§ MR. DARBY GRIFFITHsaid, he wished to give notice that on a suitable occasion at the next meeting of the House he would give the hon. Member for Southwark (Mr. Layard) an opportunity of making an explanation to the House in reference to the matter which had been brought forward by the hon. Member for North Warwickshire (Mr. Newdegate). He questioned whether a Member of Parliament was morally justified in making strong statements in the House, and then absenting himself afterwards from the House during the period when the House was sitting, and when he might be reasonably challenged to give an explanation. He did not think that was in accordance with the rules of this House, because it put hon. Gentlemen to a disadvantage; and he did not consider that the publica- 551 tion of a letter in the newspapers was sufficient to meet the case, because it was in that House that the rectification should be made, and a letter published in the newspapers was not the same thing as a speech made in that House. He raised a quasi point of Order the other day, which he believed was not altogether as unfounded as at first sight appeared. There was some hesitation as to whether some strong language applied by a Member of this House to a person not a Member of this House could be taken down. He supposed he was correctly informed that it could not be taken down according to the rules of the House; but it might be a question whether circumstances had not greatly changed since those rules were made. Those rules were intended to preserve peace between Members, when the object in view was to prevent their coming into actual conflict with each other. At that time the House sat with closed doors, and whatever was said merely concerned those Gentlemen who were present, and those gentlemen who were out of doors were not affected by it. That rule, then, was sufficient for the purpose in those days. But now that the debates were published and known all over the world, it became a question, which the right hon. Gentleman in the Chair might usefully consider, whether there should not be some check on the language of Gentlemen speaking in this House, and seriously affecting, in a manner in which the publication of no other libel could do it, the character of those outside the House, and who were now perfectly helpless under such circumstances, and incapable of obtaining any redress.
§ Motion agreed to.
§ House, at its rising, to adjourn till Thursday.