§ On the Motion that the House do now adjourn,
§ Mr. Spring Ricesaid, that before this Motion was put, he could, not refrain from calling the attention of the House to the course of proceeding adopted by a noble Member (Lord Mandeville) who, after giving notice of a Motion for last night, in which very serious charges were brought against a Member of the Upper House (the Earl of Gosford), had, without the slightest notice of postponement, or even intimating such an intention across the Table, thought proper to absent himself altogether from the House, and had that morning left town. He (Mr. Spring Rice) did not intend to go into the merits of the case, in the noble Member's absence, but he had thought it right to express his opinion, that, in thus neglecting, without even a verbal notice, to proceed with his Motion, the noble Member had been guilty of much discourtesy towards the House, and of extreme injustice towards the noble Lord, whose character was involved, and over whom this Motion had been kept hanging for some time past, without any opportunity having been given him or his friends of vindicating him.
Mr. Shansaid, that the noble Lord (Lord Mandeville), after the understanding which had been come to, in consequence of the speech of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, had left the House under the full impression that it would not be possible 992 to proceed with his Motion; and he had probably considered that the same understanding would sufficiently explain his reason for not proceeding with it to the parties interested in the Motion. The noble Lord had, accordingly, left town for Ireland, whither he was called by the most urgent business.
§ Viscount Achesondid not see, that the complaint against the noble Lord was at all answered. What he had been justly found fault with for was, that, day after day, he had kept a Motion like this impending over a noble Earl who could not be present to defend himself, and that on the day when he had promised to bring it forward he had, without even the most indirect intimation of his intention to do so, altogether neglected to proceed with his motion, and left town.
§ The conversation was dropped, and the House adjourned.