Star.
London, England, 1826-12-06 00:00:00

plaining that having proceeded to mover arrears of salary due do
him by attachment, be Iliad been defeated in the Lord /day& s
Court, on the ground that it was a Company; and that having
afterwards proceeded by action in the Court of King's Bench, he
bad there been defeated on the ground that it Was not a Company.
Tbis was rather an amusing instance of the glorious uncertainty of
the law.—Ordered robe printed.
Colonel TORRENTS gave notice that en the first open day after
the holidays, he should move for leave to bring in a Bill for the paci-
fication of Ireland.

Mr. WODEHOUSE enquired when the Papers, for which be
had moved, were likely to be produced ?
Mr. HUSKISSON replied that he was anxious no time should
be lost in laying the required information before the House. and be
hoped to present the Returns moved for by the Hon. Member on
Thursday.
Mr. Secretary CANNING rose to ask an Hon. Mem-
ber oppoSite, who had given notice of a motion for that
evening, to postpone it to some future occasion. He
was not aware at first what the extent of the motion would be, or
that it might lead to discussion, such as would hardly be convenient
in the absence of the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Until his
Right Hon. Friend was present, they should be perfectly unpre-
pared to meet the motion.
11ABERLY begged to say, that he came down
to the House determined to give way to the Hon. Al-
derman, on account of the nature of his motion, as he
conceived that any thing affecting the character of
Members ought to take precedence of every thing else. He had
hoped, that after the Hon. Alderman, he should have been able to
bring forward the Motion of which he had given notice. But from
what had fallen from the Right Hon. Gent. respecting the absence
of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, he would postpone it to the
earliest day after the holidays, the 13th of February. He believed
that the subject was one in wbich a gteat number of Members
would take a very large interest, and he trusted that the Right
Hon. Gent. would let him have an early opportunity of bringing
It torw•ard.

Notice postponed to February 13th.
CURRENCY.

Lord FOLKSTONE, seeing the Right Honourable
Secretary for Foreign Affairs in his place, rose to repeat
a question which he had asked the ether night. He
wished to know whether it was the intention of his Majesty's Ml-
misters to renew the Committee for inquiring into the State of the
Currency, and the circulation of Small Notes in Ireland, and whe-
ther any measures were to be introduced to Parliament, in conse-
quence of the evidence taken before the Committee of last year, and
the Report made thereon.
Mr. Secretary CANNING said, he was not prepared to answer
the question.
Mr. W. WYNNE presented a Petition from Thomas Flanagan,
complaining of the Election for Athlone.—Laid on the table.
Mr. WY NNE moved for leave to extend the time of lodging
Petitions against the Retutn for Athlone in the Dice of the
Clerk of the Crown for Ireland, to within the next fourteen
days.—Agreed to.
Mr. 11 UME postponed his motion relative to the Cape of Good
Hope to (as we understood) Thursday next.
Mr. M. A. TAYLOR moved for a Return of the number of
Commissions of Bankruptcy issued under the Great Seal from the
Ist of December, 1824, to the Ist of December, 1826, distinguish-
ing the number in each year.

-Also for a Return of ibe Number of Persons who have taken the
benefit of the Act for the Relief of Insolvent Debtors, from the Ut
of December, 18424, to the Ist of December, 1226, distinguishing
the number of those discharged in each year, and of those se-
ws nded.—Ot dered.

Mr. 11. G RATTAN gave notice of a motion on the appointment
of Sheriffs, Sub-Sheriffs, and their Clerks, in Ireland, under cap.
21, Geo. 111. He wished to know from the Secretary of Ireland
whether the subject was under official investigation?
Mr. GOULBURN said it was; and that he would be able to
state bow far after the recess.

Mr. J. SMITH presented a Petition from Ballinrobe
in the county Mayo, for Catholic Emancipation. The
lion. Member supported the Petition ; and thought the
numerical ratio of the Catholics to the Protestants in
the Army and Navy, proved their allegiance, and re-
futed the objections of their opponents. He thought the
charge of Lord Liverpool on that subject a stain upon
his character as a Statesman. He earnestly hoped the
motion of an Hon. Member (Mr. Grattan) with regard
to the appointment of Sheriffs of Ireland, wbuld meet
with the support of the House; for till that department
of Justice was purified, he (Mr. J. Smith) would rather
live in Algiers than in Ireland—(Hear, hear.)
Colonel DAVIES gave notice, that he would, on the 15th of
February, nurse that the estimates for the years 1823 and 1826, be
referred to a Select Committee for its consideration.

