The British Press; or, Morning Literary Advertiser.
London, England, 1820-05-26 00:00:00

MR. ANTROBUS.

Mr. FYN Es mOQ(iifte;;Taii4 the grounds of
the motion, which were wholly inaudible in the Kal-
fery) that Mr. Green, the agent for -- Antrobus,
E.l. be permitted to deliver to the Clerk of the
House of Commons, in his stead, a rental of the
:end:, tenements, and hereditament., by which lie
wade out his qualification (to be elected to serve la
the House of Commons).
Nir. DENMAN understood that the House was
110. called upon to do what it had never done; he
therefore submitted, whether it would not be proper
to refer the matter to a Committee of the House.
Mr. BATIIIIRST said, that as Mr. Antrobus was
absent on the public service, every primal:4e of jus-
tice required that another person 'should be allowed

to do that Tor hilt winds it 0 mot possible he
'sold do hiquielf.
Mr; Titaxiv did not see the hardship in reject-
ing the motion. alleged by the Right Hon. Oreille.
• man (Mr. Bashursl). lie sinilrestood Mr. Antra-
bus Dos in America: if his absence was now over-
looked. by a parity of reasoning he might be in
India. er South America. or any part of the globe.
and at the some time retain his seat. He less told
'that in the return it psi 'stated he wui ieiidesit in
Hyde Park-corner. It 4.ita • great step . fee the
House to pass by clear enactments of the Legisla-
ture in order to accommodate • particular cites.=
The law said. that within is days from• his election
be should give in • specificatioa of all his
• cations. He objected to making this prectediog a
metier of coarse.
Mr. CoueTsaair believed, speaking from meet.
litetion, that they were not them called upon to de-
'
tide on the !provisions of an Act of Parliament.
• Mit oit • resolution of the Honor. All that was
asked was, that boomed of the Member himself. his
vat might be permitted to give in an account of
his qualifications. Stich an indulgence gave no
advmstage whatever to the sittiug Member, mad be
, hoped the order would be dispeused with.
Mr. AseabeolenT said, that the question was.
whether they inlaid safer • rigid adherence to one
of their own Orders to frustrate the ends of Unties t
He thought that the amide ill wgcb the Hake
Mover could best have prank the question for-.
ward was' by moving that the comidevation of the
Petition should be peateeAd till meet Session of
Parliament, for there Were more presented thaw
could well be disposed of before the close of the
present.
Sir Jona Newport. said a few words against
postponing the compideration of the Petition.
Mr. P. Moons said, its all the neceveary does-
meats were before the Hesse, he could see no rea-
son for the postponement.

Mr. CALCRAIPT Said, that in examining the qua.
lifications of a candidate at the time of the election,
it was always considered necessary that he should
be present. in which ease, if the reply were not antis-
factory to the electors, they would be warned,
and perhaps induced to throw oat the objection-
able or suspected party, and the next candidate
would most likely be seated ; but iu the cave of
an absent candidate, the qualification could not be
questioned at the election. Afterwards, on the
meeting of the Parliament. it was for the Howse
to go into the examination. The first *dean.
loge could only be enjoyed by an absent can-
didate; yet the House were, after this indul-
gence, called on to dispense with their own or-
ders on behalf of a candidate who had illrbady en-
joyed an exemption from the first inquiry, which
all candidates preeent at their elections (post have
undergone. He would impress on the House the
necessity of upholding its foram and orders—not
more for the sake of its own digaity, than on behalf
of the people who were to be reprevented..--He con-
sidered the motion suggested by his Hon. Friend as
still more dangerous than the original motion.
Ile could not agree with the proposition for post-
pbuing the consideration of the petition till the
next Sessions. merely for the personal accommoda-
tion of an absent candidate, without considering
for a moment the rights of the electors. He con-
ceived that ill such a case as that before them, pro-
cra•tination was equal to a denial of justice. The
witnesses might die, and many other things might
happen in the interval, which would prevent the
attainment of redress. He once more entreated
the House to support its own dignity. by adhering
to the standing orders with such firmness as they
had exhibited on many other occasion's. If they
dispensed with one order, what could in remion pre-
vent them from doing so with others ? There was
a standing order which prohibited the interference
of Peers in elections. What was to hinder the dis-
peusing with this order, as well as the one in quer-
tiou, If they suffered themselves to be drawn into
the establishment of such a precedent ?
Mr. F. llosmon supported the motion, and
felt great objections to the course proposed by the
Hots. Member opposite, concerning the latter to
imply a palpable violation of the standing orders.
As to the argument of the last speaker respecting
the order fur preventing the interference of Peers,
it appeared to him that the cases were wholly dis-
tinct. In the interference of Peers at elections.
there was a positive wrong committed. In the case
before the House, delay was asked for the purposes
of justice ; nor could the matter be fairly 'tried,
except the [louse should consent to dispense with
the I.tainling orders.

Mr. Cauca %yr explained.
Mr. DEN NI A N wished to state one more very se.
rious objection to the postponement until next Ses-
sions. Mr. Antrobus, if he came into that House
tatlve months after the qualification was delivered
in, would not be bound by it on leis arrival. As
there were tin precedents fo. the motion. be wished
the House to cmoider well if they ought nut to be
bound by the Statute.
The Cusuccu.olt of the EXCHEQUER moved
the adjoin. iiiii rut of the debate until to-morrow.
Mr. P. Moose reminded the House that the
Petitioner alleged that dote was no such person as
Mr. Antrublis---(A laNghl—notd in soy case it was
plain that his residence was not as had been stated
to his cuu•tituent,.

Mr. Artp.ace.owaY assured the Ilan. Member
and the House that there was such a person as Mr.
Antrobus.

