The Sun.
London, England, 1848-02-11 00:00:00

WEST INDIES.

Mr. HUME gave notice fir:4, unless the Hon..,
Member for West Gloucester should upon an early
tiny bring forward his motion on the subject of th,
West Indies, he should himself propose a series of re .
solutions on the subject of giving to the proprieto ef_,
of cs'ates in their colonies a full and fair trial w Vth
respect to the effects of the employment of any -kind
of labour which they might require.
ATTORNEYS' CERTIFICATES.

Mr. WARD presented a petition from a r mmber of
solicitors, practising in Sheffield, prayi`sg for the
abolition of the duty on certificates recieired to be
taken by attorneys when admitted to F.adice.
JEWISH DISABILITI AS.

Mr. AGLIONBY presented a p.tition from per-
sons residing at \Vhitehaven, pray img that the Bill
for removing the Jewish disabilities might speedily
pass into law-
WEST GLOUCESTERSTIIRE ELECTION.

Upon the .Members nominated by the General
Committee of Elections to, inquire into the truth of
the allegations contained in the West Gloucester pe-
tition being summoned ta the bar to be sworn, it was
discovered that Mr. 4Charles Lennox Cumming
Bruce, one of the nominated members, was not in the
House,
Mr. FOX MALILE said it now became his pain-
ful duty, in consequence of the Hon. Mem-
ber not being in his place one hour after
the House had net, to move, under the 67th section
of the Act of Parliament, that he be taken into custody
by the Sere-mat. at-Arms. In making the motion,
he must take the opportunity of drawing the attention
of Hon. Memb ex s to the rules which prevailed in the
nomination of VI( ise Committees. It appeared to him
that such cases ass the one he was now dealing with
arose from the circumstance of Hon. Members not
being sufficiently attentive in consulting the panels
upon which th it names were placed ; and he w-Juld
most earnestly recommend Honourable MetnLers,
not so much w ith the view of saving themselves
trouble, as for ti e purpose of saving trouble and ex-
pense to the pa rties concerned, that they should
consult the paneds in which their names were placed
every day during the time the panel was under con-
sideration. With these observations it was his
painful duty to move the resolution which he had
just read.
Sir R. H. fITGLIS suggested that in future
the notices issued by the General Committee of Elec-
tions should be delivered to Honourable Members
bona fide through the hands of an officer of the House.

Mr. FOX MAULE directed the attention of the
Hon. Baronet to the third section of the Act of
Parliament, wherein it is stated that the clerk of the
General Committee of Elections should give notice in
writing to each Member who should be chosen to
serve on Election Committees.

Sir R. H. INGLIS said his suggestion was quite
consistent with the Act, which evidently required
that the notices should be personally delivered by an
officer of the House.

Lord HARRY VANE did not see the necessity
of a personal service, but in his opinion four or five
days' notice ought to be given to Honourable Mem-
bers before they were called upon to serve on these
Committees.

Mr. AGLIONBY agreed with the suggestion of
the Noble Lord. The summons which he received
to serve on this Committee did not reach him till late
last night. He did not attribute this to the :neglect
of the officer whose duty it was to deliver it, because
it was left at his house so early as four o'clock yes-
terdty afternoon, but at that hour he had left home
to attend the house,i and no doubt like many other
Members, he did not return till late at night.—(Hear.)

Sir W. HE ATHCOTE said the General Com-
mittee of Selection were bound, under the Act of
Parliament to give the notices on the day of selection,
and they had no authority to interfere with the rules
laid down by the Act. It was the province of the
House, and not of the Committee, to make the
alterations suggested by Honourable Members.
He trusted therefore that his Right Hon. Friend and
the other Members of the Committee would be
exonerated from any blame.—(Hear, hear.)
Dr. BOWRING said there was no complaint of
the conduct of the Committee, but he thought the
hardship was considerable.
Mr. THORNLEY said that in the votes of the
House there was fourteen days' notice given of the
day on which the Committee was appointed, and the
panel from which the Committee would be taken.
lie thought, therefore, Honourable Members could
not blame the llouse.
Mr. FORBES was sure that the Hon. Member
had no intention wilfully to absent himself, he trusted,
therefore, that the House would allow him to move
that the debate on the subject should be adjourned
till Monday.
SlThe SPEAKER doubted whether he could put
the motion, because the Act was imperative in its
provisions, that when a Member who had been ap-
pointed on an Election Committee did not appear
within an hour from the sitting of the House, he
should be taken into the custody of the Sergeant-at-
Arms.

