MOTION POSTPONED. (Hansard, 26 February 1861)

§ LORD MONTEAGLE
hoped that the noble Marquess would not proceed with the Motion that evening. The subject to which it had reference was a very interesting one. It involved a question of personal character as well as of a public principle of considerable importance, and he submitted that it would be unfair to press 932 its discussion until their Lordships had time to read the papers in reference to it. Those papers had been presented only at five o'clock that evening. They were not even printed, and he doubted whether there was a single individual in the House who had read them. He could say for himself that he knew nothing whatever of their contents, and he did not think that, in justice to the subject itself the noble Marquess should proceed with its discussion that evening. It involved not only a question of personal conduct and character, but also of freedom of conscience, and the conduct of an eminent Judge and of the Government—to say nothing of the important public question that was connected with the matter; but not knowing what the contents of the papers were, he should say that he was not prepared to give a vote on the Motion. On that ground he appealed to the noble Marquess to postpone his Motion until the papers were printed, or until the House had the opportunity of reading them.

THE MARQUESS OF NORMANBY
said, that he was placed in a position of considerable difficulty by the appeal which had been made to him by his noble Friend. In the first place it was impossible not to yield attention to any suggestion coming from the noble Lord whose whole political life, if he had not assured them of that fact, was a guarantee of the very great and deep interest which he took in such questions. But before he acceded to the request of his noble Friend he should make one or two observations. He thought himself that the papers were very important to the proper discussion of the subject, and that it would be a disadvantage to himself, although well knowing their contents, if it were to be entered on before their Lordships had read them. He believed also that some other very important documents which the Protestant Alliance had not thought expedient to publish in their last monthly Report, though then in their possession, would be presented to the House, and that they were documents which contained the opinions on the subject of many important official persons in the Record Office. With regard, however, to the postponement of the Motion he was in this difficulty. Their Lordships would recollect the sort of attack to which he had been exposed the other day by the noble Earl below the cross benches (Earl of Shaftesbury), who then told him that he had acted in a most unfair manner 933 because he had postponed the Motion of which he had given notice a few days he-fore. He had given that notice in consequence of the number of letters which he had received directing his attention to the public correspondence between Mr. Turn-bull and the Master of the Rolls, after he had called the attention of the House to a very singular and extraordinary use made of the appellation of "Christians" in a memorial which had emanated from the self-same Protestant Alliance in reference to some alleged persecution of Protestants in Spain, and in regard to which the noble Earl gave a very imperfect explanation. He had been charged by the noble Lord with having acted unfairly in postponing that Motion; but he had previously stated to the noble Earl his intention to postpone it long before he had publicly done so in the House. The reason why he postponed the Motion was that he was informed that a certain memorial, signed by as many as 800 Protestants was about to be presented to the Prime Minister, praying that Mr. Turnbull's resignation might not be accepted; and Mr. Turnbull's friends suggested that the Motion should be postponed until they saw the result of the appeal to Lord Palmerston. The noble Earl then said that he knew what his motives were, and that the object was that meanwhile another Gentleman in "another place" should attack him behind his back. He (the Marquess of Normanby) protested his entire ignorance that any such Motion was contemplated in the House of Commons, and that any such formidable champion of Mr. Turnbull was about to attack the noble Earl there. But these facts placed him now in a delicate position as to again postponing the Motion, since he had assured the noble Earl that he would bring it forward at the earliest opportunity. At the same time, he felt that it would not be fair to refuse compliance with the appeal just made. As this was a matter which he had been told affected personal character be could not delay it a day later than was necessary, and would, therefore, postpone until Monday his Motion on Italian affairs and bring forward this subject in its place on Friday. He could not, however, help complaining of the delay which had taken place in the production of these papers, He moved for them on Thursday. They were ready in the Rolls Office, as he was informed, on Friday, and yet the requisite older for their presentation never left the Home Office until after the House 934 adjourned last night. When their Lordships remembered the necessity of a fair, full, and speedy consideration of this question, he thought they had reason to complain of this default of duty on the part of one of the departments of the Government.

§ EARL GRANVILLE
said, he did not think the noble Marquess need make any complaint on that score, as he had himself declared that the papers were of no importance.

THE MARQUESS OF NORMANBY
was surprised that the noble Earl should make such a statement. He had observed that he was acquainted with the facts, and that the papers were not, therefore, necessary for his information; but other noble Lords thought them of great importance, because they knew nothing of the case. With regard to the time of postponing his Motion, he now understood that some noble Lords who were anxious to attend the discussion on Italian affairs would not be able to do so if it were delayed until next week. He would, therefore, allow his notice on this subject to stand, as before, for Friday, and would fix the present Motion respecting Mr. Turnbull's case for next Monday.