The Express.
London, England, 1865-05-03 00:00:00

LORD BROUGHAM'S ALFIDAYIT.

THE EDMUNDS COMMITTEE.
It appears from the votes amid proceedings of the
Howe of Lord. that the report from the Wed committee
in the Edmunds con was made last eight, and ordered to
be printed. The minutes of evidence, together with en ap-
pendix, were laid on the table had ordered to be delivered
out.
The Dutdin Evening Mail says :—" The Mort which kw
been swayed upon exonerates Lord Chancellor Westbury
from impropriety,' but blame him for ' great impru-
dence.' The ground of the latter censors is his having
withheld facts from the House of Lords. The Lord Chaa-
minor's resignation has been placed in the bands of the
government. It is undenteod, however, that up to the
present it has not been sempted."
The following letter and affidavit have been published :
"Cannes. April 25.
. "My Lord,—Mr. Edmunds has thought proper to intro-
duce into the late inquiry as to the circumstances of hie ap-
pointment to the office of Clerk of the Patents a long @tato-
mot as to various money transactions which, he says, took
place between him and me.
" This etatmnent I refuted on oath before the committee
of the House of Lords, but the opportunity of meeting it by
evidence in detail wee refused me by the committee on the
ground that 'the matter was collateral to the inquiry.'

" I beg to state,
" Fist. That I never received for my own use, nor applied
to my owe purposes, directly or indirectly, one farthing of
Yr. Edmunds's salary.
"Second. That I wee no party to the original arrange-
ment between him and my lan brother James as to the
application of any part of Ida salary, and that I never
heard of nun arrangement until 10 months after my
brother's death. I felt upon learning it tint I had no right
to disturb an arrangement entered into for the benefit of
creditors.
"Third. That I have never benefited, and that I never
can under any possible circumstances benefit, by that ar-
rangement, or by any payments that ever have been mans

by kr. EdMuods.
"Fourth. That I am not and never was a party to the
mortgage debt of 1,0001., nor is any respect whatever liable
thereto ; and that Lord Brougham's liability to that debt
was disputed by me on his authority and by his express
desire, and under the circumstances stated by hi in his
affidavit, sworn on the 22nd of April, a copy of which I
subjoin.
" While the matter was under the consideration of the
committee I refrained from taking public notice of the
stelerneote largely circulated by Mr. Edmunds in news-
papers and elsewhere. Bat the moment is now come when
I feel it due to your lordship, as lord-lieutenant of my
county, to tempest upon you thus far, in vindication of my
character.
" I have the honour to be your lordship's very obedient
servant, " W. BROOGIIAL
" To the Earl of Lonsdale, Am"

