The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1835-07-21 00:00:00

Mr. Hogg in his next letter says,--
"Many honourable and excellent persons, most loyal and de-,
voted subjects of' his Majesty, who are, .my lord, the ancient'
and constitutional magistracy of his Majesty's cities and towns
in England and Wales, having been wantonly accused of enor-
mous misconduct in a report, composed and presented under
the authority of a royal commission, I-attempted, feebly, ineffi-
ciently, and unworthily, to defend them in a report, composed
also under the authority of the same .connuission ; to state on
their behalf what I myself had actually observed, and to show
the inaccuracy, inconsistency, and absurdity of the accusation;
and, in general, its falsehood; and .I tendered my report to be
presented to his Majesty, in the ordinary course, by your lord-
ship. • • '
"Lam persuaded that, in such a case, it is with much pain and
reluctance, and only through a deep, sense of imperious duty,
that youi lordship has determined wen a refusal, which, I
humbly apprehend, is wholly without a precedent in the long
history of commissions; and I am equally persuaded that your
lordship's reluctance would not be less if there chance to be
anything in my report- tending to oppose your private and
peculiar views of municipal government.
"I will consider whether it is expedient, having altered the
form of my report to that used by my learned colleague, Sir
Francis Palgrave, to offer it again to your lordship, to be pre-
sented to his -Majesty, not as a report, but as the protest of one
commissioner against• the report of others; or iu what other
manner I ought to endeavour to make my statement known.
For I feel, my lord, that shmild I shrink, by reason of diffi-
culties or personal inconvenience, from the task of clearing
from unfounded aspersions the character of honest men, in
matters expressly referred to me, I should myself merit mis-
representation and calumny to be publicly heaped •on my head
when I was not present to defend myself, and where I could
have no lawful "course of exculpation."

The succeeding letter expresses• Mr. Hogg's anxiety
to submit to his ►ordship that the statements in his report
arose from no personal feeling, but from a sense of what
was due to the public interest. Thit-the duty of exam-
ining some of the. most important corporations having
devolved upon him, and that after a careful examination
of them, feeling himself unable to concur in the views
taken by others of the commissioners, be thought it a
public duty to endeavour to bring under the considers-
Lion of government the grounds upon which he consi-
dered their report erroneous and defective. He again
tendered his report, and if it could not be received in that
shape, he was willing to have it considered as a protest,
or would put it into any other form which might be more
acceptable to his lordship.
.This was followed by another communication which
we transcribe in•an entire form :

"3, Plowden-buildings, Templei June 20, 1835.
"My Lord,-1 take leave respectfully to inform your lord-
ship that on Monday I shall have the honour to send my state-
ment to your lordship, to be presented to his Majesty as a pro-
test. I inquired some days ago, by letter, whether it would be
agreeable to your lordship to receive it as a protest, or in any
other shape; and, not having had any answer to this commu-
nication, I must of course presume that your lordship has no
objection to present it as a protest, and that there is no other
shape in which it would be more acceptable. •
" I had the honour to hold the office of a commissioner at the
time the general report was prepared; I bad an undoubted
right, as such, to see it before it was sent in, and to express my
approval or disapproval of it, together with the grounds of such
judgment; but since a sight of it, although I requested it more
than once, was unlawfully denied, when it was made public 1
had and have the same undeniable right, of which neither your
lordship nor any of his Majesty's subjects can deprive me, to
signify my dissent, and the grounds; on which it was founded.
Respecting this right no Englishman, acquainted with the laws
and usages of England, 1 apprehend, can reasonably doubt.
"I protest, therefore, against the matters contained in the
general report of the corporation commissioners, for the rea-
sons assigned in my statement; and inasmuch as if I bad been
summoned and had taken a share in the.debates upon the re-
port, the report itself might have been greatly altered, and it
cannot be known what parts would have been retained, or bow
many commissioners would have subscribed to it. I further
protest against the report itself, as being irregular, illegal, and
utterly void ; and I assert that it was obtained clandestinely
and surreptitiously. I was unwilling, my lord, at first to pro-
ceed by protest, a course vain-glorious as to myself and disre-
spectful to my learned colleagues ; but I adopt it now, in pre-
ference to a separate report, since it seems to be your lordship's
pleasure, and especially as I have reason to believe that some
of the commissioners will be glad to get rid of the general re-
port, as being void, or for any probable cause, and to substitute
another. • Having struck out much objectionable matter from
the draught orionally propounded they had hoped it was suffi-
ciently purified;, but having been misled by that precipitation
which has hitherto impaired the usefulness of a most salutary
commission, and perceiving on reflection how much reprehen-
sible matter still remains, prudent persons would willingly pro-
tect, by snore mature deliberation, their own honour and cha-
racter, and the reputation of others.
"I am sure that no advantage will ultimately be gained, and
I trust cone will be'sought, frinn the delay in making public my
poor defence of the venerable institutions of our wise fore-
fathera, Which has been created solely by your lordship.
"The Lord John(Ligsuseeldl,)&c. &c." -T. J. 'Roca,
On the 22d June Mr. Hugo transmitted his protest.ln the letter which accompanied it he says :
"I know not whether any formality is to he observed in such.
a matter, for Mr. Parkes, and not myself, is'tbe:secretary tO•tbe
commission; but I have given hiin notice of ny,pititest, that if
it be necessary he may attend to it and to his, duty with the
least possible delay.
"Indeed, my lord, I should deeply deplore the delay u f nearly
a month that has already. occurred in the publidatiOn of my pin-
test if I could snpposejhat extensive Aanges w'aii'd ever be
iriade by the leg:slathre 'in ancient inititutiotit Without lonii
"Lint Most-M.ooe ref fbiAtibti?' • .1—
To. this 14tter be.reoeived the following Answer
•i .. • • "Whitehal , June 23, 1835.
tire directed by Lord John ,Russell tri'acknowledg4.
the receipt of your. letter of the .23d, instant, -transMitting your
protest againSt the report presented to his Majesty by the com-
missioners.for • tnqttiring into municipal corporations in Engit,land and Wales; and I am to inform you that his lordship must
decline presenting such protest to his Majesty, or laying
before parliament, and has therefore directed me to return it
to you.—l am, &c., (Signed) "S. M. PHILLIPPS.
"T. J. Hogg, Esq., 3, Plowden-buildings, Temple."
le I