The Express.
London, England, 1848-08-11 00:00:00

the chairmen of his committ e, would be the last persons to
know anythine shout them.
Mr. HOBROUSE refused to be bound by the principle
en whims the bun. and learned gentleman (tee Solicitordaim
welt would include Lincoln in the bill. He had been re-
turned at the smallest pantile cost for the city of Lincoln,
and be believed that there never was an election where
greater purity and propriety prevailed. That consideration
sloes should weigh with the house in excludine Lincoln from
the schedule, even if Lincoln hod before that been guilty. It
was In his opinion higiily unjust to adopt a retrospective
principle in the bill. There was no objection to the taming
of the writ in tt e case of Lincoln as in the ease of Horsham,
and
place e considered masa distinction in favour of the for-
mer lf his hon. and gallant colleague divided the
truss he should divide with him.
Mr. BROTHERION said that the boo. gentleman who
had just spoken had moved too much ; for if Lincoln was so
pure as he represented, there could be no fear from any in-
quiry. If be undenitociet the ease of Lincoln, Mr. Seely, the
late member, was unseated for practices which the hon. and
gallant member had prectiseil, and said he would continue to
practise. On the :core of justice, therefore, he thought that
an toiletry should take place.
Atter a few words tram Col. 3161110 RP, the committee
divided.
For retaining Lincoln in the schedule.. 69
Againstl3—,s6
Lincoln was accordingly inserted, as were Leicester, Lyme
Risen and Bewelley.
On the motion that Harwich be inverted,
Mr. BAGSHAWE said that he might use every argument
which had bet n used in the case of Lincoln, in favour of the
borough of Harwich, but he thought he wouti best consult
the credit of his borough by courting inquiry. (lieu.)
On the ,ention vuit Aylesbury he inserted,
Lord NUGENT said that he was sure he was only repre
meting the cordial wishes of those who elected him, in giving
his assent to the insertion of Aylesbury. (Hear, hear.)
He could bear testimony to the pure manner in which both
the Tepee-tentative.. of Aylesbury had been sent to that house.
Mr. NEWDEGATE suggested that as the noble lord
was so anxious for inquiry, Aylesbury should be pet first
in the Schedule.
Mr. Q. DICK thought inquiry would bo of great ear
vice, and was sure it would be for the morality of the
borough that it stipule be thoroughly and radically re-
formed. (Hear, hear.)
Mr. DISRAELI was not even aware that Aylesbury
wee included in the schedule, and he was struck with sur-
prise at the two speeches he had just heard from the membeis
of the town of the county which he represented. Suet
maudlin sensibility m considered an impeachment a fortu-
nate occurrence he could certainly not utiderstand. His
boo. friend who spoke last certain!), had no reason to make
the speech he had delivered, and he must attribute its
delivery to the fact of his oratorical experience being con-
siderably less th n his parliamentary. (A laugh.) As tor the
electors of Aylesbury he (Mr. Disraeli) cared very Attie for
them. Being people of very little minds, who were advo.
cites of leieralism and not of liberty, they were generally
opposed to him. (A laugh.) But Aylesbury was an old
Engliah borough, and he believed, upon his honour as a gen-
tlemno, that it was as puce as any borough in the empire,
and that a bribe had never been offered within its extensive
bounds. (Laughter and cries. of " Oh.") He utterly pro-
tested against the two speeches just made. They were not
justified. They were outrages against the borough. Did
the het. inemb.a behind him consider his speech a recom
atradation to the hustings on a future oce,sion ? As for the
noble lad he was the victim of a too pellucid sentimentality.
("Hear," and a laugh.) He protes, ed against the legi-lation
of cant, and he charged the members for Aylesbury with not
doing their duty.
Lord NUGENT said he should very briefly reply to the
not over-weighty charge which hod just been brought against
him. He scarcely knew whether his sentimentality was
" maudlin " or " pellucid," but certainly it did not arise
from tee same feeling as the sentimentality of the hon. gen-
tleman who thought Aylesbury ought to be exempted from
inquiry because it was an ancient borough. He did not Im-
peach his constituents Ile did precisely the reverse. He
courted the inquiry, in order to clear his constituents, and he
hoped the inquiry into their conduct would be made with
the most stringent severity, which was the only way in which
such an itivedieation could be use ful.
Mr. Q. DICK felt the attack made upon him Dad been
quite uncalled for. He was coo fident that this borough
would Coin, CI. Sr. out of the tire of the investigation.
Mr. NEWDEOATE said this debate was taking an ex-
traoidivary turn—nothing less than an impwation on the
committee abide unseated the late member for the borough
of Aylesbury. Tnc only object the present members could
have would be to reverse the ele.cioion.
The question was then put sod carried.
Cceitenhem, Sligo, and Loceaster were respectively added
to the schedule without observation.
On the quedion that Bodmin be added,
Mr. WILD said it was nth until the eleventh hour that
this borough, in the kindne es of her Msjesty'a Solintor-
General to oee of the supporters of the government, had
been added to the schedule appended to this hill. For his
own part he had no objection to inquiry ; but that Bodmin
should be aided at the lest moment to a schedule which had
a preamble imputing bribery and corruptiou to the electors
was not to be borne. The re was net an item of evidence to
judify such a s rereading.
The BOLICITOR.OENERAL owned he did net thi, k
the cue of Bodeen a very Jerome one; hut it had been sub-
ject to a special n rt, and wheiever such special report was
made he had thought it right to put the borough into the
schedule of the bill.
