them, which prayed for such
relief, under the circumstances, as the house should deem proper. His
lordship said that it was incumbent upon the house to come to a decision
upon the question. There was, he continued, many ways in which they
might dispose of it. They might act upon their ancient and undoubted
right, and vindicate the violation of their privilege by the ancient
mode of commitment. That was the most constitutional course, and the one
most consistent with the dignity and privileges of the house. Again, the
house could, if it thought fit, direct that Messrs. Hansard should
plead in all cases of future action, and thereby bring the question of
privilege before the courts. They could abandon all their privileges,
confining all their papers to a circulation among the members only;
or they might proceed, if they thought it necessary to have the papers
circulated for general use, to provide for the settlement of the
question by a bill brought in for that purpose. But their present
position was one which ought not to continue; and he should move
that, John Joseph Stockdale, the plaintiff, Thomas Barton Howard,
his attorney, William Evans, the sheriff, Mr. Burchell, the deputy
under-sheriff, and the bailiff who acted in this case, be called to
the bar of the house, and then it would be in the power of the house to
adopt that course which, under all circumstances of the case, it might
think proper to pursue. After a long discussion, in which Sir. E.
Sugden, the attorney-general, and other members took part, this motion
was agreed to by a majority of two hundred and eighty-six against one
hundred and sixty-seven. On the following clay, January 17th, the
order of the clay for taking into consideration the petition of Messrs.
Hansard was read, and Lord John Russell moved that John Joseph Stockdale
be called to the bar. He was accordingly called in, and placed at the
bar, when the attorney-general interrogated him concerning the facts of
the different actions against Messrs. Hansard in which he was plaintiff.
After examining him, he was ordered to withdraw; when Lord John Russell
moved that John Joseph Stockdale, having brought an action against
Messrs. Hansard for the publication of a report ordered by this house
to be printed, has been guilty of a high contempt and breach of the
privileges of the house. Mr. Law proposed as an amendment that Mr.
Stockdale be discharged from his attendance at the bar; but, after an
animate