Star.
London, England, 1804-02-02 00:00:00

MIDDLESEX kLECTMII.

Mr. FOX rote,--
and requeßed the attention of the
Hieufe to a few obfervations he had to make on a
fubjeCt which was to come before them to.m.‘e tow
He alluded, he laid, to the Winer,. or the Middle-
fee Eleflion, on which he was apprehenfive that the
iloule had been drawn into an error. Rinse the
time of palling the Grenville AO, a great variety of
amendments and pie vilions had been made, relative
to the mode of reroceeding under that AO, in cafes
of contelled elettii.ns and vexatious petitions; paid-
eularly by the Aft of the 2Rth of the Kiri-, eine clank
of which, among other things, veil, denial', pied
plainly enafts, that the Houtz (hall nit gee i:.to the
confederation of any petition ginner the Glens ilk
Aft, unlels the perfons ligning the fame than ex.
prefsly Rate thermelves to hive a tlijl4 of Lkai,:n.
—ln one of thy Petitions relative to the hliddleies
Elation, 'he Petitioners Rate themfelves to be
Freeholders, but do not Rate their Rig& f Eltßioa,
which he thought abfolutely trecelfary ; for there
might be, and he doubted not there were, many
Freeholders who had a not a right of Elation. In
the proceedings of Courts of law, it was very well
known, that if all the neceffary averments which the
law requires are not made, the million is fatal,
and renders tire whole plea void, aid of no cleft.—
'lie AO he lead jull quieted was the solemn Aft of
tha: I loufe, made esprcfsly for the pturpole of ten-
dering as pure as rabic the proceedings whi,-11 01.-y
lbould adopt in purfnarce it the Grenville AI, and
to give that Aft every poaale degree of lice and
cifeet. lie thought, um-elute, that the Houk mull

feel themfelves particularly called on. not to fet the
pernicious example of difobeying that law which they
had ena&ed for a fpecific and exprefs purpole. It
into
an his opinion that the Houfe had been drawn
an error, and this was the only time in which that
error could be retlified. He thought it his duty.
therefore, to Hate his fentiments on the little& to the
Houfe. The moll material queftion which would
arife, was, what the mode of proceeding Mould be
and he was of opinion the choice of thefe two was left
for the Houfe to adopt, viz. either to difcbarge the
Order for to-morrow, fo far as relates to that Petition,
or to defer the whole Order for the ballot till Friday.
He did not conceive this could be attended with any
confiderable degree of inconvenience ; and if it was
adopted. it would give time to thole Gentlemen, who
did not coincide in opinion with him on the fubjea,
to give it their ferious confideration till to-morrow,
when it was his intention to bring it under the con•
fideration of the Houfe. He then defired that the
A& he had cited might be read. which was done ac-
cordingly. The Petition was afterwards read, by
which it appeared that the Petitioners, figning the
fame, had (bled themfelves generally freeholders, but
bad not flatted that they had any claim or right to
vote. He thought the law on the fubjea was as clear
as any thing could poffibly be. If any Hon. Member
differed from him on the fubjea, be would, by the
pollponellent of the ballot till Friday, have time to
give it due confideration before to-morrow, and come
better prepared to enter into the debate, if any de-
bate fhould arife thereon.
The CHANCELLOR of the EXCHEQUER
raid, that in a cafe. in which be mull confefs,Jrons
what he had heatd, he differed eonfiderably
,in opi-
nion from the Hon. Gentleman who brought it for-
ward, he thought the Houfe could bare no hefitation
in agreeing to the pollponernent of the ballot in
quefiton, according to the faggeftion of the Right.
Hon. Gentleman, as fuch a proceeding would give
him and every Hon. Member more time to give fo
important a fubjea the molt ferious and deliberate
confideration before they Mould be calico upon to
give their decifion.—lt appeared, from the reading
of the Petition, that the perfons figning it had not
exaaly conformed themfelves to the Ae cited. in
giving the defignation thereby required; but as he
contidcred the matter to be of the utmoß importance,
the rights of fo many perfons being implicated in
and affetted by it. he would beg leave to Rate the
ground of thofe doubts which had arifen in his
mind on the fubjea. In the firft place, he thoqibt
the Houle would do well to confider and intillfre
into what has been the pra&ice of the Houfe on
fimilar occafsons, or fuch as come as near to it as I
poifible. If the Houle fhould allow the Petition to'
go before • Committee, it would be incumbent on
the Petitioners to make out their cafe ; and if the
failed to do that. their petition would of courfe fall
to the ground. The Petitioners defire by the
prayer of their Petition, that their cafe may be takes'
into confideration, and they have brought it before 1
the -Houle in the only way in which they had the
power fo to do ; it would. therefore, he thought, be-
hove the Houfe to confider the fubjeft moll delibe-
rately indeed before they determined to rejea the
prayer of the Petition. in conformity to the impera-
tive part of the Aft. which the Hon. Gentleman had
Hated. The Houk had already ordered that the cafe
of the Petitioners fhould be taken into confideration
on a certain day. That order had fince been renewed.
and no objeftion had till now been made on account
of the informality at prefent pointed out as fit matter
for rejeaing the Petition. The principal ground of
doubt with him was this. that the Houfe ought
to pre!~ pc/lons to be other than what they (toted
themfelves to be. They had tinted themfelves to be
freeholders. and certainly as fuch they have a right
and claim to vote, unlefs fome caufe of dirqualihea-
tion can be proved againft them. He wilted, how-
ever, that the fubjt. Oloutd have the fulleft and molt
mature confideration before it was determined ; and 11
as fuch he thought tie Houfe wool.: do well to agree
to the Hon Gentleman's fuggeftioti of poftponing the'
ballot till Frida!', in order that the queltion might
have a dileuffion morr'-w.
Mr. FOX then moved, that the Order for the bal-,
lot which flood for to-morrow be read, which was
done, the Order difcharged, and the ballot fixed for
Friday.
The fame proceeding took place on the ballot for
Midhurft, which was alfo pottponed till Friday.
Mr. VANSIT rA Pa !Nought up feveral Papers,
which were ordered to lie on the Table.
The Committee of Supply and Ways and Means
were feverally poilponed to Friday, and the He ufe
adjourned.

LONDON.