House of Commons
Friday, April 24, 1818
Breach of Privilege
Mr. Wynn brought up the Report of the Committee of Privileges respecting the complaint of the letter written to a voter of the county of Lanark, to influence his vote in the election of a member to serve in parliament, by Thomas Ferguson, in breach of the privileges of this House, as follows: 1. "That Thomas Ferguson hath admitted himself to be the author and writer of the said letter, and that it was addressed to William Dykes, a freeholder of the county of Lanark, with the intention of influencing his vote for the said county, but that, he hath also expressly stated that his assertions, therein contained, 'that he had communicated. Mr. Dykes's application, for a situation under government in behalf of a friend to the lord Douglas and that his lordship had authorized the offer contained in the said letter,' were perfectly false and groundless, and that he had never had any communication with the lord Douglas on the subject. 2. That the said letter is a corrupt attempt to subvert the freedom and independence of election, and a high breach of the privileges of the House."
The Resolution was agreed to by the House, and Thomas Ferguson was ordered to be taken into the custody of the Serjeant at Arms.
Dr. Burney.'s Library
On the order of the day being read for going into a Committee of Supply, Mr. Bankes moved, "That the Report respecting the purchase of the late Reverend Dr. Charles Burney's Library of Manuscript and Printed Books be referred to the Committee." Mr. Bennet wished to know whether the proposed grant had the consent of the Crown? The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, it had. Mr. Bennet said, he wished to ascertain this point, as that consent had been refused to a claim of justice, which was now given to a grant of munificence.—Mr. Curwen said, that if the hon. member pressed the motion for referring the report to the committee, he should feel it his duty to divide the House upon it. He had, for the same reason, opposed former plans. Whatever might be the actual value of this collection, it could only be expected to be useful to a few. They had lately refused grants to the royal family; and in the present circumstances of the country, they ought to pause before they agreed to vote away such sums.—The House divided: For the motion 79; Against it 35.
List of the Minority. Brand, hon. T. North, Dudley Bennet, hon. H. G. Newport, right hon. sir John Brougham, Henry Colthurst, sir N. Osborne, lord F. G. Calcraft, John Ossulston, lord Duncannon, vis. Odell, Wm. Fergusson, sir R. C. Protheroe, Ed. Fitzroy, lord John Parnell, sir H. Folkestone, vis. Parnell, W. H. Guise, sir Wm. Pelham, hon. C. A. Gascoyne, gen. Symonds, T. P. Graham, sir James Sefton, earl of Heron, sir Robt. Wilkins, Walter Hornby, Edward Walpole, hon. gen. Keene, sir John Wood, alderman Lambton, J. G. White, M. Lloyd, sir Edward TELLERS Latouche, John Curwen, J. C. Latouche, Robert Sebright, sir John Methuen, Paul