HISTORY OF EUROPE. 



87 



the manner proposed. He was, 

 however, disposed (o meet the ideas 



! of the honourabli! gentleman who 

 proposed it, if he were allowed to 



[ amend the motion himscll'. 



I Mr. Wilberforce declared his 



readiness, with the consent of the 

 house, to withdraw his amendment, 

 which was accordinsily withdrawn. 



Mr. Sheridan withdrew the ori- 

 ginal motion, and proposed the 



I following: "That it appears, that 

 " the commissioners appointed by 

 " an act of the 43d year of his ma- 

 " jesty's reign,, to enqnire and ex- 

 " amine into any irregularities, 

 " frauds, or abuses, which are, and 

 " have been, practised by persons 

 "employed in the "several naval 

 " departments therein mentioned, 

 " have,, as far as appears by the re- 

 " ports which they have hitherto 

 " made, exerted themselves with 

 *' great diligence, ability, and for- 

 " titude ; and that thtir conduct, in 

 " the execution of the arduous du- 

 " ties entrusted to them, entitles 

 " them to the warmest approba- 

 *' tion and encouragement of this 

 " house." 



The question was then put on the 

 motion, as altered, and carried. 



lie then moved, " that this reso- 

 " Jution be communicated by Mr. 

 " Speaker to the said commission- 

 " ers," which was agreed to, and 

 the house adjourned. 



On the 3d of May, Mr. Leycestcr 

 delivered a message to the lords, 

 from the house of commons, re- 

 que-sting their lordships permission 

 for lord viscount Melville to attend 

 a meeting of the house of commons, 

 to be examined respecting the 10th 

 report of the naval commissioners, 

 and was inlormed that their lord- 

 ihips would send an answer by a 

 me«j:cnger of their own. 



Lord Ilawkesbury then moved, 

 " that the standing order, which 

 '• imported that no peer of the 

 " realm should attend the house of 

 " commons, or any committee 

 '• thereof, to answer matters of 

 " charge or accusation against thern- 

 " selves, on pain of being committed 

 '' to the tower during the pleasure 

 " of the house," which being done, 

 his lordship adverted to the circum- 

 stances- upon which that order was 

 made, and, after stating that the mes- 

 sage clearly referred to the points of 

 accusation against lord Melville, con- 

 tained in the 10th report of the naval 

 commissioners, moved '' that the 

 " message be referred to a commit- 

 " tec of privileges, and the clerk be 

 " o.'-dered to furnish them with such. 

 " precedents of similar cases as may 

 " have occurred." 



Lord Darnley objected to the 

 motion, as it tended to throw dif- 

 ficulties in the way of public jus- 

 tice. 



Lord Hawkesbury disclaimed 

 any such idea. The duke of Nor- 

 folk said, that though the house 

 could not compel lord Melville to 

 attend a committor of the house of 

 commons, he could have no objec- 

 tion to giving him permission to do 

 so, if he thought proper. 



The lord chancellor contended 

 for the propriety of upholding the 

 privileges of that house, and that 

 they should not be unmindful of the 

 solemn resolution taken in 1673, 

 which prohibited, under severe pe- 

 nalties, the attendance of any mem- 

 ber of that house, if matters of ac- 

 cusation against him were in ques- 

 tion. He was, therefore, for refer- 

 ing it to a committee of privileges, 

 and, after some conversation, the 

 motion of lord Ilawkesbury was 

 agreed to. 1" 



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