at a writ of summons
had been issued upon them on the 25th of January, by Thomas Burton
Howard, as attorney for Stockdale. A motion was carried, ordering the
said Thomas Burton Howard, forthwith to attend the house: but it was not
till the 6th of February that he could be found, and on that evening
he was ordered to be committed to her majesty's gaol of Newgate.
Subsequently, on the 17th of February, Lord John Russell presented
another petition from Messrs. Hansard, to the effect, that the fifth
action had been renewed against them by Stockdale, for the same cause as
before, and praying to be directed as to the course they should pursue.
His lordship moved to the effect, that Stockdale, by commencing this
fresh action, had been guilty of a contempt of the house, and of a
breach of its privileges, and that the sheriffs, under-sheriffs, and
others, who should aid in the prosecution of the said action, would be
guilty of a contempt of the house, and of a violation of its privileges,
and would subject themselves to the severe censure and displeasure of
the house. This was carried; and on the following evening Thomas
Howard, jun., the attorney in this action, was, on the motion of the
attorney-general, committed to the custody of the sergeant-at-arms.
In the meantime several motions had been made for the discharge of the
sheriffs from prison, on the plea of ill-health. These had been all
negatived; but on the 5th of March, Mr. Sheriff Evans was allowed to be
set at liberty, being at the same time directed to attend at the bar
of the house on Monday, the 6th of April. On the same evening Lord John
Russell moved for leave to bring in a bill to give summary protection to
persons employed in the publication of parliamentary papers, which was
carried by a large majority; and the bill was brought in and read a
third time on the 12th of the same month. On the 31st of March the
sergeant-at-arms appeared at the bar, and acquainted the house that
on Saturday last the assistant-sergeant and four other officers of the
house had been served with notice that an action had been commenced
against them in the court of Queen's Bench, at the suit of Thomas Burton
Howard. Under the impression that a verdict would certainly be given for
the defendants, the attorney-general moved that they should be allowed
to appear and defend the action; a motion which, after a few words in
opposition by Viscount Howick, was carried by a majority of one hundred