Mr. F. MAULE believed the Act was imperative,
and that the House had no discretion ; he should,
therefore, move that the Sergeant-at-Arms be ordered
to take the Hon. Member into custody.
Mr. HORSMA.N suggested the withdrawal of the
motion, upon the understanding that all fees should
be paid, and the subject considered on Monday.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER said
that the adoption of such a course would be incon-
sistent with the the dignity of the House and a wage
of their time, as the Act was imperative.—(Hear.)
Mr. HORSMAN—Then does the Right Hon.
Gentleman that the Hon. and Gallant Member should
be in custody to-morrow and Sunday ?
The CHANCELLOR. of the EXCHEQUER—
Certainly. It was his duty to attend the house
having been appointed on the Committee.—(Hear.)
The SPEAKER having put the question, that the
Sergeant-at• Arms be ordered to take' the Hon. and
Gallant Member into custody, strangers were ordered
to withdraw.

In a few minutes the gallery was opened, when we
found that the motion had been agreed to without a
division.

THE GREAT MARLOW ELECTION COM-

MITTEE.

The Members of this Committee were then called
to the table, and Sir R. N. Price being absent,
Mr. F. MAULE said Sir Robert Price, the
Member for Hereford, not having attended in his
place within one hour before the sitting of the
Hou,e, to be sworn as one of the Members of the
said Committee, he felt it his duty to move that he be
taken into custody by the Sergeant at-Arms.
Mr. V. SMITH said when an Hon. Member
moved that the debate on the last motion be adjourned,
the Speaker told him that he could not do so. If the
Act was imperative with respect to the committal of a
Member who did not appear, he could not see the
necessity of making a motion on the subject, and was
surprised that one was about to take place As the
same thing might occur again he begged to ask
the Hon. Gentleman to explain the law, and whether
the motion must be agreed to as as a mutter of course,
or whether it was open to discussion ?
The SPEAKER read the 66th clause which stated
that if a Member, summoned on an election com-
mittee, did not appear when called upon that he
should be ordered to be taken into custody. By the
old Act a motion was made that the Members so
absenting themseelves be taken into custody; and
though it was not imperative under the new regula-
tion, he had thought it well to adhere to
the ancient mode. It might be open to
discussion whether a Member could be committed to
the custody of the Sergeant-at-Arms by the Speaker
alone.
Mr. HORSMAN said in the event of the arrest
of a Member being agreed to, the Sergeant- at• Arms
or his officer was compelled to follow. him
even into Scotland or Ireland, and he Was
liable to pay all the expenses.—(Hear, hear.)
A Member might be absent from accident; end,
therefore, he thought the House should take care that
Members had full notice. The putting of the motion
showed that it might eome to a division, and, of
course, if this came on a discussion might take place,
and any one might move an amendment; and the
Member himself, or his friends, might be enabled
to state some mitigating circumstances to entitle the
absent Member to the consideration of the House.
He believed that the notices were only served last
night, and it was just possible that they did not reach
the residences of the Members until after they might
have gone off to dinner, or left town by the mail.
He invariably looked at the votes every
morning to see if he had been appointed
a Member of any Committee; no notice, howver, ap-
peared in the Votes until Members were actually ap-
pointed; their nomination did not appear, and con-
sequently a Member might easily be inadvertenly
absent.
Mr. HUME said that no doubt, with respect to the
practice of the House, the Speaker was quite correct.
Lie thought, however, that by the terms of the Act it