Star.
London, England, 1831-02-26 00:00:00

PARLIAMENTARY REFORM.

ROXBURGH PETITION FOR REFORM. -- The petition
which was agreed to be presented to Parliament on this sub-
ject, at the County Meeting held at Jedburgh on the 25th
of last month, is, we understand, to be presented by the Lord
Advocate (who is expected to make it the subject of his mai-
den speech), in consequence of the refusal of Mr. Henry F.
Scott, the member for the county, to present it, and support
its prayer. Mr. Scott not having, as we think was his
bounden duty, ( whatever course he might think proper af-
terwards to pursue,) met his constituents on that occasion
face to face, a conduct very inconsistent with the profes-
sions he originally made, 41 acting as an independent coun-
try gentleman, naturally led to some remarks on the part of
some of the freeholders present, particularly Sir William
Elliot, which Mr. Scott seems to have taken in great dud-
geon, judging by the two letters which he addressed to Sir
Thomas Brisbane, the chairman of the meeting, the first de-
clining to present the petition, and the other vindicating his
conduct since he has been the member for Roxburghshire.

The Kelso Mail of the 14th contains the following letter

from Sir William Elliot, occasioned by this correspondence,'
in which that gentleman says, that during the four years
that Mr. Scott has been member, he has uniformly sup-

ported the four successive administrations which have been
in power—that he has never attended the county meetings,
and that he has been uniformly neglectful of the duties which
a county member is understood to perform to his constitu-
ents. Supposing this to be true, and we have no reason to
doubt it, we fear that the conduct of Mr. Scott is only like
that of most of his colleagues, the Scotch county members,
who are only the representatives of certain great interests,
and not at all of the people at large. It is high time that
an end were put to this mockery of representation, and it is
fortunate that we have at last an administration which is
determined to undertake the task of making the elected and
the electors understand each other better than it appears
the Roxburghshire member and his constituents have hitherto
done.—Caledonian Mercury.
ROXBURGHSHIRE.—We publish the following letter,
by Sir W. F. Elliott, to Sir T. M. Brisbane.
BIT Dzaa Sta—l have been much surprised at seeing in the last
Kelso Mail a letter signed " Henry Francis Scott," addressed to you as
Chairman of a late Meeting of Heritors of the County of Roxburgh,
in which that individual, after having adopted the novel and extraordi-
nary course of thus commenting in a letter to you on what took place at
a public meeting (from which he admits that he purposely absented
himself), has made allusion to me in a manner not to be misunderstood,
which demands my immediate attention, and, I am happy to say, af-
fords me an opportunity of animadverting more particularly on his pub-
lic conduct, as the Representative of Roxburghstite, which his absence
prevented me from doing at the Meeting.
I do not consider myself answerable for the correctness of newspaper
reports, but the one alluded to in the Kelso Mail is, perhaps, in sub-
stance, though not in words, tolerably correct, and is very much in uni.
son with what I stated at the last General Election in his presence,
which' I believe to be an echo of the sentiments of die County from one
end of it to the other, and which the cheers of the most numerous as.
semblage I ever witnessed in the Town Hall of Jedburgh will abund-
antly corroborate.
The unanimity of his last election, to which he makes such self-
complacent allusion, may be ascribed (as well as my own vote on that
occasion, which i explained at the time) to the absence of any other
candidate, and the paucity of the freeholders who attended (not above
SO or 40 out of 150 !) strikingly evinced the general feeling of lake.