&r T. ACKLAND gave notice of a motion for to-morrow, for
Copies of Correspondence relative to the Slave Trade.

ARIGNA MINING COMPANY.

Alderman WAITHMAN presented a Petition from
Roger Flattery, Civil Engineer, complaining of the
conduct of the Directors of the Arigna Iron and Coal Coapany,
praying the House to institute an inquiry into the sae.
Mr. BROGDEN thought the Petition should not be
received, as it contained statements that were not true.
It was not true, that the Petitioner had corresponded
with all the Directors of that Company on the benefit
that would accrue to Ireland from the proposed under-
taking, for he only had communication with two of
those Members. He (Mr. Brogden) had no communication what.
ever with him, and he denied his statement of the manner in which
the Petitioner was connected with the Arigna Company.
The House was about to divide on the motion for the Petition
being printed, bet did not. The motion was agreed to.
Alderman WAITHMAN next presented a Petition
from certain Shareholders in the above Joint Stock
Company, complaining that they purchased shares in
the Company to the value of 10,0001.—that they were
subsequently charged by the Directors of the Company
25 0001. for those shares—and that they were thereby
defrauded to the amount of 15,0001. of their property.
That of those Directors some were Members of the
Honour able House ; and they prayed the House to
institute an inquiry into the causes of the illegal charge,
and into the manner in which the 15,0001. of their pro.
petty was disposed of by the Directors. They further
complained, that of that sum—unjustly taken out of
their pockets-4,5001. fell to the share of Sir William
Congr eve, Bart. 1,0471. to the share of James Brog-
den, Esq. M.P. 1 0471. to Bent ; 1,0471. to
Clot ke, ten. 1,0471. to Clarke. jun. 1,0471. to J.
Smeedon ; 1.0471. to F. D. Power; 1,017/. to --
Hyde ; 1,0471. to Hynes ; 1.0471. to J. Dunster ;
1,0471. to -- IS ibian, sen. 1,0471. to -- Bobian,
jun..and that 1,0471. lay in the hands of Sir W. Con-
vey. and Mr. Hyde for distribution ; and that of these sums, the
produce of 100 shares of the Petitioners, and fraudulently disposed
of by the abovementioned persons, they have been unable to com-
pel the Directors to refund any portion, and therefore prayed the
interference of the !louse.
Mr. BROGDEN asked the Clerk to read the signa.
turei to the Petition. On their names, W. Clark, J
Mitchell, T. Bernal, and —Robinson, being read, the
Hon. Member wished the House to attend to the fact,
that out of 230 Members, constituting the Proprietors
of the Arigna Company, only four signatures could be
procured against him (Mr. 13rogden), notwithstanding
the zeal of one of the parties, W. Clark, silo hawked
the Petition about—(Hear, hear), and of the Hon. Al. II
dermas himself, who exerted himself to the sameeffect.
As to Cli.rk (who prided himself as being the Clark
-without the e) he wa., so distinguished for his Joint
Stock Company exploit, that he need not say mote than
that he was a convicted libeller, and was waiting the
judgment of the Court that tried him, for the measure
of his. punishment. He was not surprised at his attack.
ing hits (Mr. Brogden), though he intencli-ti otherwise;
of two of the other signatures, he would merely say,
they held but five shares each.—(Hear.)

Alderman WAITHMAN.—Whether the Petition
had one or five hundred signatures, it mattered little in
a question of truth or falsehood. If true, it would suf-
fice with one name ; if false, numbers would not prevail.
He contradicted the Hon. Member's assertion of his
(Alderman Waithman) exerting himself to procure sig.
natures—so far from his having hawked the Petition
about, he knew nothing of its existence till yesterday,
when he desired it to be sent to hits by four o'clock.—
He knows nothing of the signatures, and is not ac-
quainted with them. Mr. Clark, one of them, stated, that the
paucity of signatures was owing to the circumstance of the majority
of the Proprietors being engaged in a Chancery suit on their claims,
and were therefore unwilling to prejudge the question by giving
their names.

