Lord Castlereaghrose for the purpose of moving that the order of the day for "referring the papers presented on Wednesday last to the House to a secret committee, to consider the matter thereof, and to report the same, with their observations thereupon, to the House," should be then read, in order to its being further adjourned till Monday next [Cries of Hear!]. In making that proposition to the House, he thought it right to state, that he made it in consequence of a proposition which had been received at a late hour that day 1009 by the earl of Liverpool. As it had been: received at so late an hour as to prevent an answer from being given to it previous to his coming down to the House, he trusted that the House would see the necessity of not calling upon him to communicate to them the nature of it. There had been no impression made upon his mind by the communication to which he alluded that led him to alter the caution which he had formerly given the House on this subject; that caution was, that they should not allow their minds to be biassed by the negotiations which were taking place, but should consider matters to stand in the same relative situation that they did before [Hear, hear!].
§ Mr. Broughamconcurred with the noble lord in the import which he had given to his present motion. It was with a view to have matters kept for Monday in the same state as they were at present, or rather as they were on the last night of adjournment. To be explicit, he wished members to act as if every thing was in that state. He wished to add a few words regarding the delay which the noble lord seemed to insinuate to have taken place on his part. The noble lord had said, that certain propositions had not been received till so late an hour in the day that it was impossible to answer them before the meeting of the House. He would inform the noble lord of the reasons of that circumstance. The party from whom those propositions came thought it most important not to begin a negotiation, lest in beginning it she should appear to be making improper concessions, especially also as the other party, who did not commence any negotiation, stood in a situation not to be injured by making concessions. The strong and earnest remonstrances of her legal advisers had, however at a late hour in the day, overcome the reluctance which the illustrious individual in question felt to being the first to negociate [Hear!]; and he therefore trusted that the noble lord would feel convinced that there was no intention either on his part or on the part of his hon. and learned colleague, to take ministers by surprise in sending to the noble earl at a late hour in the day the communication which they had sent him [Hear, hear!].
Lord Castlereaghdisclaimed any intention of imputing improper delay to the hon. and learned gentleman or his client. He had merely mentioned the lateness of the hour at which the proposition had 1010 been received as a reason for the postponement of the present question. As that proposal was still under consideration, he did not think it necessary to explain the reasons why some proposal had not originated from another quarter.
§ Mr. Broughamsaid, that in the delicate situation in which both the noble lord and himself were placed, a superfluous was better than an imperfect explanation.
Mr. Wynnobserved, that one of the great advantages arising from the step which the House had taken on the night of the adjournment was this—that no one could suppose that the renewal of the negotiation, come from whichever party it might, was the result of any other feeling than a deference to the wishes of the House of Commons, re-echoed back to it as those wishes had been by every individual from one end of the country to the other [Cheers].
§ The order for taking the papers into consideration was then further adjourned till Monday.