LORD BROUGIUMI3 AFFIDAVIT.
" 'ln the matter of the inquiry into the circumstance' of
the reaienatiou by Mr. Edmunds of certain offices and of
the pension granted to him by the Rowe of Lords.
" 'I, Henry, Lotd Brougham and Van:, maks oath and
my that when I made my affidavit in the above matter on
the 27th of March last I knew nothing of the specific charges
made against me or against any member of my family by
the said Edmonds, nor did I know that the committee ap-
pointed to investigate the above matters intended to Minus
their inquiries beyond the eircurastanoes of the said Ed-
munds's original appointment as Clerk of the Patents,
and to travel into the private concerns of my family, and
among others into the circumstances of a mortgage debt
alleged to have been incurred by me to 1811, more than
half a century ago. Now I make oath and say, that I made
over the premises so mortgaged, and which ere known by
the name of Hosea Farm, which forms ne pert of the
Brougham estate, to my late brother, James Brougham, in
the year 1810. That from that time no part of the rents bee
ever been received by me or `4 toy person on my account or
for my benefit. That my said broths: James was put into
possession of the said premises in 1810, and continued
to be sole beneficial owner thereof until his death in
December, 1813. That from his death until the present
time the whole rents of the said premises have by my direc-
tion been applied towards the payment of his debts and
lia-
bihties That the money borrowed in 1811 on the security
of the said premises was borrowed by m said brother
James solely for his own use, mid wee wholly y received and
wholly enjoyed by him. That the legal estate in the said
premises being still in me, I was a necessary party to the
said mortgage deed, which I executed in 1811, and which I
have never seen from that day to this, nor heard of till
October last. That I have been isformed there was some
transfer of the said mortgage in 1827, but I say that I was
never told of any such tr....section at the time, that I never
received nor dealt with any part of the money, and that 1
never executed any such treader. And I farther say that
no claim has ever been made to my knowledge for Murat
upon any such debt, and that I did not know and did not
believe that at the time of my said brother's
death in 1833 such mortgage still existed, an there-
fore that I, from my brother's death until the present
time, directed all the rents of the said premier to be ap-
Clair? relief of different affecting my said
s estates. That the first time I heard of any claim
I was in a latter from James Leman, solicitor of the said
I Edmunds, some time in October last, in which he stated
that the said Edmunds' funds were exhausted, and that he
had nothing left but • mortgage " upon the Brougham pro-
perty," or words to that effect. And I further say that,
well knowing these was no son mortgage upon the
Brougham property, I directed my brother
William
Brougham to write to the said Leman that " I knew of no
such debt sod that I owed no such sum." That late in the
same mouth of October the mortgage deed of 1811 upon the
said Howes Farm was found, as 1 have been informed, in
the munimsnt room at Brougham; but I was not there,
and I never maw, and never since have seen the said died.
And I further say that after I had left England I was in.
lamed that the question of the validity of the said mort-
gage was to be referred to Lon Cranworth. And I further
say I have been informed, and believe, that the mid
Edmuada has stated upon oath that I was kept in ignorance
of such reference. Now, I may that such statement is
absolutely false, far I was not only informed of such in-
teoded reference at the time, but I afterwards sent to the
said Lord Cranwortb, in December last, from Cannes, a
paper Dived by me, in which I stated that I submitted in
all respects to his arbitration and award. And I further
say that acting under the firm conviction end belief that I
owed no such debt, and that the claim so mad. against me
by the said Leman oo behalf of the said Edmunds in reopen
of a debt of 6,000/. alleged to be secured on the Brougham
property was, as regarded me, an unjust claim, I directed
my said brother William to resist and oppose the sense by
luau means in hie power, and to urge upon the said Lord
Cruworth that, inasmuch as no intones had ever bees &-
maned of or paid by me, noby my order, or with my
knowledge, privity, or consent, in reaped of any each debt,
that such liability, if it aver existed, might not now to be
prised against me, and I believe that my mid brother did
scoordiegly resist such claim on my behalf. And I further
said that if, as I have been informed and believe, my said
brother ever offered to take upon himself such debt,
such offer was purely voluntary on his part, and,
having been mode without my knowledge or comsat,
could in no way render me liable for any sun
debt, and I further say that the said premier are
now liable to the claims of certain creditors of my said
brother James to an emoted largely exceeding the value
thereof ; so that if said claim for 0,0001. were extinguished
by the money which I am informed and believe is secured
on the mid Edmunds's death by a policy for 3,00 W., or ia
any other manner, the said premises would become at can
available to satisfy the claims of the said creditors, bat
amid ennfer no benefit upon me or upon any member of
my family. An I farther say int slither 1 nor any
existing member of my family have ever benefited, or
ever ant, under any Feasible circumstances, benefit, by
any payments that have ever been made by the said Ed-
mus is respect at the said debt or otherwise. Aed I
further say I have been informed and believe that the said
&needs isms stated upon nth that Alfred Montgomery, a
cemasineser of the Board of Inland Revenue, told him
that I had said to him, in mid Montgomery that I had
given hiss, the said Edemas, the said Patent:oaks, on the
nudershawana that the premeds were to be applied fee the
benefit of his heediest and sisters. New, I say that wee
statement, whether made by the said Rim er by the
said lffewfwmery, is false ; for I *that I did net give the
said Edmunds the said Petestuffies the
leg that that it wee to be far the el hie teethes
and atm, or epee at ameba with that er
with any ant seaiition er awlestwediew whatever ; mad
I further say that I sever mid either to the said Neatato
mery, err to any other panes. that I bad so gives the said
=and I say that nab steterreset is altogether mi
made by the mfil Iffenumen—bet dish Ices,=bardlehelieve—or isweated by the said limas. AM I
say—that when the said Yetest-offies blame veauit,
by **death et Wiliam Beery ha" I had la power sad
Oteelete ridt late sivew it be eat welahst .0 sous.
imaky, L'ed Nertidagtea sad 01 lard Ihka $* 4904