262 Parliamentary Proceedings. OQc. 26. 



an attentive confideration of the different circumftances relat- 

 ing to the canfe, a final decifion of the bnfinels before them 

 cannot'take place in the coiirfe of the prefent Si-ffion, and that 

 not improbably the whole of the prefent Parliament may be 

 confUmed in a'tedious and expenfive litigation." " Refolved, 

 that, from the neceflary leijgth of the proceeding, and from the 

 approach of a general eleflion, which muft occur not later than 

 fpring 1791, (nearly two years more,) the profecution of the 

 caufe, on the nart of the petitioners, promifes to be fruitlefs, as 

 far as it refpedts the reprefentation of Weftminfter in the pre- 

 fent Parliament. Refolved, that it be recommended to the 

 petitioners to withdraw their petitions, nnder the fpecial cir- 

 cnmftances of the cafe." That, notwithftanding this extraordi- 

 Jiary, and, perhaps, unparallelled application from a court of 

 juftice to its fuitors, Lord Hood, and the other petitioners, 

 having refufed to withdraw their refpedtive petitions, the pro- 

 ceedings of the committee continued till July 6. 1789, when 

 :i very fmall comparative progrefs haviiiof been made, the pe- 

 titioner?, from a convidion of the impoflibility of any decifion 

 by the committe'', were compelled to abandon their petitions, 

 without any effect, or tendency towards effedt, after a tedious 

 and expenfive litigation of three months and three days; and 

 with an cxpence to the petitioning candidate of more than 

 I4,ooo1. 



" That, under thefe circumftances, as the petitioner de- 

 clined demanding a fcrutiny before the returning officer, fo is 

 he compelled to uifclaim all fcrutiny before a committee of the 

 Houfe of Commons. For although the adl of the loth of Geo. 

 III. by which the fald committee is appointed, recites, in its 

 preamble, that, "Whereas the prefent mode of decifion upon 

 petitions complaining of undue Eleftions or returns of members 

 tor ferve in PArLamei:t, frequently obftrudts public bufinefs, oc- 

 cafions much expence, trouble and delay to the parties, &c. • 

 for remedy thereof, &c." yet it would be lefs expenfive, and 

 Jefs ruinous, to the petitio!»er, to be impeached, even accord- 

 ing to the prefent mode of conducting impeachments, and to 

 be convidf ed too of real crimes, than to be guilty of attempting 

 to obtain juftice for hirafelf, and the injured eledlors of Weft- 

 minfter, b^ the only >mode which the new remedial ftatute of 

 the loth of Geo. III. has appointed for that purpofe, however, 

 well adapted that mode of decifion may be to fettle the dif- 

 puted claims of the proprietors of fmall boroughs, for v/hofe 

 ufurpcd and fmuggled interefts alone, the framers of that bill, 

 and of thofe bills which have fince been bui't upon it, feem 

 to have had any real concern. 



" That by the 9th of Anrie, chap. 5. the right of electors 

 (before unlimited by qualiftcation in the objedls of their choice) 

 13 reftridtedj in cities and boroughs, to citizens and burgefles re- 



