§ Mr. Whitbreadrose, to repeat his notice, that he should to-morrow se'nnight make a motion on the subject of our foreign relation. Seeing the under Secretary of State for the Home department in his place, he would take that opportunity of asking him, whether he had made any further inquiry into the case of a Portuguese of the name of Correa, who had been sent out of this country, as he understood, because the ambassador, M. Souza, had refused to sign his passport.
§ Mr. Addingtonbegged to remind the hon. gentleman and the House, that when this charge was first made, he had expressed his belief that no such case had occurred. The hon. gentleman, however, not being satisfied, he (Mr. Addington) had the day after stated, that nothing of the kind had happened during the time that the present Secretary for the Home department had held his office. The hon. gentleman then found that he had made a mistake, and that the person in question had been sent out of the country, when Mr. Ryder was secretary of state. The first impression, therefore, which he (Mr. Addingion) had entertained, was, that he was not obliged to extend his researches to an indefinite period, as the hon. gentleman could not mention the year when the transaction took place. To avoid any misconstruction, however, he had searched to the period between five and six years ago, and had read all the papers upon the subject; and as far as his opinion went, he was satisfied that Mr. Ryder, than whom no man was less likely to be guilty of an abuse of power, had only exercised a sound discretion in sending that individual out of the country.
§ Mr. Whitbreadhoped the right hon. gentleman would excuse him, if he did not join in the panegyric which he had pronounced on Mr. Ryder; and as he could not take the opinion of the right hon. gentleman on this subject, he should move for the correspondence which had passed relative to sending Correa out of this country. He was desirous of knowing what was the practice as to signing passports; and on Tuesday, when an hon. member would make a motion on the Alien Act, he should bring this matter before the House.