The National Register.
London, England, 1809-04-23 00:00:00

THE NATIONAL REGISTER.

The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, he was happy to find
that the Noble Lord (Lord Folkestone) had-attributed whatever'
there wasof obscurity in this Bill, to the derive of making it as
comprehensive as possible. lie was also glad that the Nobla
Lord had admitted that the Iiill•would render the commission of
thestoilences more difficult in future. As to the purchase and•
sale. of places connected with the Courts of Justice, that had
prevailed from very remote times, but he believed that it woold
not be said that the practice at all'interfered with the levity of
the administration of ,justice. As to what hail been sugge:ted
with respect tothe prevention of the tratlie for seats in Parlia-
ment, this would be a matter which might fairly he stated when
the Bill should come into a Committee. - If the .Noble • Lord or'
lion. Gentleman would then brine lot ward any proposiSton of
that sort, the house would be vt‘ry ready to take it into their
consideration. The Noble Lord had stated his firm belief of the
existence of such transactions, and the lion. Gentleman had gone
further, and stated, that it. was with in his atisolute knowledge.
The lion. Gentleman to be sure, might have some ,knowleflgel
from the confidence %s tile!) was reposed in him by the bite Ad.
ministration,with whom lie was connected Lead cries el kyr !
hear ! ) Ile could not recollect, however, that that Hon. Gen-
tleman (Mr. Creevey) had, at the tithe when a specific charge
wits brought against a Secretary of the Treasury for such
inter-
ference given the House the beeelit of his knowledge. The
House would perceive, 'that the rest- he alluded to 'iris wfien a
charge was brought against a Seirteary of the .Treasury (Mr.
l'remantle) for interference in the election of Ilempshire, where
he was undoubtedly a.freeholder. T he'll on. Gent!emanelil not
then tell the House a word of that practice which was within
hisown knowledge, of S.•cretaries of the Treesury corruptly in-
terfering in the election of Members of Padia:nent. When he
had that knowledge, how did it happen that his patriotism was
asleep on that remarkable occasion ?—( Heat: ! hear !) If he
would, however, then bring foreard impartially those specific
cases that were within his own knowledge, lie would probably
find the Ilouse very ready to attend to them.
Mr. Whitby( a I said, that he wens happy that the suggestio:s
of his Noble and I [on. Friends appeared to be received with so
much cordiality by the Right Hun. Genthonan (the Chancellor
of the Exchequer), and that it seemed to he admitted that the
practice of trafficking for seats iu Parliament was a thing which
ought not to be tolerated. He supposed that when the Rigll
lion. Gentleman (the Chancellor of the Exchequer) called upon
an Hon. Friend of his (air. Creevev), to bring one set of cases
before the Douse, he was also really to practise that impartia-
lity which he recommended, and brio; forward those cases which
were within his knowledge. (ticar ! Hear! ) It was nonsense.
to pretend to he ignerant of those abuses. What Member of
Parliament was there that djd not know thatsuch•things were
done ? ' Did not he know, did tot the Right hon. Gentleman
know, did not every body in the House know', that there were
many Members who sat there, that were Representatives of
nothing but their own money ? ( Loud cri::> of hear, hcar, /;.one
the Opposition I,e nches ! ) And it was a4so known that many who
had paid their money cur their seat,: shill felt themselves depen-
dent on other men, and if they differed from them felt those
qualms of conscience or of hoimur which made. them vacate
both the seat and the meney they had paid for it. It was not
certainly any char tee'. agaihst the present Administratioi .to state
dpe.: thites, for the charge applied as well to him and to other
Member of the ilitesta lang known that those
things were done, and '
wc t newer brought it forward to
Parliament in a proper shape.. A 3 to •the case of the
Hampshire election, the Right Moo:treble. Geetieman (the
Chancellor el the Es.chequer) happened ahout that time to a
very short pt:rtion of Ilk lice, to be in a Minaritse He (hlr.
Whitbread: had been for l 9 years, generally in a Minority, and
theteforh he' was very apt to think Minorities right ; bat the
Right [lon. Gentleman ho had been so seldom in a Minorite.
to that aloe c, should rather be inclined to suspect that he was
w roue when headed so contrary to his usual prectice. Without
however, meaning to arraieu any particuler Secretary of the
'treasury, he would state generally, teat under the present
system all Secretaries of the Trensury had themselves under the
necessity of acting iu this marmer, and there is always an open
market at the Treasury for bargains of this nature. If, however,
the House was disposed to make it a misdemeanour to trallic for
East India Writerships and Cadetships, they should certainly
take some notice of a tralfe: which was equally as notorices, hut
more scandalous and enconstitutihnal. if tire itiabt lion.:.' emir
man would appeal to his until:, neiehbour ( Lord Castlereagh)
that Noble Lord would inform him that iu 11-eta:id, about a in i
lion.and a half had been paid for the puichase of Boron

\