HL Deb 08 May 1843 vol 68 c1348
Lord Brougham

begged to advert to an anonymous letter which he had received relative to a proceeding then pending in their Lordships' House (the Townshend Peer age Bill), with a view of publicly observing that those persons were very much mistaken who in this manner held out threats, in the shape of warnings, to intimidate their Lordships, if they conceived that their Lordships would thereby be deterred from the performance of their duty. He had received such a letter—a letter without a name—without any address—signed "A Warning Voice." When letters were sent in this way, it was generally supposed that they came from the party most deeply concerned; where as, he believed that, in this case, the letter did not come from that party. Further, he wished to state, that he knew nothing of the Townshend family. Personally, he knew not one of them. He had not the least previous knowledge whatever of the circumstances until the matter was brought before the House by petition, at the instance of a noble Member of the family. He mentioned the matter to warn the parties who wrote such letters that they would involve themselves in great trouble.

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