The Sun.
London, England, 1852-12-29 00:00:00

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT.

HOUSE OF COMMONS--(THIS DAY.)
The SPEAKER took the chair at twelve o'clock.
The attendance of members was very small.
On the motion of Mr. HAYTER, it was ordered that
the house at its rising adjourn until Friday next.
On the motion of Mr. HAYTER new writs were
ordered—
For Wolverhampton in the room of Mr. Villiers, ap-
pointed Judge-Advocate-General.
For Aylesbury in the room of Mr. Bethell, appointed
a Solicitor-General.
For Oxford in the room of Sir W. P. Wood, appointed
Vice-Chancellor.
For the Leith Boroughs in the room of Mr. Moncrieff,
appointed Lord Advocate.
For Dumfriesshire in the room of Lord Drumlanrig,
appointed Comptroller of the Household.
Vor the City of Gloucester in the room of Admiral
Berkeley, appointed one of the Lords of the Ad-
miralty.
For the county of Limerick in the room of Mr.
Monsell, appointed Clerk of the Ordnance.
For Brighton in the room of Lord A. Hervey, ap-
pointed one of the Lords of the Treasury.
On the motion that a new writ be issued for South-
ampton. in the room of Sir A. Cockburn, appointed
Attorney-General,
Mr. FORRESTER said that there was a petition
before the house against the return of Sir Alex. Cock-
burn for Southampton, charging him with being guilty,
by his agents, of bribery and corruption ; and he (Mr.
Forrester) wished, therefore, to have the opinion of the
Speaker whether a new writ could be issued under those
circumstances.
The SPEAKER said that in this case it would depend
entirely on the vote of the house. If an election petition
complained of an undue return in consequence of bribery
and corruption, but did not pray for the seat, it was
competent for the house to issue a new writ ; but if the
seat was prayed for, the house could not issue a new
writ, because it did not know whether the person for
whom the seat was prayed, was duly elected.
Mr. F. FRENCH said that as the charge was one of
bribery and corruption, it appeared to him that no in-
jury would be sustained by the issuing a new writ. All
that the opposing candidate would have to do, would be
to serve a declaration on each voter as he came to the
poll, that Sir A. Cockburn was not duly qualified, and
on the facts of this petition being proved, the hon. and
learned gentleman would be declared unseated, and the
opposing candidate seated as a member, of course.
Mr. HAYTER said that he was desired on the part
of Sir A. Cockburn, to state that he would not have
consented on any account to the issuing of this writ, had
he not been fully assured that the persons who had
made these charges of bribery and corruption, were fully
competent to resume them after the new election.
The writ was then ordered to be issued.
On tha motion that a new writ be issued for the bo-
rough of Carlow, in the room of Mr. Sadleir, appointed
one of the Lords of the Treasury.
Mr. BUTT inquired if the petition which had been
presented against the return of Mr. Sadlier, did no
pray for the seat.

Mr. HAYTER said that he had read the prayer of
the petition, and so far as he could understand it did not
pray for the seat.

Mr. G. BERKELEY said that he could state, on the
authority of the hon. gentleman himself, that such was
not the case.

Reference was then made to the petition itself, lying
on the table of the house, and it being found that it only
prayed that the election would be declared null and void,
the new writ was ordered to be issued.

The SPEAKER notified to the house, that in con-
sequence of two of the members of the general Com-
mittee on Election Petitions—Mr. BAINES and Mr.
MONSELL—having ceased to be members of the house,
he had issued his warrant to appoint Sir F. BARING and
Mr. C. FORTESCUE, members of the committee in their
places.

Mr. HEADLAM gave notice that immediately
after the recess, he should put a question to the
Government as to whether it was their intention to
introduce any measure for the improvement of the law
of Mortmain, founded on the report the committee of
last session.
The house then adjourned until Friday next, at two
o'clock.