OP the motion for the Petition being printed,
Mr. It. MARTIN wished the names of the Petitioners
to be also printed, that the Public might estimate the
weight of the charge against the Honourable Member
(Brogden), by the character of the Petitioners. He pro.
posed an amendment to that effect, which was subse-
quently withdrawn, at the request of Mr. Brogden, who stated the
amendment to be contrary to the practice of the House.—Petition
ordered to be piloted.
Alderman WAITHMAN said, if obstacles were thus
thrown in the way of Petitioners, there was an end to
the liberty of the subject. The aspersions conveyed in
the Amendment of the Hon. Member for Galway, on the character
of the Petitioners, were unbecoming the dignity of the House, and
should be discountenanced. The Hon. Alderman then presented a
Petition from the Electors of Sudbury against Mr. J. Wilke, but
withdrew it at the suggestion of
Mr. WYNN, who, doubted whether the House could receive it
without notice having been given to the party implicated.
Alderman WAITHMAN then rose, pursuant to the
motion of which he had given notice, relative to the
conduct of the Directors of the Arigna Mining Com-
pany. It was with feelings of pain and difficulty that
he ventured to bring the subject before the House, as it
was one in which he could not avoid personally impli-
cating some Hon. Members of that House, and thereby
exciting a great sensation in their own minds and those
of their friends. Setting out, he must beg leave to re-
peat to the House his declaration, that not having been
fairly dealt with by the House, who compelled him to
convert a general censure into an individual charge
against an Hon. Member, against whom he had no per-
sonal feelings of resentment to indulge in, and to whom
he only particularly alluded, by declaring it his inten-
tion to oppose his being appointed their Chairman, in
the event of his being proposed for that office. He had
no particular charge against that Hon. Member; be
never said he bad. The evil of which he had to complain,
and which touched the Hon. Member, was of such
extent and magnitude, and implicated so many persons
bearing a reputable station in society, that it would be
invidious in him to charge an individual with crimes
which be shared with many others. The Hon. Member
certainly looked towards a situation, at the disposal of
the House, which no one ought to presume to fill whose
character was not pure and unsullied. beyond all ques-
tion. In that he (Alderman Waithman) would have
opposed; but beyond that he was any thing but per-
sonal in his censures. Indeed, his object was much
higher—it involved the character of the House indi-
vidually and collectively in the eyes of the country;
thence the respect that would be paid to its decisions ;
and it involved the integrity of Parliament—thence its
reputation in the eyes of posterity. It was these consi-
derations that induced him to bring the question before
the House, and not the gratification of private feeling.
The House were aware of the Joint Stock Company
mania that raged in this country during the last two
years; of the extent, however, of this spirit,
. the ma-
jority of the House could have but limoed means of
forming an opinion, and could therefore not arrive
at just and adequate conclusions. Within the last
three years there were projected six hundred Joint
Stock Companies, chiefly in the Metropolis, with
a capital of upwards of three hundred millions.
—He spoke with confidence, for they little knew
the immense labour it took to estimate the amount of
capital, the average premium and market price of
shares, &c. which he (Ald. Waithman) would never be
able to do without assistance. Of these six hundred
Companies, about three hundred had vanished ; of
those sixty were Mining Companies, with a capital of
25,000,0001.—a capital destroyed to the country—for
he maintained that the great abstraction of currency
consequent on the destruction of so much capital did
more to injure the country, and to produce the distress,
than all the Corn Laws and Currency tampering on
which the House had been ringing the changes. With-
out taking the daily fluctuations of the market into the
account, he would state, that of that capital of twenty-
five millions, 5,200,0001. had been paid. The premiums
on that capital amounted to nine millions, making a
value of 14,200,0001. of which the market price was
but 2,400,0001. less by nearly 12,000,000 than the
value received—that is, 12,000,000 lost by mining
speculations alone, to which he now confined himself.
Now it might be said that these 12,000,0004 had not
been all lost to the country, as they were in the pockets
of some of its inhabitants. Granted ; but there was the
roguery of the business--,to call it gambling, was to
soften the matter. It was robbery that had no analogy to
gaming, unless that practised with false dice. It was
disgraceful conduct, that indignantly demanded the in-
terference of the House, who were very ready to make
laws to correct the morals of the lower order, by fining
them if they sat late in a public-house, but were very
lenient to aristocratic gambling. It might be said that
the mode by which this fraudulent abstraction of money
was accomplished injured but a few ' • that, for instance,
out of fourteen Shares, by which 1001. on each had
been schemed in the market, and by which, therefore,
14,00 W. would have been pilfered ; that but 14 persons
might be the sufferers. That was not the case. These
shares might be bought and sold, and the same frauds
practised many times over—(Hear, hear). He would
'move that to be the fact two or three times over, as far
as the Arigna Mining Company was concerned, and that
the present holders of shares were not, in some instances,
the original ones—that is, where there was a great loss
on them—and that they were the orginal holders when-
ever so being had betn gainful. He would prove that
certain persons made 14,000/. by tricks, on a deposit of
30,0001. and that too where there was 140 imputation on
their conduct, and he would call upon the House for its
interference; for if he understood any thing of the princi-
ples of legislation, it was the duty of Government to pro.
test the weak against the aggressions of the strong—the
simple and unsusectin aainst the artful ad esn-
ing. His object in calling g upon the House ton go idntoigan
inquiry upon theArigna,and formation of theJuint Stock
Bubbles, was for the security and safety of the countiy.
If no amends could be made for the injuries it had sus-
tained, surely the least that could be done would be, to
take care to prevent a recurrence of the evil. It was not
his intention to enter into a minute history of the Joint
Stock transactions; some of them bad been instituted
With good and honourable intentions, but the generality

