GENERAL HISTORY. 



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CHAPTER V. 



Debate on the Expulsion of Mr. Walsh — Renewal of the Gold Coin 

 and Bank-Note Bill — Motion of Lord Boringdon for an efficient 

 Administration — Provision for the Princesses, 



A PRIVATE matter, which 

 was discussed in the House 

 of Commons at the early part of 

 the session, is entitled to notice, on 

 account of its involving a principle 

 of parliamentary law, though 

 otherwise it might liave been pass- 

 ed over in the public history of the 

 year. Mr. Benjamin Walsh, a 

 member of parliament, had been 

 guilty of a very gross breach of 

 trust in his business of a stock- 

 broker ; for which he had been 

 tried at the Old Bailey, and con- 

 victed of felony. He had afterwards 

 obtained the royal pardon for his 

 crime, on the ground that it did 

 not properly amount to felony ; but 

 his remaining a member of the 

 house could not but be regarded as 

 derogatory to the dignity of that 

 assembly. On Feb. 25, on the 

 motion of Mr. Bankes, copies of 

 the papers relative to his trial and 

 conviction were laid before the 

 house, and an order was made for 

 his attendance on the 27th, On 

 that day nothing more was done 

 than taking some preliminary steps 

 to further proceedings. Repeated 

 orders having been made for Mr. 

 Walsh's appearance, with which 

 he did not comply, but stated by 

 letter his desire that the proceed- 

 ings of the house should not be de- 

 layed on that account, Mr. Bankes, 

 on March 5, rose, and after a 



speech setting forth the enormity 

 of the offence of which the mem- 

 ber in question had been convicted, 

 and the practice of the house of 

 expelling for notorious crimes, par- 

 ticularly for pecuniaiy frauds and 

 breaches of trust, he moved," That 

 Benjamin Walsh, esq. a member of 

 this House, having been tried at 

 the Old Bailey, in January last, for 

 felony, and convicted thereof, and 

 having received a free pardon, by 

 reason of his offence not amounting 

 to felony in the opinion of the 

 judges; but gross fraud and noto- 

 rious breach of trust having been 

 proved against him on the said 

 trial, is unworthy and unfit to con- 

 tinue a member in this House." 



Sir Arthur Piggott, in opposition 

 to the motion, adduced various ar- 

 guments to prove the incomplete- 

 ness of the evidence before the 

 house of Walsh's guilt, and to 

 shew, that although he had dis- 

 graced himself in the eyes of so- ' 

 ciety, his action was not of a na- 

 ture of which the house could take 

 cognizance. 



Mr. Bathurst replied to his ob- 

 jections, by shewing that there was 

 sufficient proof of moral turpitude 

 for which no circumstances of mi- 

 tigation had been adduced ; that 

 the House was not bound by tech- 

 nical rules; and that every one 

 must feci the gross indecorum of 



•uch 



