THE LORD CHANCELLORacquainted the House, That he had received a Letter from the Lord Wensleydale, in which his Lordship declines to appear by Counsel before the Committee for Privileges on the Copy of the Letters Patent purporting to create the Right Honourable Sir James Parke, Knight, a Baron of the United Kingdom for Life: which Letter was as follows:—
§ "Ampthill, Feb. 16.
§ "My Lord,—I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of your Lordship's letter of the 12th, giving me liberty to be heard by counsel, if I should think fit, before the Committee of Privileges, to whom it has been referred to examine and consider the copy of the Letters Patent purporting to create me a Baron of the United Kingdom for life; and I will thank your Lordship to state on my part to their Lordships that I decline to appear by counsel before the Committee of Privileges.
§ "I have the honour to be, my Lord,
§ "Your obedient servant,
§ "WENSLEYDALE.
§ "To the Lord Chancellor."
LORD CAMPBELLobserved, that his noble Friend (Lord Wensleydale) had exercised a sound discretion in not denying the jurisdiction which their Lordships had asserted and exercised in considering the validity of the patent. He should have been indeed surprised and shocked if the noble and learned Lord had assigned as a reason for not attending by counsel, that he denied their jurisdiction. In admitting it, as Lord Wensleydale virtually did, he contradicted the noble and learned Lord on the woolsack, who had strenuously denied their jurisdiction.