Commons Sitting of 23 March 1808

PETITIONS AGAINST THE ORDERS IN COUNCIL.
After the other orders of the day were disposed of, the house Went into a committee on the Petitions against the Orders in Council. Mr. Brougham, the counsel for the Petitioners, Was called in and the examination of Mr. Mann, which

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had been interrupted at the rising of the house last night, was resumed. Mr. A. Glennie was also re-examined. The following witnesses were then called in and examined, viz. Mr. H. Hinckley, Mr. James Cropper; Mr. Martin, Mr. Rath-bone, Mr. James Oxley; James Palmer and James Kinder; and Mr. Thomas Mullet.— The Chancellor of the Exchequer suggested after the examination of the last witness, that the business should be deferred until to-morrow; and that, after the hearing of evidence in support of the present petitions, counsel should be called in and witnesses heard in support of the London Petition in favour of the Orders in Council. He knew that there were some gentlemen who had a different feeling on the subject from that which the hon. gent. on the other side had. He therefore thought it would be right that their witnesses should be called, before the learned counsel then at the bar proceeded to make his observations on the case.—Mr. Tierney and Mr. Whitbread observed, that it would be rather a novel course of proceeding, to call in counsel to be heard in support of a Petition, where the petitioners themselves had not thought proper to make it part of their prayer that they might be so heard. Besides that, the committee was not empowered to hear them, as the instructions from the house to them only went so far as that they should consider the Petitions against the Orders in Council. The other Petition was only ordered to be laid upon the table. After a few words from the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Rose, and Mr. Huskisson, in support of the original suggestion, the business dropped. The house then resumed, and Mr. Brougham, and his remaining witnesses, were ordered to attend to-morrow.