12] ANNUAL REGISTER, 1818. 



could not have been met by the 

 ordinary operation of law, he 

 turned again to the noble lord, 

 and asked, whether he could sup- 

 pose that such a proceeding could 

 be satisfactory either with a view 

 to the vindication of the conduct 

 of ministers, or the maintenance 

 of the character of that House ? 

 Yet, if not to vindicate the con- 

 duct of ministers, for what pur- 

 pose was the proposed committee 

 to be appointed ? The noble lord's 

 committee would probably re- 

 commend an act of indemnity. 

 This committee would first praise 

 the ministers for their wisdom and 

 humanity, and next propose an 

 act to shelter them from any legal 

 responsibility — thus asserting at 

 once that ministers were right, 

 and that they ought to be shel- 

 tered from the consequences of 

 being wrong. They had, in fact, 

 filed a bill of indictment against 

 themselves, probably with a view 

 to prevent others from doing the 

 same against them ; and then they 

 came forward, in a tone of de- 

 fiance, exclaiming, " This is our 

 green bag — who dare touch our 

 green bag ?" But notwithstanding 

 this tone, they appeared resolved 

 that their green bag should not 

 be touched by any but particular 

 friends. 



Mr. Bathurst observed, that 

 the right hon. gentleman appear- 

 ed to think the course proposed 

 on this occasion, quite a new 

 mode of proceeding, forgetting, 

 perhaps, that it was precisely the 

 same as that adopted in 1801, 

 with the support of the right hon. 

 gentleman himself, and in oppo- 

 sition to arguments similar to 

 those which he had just advanced. 

 The majitter was then quite agree- 



able to preced«it. Parliament 

 hi that case felt as it must always 

 feel ; that government acting for 

 the public safety should not be 

 compelled to give up the sources 

 of that secret information whicli 

 had urged them temporarily to 

 deprive individuals of their liberty. 

 If, indeed, parliament declined 

 thus to shield government, what 

 government or ministers would be 

 found to execute the powers 

 granted by the suspension of the 

 Habeas Corpus act? Mr. Bathurst 

 then followed the right hon. gen- 

 tleman through several of his 

 other positions. One of these 

 referred to Oliver, of whom Mr. 

 B. asserted that he had become 

 acquainted with the conspiracy 

 by accident, when he communi- 

 cated his information to govern- 

 ment, by whom he was employed 

 to continue his connexion with 

 the persons through whom he 

 obtained his information. But 

 he afterwards observed, in expla- 

 nation, that what he had stated 

 was, that Oliver went down in 

 company with one of the princi- 

 pal conspirators, and by this 

 means became acquainted with 

 the designs that were in agitation 

 among them. Certainly this 

 statement appears somewhat at 

 variance with OUver's declara- 

 tion " that he had become ac- 

 quainted with the conspiracy by 

 accident." 



Sir S. Romilly perfectly con- 

 curred in opinion with the noble 

 lord, that an inquiry was neces- 

 sary, but totally differed from 

 him with regard to the nature of 

 it. The present was, he main- 

 tained, quite a new course of 

 proceeding j for there was no in- 

 stance upon record of the refe- 

 rence 



