said, he was sure the House would feel that here were occasions when their customary usages ought to be dispensed with; they would feel that on any occasion like that which he was about to bring under their notice, not only would they be justified in not adhering to those parliamentary rules which usually determined the precedence of motions, but it was desirable that they should give way. When the death of any member of the royal family took place, it was a calamity most important to the House and the country. When, therefore, any branch of that illustrious family, under whose mild and beneficent sway this country had so long been happily governed, and under whom it had reached its present height of greatness and glory. When any one of that family paid the debt of nature, it became the representatives of the people readily to approach the foot of the throne with their condolence. Without pressing further on them the propriety of taking such a step on so melancholy an occasion, he should move an Address of Condolence to his royal highness the Prince Regent. His lordship then moved, "That an humble Address be presented to his royal highness the Prince Regent, to express the deep concern of this House, at the loss which his Royal Highness has sustained by the death of her royal highness the duchess of Brunswick, and to condole with his Royal Highness on this melancholy occasion; and to assure his Royal Highness, that this House will ever participate, with the most affectionate and dutiful attachment, in whatever may concern the feelings and interests of his Royal Highness and his illustrious House."

did not rise to oppose the motion of the noble lord; but feeling as he did, that the event to which it referred was one that more deeply affected her royal highness the Princess of Wales than any other member of the royal family, he thought an Address of Condolence ought also to be voted to her Royal Highness.

understood the noble lord to say, that there was no instance of the queen or the royal consort having been so addressed on such an occasion. If this statement were correct, it would not be proper, on the contrary it would be improper to vote the Address of the hon. baronet, but if the queen or the royal consort had in any instance been waited on with an Address of Condolence on the death of a member of the royal family, he thought it was now their duty to carry such an Address to the Princess of Wales. He was sure the noble lord would not take it ill of him if he called for the authority of the Chair on this subject.

was not aware that such an Address had ever been voted to the queen, but if it could be proved that such a proceeding had taken place, he was still by no means prepared to admit that the situation of the wife of the Prince Regent was the same as that of the queen.

gave no opinion on the point in question, and the motion was carried nem. con.

then said, in rising to call the attention of the House to the Petition which had just been read, he would, as he laboured under severe indisposition, be as brief as possible. He believed, and be was persuaded that the House would agree with him,—that the Petition of sir John and lady Douglas was nothing more than an impudent attempt to give a colouring of truth in the eyes of the nation to the atrocious falshoods they had sworn. The Petition, however, was before them; but in justice to her royal highness the Princess of Wales, he thought it ought not to be entered on their Journals without giving it some mark of their reprobation. Some might think it was wholly unworthy of their notice, and that by noticing it, they would give it a degree of importance which otherwise would not be attached to it. He thought differently, as he felt they ought not to confine their view of it to the case as it stood at present. [Here the hon. member was for some time unable to proceed from indisposition; he, however, expressed himself anxious not to postpone the motion, and wished to be allowed to read a paper, which he produced.] Proceeding to read the paper, he repeated his reason for thinking the Petition ought not to be passed over without notice; and contended, that if it were so passed over, this circumstance might hereafter be taken as presumptive evidence, that it was not thought wholly unworthy of credit, and thus something of a colour of truth might be given to the calumnies which had been circulated against her royal highness the Princess of Wales. He therefore wished some mark of reprobation to be put upon it, to guard against such an effect. The Petition appeared to him to originate in a wish to persevere in the most detestable falshoods.

spoke to order. He was sorry the hon. gentleman was so much indisposed, but he conceived that ill health was no plea for reading the paper he had produced. It appeared to him, that as much exertion was required to read that paper as to speak; and it was contrary to the forms of the House to admit of such a practice—as thus reading a paper, a member might offer the sentiments of an other as his own.

said, this form had been dispensed with on former occasions; in one instance he recollected permission to read his own speech or to let another read it for him.

admitted the forms of the House. He had to reproach himself for not having interfered before. He had forborne to do so on account of the indisposition of the hon. member; it Was a rule that no member should address the House but upon his legs. In some cases of indisposition, however, members had been indulged with permission to speak sitting.

recollected a case (that of sir John Coxe Hippisley), which was still stronger. He was so ill that he could not attend the House, and on one occasion another member brought down the speech which he had intended to make, read it to the House, and afterwards took a part in the debate.

said, all he contended for was, that if the hon. gentleman was able to read it, he was able to speak it.

