Gentlemen,  I  am  afraid  I  trespass  more
upon  your  time,  much  more  than  I  had  any
intention  of  doing,  when  I  rose ;  but  I  can-
not help  taking  notice  of  one  thing  which
dropped  from  the  gentleman  at  the  bar ;  in
the  commencement  of  this  dav's  trial,  he
totd  us,  that  he  had  cited  several  persons  as
witnesses  in  his  behalf,  who  have  not  ap-
peared this  day  upon  the  trial ;  men  bearing
the  highest  offices  m  the  state,  and  at  present
discha^ng   the  duties  of  those  important
offices  m  England.    And  he   brougnt  evi-
dence, which  I  dare  say  is  the  case,  that,
under  the  letters  of  exculpation  which  issue
of  coarse,  and  in  which  ne  can  fill  up  any
same  that  he  pleases,  that  he  subpoenaed
them  in  London  by  the  forms  of  the  law  of
Bngland :  in  the  course  of  his  remarks  on
this  matter,  and  in  which  he  digressed  into
topics   neither    proper    in  themselves,  nor
heating  at  all  on  his  case,   he  referred  to
myself  and  to  my  own  candour,  if  the  public
prosecutor  had  not  higher  powers  in  bringing
witnesses  to  this  court  tnan  what  he  pos-
sessed.   I  have  no  difficulty,  at  all  times  and
•easons,  to  give  my  opimon  to   a   pandL
whether  I  am  bound  to  do  it  or  not.  and  I
then  did  give  him  an  answer ;  I  sain  I  had
Ao  more  power  of  compelling  witnesses  to
come  into  this  court,  tnan  tfis  meanest  crt-
flunal  at  the  bar.   Our  rights,  in  that  respect,
and  our  powers  are  the  same.    I  will  give
him  an  instance  of  it:  the  case  occwred
twelve  2^>n  ago,  when  one  of  your  lord-
ehips  fitted  the  office  of  solicitor-general  of
VOL.  XXIII.
