THE GREEN BAG

a member of that tribunal before which the speech had been delivered. I found him rather a reluctant communicant, but he ex plicitly declared that the report was accu rate. Under those circumstances I hap pened to meet an eminent member of the Bar, and one well versed in proceedings before the House of Commons. I men tioned to him the grievance under which I laboured, and the absolute necessity of my taking some steps to put a termination to the matter; and I had parted with the, I confess, unfortunate impression that my ap plication to a member of the Bar would be fruitless; and indeed, if he desired to give me any satisfaction, it could not be applied for until I had given him an opportunity of proving the accusation he had made. I had waited in consequence, although it was more due to my constituents than to my self that some immediate steps should be taken, — I waited until the proceedings terminated,— as I subsequently learnt, ab ruptly terminated; but in the interval I had spoken without reserve to those who attended committees, that it might reach the ears of the learned gentleman, and I regret to think it had not produced some explanation which would have rendered the steps I had after wards taken unnecessary. When I found those proceedings had terminated, and when I felt that during the delay the accu sations had rendered me unfit for a seat in the House of Commons, and unworthy of any position in society,— that the attack had been circulated in every possible way throughout the Empire,— I found it neces sary to take a step which should cope with the calumny, and which should be decisive. "Two courses were alone open to me. I might have gone down to my seat in the House of Commons, and might have treated it as a breach of privilege. I might have made the observations I afterwards wrote, and, as your lordships know, I might have done so there with impunity; but I had a wish not to shield myself under my privi lege. Late at night I wrote this unfortu

nate letter, and sent it instantly to all the newspapers. The Attorney-General seemed to think this an aggravation, but your lord ships would not have had me publish a libel in only one paper, which the party might not read, and might only hear of the libel from others. I had thought the better mode was to publish it in all, that it should be made public by every means. ' ' I am not here to defend the language of that letter as regards any individuals or bodies who may be referred to in that com position, but I mention the haste with which the article was published, because there is a common impression that every thing that appears in print is necessarily composed with the advantage of great re flection, even of revision; but I will venture to repeat, that a public journalist writes under the same impulses, and subject to the same feelings, as persons addressing popular assemblies, and often regrets in the morning what he has committed to paper the previ ous night. I have not the slightest wish to vindicate the language of that letter, even to save myself from the perils and punish ments that may now await me. I did not think that the system of bribery spoken of by Mr. Austin prevailed in any borough, certainly it did not in Maidstone. I did not mean to say that when a new election takes place there, all parties might consider them selves properly remunerated for their labour.

"After I had found I had written a letter, probably too violent even if the supposed attack had been made, and one which was. not warranted by the words that were used, I took every step that a man of honour — that a man who wished not only to be just, but most generous — could adopt. I can only say that from the time your lordships graciously threw out your suggestion, anx ious as I am at all times not to seem to avoid the consequences of my conduct, wise or unwise, right or wrong, I have done everything in my power to accomplish that suggestion. I appeared against the rule of