15-2 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



the committee contained, or to 

 make any charge against liim that 

 he had not made against himself. 

 It was in evidence that, in 1805, 

 lord Castlereagh received a letter 

 from a Mr. Reding (an advertis- 

 ing place-broker) who was a per- 

 fect stranger to him, stating, that 

 he thought he had the means of 

 assisting him in coming into par- 

 liament; in consequence of which, 

 he had a meeting with him : at 

 which meeting the proposition re- 

 specting a seat in parliament was 

 renewed. Lord Castlereagh, as 

 appeared from his evidence on the 

 table of the house, told Mr. Reding, 

 that he did not want a seat him- 

 self, but that a friend of his did, 

 and that he sent Mr. Reding's 

 letter to lord Clancarty, the friend 

 he had alluded to. And he admitted 

 that he had been induced to place 

 a writership at lord Clancarty 's 

 disposal, in order that his coming 

 into parliament might thereby be 

 facihtated. It appears that diffe- 

 rent meetings took place between 

 lord Castlereagh and Mr. Reding. 

 At one of these, lord Castle- 

 reagh asked Mr. Reding the name 

 of the gentleman who proposed to 

 vacate. But this he declined till 

 the terms should be settled, and 

 the negotiation was broken off. 

 But, said lord A. Hamilton, the 

 noble lord has stated in his evi- 

 dence, " that the writership was 

 to be disposed of subject to cer- 

 tain qualifications ; that the case 

 before them had no reference to 

 any pecuniary transaction ; and 

 finally, that the nomination to the 

 writership did not take place." 

 This plea, said lord A. Hamilton, 

 cannot avail him upon this occa- 

 sion, for his intention is obvious, 

 and of that intention vvc are to 



judge. Lord A. Hamilton having 

 reviewed the whole case, moved, 

 that the minutes of the evidence 

 he had referred to be read. — Upon 

 this, lord Castlereagh rose to de- 

 fend himself, which he did in a 

 modest and somewhat humble man- 

 ner. The appointment of a writer- 

 ship, he said, was not within his 

 official province as president of 

 the board of control. He had 

 no doubt a degree of influence, 

 but not of an official nature. 

 Having tried, he said in conclu- 

 sion, to strip the charge against 

 him of all the aggravations, he 

 left it for the house to consider 

 whether, without any motive, he 

 could be wilfully corrupt or so 

 senseless as to commit a crime, 

 which, from the very circum- 

 stances that attended it, he knew 

 must be public. He had now- 

 only to regret, that the motives of 

 private friendship or of public zeal 

 (alluding to the benefit he had 

 said the introduction of lord Clan- 

 carty into the House of Commons, 

 would be to the public) could 

 have induced him to do any thing 

 requiring the cognizance of that 

 house. He certainly had not erred 

 intentionally, and would submit 

 with patience to any censure which 

 he might be thought to have in- 

 curred. Making an obeisance to the 

 Speaker, he then withdrew. 



The evidence of the minutes 

 being entered as read, lord A. 

 Hamilton proposed the following 

 resolutions: 1st. "That it ap- 

 pears to this house, from the evi- 

 dence on the table, that lord vis- 

 count Castlereagh, in the year 1805, 

 he having just quitted the office of 

 president of the board of control, 

 and being then a j)rivy counsellor 

 and secretary of state, <lid place 



at 