of them had been concocted for' frandulent and base'
purposes. He could name a dozen persons who had
created twenty and more of these Companies, to suit
their own purpose. The number that had sprung up
was immense, and the loss of capital beyond all calcu-
lation. There were two Mining Companies, which,
from their birth to their death, had swallowed up more
than a million and a half each. The Pasco Peruvian,
it should be recollected, was brought forward by the
same individuals with whom originated the Arigna
Mining and Gas Company. The Pasco Mining Company,
notwithstanding its brilliant prospectuses and shares at
premiums, was at an end ; and he certainly could speak
with more certainty as to the evils produced by the
dead than of those likely to arise from the living. The
shares of the Pasco Peruvian Company were run up to a
premium, upwards of 100,000 shares were sold, and a
capital wasted of more than 140,0001. This Company,
which originated with the projectors of a Gas Associa-
tion, requited to be strictly scrutinized. In the Arigna
Mining Company there were 900,000 shares, which,
when first brought forward, were very low, but by arti-
fice and contrivance were as quickly rai.ed. Great
fluctuations took place in the value of the shares, but
the premiums on those sold constituted a large profit,
which profits went into the pockets of those who had
reserved shares for themselves. It would be for him to
single out cases where culpability existed; he should do
so, and when the House came to enquiry, he thought it
extremely improbable that some of the Gentlemen who
then sat in the House would long continue in their seats.
Much had been said about the thoughtless employment
of capital; but would the House say that a person sit-
ting as a Director was an honourable man, if be could
encourage the Public to invest their money upon a false
representation of his own. Yet such there were ; men who
lent their names to the furtherance of these ruinous
schemes, and who, though nominally putting but six or
seven guineas a week into their purse for attendance, yet
reallywere pocketing thousands by the sale of their shares.
What moral distinction was to be drawn from the fact
that where shareholders neglected to pay up the depo-
sits, the shares were declared forfeited, and the Directors
took them to themselves ? With regard to this point an
action had been tried before the Lord Chief Justice,
and his Lordship declared, that the party aggrieved
had no remedy. Here, then, after this opinion of the
Lord Chief Justice, declared in very forcible language,
were found men assembled to legislate for their coun-
try, breaking in upon those very laws they themselves
had made. He had to speak plain, and sorry he was
that it should have fallen upon him to undertake so un-
pleasant a duty. However, he was regardless of censure
or approval, and as he implicated both sides of the
House, he was as fearless of the one, as careless of the
other. He regretted that his Majesty's Ministers had
not taken up the question. There was another Com-
pany, which was culpable to a high degree, and in
which a Member of that House he should mention
names, for it was not his intention to mince the matter ;
he meant Sir W. Congreve was reported to have put
upwards of 20001. in his own pocket, and had also
brought his brother forward to share in the profit.—
Now, he would ask, was not Parliament in honour bound
to institute an inquiry into the conduct of its own Mem-
bers? There never existed a fouler scheme for the
purpose of picking the pocket of John Bull than the
Equitable Loan Bank Company. The present of 10004
to the Chairman (tithe House, in former times, in order
to get the Orphan Bill passed, was nothing to it.—
There was another Company in which were thirty-four
Members of Parliament, who had 12,000 shares amongst
them; and in a Committee upon a Bill relative to
that Company, the majority of the Members who
formed that Committee were Shareholders—(Cries of
Name! Name the (:ompany): He should not name
the Company then. Surely one at a time was
sufficient. If the House would allow him to proceed
quietly, he had no doubt but that he should be enabled
to hit the right sail on the head presently. The Equitable
Loan Bank Company was a delusion practised on. the
country. The Directors were culpable. They held out to
the country that the concern was conducted by men of
strict honour and integrity ; and yet it was by fraud and
false representation that the name of his Royal Highness
the Duke of York was solicited to give sanction and
countenance to the undertaking. Under this supposed
sanction a flattering paragraph appeared on the 2d of
April. It should have been the day before, stating
the pretensions of the Company, which were founded
upon humanity towards the poor, and justice towards the
fair trader; and after setting forth the ways in which
it was intended to reimburse the Shareholders, it pro-
ceeded to tell the Public that the Company expected to
have enough to pay the Directors their salaries, and
other incidental expenses, from the sale of the unre-
deemed pledges only. The most fallacious hopes were
held out to the Public to induce them to countenance
the scheme. The Directors told the country that they
had orders for more shares than they could possibly
furnish ; the fact was, they had distributed nearly the
whole of the Shares amongst themselves, the News-
papers, and a few Stock-brokers. At a subsequent
Meeting of the Company it was ascertained that most of
the Directors who had taken Shares had not paid for
them ; and he would therefore ask of the House how any
man could sell at a premium that Share which he had not
paid for ? One of the Directors, in praising the Company,
told him (Alderman Waithman) that he had a right to
protect the interests of those persons to whom he sold ;
to which he had replied, that the only way in which
their interests could be protected would be, to return
diem the money which had been taken from them—
(Lauedster). Upon the whole the Hon. Alderman con-
tended, that, for the honour of the country, an inquiry
ought to be immediately instituted into the origin of
these Juint Stock Schemes. He had said much about
the conduct of an Hon. Member of the House; but
though he had been liberal of his censures of that
Honourable Gentleman, he should be equally ready to
afford him an opportunity of vindication, and should
rejoice if he successfully exculpated himself from
the odium which certain transactions had thrown
upon him ; but, at the same time, he thought that
no man who identified himself with fraudulent transactions should
be considered as a fit person to fill the Chair of the Committees in
that House. The Hon. Member concluded by moving, that a
Committee be appointed to investigate the formation of Joint Stock
Companies, during the years 1824-5, and to report to the House
such cases as might come before them for their consideration.
Mr. BROG DEN begged to second the motion.
The SPEAKER seeing Mr. Secretary CANNING about
to rise, begged to be allowed to mention a circumstance
to the House before the Right Hon. Gent. addressed it.
He had received a letter, in the course of the morning,
from Sir William Congreve, stating his inability to at-
tend the House that evening, in consequence of severe indisposition,
and enclosing a certificate to that effect from two physicians, Dr.
Paris and another.

