General V Grey asked, if any perfons were prefent at the above discourse, and if the meffenger knew any of them? He faid, "there were three perfons prefent." Did he know them? One of them was, he faid, Mr. Alderman Oliver, a Member of that House, but he did not know any of the others." He was ordered to withdraw. GENERAL HOWARD defired to know, if the Honorable Howard. Member (Mr. Oliver) would give the House any information of the above? But the question was over-ruled as improper. Mr. Sawbridge. Mr. Herbert then moved, that the Rev. John Horne be taken into cuftody of the Serjeant at Arms; but the Speaker told him, that first they must come to a refolution of his being guilty of a breach of privilege of that Houfe. The Speaker then read Mr. Horne's letter to Mr. Hatfell. A ftrong debate enfued, whether Mr. Horne had been guilty of contempt to that House, or not? It was faid, it would appear highly ridiculous in their Journals to vote a perfon guilty of contempt, when he had in the moft polite manner, both in his letter, and in his answer to the meffenger, faid, that whenever an order of the House of Cominons was directed to him, he would attend. Many reafons were urged for not taking Mr. Horne into cuftody until another fummons had been served upon him. Mr. SAWBRIDGE faid, he had opposed this measure from the beginning, and would oppofe it in every stage, as illegal; that in his opinion, the House of Commons had no right to fummons any person to attend them.-A general laugh enfued, on which Mr. Sawbridge spoke very warmly.-He said, he did not alter his opinion backwards and forwards, as many perfons did; that what made him fupport his opinion was, because he thought he was right, and he would not change his fentiments for any perfons in the Houfe; that he would let them know a Member of Parliament had a right to deliver his sentiments; and, whilst he thought their proceedings illegal, he would tell them of it, without regard to any man's opinion. To which Mr. Horne returned yesterday the following answer «Sir, (COPY.) "To J. Hatfell, Efq. Clerk of the Houfe of Commons. "Late last night I received a notice, figned with your name, of an order which the Houle of Commons made yesterday for the attendance of a particular person on Wednesday next. "I apprehended that notice must have been intended for some other person, and delivered to me by mistake, of which I informed the bearer the very moment after I had read it; at the fame time adding, that whenever the House of Commons shall defire my attendance, I will pay to them all proper and prudent respect. "I have the honor to be, Sir, Tuesday, February 15, 1774. "Your most obedient, humble fervant, LORD LORD NORTH faid, he thought the identy of the perfon Lord North, had been proved, which was fufficient; that Mr. Horne Taid in his letter, "Whenever the House of Commons defired his attendance, he would pay them all proper and prudent refpect;" that this was not faying he would attend, for he might think it prudent to keep out of the way, imagining that the order of the House of Commons might be as infectious as the hand of a Bishop. He spoke much against any other fummons being fent. The LORD MAYOR faid, I fhall not take up much of the Lord House's time, as I am confident it can be much better spent by Mayor. Members who can speak far more ably on the fubject than myfelf; but I think it my duty, as I was not prefent at the beginning of this affair, to declare, that before I give my vote either way, I muft, from the fhort time I have fat in this Honorable Affembly, affirm that I never faw any partiality in your conduct, Mr. Speaker. The author of the libel I fincerely wish may meet with condign punishment, but I could with the punishment inflicted by a jury of his Peers. SERJEANT GLYNN, then, in a very fenfible and judicious Serjeant fpeech, faid, that it was poffible Mr. Horne might be willing Glynn. to lay afide his prieftly character, and enter upon a lay profeffion; if fo, he might not choose to be recorded on the Journals of that House as a clergyman. That it was a queftion whether a man could difclaim the profeffion of a priest; but if Mr. Horne chofe to try that question with the Bishops, he was to bear the confequence. That as a priest, he was liable to ecclefiaftical cenfure, and canonical punishment, if convicted of exercising any lay calling; that anciently the advocates were all priests, until the publication of a canon excluding priests from practising as