Mr. Cobden. Mr. Ferrand, in the last night of the debate had unconsciously presented that opportunity. After a torrent of abuse of the League, Mr. Bright reminded him how he had shrunk from maintaining, in a court of justice, his base allegation that Mr. George Wilson and Mr. William Rawson were present at a public meeting, where the idea of assassinating the prime minister was started. This point was taken up by Mr. Disraeli in a speech, in which he criticized the League, praised the purity of his own motives, and censured, "with a bitterness amounting to cold ferocity," the manners and conduct of Mr. Roe. buck, who had said that the minister should retract his accusation. This brought up both Sir Robert and Mr. Cobden:
"Sir R Peel said, 'I did not mean to take part in this discussion, and should not have done so but for some observations that have fallen from the hon. member for Shrewsbury, in which he recalled to recollection something that occurred, I think three years ago, in the course of a debate at that time, in which I put an erroneous construction on some remarks of the hon. member for Stockport. (Hear, hear). That bun. gentlemen made an explanation of the meaning of the expressions he then used; I followed the hon. gentleman in the course of the debate, and my intention, after that explanation was distinctly to relieve him him from the imputation I had cast on him under my erroneous apprehension of the remarks he had made. (hear, hear.) If any one who was present at that debate had hinted to me that my reparation was not complete, and that my acceptation of the disavowal was less unequivocal than it should have been, I should have taken the earliest opportunity of stating what I meant to convey. This was my intention, and I think a reference to the record of the debate will show that this must have been my intention. I am sorry, Sir, that the hon. member for Shrews. bury has thought fit to revive the subject; at least I should be sorry that he has done so, if it did not give me an opportunity of stating what my intention was, and of entirely withdrawing the imputation I threw out under what was at the time an erroneous impression. (Hear, hear)."
"Mr. Cobden (who spoke from the lower part of the house) said-'I feel happy that the right hon. baronet has had an opportunity of correcting what fell from each other on a former occasion. At the time the occurrence took place I did feel, and I think the country felt, that the right hon, baronet's language did not convey that distinct disavowal