158 ANNUAL REGISTER, 1809. 



however, was the best judge of 

 the course he meant to pursue ; 

 and nothing remained for him but 

 to make his bow and retire from 

 the house.— Sir John Anstruther 

 said, that the form of proceeding 

 proposed by Mr. Madocks was 

 one of the strangest he had ever 

 heard. What information had 

 been given as the ground for 

 calling on the house to adopt so 

 solemn a proceeding as a hearing 

 at their bar? What charges had 

 the honourable gentleman speci- 

 fied against Mr. Spencer Perceval 

 or lord Casllereagh ? Was it 

 ever heard that a member was to 

 be set down as one under accu- 

 sation, and consequently obliged 

 to quit the house, without the 

 slightest information being laid 

 before the house in support of 

 the accusation ? If every member 

 against whom indefinite and vague 

 charges of this kind might be 

 brought forward must withdraw, 

 as a matter of course, the honour- 

 able member might soon have the 

 house to himself.— Mr. Madocks 

 said he was willing to adopt any 

 mode of proceeding the house 

 should recommend.— Mr. Can- 

 ning was clearly of opinion that 

 the house ougl\t not to agree to 

 the witiidrawing of the motion 

 ^without intending any personal 

 disrespect to the honourable 

 mover), but to mark its disappro- 

 bation in so decided a manner as 

 not to render itself liable to the 

 recurrence of such a proceeding. 

 —Mr. Whitbread asked if any man 

 could arraign the conduct of his 

 honourable friend who had made 

 the motion, and venture to say 

 that there was not corruption in 

 the election of members of par- 

 liament ? Corrupt conduct was 



i 



imputed to Mr. Spencer Perceval 

 and lord Castlereagh ; the respon- 

 sibility was on the mover, and let 

 the house decide fairly. He 

 thought his noble friend might 

 stand on the question of form, 

 and take the sense of the house. 

 It might have been more prudent 

 to consult the opinion of the chair 

 as to the proper mode of pro- 

 ceeding; but, the motion being 

 made, he thought the principle 

 of the right to make it ought not 

 to be yielded. This was an 

 attack, not on all public men, as 

 had been alleged, but on their 

 corrupt practices ; and if this at- 

 tack should be repelled on the 

 question now, he hoped it would 

 be brought on again almost im- 

 mediately. Some reasons in sup- 

 port of Mr. Madocks's motion 

 were stated also by Mr. Bid- 

 dulph ; but it was negatived, 

 without a division. 



House of Commons, May 11. 

 Mr. Madocks rose, and moved 

 that the resolution of that house, 

 passed in the year 1799, be now 

 read, which was done. The re- 

 solution stated in substance that 

 it was " highly criminal for any 

 minister or ministers, or any other 

 servant of the crown in Great 

 Britain, directly or indirectly, to 

 make use of the power of his of- 

 fice in order to influence the 

 election of members of parlia- 

 ment ; and that an attempt to 

 exercise that influence was an at- 

 tack upon the dignity, the honour, 

 and the independence of parlia- 

 ment; an infringement of the rights 

 and liberties of the people ; and 

 an attempt to sap the basis of our 

 free and happy constitution." 

 The resolution of the 25th of 

 April last, just stated in our las* 



chapter. 



