The Sun.
London, England, 1848-08-11 00:00:00

Gentleman—charges e ou the most singular t ~tir-
nony.—(flear, hear.)
Mr. HUDSON said that if enrrapt practices had taken
place at the Landon &eetion, the Noble L.,rd, and pro-
bably the chairman of his Committee, v. ould be the last
persons ,to know any Mng about them.—((.[ear, hear.)
A was generally stated that a large sum of money had
been expended, which could not be for any legitimate or
proper purpose. He thought the Government would act
Wisely by giving up the Bill altogether, which would only
create unpleasant and angry feelings in the boroughs to
which it was to apply.
Mr. HOBHOUSE refused to be bound by the prin-
ciple on which the Hon. and Learned Gentleman (the
Solicitor-General) would include Lincoln in the Bill.
He had been returned at the smallest possible cost for
the city of Lincoln, and he believed that there never was
an election where greater purity and propriety prevailed.
That consideration alone should weigh with the House
in excluding Lincoln from the schedule, even if Lincoln
bad before that been guilty. It was in Lis opinion highly
unjust to adopt a retrospective principle in the Bill.
There was no objection to the issuing of the writ in the
case of Lincoln as in the case of Horsham, and that he
considered was a distinction in favour of the former
place. If his Hon. and Gallant Colleague divided the
House he should divide with him.
Mr. BROTHERTON said that the Hon. Gentleman
who had just spoken had proved too much; for if Lin-
coln was so pure as he had represented, there could be
no fear from any inquiry. If he understood the case of
Lincoln, Mr. Seely, the late Member, was unseated for
practices which the. Hon. and Gallant Member had prat
tised, and said he would continue to practise. On the
score of justice, therefore, ho thought that an inquiry
should take place.
After a few words from Colonel SIBTHORP, the
Committee divided, when there appeared—
For retaining Lincoln in the schedule 69
J.
Against-it
Majority
Lincoln was accordingly inserted, as were Leicester,
Lyme Regis, and Bewdley.
On the motion-that Harwich be inserted,
Mr. BAGSHAWE said that he might use every ar-
gument which had been used in the case of Lincoln, in
favour of the borough of Harwich, but he thought he
would best consult the-credit of this borough by courting
inquiry.—(Near.)
On the motion that Aylesbury be inserted,
Lord NUGENT said that he was sure he was only
representing the cordial wishes of those who elected
him in giving his assent to the insertion of Aylesbury.
—(Hear, hear.) He could bear testimony to the pure
manner in which both the representativ©s of Aylesbury
bad been sent to that louse.
Mr. NEWDEGATE suggested that as the Noble
Lord was so anxious -for inquiry, Aylesbury should be
put first in the schedule.
Mr. Q. DICK thought inquiry would be of great ser-
vice, and was sure it would be for the morality of the
borough that it should be thoroughly and radically re-
formed.—(Hear, hear.)
Mr. DISRAELI was not even aware that Aylesbury
Was included in the _schedule, and he was struck with
surprise at the two speeches he had just heard from the
Members of the town of the county which he repre-
sented. Snell maudlin sensibility as considered an im-
peachment a fortunate occurrence he could certainly
not understand. His Honourable Friend who spoke last
certainly had no reason to make the speech he had deli-
vered, and he must attribute its delivery to the fact of
his oratorical experience being considerably less than
his parliamentary.—(A laugh.) As for the electors of
Aylesbury he',(Mr. Disraeli) cared very little for them.
Being people of very little minds, who were advocates
of liberalism and not of liberty, they were generally
Opposed to him.—(A laugh.) But Aylesbury was an
Old English borough, and he believed, upon his honour
as a gentleman, that it was as pure as any borough in
the empire, and that a bribe bad never been offered
'Within its extensive bounds.—(Laughter, and cries of
"Oh, oh.") He utterly protested against the two
speeches just made. They were not justified.
They were outrages against the borough. Did
the Hon. Member behind him consider his speech a re-
commendation to the hustings en a future occasion? As
for the Noble Lord he was the victim of a too pellucid
sentimentality.—(Hear, and a laugh.) He protested
against the legislation of cant, and he charged the Mem-
bers for Aylesbury with not doing their duty.
Lord NUGENT said he shculd very briefly reply to
the not over-weighty charge which had just been brought
against him. He scarcely knew whether his sentimen-
tality was " maudlin" or " pellucid," but certainly it did
not arise from the same feeling as the sentimentality of
the lion. Gentleman who thought Aylesbury ought to
be exempted from the inquiry because it was an, ancient
borough. He did not impeach his constituents. He did
precisely the reverse. He courted the inquiry, in order
to clear his constituents, and he hoped the inquiry into
their conduct would be made with the most stringent
severity, which was the only way in which such an in-
vestigation could be useful.
Mr. Q. DICK felt the attack made upon him had
been quite uncalled for. He was confident that this
borough would come clean out of the fire of the investi--
Ration.

Mr. NEWDEGATE said this debate was taking an
extraordinary turn—nothing less than an imputation on
the Committee which unseated the late Member for the
borough of Aylesbury. The only object the present
Members could have would be to reverse the decision.
The question was then put and carried.
Cheltenham, Sligo.. and Lancaster were respectively
added to the schedule without observation.
