General Porter rose to postpone until Wednesday se'nnight the motion of which he had given notice for Wednesday next, on the subject of colonel Cawthorne's Court Martial. This postponement the hon. officer stated to be necessary, as many members could not, in consequence of the quarter sessions, conveniently attend the discussion of this question sooner.
Mr. Cawthorneexpressed his wish that the hon. general would make up his mind and determine filially on the time when he was to bring forward his motion. The house would be aware how disagreeable must be the state of suspence in which he 433 was placed by having the motion put off from time to time. Nearly ten days had already elapsed since the hon. general had given his notice, and it was not without surprise, therefore, that he found him now proposing further delay.
§ General Portersaid, that his only object in proposing the delay was, in order to insure a full attendance, which he deemed highly desirable upon this occasion, and which could not be looked for if the discussions were to occur while the quarter-sessions were pending.
Mr. Cawthornedeclared that he was as anxious as any man, that the discussion of the case alluded to should have as full an attendance as possible; for without any reference to himself, he thought it involved a question of very great moment. Putting entirely out of view the consideration of holding any member of that house, or any persons whatever whose character was implicated, one moment more than was indispensably necessary in a state of suspence, he submitted to the candour and judgement of the house, whether there was not something in the course of this proceeding which justified complaint. The hon. gent. gave notice of this proceeding, in the first instance, in a way certainly very unusual, at a time when the members were very little likely to have any knowledge of it, namely, after the debate had closed on Tuesday morning, and after almost all the members had retired. Not a word of it appeared in the morning papers, in which accounts of the proceedings of that house generally appeared: and if it were not for some gentlemen who happened to perceive the insertion of this notice in the book upon the table, the thing would have been very little known indeed.
§ General Porterrepeated the grounds which induced him to postpone his motion; adding, that he would certainly bring forward the motion upon Wednesday se'nnight.