[Here a pause of some length ensued. The hon. member was loudly called on to read by many members, which was opposed by cries of "No" from others. The call for him to read predominated.]

then went on to say, that it was from an anxiety not to put off the motion, that he brought it forward, though labouring under so severe an indisposition. The Petition he considered as a detestable attempt to give credibility to a deliberate charge hatched against the life and honour of the Princess of Wales. He did hope, that the distressing subject would not again have come before that House after his motion on a preceding night. It bad turned out otherwise, however, and he would not now have agitated it again but for this audacious endeavour to give a colour of truth to the whole by the Petition then on their table. He thought it impossible to suffer such conduct to pass without censure, and therefore he should move the resolution, declaring it to be the opinion of that House, "That the Petition of sir John Douglas and Charlotte his wife, laid on the table of the House on the 16th of March, is regarded as an audacious attempt to give in the eyes of the public a colour or truth to the falshoods before sworn to by them, in prosecution of their infamous designs against the honour and life of her royal highness the Princess of Wales."

seconded the motion.

of Kerry rose, but could not be heard for some time, from the load cries of "Question, question!" which burst from all parts of the House. He opposed the motion. He could not consent to express such an opinion on the evidence of the petitioners, on which they might still have to act as judges; against such a Resolution he would raise his voice, and though he might stand alone, take the sense of the House on the subject.

contended, that no regular grounds had been laid for the motion, which declared that sir John Douglas had attempted to set up, in the eyes of the public, that evidence as good, which had been proved to be false. They had not that evidence before them, and therefore, whatever his sentiments were on the subject—and the more he reflected on it, the more he was satisfied, that their evidence was false from beginning to end, and a part of a most wicked and atrocious attempt on the honour and life of the Princess of Wales—still, as they had not the documents before them, on which such a resolution should be founded, he could not concur with the motion. He thought it would be better that the House should resolve not to take it into consideration at all; and that the previous question should be moved to get rid of the subject, or the order of the day passed on to, or any other mode adopted, which would enable them to quit the subject without giving an opinion on it; if, however, he must say Aye or No to the question, his vote would be No, for the reasons he had already stated.

said, he was sure that if the motion was not unanimously negatived, it would only have the voice of the hon. gentleman who brought it forward, and of the hon. baronet who had reluctantly seconded it in its support. He had but one sentence to offer on the subject, and that was this—he hoped no previous question would be put upon this; most unfair, and if it could possibly pass, most disgraceful proposition, but that it would be met by a direct negative; The motion was of a nature subversive of all justice; and the House of Commons, if it could entertain such a proposition, instead of a blessing, would be a curse to the country.

wished to point out the awkward predicament in which the House was placed. They were obliged to let the Petition lie on their table. The Petitioners asked to re-swear the evidence which they formerly gave. He had no doubt they knew it was impossible for the House to grant the prayer of the petition: and they were thus brought, by a sort of trick, to let it lie on their table. His opinion was, that all petitions ought to be received, or he would have opposed this Petition in the first instance. In justice to the motion before the House, he must say, that, whatever technical objections might be raised against it, every man must subscribe to the truth of the proposition which it embodied.

wished to say nothing at all on the subject. It was proposed, that they should declare the Petition to be an audacious attempt to give a colour of truth to falsehood. This he could not do; and if he were to give a negative to the motion, it would be to say, it was not so—(No, from the ministerial bench)—Then he did not know what was meant by a negative. He wished the order of the day to be moved to get rid of it, without giving an opinion on the subject? Where could be the harm of doing this? If it could be said, that voting in the negative on it was not asserting that the Petition was not what it was described to be in the motion, he bad lost all idea of the meaning of the words Aye and No.

denied, that to negative this motion was to negative the character of the Petition given in the motion. If he had moved an amendment which went to give it another character, then the objection of the right hon. gentleman would be well-founded, as in that case he would have called on the right hon. gentleman to give the Petition a character. If a person asked him to say black was white, and he said he would not say so, did he not, acting thus, give an opinion on the subject. Called upon to say this Petition was scandalous, refusing to say so, was not to assert that it was meritorious.

maintained, that by negativing the motion, it might hereafter appear to the historian, that as it was proposed to pronounce the Petition to be an audacious attempt to give the colouring of truth to falsehood, and as the motion, was negatived, that the House of Commons decided it was not an audacious attempt to give truth the colouring of falsehood.

desired to know what Was the use of the previous question, if they were not to avail themselves of it to get rid of a motion like the present? He wished the learned gentleman could be allowed to show to what case the previous question was applicable if it was not applicable to this.

did not wish to criticise various modes of getting rid of a motion. It was sufficient for him to perceive that there was a strong feeling in the House in favour of one particular course on the present occasion, to induce him in this instance to give way. He had therefore to state that he had no objection to move, "That this House do now adjourn."

This proposition, appeared to meet with general approbation, and the motion for an adjournment was immediately put and carried.