warmness in his favour.
I need only mention, as proofs of his want of attention to the busi-
ness and interests of the county, that, during the last two years, L have
regularly attended the county meetings, where I have seldom or ever
seen him, and he has been so forgetful of his most obvious duties, as
not to furnish copies of Bills pending before Parliament, of the greatest
consequence to his constiiuents, the inconvenience of which was seriously
felt, when the County met to consider the Scottish Judicature Bill, no
copy of that important Bill having been transmitted by him ; and the
same neglect has, I understand, been evinced in regard to the Infeft-
Iment and Hypothre Bills. During the four years he has sat in Par-
liament there have been no less than four Administrations, all differ-
ing more or less in political sentiments, each of which, if I am
not much mistaken, he has supported in all their measures, in-
cluding the memorable question of the Civil List. As to his
being " on terms of intimacy and intercourse with the most of
his constituents," this is new to me, anti, I imagine, new to
the greater part of his constituents residing in Roxburghsltire,
who, I believe, seldom see him, excepting on the unavoidable occasion
of the usual round of calls previous to an election ; and as to myself, I
shall only say, that the absence of any intimacy in that quarter is " a
consummation devoutly to be wished" by one who holds such a posi-
tion in the county as I have the honor to occupy. I shall consider myself
fully entitled on all occasions to make any remarks which his public
conduct may seem to call forth, so long as he continues the representa-
tive of Roxburghshire.
I feel that an apology is due to you, my dear sir, for having engrossed
so much of your time by this communication, which was rendered ne.
cessary, by the letter to which I have felt it due to myself to make this
reply ; but I am happy in having an opportunity afforded me to express
how much I feel gratified at the support which the cause of reform has
esoolvtd from one so justly and cordially esteemed, wherever public
wolves and private worth are duly valued.
I am always yours, very truly,
WILLIAM FRANCIS ELLIOTT.
With disputes between individuals we never concern our-
selves, but there is something in this letter, and the one
which gave birth to it, that touches a public principle, and
calls, we think, for a word or two of animadversion. A meet-
ing of the county of Roxburgh was held about four weeks
ago, and a petition in favour of reform unanimously adopted.
Mr. Scott, younger of Harden, the member for the county,
was at his usual residence within five or six miles of Jed-
burgh, the place of meeting, yet did not choose to attend.—
Why was he absent ? If he thought reform a good, why not go
and give it his support ? If an evil, why not attend to oppose
it ? Had he no opinion at all upon the one great question
which engages the thoughts of every man ? This is passing!
strange in any person who pretends to think for himself," I
and especially in one who " resolved to maintain the cha-
racter of an independent country gentleman." Does the
character of an independent man consist in the negation'of all
positive ideas—in ignorance of what every body else knows
—or in entire indifference to matters in which the whole I
people feel deeply interested ? What motive kept Mr. Scott
from attending the meeting, must be matter of conjecture.
Perhaps, as an independent country gentleman, be did not
like to run the risk of being catechised by some of his
constituents, as independent as himself. Perhaps trouble-
some
questions might have been put to him—such, for in-
stance,
as these : Did you divide with one ministry against
Catholic,Emancipation, and with another ministry in its favor ?
Did you as an independent country gentleman, vote in sup-
port of the useless pensions granted to two scions of noble
houses,—commonly called the " Dundas and Bathurst job ?"
Did you vote against retrenchment in November last, by op-
posing the motion for referring the Civil List to a com-
mittee ? We do not say that the possibility of being so ca-
tecised kept him away; but we say these questions related to
his public duty, and might have been put with great propiety ;
and one who scouts the idea of being a " nominal representa-
tive" should have been able to answer them without com-
promising his dignity. Mr. Scott, however, chose to stay
away. His absence naturally created surprise and disap-
pointment, and led to a very few animadversions on the part
of one freeholder, relating strictly to his public conduct, and
which might be called courteous, when compared with the
unceremonious language used by constituents to their repre-
sentatives in England. This troubles Mr. 'Scott's repose,
and lie writes a letter to the respectable chairman of the
meeting, and publishes it in the " Kelso Mail," couched
in such terms as, with a heady and inconsiderate opponent,
might lay the foundation of a personal quarrel. It bespeaks,
indeed, a very " independent country gentleman"—
so inde-
pendent, as to intimate by his acts, that if his constituents
question his conduct, or seek explanation, they must do it
at their personal peril. This, we think, is the fair inference
from Mr. Scott's letter. We do not say that he meant it to
be so received. The letter inserted above is Sir Wm. Elliott's
dignified, and very proper reply.—Scotsman.