The Express.
London, England, 1865-06-24 00:00:00

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REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE.
This morning mail issued the report of the
select committee eppointed to Inquire late all the C 11117110•
stances couneeted with the resignation of Mr. Hairy
Bedgewick Wilde as registrar of the Court of Bankruptcy at
Leeds ; the granting him • pensica ; the eppointment of Mr.
Welch to the said office ; and whether he was to melee his
appointment in favour of the Hon. Maud Bothell sad
restive another appointment in Lemke.
The oommittee stale at the outset that their difficulties
hem bean greatly Moreased by the eziavetely unsatisfactory
sad ooetradiatsry eaten of much of the evidemes which
his tom brought before them. The report then enters
late • stalemeal of the facts oa the first hied, namely, the
eireniestanoes oennected with Mr. Wilde's migmatite. The
soiamlttes are decidedly of opinion that the charges men-
tioned to a letter of Mr. Miller, the chief register of the
Court of Bankruptcy, dated the 16th of May, supported by
the joint report of Messrs. Ayrton and Harding and the
mpasste report of Mr. Autos, however explained or pal-
liated by Mr. Wilde in kis statement and examination, fully
justified the Laid Chancellor in calling ea Mr. Wilde to
show canes is apes court why be should not be dismissed.
Os the 26th of July [26th June') Mr. Millar sent the fol-
lowing letter to Mr. Wilde :
" Court of Beekruptcy, Jely 26 Vase 26 ?),1864.
" filr, —lt grieves me much to inform you that sakes I
hear in course of post that you 10111% to apply to be allowed
to retire, I have instructima fees this Lard Chancellor to
serve you with notice to appear before him publicly io open
court, and show canoe why yea should not be dismissed from
your office of registrar. It is said that your state of health
is smolt that you can have so difficulty in obtaining wok •
medical certificate as would entitle you to retire under the
33rd seethe of the Bankruptcy Ant, 1861 ; and if this he
so, I sincerely trust, for you owe sake, that you will mis
the propriety of relieving the Chancellor from the very die.
agremble, and, Mcleod, painful duty which is thrust upon
him.—l am, he., "J. F. ?JULIA&
" H. B. Wilde, Req."
Mr. Miller states that the first part of this letter, in-
cluding the pump es to the muse of post sad the applica-
ties to retire, was strictly in acoordanes with the directions
el the Lord Chancellor ; bat that for the second part he
had so inatruatioes—he added it an • mem matter of Wad-
ers to Mr. Wilde ; and "he seems to have considered that
to avoid • public hearing In wart would be sot only (M-
-akable for Mr. Wilde's sake, but also ease*
able to the Lord ChweeLlor ; and that the sug-
gestion of retirement (in the sense of retirement
with • pension if a case for • pension could be made out)
was intended by the Lord Chancellor." The Lord Chancellor
distinctly denies that he pve Mr. Miller any authority to
connect the notice to Mr. Wilde with anything about his
retiring ; but his lordship adds, It Is just possible I may
have said to Mr. Miller in conversation, mime he resigns
I have no other alternative than to bring him
into court. I mast have him in court for the pur-
pose of considming whether he ought or ought not to be
diemiseed, but I will swept his resignation if he
makes it. Mr. Miller had no instruction from me to do
anything bat to give him the notice to appear, but it is
undoubtedly possible that I may have said to Mr. Miller
that I would swept hie resignation, meaning reeigeatiem
without any pension." The letter was not shown le the
Lord Chancellor before it was seat ; and his lordship, upon
his attention being called to the term " course of
post," expressed his astonishment to find a letter
writtea in such language. Mr. Miller,'on the Lord Chas-
' eiller's evidence being sulownently shown to him, ad-
hered in the main to his former statements.
Mr. Wilde went in • petition stating his pow& for rear-
lag, • medioal oertifioste and an affidavit by the petitioser
verifying hie stateenents. Mr. Miller. " after denying that
be had anything to do with the petition, admitted that he
had himself prepared it." The petition, affidavit, sod certifi-
cate were submitted by Mr. Miller to the Lord Chaoceller
ea the 30th June. Mr. Miller Metes that he called the
attention of the Lord Chancellor to the weatisfactery
astute of the certifieate ; but this the Lord Chancellor
does not remember. Had he read it, he says, he should not
have allowed it to have passed. "As • matter of policy,"
say the committee, "it may have been right to allow Mr.
