The Marquess of Londonderrysaid, that seeing the noble Marquess (Wellesley) in his place, he wished to avail himself of the opportunity of saying a few words on a subject which had created a considerable degree of interest. He should have been satisfied to allow the matter to rest as it stood upon the last conversation, unwilling as he was to renew the subject, being as it was a matter of great delicacy, on account of its being connected with the honour of an illustrious personage; but when he saw that it had been made the subject of observations in the press—not in the low, degraded portions of the press, but in the respectable portion of it—in two papers known to be connected with the Government, he meant The Globe and The Morning Chronicle—and when he saw in them that it was represented that the illustrious personage near him (the Duke of Cumberland) had made statements or drawn inferences which were not founded in fact, he could not allow such representations as a man of honour to be passed over without 340 giving them a complete contradiction. He had the satisfaction to state, that in consequence of what had occurred, a correspondence had taken place, and this was the position in which things now stood. The letters were now in his possession, showing that there was nothing for the illustrious Duke to unsay, and that what he had said, and what had been represented by the illustrious Duke was fully borne out. In this position he was perfectly disposed to leave the matter. These letters and documents were now in his possession; he had no wish to press the matter further, but he thought it right to the character of the illustrious Duke that it should be freed from the smallest imputation, such as that he could have represented any circumstance, or stated any matters which were not founded on positive data and well-proved facts. The correspondence was so satisfactory that it could not be disputed. He repeated that he should not press it further; but if the noble Viscount opposite was not satisfied, he might call for the correspondence, and so might the noble Marquess if he had any desire to have the matter further discussed.
§ Viscount Melbournehad no wish whatever to call for the correspondence.