The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 11 (of 12)Burke, Edmund
History
The Works of the Right Honourable Edmund Burke, Vol. 11 (of 12)
Burke, Edmund
Great Britain -- Politics and government -- 1760-1820; Political science -- Early works to 1800
Days.
In the year 1788, the Court sat 35
1789, 17
1790, 14
1791, 5
1792, 22
1793, 22
1794, to the 1st of March, inclusive 3
----
Total 118
Your Committee then proceeded to consider the causes of this duration,
with regard to time as measured by the calendar, and also as measured by
the number of days occupied in actual sitting. They find, on examining
the duration of the trial with reference to the number of years which
it has lasted, that it has been owing to several prorogations and to one
dissolution of Parliament; to discussions which are supposed to have
arisen in the House of Peers on the legality of the continuance of
impeachments from Parliament to Parliament; that it has been owing to
the number and length of the adjournments of the Court, particularly the
adjournments on account of the Circuit, which adjournments were
interposed in the middle of the session, and the most proper time for
business; that it has been owing to one adjournment made in consequence
of a complaint of the prisoner against one of your Managers, which took
up a space of ten days; that two days' adjournments were made on account
of the illness of certain of the Managers; and, as far as your Committee
can judge, two sitting days were prevented by the sudden and unexpected
dereliction of the defence of the prisoner at the close of the last
session, your Managers not having been then ready to produce their
evidence in reply, nor to make their observations on the evidence
produced by the prisoner's counsel, as they expected the whole to have
been gone through before they were called on for their reply. In this
session your Committee computes that the trial was delayed about a week
or ten days. The Lords waited for the recovery of the Marquis
Cornwallis, the prisoner wishing to avail himself of the testimony of
that noble person.
With regard to the one hundred and eighteen days employed in actual
sitting, the distribution of the business was in the manner following.
There were spent,--
Days
In reading the articles of impeachment, and the
defendant's answer, and in debate on the mode
of proceeding 3
Opening speeches, and summing up by the Managers 19
Documentary and oral evidence by the Managers 51
Opening speeches and summing up by the defendant's
counsel, and defendant's addresses
to the Court 22
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