Wilde to retire as • pension ; but care ought at least to
have been taken to sacertain beyond doubt that there was
ground for gisestieg a mission nader the provisions of the
statute. This was not done ; and your committee think it
their duty to express their opinion that the pension was
granted hastily and without due examination. Such haste
and want of panties) awe: warily give rise to a suspicion that
• vacancy In the oak, is the object sought, rather than
justice to the officer or the public. In this Waseca, how-
ever, your committee consider that no improper motives
are imputed to the Lord Chancellor."
The committee add that they "swot bat regret extremely
that such* letter u that of the 26th of June should have
been written by the Chief Registrar, not merely on account
of the impropriety of its terms, bat because the suggestion
of retirement probably induced Mr. Wilde to apply at once
for • pension, and thus frustrated the Lord Chancellor's de-
clared intention of Mete( the charges against Mr. Wilde
publicly heard in court. Mr. Wilde pressed your committee
to enter upon • further investigation of three charges;
but, as there appeared to your committee to be
no posed whatever for any easpidoe that there
had ben any improper motive for preferring the charges
against Mr. Wilde; and ea, moreover, the reports
sad doottmenta (isoludisg Mr. Wilde's own explanatory
statement) clearly supported those charges, at lent to such
• degree as to justify the Lord Chancellor in calling on Mr.
Wilde to answer them in open cunt ; and further, as Mr.
Wilde had himself haw to retire on • passim rather than
submit to • public inquiry into his conduct, your committee
refused to prolong an investigation which, whatever its
result might have been, most have bees far less satisfactory
in its salary than that which Mr. Wilde had declined."
With regard to the appointment of Mr. Welch, the
omeamittes are satisfied that no imputation can fairly be
made against the Lord Chancellor with regard to this ap-
pointment, but they premed to call attention to mine re-
markable evidence touching this part of their inquiry. This
'mei:bees relates to money transactions between Mr. Bethel
and Mr. Welch, in which, according to the evideees of the
Ben. G. 8.. Harding, rime of St. Am's, Wandsworth. who
acted as Mr. Bethell's friend in the matter, it was agreed
that Mr. We'oh should pay down 5001. to Mr. Bethel' and
010 his inflames to procure an appointment from his father
in favour of Mr. Welch, and on obtaining an appointment
should pay • dimmed pectr.ds more. Mr. Welch admits
that he lent 3001. with the hope that Mr. Bethell
would exercise irffinence with the Lord ()bawdier in ob-
taining an appointment for him. He farther states that
he we in the habit of lending money to parsons possesa-
lag influence in order to titmice their assistance.
Mr. Hellion says that he may have told Welch that
if he saw there was any reasonable chance of sac.
goodies. be would mention his name to the Lord Chan-
ogler ; but beyond that made no direct promise. The
amount of the " lows" front Mr. Welsh to Mr. Bothell
appease to have reached, between May 6, 1864, and
April 30, 1866, in all 1.0501., without interest. Mr.
Bothell says that Mr. Harding's statement is • pure in.
yeatioe ; he also says, " Mr. Harding sought me out, and
threatened that melees I
he gave
would him moscom ey, or
down ooed Mr.
Welch to give him money, ehere and
rain as both." Mr. Harding, on the other hand, says that
be used no threats to Mr. Bethel, bet that Mr. Bethell said,
"1/ you appear and give evidence, I will shoot yen." The
committee give the more prominent fact; or state.
meets bearing on this matter. For minute details they
refer to the evidence of the partite concerned. " Tito state.
meet of Mr. Harding," says the report, "is krona-
disable with that of Mr. Bethell and Mr. Welch. Mr.
Harding's statement, if tree, disclose a corrupt bargain
between the them parties ; it false, it is • grass
attempt at extort:ice. One oe other of them coeclusions
would be established by • judicial investigation of the facts
ad the ems ; but as each of theta involves the liability to a
charge of • highly pawl character, your committee, not
having the oppartunite of examining witnesses epos oath, or
of bringing the yersoes inculpated to • formal Hal, pur-
posely abstain from expressing any opinion as to which of
the two views above sneetioned ought to be adopted. They
Meador it their duty te observe that the Indisputable facts
OM seek as to NNW' it esesesisi to the publie interest that
Ike cane Weald, se seen es possible, be mad* the saleket of
legal iarestigsMe&"
Mr, iffisedbeg, we should add, was, easordind to his ewe
etateemmto haw received ow-tisini of the farther 1,0001.
whimpaid, aed he atterwanis netsally applied b 1 IsUar to
Mr. Welch for that portion of the sus : " Mr. Welch took
se coke el the letter ; Handing then met si freesia,
mid afterwards employed ids seileiter, Mr. Coyle, to write ;
bet ultimately gave op the calm ce lobe informed by kis
Whetter that be meld sot eshmese it."