300 Parliamentary Proceedings. Nov. i, 



committee is fworn to hear and determine. This, Sir, is the 

 refoi'ition of the committee, and I think it neceflary to add, 

 that it is expedted you will, as foon as pofTible, flat': your com- 

 plaint upon the undue return of the fit'jng meaibers for IVeJi- 

 min/ier" 



Mr Home Tooke regretted that the committee h?.d come to 

 the refolution he had juft heard exprefTed. He underftood, that 

 by this, he, the petitioner, fhould not he rtt liberty to ft te what 

 was faid or done by the Houfe upon 'i^s petition, wha' was faid 

 out of doors upon his petitiori^ or what the committf-e might 

 report upon his petition. If Ke ha ' onlv ro fettle a -x.itc mat- 

 ter of ele(flion, or to areue againfi a report, which pfjudice 

 might occalion the committee to make, and which oj'^er com-? 

 mittees had made upon petitions, that of bt-ini; vrxatioos and 

 frivolous, he would be very indifferent ; but there was fome* 

 thing much more interefting to the public As to a reform in 

 Parliament, his fentiments were well known ; but he would fay, 

 that the gentlemen who had obferved in the Houfe, that he 

 wiOied to proDofe a reform in the reprefentation of the people, 

 was one who had lately purchafed four boroughs. " I do not," 

 faid Mr Tooke, mention Mr Pulteney'p, or any other name." ' 



Here Mr Poivys informed Mr Tcoke, that the committee 

 would not fuffer him to proceed if he mentioned any thing 

 fpoken by any member of Parliament. 



Mr Tooke faid, if he was wrong in any thing, he faid, he was 

 forry for it. It was not only his wifh, but his duty to expedite 

 a decifion of the committee : whether they thought themfrlves 

 at liberty to make a fpecial report, and fay that, his petition 

 was not only vexatious and frivolous, but fcandalous and libel- 

 lous ? He had ftrongreafons for preffing this queftion, which he 

 iir^ed vehemently. He ftood before the committee in a very 

 diftrefling condition, when he confidered the manner in which 

 his petition had been fent to them. " The petition was fent 

 with diredtion to cenfure it, not only as vexatious and frivo- 

 lous, but fcandalous and libellous." The words were ordered 

 to be taken down ; and being read, Mr Tooke faid, they were 

 the words he ufed, and defired that the following words, 

 which he likewife fpoke as the explanation of the preceding, 

 might be likewife taken down. " The minifler of the country, 

 bred to the bar, in his place, while my petition was difcuflfing, 

 faid that he faw no reafon wny the committee fhould not re- 

 port the petition to the Houfe, not only as frivolous and vexa- 

 tious, but alfo as fcandalous and libellous." 



The Court was cleared, and when the parties were called iu 

 again, the Ciairmau informed Mr Tooke that the committee 

 had rcfolved, and diredted him to fty, " That the words taken 

 down are improper, and ought not to have been ufed, in as 

 much as they are the fubftance of a debate in Parliament, which 