advocates. Hence they funk their priestly characters; whence originated that proverbial faying, that the coif hid the tonfura ecclefiafticalis. On the whole, the Serjeant pleaded that no evil could accrue from iffuing another fummons, couched in fuch defcriptive terms as Mr. Horne could not dif claim. In cafe of disobedience to fuch a fummons, then, and not until then, should he deem him in contempt. Mr. ONGLEY faid, he thought Mr. Horne had a right to Mr. On attend; for if the meffenger had delivered the fummons to agley. wrong perfon, the perfon would have an action for falfe imprisonment; but if Mr. Horne thought it was not for him, why did he take it? Mr. WILLIAM BURKE spoke with vehemence about the Mr. Wm. mistaken notions of the Houfe, concerning their privileges; Burke. they had not long ago iffued their orders, and had taken up a chimney-fweeper and a milkman, whom they forced to attend VOL. VII. G at Col. Onflow. at their bar; that if they were ftrenuous for preferving the honor of the Houfe, did it enhance their dignity to have the veriest of the rabble, the lowest wretches in God's creation kneel proftrate before them? That in a contention with the other House (which he feared he might call the Upper House, for they were treated as if the inferior House with a witnefs), that in fuch a contention, the exertion of privilege could not be carried with too high a hand; but to call forth their powers against the very dregs of the human fpecies, was acting to the laft degree abfurd. Mr. Burke concluded, that whilft they exerted their rights as checks upon the other parts of the Conftitution, they might expect the support and countenance of the people; but if their privileges were maintained upon every trifling occafion, against men of no kind of weight or influence with the world, or against the popular fenfe of the nation, they would foon lofe the privilege of fitting in that House. COLONEL ONSLOW-It was true that he had been acceffary in bringing a milkman before that Houfe; but he was far from being one of the rabble; he was fo refpectable a character, that a magiftrate abfolutely refused to take 400l. bail for his appearance. The chimney-fweeper alfo might, for aught he knew, be a man of as much confequence as fome of our modern patriots; nor fhould he wonder if a modern patriot thould be found difguifed like a chimney sweeper; that he begged leave to pit his chimney-fweeper against Parfon Horne; a man (for gentleman he could not call him) by no means fo refpectable as his milkman. The Colonel faid, I caufed the milkman to be brought before you with the very fame intent for which you bring a printer to your bar, to discover the author. Modern patriots hired the rabble to traduce their betters; modern were as much like ancient patriots, as much like Cato or Brutus, as the milkman was like a Peer. He added, that had he on that occafion been properly fupported, the Houfe would not now be troubled with the queftion before them; but I was traduced (continued the Colonel) my life was once actually threatened, yet I laughed at fuch fcurrility, fuch futile attempts. Indeed I only shared an equal fate with fome other refpectable perfonages. I had the honor, Sir (faid the Colonel, addreffing himfelf to the Speaker), I had the honor to be hanged [in effigy], on Tower-Hill, on the fame gibbet with you indeed, in the dying fpeeches, the patriots paid me the greatest compliment, for they gave out that I died pe nitent, but that you, Sir, remained hardened to the last. : A burit of laughter enfued, which continued for fome minutes inceffantly, Mr. . Mr. SAWBRIDGE then arofe, and obferved, that he Mr. Sawremembered the time when the Honorable Gentleman thought bridge. it not derogatory to his honor to be reckoned amongst the lift of modern patriots; that when he belonged to that corps, the modern were as refpectable as ancient patriots; but that the moment the Honorable Member thought proper to defert, from that moment not one gentleman was to be found amongst modern patriots. The Honorable Member, he doubted not, had found out a genteeler, as well as a more profitable profeffion, and he fincerely hoped he got more by that than the patriots did by their patriotifin. COLONEL ONSLOW again rofe to explain and vindicate Col.Onflow. himfelf from the charge of desertion and inconfiftency. He faid, that he had always thought, and did ftill think, that the most impolitick blunder Adminiftration had ever been guilty of, was in expelling Mr. Wilkes