§ Mr. Paullmoved, that as the evidence of the first charge against marquis Wellesley was on the table, the charge should be printed, in order to afford an opportunity of comparing it with the charge.
§ Sir A. Wellesleyopposed the motion, and stated what the house had already done on the subject. The first resolution of the house for printing it had been rescinded next day. The reasons were, that no evidence was then before the house, and also that a charge of such a nature should not be eventually circulated through the country, before the house could take it into consideration. It did not appear that the house would be able to enter into this charge during the present session. He could not, therefore, see any benefit that would arise from printing it, while the character of his noble relative might, in the mean time, receive essential injury.
Lord A. Hamiltoncontended that the house was now in a different situation from what it had been formerly in, when it resolved that the charge should not be printed. It seemed then to be agreed, that the proper time for printing it would be when the evidence was before the house; and now that the principal papers were before them, it was proper that they should be fully enabled to compare the evidence with the charge.
Mr. Rosewas of opinion, that the house would derive no advantage from printing the charge at present, while the character of the noble lord might receive no trifling injury from its circulation during the recess of parliament.
The Marquis of Douglassupported the motion, and took that opportunity of declaring that he saw nothing in the charge but what was supported by the papers before the house.
§ Mr. Windhamasked what was the reason for printing papers at all? Was it not for the use of the members? And the more numerous and complicated these papers were, it became the more important that the charge which they were produced to support, should also be printed, that the house might be fully able to compare the one with the other. It had been said, that false impressions would be produced; but he did not see much danger of that. A great deal of evidence had already been 831 produced in defence of the noble lord, and more was on the point of being so; the danger of ex parte representation would therefore be much diminished. The sooner the house had the charge in their hands, and the longer it was in their possession the better able would they be to come to proper decision upon it.
Lord Castlereaghsaw no possible benefit to any one from printing the charge. It would be a source of much hardship to the noble lord to have it printed. Much of the evidence for the defence was not yet before the house.
§ Lord H. Pettythought no inconvience or prejudice could arise to the noble marquis from printing the charge. There was much more reason for not printing the evidence than for not printing the charge when the evidence was printed. The probable delay of the consideration of the chore till the next session was rather a reason for printing it, that gentlemen might make themselves fully masters of the case.
§ Mr. Bankesthought the charge ought not to be printed while the evidence was so imperfectly before the house, and when the charge could not be considered till next session.
Mr. Grantobserved, that the eyes of India, and of the empire in general, were fixed upon the conduct of the house in this business. With regard to the objections urged against the publication of ex parte statements, he was surprised at the quarter from whence they proceeded. For he would ask, whether various papers and ex parte statements were not circulated by the friends of the noble marquis, though not among the public, yet among those who were to decide upon the great question to which the motion before the house referred?
§ Dr. Laurenceconsidered the grounds of opposition to this motion as of a most extraordinary nature. The charges against Mr. Hastings had, it was well known, remained on the table and were printed above 18 months before they were taken into consideration; and yet it was now argued, that the charge before the house should not be printed until the shortest possible time before the house should be called on to decide upon it. But no one attempted to argue in this way excepting those who, he had no hesitation in saying, were the avowed friends, supporters, and advocates of the noble marquis; and would the house allow itself to be dictated to by them? If so, there must, of course, be an end to all hopes of justice in the case. He appre- 832 hended that if the advice of the noble marquis's connections were attended to, the day of judgement would never come, although, strange to tell, those connections were sometimes heard calling out for a speedy trial. To-night, however, their language was, that it would be absurd to think of going into any of the charges until the next session.
§ Mr. W. Polepledged himself to this fact, that not one word had been written or printed by marquis Wellesley or his friends relating to the first charge against that noble lord.
§ Mr. Sheridanthought the charge ought not to be printed until all the evidence should be before the house. Nor would this delay be attended with any inconvenience, for he presumed that all the evidence required on both sides had already been moved for. At any rate the printing need not be deferred till the next session, for on the very last day of the session an order might be made to print and deliver papers to the members even during the time that the house was not sitting.
§ Mr. Paullwas at a loss to conceive why the friends of marquis Wellesley were so averse from allowing this charge to be printed, when in fact there was not a single allegation contained in it which was not also contained in a paper above 10,000 copies of which had been circulated by order of the court of East India proprietors. Whatever might be the decision of the house on the subject of marquis Wellesley's conduct, a decision had taken place elsewhere. In a court of proprietors a motion, which was stated at the time by the friends of the noble lord to convey censure on him, was carried by a majority of 960 to 170, and of 23 directors to 1!
§ Mr. Johnstonerecommended the hon. gent. who had just sat down to agree to the proposition of the right hon. gent. who had preceded him. The object of the motion which he had made in the court of East India proprietors, and to which the hon. gent. had alluded, was not to criminate marquis Wellesley, but simply to express his sense of the many and laudable conduct of time Court of Directors.
§ Lord H. Pettyfinding that the sense of the house seemed to be, that it would be more fair to defer printing the charge until the whole of the evidence was before them, thought it most advisable to move the previous question; which was agreed to.