JET. 42.] THE TRIAL. 387 



his gross perjury. The other was a lieutenant in the 

 navy, Hownam, fainting under examination when he 

 was pressed, in consequence of having thought he 

 could make an impression by his manner of relating 

 things. As Thanet said of Sheridan's evidence, 

 to which he partly ascribed his conviction, that he 

 wished to make a show of how he should excel in 

 giving his testimony forgetting, said Thanet, that the 

 only excellence of a witness is clearly and correctly 

 stating the facts; so Hownam desired to obtain a 

 like distinction by a like injury. I must, however, 

 add that Sheridan did beat Garrow, and turn the 

 laugh against him; and that his evidence did not 

 materially injure Thanet's case."* 



The case for the Crown having closed on the 7th of 

 September, the House of Lords decided on Saturday 

 the 9th to adjourn the further consideration of the 

 second reading of the bill to Tuesday the 3d of Octo- 

 ber. I passed a part of this interval at Brougham, 

 and when there wrote as follows to Lady Charlotte 

 Lindsay : 



TO LADY CHAKLOTTE LINDSAY. 



"BROUGHAM, September 10, 1820. 



" MY DEAR LADY CHARLOTTE, I wish I could tell 

 you more accurately than I fear I am about to do. 

 But it must be partly conjecture. I hear the Govern- 

 ment reckon on the House of Commons beginning with 

 the bill November 4. If so, I don't see why I should 



* In allusion to the trial of Lord Thanet, Mr Ferguson, and others, 

 for the attempt to rescue Arthur O'Connor from custody in 1799. St. 

 Tr. xxvii. 821. 