Mr. Secret/Ty CANNING assured the Hon. Alder-
man that, in announcing his intention to move au

!Amendment, he had no wish to obstruct the objets
in view, but rather to promote its attainment, by rep.
dering the proposed inquiry practicable. The Hon.
Alderman, in the course of his speech, had stated to
some of the friends near him—who were giving him,
but not favouring him with suggestions—that he would
rather take his own course, as he could only do one
thing at a time ; that was precisely the principle on
which he (Mr. Canning) wished to proceed : thinking,
as he did, that a sufficient Parliamentai y case had been
made out for one specific inquiry—to that inquiry he
gave his consent, and to that case he wished it to be con.
fined. He did not mean thereby to preclude further
investigation, should other cases be subsequently esta.
blished ; but at present it would be sufficient to direct
attention to that which was most distintly brought be,
fore the House. Ir. might be convenient to state in the
outset, that whereas the Hon. Alderman wished the in.,
vestigation to be extended to the origin, management,
and present state of all the Joint Stock Companies formed
during the years 1824., 1825, and 1826," he (Mr. C.)
proposed by his Amendment, that it should be rests icteit
to matters connected only with the Arigna Mining
Company. In suggesting this alteration, he might add,
that neither he, nor those with whom he acted, felt the
slightest disposition to screen from exposure any patties
guilty of alleged misconduct. If the put pose of tut
Hon. Alderman were practical good, he seemed dit-
posed to launch on so wide an ocean, that even if he
ever arrived at the and-[ his voyage of discovery, it
would be prolonged to such a distant date, as to de-
prive the result of its most material advantages. He
(Mr. C.) was desirous to steer for owe point in the first
instance, and afterwards, if it were found expedient, to
proceed in quest of new adventures. As at present
framed, it was impossible to agree to the Resolution,
since its terms would include many Joint Stock Com-
panies not in the contemplation even of the Hon.
Alderman himself. Many persons of the most unim-
peachable characters had embarked in speculations of
this description for the most irreproachable ends: Com-
panies for Rail Roads, Piers, Harbours, Gas-lights,
and many other laudable objects, had been established during the
years mentioned in the Resolution, and into these he presumed it
was net Intended to carry the investigation. He did not appre.
bend that the Honourable Alderman meant to cast any imputation
upon the parties who had engaged in these useful speculations.
Mr. Alderman WA ITHMAN said, that he had no such design
in the Resolution be had offered to the House.

