The Statesman.
London, England, 1818-02-14 00:00:00

Pi, CONWP 110.7.004;aidallialla MI !a tat mid Brava? aid A VII *mime

•
NIIIIPERLAL PARGIANIINT.
. ROUSE OE taliDa. Eito .
ions beard o. Um *wad Sir W. Elliott
o. Pom...LFattloir hear* on bloodaY
141.10,01iClicoodRots we
COre pretenthl.
SEC ET M M ITTEL
LoaliViieoupt SIDMOUTH prowoied. by eothamad of the
Prime Sigmas. soother Seated Hite of Par re, sitikds was or-
doeed to bo referred to the Secret Committee.
Atotutmokto liooday.

• HOUSE OF COMMONS.
fterollillicere presented troll the Batik of Bask Notes and
:raw •Sittria cireatat son lustyear.
tr dill (Or Pike* Aberdeen. sad Sapplyiag it with Water,
i,lilllr read a tint time.
unleretio Petitions for Enclosures. ltmsds, dm. were st-
ated 4 obellas far a ere Road frmn Greenwich to Wooiwitii.
Blegitifell were received for leave to erect a NEW Bridge over
the Thu-es at Rotheritithe, and for one errs the rheum, st
HAIMINFOUing.
Mfa EttitIOLAR prosrated a Petition fres the Burgh of
Dumfries, propos for certain itirdations coot:endow
peilditore. Ike.
Sadao eonversatiott occurred. in which tire Wit D ADVO
ICATI and Mr. W. !MM)AS took part; the latler
1114.1141 as the P4itiar pf
..fir .rer,lwr Auk
,
- Returns to ii,. Fttr- •

irtearbrithe Web, _ schequer: •
ARCHIBALD HAM ON assented lo the Petition,
which was ordered to lie on the table. and to be printed.
Mr. DOUGLAS presented as Petition of the *me tendency
from the Merchants, Bergsma. &c. of Dumfries.—Ordered to
lie no the table. and to be printed.
Mr. MELLISH presented a Petition from the Parisi' of St.
Pancras respecting Ponr's Rates.
Sir EGErtION BRYOGLS postponed his motion on Copy-
rights till the3d of March.
CONVENII:NCE OF VOTERS.
Mr. C.W. WYNN said, he bad a Petition put into
Ms hands to present of rather a peculiar nature.—
it was from the Rev. Mr. Holmes, who held t.e per-
petual curacy of Sandacre, in Derbyshire, and a
curacy in another Coo ty. Ile was a freeholder in
Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, and leicestershire,bot
'could not give his vote for those places without the
time, trouble, and espence of travelling. ile there-
fore prayed, that the votes of Electors at a distance
might be taken by affidavit.—[Laughing.]
Ordered to lie on the fable.
ELECTION LAWS.

Mt. C. W. WYNN moved the consideration of
the Report of t" Election Laws' Amendment, which
was committed to • Committee of the whole Muse.
Mr. W. Wynn observed in the Committee, that he
was not aware that nutty further alterations would be
deemed necessary to propose; but if any Honourable
Members had any to rapt, hr lived they would
propose them :.oe in the Committee, as it would be
much more convenient that: in future stages of pro-
ceeding. He wis, ed i,‘ propose to escept the Uni-
versities of Oxford and Cambridge, and
,the City of
London, front the operation of the MI. In thestwo
former places Elections were conducted with suf.
1 ficient regularity. In the City of doers where
. ..
8,000 votes were taken in seven days iffined un.
necessary to make any alteration. exceptions
were (greed to.
A conversation ensued in the Committee, on some
of the classes

Mr. LOCKHART observed, that the making it
lawful io all cases, 1.4 the Sheriff, or Returning Of-
ficer, when it appeared before him, upon oath, that
voters had been prevented from coming up to null by
a riot, to adjourn such poll to the next day, did
not seem Aufficierr!v distinct. If the required num.
I er (400 we believe) mere not produced, a Candidate
might possibly get some of his own party to meke a
riot, and so detain some of his own voters to answer
his purpose on another day. A very large discretion
might this be given. The clause did not limit the scene
of the riot to the particular place where the voting
would occur. Now the riot might he at a distance
from it. It was possible that a Returning Officer
might be induced to partiality in his conduct, and
the object of a valuable clause might be defeated.—
Ile had no particular proposition then to offer, but
wished to make these suggestions.
Mr. C. W. WYNN said, it seemed that some dis-
cretion in such cases must be allowed. It should be
recollected, that it wo.ild afterwards be liable to the
consideration of a Committee of the House of Com-
mons, and also to the severe censure of that House,
if improperly exercised. It was true, that a iiot
might take place a mile or two, or a greater distance,
from the place of voting, which might prevent the
voters from coming up.
Mr. LOCKHART thought, that the re-opening of
the poll ought to he only for those voters who were
obstructed in their progress by a riot.
Some conversation took place between Mr. BEN-
rem, Mr. Wales, Sir M. W. RIDLEY, Lord LAS-
CELLES, &C. on some clauses.
Mr. WYNN adverted to the ancient rule respect-
ing the choosin4 of Representatives. He did net see
why 4 parson should be subjected to the eapences of
the hustings, when he had not offered hiqiself as a
Candidate. Ht' thought that the hustings ought not
to Le pillaged Ise the mob.
Lord LASCELLES noticed the inconvenienre that
might arise it ;Ire poll of such a county as York ;
but did not ellieot to leaving open a discretion for
conveniency of arrangements.
Mr. WYNN observed, that the Committee were
discussing elaises whith had exact connexion with
each other, from the first end the fourth pages.
Mr. GURNEY made some observations.
Mr. WYNN said, he had endeavoured to keep in
view the principle of the ancient role in Parlia-
mentary Elections. It was rather hard on a person
returned to blear the trouble and expence of a poll,
when nobody opposed him. The subject, however,
was not essentially connected with the rest of the
Bill. Ile did not wish to press it, if the sense of
the House appeared adverse to ft. In most cases, he
believed, it would appear that a poll was likely to
be demanded against a Candidate. But in the in-
stance of a person having the support of all, it might
be right to adopt the particular clause to tim
from comiderable iucoorsuielice.

Mr. BANKES, Jon. ntadevosie remarki on the
nentegsame et as omission at tlice Quarter Sessions,
settleirmight prevent the operation of the clause.
Some conversation took place on the 4sveret claim%
'of .16..o all, in which Sit C. Matitx, Sir R. /We nn.
assd NO. Wyse took pert. A damn was added,
wiiteimesterratios the Returning Officer, during ow
`electltrni lad for a day afterwimis, the power of a
Justice of the feace. - •
Tim Hvott was order,tii.be,irieel cad ea Monday
r nest: •
evANcELcoft of the E*CREQU. PR
.ol,4lthoit it footles heel the Preeithis and Men.
' bertist tip Board of 4ricsiedirT esnod be recPivetl'
It 'oral ordered to be bro4iphtin anirtaid on the table.
• It Pftrid for a stint in order to effect some porpoars
conneeteiCerith the oSjoct of the &wird. •
' SUPIPRI:INOS UNDER THE SUSPENSION.
Mr. ET T said Ire held in hit basal a petition trod Mei
of texefesezre sow who Isad suffered so such soverity ►
res try de Bgs Act , it was from J nit
'tilt- 1 Lifferliw4_ Itrap hi that siksatint which