126 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



mander-in-chief, in the appoint- 

 ment to connmissions, regulating 

 exchanges, and filling up vacancies 

 in the army be referred to a 

 committee. — The Chancellor of 

 the Exchequer then moved that 

 it should be a committee of the 

 whole house.— Mr. Canning ob- 

 served that this was a mode of 

 proceeding established by various 

 precedents in parliamentary his- 

 tory. Mr. Wardle had declared, 

 that in calling its attention to the 

 present important subject, he was 

 actuated solely by a sense of pub- 

 lic duty. The honourable gentle- 

 man ought not then to be dissatis- 

 fied with those who placed him on 

 the most commanding stage to reap 

 the benefit of his patriotic labours. 

 Mr. Canning observed, that in 

 whatever view the house should 

 consider the transactions stated by 

 Mr. W. whether they were sub- 

 stantiated ovrefuted, " infamy must 

 attach somewhere ; either upon 

 the accused or the accuser." Of 

 this unguarded and strong ex- 

 pression, Mr. Canning was after- 

 wards often reminded, and sorely 

 badgered about it on every occa- 

 sion. Certainly, where there are 

 probable grounds of suspicion in 

 a case of great public importance, 

 accusation is excusable and even 

 laudable, though it should not be 

 substantiated. From the system- 

 atic scheme of calumnies, which 

 had been deliberately pursued for 

 some time past by the enemies of 

 his royal highness ; Mr. Canning 

 had to congratulate that illustrious 

 personage, and at the same time, 

 to thank the honourable mover, 

 for the opportunity afforded of 

 canvassing the subject upon 

 charges preferred in a tangible 

 state. His royal highness had 



been treated by a set of unprin- 

 cipled libellers, in their malignant 

 and vile fpublications, with a bru- 

 tality of insult, which almost made 

 good men hesitate in deciding 

 whether the value of a free dis- 

 cussion was not considerably de- 

 preciated by the evils of its 

 unbridled licentiousness. Mr. 

 VVhiibread admitted that every 

 man must lament that such a cha- 

 racter, elevated in rank and influ- 

 ence, should be exposed to un- 

 merited calumny. Still it was 

 to be presumed that a prince of 

 the House of Hanover, would 

 rather suffer under such attacks 

 than risk the liberty of that press, 

 to which so much was owing by 

 that family and the British em- 

 pire. But why was this brutality 

 of insult so long suflFered to con- 

 tinue? Were the attorney and 

 solicitor general, and the other 

 law officers of the crown asleep? 

 He was ready to give them credit 

 that the omission was not inten- 

 tional. — Lord Castlereagh said, it 

 was evident the same party who, 

 at a former period, endeavoured 

 to subvert all the establishments of 

 the country by force of arms, was 

 now endeavouring to undermine 

 them by calumniating whatever 

 was exalted in rank or distin- 

 guished in situation. Mr. W. 

 had asked, why the law officers 

 of the crown did not institute 

 prosecutions ? The fact was, that 

 they had instituted numerous pro- 

 secutions ; but their entire time 

 would be taken up in prosecuting 

 the libellers of the Duke of York, 

 if every libeller was to be pro- 

 secuted. Besides, it required but 

 some ingeniousness, united with a 

 moderate share of legal know- 

 ledge, to render it extremely diffi- 

 cult 