Mr. CANNING repeated, that at some future time
he should not resist inquiry into the origin and manage.
ment of other Associations, if a case at all like that
against the Arigna Company could be established in
the first instance. What had recently passed in Pella.
ment bad excited in the mind of every man attending
to debates a suspicion, that in the conduct of panies
connected with that undertaking there is matter fit
grave inquiry. The allegations on the ore hand, and
perhaps the nature of the defence set up on the other,
shewed that the case could not be passed over in silence.
The project had been stigmatised by epithets he would
not repeat, while the Hon. Gentleman accused had
denied his participation, and had maintained his inno.
cence : all who heard him must wish that that inno-
cence should be established; and without inquiry, the
opportunity of vindication could not be afforded. He
begged to be understood as not intending at all to pre-
judge any question hereafter to be brought before a
Committee; bat he felt called upon to say, that what
bad fallen from the Hon. Alderman, regarding any
other project, did net establish a case at all equal to
that which bad been made out against the Agrigna
Company. As to any general investigation, he was
quite sure, that if the Hon. Alderman could induce the
House to concur with him, he would find, in practice,
that he merged his own particular object in the multi-
plicity of details. It was expedient, therefore, that the
House should limit the labours of the Committee in the
first instance to one subject. There was certainly matter
requiring further examination as far as related to one
mining speculation, and the object would be defeated
by mixing up with it other topics only connected in
subject but not in substance. He could not assent to
some of the notions promulgated by the Hon. Alder-
man, nor go the length of censuring, in such unmeasured
terms, the supposed readiness of the country to lend
itself to these delusive projects. Some of the most be-
neficial undertakings had been carried into effect by the
agency of Joint Stock Companies, and it was sufficient,
perhaps, to mention the Bank and the East India Com-
pany. The House, he thought, ought to confine the
present inquiry to the Arigna Company merely, and to
go no farther at this time. To that extent the motion
had his concurrence. There was no disposition among
those who sat on the same side with him to protect any
persons who might have misconducted themselves, be
they whom they might; and if, at any future time, the
Hon. Alderman would make out a proper case, for in-
quiry into the conduct of persons connected with other
Companies, he would be ready to give him his support.
With respect to the names of the persons whom the
Hon. Alderman proposed as those who were to con-
stitute the Committee, a list of them had been put into
his hands; and certainly the names were very respect-
able; but, at the same time, he could not help remark-
ing, that no less than fourteen of them were on the
hHi omns
e. Al f
scleeer
sinners were on his own side (a laugh); and it was on
mineadn'stosidaedminitrtlhitaicts.thne gerHeaotenr. nAlderman
himself seemed to admit, that the greater number of
that ground that he objected to so many names fromthat side; for it was not exactly right that so many
sinners should be appointed to try sinners (a laugh), as
the sinners would naturally support each other: [Herr
Mr. Waithman or Mr. Brougham intimated across the
table, that it was not admitted that the greatest number
of sinners was on that side of the Housej. However,
he trusted that the House generally had no sinister
interest to serve, and that nothing was contemplated
but a fair, just, and impartial inquiry.—(Hear, hear).
Mr. BROGDEN gave his most cordial and eager
support to the motion for inquiry, and was glad to find
that the inquiry was likely soon to take place. A speedy
and impartial inquiry was what he most anxiously de-
sired, as he had no doubt but that he could fully clear
himself from any impropriety of conduct, and dispct
the prejudices which had been excited against him. But
' owing to these unhappy prejudices, he was now called
upon to speak under great disadvantage, on a subject
which to him was one of the last importance. He had
been personally and particularly selected as the objet
of the Honourable Alderman's animadversions ; and he

certainly could not help blaming the Honout able Alder
man for the uncandid and unfeeling manner in h
he had proceeded against him. He repeated that he
rejoiced at the prospect of this inquiry ; for he wa, cow
fident that when the matter came before the Committee
he would be able most entirely and completely
to Clad
himself from all blame. lie tejoiced in the pto.pect
the appointment of the proposed Committee, and hie
great araiety was, that it should meet immediately. lig