fay, that when the conversation fir took place, he had stated that the ftory had reached him not from rumour, but from a perfon of credibility on whom he could rely. Now he had ftated the perfon to whom he had alluded like a man of honour. When that allufion was first made, it was in a way fomewhat different in the impreffion it made on the Houfe, from the turn which the hon. Gentleman now gave it. He had ftated that the noble Lord in question, at the moment of giving an account of his income under the affeffed tax bill, had, as not being in receipt of his penfion which he had refigned, and not knowing the amount of the profits of his office, reduced his income, to 300l. a year. This too he flated not on rumour, but coming from a perfon on whofe acouracy he relied.

Mr. Tierney here interrupted Mr. Bankes, and faid, there was no inconliftency between what he faid formerly and what he faid now. He had faid, that he had it from a perfon on whofe accuracy he thought he could rely; but, on enquiry, he found that this perfon had it from rumour, from A, B, and C, confequently he was juftified in faying he had re ceived it only from rumour.

Mr. Eankes faid, he would in a few words juftify what he had flated. If a Gentleman ftated in the Houle that he had a fact from a creditable perfon, it certainly was intended to have more weight than if he gave it merely as vague rumour. It turned out now that the hon. Gentleman's person of accuracy, had no accuracy, and that the perfon he thought was to be relied on, could not be relied on at all. Certainly in matters tending to affect the chara&er, and to wound the feelings of others, Gentlemen fhould be certain of the accuracy, on which their ftatements were fou ded.

Mr. Tierney wondered that Gentlemen fhould think that it; was poffible for him to fee at once what was a rumour and what was not. He had now afked the perfon from whom he had received the ftory, how he had obtained it, and he found, it was not froin accurate information, but from rumour., Now, therefore, he was aware that what he had conceived to

be

be founded on accurate knowledge, was nothing more than vague rumour.

The Solicitor General faid, that he had at one period of his life lived in fome terms of intimacy with the hon. Gentleman (Mr. Tierney), and that intimacy ftill left a confiderable impreffion on his mind. He could not help thinking ftill, however, that what the hon. Gentleman had formerly faid bore a conftruction different from what he had now given it, and was calculated to produce different impreffions on the House. What he had faid of a noble perfon implied a charge of a very ferious nature, and he begged the hon. Gentleman to confider how dangerous it was to ftate

- Mr. Tierney interrupted the Solicitor General and flated, that he fhould be happy to renew his acquaintance with the learned Gentleman, but he did not wish to hear fermons from him. Here was a cry of order.]

The Solicitor General proceeded. He faid he had no intention of giving the hon. Gentleman offence. He merely meant what the hon. Gentleman had advanced amounted to a very ferious charge. It was not the cafe of a perfon endeavouring to avoid payment of a tax, by adhering ftrictly to the letter of the law, but it was, if truly stated, a palpable fraud. When such a statement, implying fuch a charge, was advanced, it was very natural that thofe who were acquainted with perfons to whom the allufion could in any shape be conArued to apply, fhould be anxious to juftify them from the imputation.

Mr. Tierney faid he never had stated it as at all implying fuch a fraud, nor was it ever meant as a grave accufation. If the learned Gentleman had applied to the right hon. Gentleman next him, his more accurate recollection, together with his candour, would have informed him that no fuch thing had been faid.

The Solicitor General faid, that he had merely ftated that what the hon. Gentleman had alluded to as having been done by a noble perfon would have amounted to a fraud, and that the warmth of those who wished to juftify their friends from the imputation was quite natural.

The Speaker faid, the Houfe would perceive that this converfation was irregular. On the prefent occafion they would judge how far he had done right in acquiefcing in it, but certainly it had now been carried far enough.

On the motion being put, that the paper be given in and read,

Mr.