Page:American Historical Review, Volume 12.djvu/269

 French Reports of Parliamentary Debates 259 But we must now come back to the reports of debates. It is easy enough to show that they were not and could not be borrowed from EngUsh pubhcations. They were sent to Versailles in the course of the week following each sitting. The reports in the magazines, on the contrary, were issued much later; several months often elapsed between the day when a debate took place and that on which the report of it was published. It was a matter of precau- tion with the publishers, who were afraid of prosecution. Several of the debates reported by Dr. Johnson' were issued more than a year after their actual date; the last one, dated February 22, 1742/3, is in the number of the Gentleman's Magazine for March, 1743/4. The London Magazine generally published its reports within a shorter time : but it is very unusual to find in a month's number a debate of the previous_ month. The editor, giving in December, 1770, the debate of November 22 on the question of the Falkland Islands, took the trouble to explain that it was an afifair of excep- tional importance, and that on account of its being so important he had made greater haste than usual to get it published.- It is un- likely that people who desired to keep the French court informed of the progress of business in the British Parliament used stale reports, which were available only two or three months after the debates. The magazines were not used, except in the few occasions when they happened to give immediate information : for instance, the re- port we have just mentioned was translated literally, and the trans- lation sent to Versailles in the first part of December, 1770.' Most of the reports now kept at the Affaires fitrangeres show by their very contents that they are the work of ear-witnesses. There are some details which could not have been given by persons who were not present. The tone of voices is noticed : After the King had delivered his speech in the House of Lords, the Lord Chancellor reported upon it, after which the Duke of Devonshire said something, but so low that nobody could hear him, and it was sup- posed that he was speaking in praise of His Majesty's policy: and directly after he moved, in a louder voice, that an humble address be presented to His Majesty, to thank him for his gracious speech from the throne. [Vol. 390, f. 143.] Lord Hindon spoke in such a faint and indistinct voice that it was hardly possible to hear him. and as nobody paid great attention to his speech, all I can say is that he spoke in behalf of the court. [Vol. 397, f. 243.] These details not only come from an ear-witness, but must be here in their original text ; in an indirect or abridged version they would most likely have been left out. ' Cf. Birkbeck Hill's edition of Boswell's Life of Johnson, I. 501 et seqq. ^London Maga~inc, 1770, p. 591. ' Correspondance Politique, vol. 484, ff. 518-531.