Mr. DISRAELI saw by the discussion which had taken
place that there was one object in the bill—namely, to de-
cide to which side of the house the member 4or Bodmin be-
longed. (Laughter.) Surely, Mr. Solicitor General ought
to be ashamed of himself to include in this bill a borough re-
presented by such a member. As far the bill itself it seemed
to him to be essentially a miseraele, hypercritical, lying,
canting bill. Such a wretched pretence of purity as be had
been wits sit to that night he could not have believed poen.
ble—a Solicitor-General getting up and admitting that it
wu " a weak ease." Why, who doubted it was weak ; and
there were other things weaker than the bill. (A laugh.) What
an idea must the country entertain of a government that
vied proeuce such a bill.
Col. SIBTHORP said, if the member for Bodmin (livid el,
be should divide with tens against this dirty bill. (A laugh.)
Mr. LACY said he never ':as more surprised than when,
on Friday last, having returned from the sea side, where
he had been with a rich relation—(laughter)—he heard
that Bodmin was to he included in this but. Never was a
man who deserted a petite n fleetest his return 1, as than he
did. Wont was his connexion with Bodmin? Last year
he went down there to a dinner connected with a railway
transaction. He was well recAved, and in May last he sent
a friend down to s,e bow the land lay. He reported that
Mr. Wyld was amusing with success, and that if he
wished to get in he must start at once. Well, he went
down, and he got, not many promises he admitted, but a
great many people add, " Why, we don't know who is
coming." (Shouts of laughter.) "We don't know," they
said, " who IS cocain ; but we can tell you this—that
we ere not goioe to have our present members again.
Doe (Sir S. Spry) is a fool, and the other (Mr. Gardner) is
en impostor." Well, he (Mr. Lacy) was returned, and what
foJored—that he was badgered and bothered out of his lite
about this trumpery petition, which turned simply upon the
cirmenstance of some of his committee, without his know-
ledge, collecting 201. to give some of the poorer voters a
treat. This was not a Care for inquiry, and he dared them to
proceed further against him in the matter. He said " dare,"
because he telt strongly on the subject, and that he ad-
mitted.
the SOLICITOR-GENERAL said he had included all
boroughs in the bill in which there was treating, without re-
fer. nee to the am 'Lint.
Mr. LACY sa .1 the treaty at Berlmin was not for corrupt
purposes; that was proved before the committee.
ELLIOT said lie really had doubts about this case. It
append a very weak one.
Mr. BANKES piked if this bill was to he passed to meet
" weak cases." If the members for Bodmin stood by their
borough as they ought he should vote with teem. Wao it
worth *hie to bring in a hill to prevent the supply of these
trumper: refreshment tickets
Mr. G. TURNER also opposed the introduction of Bed.
min into the schedule. Ile would never mins?nt to intro
duce any men respecting which the evidence was not
before them.
the SOLICITOR GENERAL said he had included
Bodmin and Bolton b ith, in consequence of what appeared
he be the desie• of the house.
Mr HENLEY denied the accuracy of the statement that
Bodmin had be. n included) in the schedule at the instance of
the opposition side of the house.
Dr. BUWRINO end that it had been the general opinion
of both sides of the house that any borough against which
bribery and corruption had been shown should be included in
t.e schedule of this bill. Fur his own part, he should be
periwig ready to vote for the insertion of Bolton in the
meedult were it shown that Bolton was tainted with ear-
neMstr. /M.
E. TURNER considered that the hon. member for
&emits was chug able with no impropriety for having pre-
sented imps to the Literary Institution of Bodmin.
Col. SIB l'llUltP thought it clearly evident that the noble
lard opposite, and indeed the Solicitor-General himself,
knew nothing of the evidence taken in the matter before the
house. He denounced the hell as characterised by gross
partiality—the measure should he one of general application,
and such a measure he would be ready to support. He re-
commended the toble lord to entertain second thoughts ace'
the question, and to abandon the measure altogether.
Mr. DISRAELI repudiated the principle that two
boroughs having been in ertee in a schedule tike this were all
at once to be quietly emitted from the schedule, just because
the sitting members emphatically reminded the government
of the LW tle.y have given to their measures. If these boroughs
had been fitly inserted, they should have been retained.
After what had occurred the government ought to explain its
motives for withdrawing Bohm and Bodmin, and the ru-
fous far continuing Lancaster and Sligo in the disfranchising
schedule. The strange confessions from the treasury bench
of that evehing ought to induce the committee to Mist upon
the chairman reporting progress, in order to give the Soli
citotGenerel time to mature his measure, and for the pur-
pose of affording the hon. and learned member this oppor-
tunity he begged leave to move that the chairman do report
progress
The question being put from the chair,
Load J. RUS - ELL said he could not but admire the tam
fire of the opposite side, which we re at once new and thge-
aloes. It had termed a ground of complaint on a
former evenii.g that there was no recognised leader
of the opeoution wbo might organise, and control the
novemeats of hon. members on the other side of the house.
But a better plan had been devised by them—that of Invitee
two leadors taki g opposite views of the same question and
proposing different plans. One of those leaders in the pre-
, Sent instance had asked why Bodmin had not been included
1 in the Schedule, as there had been a report of a committee
'gamut it. The suggestion being adopted, up got the hon.