On the question that Bodmin be added,
Mr. WYLD said it was not until the eleventh hour
that this borough, in the kindness of her Majesty's Soli-
citor-General to ono of the supporters of the Govern-
ment, had been added to the schedule appended to this
Bill. For his own part, he had no objection to inquiry;
but that Bodmin should be added at the last moment to
schedule which had a preamble imputing bribery and
corrruptioa to the electors was not to be borne. There
Was not an item of evidence to justify such a proceeding,
and if a single borough against which a petition was to
be presented was exempted from this Bill, then Bodmin
ought certainly to be excluded. Never had a pura
or
quieter election occurred in Bodmin. It took place at
assize time, and even the judge congratulated the mayor
upon the tranquillity that prevailed, and the county
,magistrates and • the bar declared they should not
slave known that an election was going forward. There
were some gentlemen in that House who appeared in-
clined to tinker the constitution for their own purposes;
but it was sad to reflect that any Minister, in order to
shield himself, should sacrifice the interests of such a
borough as that be represented. Its electorate was com-
Posed of a most intelligent body of men, and he should
think they ought rather to be shielded than to have their
frailties mapped out for public inspection.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL owned he did not think
the ease of Bodmin a very strong one ; but it had been
subject to a special report, and wherever such special re-
Port was made he had thought it right to put the
rough into the schedule of the Bill.
Mr. DISRAELI saw by the discussion which had
taken place that there was one object in the Bill—
; tamely, to decide to which aide of the House the Mem-
"er for Bodmin belonged.—(Laughter.) Surely, Mr.
.-;7.11 Solicitor-General ought to be ashamed of himself to in-
nlude in this Bill a borough 'represented by such a Mem-
ber. As for the Bill itself it seemed to him to be essen-
tially a miserable, hypercritical, lying, canting Bill.
Such a wretched pretence of purity as he had been wit-
ness to that night he could not have believed possible—
a Solicitor-General getting up and admitting that it
Was " a weak case." Why, who doubted it was weak; and
there were other things weaker than the 13111.—(A
hues.) What an idea must the country entertain of a
Government that could produce-a such a Bill. If the fu-
ture of tho nation depended upon such legislation as this
its hopes must be small indeed. If the Member for Bod-
min- divided, he should divide with him, but he was
bound to say that he brought all this upon himself. He
went down to Bodmin with his maps.—(Laughter.) No
wonder he thought them an intelligent constituency.—
(Renewed laughter.) A minister had said, and he was
in a great scrape for it, that " Italy was a geographical
name." The Member for Bodmin looked on Bodmin as
geographical iname.—(Laughter.) He took down his
aPs and he - triumphed geographically.—(Renewed
laughter.) He gave globes not goblets—and he suc-
seeded. But he would doubtless profit by his experience
to future, and go without his maps. Bodmin was a Cor-
ljah borough, and Cornish boroughs always had a bad-
dish name, though the Hon. Member thought it had, on
ltehsissoonca.casion, profited by his moral and geographical
Here, however, was- a Solicitor-General, not
knowing what names to put in, selecting a borough
merely by chance, and stuffing it into a Bill in which he
thought he bad discovered the great principle of a new
Parliamentary reform. Yes that was the Right Hon.
Goeutninytwtttin'a idea. He landed that the feeling of the
t
would approve a measure which brought repro.
mid-Puniehment me sure
gift of a shilling dinner
ticket, and that was his measure of parliamentary refor-
mation.
SIBTIIORP said if the Member for Bodmin
Z.viil_r_ed(LkiAeleasuyhg,oh:ycji divide with him against this dirty
he never was more surprised than
1.!:h,e11., on Friday last, having returned from the sea-
'Lni.es where he hactbeen with a rich relation—(Laughter)
--he heard that- Bodmirrwss -to be-included in this Bill.
return Never was a man who deserved a petition against his
less that lie did. What was his connexion with
Bodmin? Last year he went down there to a dinner
"'fleeted with a railway. transaction. He was well
received, and in May. last he sent a friend down to see
howthe land ilay. He reported that Mr. Wyld was
canvassing with success, and that if he wished to get in
h_ must start at,once. Well, he went down, and he got,
not many promises; he 'admitted, bat a great many
people said, " Why, we don't knr!iw who is coming.”—
(Shouts of laughter.) .6 We " don't know," they said,
" who is coining; • but we can tell you this, that we are
sot_
going to have our present Members again. One (Sir
pry) is a foal, and the other(Mr. Gardner) is an im-
t!"tor.' Well, he (Mr. Lacy) was returned, and what
followed? that ho was badgered and bothered out of his life
about, this trumpery petition' which turned simply upon
the eircurastance,ot some of his Committee, without his
i
v wledge, collecting 20/. to give some of the poorer
_eters a treat. This was not a case for inquiry, and he
(~.11tred them to proceed further against him in the matter.
•tte said "dare,": because he felt strongly on the subject,
and that he admitted.
The SOLICITOR-GENERAL said he had included
all boroughs in the Bill in which there were treating,
witlauut reference to the amount.
Mr. LACY said tt.o treating at Bodmin was not for
corrupt purposes; that was proved before the Com-
mittee.
Mr. ELLIOT said ho really had doubts about this
ease- It appeared a very weak one.
Mr. BANKES asked if this Bill was to be passed to
meet "weak cases." If the Members for Bodmin stood
pr their borough as they ought he Should vote with
a. Was it worth while to bring in a Bill to prevent
the supply of thew trumpery refreshment tickets?