Gentiemen,  with  respect  to  what  was  stated
at  so  great  length  by  the  counsel  for  the  paoel^
---I  say,  with  respect  to  the  different  quota-
tions tnat  he  mane  from  several  speeches  that
were  said  to  have  been  delivered  in  the  Houses
of  Parliament,  and  the  various  quotations


S3S]         dS  GEORGE  IIL    Proeeedmgt  agamd  the  lUt.  T.  FyAe  Palmer    [S98


from  authors  upon  the  constitution  of  this
countiy,  and  which  were  said  to  be  as  sedi-
tious as  the  paper  now  before  you,  I  appre-
hend the  argument  founded  upon  them  is  not
more  applicable  than  the  argument  with  res-
pect to  the  liberty  of  the  press.  Yet  admit*
ting  that  the  extracts  from  those  speeches  are
genuine,  admitting  that  the  authorities  from
which  they  were  taken  are  genuine  (by  the
way  you  will  remember,  that  many  of  them
were  read  from  the  Edinburgh  Gaietteer  and
the  Mormns  Chronicle),  if  these  could  be  held
by  you  as  legal  evidence  that  such  speeches
were  deliyered,  yet  that  has  no  earthly
connexion  with  the  question  before  you.  For,
though  there  b  8uch  a  thing  as  freedom  of
apaecliy  in  parliament^  which  is  a  privilege  be-
kmdng  to  every  member,  those  speeches,  if
maae  amonr  the  people,  might  have  a  very
different  teiMency  from  what  they  have  on  the
persons  to  whom  the  members  of  the  House
of  Commons  address  themselves;  such  lan-
ffuage  in  parliament  is  addressed  to  men  who
Save  knowledge  to  weigh,  and  judj^ent  to
resist  the  fuse  impressions  which  such
apeeches  are  calculated  to  make;  but  ad-
dressed to  the  lower  classes  of  the  people,  the
ignorant  and  the  illiterate,  such  language
becomes  dangerous  indeed.  But,  gentlemen,
it  is  certainly  unnecessary  for  me  to  take  up
more  of  your  time  with  respect  to  the  preli-
mioary  arguments,  stated  by  the  counsel  for
the  panel,  which  were  fully  and  clearly  an*
awered  by  the  learned  counsel,  and  by  the
iionourable  judges  who  spoke  after  him.
