Lords Sitting of 9 September 1831

AFFAIRS OF PORTUGAL—EXPLANATIONS.
The Marquis of Londonderrytook that opportunity to state, that in consequence of what had passed on a former day, he had felt it to be his duty to transmit the Letter which had then been mentioned, without any alteration whatever, to the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs. He had seen Sir John Campbell, who stated, that he was ready to verify the contents of that Letter either to the Secretary of State to his Majesty's Government, or to that House. He (the Marquis of Londonderry) had therefore exonerated himself from the charge of having brought forward anonymous documents in that House; and he begged leave to say, that he was the last person who would be ready to charge any public functionary with a breach of duty upon anonymous information. He could assure their Lordships, that he would not have produced that Letter if he had not been aware that such a Letter, or something similar to it, had been forwarded to Ministers, and that his Majesty's Government had, in consequence, only eulogized and panegyrized the conduct which was described in that communication. The noble Duke opposite ought to know, that he was not a person who took pleasure in bringing forward charges against a public functionary. The noble Duke must be aware, that when he (the Marquis of Londonderry) had received certain Letters about the noble Dukehimself, he had forwarded those documents to him. He had deemed it right, in justice to his own character, to state thus much.
The Duke of Richmondhad not charged the noble Marquis with impropriety in producing anonymous information before their Lordships. The noble Marquis had a right to do so if he pleased. But what he felt was, that the noble Marquis had not acted discreetly in introducing an attack on Mr. Hoppner, who was absent, and who was likely to be so for several weeks.
The Marquis of Londonderrysaid, that the whole matter was now in the hands of Ministers, who would deal with it as they thought fit.