Mr. Cat.ctmer wag willing to tpke his lion.
Friend's declaration for tlw fact of there being such
person, but he felt with his Hon. Friend (Mr. P.
Moore), 1114 there were circumstances helouging to
the case that by no means gave Mr, Aturobes an
exclusive claim to having the orders of the House
dispensed with on his account.
Mr. yens was willittg to accede to the motion
of the Hight Hon. Gentleman, but lie saw a (lA-
citify its the war—the, time limited to the case by
the orders of the Home expired that evening.
The Sexaxert ►aid it was perfectly true that that
was the lest day allowed by the orde•rs of the House
for the specifications of qualification-..f the midi-
dates to be given its, at the same it well for the
prudence of the House, if it thought tie so to exer-
cise its power, to enlarge the tune wittettit
sohstaO-
tially infringing on its own orders. Rut indepen-
dent of the power of the House to dispense with its
own forms, on e2igriit occasions, 11w lotjouroinent
of a debate root.) net he considered as any thing
more than a piolotigotion of the tuae_in which it

ersViNimesied.ood die teoemil ot ee iemaidero.' ••
lion of soy object so adjamottll the qpie ae
theimasedtate continuation. r : .... i
The amendment was then cserteci. -.
Mr. T. COUITIMAT rise is wake a maiiaa foe
an esilsrgement of time in an electioneering elle
similar to the Int. He alluded to the petition
.=• the velure of Mr. kllie, for Boston. is Lies.
re. The time allowed to Mr. SUM fere prow.
Mg kis qoalifieatias was until the Oth Joslou Re was
out of the country. and hod usragent . tis
act for him; at the same the, he 4 sesecelyl
bale received informed's of the petition weed his;
return at the period limited for hie reply," the pe..
titian. He boiled the House would aril to the
mateepmeat of the time, especially as wig not is
the power of the Committee appoill t to iminfre
lido the pokiest, acesediug to Li Greovalle's
Act. to elk* any relief or iudelgeisce. The grossed
:of objectiou 60 the retorts of Mr. Ellis. as kip.
pawed ky the palsies, was the holding of so tare
emisv the Crown. which he (Mr. Courtenay) ad.
emitted wield disqualify him, ask smsexpeemly mo-
tility to the &Gluiest Anne. He believed. bow.
ever, that grounds might be pleaded in mitigativs
against the strict enforcement of the provisions of
that Act. as that hod been frequently done before;
insides which he contended that it was not for the
lieese to go into the consideration of the merits of
• S petition, or to ask what was likely to be proved,
whet not proved. The House. being prevailed us
to interfere. would first feel the necessity of en-
abling both parties to be before the Committee at
...Ise time. He did WA wish to break to ou the
orders of the Hesse, but merely to ask them to
extend the time Preis the 6th of June. DOW ap.
pointed. to as late a day as coOld be allowed by the
forms of is.. House. which he leapt to be, by a case
that secured in last Session, the lAth 'of Jaly.
It war possible that Mr. Ellis might himself be then
present; it was not impossible that he 'eight he
able to disprove the plea of his disqualification also.
gether. The Petitioner, Mr. Johnson. 'viatica to
be allowed M prove so much as to the disqualifies.
tion as to enable hire (the Petitioner) in the mews
time so take his sent. Now whatever strong opi-
°ions might be entertained by the Houle as to the
probable result. he pot it to the Howie to say. if it
would he fair to allow evidenCe of disqualification
to be Rises when the Candidate was absent and
could Wee so opportunity of meeting it ? He
.mired. That the order for limiting the time
puma for specifying the qualification in the to.
SIM be the borough of Boston, io Lioceleibire.
ahemleolte discharged, and the time enlarged until
the Mleh July.
Mr. Thanes wished, as this motion was equally
impertant with the last, that the consideration should
also be adjourned till to-morrow.
Mr. W. WILLIAMS thought that a pest ommeti•
tutioual principle was endangered by the coarse
proposed. Mr. Ellis was nothing to that Homo
nor was the quaker of any importance, even to
Boston, compared with the effects which an eaten.
lion of the measure proposed might produce oe the
representation. He would move for an adjourn•
ment of the deliberation on the motion until Mos.
day. It was suggested, that to-morrow would be
most convenient. He could not believe that, ais

there would must likely be a debate se soother
great constitutional principle to-morn*. At any
rate he thought delay of some sort uecessory.
Sir R. HICION was perfectly prepared to apnea,
Fhe modem. except the suggestion of his Hors.
riend were adopted.
The Cnaricsi.tou of the EXCUSQUIM and Mr.
Titian said a few words each iu favour of the
udjournaient till to-morrow.
Sir R. Hato* said. thot it was of great impolt.
once that the matter Should be itettled, as it kept a
great many gentlemen in town, not certainly in a
state of much anxiety, as they felt quite sure of
what would be the decision of the House.
The motion was postponed till to-morrow.

. . _
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER limo
moved that the other Orders of the Day should be
read.

The SPEAKER said, that it would be for the
convenience of the Hoo►e for him so remind them
that the last day allowed for the introduction of
Private Bills, wus Tuesday next. the 30th of May.
On that day there were two Election Petitions to
be taken iota cousideration. which would most pro.
trebly drive off the private business till a late hour.
He ►uggestrd the propriety of extruding the time
to Wednesday.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER then
moved. that the order of the 29th April, for limit-
ing the time fur the introduction of private Bills.
should be discharged, and that the time should be
extended to Wednesday. the 31st May.—Ordered.
The SPEAKER ulbo suggested the propriety of
exteudiug the time for receiving reports on high
Private Bah., in order to put them on the game
footing as English Private Bills, to the 29th ofJ one,
which was ordered accordingly.
The other orders were then disposed of, and the
House adjourned at Hine o'clock.