The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1821-05-15 00:00:00

THE STRATHMORE PEERAGE.

The Couutrss of Strathmore was sworn at the table, pre-
paratory to tier giving evidrace to-murron, relative to ibis
Peerage.

The E3rl of LAUDERDALE preeeeled a Petition treat
the Merebauta of Hull nattiest any &twat' taking place
is the duties ow umber.—Read and laid on the (*Lk.

GRAMPOUND DISFRANCHISEMENT BILL. _

The Earl of CAREARVON moved that the Order
of the Day for their Lordships going tutu a Com-
mittee on.this Bill should be read.
The Earl of LAUDERDALE rose and said, before
the Order of the Day was read, he had to move
that a Select Committee of their Lordships should
be appoiuted, to inquire and report the names of
the present Mayor, Aldermen, and Corporation of
Grampound, distinguishing those whom evidence
had been given against from those agaiust whom no
uccusation had been made. He was of opinion that
their Lordships going to the se nod reading of the
Bill without this inquiry was a molt iniwarranta- •
ble act. He did not mean to contend that corrup. •
tion had riot taken place at the elections, but
it appeared that the monies the electors re-
ceived were merely loans. It was highly times-
my that they should be informed what the
actual state of the borough was. It was not his
wish that their Lordships should take the evidence
on his statement ; what he desired was, that they
should take it from the Report of their own Coin-
mittee. Those electors against whom rvidciare had
been given were ouly 18 that were mow in the enjoy-
meta of the elective franchise, and there remained 32
without say accusation being made against them;
und why should they be disfranchised fur the guilt
of the I 8? la the early part of his parlieinentary
life he had been iii the habit of sitting ou Election
Comiuittees, and it was held in the Cseninit-
tees, that electing a Member of Parlianitfut was
tot a corporate act—why then should 31 electors
he disfranchised for 11w• cr. ea of eighteen ? plant•
boroughs had nut 32 voters, some, be believed,
only five, yet those 3•. were to be disfranchised by
the ',resew Bill, which lie could not call ally thing
but a Bill of Poises and Penaltie►, it was cestsinly
more a Bill of that nature than the one which oc-
cupied so much of their Lordships' time in the laid
year, and which had received every opprobrious
appellation from some Noble Lords. They could
not say that the privileges vested in that Illustrious
Personage were for her private advantage—they
were ve-tea in her for the same purpose as the
privileges were granted to the electors of Gram-
!sound, fur the public weal. He was of opinion
that the present Bill was a kind of specula-
tive measure, built on the round that the
public wished for some change in the way they
were represented in Parliament, and this was
to appease thesis. He did slut believe the people
wished for any change in the representative sys-
tem. Ile had been once a strenuous advocate for
reliirm, but as soon as his opinion changed on that
subject, lie became as great an advocate on the other
side of the question. —(Near, hear.)—At the time
lie alluded to the public weir suffering under great