for his remarks on the King's, or, more properly speaking, the Minister's speech. But though I was in that particular an advocate for Mr. Wilkes, was I (continued the Colonel) therefore compelled to follow him through all his incongruous abfurdities? As to any profits he acquired by an exchange of his patriotifin, the Colonel declared the patriots derived more pecuniary emolument from that profeffion, than he did from the avowal of any principles he subscribed to. Neither courtiers nor patriots will pay my debts; yet the patriots had paid Mr. Wilkes's debts, amounting to 20,000l. Mr. DE GREY obferved, that the Honorable Member, who Mr. De fpoke laft, had afforded much diverfion to the Houfe; but Grey., they were met to debate seriously, and to talk wifely. Such ftrokes of humour might be very fuitable at Arthur's or Almack's, and the jocular author would be applauded for his brilliancy; yet though he had delivered himself like a wit, he had not spoken to the purpose like a man of business; he therefore begged leave to recall the attention of the House to the question, which was fimply, whether Mr. Horne, who received the fummons, was or was not the perfon defcribed in that fummons ? If he was, he was in contempt for difobeying the orders of the House. The queftion was then called 'for, and paffed, "That the Reverend John Horne fhould be taken into the custody of the Serjeant at Arms, and that the Speaker should forthwith-ifiue his warrant for that purpose." Feb. 17, SIR THOMAS CLAVERING made a motion,-Sir Thomas "That a Committee be appointed to enquire into the state of Clavering. the Linen Manufacture of Great Britain and Ireland." He prefaced his motion with a number of arguments, fetting forth the defperate ftate the trade was in; that there was not fuffi G 2 cient Governor Pownali. General Mr. Sawbridge. cient employ for the people, which was a great cause for such emigrations to our Colonies. GOVERNOR POWNALL defired that an enquiry be made at the fame time into the ftate of the woollen trade. He faid it was the principal branch of trade we had; it was upwards of an eighth of our expences; the expences of England were reckoned at 56,000,000l. and the woollen trade brought in a revenue of 8,000,000l. he urged many reasons why a duty fhould not be laid on foreign linens. He faid the King of Pruffia had declared, if we laid duties on German linens, he would not only lay duties on British cloth, but prohibit it; and he would be bound to fay, Ruffia, and feveral other places, would follow Pruffia's example, by which means our woollen trade would, in a great measure, be ruined. GENERAL CONWAY Arongly objected to the two motions being blended together; a debate enfued between General Conway, Sir Thomas Clavering, and Governor Pownall, who made a motion, that the whole House would resolve itself into a Committee to confider of the present state of our linen, woollen, and other trades; which, after fome debate, was agreed to, and fixed for the 2d of March. The order of the Day was then read, and Mr. Clementson, Deputy Serjeant at Arms called in, who faid he went yefterday to Mr. Tooke's houfe in Serjeant's Inn, and had Mr. Horne in cuftody in one of the rooms belonging to that Houfe. The Speaker informed the House that when the prifoner was brought to the bar, no queftions could be propofed to him but from the Chair. Mr. SAWBRIDGE objected much to their proceedings; faid, it was throughout illegal; that they had no right to form themselves into a criminal court of judicature; that they had voted Mr. Horne guilty of a breach of privilege in contempt of that Houfe, before they knew he was thus guilty; that they had begun with condemning a man before he had been tried, and if that was their manner let them go on and profper. Mr. Horne was then ordered in, and made a long defence to that part of his accufation which tended to his holding the House in contempt. He faid, he hoped his letter to the Clerk of the House, his anfwer to the Meffenger, and, above all, the readiness he had fhewn in being taken into cuftody to-day, would prove that he did not hold that House in contempt.He was ordered to withdraw, and Mr. Oliver made a motion, "That as Mr. Horne had exculpated himself from the charge alledged against him, of holding the Houfe in contempt, he be now discharged from the cuftody of the Serjeant at Arms." A ftrong debate enfued, Whether the above motion fhould be put, or not? which was carried against Mr. Oliver. Severak |