Mr.  WhUhread,  sen.  called  the  attention  of
the  House  to  the  peculiar  case  of  the  peti«
tioner,  which,  he  said,  was  an  object  well  wor«
thy  tbueir  serious  consideration :  Mr.  Palmer
was  a  man  descended  from  one  of  the  most  an-
cient and  honourable  families  of  the  county  of
Bedford;  and  the  unfortunate  situation  in
which  he  was  placed,  had  been  the  cause  of  in«
expressible  grief  to  his  numerous  friends;  even
supposing  the  sentence  pronounced  upon  him
legal  and  just,  a  quesUon  upon  which  he  felt
himself  by  no  means  competent  to  decide,  he
was  nevertheless  an  unfit  object  of  prosecu-
tion and  punishment,  being  considered,  all
his  life,  a  roan  somewhat  deraneed  in  his  in-
tellects. He  believed  from  his  neart  the  pe-
titioner had  no  evil  intention  against  the
eovenunent  of  this  country;  and  he  was
firmly  persuaded  that  any  twelve  gentlemen
of  Beofordshire,  who  knew  htm,  and  were
summoned  onajury  of  lunacy,  would  bring
him  in  insane.  Ha  thought  it  his  duty,  as  a
member  of  parliament  and  also  in  compli-
ance with  the  applications  of  the  friends  of
Mr.  Palmer,  to  sive  the  House  this  informft-
tion,  which  fell  within  his  own  particular
knowledge.
Mr.  J.  Smiih  said,  he  should  vote  for  the
earliest  dav,  because,  under  all  the  circum-
stances, that  appeared  to  him  be  the  best.
